Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes to those statements included in this Annual Report. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), reflect the operations of Quoin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Quoin Inc.”) since inception and include the accounts of Quoin Ltd. since the closing of the Merger (as defined below). In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, beliefs and expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report, particularly in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Summary of Risk Factors.”
Overview
We are a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of therapeutic products that treat rare and orphan diseases for which there are currently no approved treatments or cures. Our initial focus is on the development of products, using our proprietary owned and in-licensed drug delivery technologies, that could help address rare skin diseases. Our first lead product is QRX003, a once daily, topical lotion comprised of a broad-spectrum serine protease inhibitor, formulated with the proprietary in-licensed Invisicare® technology, is under development as a potential treatment fort Netherton Syndrome (“NS”), a rare hereditary genetic disease. QRX003 is currently being tested in two clinical studies in the United States (“U.S.”) under an open Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). Dosing of patients has commenced for the first study, and we are preparing to commence enrollment into the second clinical study. We are also developing QRX004 as a potential treatment for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (“RDEB”). In addition, we entered into Research Agreements with the Queensland University of Technology (“QUT”), under which we have obtained an option for global licenses to QRX007 for the potential treatment of NS and QRX008 for the potential treatment of scleroderma.
Our objective is to develop and commercialize proprietary therapeutic drug products. To this effect, we intend to develop and seek marketing approvals from the FDA and other worldwide regulatory bodies for rare and orphan diseases. To achieve these objectives, we plan to:
Our operations, to date, have not been significantly affected by COVID-19. However, the extent of any future impact of COVID-19 on our operational and financial performance will depend on the possibility of a resurgence and resulting severity of COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to our access to API and drug product for clinical testing, as well as our ability to safely and efficiently conduct planned clinical trials.
We do not expect to generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, which we expect will take a number of years and is subject to significant uncertainty. Accordingly, we will need to raise additional capital prior to the commercialization of QRX003 or any other product candidate. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our operating activities through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, commercialization, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. Our failure to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to continue our operations. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources”.
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Key Events
Merger
On October 28, 2021, Cellect completed the business combination with Quoin Inc. in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, by and among Cellect, Quoin Inc. and Merger Sub, which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cellect, pursuant to which Merger Sub merged with and into Quoin Inc., with Quoin Inc. surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cellect (the “Merger”). Immediately after completion of the Merger, Cellect changed its name to “Quoin Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.”
We have accounted for the transaction as a reverse recapitalization with Quoin Inc. as the accounting acquirer. Because Quoin Inc. is the accounting acquirer, its historical financial statements became our historical financial statements and such assets and liabilities continued to be recorded at their historical carrying values. The impact of the recapitalization has been retroactively applied to all periods presented.
In addition, on October 28, 2021, Cellect sold the entire share capital of its subsidiary, Cellect Biotherapeutics Ltd., which essentially included all of Cellect’s then existing net assets, to EnCellX Inc. (“EnCellX”), a newly formed U.S. privately held company based in San Diego, CA (the “Share Transfer”), pursuant to an Amended and Restated Share Transfer Agreement. We have no interests in EnCellX subsequent to the closing of the Merger.
ADS Ratio Change
Effective August 1, 2022, the ratio of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) evidencing ordinary shares changed from 1 ADS representing four hundred (400) ordinary shares to 1 ADS representing five thousand (5,000) ordinary shares, which resulted in a one for 12.5 reverse split of the issued and outstanding ADSs (the “Ratio Change”). All ADS and related option and warrant information presented herein and our financial statements and accompanying footnotes, has been retroactively adjusted to reflect the reduced number of ADSs resulting from the Ratio Change.
Nasdaq Listing
On June 10, 2022, we received a letter from the Staff notifying us that the closing bid price per ADS was below the required minimum of $1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and that we did not meet the minimum bid price requirements set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). On August 15, 2022, the Staff determined that the closing bid price of our ADSs was at $1.00 per ADS or greater for the preceding 10 business days, and we regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet the minimum bid price requirement for 30 consecutive business days, and our ADSs could be subject to delisting again. If our ADSs are delisted from Nasdaq, it will have material negative impacts on the actual and potential liquidity of our securities, as well as material negative impacts on our ability to raise future capital.
Clinical Development
Quoin’s lead asset, QRX003, is currently in clinical development in the U.S. under an open IND application with the FDA. Five of the projected six clinical sites in the U.S. have been opened for this study. Patients are actively being screened and recruited into the study and dosing has commenced. This study is a randomized, double blinded assessment of two different doses of QRX003 versus a placebo vehicle in NS patients. The test materials are applied once daily, over a twelve-week period, to pre-selected areas of the patient’s body. Based on discussions with the FDA, a number of different clinical endpoints are being assessed in the study, including but not limited to, an Investigators Global Assessment (IGA), Patient’s Global Assessment (PaGA) and Pruritis.
In November 2022, we submitted a protocol for our second clinical study in NS patients to the FDA under our currently open IND. This study was cleared by the FDA to initiate in December 2022. We are currently enrolling patients into this study. This study will be conducted in ten NS patients who are currently receiving off-label systemic therapy, primarily systemic biologic therapy. This will be an open-label study with no placebo control. Both of our NS clinical studies will run concurrently and utilize the same clinical trial sites and investigators.
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Agreements with Altium Growth Fund, LP and Warrant Exercises
On October 28, 2021, we completed the private placement transaction with Altium Growth Fund, LP (“Altium” or the “Investor”) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $17.0 million (comprised of the set off of approximately $5.0 million of bridge notes from bridge financing earlier in 2021 (the “Bridge Notes”), and approximately $12.0 million in cash) (the “Primary Financing”), which resulted in the net proceeds of approximately $10.1 million. We issued 342,100 ADSs to the Investor.
We also issued to the Investor, effective as of March 13, 2022, the 136th day following the consummation of the Merger (i) Series A Warrant to purchase 342,100 ADSs (the “Series A Warrant”) (ii) Series B Warrant to purchase 342,100 ADSs (the “Series B Warrant”) and (iii) Series C Warrant to purchase 191,174 ADSs (“Series C Warrant” and, together with the Series A Warrant and Series B Warrant, the “Investor Warrants”). The exercise price for the Investor Warrants is $49.75 per ADS, with Series A Warrant having a five-year maturity, and Series B Warrant and Series C Warrant having a two-year maturity.
We had the right to require the mandatory exercise of the Series C Warrant, subject to an effective registration statement being in place for the resale of the shares underlying such warrant and the satisfaction of equity market conditions, as defined in the Series C Warrant. On April 22, 2022, a registration statement for the resale of the shares underlying Investor Warrants was declared effective by the SEC. In the period from April 22, 2022 to June 30, 2022, the Investor exercised the Series B Warrant in full pursuant to the alternate cashless exercise rights of such warrant, which gives the Investor the sole option as elected by the Investor to receive 1.0 ADS for each warrant ADS underlying such warrant, resulting in the issuance of a total of 342,100 ADSs to the Investor. The market related conditions to require the mandatory exercise of the Series C Warrant were not met during the period up to July 14, 2022.
On July 14, 2022, we entered into an agreement with Quoin Inc. and Altium (the “Altium Agreement”), pursuant to which the parties agreed to, among other things, (i) amend certain terms of the Series A Warrant and Investor Exchange Warrants previously issued to Altium to reduce the exercise price to $0.00 per ADS with respect to a total of 399,999 ADSs, (ii) cancel the Series C Warrant and the remaining portion of the Series A Warrant previously issued to Altium, and (iii) terminate the Purchase Agreements, pursuant to which the warrants were previously issued to Altium. The incremental fair value of the modified warrants was approximately $491,000, which was charged against the gross proceeds of the August Offering (see below). From July 15, 2022 to August 2, 2022, Altium exercised all of its Series A Warrant to purchase 300,925 ADSs and all of its Investor Exchange Warrants to purchase 99,074 ADSs at $0.00 per ADS exercise price, and we issued a total of 399,999 ADSs.
Noteholder Warrant Exercises
Commencing in October 2020, Quoin Inc. issued promissory notes (the “2020 Notes”) to five noteholders, including our directors, Messrs. Langer and Culverwell (collectively, “2020 Noteholders”). The 2020 Notes were issued at a 25% original issue discount with an aggregate face value of $1,213,313 with an interest at a rate of 20% per annum. The 2020 Notes were mandatorily convertible into ADSs based on the valuation negotiated in the Primary Financing. The 2020 Noteholders also received warrants exercisable at any time after the issuance date for a number of shares of Quoin Inc.’s common stock equal to 100% of the “as if converted” shares as if the 2020 Notes principal and interest were convertible at the lowest price any securities are sold, convertible, or exercisable into in the Primary Financing or the next round of financing (whichever is lower). At the closing of the Merger, ADSs were issued to the 2020 Noteholders upon the conversion of the principal of the 2020 Notes. In addition, effective as of March 13, 2022, Quoin Ltd. exchanged Quoin Inc. warrants held by the 2020 Noteholders for warrants on substantially the same terms as the Investor Exchange Warrants, exercisable for 29,388 ADSs, in the aggregate, at the exercise price of $49.75 per ADS (the “Noteholder Warrants”). The Noteholder Warrants became exercisable immediately upon issuance and expire five years from March 13, 2022. The exercise price of the warrants held by the 2020 Noteholders was also reduced to $0.00 as of July 14, 2022 as a result of the Altium Agreement. The change in the exercise price of the Noteholder Warrants resulted in a deemed dividend of approximately $65,000. From July to September 2022, the 2020 Noteholders exercised all their warrants to purchase ADSs at $0.00 per ADS exercise price, and a total of 29,388 ADSs were issued to such noteholders.
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Public Offerings
On August 9, 2022 (the “August Closing Date”), we completed an offering (the “August Offering”) of 11,050,000,000 ordinary shares represented by 2,210,000 ADSs at a purchase price of $5.00 per ADS and a pre-funded warrant (the “August Pre-Funded Warrant”) to purchase 5,750,000,000 ordinary shares represented by 1,150,000 ADSs at a per pre-funded warrant price of $4.9999, with each ADS and August Pre-Funded Warrant accompanied by an ordinary warrant (the “August Common Warrant”), for aggregate gross proceeds of $16.8 million, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $14.9 million, after deducting the placement agent’s fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and excluding the proceeds, if any, from the subsequent exercise of the August Common Warrants. Each August Common Warrant had an exercise price of $5.00 per ADS and was to expire on the fifth anniversary of the August Closing Date. On the August Closing Date, the holder of the August Pre-Funded Warrant exercised its Pre-Funded Warrant in full.
On February 24, 2023 (the “February Closing Date”), we completed an offering (the “February Offering”) of 24,750,000,000 ordinary shares represented by 4,950,000 ADSs at a purchase price of $1.00 per ADS and a pre-funded warrant (the “February Pre-Funded Warrant”) to purchase 10,250,000,000 ordinary shares represented by 2,050,000 ADSs at a per pre-funded warrant price of $0.9999, with each ADS and February Pre-Funded Warrant accompanied by an ordinary warrant (the “February Common Warrant”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $7.0 million, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $6.0 million, after deducting the placement agent’s fees and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and excluding the proceeds, if any, from the subsequent exercise of the February Common Warrants. Each February Common Warrant has an exercise price of $1.00 per ADS and expires on the fifth anniversary of the February Closing Date. On the February Closing Date, the holder of the February Pre-Funded Warrant exercised its Pre-Funded Warrant in full.
In connection with the February Offering, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “February Purchase Agreement”) with certain institutional investors. Under the February Purchase Agreement, subject to certain exemptions, we agreed not to: (i) for a period of ninety (90) days after the closing date of the February Offering, issue, enter into any agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any ADSs, ordinary shares or ordinary share equivalents or (ii) file any registration statement or amendment or supplement thereto, other than a registration statement on Form S-8 in connection with any employee benefit plan or any post-effective amendment to a registration statement declared effective by the SEC and (ii) for a period of 180 days after the closing date of the February Offering, enter into an agreement to effect a “variable rate transaction” as defined in the February Purchase Agreement.
In connection with the February Offering, we entered into an Amendment No. 1 to Warrant to Purchase Ordinary Shares Represented by American Depositary Shares, dated February 24, 2023 (collectively, the “Warrant Amendments”), with each of the purchasers (the “2022 Purchasers”) who participated in both the August Offering and February Offering. The Warrant Amendments amended certain terms of the August Common Warrants issued to such 2022 Purchasers in the August Offering. Specifically, the Warrant Amendments reduced the exercise price of such warrants to $1.10 and extended the term during which those warrants could remain exercisable until February 24, 2028.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Operating Expenses
Our current operating expenses consist of two components - research and development expenses, and general and administrative expenses.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include personnel costs associated with research and development activities, including third-party contractors to perform research, conduct clinical trials and manufacture drug supplies and materials. We utilize outside consultants and third parties to conduct the majority of our research and development, under the supervision of our management team.
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Future research and development expenses may include:
● costs for sponsored research.
Research and development activities will continue to be central to our business plan. Products in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect our research and development expenses to be significant over the next several years as personnel and compensation costs increase and we conduct late-stage clinical studies and prepare to seek regulatory approval for QRX003 and any other future product.
The duration, costs and timing of clinical trials of QRX003 and any other future product will depend on a variety of factors that include, but are not limited to:
● the number of trials required for approval;
● the per patient trial costs;
● the number of patients that participate in the trials;
● the number of sites included in the trials;
● the countries in which the trial is conducted;
● the length of time required to enroll eligible patients;
● the number of doses that patients receive;
● the drop-out or discontinuation rates of patients;
● the duration of patient follow-up;
● the timing and receipt of regulatory approvals; and
● the efficacy and safety profile of our product candidates.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation for the founders and executive officers, professional fees and other corporate expenses, including significant costs incurred in 2021 in connection with the Merger and associated regulatory filings.
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We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future to support our continued research and development activities. These increases will likely include increased costs related to the hiring of personnel, including compensation and employee-related expenses, and fees to outside consultants, lawyers and accountants. Additionally, we anticipate increased costs associated with being a public company, including compliance with The Nasdaq Capital Market and SEC requirements, insurance and investor relations costs.
Other Expenses
Other expenses consist primarily of non-cash costs associated with the financing arrangements entered into during 2020 and 2021, including fair value adjustments to notes payable and warrants and interest expense associated with debt instruments. The majority of such expenses ceased upon conversion of the debt instruments and exchange of the warrants, most of which occurred at the Merger date.
Results of Operations - Year ended December 31, 2022 compared to Year ended December 31, 2021
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021:
Year ended December 31,
Operating Expenses
Other Expenses
Forgiveness of trade payable (416,000) — (416,000)
Unrealized income (1,307) — (1,307)
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses were approximately $6,585,000 and $4,500,000, in the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing an increase of $2,085,000, or 46%. The increase was primarily due to the build-up of the company infrastructure post the Merger which included, $810,000 in increased costs of becoming a public company related to professional services, filing and insurance costs, $318,000 in increased salary and benefits expenses, $283,000 in travel related expenses and stock-based compensation expense of $664,000 following the issuance of options under the Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan (the “Amended Plan”) in April 2022.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development expenses during the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were approximately $2,673,000 and $1,563,000, respectively, representing an increase of $1,110,000, or approximately 71%. The increase was primarily due to $1,010,000 in increased expenditures on our development programs following the completion of our financings in October 2021, including work related to the filing of our IND for QRX003 in March 2022, work related to commencing the clinical studies for the development of QRX003 following the FDA clearance of our IND in April 2022. Also, included in the 2022 expenses were approximately $100,000 of stock-based compensation expense following the issuance of options under the Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan (the “Amended Plan”) in April 2022. We expect to significantly increase our research and development efforts by conducting the remaining studies necessary for the development and approval of QRX003, see “Components of Our Results of Operations - Research and Development Expenses” above.
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We amortize licensed or acquired intellectual property over its expected useful life, included in research and development expenses set out above. The license from Skinvisible was obtained in October 2019, see “Research and Development, Patents and Licenses.” Amortization of intangible assets was approximately $104,000 in each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Other Expenses:
Interest and financing expense
Interest expense on the 2020 Notes and Bridge Notes was $714,000 and $1,090,000 in the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 respectively. Interest on the Bridge Notes was paid in October 2021 upon closing of the Primary Financing, and interest on the 2020 Notes did not accrue after October 2021 but remained unpaid and included as a liability on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 a portion of which was paid in the year ended December 31, 2022. Approximately $312,000 was paid to two of the five 2020 Noteholders during the year ended December 31, 2022. Based on the terms of the cash settlement with these two 2020 Noteholders, our estimate of the liability to the remaining three 2020 Noteholders was increased to $1,146,000 as of December 31, 2022. We expect to settle the remaining liability in 2023. We earned $96,000 in interest income in the year ended December 31, 2022 from our cash and investments in marketable securities. In the year ended December 31, 2021 we incurred $275,000 in finance expenses in connection with the Primary Financing.
Fair value adjustment to convertible notes payable
We elected to value the 2020 Notes and the Bridge Notes at fair value, which was remeasured at each reporting period. In the year ended December 31, 2021 we incurred a fair value adjustment of $1,250,000 related to the Bridge Notes. The Bridge Notes and 2020 Notes were converted into equity in October 2021 on the closing of the Primary Financing.
Warrant liability expense
We determined our warrants required liability treatment at fair value, which was remeasured at each reporting period. In the year ended December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021 we incurred a fair value gain of ($77,000) related to the warrants associated with the 2020 Notes, and expense of $12,784,000 related to the warrants associated with the 2020 Notes and the Bridge Notes, respectively. The Bridge Note warrants which were exchanged for the Investor Exchange Warrants with a fixed exercise price of $49.74 per ADS and reclassified as an equity instrument in October 2021 upon closing of the Primary Financing. The 2020 Note warrants were exchanged for warrants on the same terms as the Investor Exchange Warrants and reclassified as an equity instrument in March 2022.
Forgiveness of Trade Payable
In our balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 we had a liability of $584,000 representing amounts due to an investor relations firm for services commencing in 2017. In May 2022, we entered into a settlement with such firm to decrease the liability to $168,000 which resulted in $416,000 of income recognized in the year ended December 31, 2022.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We believe that we have sufficient resources to effect our business plan for at least one year from the issuance of the audited consolidated financial statements included in this report. However, we do not expect to generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, which we expect will take a number of years and is subject to significant uncertainty. Additional financing will be required to complete the research and development of our therapeutic targets and our other operating requirements, which may not be available at acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain additional funding when it becomes necessary, the development of our product candidates will be impacted and we would likely be forced to delay, reduce, or terminate some or all of our development programs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year, depending on the timing of planned clinical trials and our expenditures on other research and development activities. We anticipate that our expenses will continue to increase substantially in 2023 as we advance the clinical development of QRX003.
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Future Funding Requirements
We will need to obtain further funding through public or private offerings of our capital stock, debt financing, collaboration and licensing arrangements or other sources, the requirements for which will depend on many factors, including:
● the number and scope of clinical programs we decide to pursue;
● the scope and costs of development and commercial manufacturing activities;
● our implementation of operational, financial and management systems; and
● the costs associated with being a public company.
Adequate additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of QRX003, any future product, or potentially discontinue operations.
To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of our equity or convertible debt securities, and pursuant to the exercise of warrants issued to our investors in the August Offering and February Offering, the ownership interest of our equity holders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our equity holders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.
If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may be required to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or proposed products, or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our drug development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market any future product that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
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Summary Statement of Cash Flows
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $12,854,000 in cash and investments in marketable securities. The table below presents our cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Year ended December 31,
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $8,481,000 and $5,750,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in 2022 was primarily due to the increase in research and development and general and administrative expenses, including significant expenses incurred in connection with becoming a public company and increased compensation costs.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $10,149,000 and $625,000 in the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily due to the purchases of short maturity US Treasury Bills from the proceeds of the August Offering, offset by a decrease of $375,000 in license acquisition costs.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities was $14,008,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The net cash provided increased due to the receipt of $14.9 million in net proceeds from the August Offering partially offset by repayments of amounts due to officers at the aggregate rate of $50,000 per month and approximately $312,000 partial pay-down of accrued interest on the 2020 Notes. Net cash from financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 was $13,504,000, primarily representing net proceeds received from the issuance of Bridge Notes and the Primary Financing.
Research and development commitments
In October 2019, Quoin Inc. entered into the Exclusive Licensing Agreement (as amended from time to time, the “License Agreement”) with Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Skinvisible”), under which Skinvisible granted us an exclusive royalty-bearing license relating to the production and manufacture of prescription drug products related to certain patents held by Skinvisible, including those related to QRX003 and QRX004. We made Skinvisible a one-time non-refundable, non-creditable license fee of $1 million (the “License Fee”). In addition, we agreed to pay Skinvisible a single digit royalty percentage of our net sales revenues for any licensed product covered by the patent rights licensed under the License Agreement. We also agreed to pay Skinvisible 25% of any revenues we receive as royalties in the event that we sublicense any licensed products to a third party. The License Agreement also requires that we make a $5 million payment to Skinvisible upon receiving approval in the U.S. or European Union, whichever occurs first, for the first drug product developed using intellectual property licensed thereunder.
In November 2020, Quoin Inc. entered into a Master Service Agreement for an initial term of three years with Therapeutics Inc. for managing preclinical and clinical development for new products in the field of dermatology. The agreement required the execution of individual work orders. Quoin Inc. may terminate any work order for any reason with 90 days written notice subject to costs incurred through termination and a defined termination fee, unless there is a material breach by Therapeutics Inc. A work order was entered into in June 2022 for the first QRX003 clinical study at an expected estimated cost of approximately $4.4 million through 2024. A further work order was entered into in December 2022 for the second QRX003 clinical study at an expected estimated cost of approximately $830,000 through 2024. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we incurred a research and development expense under these agreements of approximately $1.2 million and $340,000 respectively.
In November 2021, we entered into a commitment with Queensland University of Technology for research related services associated with Netherton Syndrome of approximately $250,000 for an expected period of eighteen months. For the years ended
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December 31, 2022 and 2021, we incurred research and development costs related to this agreement of approximately $77,000 and $25,000, respectively.
In May 2022, we entered into a commitment with Queensland University of Technology for research related services associated with Scleroderma of approximately $610,000 for an expected period of eighteen months. We incurred research and development expenses of approximately $276,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to accrued expenses, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and valuation of intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Results may differ from these estimates due to actual outcomes being different from those on which we based our assumptions. These estimates and judgments are regularly reviewed by management on an ongoing basis at the end of each quarter prior to the public release of our financial results.
Critical accounting policies are those that, in management’s view, are most important to the portrayal of a company’s financial condition and results of operations and most demanding on their calls on judgment, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. We believe our most critical accounting policies and estimates relate to:
Use of estimates:
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Management considers many factors in developing the estimates and assumptions that are used in the preparation of these financial statements including: expected business and operational changes, sensitivity and volatility associated with the assumptions used in developing estimates, and whether historical trends are expected to be representative of future trends. The estimation process often may yield a range of potentially reasonable estimates of the ultimate future outcomes and management must select an amount that falls within that range of reasonable estimates. Estimates are used in the following areas, among others: settlement of debt or other obligations, fair value of debt instruments, stock-based compensation and warrants, research and development expense recognition, intangible asset estimated useful lives and impairment assessments, allowances of deferred tax assets, contingency recognition, and cash flow assumptions regarding going concern considerations.
Research and Development
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include personnel costs associated with research and development activities, including third-party contractors to perform research, conduct clinical trials and manufacture drug supplies and materials. We accrue for costs incurred by external service providers, including contract research organizations and clinical investigators, based on its estimates of service performed and costs incurred. These estimates include the level of services performed by third parties, patient enrollment in clinical trials when applicable, administrative costs incurred by third parties, and other indicators of the services completed. Based on the timing of amounts invoiced by service providers, we may also record payments made to those providers as prepaid expenses that will be recognized as expense in future periods as the related services are rendered.
Warrants:
We classify as equity any contracts that (i) require physical settlement or net-share settlement or (ii) provide the us with a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in its own shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement) provided that such contracts are indexed to our own stock. We classify as assets or liabilities any contracts that (i) require net-cash settlement (including a requirement to net cash settle the contract if an event occurs and if that event is outside of our control) or (ii) give the counterparty a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement).
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We assess classification of our warrants and other free-standing derivatives at each reporting date to determine whether a change in classification between assets, liabilities and equity is required. We evaluated our warrants to assess their proper classification using the applicable criteria enumerated under U.S. GAAP and determined that such warrants meet the criteria for equity classification in the accompanying balance sheets as of December 31, 2022.
Long-lived assets:
Long-lived assets are comprised of acquired technology and licensed rights to use technology, which are considered platform technology with alternative future uses beyond the current products in development. Such intangible assets are being amortized on a straight-line basis over their expected useful life of 10 years.
We assess the impairment for long-lived assets whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors we consider that could trigger an impairment review include the following:
● Significant negative regulatory or economic trends, and
We recognize impairment when the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. Impairment losses, if any, are measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over its estimated fair value. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no impairment indicators which required an impairment loss measurement.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are a smaller reporting company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this Item 7A.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The information required by this Item is set forth in the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. As of December 31, 2022, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2022. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, we recognize that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and implemented, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives.
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Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that:
Due to its inherent limitations, any system of internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on the framework set forth in Internal Control — Integrated Framework by The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) (2013). Based on this assessment using this framework, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm
This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting because Quoin Ltd. is not an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer, and it is not subject to the attestation requirement.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the year ended December 31, 2022, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting] that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Set forth below is certain information regarding the members of our board of directors (the “Board” or the “Board of Directors”) and our executive officers. Each director is entitled to serve until the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders and until a successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier retirement, resignation or removal.
Name Age Position(s)
Dr. Michael Myers 61 Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Denise Carter 54 Director and Chief Operating Officer
Joseph Cooper(1)(3) 65 Director
James Culverwell(1)(2) 66 Director
Dr. Dennis H. Langer(2) 71 Director
Natalie Leong(1)(3) 37 Director
Michael Sember(2) 73 Director
Gordon Dunn 58 Chief Financial Officer
(1) Member of our Audit Committee.
(2) Member of our Compensation Committee.
(3) Member of our Nominating and Governance Committee.
Set forth below is a summary of the business experience of each of our directors and executive officers.
Dr. Michael Myers, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Dr. Myers is the co-founder of Quoin Inc. and has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quoin Inc. since its inception in 2018. Dr. Myers has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quoin Ltd. since October 28, 2021. Dr. Myers has over 35 years of industry experience in the drug delivery and specialty pharmaceutical sectors. From 2003 to October 2015, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Innocoll AG (n/k/a Innocoll Biotherapeutics N.A. Inc.), a biotherapeutics pharmaceutical company, and was responsible for taking that company public in 2014. From 2001 to 2002, he served as President of the drug delivery division of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), a designer and manufacturer of injectable pharmaceutical packaging and delivery systems. From 1996 to 1999, Dr. Myers served as the President of Pharmaceutical Operations for Fuisz Technologies (Biovail), a developer of food and drug delivery systems and technologies. From 2000 to 2001, Dr. Myers served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Flamel Technologies (n/k/a Avadel Pharmaceuticals PLC (Nasdaq: AVDL), a specialty pharmaceutical company. From 1987 to 1995, Dr. Myers served as the Head of Pharmaceutical Development for Elan Corporation, a biotechnology drug company. Since 2022, Dr. Myers has served as a director of Ethicann Pharmaceuticals and SquareX Pharmaceuticals, each a clinical stage pharmaceutical company. Since 2019, Dr. Myers has served as a director of Sonoran Bioscience and Wellesley Pharmaceuticals, each a specialty pharmaceutical company. Dr. Myers earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University College Cork, Ireland. We believe Dr. Myers is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive knowledge as one of Quoin Inc.’s co-founders and Chief Executive Officer, and his extensive commercial and management experience with both public and private life sciences companies.
Denise Carter, Chief Operating Officer and Director. Ms. Carter is the co-founder of Quoin Inc. and has served as a director and Chief Operating Officer of Quoin Inc. since its inception in 2018. Ms. Carter has served as a director and Chief Operating Officer of Quoin Ltd. since October 28, 2021. Ms. Denise Carter has over 30 years of experience in the drug delivery and specialty pharmaceutical industries. From June 2003 to October 2015, Ms. Carter held various positions at Innocoll AG (n/k/a Innocoll Biotherapeutics N.A. Inc.), including President of Innocoll Pharmaceuticals and Executive Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Affairs of Innocoll AG. From 2001 to 2003, Ms. Carter was the Vice President of Business Development of the drug delivery division of West Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WST). From 2000 to 2001, she was the Senior Director of Business Development of Eurand, a specialty pharmaceutical company. From 1996 to 1999, Ms. Carter was the Director of Business Development and Alliance Management of Fuisz Technologies (Biovail). From 1999 to 2000, Ms. Carter was the Director of Business Development of Cardinal Health, Inc., a multi-national health care service company. Ms. Carter earned her MBA from Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary. We believe Ms. Carter is qualified to serve on our Board due to her extensive knowledge as one of Quoin Inc.’s co-founders and Chief Operating Officer, and her extensive business development, sales and marketing and fund raising experience in the life sciences industry.
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Joseph Cooper, Director. Mr. Cooper has served as a director of Quoin Inc. since May 2021. Mr. Cooper has served as a director of Quoin Ltd. since October 28, 2021. He has significant experience in operational, corporate development and general management roles within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. Since 2012, Mr. Cooper has served as the President of Boulder Cove LC, a pharmaceutical and healthcare consulting company. From September 2019 to December 2022, Mr. Cooper served as the Chief of Strategy and Corporate Development for Resonea, Inc., a digital health company. From August 2018 to December 2019, Mr. Cooper served as the Chief Business Officer of NuvOx Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company. From January 2015 to August 2018, Mr. Cooper served as Chief Financial and Operating Officer for First Place, AZ, a non-profit healthcare services organization. From 1996 to 2010, Mr. Cooper served as the Executive Vice President of Corporate and Product Development of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (NYSE: MRX), a pharmaceutical and medical aesthetics company. Since January 2018, Mr. Cooper has served as a director of Sonoran Biosciences, a specialty pharmaceutical company. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Cooper served as a director of Bioenvision (Nasdaq: BIVN) a pharmaceutical company. Mr. Cooper holds an MBA from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a BA from Northeastern Illinois University. We believe Mr. Cooper is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive executive and board experience with pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.
James Culverwell, Director. Mr. Culverwell has served as a director of Quoin Inc. since April 2021. Mr. Culverwell has served as a director of Quoin Ltd. since October 28, 2021. Since May 2013, Mr. Culverwell has served as the Chief Executive Officer and is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of HOX Therapeutics, a prostate cancer research company. In 2005, Mr. Culverwell founded Sudbrook Associates, which provided strategic advice and fund raising services for life science companies. From 1992 to 2004, Mr. Culverwell was Senior Vice President and Global Coordinator Healthcare Research at Merrill Lynch. From 1982 to 1992, Mr. Culverwell was Director of Healthcare Equity Research at ABN Amro Bank N.V., a private banking company. Since February 2022, Mr. Culverwell has served as a director and Audit Committee Chairman of TC BioPharm (Holdings) plc (Nasdaq: TCBP), a cancer treatment development company. Since January 2005, Mr. Culverwell has served as a director, Audit Committee Chairman, and member of the Compensation Committee of SafeGuard Biosystems, a high throughput molecular diagnostics company. From April 2016 to September 2019, Mr. Culverwell served as a director and Audit Committee Chairman of Amryt Pharma PLC (Nasdaq: AMYT), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company. From February 2013 to July 2017, Mr. Culverwell served as a director and Audit Committee Chairman of Innocoll AG. He received an MSc with honors from the University of Aberdeen. We believe Mr. Culverwell is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience serving on the audit and compensation committees for multiple public and private life sciences and healthcare companies.
Dennis H. Langer, M.D., J.D., Director. Dr. Langer has served as a director of Quoin Inc. since 2019. Dr. Langer has served as a director of Quoin Ltd. Since October 28, 2021. From 2005 to 2010, Dr. Langer served as the Managing Partner at Phoenix IP Ventures, LLC, a private equity and venture capital fund specializing in life sciences companies. From 2004 to 2005, Dr. Langer was the President, North America for Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc., a multi-national pharmaceutical company. Dr. Langer was with GlaxoSmithKline, a multi-national pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, from 1994-2004, where he served as Senior Vice President, Project, Portfolio and Alliance Management, Senior Vice President, Product Development Strategy, and Senior Vice President, Healthcare Services R&D. From 1991 to 1994, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Neose Technologies, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. From 2004 to June 2022, Dr. Langer served as a director of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MYGN), a genetic testing and precision medicine company. From 2021 to June 2022, Dr. Langer served as a director of Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics, Inc. (n/k/a Eterna Therapeutics Inc., Nasdaq: ERNA), a biotechnology company. From 2007 to 2019, Dr. Langer served as a director of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: DRNA), a biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Langer serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board of Harvard Law School. He received an M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. in Biology from Columbia University. We believe Dr. Langer is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience as an executive and board member of public and private life sciences and healthcare companies.
Natalie Leong, Director. Ms. Leong has served as a director of Quoin Inc. since April 2021. Ms. Leong has served as a director of Quoin Ltd. since October 28, 2021. Since January 2023, Ms. Leong has been the Senior Vice President of Product Management for B.S.D. Capital, Inc. (d/b/a Lendistry), a minority-led small business lender. Ms. Leong was the Head of Finance and Product Strategy (October 2019 – October 2020) and subsequently Head of Product Management (October 2020 – November 2022) for LoanStreet Inc., a financial SaaS company. From May 2016 to July 2019, Ms. Leong served as the Lead for the Asset Liability Committee for the US at RBC Capital Markets. In addition, from August 2018 to October 2019, she served as the Lead for Global Originations FP&A for RBC Capital Markets. From October 2011 to May 2016, Ms. Leong worked as the Vice President of Capital Insights at National Australia Bank. From February 2008 to October 2011, Ms. Leong served as a Senior Auditor at National Australia Bank. Ms. Leong earned her MBA at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She earned a B.Comm degree (Finance and Economics) and a B.A. degree (French and Literature) from the University of Melbourne in 2007. We believe Ms. Leong is qualified to serve on our Board of directors due to her extensive financial and business management experience.
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Michael Sember, Director. Mr. Sember has served as a director of Quoin Inc. since May 2021. Mr. Sember has served as a director of Quoin Ltd. since October 28, 2021. Since 2015, Mr. Sember has served as the Chief Executive Officer of RaeSedo, Inc., a therapeutics company. Since 2007, he has served as a Principal of Accela Advisors, a biopharmaceutical consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, business development and coaching for startups. From January 2018 to October 2020, Mr. Sember served as the Chief Executive Officer of Regulonix Holding, Inc., a drug development company. From October 2015 to March 2019, he served as the Mentor in Residence to companies formed from inventions discovered at the University of Arizona. From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Sember was the Corporate Turnaround Specialist and Chief Executive Officer of Palyon Medical Corporation, a drug delivery system company. From 1991 to 2002, Mr. Sember was Executive Vice President of Corporate Business Development for Élan Corporation, responsible for strategic collaborations and mergers and acquisitions. From 1973 to 1991, Mr. Sember served as the Senior director of Global Program Management at Marion Laboratories (later Marion Merrell Dow). From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Sember was the Chairman of the Board of Paylon Medical Corporation, a drug delivery system company. From 2012 to 2013, Mr. Sember was the Chairman of the Board of BioIndustry Organization of Southern Arizona, a non-profit trade group. Mr. Sember earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Rockhurst University. We believe Mr. Sember is qualified to serve on our Board due to his broad executive and capital raising experience in the life sciences industry.
Gordon Dunn, Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Dunn has served as Chief Financial Officer of Quoin Ltd. since November 1, 2021. Mr. Dunn has over 30 years of finance experience. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Health Technologies Ltd. (d/b/a Qured), a UK-based healthcare provider, from March 2020 to October 2021, and as Chief Financial Officer of U-Research, an online company information platform, from July 2017 to March 2020. Mr. Dunn also served as Chief Financial Officer of Anton Corporation, a film and media finance company, from September 2016 to July 2017, and as Chief Financial Officer of Innocoll AG from 2012 to 2016. Prior to these roles, he had deep experience in investment banking and private equity, serving as Portfolio Manager of NewSmith Asset Management, a private equity fund from 2004 to 2014, and as Director of Investment Banking and Co-Head of Private Equity at Merrill Lynch, in addition to other roles, from 1994 to 2003. Mr. Dunn was an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP from 1991 to 1993. Mr. Dunn earned his JD from New York University School of Law and a BA from Stanford University.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Legal Proceedings
There are no material legal proceedings to which any of our directors or executive officers, or any associate of any of our directors or executive officers, is a party adverse to us or our subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to us or our subsidiaries.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Starting from January 1, 2023, our directors, officers (as defined under Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) and stockholders who beneficially own more than 10% of any class of our equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Reporting Persons”) are required to file initial statements of beneficial ownership of securities and statements of changes in beneficial ownership of securities with respect to our equity securities with the SEC under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act. Therefore, there were no late Form 3 or Form 4 filings in 2022.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code of Ethics”) that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial and accounting officer. A copy of our Code of Ethics has been posted to the “Investors—Corporate Governance” section of our website www.quoinpharma.com, and it is attached as an exhibit to this Annual Report. If we make any amendment to the Code of Ethics or grant any waivers, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Ethics, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website to the extent required by the rules and regulations of the SEC. We have not granted any waivers under our Code of Ethics.
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Board of Directors
The Board determined that Joseph Cooper, James Culverwell, Dr. Dennis Langer, Natalie Leong, and Michael Sember, qualify as independent directors, as such term is defined under Nasdaq listing rules. The Board of Directors has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors consists of Joseph Cooper, James Culverwell, and Natalie Leong, with Mr. Culverwell chairing the committee.
Under the Nasdaq listing standards, we are required to maintain an audit committee consisting of at least three independent directors, each of whom is financially literate and one of whom has accounting or related financial management expertise. Our Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee satisfies the independence requirements under Nasdaq listing standards and Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act, has the requisite financial sophistication as required by the Nasdaq listing standards and is an audit committee financial expert, as defined by the SEC rules.
Our Board adopted the Amended and Restated Charter of the Audit Committee that sets forth the responsibilities of the audit committee under Nasdaq listing standards, as well as the requirements for such committee under the Companies Law, including the following:
Our audit committee provides assistance to our board of directors in fulfilling its legal and fiduciary obligations in matters involving our accounting, auditing, financial reporting, internal control and legal compliance functions by pre-approving the services performed by our independent accountants and reviewing their reports regarding our accounting practices and systems of internal control over financial reporting. Our audit committee also oversees the audit efforts of our independent accountants and takes those actions that it deems necessary to satisfy itself that the accountants are independent of management.
Under the Companies Law, our audit committee is responsible for:
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Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee of the Board consists of James Culverwell, Dennis Langer and Michael Sember, with Mr. Langer chairing the committee. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is independent under Nasdaq listing standards.
Our Board adopted the Amended and Restated Charter of the Compensation Committee that sets forth the responsibilities of such committee under Nasdaq listing standards, as well as the requirements for such committee under the Companies Law, including the following:
● assessing implementation of the compensation policy;
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Nominating and Governance Committee
Our Nominating and Governance Committee consists of Natalie Leong and Joseph Cooper, with Ms. Leong chairing the committee. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Nominating and Governance Committee is independent under Nasdaq listing standards.
Our Board adopted the Amended and Restated Charter of the Nominating and Governance Committee that sets forth the responsibilities of such committee under Nasdaq listing standards, as well as the requirements for such committee under the Companies Law, including the following:
Internal Auditor
We are required to appoint an internal auditor in accordance with the recommendation of the audit committee in accordance with the Companies Law. An internal auditor may not be:
The role of the internal auditor is to examine, among other things, our compliance with applicable law and orderly business procedures. The audit committee is required to oversee the activities of the internal auditor and to assess his or her work plan and performance. Our internal auditor is Mr. Edo Pollack, a Certified Public Accountant and partner-in-charge of the Israel office of Eisner Advisory Group LLC.
The Chairman of the board of directors is the direct supervisor of the internal auditor, unless the board of directors determines otherwise (and, in this regard, we have not determined otherwise). The internal auditor is required to submit his or her findings to the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, and the Chairman of the audit committee. The internal auditor may not be dismissed or suspended without his consent, other than by a decision of the board of directors requiring a quorum of the majority of the members of the board, after the board of directors has heard the audit committee’s position on the matter, and the internal auditor has been afforded a reasonable opportunity to bring his position before the audit committee and the board of directors.
Fiduciary Duties of Directors and Executive Officers
The Companies Law codifies the fiduciary duties that office holders owe to a company. An “office holder” under the Companies Law means a director, a Chief Executive Officer, or other officer who occupies a general or chief management position, or serves in a position directly secondary to or directly reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Each person named in the table of our directors and executive officers above is an “office holder” under the Companies Law.
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An office holder’s fiduciary duties consist of a duty of care and a duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires an office holder to act with the level of care with which a reasonable office holder in the same position would act under the same circumstances. The duty of loyalty requires that an office holder act in good faith and in the best interests of the company.
The duty of care includes a duty to use reasonable means to obtain:
● all other important information pertaining to any such action.
The duty of loyalty includes a duty to:
● refrain from any activity that is competitive with the company;
Disclosure of Personal Interests of an Office Holder and Approval of Certain Transactions
The Companies Law requires that an office holder promptly disclose to the board of directors any personal interest that he or she may be aware of concerning any existing or proposed transaction with the company, including all material information or documents related thereto. An interested office holder’s disclosure must be made promptly, and in any event no later than the first meeting of the board of directors at which the transaction is considered. As used in the context of the Companies Law, a “personal interest” includes an interest of any person in an act or transaction of a company, including a personal interest of such person’s “relative,” or of a corporate body in which such person or a relative of such person is a 5% or greater shareholder, director or chief executive officer, or in which he or she has the right to appoint at least one director or the chief executive officer, but excluding a personal interest stemming solely from an interest in shares in the company. A “personal interest” is furthermore deemed to include, in a proposal brought before a meeting of shareholders, the personal interest of a shareholder for whom a vote is being cast by power of attorney, as well as the personal interest of a person voting by virtue of a power of attorney, even if the person granting such power of attorney has no personal interest in the matter. A “relative” (in this context, and generally in the context of the Companies Law) means (a) a spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, child or descendant, (b) a spouse’s child or descendant, parent or sibling, or (c) the spouse of any of the foregoing. An office holder is not, however, obligated to disclose a personal interest if it derives solely from the personal interest of his or her relative in a transaction that is not considered an “extraordinary transaction.”
Under the Companies Law, an “extraordinary transaction” is defined as any of the following:
● a transaction other than in the ordinary course of business;
● a transaction that is not on market terms; or
Generally speaking, a director and any other office holder who has a personal interest in a transaction which is considered at a meeting of the board of directors or the audit committee may not be present at such a meeting or vote on that matter (unless it is with respect to a transaction which is not an extraordinary transaction), unless a majority of the directors or members of the audit committee, as applicable, have a personal interest in the matter. If a majority of the members of the audit committee or the board of directors have a personal interest in the matter, then all of the directors may participate in the deliberations of the audit committee or board of directors
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(as the case may be) with respect to such transaction, and vote on the approval thereof; however in such case shareholder approval will be required.
Generally speaking, any transaction between the Company and an office holder, or between the Company and a person or entity in whom the office holder has a personal interest, requires approval by the board of directors; if such transaction is an extraordinary transaction, it requires approval first by the company’s audit committee, and subsequently by the board of directors.
Approvals Required for the Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers
The Companies Law requires special approvals for a transaction regarding the terms of compensation of an office holder (whether or not by way of an employment agreement), which is deemed to include the payment or issuance of any benefit to the office holder which was not already promised under an existing agreement, including any form of cash, equity, termination benefits, exculpation, insurance or indemnification, or any additional benefit or amendment not covered by a previously approved agreement or arrangement.
Approval of the compensation of an office holder who is not a director requires approval first by the company’s compensation committee, then by the company’s board of directors, and, if such compensation transaction is not consistent with the company’s compensation policy, or if the office holder is the Chief Executive Officer, the subsequent approval of a special majority for compensation matters at a general meeting of shareholders, namely, a simple majority of the company’s shareholders, provided that (1) such majority includes a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders who are not controlling shareholders and who do not have a personal interest in the matter, present and voting (abstentions are disregarded) or (2) the votes cast by shareholders who are not controlling shareholders and who do not have a personal interest in the matter and voted against the compensation policy, constitute two percent or less of the aggregate voting rights in the company (a “Special Majority for Compensation Matters”).
Arrangements regarding the terms of compensation of an office holder who is a director require the approval of the compensation committee, followed by the board of directors, followed by a simple majority at a general meeting of shareholders; however, under certain circumstances a Special Majority for Compensation Matters is required. The respective approvals of the compensation committee and the board of directors must be in line with the company’s duly approved compensation policy; however, in special circumstances, compensation terms may be approved notwithstanding an inconsistency with the compensation policy, provided that the compensation committee and the board have considered those provisions that must be included in the compensation policy under the Companies Law, and shareholder approval was obtained by a special majority.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer (collectively referred to as “named executive officers” or “Covered Office Holders”) during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Option All Other
Salary Bonus(1) Awards(2) Compensation(3) Total(4)
Name and Principal Position Year ($) ($) ($) ($) ($)
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Office Car 401(k)
Allowance Allowance Contributions Total
($) ($) ($) ($)
(4)Mr. Dunn was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer on November 1, 2021.
Employment Agreements
We entered into written employment agreements with our Covered Office Holders that contain customary provisions, including non-compete and confidentiality provisions.
Dr. Myers. Pursuant to his Executive Employment Agreement with Quoin Inc., dated March 9, 2018, which was amended as of November 9, 2021 (as amended, the “Myers Agreement”), Dr. Myers is entitled to an annual base salary of $550,000, which accrued monthly until paid by Quoin Inc. Dr. Myers may also receive, subject to employment by us on the applicable date of bonus payout, an annual target discretionary bonus of not less than 45% of his annual base salary, payable at the discretion of the board of directors after approval of our compensation committee, subject to shareholder approval by a Special Majority for Compensation Matters. Pursuant to the Myers Agreement, Dr. Myers is also eligible to receive healthcare benefits as may be provided from time to time by us to our employees generally, and to receive paid time off annually in accordance with our policies in effect from time to time. Additionally, the Myers Agreement provides Dr. Myers with a monthly office allowance of $2,500 and a monthly automobile allowance of $1,500.
Ms. Carter. Pursuant to her Executive Employment Agreement with Quoin Inc., dated March 9, 2018, which was amended as of November 9, 2021 (as amended, the “Carter Agreement”), Ms. Carter is entitled to an annual base salary of $440,000, which accrued monthly until paid by Quoin Inc. Ms. Carter may also receive, subject to employment by us on the applicable date of bonus payout, an annual target discretionary bonus of not less than 45% of her annual base salary, payable at the discretion of the board of directors after approval of our compensation committee, subject to shareholder approval by a Special Majority for Compensation Matters. Pursuant to the Carter Agreement, Ms. Carter is also eligible to receive healthcare benefits as may be provided from time to time by us to our employees generally, and to receive paid time off annually in accordance with Quoin’s policies in effect from time to time. Additionally, the Carter Agreement provides Ms. Carter with a monthly office allowance of $2,500 and a monthly automobile allowance of $1,500.
Mr. Dunn. Pursuant to his Service Agreement with Quoin Inc., dated November 1, 2021 (as amended, the “Dunn Agreement”), Mr. Dunn is entitled to an annual base salary of $360,000. In addition, Mr. Dunn is entitled to receive (i) a signing bonus equal to one-twelfth of his annual base salary, and (ii) subject to employment by us on the applicable date of bonus payout, an annual target
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discretionary bonus of not less than 45% of his annual base salary, payable at the discretion of the Board, which will be prorated for 2021. Under the Dunn Agreement, upon our adoption of an option plan, we are obligated to grant an option to Mr. Dunn to purchase our ordinary shares, with $1.25 million grant date value, subject to the terms of such plan. Mr. Dunn is also eligible to receive healthcare benefits as may be provided from time to time by us to our employees generally and paid time off annually in accordance with our policies in effect from time to time.
Health and Welfare Benefits
Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in the same employee benefit plans, and on the same terms and conditions, as all other full-time, salaried U.S. employees. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, an employee assistance program, health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, and commuter benefits.
We also maintain the “Section 401(k) Plan that provides eligible employees, including our named executive officers, with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax-advantaged basis. Eligible employees are able to participate in the Section 401(k) Plan as of the first day of the month following the date they meet the plan’s eligibility requirements. Participants are able to defer up to 100% of their eligible compensation subject to applicable annual limits under the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). All participants’ interests in their deferrals are 100% vested when contributed. Currently, we match up to 100% of a participant’s first 1% of his or her eligible contributions to the Section 401(k) Plan, and we match up to 50% of the next 5% of his or her eligible contributions.
Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2022
The following table sets forth information with respect to outstanding equity awards for each named executive officer as of December 31, 2022.
Number of Number of
Securities Securities
Underlying Underlying Option
Unexercised Unexercised Exercise Option
Options (#) Options (#) Price(2) Expiration
Name Exercisable Unexercisable(1) ($) Date
(2) Represents the exercise price per ADS.
Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan
At our annual meeting of shareholders on April 12, 2022 (“April 2022 Annual Meeting”), our shareholders approved our Amended And Restated Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), which amended and restated our 2014 Global Incentive Option Scheme. The number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan is equal to 15% of our outstanding ordinary shares on a fully-diluted basis. The purpose of the Plan is to attract, retain and motivate our employees (including prospective employees), non-employee directors and consultants. The Board has the power to administer the Plan, either directly or upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee of the Board, in accordance with applicable law and the Company’s Articles. Options granted under the Plan are subject to applicable vesting schedules and generally expire ten years from the grant date.
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Option Grants
At our April 2022 Annual Meeting, our shareholders approved the grant an option to purchase 85,714 ADSs under the Plan to each of Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter, at an exercise price of $17.50 per ADS, vesting in four equal annual installments beginning on April 12, 2023. In addition, our Board approved the grant of an option to purchase 71,429 ADSs under the Plan to Mr. Dunn, at an exercise price of $17.50 per ADS, in four equal annual installments beginning on April 12, 2023. Under the Companies Law, shareholder approval was not required for the option grant to Mr. Dunn.
Potential Payments Upon Termination or in Connection With a Change of Control
Employment Agreements
Pursuant to each of the Myers Agreement and the Carter Agreement, Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter, respectively, are entitled to the following benefits upon termination of their employment:
●Termination for any reason: Upon the termination of such executive’s employment for any reason, such executive will receive (i) his or her Base Salary (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable) through the Exit Date (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable), (ii) any Bonuses (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable) to which he or she is entitled and has already earned for the prior fiscal year, and (iii) any other accrued or vested benefits or reimbursements through the Exit Date to which such executive is entitled to contractually or by operation of law.
●Termination upon death or Disability: In the event of the executive’s termination due to his or her death or Disability (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable), then, in addition to the payments set forth above, the executive will receive his or her pro rata portion of the Bonus such executive would have been entitled to receive for the fiscal year in which the Exit Date occurs, based upon the percentage of the fiscal year that elapsed through the Exit Date. Additionally, in the event of termination due to Disability, the executive will receive, for a period of 24 months following the Exit Date, such executive monthly COBRA premium.
●Termination without Cause or for Good Reason: In addition to the payments set forth in the first bullet above, if Dr. Myers or Ms. Carter is terminated by the Company without Cause (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable), or Dr. Myers or Ms. Carter terminates his or her employment for Good Reason (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable), he or she will be entitled to receive (i) his or her Base Salary for 2 years from the Exit Date and 2 times the current years’ Bonus, and (ii) continuation of such executive’s medical benefits for 2 years from the Exit Date (unless the executive becomes employed elsewhere during such 2 year period and is eligible to receive comparable medical benefits).
As a condition precedent to receiving any of the foregoing benefits, Dr. Myers and/or Ms. Carter, as applicable, must first sign a Release (as defined in the Myers Agreement or the Carter Agreement, as applicable).
Mr. Dunn, pursuant to the Dunn Agreement, is also entitled to the following benefits upon termination of his employment:
●Garden Leave: During any period of notice to terminate Mr. Dunn’s employment, Mr. Dunn will continue to be entitled to his basic salary and contractual benefits in the usual course.
●Payment in lieu of notice: Upon the termination of Mr. Dunn’s employment at any time, Mr. Dunn will receive payment equal to his basic salary as of the termination date which he would have been entitled to receive under the Dunn Agreement during the notice period referred to in the bullet below, less income tax and national insurance contributions. Payment in lieu of notice will not include (i) any bonus or commission payments that might otherwise have been paid to Mr. Dunn during the period for which such payment in lieu of notice is made, (ii) benefits Mr. Dunn would have been entitled to during such time, and (iii) holiday entitlement that would have accrued during such time.
●Termination: Subject to successful completion of the probationary employment period as set forth in the Dunn Agreement, and except in connection with certain “for cause” events, as set forth in Section 20.2 of the Dunn Agreement, the Company may terminate Mr. Dunn’s employment by giving at least 12 months’ prior written notice, and is obligated to continue paying Mr. Dunn his basic salary and other benefits during such notice period.
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The foregoing descriptions of the Myers Agreement, the Carter Agreement and the Dunn Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the complete text of the Myers Agreement, the Carter Agreement and the Dunn Agreement, copies of which are included as exhibits to this Annual Report.
Option Awards
Under the Plan, upon termination of employment for any reason, other than in the event of death or disability or for ”Cause” (as defined in the Plan), all unvested options will expire and all vested options at time of termination will generally be exercisable for 90 days following termination, subject to the terms of the Plan and the governing option agreement. If we terminate a grantee for Cause, the grantee’s right to exercise all vested and unvested the options granted to the grantee will expire immediately. Upon termination of employment due to death or disability, all the vested options at the time of termination will be exercisable for 12 months after date of termination, subject to the terms of the Plan and the governing option agreement.
Non-Employee Director Compensation
Under our non-employee directors’ compensation program, non-employee directors are entitled to receive the following cash compensation for their services:
● each non-employee director receives an annual base retainer of $60,000;
In addition to cash compensation, our non-employee directors are also entitled to equity awards under our director compensation policy. Each non-employee director is entitled to receive an annual award of options under the Plan valued at $60,000. In addition, each non-employee director who joins the Board is granted an inaugural award of options valued at $165,000.
At our April 2022 Annual Meeting, our shareholders approved, pursuant to and in line with our non-employee directors’ compensation program, the following option grants to each of our non-employee directors under the Plan:
The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to non-employee directors for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Fees Earned or Option
Paid in Cash Awards(2) Total
Name ($) ($) ($)
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Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The following table sets forth information relating to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of March 10, 2023, by:
● each of our directors and named executive officers; and
● all of our directors and officers as a group.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally means sole or shared power to vote or direct the voting or to dispose or direct the disposition of any ordinary shares. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, we believe that each of the persons named in this table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares indicated as being beneficially owned.
Except as indicated by footnote, the beneficial ownership information is based upon 59,233,024,799 ordinary shares outstanding as of March 10, 2023. Ordinary shares that may be acquired by a person within 60 days of March 10, 2023, pursuant to the exercise of options are deemed to be outstanding for purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such person, but are not deemed to be outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of ordinary shares of any other person shown in the table. Each ADS represents 5,000 ordinary shares of Quoin Ltd.
Unless indicated otherwise below, the address of our directors and executive officers is c/o Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd., 42127 Pleasant Forest Court, Ashburn, VA 20148-7349.
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Percentage
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner Ownership of Class
5% Beneficial Owners:
Directors and Named Executive Officers:
* Less than 1%
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We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of us.
Equity Compensation Plan Table
The following table summarizes our equity compensation plan information as of December 31, 2022.
Number of securities
remaining available for
Number of securities Weighted-average future issuance under equity
to be issued upon exercise exercise price of compensation plans
(a) (b) (c)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders — — —
(1) Represents the number of ADSs issuable upon the exercise of options.
(2) Represents the exercise price per ADS.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Director Independence
The Board determined that Joseph Cooper, James Culverwell, Dr. Dennis Langer, Natalie Leong, and Michael Sember, qualify as independent directors, as such term is defined under Nasdaq listing rules.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
In 2021, Quoin Inc. paid $100,000 of consulting expenses to a company controlled by Dennis Langer, our director, and approximately $8,000 and $48,000 were paid in 2021 and 2022, respectively, to Dr. Myers’ son, who has been consulting Quoin Inc. on research and development matters from time to time.
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Due to the limited funding of Quoin Inc. prior to the consummation of the Merger, the compensation, including salary, office and car allowances and other benefits, due to Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter under their respective employment agreements, as well as reimbursement of expenses and other amounts paid by Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter to third parties on behalf of Quoin Inc., were not paid by Quoin Inc. to Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter, and were accrued as indebtedness to Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter. Following the closing of the Merger, Quoin Inc. began making payments of $25,000 per month to each of Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter to repay the above-described non-interest-bearing indebtedness. We repaid $125,000 and $300,000 of such indebtedness to Dr. Myers and $160,000 and $300,000 to Ms. Carter in 2021 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, there was approximately $2,259,000 and $1,865,000 of such indebtedness was outstanding to Dr. Myers and Ms. Carter, respectively.
Commencing in October 2020, Quoin Inc. issued promissory notes (the “2020 Notes”) to five noteholders, including our directors, Messrs. Langer and Culverwell (collectively, “2020 Noteholders”). The 2020 Notes were issued at a 25% original issue discount with an aggregate face value of $1,213,313 with an interest at a rate of 20% per annum. The 2020 Noteholders also received warrants exercisable at any time after the issuance date. At the closing of the Merger in October 2021, 5,183 ADSs were issued to the 2020 Noteholders upon the conversion of the principal of the 2020 Notes, of which 626 ADSs were issued to Mr. Langer and 569 ADSs were issued to Mr. Culverwell. In December 2021, we concluded that the calculation of ADSs due to the 2020 Noteholders did not account for accrued interest due when the ADSs were issued. We reached cash settlements with two 2020 Noteholders, who are not our directors, to account for this. Based on the terms of these cash settlements, we estimate the liability to the remaining three 2020 Noteholders, including our directors, to be $1,146,000 as of December 31, 2022, and we expect to settle the remaining liability in 2023. The exercise price of the warrants held by the 2020 Noteholders was reduced to $0.00 as of July 14, 2022 as a result of the Altium Agreement discussed above. The change in the exercise price of the Noteholder Warrants resulted in a deemed dividend of approximately $65,000. From July to September 2022, the 2020 Noteholders exercised all their warrants to purchase ADSs at $0.00 per ADS exercise price, and a total of 29,388 ADSs were issued to such noteholders, of which 3,575 ADSs were issued to Mr. Langer and 3,245 ADSs were issued to Mr. Culverwell.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The Company’s shareholders appointed Friedman LLP (“Friedman”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2021. Based on information provided by Friedman, effective September 1, 2022, Friedman combined with Marcum LLP (“Marcum”). The Company’s shareholders appointed Marcum as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The following table sets forth the aggregate accounting fees paid by us to Marcum and Friedman for all services, including audit services, for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, as applicable.
Year Ended Year Ended
Type of Fees (in thousands)
Audit-Related Fees — 5
Tax Fees — 18
All Other Fees — —
Audit Fees refer to the aggregate fees, including expenses, billed by our principal accountant for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of financial statements included in our quarterly reports and other services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements during each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Audit-Related Fees refer to the aggregate fees, including expenses, billed by our principal accountant for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements not reported under “Audit Fees” above during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Tax Fees refer to the aggregate fees, including expenses, billed by our principal accountant for services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
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All Other Fees refer to the aggregate fees, including expenses, billed for all other products and services provided by our principal accountant during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee has a pre-approval policy for the engagement of our independent registered public accounting firm to perform audit and non-audit services. Pursuant to this policy, which is designed to assure that such engagements do not impair the independence of our auditors, the audit committee pre-approves annually a catalog of specific audit and non-audit services in the categories of audit services, audit-related services and tax services, if any, that may be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. If a type of service, that is to be provided by our auditors, has not received such general pre-approval, it will require specific pre-approval by our audit committee.
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PART IV
Item 15.Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) Financial Statements
As part of this Annual Report, the consolidated financial statements are listed in the accompanying index to financial statements on page F-1.
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules.
All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable, not required or the information required is shown in the financial statements or the notes thereto.
(a)(3) Exhibits.
The following is a list of exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report.
Exhibit No. Exhibit Description
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4.2 Specimen American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 2.1).
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14.1* Code of Ethics.
32.1* Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350.
32.2* Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350.
99.1* Description of Ordinary Shares.
* Filed herewith
# Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: March 15, 2023 QUOIN PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.
By: /s/ Dr. Michael Myers
Name: Dr. Michael Myers
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature Title Date
Dr. Michael Myers
/s/ Gordon Dunn Chief Financial Officer
/s/ Denise Carter
Denise Carter Director and Chief Operating Officer March 15, 2023
/s/ Joseph Cooper
Joseph Cooper Director March 15, 2023
/s/ James Culverwell
James Culverwell Director March 15, 2023
/s/ Dennis Langer
Dennis Langer Director March 15, 2023
/s/ Natalie Leong
Natalie Leong Director March 15, 2023
/s/ Michael Sember
Michael Sember Director March 15, 2023
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QUOIN PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.
Contents
Page
Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 F-5
Notes to consolidated financial statements F-9 – F-25
F-1
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, and stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
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Contracted Research & Development Cost Recognition:
●Examined subsequent invoicing received from such third parties
/s/ Marcum LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020 (such date takes into account the acquisition of certain assets of Friedman LLP effective September 1, 2022)
East Hanover, New Jersey
March 15, 2023.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, and stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Consideration of the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company has a working capital deficiency, an accumulated deficit, has incurred significant losses and cash outflows from operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Friedman LLP
PCAOB ID 711
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
East Hanover, New Jersey
April 13, 2022, except for Notes 2 and 17, as to which the date is August 2, 2022 as referenced within the financial statements filed on August 2, 2022 in Form F-1.
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QUOIN PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
December 31, December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets:
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accrued license acquisition — 250,000
Warrant liability — 373,599
Commitments and contingencies
Shareholders’ equity:
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
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QUOIN PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.
ConsolidatedStatements of Operations
Years Ended December 31,
Operating expenses
Other (income) and expenses
Forgiveness of accounts payable (416,000) —
Fair value adjustment to convertible notes payable — 1,250,000
Financing expense — 275,000
Unrealized income (1,307) —
Interest income (95,745) —
Deemed dividend on warrant modification (65,266) —
Loss per ADS
Loss per ADS
Fully-diluted $ (3.90) $ (67.96)
Weighted average number of ADS’s outstanding
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
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QUOIN PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.
ConsolidatedStatements of Shareholders’ Equity
Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Additional
Ordinary No Par Treasury Paid in Accumulated
Shares ADS’s Value Stock Capital Deficit Total
Stock based compensation 764,007 — 764,007
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
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QUOIN PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.