EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 910267
Filing Year: 2024
Filename: 910267_10-K_2024_0001829126-24-002110.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
Overview
Titan is a pharmaceutical company incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 1992. Prior to the sale of assets that occurred in September 2023 (as described below), we focused on developing therapeutics utilizing the proprietary long-term drug delivery platform, ProNeura®, for the treatment of select chronic diseases for which steady state delivery of a drug has the potential to provide an efficacy and/or safety benefit. ProNeura consists of a small, solid implant made from a mixture of ethylene-vinyl acetate (“EVA”) and a drug substance. The resulting product is a solid matrix that is designed to be administered subdermally in a brief, outpatient procedure and is removed in a similar manner at the end of the treatment period.
Our first product based on the ProNeura technology was Probuphine® (buprenorphine implant), which is approved in the United States, Canada and the European Union (“EU”) for the maintenance treatment of opioid use disorder in clinically stable patients taking 8 mg or less a day of oral buprenorphine. While Probuphine continues to be commercialized in the EU (as Sixmo™) by another company that had acquired the rights from Titan, we discontinued commercialization of the product in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2020 and subsequently sold the product in September 2023. Discontinuation of our commercial operations has allowed us to focus our limited resources on important product development programs and transition back to a product development company.
In December 2021, we announced our intention to work with our financial advisor to explore strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value, potentially including an acquisition, merger, reverse merger, other business combination, sales of assets, licensing or other transaction. In June 2022, we implemented a plan to reduce expenses and conserve capital that included a company-wide reduction in salaries and a scale back of certain operating expenses to enable us to maintain sufficient resources as we pursued potential strategic alternatives. In July 2022, David Lazar and Activist Investing LLC (collectively, “Activist”) acquired an approximately 25% ownership interest in Titan, filed a proxy statement and nominated six additional directors, each of whom was elected to our board of directors (the “Board”) at a special meeting of stockholders held on August 15, 2022 (the “Special Meeting”). The exploration and evaluation of possible strategic alternatives by the Board has continued following the Special Meeting. Following the election of the new directors at the Special Meeting, Dr. Marc Rubin was replaced as our Executive Chairman, and David Lazar assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. In connection with the termination of his employment as Executive Chairman, Dr. Rubin received aggregate severance payments of approximately $0.4 million. In December 2022, we implemented additional cost reduction measures including a reduction in our workforce. In June 2023, David Lazar sold his approximately 25% ownership interest in Titan to Choong Choon Hau, an outside investor. Mr. Lazar remains Titan’s Chief Executive Officer.
On September 1, 2023, (the “Closing Date”), we closed on the sale of certain ProNeura assets including our portfolio of drug addiction products and other early development programs based on the ProNeura drug delivery technology (collectively, the “ProNeura Assets”). In July 2023, we entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”) with Fedson, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Fedson”) for the sale of the ProNeura Assets. Our addiction portfolio consisted of the Probuphine and Nalmefene implant programs. The ProNeura Assets constituted only a portion of our assets. In August 2023, we entered into an Amendment and Extension Agreement (the “Amendment”) to the Asset Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which Fedson agreed to purchase our ProNeura Assets for a purchase price of $2.0 million, consisting of (i) $500,000 in readily available funds, paid in full on the Closing Date, (ii) $500,000 in the form of a promissory note due and payable on October 1, 2023 (the “Cash Note”) and (iii) $1,000,000 in the form of a promissory note due and payable on January 1, 2024 (the “Escrow Note”). We will also be eligible to receive potential milestone payments of up to $50 million on future net sales of the products and certain royalties on future net sales of the products. As further consideration, Fedson assumed all liabilities related to a pending employment claim against us. On the Closing Date, Fedson delivered a written guaranty by a principal of Fedson of Fedson’s obligations under both the Cash Note and Escrow Note. The Cash Note included provisions, which Fedson has exercised, allowing Fedson to extend the payment of the Cash Note to November 1, 2023 and again to December 1, 2023 upon payment of $5,000 for each extension. The Cash Note and Escrow Note were paid in December 2023 and January 2024, respectively. We received the funds from the escrow account in February 2024.
ProNeura Continuous Drug Delivery Platform
The ProNeura continuous drug delivery system consists of a small, solid rod-shaped implant made from a mixture of EVA and a given drug substance. The resulting product is a solid matrix that is placed subdermally, normally in the inside part of the upper arm in a brief procedure using a local anesthetic and is removed in a similar manner at the end of the treatment period. The drug substance is released continuously through the process of dissolution-controlled diffusion. This results in a continuous, steady rate of release generally similar to intravenous administration. We believe that such long-term, near linear release characteristics are desirable as they avoid the fluctuating peak and trough drug levels seen with oral dosing that often poses treatment problems in a range of diseases.
The ProNeura platform was developed to address the need for a simple, practical method to achieve continuous long-term drug delivery, and, depending on the characteristics of the compound to be delivered, can potentially provide treatment on an outpatient basis over extended periods of up to 12 months. We believe that the benefits of this technology have been demonstrated by the clinical results seen to date with Probuphine, and, in addition, that the development and regulatory process have been affirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”), and Health Canada approvals of this product. We have further demonstrated the feasibility of the ProNeura platform with small molecules, hormones, and bio-active peptides. The delivery system works with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules. We have also shown the flexibility of the platform by experimenting with the release characteristics of the EVA implants, layering the implants with varying concentrations of drug, and generating implants of different sizes and porosity to achieve a desired delivery profile.
Development Programs
Below is a description of our existing development program for which activities have been substantially curtailed while we are exploring several financing and strategic alternatives.
TP-2021
Several years ago, we began limited non-clinical laboratory experiments in collaboration with JT Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“JT Pharma”) to assess the feasibility of delivering JT Pharma’s kappa opioid agonist peptide (“TP-2021”) utilizing our ProNeura system. Following our acquisition of TP-2021 in October 2020, we successfully manufactured a prototype implant containing TP-2021 (TP-2021 - ProNeura) to be used in appropriate small animal models. While our initial work focused on TP-2021’s ability to activate peripheral kappa opioid receptors, potentially providing a non-addictive treatment for certain types of pain, in January 2021, our research pivoted to explore the feasibility of using TP-2021 in the treatment of chronic pruritus, a severe and debilitating condition defined as itching of the skin lasting longer than six weeks. According to a 2015 review by Mollanazar, N., et al., an estimated 23 - 44 million Americans suffer from chronic pruritus of both cutaneous and systemic etiologies. Current treatments include antihistamines, corticosteroids, and over-the-counter lotions, all of which are relatively ineffective and/or have undesirable side-effect profiles. The antipruritic effect of kappa opioid agonists is thought to be related to their binding to kappa opioid receptors on keratinocytes, immune cells, and peripheral itch neurons.
In February 2021, we announced that early non-clinical studies of TP-2021 showed very high affinity and specificity for the human kappa opioid receptor and demonstrated potent antipruritic activity when injected subcutaneously in a mouse model for moderate to severe pruritus. TP-2021 - ProNeura implants were then formulated and tested in this model. In November 2021, data presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience demonstrated that significant reduction in scratching behavior in this proven animal model for pruritus was maintained in mice who received the TP-2021 - ProNeura implant through Day 56 post-implantation, when compared with control untreated mice, with no safety issues observed for the implanted animals over the three-month duration of treatment. Subsequently, efficacy in this pruritus model has been extended through Day 84 post-implantation. In addition, the TP-2021 - ProNeura implant provided sustained supra-therapeutic plasma levels of the peptide through Day 84 post-implantation in a separate pharmacokinetic study in mice. We believe that subdermal implantation of TP-2021 - ProNeura could potentially deliver therapeutic concentrations of TP-2021 in human subjects for up to six months or longer following a single in-office procedure. Investigational New Drug (“IND”) enabling non-clinical safety and pharmacology studies will need to be conducted in preparation for regulatory approval to enter human clinical studies. Additional funding from external sources for progression of the non-clinical program is required but will be dependent on finding a suitable partner.
Agreements
JT Pharmaceuticals
In October 2020, we entered into an asset purchase agreement with JT Pharma (the “JT Agreement”) to acquire JT Pharma’s kappa opioid agonist peptide, TP-2021, for use in combination with our ProNeura long-term, continuous drug delivery technology for the treatment of chronic pruritus and other potential medical applications. Under the terms of the JT Agreement, JT Pharma received a $15,000 closing payment and is entitled to receive future milestone payments, payable in cash or in stock, based on the achievement of regulatory milestones, and single-digit percentage earn-out payments on net sales of the product if successfully developed and approved for commercialization. In January 2022, in connection with our entry into a clarification agreement with JT Pharma, we made the first milestone payment under the JT Agreement of $100,000 and issued 2,552 shares of our common stock related to the successful completion of a proof-of-concept study in an animal model.
Knight
Pursuant to an agreement executed in February 2016, Knight Therapeutics Inc. (“Knight”) obtained an exclusive license to commercialize Probuphine in Canada as well as a right of first negotiation in the event we intend to license commercialization rights to any other products in Canada (as amended, the “Knight Agreement”). The Knight Agreement was included in the ProNeura Assets sold to Fedson in September 2023. Prior to being sold to Fedson, we were entitled to receive royalty payments from Knight on net sales of Probuphine in Canada ranging in percentage from the low-teens to the mid-thirties. In addition, we had agreed to be the exclusive supplier of Probuphine to Knight subject to a supply agreement between us and Knight. During the term of the Knight Agreement, we could not commercialize any product in Canada containing buprenorphine that is intended for a treatment duration of six months or more.
Intellectual Property
Our goal is to obtain, maintain and enforce patent protection for our product candidates, formulations, processes, methods and any other proprietary technologies, preserve our trade secrets, and operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of other parties, both in the United States and in other countries. Our policy is to actively seek to obtain, where appropriate, the broadest intellectual property protection possible for our current product candidates and any future product candidates, proprietary information and proprietary technology through a combination of contractual arrangements and patents, both in the United States and abroad. However, patent protection may not afford us with complete protection against competitors who seek to circumvent our patents.
We also depend upon the skills, knowledge, experience and know-how of our management and research and development personnel, as well as that of our advisors, consultants and other contractors. To help protect our proprietary know-how, which may not be patentable, and for inventions for which patents may be difficult to enforce, we currently rely and will in the future rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect our interests. To this end, we require all of our employees, consultants, advisors and other contractors to enter into confidentiality agreements that prohibit the disclosure of confidential information and, where applicable, require disclosure and assignment to us of the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions important to our business.
We have filed patent applications to the use of a kappa-opioid receptor agonist implant for the treatment of pruritus. The applications are pending in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, and Mexico. Any patents issuing from these applications will expire in 2042, absent any adjustment or extension of patent term.
Future court decisions or changes in patent law might materially affect the patent applications or any resulting patents, including, but not limited to, their expiration dates.
Competition
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are characterized by rapidly evolving technology and intense competition. Our product development programs are currently in non-clinical stages of development and once these commence clinical development we can assess and provide details on specific competitive environment.
Manufacturing
Prior to the sale of our ProNeura Assets to Fedson, formulation development was conducted at a dedicated facility established at Southwest Research Institute (“SwRI®”), in San Antonio, Texas that included current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) manufacturing and testing capabilities. We also received support services from the vast array of SwRI groups with expertise in manufacturing and material sciences. The facilities were compliant with both FDA and Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) requirements enabling us to work with controlled substances, and the manufacturing scale was ideal for product development during non-clinical and clinical testing stages.
Manufacturing of Probuphine was primarily conducted at DPT Laboratories, Inc. (“DPT”), pursuant to a commercial manufacturing agreement with DPT that governed the terms of the production and supply of Probuphine for the United States, Canada and EU. In October 2020, we entered into a Debt Settlement and Release Agreement (“DSRA”), which transferred the manufacturing facility at DPT to L. Molteni & C. Dei Frattelli Alitti Societa Di Esercizio S.P.A. (“Molteni”). Under the DSRA, we retained access to the facility, through Molteni, for the manufacture and supply of Probuphine to Knight for Canada.
Government Regulation
Government authorities in the United States at the federal, state and local level and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, labelling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing and export and import of drug products. Generally, before a new drug can be marketed, considerable data demonstrating its quality, safety and efficacy must be obtained, organized into a format specific to each regulatory authority, submitted for review and approved by the regulatory authority.
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs and devices under the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (“FDCA”). Drugs and devices are also subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. Products composed of both a drug product and device product are deemed combination products. If marketed individually, each component would be subject to different regulatory pathways and reviewed by different centers within the FDA. A combination product, however, is assigned to a center that will have primary jurisdiction over its regulation based on a determination of the combination product’s primary mode of action, which is the single mode of action that provides the most important therapeutic action. In the case of some of our product candidates, we expect the primary mode of action to be attributable to the drug component of the product, which means that the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research would have primary jurisdiction over the premarket development, review and approval. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources and includes the following:
● Our product candidates must be approved by the FDA through the New Drug Application (“NDA”) process before they may be legally marketed in the United States. The process required by the FDA before a drug may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
● Completion of extensive nonclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies in accordance with applicable regulations, including the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice (“GLP”) regulations;
● Submission to the FDA of an IND application, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
● Approval by an independent institutional review board (“IRB”) or ethics committee at each clinical trial site before each trial may be initiated;
● Performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with applicable IND and other clinical trial-related regulations, referred to as good clinical practices (“GCPs”) to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug for each proposed indication;
● Submission to the FDA of an NDA for a new drug;
● A determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of an NDA to file the NDA for review;
● Satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the drug is produced to assess compliance with cGMP requirements to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the drug’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
● Potential FDA audit of the nonclinical study and/or clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the NDA; and
● FDA review and approval of the NDA, including consideration of the views of any FDA advisory committee, prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the drug in the United States.
The nonclinical and clinical testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our product candidates will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.
The data required to support an NDA is generated in two distinct development stages: nonclinical and clinical. For new chemical entities, the nonclinical development stage generally involves synthesizing the active component, developing the formulation and determining the manufacturing process, as well as carrying out non-human toxicology, pharmacology and drug metabolism studies in the laboratory, which support subsequent clinical testing. These nonclinical tests include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry, formulation, stability and toxicity, as well as animal studies to assess the characteristics and potential safety and efficacy of the product. The conduct of the nonclinical tests must comply with federal regulations, including GLPs. The sponsor must submit the results of the nonclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, to the FDA as part of the IND. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational drug product to humans. Some nonclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted, but an IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol(s) for human trials. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises concerns or questions regarding the proposed clinical trials, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks, and places the IND on clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. The FDA may also impose clinical holds on a drug candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance. Accordingly, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that could cause the trial to be suspended or terminated.
The clinical stage of development involves the administration of the drug candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control, in accordance with GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria and the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety and assess efficacy. Each protocol, and any subsequent amendments to the protocol, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB at or servicing each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. An IRB is charged with protecting the welfare and rights of trial participants and considers such items as whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the informed consent form that must be provided to each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completion. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries.
Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include, among other actions, the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, untitled or warning letters, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement, or civil or criminal penalties. Additionally, a manufacturer may need to recall a product from the market. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us.
Employees
As of March 25, 2024, we had four full-time employees.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in February 1992. Our principal executive offices are located at 400 Oyster Point Blvd., Suite 505, South San Francisco, CA 94080. Our telephone number is (650) 244-4990. We make our SEC filings available on the Investor Relations page of our website, http://titanpharm.com. Information contained on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Need for Additional Capital
We have incurred net losses in almost every year since our inception, which losses will continue for the foreseeable future and raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We have incurred net losses in almost every year since our inception. Our financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had net losses of approximately $5.6 million and $10.2 million, respectively, and had net cash used in operating activities of approximately $7.1 million and $8.2 million, respectively. These net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital, which have declined in the past year. At December 31, 2023, we had working capital of approximately $6.6 million compared to working capital of approximately $1.0 million at December 31, 2022. At December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $6.8 million. We expect to continue to incur net losses and negative operating cash flow for the foreseeable future. The amount of future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to obtain third-party funding for our development programs.
We will require additional proceeds to fund our product development programs and working capital requirements.
We currently estimate that our available cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our working capital needs into the second quarter of 2025. We will require substantial additional funds to advance our kappa opioid agonist program beyond the proof-of-concept stage, and to fund any other development programs into the clinic and to complete the regulatory approval process necessary to commercialize any products we might develop. Investment in pharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that a product candidate will fail to gain regulatory approval or become commercially viable. While we are currently evaluating the alternatives available to us, including government grants, third-party collaborations, and potential merger opportunities, our efforts to address our liquidity requirements may not be successful. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any source of capital will be available to us on acceptable terms or will not involve substantial dilution to our stockholders. Our failure to obtain substantial funds would likely result in the cessation of our development programs or the wind-down of our business.
Our net operating losses and research and development tax credits may not be available to reduce future federal and state income tax payments.
At December 31, 2023, we had federal net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards of approximately $214.7 million and approximately $5.9 million, respectively, and state net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards of approximately $116.6 million and approximately $9.2 million, respectively, available to offset future taxable income, if any. Current federal and state tax laws include substantial restrictions on the utilization of net operating loss and tax credits in the event of an ownership change and we cannot assure you that our net operating loss and tax carryforwards will continue to be available.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Our development program is at a very early stage and will require substantial additional resources that may not be available to us.
To date, other than our work on Probuphine in OUD and our work on Nalmefene, which were sold to Fedson in September 2023, we have conducted only limited research and development activities assessing our kappa opioid agonist program. We will also require substantial additional funds to advance our kappa opioid agonist program beyond the proof-of-concept stage and to support further research and development activities, including the anticipated costs of nonclinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and eventual commercialization of any therapeutic based on kappa opioid agonist or other programs. If we are unable to obtain substantial government grants or enter into third party collaborations to fund our programs, we will need to seek additional sources of financing, which may not be available on favorable terms, if at all. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining the requisite funding for our programs, we could be forced to discontinue product development. Furthermore, funding arrangements with collaborative partners or others may require us to relinquish rights to technologies, product candidates or products that we would otherwise seek to develop or commercialize ourselves or license rights to technologies, product candidates or products on terms that are less favorable to us than might otherwise be available.
Our ability to successfully develop any future product candidates is subject to the risks of failure and delay inherent in the development of new pharmaceutical products, including: delays in product development, clinical testing, or manufacturing; unplanned expenditures in product development, clinical testing, or manufacturing; failure to receive regulatory approvals; emergence of superior or equivalent products; inability to manufacture on our own, or through any others, product candidates on a commercial scale; and failure to achieve market acceptance. Because of these risks, our research and development efforts may not result in any commercially viable products and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially harmed.
Clinical trials required for new product candidates are expensive and time-consuming, and their outcome is uncertain.
Conducting clinical trials is a lengthy, time-consuming, and expensive process. The length of time may vary substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty, and intended use of the product candidate, and often can be several years or more per trial. Delays associated with products for which we are directly conducting clinical trials may cause us to incur additional operating expenses. The commencement and rate of completion of clinical trials may be delayed by many factors, including, for example:
● inability to manufacture sufficient quantities of qualified materials under cGMP for use in clinical trials;
● slower than expected rates of patient recruitment;
● failure to recruit a sufficient number of patients; modification of clinical trial protocols;
● changes in regulatory requirements for clinical trials;
● the lack of effectiveness during clinical trials;
● the emergence of unforeseen safety issues;
● delays, suspension, or termination of the clinical trials due to the institutional review board responsible for overseeing the study at a particular study site; and
● government or regulatory delays or “clinical holds” requiring suspension or termination of the trials.
The results from early clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of results obtained in later clinical trials. Accordingly, even if we obtain positive results from early clinical trials, we may not achieve the same success in future clinical trials. Clinical trials may not demonstrate statistically significant safety and effectiveness to obtain the requisite regulatory approvals for product candidates. The failure of clinical trials to demonstrate safety and effectiveness for the desired indications could cause us to abandon a product candidate and could delay development of other product candidates. Any delay in, or termination of, our clinical trials could materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We face risks associated with third parties conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials of our products.
We depend on third-party laboratories and medical institutions to conduct preclinical studies and clinical trials for our products and other third-party organizations to perform data collection and analysis, all of which must maintain both good laboratory and good clinical practices. We also depend upon third party manufacturers for the production of any products we may successfully develop to comply with cGMP of the FDA, which are similarly outside our direct control. If third party laboratories and medical institutions conducting studies of our products fail to maintain both good laboratory and clinical practices, the studies could be delayed or have to be repeated.
We face risks associated with product liability lawsuits that could be brought against us.
The testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of human therapeutic products entail an inherent risk of product liability claims. We currently have a limited amount of product liability insurance, which may not be sufficient to cover claims that may be made against us in the event that the use or misuse of our product candidates causes, or merely appears to have caused, personal injury or death. In the event we are forced to expend significant funds on defending product liability actions, and in the event those funds come from operating capital, we will be required to reduce our business activities, which could lead to significant losses. Adequate insurance coverage may not be available in the future on acceptable terms, if at all. If available, we may not be able to maintain any such insurance at sufficient levels of coverage and any such insurance may not provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. Whether or not a product liability insurance policy is obtained or maintained in the future, any claims against us, regardless of their merit, could severely harm our financial condition, strain our management and other resources or destroy the prospects for commercialization of the product which is the subject of any such claim.
We may be unable to protect our patents and proprietary rights.
Our future success will depend to a significant extent on our ability to:
● obtain and keep patent protection for our products, methods and technologies on a domestic and international basis;
● enforce our patents to prevent others from using our inventions;
● maintain and prevent others from using our trade secrets; and
● operate and commercialize products without infringing on the patents or proprietary rights of others.
We cannot assure you that our patent rights will afford any competitive advantages, and these rights may be challenged or circumvented by third parties. Further, patents may not be issued on any of our pending patent applications in the United States or abroad. Because of the extensive time required for development, testing and regulatory review of a potential product, it is possible that before a potential product can be commercialized, any related patent may expire or remain in existence for only a short period following commercialization, reducing or eliminating any advantage of the patent. If we sue others for infringing our patents, a court may determine that such patents are invalid or unenforceable. Even if the validity of our patent rights is upheld by a court, a court may not prevent the alleged infringement of our patent rights on the grounds that such activity is not covered by our patent claims.
In addition, third parties may sue us for infringing their patents. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be required to:
● pay substantial damages;
● stop using our technologies and methods;
● stop certain research and development efforts;
● develop non-infringing products or methods; and
● obtain one or more licenses from third parties.
If required, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such licenses on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are sued for infringement, we could encounter substantial delays in development, manufacture and commercialization of our product candidates. Any litigation, whether to enforce our patent rights or to defend against allegations that we infringe third party rights, will be costly, time consuming, and may distract management from other important tasks.
We also rely in our business on trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary information. We seek to protect this information, in part, through the use of confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, advisors and others. Nonetheless, we cannot assure you that those agreements will provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information and prevent their unauthorized use or disclosure. To the extent that consultants, key employees or other third parties apply technological information independently developed by them or by others to our proposed products, disputes may arise as to the proprietary rights to such information, which may not be resolved in our favor.
We must comply with extensive government regulations.
The research, development, manufacture, labelling, storage, record-keeping, advertising, promotion, import, export, marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical products are subject to an extensive regulatory approval process by the FDA in the United States and comparable health authorities in foreign markets. The process of obtaining required regulatory approvals for drugs is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. Approval policies or regulations may change, and the FDA and foreign authorities have substantial discretion in the pharmaceutical approval process, including the ability to delay, limit or deny approval of a product candidate for many reasons. Despite the time and expense invested in clinical development of product candidates, regulatory approval is never guaranteed. Regulatory approval may entail limitations on the indicated usage of a drug, which may reduce the drug’s market potential. Even if regulatory clearance is obtained, post-market evaluation of the products, if required, could result in restrictions on a product’s marketing or withdrawal of the product from the market, as well as possible civil and criminal sanctions. Of the large number of drugs in development, only a small percentage successfully complete the regulatory approval process and are commercialized.
We face intense competition.
With respect to our product development programs, we face competition from numerous companies that currently market, or are developing, products for the treatment of the diseases and disorders we have targeted, many of which have significantly greater research and development capabilities, experience in obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing, marketing, financial and managerial resources than we have. We also compete with universities and other research institutions in the development of products, technologies and processes, as well as the recruitment of highly qualified personnel. Our competitors may succeed in developing technologies or products that are more effective than the ones we have under development or that render our proposed products or technologies non-competitive or obsolete. In addition, our competitors may achieve product commercialization or patent protection earlier than we will.
We depend on a small number of employees and consultants.
We are highly dependent on the services of a limited number of personnel and the loss of one or more of such individuals could substantially impair our ongoing commercialization efforts. We compete in our hiring efforts with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and it may be difficult and could take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the range of skills and experience required and because of our limited resources.
In addition, we retain scientific and clinical advisors and consultants to assist us in all aspects of our business. Competition to hire and retain consultants from a limited pool is intense. Further, because these advisors are not our employees, they may have commitments to, or consulting or advisory contracts with, other entities that may limit their availability to us, and typically they will not enter into non-compete agreements with us. If a conflict of interest arises between their work for us and their work for another entity, we may lose their services. In addition, our advisors may have arrangements with other companies to assist those companies in developing products or technologies that may compete with ours.
We face potential liability related to the privacy of health information we obtain from clinical trials sponsored by us or our collaborators, from research institutions and our collaborators, and directly from individuals.
Numerous federal and state laws, including state security breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws, govern the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. In addition, most health care providers, including research institutions from which we or our collaborators obtain patient health information, are subject to privacy and security regulations promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. Although we are not directly subject to HIPAA, we could potentially be subject to criminal penalties if we, our affiliates, or our agents knowingly obtain or disclose individually identifiable health information maintained by a HIPAA-covered entity in a manner that is not authorized or permitted by HIPAA.
Rising inflation and interest rates could negatively impact our revenues, profitability and borrowing costs. In addition, if our costs increase and we are not able to correspondingly adjust our commercial relationships to account for this increase, our net income would be adversely affected, and the adverse impact may be material.
Inflation rates, particularly in the United States, have increased recently to levels not seen in years before retreating in the latter part of 2023. Increased inflation may result in decreased demand for our products, increased operating costs (including our labor costs), reduced liquidity, and limitations on our ability to access credit or otherwise raise debt and equity capital. In addition, the United States Federal Reserve has raised, and may again raise, interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates have had, and could continue to have, a material impact on our borrowing costs. In an inflationary environment, we may be unable to raise the sales prices of our products at or above the rate at which our costs increase, which could reduce our profit margins and have a material adverse effect on our financial results and net income. We also may experience lower than expected sales if there is a decrease in spending on products in our industry in general or a negative reaction to our pricing. A reduction in our revenue would be detrimental to our profitability and financial condition and could also have an adverse impact on our future growth.
We face risks related to health epidemics, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, that could adversely affect our operations or financial results.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a material adverse effect on our business and caused significant disruption in the healthcare industry. Although we expect that the primary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are behind us, as we have seen with the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants, the extent to which COVID-19 continues to impact our business, healthcare systems in general or the global economy as a whole will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted and may result in a sustained economic downturn that could affect our ability to access capital on reasonable terms, or at all.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems, infrastructure and data. Cybersecurity breaches could expose us to liability, damage our reputation, compromise our confidential information or otherwise adversely affect our business.
We are increasingly dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure and data. Our computer systems may be vulnerable to service interruption or destruction, malicious intrusion and random attack. Security breaches pose a risk that sensitive data, including intellectual property, trade secrets or personal information may be exposed to unauthorized persons or to the public. Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyber-attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, denial-of service, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten data confidentiality, integrity and availability. Our key business partners face similar risks, and a security breach of their systems could adversely affect our security posture. While we continue to invest in data protection and information technology, there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent service interruptions, or identify breaches in our systems, that could adversely affect our business and operations and/or result in the loss of critical or sensitive information, which could result in financial, legal, business or reputational harm.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
Our share price may be volatile, which could prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above your purchase price.
The market price of shares of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors listed in this section, and others beyond our control, including:
● results of our product development efforts;
● regulatory actions with respect to our products under development or our competitors’ products;
● actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;
● actual or anticipated fluctuations in our competitors’ operating results or growth rate;
● announcements by us, our potential future collaborators or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, or capital commitments;
● issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;
● fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;
● inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;
● additions or departures of key personnel;
● disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies;
● announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;
● sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or our other stockholders;
● market conditions for biopharmaceutical stocks in general; and
● general economic and market conditions.
The stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of shares of our common stock and could subject us to securities class action litigation.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. There can be no assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our stock, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of our company that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our Board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board. Among other things, these provisions provide that:
● the authorized number of directors can be changed only by resolution of our Board;
● our bylaws may be amended or repealed by our Board or our stockholders;
● stockholders may not call special meetings of the stockholders or fill vacancies on the Board;
● our Board is authorized to issue, without stockholder approval, preferred stock, the rights of which will be determined at the discretion of the Board and that, if issued, could operate as a “poison pill” to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer to prevent an acquisition that our Board does not approve;
● our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights, and therefore our stockholders holding a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding will be able to elect all of our directors; and
● our stockholders must comply with advance notice provisions to bring business before or nominate directors for election at a stockholder meeting.
If we cannot continue to satisfy the Nasdaq Capital Market continued listing standards and other Nasdaq rules, our common stock could be delisted, which would harm our business, the trading price of our common stock, our ability to raise additional capital and the liquidity of the market for our common stock.
Our Common Stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”). The listing standards of Nasdaq require that a company maintain stockholders’ equity of at least $2.5 million and a minimum bid price subject to specific requirements of $1.00 per share. There is no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with the minimum closing price requirement or the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement. Should we fail to comply with the minimum listing standards applicable to issuers listed on Nasdaq, our common stock may be delisted from Nasdaq. If our common stock is delisted, it could reduce the price of our common stock and the levels of liquidity available to our stockholders.
If our common stock were to be delisted from Nasdaq and was not eligible for quotation or listing on another market or exchange, trading of our common stock could be conducted only in the over-the-counter market or on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the Pink Sheets or the OTC Bulletin Board. In such event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for, our common stock, and there would likely also be a reduction in our coverage by securities analysts and the news media, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline further.
In addition to the foregoing, if our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and it trades on the over-the- counter market, the application of the “penny stock” rules could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and increase the transaction costs to sell those shares. The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define a “penny stock” as an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to specific exemptions. If our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and it trades on the over-the- counter market at a price of less than $5.00 per share, our common stock would be considered a penny stock. The SEC’s penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document that provides information about penny stocks and the risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and the salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the penny stock rules generally require that before a transaction in a penny stock occurs, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s agreement to the transaction. If applicable in the future, these rules may restrict the ability of brokers-dealers to sell our common stock and may affect the ability of investors to sell their shares, until our common stock no longer is considered a penny stock.
Future sales of our common stock, or the perception that future sales may occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline, even if our business is doing well.
Sales by our stockholders of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur in the future. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.
We will seek to raise additional funds and may finance acquisitions or develop strategic relationships by issuing securities that would dilute your ownership. Depending on the terms available to us, if these activities result in significant dilution, it may negatively impact the trading price of our shares of common stock.
We have financed our operations, and we expect to continue seeking to finance our operations, acquisitions, if any, and the development of strategic relationships by issuing equity and/or convertible securities, which could significantly reduce the percentage ownership of our existing stockholders. Further, any additional financing that we secure, including any debt financing, may require the granting of rights, preferences or privileges senior to, or pari passu with, those of our common stock. Any issuances by us of equity securities may be at or below the prevailing market price of our common stock and in any event may have a dilutive impact on your ownership interest, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. We may also raise additional funds through the incurrence of debt or the issuance or sale of other securities or instruments senior to our shares of common stock. The holders of any securities or instruments we may issue may have rights superior to the rights of our common stockholders. If we experience dilution from the issuance of additional securities and we grant superior rights to new securities over common stockholders, it may negatively impact the trading price of our shares of common stock, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Certain of our stockholders have significant voting power over our common stock and may vote their shares in a manner that is not in the best interest of other stockholders.
One of our stockholders, Choong Choon Hau, controls approximately 26.42% of the voting power represented by our outstanding shares of common stock. In addition, The Sire Group Ltd. (“Sire”) owns 950,000 shares of Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock. Each share of Series AA Preferred Stock is convertible into shares of our common stock, subject to ownership limitations set forth in the Certificate of Designations, Preferences and Rights of Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Certificate of Designations”). The Series AA Preferred Stock has certain voting rights set forth in the Certificate of Designations.
Such stockholders may be able to exert significant control over our management and affairs requiring stockholder approval, including approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock. This concentration of ownership may not be in the best interests of all of our stockholders.
We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 and this or other material weaknesses could continue to materially impair our ability to report accurate financial information in a timely manner.
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act for the year ended December 31, 2023. Based on such evaluation, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the identified material weakness in internal control over financial reporting as discussed below.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer, conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on the framework and criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO framework). Based on this assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, its internal control over financial reporting was not effective due to the existence of the material weakness described below.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that a reasonable possibility exists that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management identified a deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting that gave rise to a material weakness. The deficiency primarily related to limited finance and accounting staffing levels not commensurate with our complexity and our financial accounting and reporting requirements. We underwent organizational changes in 2023 and 2022, including multiple reductions in our workforce, and operate with a very lean finance and accounting department. This limited staffing resulted in a lack of resources to fully monitor and operate our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, resulting in a deficiency being discovered during our annual auditing process.
Our management continues to evaluate the material weakness discussed above and is implementing its remediation plan as further described in Item 9A below. However, assurance as to when the remediation efforts will be complete cannot be provided and the material weakness cannot be considered remedied until the applicable controls have operated for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively. Our management cannot provide assurances that the measures that have been taken to date, and are continuing to be implemented, will be sufficient to remediate the material weakness identified or to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner or prevent fraud, which would adversely affect investor confidence in our company and harm our business.
Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations in a timely manner, or at all. Testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act may reveal material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting related to our limited finance, accounting and IT staffing levels. While we are implementing our remediation plan as further described in Item 9A below, we cannot provide assurances that the measures that have been taken to date, and are continuing to be implemented, will be sufficient to remediate the material weakness identified or to avoid potential future materials weaknesses. Subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act may reveal continued or additional deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be significant deficiencies or material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.
We are required to disclose material changes made in our internal controls over financing reporting and procedures on a quarterly basis and our management are required to assess the effectiveness of these controls annually. We are also required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and once we cease to be an emerging growth company or a non-accelerated filer, we will be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, for as long as we are a smaller reporting company under the JOBS Act or a non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
To achieve compliance with Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we engage in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to implement our remediation plan, continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage additional outside consultants to assess the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are designed and operating effectively and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting.
We have determined that, as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the identified material weakness in internal control and financial reporting as described herein. The effectiveness of our internal controls in future periods is subject to the risk that our controls may become further inadequate because of changes in conditions. We may be unable to timely remediate our material weakness and may discover additional weaknesses in our system of internal financial and accounting controls and procedures that could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements. Our internal control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.
If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, or if we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, our investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, the market price of our stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities including equivalent foreign authorities.
We have never paid any cash dividends and have no plans to pay any cash dividends in the future.
Our common stockholders are entitled to receive such dividends as may be declared by our Board. To date, we have paid no cash dividends on our shares of our preferred or common stock, and we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, the declaration and payment of cash dividends is restricted under the terms of our existing Loan Agreement. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to provide funds for operations of our business. Therefore, any return investors in our preferred or common stock may have will be in the form of appreciation, if any, in the market value of their shares of common stock.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties
Our executive offices are located in approximately 3,295 square feet of office space in South San Francisco, California that we occupy under a three-year operating lease expiring in June 2024. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our existing needs.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
In September 2023, Fedson, as further consideration for the Asset Purchase Agreement, agreed to assume all liabilities related to a pending employment claim initiated by a former employee alleging wrongful termination, retaliation, infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision, hiring and retention and slander. See Note 5. Commitments and Contingencies.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “TTNP.”
Approximate Number of Equity Security Holders
At March 25, 2024, there were 914,234 shares of our common stock outstanding held by 98 holders of record. The number of record holders was determined from the records of our transfer agent and does not include beneficial owners of common stock whose shares are held in the names of various security brokers, dealers, and registered clearing agencies.
Dividends
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends to stockholders in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our Board and will be dependent upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, and such other factors as the Board deems relevant.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table sets forth aggregate information regarding our equity compensation plans in effect as of December 31, 2023:
Plan category
Number of securities to
be issued upon exercise
of outstanding options,
warrant and rights
(a)
Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding
options,
warrants and rights
(b)
Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans
(c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1)
93,059
$ 70.23
3,750
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders(2)
$ 10,101.02
-
Total
93,089
$ 73.46
3,750
(1) In June 2023, our stockholders approved an amendment to the 2015 Omnibus Equity Incentive plan to increase the number of authorized shares to 125,000 shares.
(2) Includes 30 non-qualified stock options granted to employees, directors and consultants under our 2014 Incentive Plan. For a description of the 2014 Plan, see Note 8 Stock Plans to the accompanying financial statements.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Overview
Titan is a pharmaceutical company incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 1992. Prior to the sale of assets that occurred in September 2023 (as described below), we focused on developing therapeutics utilizing the proprietary long-term drug delivery platform, ProNeura®, for the treatment of select chronic diseases for which steady state delivery of a drug has the potential to provide an efficacy and/or safety benefit. ProNeura consists of a small, solid implant made from a mixture of EVA and a drug substance. The resulting product is a solid matrix that is designed to be administered subdermally in a brief, outpatient procedure and is removed in a similar manner at the end of the treatment period.
Our first product based on the ProNeura technology was Probuphine® (buprenorphine implant), which is approved in the United States, Canada and the European Union (“EU”) for the maintenance treatment of opioid use disorder in clinically stable patients taking 8 mg or less a day of oral buprenorphine. While Probuphine continues to be commercialized in the EU (as Sixmo™) by another company that had acquired the rights from Titan, we discontinued commercialization of the product in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2020 and subsequently sold the product in September 2023. Discontinuation of our commercial operations has allowed us to focus our limited resources on important product development programs and transition back to a product development company.
In December 2021, we announced our intention to work with our financial advisor to explore strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value, potentially including an acquisition, merger, reverse merger, other business combination, sales of assets, licensing or other transaction. In June 2022, we implemented a plan to reduce expenses and conserve capital that included a company-wide reduction in salaries and a scale back of certain operating expenses to enable us to maintain sufficient resources as we pursued potential strategic alternatives. In July 2022, Mr. Lazar and Activist acquired an approximately 25% ownership interest in Titan, filed a proxy statement and nominated six additional directors, each of whom was elected to our Board at the Special Meeting on August 15, 2022. The exploration and evaluation of possible strategic alternatives by the Board has continued following the Special Meeting. Following the election of the new directors at the Special Meeting, Dr. Marc Rubin was replaced as our Executive Chairman, and David Lazar assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. In connection with the termination of his employment as Executive Chairman, Dr. Rubin received aggregate severance payments of approximately $0.4 million. In December 2022, we implemented additional cost reduction measures including a reduction in our workforce. In June 2023, David Lazar sold his approximately 25% ownership interest in Titan to Choong Choon Hau, an outside investor. Mr. Lazar remains Titan’s Chief Executive Officer.
In July 2023, we entered into the Asset Purchase Agreement with Fedson for the sale of the ProNeura Assets, with closing occurring on September 1, 2023. Our addiction portfolio consisted of the Probuphine and Nalmefene implant programs. The ProNeura Assets constituted only a portion of our assets. In August 2023, we entered into an Amendment and Extension Agreement pursuant to which Fedson agreed to purchase our ProNeura Assets for a purchase price of $2.0 million, consisting of (i) $500,000 in readily available funds, paid in full on the Closing Date, (ii) $500,000 in the form the Cash Note and (iii) $1,000,000 in the form of the Escrow Note. We will also be eligible to receive potential milestone payments of up to $50 million on future net sales of the products and certain royalties on future net sales of the products. As further consideration, Fedson assumed all liabilities related to a pending employment claim against us. On the Closing Date, Fedson delivered a written guaranty by a principal of Fedson of Fedson’s obligations under both the Cash Note and Escrow Note. The Cash Note included provisions, which Fedson has exercised, allowing Fedson to extend the payment of the Cash Note to November 1, 2023 and again to December 1, 2023 upon payment of $5,000 for each extension. The Cash Note and Escrow Note were paid in December 2023 and January 2024, respectively. We received the funds from the escrow account in February 2024.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. We believe the following accounting policies and estimates for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 to be applicable:
Revenue Recognition
We generate revenue principally from collaborative research and development arrangements, sales or licenses of technology and government grants. Consideration received for revenue arrangements with multiple components is allocated among the separate performance obligations based upon their relative estimated standalone selling price.
In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as we fulfill our obligations under our agreements, we perform the following steps for our revenue recognition: (i) identification of the promised goods or services in the contract; (ii) determination of whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations, including whether they are distinct in the context of the contract; (iii) measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations based on estimated selling prices; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) we satisfy each performance obligation.
Grant Revenue
We have contracts with National Institute on Drug Abuse (“NIDA”), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other government-sponsored organizations for research and development related activities that provide for payments for reimbursed costs, which may include overhead and general and administrative costs. We recognize revenue from these contracts as we perform services under these arrangements when the funding is committed. Associated expenses are recognized when incurred as research and development expense. Revenues and related expenses are presented gross in the statements of operations.
Performance Obligations
A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. Our performance obligations include commercialization license rights, development services and services associated with the regulatory approval process.
We have optional additional items in contracts, which are accounted for as separate contracts when the customer elects such options. Arrangements that include a promise for future commercial product supply and optional research and development services at the customer’s discretion are generally considered as options. We assess if these options provide a material right to the customer and, if so, such material rights are accounted for as separate performance obligations. If we are entitled to additional payments when the customer exercises these options, any additional payments are recorded in revenue when the customer obtains control of the goods or services.
Transaction Price
We have both fixed and variable consideration. Non-refundable upfront payments are considered fixed, while milestone payments are identified as variable consideration when determining the transaction price. Funding of research and development activities is considered variable until such costs are reimbursed at which point, they are considered fixed. We allocate the total transaction price to each performance obligation based on the relative estimated standalone selling prices of the promised goods or services for each performance obligation.
At the inception of each arrangement that includes milestone payments, we evaluate whether the milestones are considered probable of being achieved and estimate the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the value of the associated milestone is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within our control, such as approvals from regulators, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received.
For arrangements that include sales-based royalties or earn-out payments, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, and the license or purchase agreement is deemed to be the predominant item to which the royalties or earn-out payments relate, we recognizes revenue at the later of (a) when the related sales occur, or (b) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty or earn-out payment has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied).
Allocation of Consideration
As part of the accounting for these arrangements, we must develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the stand-alone selling price of each performance obligation identified in the contract. Estimated selling prices for license rights are calculated using the residual approach. For all other performance obligations, we use a cost-plus margin approach.
Timing of Recognition
Significant management judgment is required to determine the level of effort required under an arrangement and the period over which we expect to complete our performance obligations under an arrangement. We estimate the performance period or measure of progress at the inception of the arrangement and re-evaluate it each reporting period. This re-evaluation may shorten or lengthen the period over which revenue is recognized. Changes to these estimates are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis. If we cannot reasonably estimate when our performance obligations either are completed or become inconsequential, then revenue recognition is deferred until we can reasonably make such estimates. Revenue is then recognized over the remaining estimated period of performance using the cumulative catch-up method. Revenue is recognized for licenses or sales of functional intellectual property at the point in time the customer can use and benefit from the license. For performance obligations that are services, revenue is recognized over time proportionate to the costs that we have incurred to perform the services using the cost-to-cost input method.
Inventories
Inventories are recorded at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is based on the first in, first out method. We regularly review inventory quantities on hand and write down to its net realizable value any inventory that we believe to be impaired. The determination of net realizable value requires judgment, including consideration of many factors, such as estimates of future product demand, product net selling prices, current and future market conditions and potential product obsolescence, among others.
Share-Based Payments
We recognize compensation expense for all share-based awards made to employees, directors and consultants. The fair value of share-based awards is estimated at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense, net of estimated pre-vesting forfeitures, ratably over the vesting period of the award.
We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value method of our awards. Calculating stock-based compensation expense requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected term of the share-based awards, stock price volatility, and pre-vesting forfeitures. We estimate the expected term of stock options granted for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 based on the historical experience of similar awards, giving consideration to the contractual terms of the share-based awards, vesting schedules and the expectations of future employee behavior. We estimate the volatility of our common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of our common stock. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent our best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. As a result, if factors change and we use different assumptions, our stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. In addition, we estimate the expected pre-vesting forfeiture rate and only recognize expense for those shares expected to vest. We estimate the pre-vesting forfeiture rate based on historical experience. If our actual forfeiture rate is materially different from our estimate, our stock-based compensation expense could be significantly different from what we have recorded in the current period.
Income Taxes
We make certain estimates and judgments in determining income tax expense for financial statement purposes. These estimates and judgments occur in the calculation of certain tax assets and liabilities, which arise from differences in the timing of recognition of revenue and expense for tax and financial statement purposes.
As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves us estimating our current tax exposure under the most recent tax laws and assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes.
We assess the likelihood that we will be able to recover our deferred tax assets. We consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. If it is not more likely than not that we will recover our deferred tax assets, we will increase our provision for taxes by recording a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets that we estimate will not ultimately be recoverable.
Clinical Trial Accruals
We also record accruals for estimated ongoing clinical trial costs. Clinical trial costs represent costs incurred by Contract Research Organizations (“CROs”) and clinical sites. These costs are recorded as a component of research and development expenses. Under our agreements, progress payments are typically made to investigators, clinical sites and CROs. We analyze the progress of the clinical trials, including levels of patient enrollment, invoices received and contracted costs when evaluating the adequacy of accrued liabilities. Significant judgments and estimates must be made and used in determining the accrued balance in any accounting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions. Revisions are charged to expense in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known. The actual clinical trial costs for studies conducted in the past two years have not differed materially from the estimated projection of expenses.
Warrants Issued in Connection with Equity Financing
We generally account for warrants issued in connection with equity financings as a component of equity, unless there is a deemed possibility that we may have to settle warrants in cash. For warrants issued with deemed possibility of cash settlement, we record the fair value of the issued warrants as a liability at each reporting period and record changes in the estimated fair value as a non-cash gain or loss in the statements of operations.
Leases
We determine whether the arrangement is or contains a lease at inception. Operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the present value of the future lease payments at commencement date. The interest rate implicit in lease contracts is typically not readily determinable, and therefore, we utilize our incremental borrowing rate, which is the rate incurred to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. Certain adjustments to the right-of-use asset may be required for items such as initial direct costs paid or incentives received.
Lease expense is recognized over the expected term on a straight-line basis. Operating leases are recognized on our balance sheet as right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, current and operating lease liabilities, non-current.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have funded our operations since inception primarily through the sale of our securities and the issuance of debt, as well as with proceeds from warrant and option exercises, corporate licensing and collaborative agreements, the sale of royalty rights, and government-sponsored research grants. At December 31, 2023, we had working capital of approximately $6.6 million compared to working capital of approximately $1.0 million at December 31, 2022.
As of December 31:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 6,761
$ 2,937
Working capital
$ 6,574
$
Current ratio
5.55:1
1.37:1
For the Years Ended December 31:
Cash used in operating activities
$ (7,092 )
$ (8,183 )
Cash provided by investing activities
$
$ -
Cash provided by financing activities
$
10,000
$ 4,984
Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 consisted primarily of the net loss for the period of approximately $5.6 million, approximately $1.8 million of gains related to the sale of assets and approximately $1.2 million related to net changes in operating assets and liabilities. This was partially offset by approximately $1.3 million of non-cash stock-based compensation and approximately $0.1 million of depreciation and amortization expense. Uses of cash in operating activities were primarily to fund our product development programs and administrative expenses.
Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily related to net proceeds from the sale of assets and liabilities to Fedson.
Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 consisted of approximately $9.5 million of net cash proceeds from the issuance of preferred stock and approximately $0.8 million of proceeds from short-term debt. This was partially offset by approximately $0.3 million related to payments on short-term notes payable.
In September 2023, we entered into a purchase agreement with Sire Group, pursuant to which we agreed to issue 950,000 shares of our Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock at a price of $10.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $9.5 million. The purchase price consisted of (i) $5.0 million in cash at closing and (ii) $4.5 million in the form of a promissory note from Sire Group which was paid in September 2023. The net cash proceeds from this transaction were approximately $9.5 million.
In September 2023, we closed on the sale of the ProNeura Assets pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement with Fedson. The ProNeura Assets constituted only a portion of our assets. In August 2023, we entered into an Amendment to the Asset Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which Fedson agreed to purchase our ProNeura Assets for a purchase price of $2.0 million, consisting of (i) $500,000 in readily available funds, paid in full on the Closing Date, (ii) $500,000 in the form of the Cash Note and (iii) $1,000,000 in the form of the Escrow Note. We will also be eligible to receive potential milestone payments of up to $50 million on future net sales of the products and certain royalties on future net sales of the products. As further consideration, Fedson assumed all liabilities related to a pending employment claim against us. On the Closing Date, Fedson delivered a written guaranty by a principal of Fedson of all of Fedson’s obligations under both the Cash Note and Escrow Note. The Cash Note included provisions, which Fedson has exercised, allowing Fedson to extend the payment of the Cash Note to November 1, 2023 and again to December 1, 2023 upon payment of $5,000 for each extension. The Cash Note and Escrow Note were paid in December 2023 and January 2024, respectively. We received the funds from the escrow account in February 2024.
In August 2023, we received $500,000 in funding in exchange for the issuance of a convertible promissory note for that principal amount to Choong Choon Hau (the “Hau Promissory Note”). Pursuant to the Hau Promissory Note, the principal amount will accrue interest at a rate of 10% per annum and will be payable monthly. All principal and accrued interest shall be due and payable on January 8, 2024, unless extended as provided. All or part of the Hau Promissory Note can be converted into our common stock at a conversion price of $9.32 per share from time to time following the issuance date and ending on the maturity date. In March 2024, the Hau Promissory Note, along with accrued interest, was converted into 54,132 shares of our common stock.
In February 2022, we completed a registered direct offering with an accredited investor pursuant to which we issued an aggregate of 55,000 shares of our common stock and 113,713 pre-funded warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $0.02 per share. In a concurrent private placement, we sold unregistered pre-funded warrants to purchase an aggregate of 64,499 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.02 per share and issued unregistered five year and six month warrants to purchase an aggregate of 233,202 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $22.80. The net cash proceeds from these offerings were approximately $5.0 million after deduction of underwriting fees and other offering expenses.
At December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $6.8 million, which we believe is sufficient to fund our planned operations into the second quarter of 2025. We will require additional funds to finance our operations. We are exploring several financing and strategic alternatives; however, there can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful.
Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Revenues
For the Years ended December 31,
Change
(in thousands)
Revenue:
License revenue
$
$
$ (59 )
Grant revenue
(314 )
Total revenue
$
$
$ (373 )
License revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 consisted of royalties received on sales of Probuphine by Knight in Canada. License revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 consisted primarily of an upfront license payment of approximately $50,000 related to the use of our ProNeura technology for ophthalmic use and royalties received on sales of Probuphine by Knight in Canada.
The decrease in grant revenue was primarily due to decreased activities related to the NIDA grant for the development of a Nalmefene implant and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant.
Operating Expenses
For the Years ended December 31,
Change
(in thousands)
Operating expenses:
Research and development
$ 1,913
$ 4,758
$ (2,845 )
General and administrative
5,548
6,034
(486 )
Total operating expenses
$ 7,461
$ 10,792
$ (3,331 )
The decrease in research and development costs was primarily associated with reduced activities related to non-clinical studies required for the IND submission as part of our NIDA grant for the development of a Nalmefene implant, decreases in expenses related to initial non-clinical proof of concept studies related to our TP-2021 implant program and decreases in research and development personnel-related costs and other expenses following our December 2022 reduction in our workforce. Other research and development expenses include internal operating costs such as research and development personnel-related expenses, non-clinical and clinical product development related travel expenses, and allocation of facility and corporate costs. As a result of the risks and uncertainties inherently associated with pharmaceutical research and development activities described elsewhere in this document, we are unable to estimate the specific timing and future costs of our clinical development programs or the timing of material cash inflows, if any, from our product candidates. However, we anticipate that our research and development expenses will increase as we continue our current or any future development programs to the extent these costs are not supported through grants or partners.
The decrease in general and administrative expenses was primarily related to decreases in legal and other professional fees. This was partially offset by increases in employee-related expenses, non-cash stock-based compensation and Director fees.
Other Expenses, Net
For the Years ended December 31,
Change
(in thousands)
Other income (expense):
Interest income, net
$
$
$ (48 )
Other expense, net
(52 )
(24 )
(28 )
Gain on asset sale
1,755
-
1,755
Other income, net
$ 1,708
$
$ 1,679
Net Loss and Net Loss per Share
Our net loss applicable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $5.6 million, or approximately $7.41 per share, compared to our net loss continuing operations applicable to common stockholders of approximately $10.2 million, or approximately $15.19 per share, for the comparable period in 2022.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have never entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, and we have never established any special purpose entities. We have not guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities or entered into any options on non-financial assets.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The response to this item is included in a separate section of this Report. See “Index to Financial Statements” on Page.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures: Our principal executive and financial officers reviewed and evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on that evaluation, our principal executive and financial officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective for the timely provision of material information relating to Titan, as required to be disclosed in the reports we file under the Exchange Act due to the identification of a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting described below in the Item 9A.
Notwithstanding the conclusion by principal executive and financial officers that the disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023 were not effective and the material weakness identified in internal controls over financial reporting described below, management believes that the consolidated financial statements and related financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly present in all material respects our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows as of the dates presented, and for the periods ended on such dates, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (US GAAP).
(b) Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting:
Internal control over financial reporting refers to the process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, and effected by our Board, management and other personnel, 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, and includes those policies and procedures that:
(1) Pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;
(2) Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorization of our management and directors; and
(3) Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisitions, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that involves human diligence and compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns resulting from human failures. Internal control over financial reporting can also be circumvented by collusion or improper management overrides. Due to such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to reduce, though not eliminate, this risk. Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for Titan.
Management has used the framework set forth in the report entitled Internal Control-Integrated Framework published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), known as COSO, to evaluate the effectiveness of Titan’s internal control over financial reporting. Based on this assessment, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that a reasonable possibility exists that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management identified a deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting that gave rise to a material weakness. The deficiency primarily related to limited finance and accounting staffing levels not commensurate with our complexity and our financial accounting and reporting requirements. We underwent organizational changes in 2023 and 2022, including multiple reductions in workforce and operate with a very lean finance and accounting department. This limited staffing resulted in a lack of resources to fully monitor and operate our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, resulting in a deficiency being discovered during our annual auditing process.
Management discovered a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting which resulted in the misclassification of issuance costs of approximately $0.4 million related to the issuance of preferred stock during the three months ended September 30, 2023.
Remediation Activities
Management continues to evaluate the material weakness discussed above, has created a remediation plan that it has already begun implementing and continues to finalize that plan's implementation. For example, we will be hiring a new Chief Financial Officer to oversee our controls environment and continue to utilize a Sarbanes-Oxley compliance firm to assist in testing and implementing additional controls and procedures in our finance and accounting department. We have corrected the deficiency discovered during our annual audit process prior to the filing of this annual report. However, assurance as to when all remediation efforts will be complete cannot be provided and the material weakness cannot be considered remedied until the applicable controls have operated for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively. Management cannot provide assurances that the measures that have been taken to date, and are continuing to be implemented, will be sufficient to remediate the material weakness identified or to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
(c) Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting: Other than with respect to the ongoing remediation efforts described above, there were no other changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13(a)-15(f) and 15(d)-15(f) under the Securities Act) during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
We are smaller reporting company and a non-accelerated filer, and therefore our independent registered public accounting firm has not issued a report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information.
None of our directors or executive officers adopted or terminated a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or a non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement during the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023, as such terms are defined under Item 408(a) or Regulation S-K.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Set forth below are the name, age and position and a brief account of the business experience of each of our executive officers and directors:
Name
Age
Office
Director Since
David E. Lazar
Chief Executive Officer,
August 2022
Katherine Beebe DeVarney, Ph.D.
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
December 2019
Avraham Ben-Tzvi, Adv. (3)
Director
August 2022
Brynner Chiam
Director
October 2023
Eric Greenberg (1)(2)(3)
Director
August 2022
Matthew C. McMurdo, Esq.(1)(2)(3)
Director
August 2022
David Natan (1)(2)
Director
August 2022
Dato’ Seow Gim Shen
Chairman of the Board
October 2023
(1) Member of the audit committee
(2) Member of the compensation committee
(3) Member of the nominating and governance committee
David E. Lazar has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Custodian Ventures LLC, a company which specializes in assisting distressed public companies through custodianship, since February 2018, and Activist Investing LLC, an actively managed investment fund, since March 2018. Previously, Mr. Lazar served as Managing Partner at Zenith Partners International Inc., a boutique consulting firm, from July 2012 to April 2018. In his role as Chief Executive Officer of Custodian Ventures LLC, Mr. Lazar has successfully served as a custodian to numerous public companies across a wide range of industries, including without limitation, C2E Energy, Inc. (OTCMKTS: OOGI), China Botanic Pharmaceutical Inc. (OTCMKTS: CBPI), One 4 Art Ltd., Romulus Corp., Moveix, Inc., Arax Holdings Corp. (OTCMKTS: ARAT), ESP Resources, Inc. (OTCMKTS: ESPIQ), Adorbs, Inc., Exobox Technologies Corp. (OTCMKTS: EXBX), Petrone Worldwide, Inc. (OTCMKTS: PFWIQ), Superbox, Inc. (OTCMKTS: SBOX), Sino Green Land Corp. (OTCMKTS: SGLA), SIPP International Industries, Inc. (OTCMKTS: SIPN), Cereplast, Inc. (OTCMKTS: CERPQ), Energy 1 Corp. (OTCMKTS: EGOC), ForU Holdings, Inc. (OTCMKTS: FORU), China Yanyuan Yuhui National Education Group, Inc. (OTCMKTS: YYYH), Pan Global Corp. (OTCMKTS: PGLO), Shengtang International, Inc. (OTCMKTS: SHNL), Alternaturals, Inc. (OTCMKTS: ANAS), USA Recycling Industries, Inc. (OTCMKTS: USRI), Tele Group Corp., Xenoics Holdings, Inc. (OTCMKTS: XNNHQ), Richland Resources International Group, Inc. (OTCMKTS: RIGG), AI Technology Group, Inc., Reliance Global Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: RELI), Melt, Inc., Ketdarina Corp., 3D MarkerJet, Inc. (OTCMKTS: MRJT), Lvpai Group Ltd., Gushen, Inc., FHT Future Technology Ltd., Inspired Builders, Inc., Houmu Holdings Ltd. (OTCMKTS: HOMU), Born, Inc. (OTCMKTS: BRRN), Changsheng International Group Ltd., Sollensys Corp. (OTCMKTS: SOLS), Guozi Zhongyu Capital Holdings Co. (OTCMKTS: GZCC) and Cang Bao Tian Xia International Art Trade Center, Inc. Mr. Lazar has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Minim, Inc. since January 2024 and as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of OpGen, Inc. since March 2024 Based on Mr. Lazar’s diverse knowledge of financial, legal and operations management, public company management, accounting, audit preparation, due diligence reviews and SEC regulations, our Board believes that Mr. Lazar has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
Katherine Beebe DeVarney, Ph.D. joined Titan in February 2007 and currently serves as our President and Chief Operating Officer. She has been a member of the Board since December 2019. During her 17 years with us, she has served in various scientific and medical research and development capacities, with primary responsibility for oversight of our product research and development, Regulatory Affairs, and Medical Affairs. Dr. Beebe DeVarney has 28 years of experience as a Neuroscientist in the pharmaceutical industry, including positions of increasing responsibility with SmithKline Beecham, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Corcept Therapeutics. Prior to her pharmaceutical career, Dr. Beebe DeVarney was a hospital-based clinician and worked in academic medicine for 10 years. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology from George Mason University and completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at Graduate Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania. Based on Dr. Beebe DeVarney’s extensive knowledge of the medical, research, and regulatory requirements of product development programs, our Board believes that Dr. Beebe DeVarney has the appropriate set of skills to serve as member of the Board.
Avraham Ben-Tzvi, Adv. is the Founder of ABZ Law Office, a boutique Israeli law firm specializing in outsourced general counsel services for publicly traded as well as private companies and corporations, Investments & Securities Laws, Commercial Law & Contracts and various civil law matters, which he established in January 2017. Mr. Ben-Tzvi served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Purple Biotech Ltd. (formerly Kitov Pharma Ltd.) (NASDAQ/TASE: PPBT), a clinical-stage company advancing first-in-class therapies to overcome tumor immune evasion and drug resistance, from November 2015 until April 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Ben-Tzvi served as General Counsel and Company Secretary at Medigus Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: MDGS), a minimally invasive endosurgical tools medical device and miniaturized imaging equipment company, from April 2014 until November 2015. Mr. Ben-Tzvi is a member of the Israel Bar Association and is also licensed as a Notary by the Israeli Ministry of Justice. Prior to that he served as an attorney at one of Israel’s leading international law firms where, amongst other corporate and commercial work, he advised companies and underwriters on various offerings by Israeli companies listing in the United States and on various SEC related filings. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. Ben-Tzvi worked in a number of business development, corporate finance and banking roles at companies in the financial services, lithium battery manufacturing and software development industries. Mr. Ben-Tzvi holds a B.A., magna cum laude, in Economics from Yeshiva University in New York and an LL.B., magna cum laude with Honors from Sha’arei Mishpat College of Law in Hod HaSharon, Israel. Based on Mr. Ben-Tzvi’s extensive legal experience and knowledge in the fields of civil-commercial law and corporate and securities law, and his previous public company and commercial business experience, our Board believes that Mr. Ben-Tzvi has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
Brynner Chiam currently serves as Vice President of Finance and Tax at Black Chamber Management, a shared service company which provides outsourcing services to related companies as well as third parties, since November 2020, where he is responsible for all aspects of planning, implementing and managing financing activities for the company and its clients. From February 2014 to October 2020, Mr. Chiam served as a Director for Tricor Taxand, a professional tax firm and independent tax adviser specializing in providing tax-related services to its clients. Mr. Chiam is a member of the Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia and has over 20 years of experience as a tax consultant and tax practitioner. He received his Bachelor of Business Studies (Accountancy) from Massey University in New Zealand. Based on Mr. Chiam’s experience, our Board believes that Mr. Chiam has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
Eric Greenberg has over 40 years of capital markets experience. As a trader and portfolio manager at hedge funds, his areas of expertise included the development of trading strategies, portfolio management and deal structuring. Mr. Greenberg was Co-Founder of Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK), a leader in the EV charging infrastructure industry. In addition, Mr. Greenberg provides investor relation and digital marketing services for companies across a variety of industries, such as life sciences, fintech, internet platforms and others. Mr. Greenberg holds a B.B.A in Finance from Baruch College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Baruch College Zicklin School of Business. Based on Mr. Greenberg’s more than 40 years’ experience in trading, developing strategies, and portfolio management and public markets experience in the microcap sector, our Board believes that Mr. Greenberg has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
Matthew C. McMurdo, Esq. currently serves as Managing Member of McMurdo Law Group, LLC, a corporate law practice, since 2010. Previously, Mr. McMurdo was a Partner at Nannarone & McMurdo, LLP, a boutique law firm, from 2008 to 2010. In addition, Mr. McMurdo served as General Counsel of Berkley Asset Management LLC, the general partner of a real estate fund focused on opportunistic and distressed real estate assets, from 2011 to 2013. On December 28, 2023, Mr. McMurdo was appointed to the board of directors of Minim, Inc. (NASDAQ: MINM), where he serves on the compensation and nominating committees. On March 25, 2024, Mr. McMurdo was appointed to the board of directors of OpGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPGN). Mr. McMurdo holds a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and a J.D., cum laude, from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Based on Mr. McMurdo’s extensive experience in corporate and securities law and advising many public companies on federal securities law, our Board believes that Mr. McMurdo has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
David Natan currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Natan & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm offering chief financial officer services to public and private companies in a variety of industries, since 2007. From February 2010 to May 2020, Mr. Natan served as Chief Executive Officer of ForceField Energy, Inc. (OTCMKTS: FNRG), a company focused on the solar industry and LED lighting products. From February 2002 to November 2007, Mr. Natan served as Executive Vice President of Reporting and Chief Financial Officer of PharmaNet Development Group, Inc., a drug development services company, and, from June 1995 to February 2002, as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Global Technovations, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of oil analysis instruments and speakers and speaker components. Prior to that, Mr. Natan served in various roles of increasing responsibility with Deloitte & Touche LLP, a global consulting firm. Mr. Natan currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of NetBrands Inc. f/k/a Global Diversified Marketing Group, Inc. (OTCMKTS: NBND), a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of food and snack products, since February 2021 and serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of Sunshine Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBFM), a pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement company, since February 2022. Additionally in November 2023 Mr. Natan was appointed to the board of directors and Audit Committee Chair of Minim, Inc. (NASDAQ: MINM). In December 2022 Mr. Natan was appointed to the board of Directors and Audit Committee Chair of Vivakor Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVK) and served until December 2023. Previously, Mr. Natan served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ForceField Energy, Inc., from April 2015 to May 2020, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Global Technovations, Inc., from December 1999 to December 2001. Mr. Natan holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston University. Based on Mr. Natan’s extensive experience, our Board believes that Mr. Natan has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
Dato’ Seow Gim Shen has over 15 years of experience in the IT development industry, with a focus on managing, leading and directing IT and software development projects from inception to execution. Mr. Shen serves as the Chairman of Prima Niaga Group, a privately held technology company focused on the distribution of electronic gadgets to Malaysian chain stores, since 2011. Mr. Shen currently serves as a director of several privately held companies in the IT development industry. He also serves as the Chairman of Zchwantech, a privately held IT services and consulting company focused on the integration of IT-related products and services for companies inside and outside of Malaysia, since 2017, and the Chairman of Blackwolf Technology, a privately held company specializing in providing software development and other IT-related services, since 2017. Mr. Shen received his Bachelor of Multimedia with Honors from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Based on Mr. Shen’s experience, our Board believes that Mr. Shen has the appropriate set of skills to serve as a member of the Board.
As indicated above, each of our directors has extensive management and operational experience in one or more facets of the pharmaceutical industry, including research, product development, clinical and regulatory affairs, manufacturing and sales and marketing, providing our company with the leadership needed by a biotechnology company in all stages of its development.
Directors serve until the next annual meeting or until their successors are elected and qualified. Officers serve at the discretion of the Board, subject to rights, if any, under contracts of employment. See “Item 11. Executive Compensation-Employment Agreements.”
Board Leadership Structure
Currently, our principal executive officer is David E. Lazar and our chairman of the Board Dato’ Seow Gim Shen.
Code of Ethics
We adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code of Ethics”) in February 2013 that applies to all directors, officers and employees. The Code of Ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is available on our website at www.titanpharm.com. A copy of our code of ethics will also be provided to any person without charge, upon written request sent to us at our offices located at 400 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 505, South San Francisco, California 94080.
Changes in Director Nomination Process for Stockholders
None.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
The following table provides information regarding the compensation paid during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 to each of the executive officers named below, who are collectively referred to as “named executive officers” elsewhere in this report.
Name and Principal Position
Year
Salary
($)
Bonus
($)
Options
Awards
($)(1)
Stock
Awards
($)(1)
All Other Compensation
($)
Total
Compensation
($)
David Lazar
$ 406,000
$ 1,015,000
$ -
$ 52,180
$ -
$ 1,473,180
Chief Executive Officer(4)
$ 152,250
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ 152,250
Katherine Beebe DeVarney, Ph.D.
$ 462,000 (3)
$ -
$ 107,162
$ 32,947
$ -
$ 602,109
President and Chief Operating Officer
$ 308,000 (3)
$ -
$ 54,340
$ -
$ -
$ 362,340
Marc Rubin, MD(2)
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ 238,157
$ 238,157
Executive Chairman
$ 204,083 (3)
$ -
$ 57,582
$ -
$ 164,583
$ 426,248
(1) Amounts shown represent the grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC 718. The assumptions used by us with respect to the valuation of option grants and stock awards are set forth in Note 8. Stock Plans to the accompanying financial statements.
(2) Dr. Rubin’s employment was terminated in August 2022. He was due to receive severance payments through July 2023. He received approximately $165,000 related to severance payments during 2022 and approximately $238,000 in 2023.
(3) On June 15, 2022, we implemented a plan to reduce expenses and conserve capital that included a company-wide reduction in salaries and a scale back of certain operating expenses. The cost-savings measures are being undertaken to enable us to maintain sufficient resources as we work with our advisors on potential strategic alternatives for maximizing shareholder value. As part of the aforementioned plan, Dr. Rubin and Dr. Beebe DeVarney each agreed to waive 40% of their base salaries for six months. In 2023, the Board agreed to pay Dr. Beebe DeVarney $77,000 related to salaries deferred in 2022.
(4) On December 14, 2022, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Lazar pursuant to which Mr. Lazar was hired to serve as our Chief Executive Officer, effective August 16, 2022.
Employee Benefits Plans
The principal purpose of our stock incentive plans is to attract, motivate, reward and retain selected employees, consultants and directors through the granting of stock-based compensation awards. The stock option plans provide for a variety of awards, including non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”)), stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, performance-based awards and other stock-based awards.
2014 Incentive Plan
In February 2014, our Board adopted the 2014 Incentive Plan (“2014 Plan”), pursuant to which 30 shares of our common stock are currently authorized for issuance to employees, directors, officers, consultants and advisors. On December 31, 2023, options to purchase 30 shares of our common stock were outstanding under the 2014 Plan.
2015 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan
In August 2015, our stockholders approved the 2015 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (“2015 Plan”). The 2015 Plan, as amended, authorizes a total of 125,000 shares of our common stock for issuance to employees, directors, officers, consultants and advisors. Awards representing 28,191 shares of our common stock have been released as of December 31, 2023. On December 31, 2023, options to purchase 93,059 shares of our common stock were outstanding under the 2015 Plan.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table summarizes the number of securities underlying outstanding plan awards for each named executive officer as of December 31, 2023.
Option Awards
Name
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Awards (#) Exercisable
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Awards (#) Unexercisable
Exercise Price ($)
Expiration Date
Marc Rubin, M.D.
-
18,360.00
02/02/2026
-
14,040.00
02/13/2027
-
3,492.00
03/07/2028
-
1,050.00
4/2/2029
7,500
-
80.40
2/10/2031
3,250
-
23.60
01/05/2032
Katherine Beebe DeVarney, Ph.D.
-
11,880.00
3/16/2025
-
931.68
12/14/2025
-
931.68
2/13/2027
-
3,492.00
3/7/2028
7,500
-
80.40
2/10/2031
5,000
-
26.20
9/15/2032
2,750
-
23.60
01/05/2032
In January 2022, Dr. Rubin and Dr. Beebe DeVarney were granted options to purchase 3,250 and 2,750 shares of common stock, respectively. The options were to vest over 24 months with 50% of the awarded options vesting on the six-month anniversary of the grant date with the remaining balance vesting over the remaining eighteen months.
On August 15, 2022, the Special Meeting was held at the request of Activist to increase the size of our Board from five members to eleven members and to elect Activist’s slate of six nominees to serve as directors in addition to the existing five Board members. As a result of the change of control, all unvested options granted under the 2015 Plan prior to August 15, 2022, immediately became vested.
On September 15, 2022, the Board granted Dr. Beebe DeVarney, subject to the receipt of stockholder approval received in June 2023, options to purchase 5,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $26.20 per share, such price being the closing price of our common stock and the fair market value as defined under the 2015 Plan on the September 15, 2022 grant date. The options vested in twelve equal monthly allotments through the first anniversary of the grant date.
There were no options exercised by our named executive officers during 2023.
Pension Benefits
We do not sponsor any qualified or non-qualified defined benefit plans.
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
We do not maintain any non-qualified defined contribution or deferred compensation plans. The Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of “outside directors” as defined for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code, may elect to provide our officers and other employees with non-qualified defined contribution or deferred compensation benefits if the Compensation Committee determines that doing so is in our best interests. We sponsor a tax qualified defined contribution 401(k) plan in which Dr. Rubin, Dr. Beebe DeVarney and Mr. Bhonsle participated.
Employment Agreements
In November 2018, we entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Beebe DeVarney providing for a base annual salary of $365,000. The employment agreement contains the following terms:
● Bonuses. The executive may, at the sole discretion of the Board or the compensation committee, be considered for an annual bonus of up to 50% of her then base salary, payable in cash or awards under our equity incentive plan.
● Term; Termination. The Employment Agreement may be terminated by us for any reason at any time. In the event of termination by us without cause or by the executive for good reason or in connection with a change of control, as those terms are defined in such agreements, the executive is entitled to (i) severance in the form of continuation of the employee’s base salary for 12 months following the termination date, (ii) a pro rata portion of any annual bonus, (iii) 12 months of COBRA payments, and (iv) the immediate accelerated vesting of any unvested restricted shares and stock options.
● Restrictive Covenants. The Employment Agreement contains six-month post-termination noncompetition and non-solicitation provisions.
In February 2021, Dr. Beebe DeVarney’s employment agreement was amended to provide for an annual base salary of $385,000. All other agreement terms remain substantially the same.
On August 2, 2022, the compensation committee of the Board implemented a retention plan (the “Retention Plan”) in recognition of the change in the composition of the Board following the Special Meeting on August 15, 2022. The purpose of the Retention Plan was to help ensure a smooth transition, including the continuation of service by our current employees and directors following the Special Meeting, while the newly reconstituted Board explores and evaluates strategic alternatives to maximize the value of our assets and enhance stockholder value.
As part of the Retention Plan, the employment agreement with Dr. Beebe DeVarney was amended to (i) accelerate the vesting of her options following the reconstitution of the Board; and (ii) remove from the definition of “Good Reason” the current proviso that a change in the executive’s title would not necessarily constitute Good Reason. All other agreement terms remained substantially the same.
On December 14, 2022, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Lazar providing for a base annual salary of $406,000. The employment agreement contains the following terms:
● Bonuses. Mr. Lazar will be eligible to receive an annual bonus, with a target of fifty percent (50%) of his base salary. In addition, Mr. Lazar will be eligible for three performance bonuses on an annual basis, payable in (i) cash and/or (ii) restricted stock under the Plan, each equal to fifty percent (50%) of his base salary, which shall be dependent on our achievement of certain milestones. Furthermore, in the event of a Change of Control (as defined in the Mr. Lazar’s employment agreement), we shall pay Mr. Lazar a bonus equal to three percent (3%) of the increased valuation of the surviving corporation resulting from such Change of Control.
● Term; Termination. The employment agreement has a three-year term but may be terminated by us for any reason at any time. In the event of termination by us without Cause or his resignation for Good Reason, not in connection with a Change of Control (as those terms are defined in such agreements), the executive is entitled to (i) severance in the form of continuation of his base salary for the greater of a period of 12 months or the remaining term, (ii) payment of executive’s annual medical and dental reimbursement for a period of 12 months, (iii) a pro rata portion of any annual or performance bonus, and (iv) the immediate accelerated vesting of any unvested restricted shares and stock options.
● Restrictive Covenants. The employment agreement contains 12-month post-termination noncompetition and non-solicitation provisions.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Summary of Director Compensation
The following table summarizes compensation that our non-employee directors earned during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 for services as members of our Board.
Name
Year
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
Stock Awards
($)
Options
Awards
($)(1)
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation
($)
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)
All Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Joseph A. Akers (2)(3)
$ 30,000
-
$ 107,162
-
-
-
$ 137,162
62,500 (4)
-
8,859
-
-
-
71,359
Avraham Ben-Tzvi (6)
55,625
32,947
138,335
-
-
13,000 (5)
239,907
24,375 (4)
-
-
-
-
-
24,375
Peter L. Chasey (7)(8)
43,542
32,947
138,335
-
-
13,000 (5)
227,824
20,625 (4)
-
-
-
-
-
20,625
Brynner Chiam (9)
9,375
-
-
-
-
-
9,375
Eric Greenberg(10)
59,792
32,947
138,335
-
-
13,000 (5)
244,074
22,500 (4)
-
-
-
-
-
22,500
M. David MacFarlane (2)(11)
30,312
-
107,162
-
-
-
137,474
61,250 (4)
-
8,859
-
-
-
70,109
Matthew C. McMurdo (12)
54,792
32,947
138,335
-
-
13,000 (5)
239,074
18,750 (4)
-
-
-
-
-
18,750
James R. McNab, Jr. (13)
31,250
-
107,162
-
-
-
138,412
62,500 (4)
-
8,859
-
-
-
71,359
David Natan(14)
66,875
32,947
138,335
-
-
13,000 (5)
251,157
23,438 (4)
-
-
-
-
-
23,438
Dato’ Seow Gim Shen (9)
9,375
-
-
-
-
-
9,375
(1) Amounts shown represent the grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC 718. The assumptions used by us with respect to the valuation of option grants and stock awards are set forth in Note 8. Stock Plans to the accompanying financial statements.
(2) Did not stand for re-election at the June 2023 Shareholder meeting.
(3) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 5,512.
(4) The amounts reported in the “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash” column includes directors fees earned for 2022 that were deferred to 2023 at the director’s election.
(5) Payments made to subsidize taxes due on stock awards.
(6) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 6,250.
(7) Resigned from the Board in October 2023
(8) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 6,250.
(9) Joined the Board in October 2023
(10) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 6,250.
(11) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 5,513.
(12) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 6,250.
(13) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 5,512.
(14) The aggregate number of option awards held at December 31, 2023 was 6,250.
The above table includes options granted to certain directors on August 15, 2022 and September 15, 2022, which were conditioned on the approval by our stockholders of an increase in the authorized number of shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan, which approval was received in June 2023.
There were no options exercised by members of our Board during 2023.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth as of March 25, 2024, the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by (i) each person who is known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of our common stock; (ii) each director and director nominee; (iii) each of the named executive officers in the Summary Compensation Table; and (iv) all directors and executive officers as a group. As of March 25, 2024, we had 914,234 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Unless otherwise indicated, the stockholders listed in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares indicated. All share and per share data in this report gives retroactive effect to a 1-for-20 reverse stock split effected on January 9, 2024.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
Shares Beneficially
Owned(2)
Percent of Shares Beneficially Owned
Kate Beebe DeVarney, Ph.D.(3)
18,653
2.0 %
Avraham Ben-Tzvi(4)
9,563
1.0 %
Brynner Chiam
-
* %
Eric Greenberg(5)
9,563
1.0 %
David E. Lazar
5,000
* %
Matthew C. McMurdo(6)
9,563
1.0 %
David Natan(7)
9,563
1.0 %
Dato’ Seow Gim Shen(8)
150,087
16.4
%
Choong Choon Hau(9)
241,531
26.4 %
All executive officers and directors as a group (8) persons(10)
211,992
22.2
%
* Less than 1%.
(1) Unless otherwise indicated, the address of such individual is c/o Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 400 Oyster Point Boulevard, Suite 505, South San Francisco, California 94080.
(2) In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of a person, shares of our common stock subject to options held by that person that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 25, 2024 are deemed outstanding. Such shares, however, are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of each other person. Except as indicated in the footnotes to this table and pursuant to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock.
(3) Includes 15,332 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options.
(4) Includes 6,250 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options.
(5) Includes 6,250 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options.
(6) Includes 6,250 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options.
(7) Includes 6,250 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options.
(8) In September 2023, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with The Sire Group Ltd. (“Sire Group” or the “Investor”), pursuant to which we agreed to issue 950,000 shares of our Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Series AA Preferred Stock”) to Sire Group. Each share of Series AA Preferred Stock is convertible, at the holder’s option at any time, into shares of our common stock, subject to limitations that prevent the Investor from acquiring the lower of either (i) the maximum percentage of common stock permissible under the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market without first obtaining the approval of our stockholders or (ii) 19.99% of our outstanding common stock as of the date of such Securities Purchase Agreement. The amount in the table reflects the number of shares that the Investor may own at any one time following the conversion of the Series AA Preferred Stock, without first obtaining the approval of our stockholders. By virtue of his sole ownership of Sire Group, Dato’ Seow Gim Shen may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares.
(9) This information is based solely on a Schedule 13D filed by Choong Choon Hau on July 20, 2023. In addition, in August 2023, we issued a convertible promissory note to Mr. Hau. In March 2024, the principal balance and accrued interest of the convertible promissory note were converted into 54,132 shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $9.32 per share.
(10) Includes (i) 40,332 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and (ii) 182,755 shares issuable upon conversion of preferred stock held by our executive officers and directors listed above.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.
In July 2023, we received $250,000 in funding in exchange for the issuance of an unsecured promissory note for that principal amount to David E. Lazar, our Chief Executive Officer and prior chairman of our Board of Directors (the “Lazar Promissory Note”). Pursuant to the Lazar Promissory Note, the principal amount accrued interest at a rate of the Prime Rate + 2.00% per annum, and all principal and accrued interest were due and payable on the earlier of January 1, 2024 or such time as we receive debt or equity financing or proceeds in excess of $500,000 from the aforementioned transaction with Fedson. The loan was paid off in September 2023.
In August 2023, we received $500,000 in funding in exchange for the issuance of the “Hau Promissory Note. Pursuant to the Hau Promissory Note, the principal amount accrues interest at a rate of 10% per annum and is payable monthly. All principal and accrued interest was due and payable on January 8, 2024, unless extended as provided. All or part of the Hau Promissory Note can be converted into our common stock at a conversion price of $9.32 per share from time to time following the issuance date and ending on the maturity date. In March 2024, the Hau Promissory Note, along with accrued interest, was converted into 54,132 shares of our common stock.
In September 2023, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Sire Group, pursuant to which we agreed to issue 950,000 shares of our Series AA Preferred Stock to Sire Group at a price of $10.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $9.5 million. The purchase price consisted of (i) $5.0 million in cash at closing and (ii) $4.5 million in the form of a promissory note from Sire Group which was paid off in September 2023.
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we made payments related to legal fees of approximately $109,000 and $75,000, respectively, to a law firm operated by one of our Board members.
Independence of Directors
The following members of our Board meet the independence requirements and standards currently established by the Nasdaq: Brynner Chiam, Eric Greenberg, Matthew C. McMurdo, David Natan and Dato’ Seow Gim Shen.
Board Committees
Our Board has established the following three standing committees: audit committee; compensation committee; and nominating and governance committee, or governance committee.
The audit committee was formed in compliance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act and consists of Eric Greenberg, Matthew C. McMurdo, and David Natan (chair), each of whom meets the independence requirements and standards currently established by Nasdaq and the SEC. In addition, the Board has determined that Mr. Natan is an “audit committee financial expert” and “independent” as defined under the relevant rules of the SEC and Nasdaq. The audit committee assists the Board by overseeing the performance of the independent auditors and the quality and integrity of Titan’s internal accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices. The audit committee is responsible for retaining (subject to stockholder ratification) and, as necessary, terminating, the independent auditors, annually reviews the qualifications, performance and independence of the independent auditors and the audit plan, fees and audit results, and pre-approves audit and non-audit services to be performed by the auditors and related fees. The audit committee met four times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
The compensation committee makes recommendations to the Board concerning salaries and incentive compensation for our officers, including our Principal Executive Officer, and employees and administers our stock option plans. The compensation committee consists of Eric Greenberg, Matthew C. McMurdo (chair) and David Natan, each of whom meets the independence requirements and standards currently established by Nasdaq. The compensation committee met three times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
The purpose of the nominating and governance committee is to assist the Board in identifying qualified individuals to become Board members, in determining the composition of the Board and in monitoring the process to assess Board effectiveness. The nominating and governance committee first considers a candidate’s management experience and then considers issues of judgment, background, stature, conflicts of interest, integrity, ethics, and commitment to the goal of maximizing stockholder value when considering director candidates. The nominating and governance committee also focuses on issues of diversity, such as diversity of gender, race and national origin, education, professional experience, and differences in viewpoints and skills. The nominating and governance committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity; however, our Board and the nominating and governance committee believe that it is essential that the directors represent diverse viewpoints. In considering candidates for our Board, the nominating and governance committee considers the entirety of each candidate’s credentials in the context of these standards The nominating and governance committee consists of Avraham Ben-Tzvi (chair), Eric Greenberg, and Matthew C. McMurdo, each of whom meets the independence requirements and standards currently established by Nasdaq. The nominating and governance committee met two times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
The charters for the audit, compensation and nominating and governance committees, which have been adopted by our Board, contain detailed descriptions of the committees’ duties and responsibilities and are available in the “About Titan” section of our website at www.titanpharm.com.
Role of the Board in Risk Oversight
Our audit committee is primarily responsible for overseeing our risk management processes on behalf of the full Board. The audit committee receives reports from management at least quarterly regarding our assessment of risks. In addition, the audit committee reports regularly to the full Board, which also considers our risk profile. The audit committee and the full Board focus on the most significant risks we face and our general risk management strategies. While the Board oversees our risk management, our management team is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. Our Board expects management to consider risk and risk management in each business decision, to proactively develop and monitor risk management strategies and processes for day-to-day activities and to effectively implement risk management strategies adopted by the audit committee and the Board. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks we face and that our Board leadership structure, which also emphasizes the independence of the Board in its oversight of its business and affairs, supports this approach.
Board Meetings
Our business affairs are managed under the direction of our Board, which is currently comprised of seven (7) members. The primary responsibilities of the Board are to provide oversight, strategic guidance, counseling and direction to our management. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Board met 53 times and did not take action by written consent. With the exception of Mr. Shen, no director attended fewer than 75% of the meetings of the Board and Board committees of which the director was a member.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
Aggregate fees billed by WithumSmith+Brown (“Withum”) an independent registered public accounting firm, during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:
Audit Fees
$ 330,160
$ 301,079
Tax Fees
47,432
45,720
Total
$ 377,592
$ 346,799
Audit Fees - This category includes aggregate fees billed by our independent auditors for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and services that are normally provided by the auditor in connection with statutory and regulatory filings for those fiscal years, including consents and comfort letters.
Tax Fees - This category consists of professional services rendered for tax compliance and preparation of our corporate tax returns and other tax advice.
All Other Fees - During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, Withum did not incur any fees for other professional services.
The audit committee reviewed and approved all audit and non-audit services provided by Withum and concluded that these services were compatible with maintaining its independence. The audit committee approved the provision of all non-audit services by Withum.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
In accordance with the SEC’s auditor independence rules, the audit committee has established the following policies and procedures by which it approves in advance any audit or permissible non-audit services to be provided to us by our independent auditor.
Prior to the engagement of the independent auditors for any fiscal year’s audit, management submits to the audit committee for approval lists of recurring audits, audit-related, tax and other services expected to be provided by the independent auditors during that fiscal year. The audit committee adopts pre-approval schedules describing the recurring services that it has pre-approved, and is informed on a timely basis, and in any event by the next scheduled meeting, of any such services rendered by the independent auditor and the related fees.
The fees for any services listed in a pre-approval schedule are budgeted, and the audit committee requires the independent auditor and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically throughout the year. The audit committee will require additional pre-approval if circumstances arise where it becomes necessary to engage the independent auditor for additional services above the amount of fees originally pre-approved. Any audit or non-audit service not listed in a pre-approval schedule must be separately pre-approved by the audit committee on a case-by-case basis.
Every request to adopt or amend a pre-approval schedule or to provide services that are not listed in a pre-approval schedule must include a statement by the independent auditors as to whether, in their view, the request is consistent with the SEC’s rules on auditor independence.
The audit committee will not grant approval for:
● any services prohibited by applicable law or by any rule or regulation of the SEC or other regulatory body applicable to us;
● provision by the independent auditors to us of strategic consulting services of the type typically provided by management consulting firms; or
● the retention of the independent auditors in connection with a transaction initially recommended by the independent auditors, the tax treatment of which may not be clear under the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations and which it is reasonable to conclude will be subject to audit procedures during an audit of our financial statements.
In determining whether to grant pre-approval of any non-audit services in the “all other” category, the audit committee will consider all relevant facts and circumstances, including the following four basic guidelines:
● whether the service creates a mutual or conflicting interest between the auditor and us;
● whether the service places the auditor in the position of auditing his or her own work;
● whether the service results in the auditor acting as management or an employee of our company; and
● whether the service places the auditor in a position of being an advocate for our company.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statements Schedules.
(a) 1. Financial Statements
An index to Financial Statements appears on page.
2. Schedules
All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable, not required under the instructions or all the information required is set forth in the financial statements or notes thereto.