ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
Risks Related to our Business
We have a history of losses and may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability.
We may incur operating losses in the foreseeable future. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized overall revenue of approximately $49.7 million and $40.6 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had net losses of approximately $19.4 million and $5.9 million, respectively. Our ability to achieve profitability depends on our ability to have successful operations and generate and sustain sales, while maintaining reasonable expense levels.
We derive a significant portion of our sales from prescription drug sales reimbursed by pharmacy benefit management companies.
We derive a significant portion of our sales from prescription drug sales reimbursed through prescription drug plans administered by PBM companies. PBM companies typically administer multiple prescription drug plans that expire at various times and provide for varying reimbursement rates. There can be no assurance that we will continue to participate in any PBM network at any future time. If our participation in the prescription drug programs administered by one or more of the large PBM companies is restricted or terminated, we expect that our sales would be adversely affected, at least in the short-term. The Company or the PBM may terminate the network participation agreement at any time by way of advance notice to the other party. If we are unable to replace any such lost sales, either through an increase in other sales or through a resumption of participation in those plans, our operating results may be materially adversely affected. When we exit a pharmacy provider network and later resume network participation, there can be no assurance that we will achieve any level of business on any pace, or that all clients of the PBM sponsor of the network will choose to include us again in their pharmacy network initially or at all. In addition, in such circumstances we may incur increased marketing and other costs about initiatives to regain former patients and attract new patients covered by in-network plans.
Litigation and other legal proceedings may adversely affect our business.
From time-to-time we may become involved in legal proceedings relating to product liability claims, employee claims, tort or contract claims, federal regulatory investigations, securities class action and other legal proceedings or investigations, which could have an adverse impact on our reputation, business and financial condition and divert the attention of our management from the operation of our business. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and can result in excessive or unanticipated verdicts and/or injunctive relief that affect how we operate our business. We could incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages or for agreements to change the way we operate our business, or both. There may be an increase in the scope of these matters or there may be additional lawsuits, , proceedings or in the future, which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. publicity about regulatory or legal action us could our reputation and brand image, our customers’ confidence and reduce long-term demand for our services, even if the regulatory or legal action is or not material to our operations.
Events outside of our control, including relating to public health crises, supply-chain disruptions, geopolitical conflicts, including acts of war, and inflation, could negatively affect our Company and our results of operations and financial condition.
Periods of market volatility have occurred and could continue to occur in response to pandemics or other events outside of our control. These types of events may adversely affect operating results for us. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to, and for an unknown period of time, will continue to lead to disruptions in local, regional, national and global markets and economies affected thereby, including the United States. With respect to U.S. and global credit markets and the economy in general, this outbreak has resulted in, and until fully resolved is likely to continue to result in, the following (among other things): (i) restrictions on travel and the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities and factories, resulting in significant disruption to the business of many companies, including supply chains and demand, as well as layoffs of employees; (ii) increased draws by borrowers on lines of credit; (iii) increased requests by borrowers for amendments or waivers of their credit agreements to avoid default, increased defaults by borrowers and/or increased in obtaining refinancing; (iv) in credit markets, including in pricing and spreads; and (v) evolving proposals and actions by state and federal governments to address the being experienced by markets, businesses and the economy in general, which may not address the being facing such persons. While many countries, including the United States, have relaxed or eliminated the early public health restrictions adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak of new, of COVID-19 may result in a resurgence in the number of reported cases and hospitalizations. Such increases in cases could lead to the reintroduction of restrictions and business in certain states, counties and cities in the United States and globally.
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As the future impact of COVID-19 and its variants is difficult to predict, the extent to which they could negatively affect our operating results, or the duration of any potential business or supply-chain disruption, is uncertain. Any potential impact to our results of operations will depend to a large extent on future developments and new information that could emerge and the actions taken by authorities and other entities to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its variants or treat its impact, all of which are beyond our control. These potential impacts, while uncertain, could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
Disruptions to our supply chain have and could continue to impact our supply chain for products we sell, particularly as a result of mandatory shutdowns in locations where our products are manufactured or held for distribution. We could also see significant disruptions of the operations of our logistics, service providers, delays in shipments and negative impacts to pricing of certain of our products.
Efforts to reduce reimbursement levels and alter health care financing practices could adversely affect our businesses.
The continued efforts of health maintenance organizations, managed care organizations, other companies, government entities, and other third-party payors to reduce prescription drug costs and pharmacy reimbursement rates may impact our profitability. Increased utilization of generic pharmaceuticals, which normally yield a higher gross profit rate than equivalent brand-named drugs, has resulted in a decrease in reimbursement payments to retail and mail order pharmacies for generic drugs through the imposition by third-party payors of generic effective rates that have caused a reduction in the generic profit rate. We expect pricing pressures from third-party payors to continue given the high and increasing costs of specialty drugs. As a result of this industry-wide pressure, we also may see profit margins on our contracts continue to compress, which may adversely affect our profitability.
PBM fees, including Direct and Indirect Remuneration (“DIR”) fees, transaction charges and network access fees, applied significant downward pressure on our profitability. DIR fees are often calculated and charged several months after adjudication of a claim, which adversely impacts our profitability. These fees lack transparency and are extremely difficult to predict and accrue. DIR fees are sometimes retroactively “clawed back” by the PBMs with little or no warning at the end of a quarter, which has a significant downward effect on our gross margins.
Retroactive contractual adjustments may be imposed on the pharmacies through execution of new contracts between pharmacy services administration organizations and PBMs with retroactive effectiveness. These contractual adjustments typically impose new lowered effective rate calculations on previously dispensed medications resulting in a PBM overpayment, which is later recouped with or without notice to the pharmacy. DIR fees and other PBM fees are generally not disclosed at adjudication and may change throughout the year. These adjustments and the resultant fees may not be predictable or avoidable and can adversely affect our revenues, cash flow, and profitability.
In addition, during the past several years, the U.S. health care industry has been subject to an increase in governmental regulation at both the federal and state levels. Efforts to control health care costs, including prescription drug costs, are underway at the federal and state government levels. Changing political, economic, and regulatory influences may affect health care financing and reimbursement practices. If the current health care financing and reimbursement system changes significantly, our business, financial position and results of operations could be materially adversely affected .
Quality measurement networks have a significant impact on our revenues. Quality measurement networks can be, but are not always, tied to DIR fees collected by PBMs. These networks designate specific metrics through which pharmacy performance is assessed. These metrics are disclosed along with benchmark guidance for quality or superior performance, which can lead to a return of the DIR fees by the PBMs in the form of performance bonuses. Failure to meet quality measures can result in loss of DIR fees collected and loss of PBM relationship. There is no guarantee that we will be successful in meeting quality review standards. Quality measurement networks are increasingly rigorous and can be based on comparative success against other pharmacies in the network. If other pharmacies out-perform our pharmacy or if we fail to meet quality metrics, our profitability can be adversely affected.
A slowdown in the frequency and rate of the introduction of new prescription drugs as well as generic alternatives to brand name prescription products could adversely affect our business, financial position, and results of operations .
The profitability of retail pharmacy businesses is dependent upon the utilization of prescription drug products. Generally, our pharmacies receive greater profit from generic drugs. Utilization trends are affected by the introduction of new and successful prescription pharmaceuticals as well as lower priced generic alternatives to existing brand name products. Accordingly, a slowdown in the introduction of new and successful prescription pharmaceuticals and/or generic alternatives could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.
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Unexpected safety or efficacy concerns may arise from pharmaceutical products.
Unexpected safety or efficacy concerns can arise with respect to pharmaceutical drugs dispensed at our pharmacies, whether or not scientifically justified, leading to product recalls, withdrawals or declining sales. If we fail to or do not promptly withdraw pharmaceutical drugs upon a recall by a drug manufacturer, our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted by reversals of pharmacy billings that will result in loss of revenue.
Prescription volumes may decline, and our net revenues and ability to generate earnings may be negatively impacted, if products are withdrawn from the market or if increased safety risk profiles of specific drugs result in utilization decreases.
We dispense significant volumes of drugs from our pharmacies. These volumes are the basis for our net revenues. When increased safety risk profiles of specific drugs or classes of drugs result in utilization decreases, physicians may cease writing or reduce the numbers of prescriptions written for these drugs. Additionally, negative press regarding drugs with higher safety risk profiles may result in reduced consumer demand for such drugs. On occasion, products are withdrawn by their manufacturers. In cases where there are no acceptable prescription drug equivalents or alternatives for these prescription drugs, our volumes, net revenues, profitability, and cash flows may decline.
Certain risks are inherent in providing pharmacy services; our insurance may not be adequate to cover any claims against us.
Pharmacies are exposed to risks inherent in the packaging and distribution of pharmaceutical products, such as with respect to improper filling of prescriptions, labeling of prescriptions, adequacy of warnings, unintentional distribution of counterfeit drugs and expiration of drugs. In addition, federal and state laws that require our pharmacists to offer counseling, without additional charge, to their customers about medication, dosage, delivery systems, common side effects and other information the pharmacists deem significant can impact our business. Our pharmacists may also have a duty to warn customers regarding any potential negative effects of a prescription drug if the warning could reduce or eliminate these effects. Although we maintain professional liability and errors and omissions liability insurance, from time to time, claims result in the payment of significant amounts, some portions of which are not funded by insurance.
We cannot assure you that the coverage limits under our insurance programs will be adequate to protect us against future claims, or that we will be able to maintain this insurance on acceptable terms in the future. Our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows may be adversely affected if in the future our insurance coverage proves to be inadequate or unavailable or there is an increase in liability for which we self-insure or we suffer reputational harm as a result of an error or omission.
Changes in industry pricing benchmarks could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.
Contracts in the prescription drug industry generally use certain published benchmarks to establish pricing for prescription drugs. These benchmarks include average wholesale price (“AWP”), average sales price and wholesale acquisition cost.
Recent events have raised uncertainties as to whether payors, pharmacy providers, PBMs and others in the prescription drug industry will continue to utilize AWP as it has previously been calculated or whether other pricing benchmarks will be adopted for establishing prices within the industry. In some circumstances, such changes could also impact the reimbursement that we receive from Medicare or Medicaid programs for drugs covered by such programs and from MCOs that contract with government health programs to provide prescription drug benefits .
The industries in which we operate are extremely competitive and competition could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.
We operate in a highly competitive environment. As a pharmacy retailer, we compete with other drugstore chains, supermarkets, discount retailers, membership clubs, Internet companies and retail health clinics, as well as other mail order pharmacies. In that regard, many pharmacy benefits plans have implemented plan designs that mandate or provide incentives to fill maintenance medications through mail order pharmacies. To the extent this trend continues, our retail pharmacy business could be adversely affected. In addition, some of these competitors may offer services and pricing terms that we may not be willing or able to offer. Competition may also come from other sources in the future. Thus, competition could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
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Existing and new government legislative and regulatory action could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.
The retail drugstore business is subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations. Changes in these regulations may require extensive system and operating changes that may be difficult to implement. Untimely compliance or noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations could adversely affect the continued operation of our business, including, but not limited to: imposition of civil or criminal penalties; suspension of payments from government programs; loss of required government certifications or approvals; loss of authorizations to participate in or exclusion from government reimbursement programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs; or loss of licensure. The regulations to which we are subject include, but are not limited to: the laws and regulations; accounting standards; tax laws and regulations; laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and health and safety matters, including those governing exposure to, and the management and disposal of, hazardous substances; and regulations of the FDA, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as state regulatory authorities, governing the sale, advertisement and promotion of products that we sell. In that regard, our business, financial position and results of operations could be affected by one or more of the following:
federal and state laws and regulations governing the purchase, distribution, management, dispensing and reimbursement of prescription drugs and related services, whether at retail or mail, and applicable licensing requirements;
the effect of the expiration of patents covering brand name drugs and the introduction of generic products;
the frequency and rate of approvals by the FDA of new brand named and generic drugs, or of over-the-counter status for brand name drugs;
FDA regulation affecting the retail pharmacy industry;
rules and regulations issued pursuant to the HIPAA; and other federal and state laws affecting the use, disclosure and transmission of health information, such as state security breach laws and state laws limiting the use and disclosure of prescriber information;
administration of the Medicare drug benefit, including legislative changes and/or CMS rulemaking and interpretation;
government regulation of the development, administration, review and updating of formularies and drug lists;
state laws and regulations establishing or changing prompt payment requirements for payments to retail pharmacies;
impact of network access (any willing provider) legislation on ability to manage pharmacy networks;
managed care reform and plan design legislation;
insurance licensing and other insurance regulatory requirements applicable to offering prescription drug providers (“PDP”) about the Medicare drug benefit;
direct regulation of pharmacies by regulatory and quasi-regulatory bodies; and
Federal government sequestration affecting Medicare Part B reimbursements.
Changes in the health care regulatory environment may adversely affect our business.
Future rulemaking could increase regulation of pharmacy services, result in changes to pharmacy reimbursement rates, and otherwise change the way we do business. We cannot predict the timing or impact of any future rulemaking, but any such rulemaking could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
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The sustainability of our current business model is also dependent on the availability, pricing and rules and regulations relating to the dispensing of controlled medications. Changes that affect any of these variables could greatly impact our current revenue streams as well as alter our business structure and future plans for growth and development.
Efforts to reform the U.S. health care system may adversely affect our financial performance.
Congress periodically considers proposals to reform the U.S. health care system. These proposals may increase government involvement in health care and regulation of pharmacy services, or otherwise change the way we or our clients do business. Health plan sponsors may react to these proposals and the uncertainty surrounding them by reducing or delaying purchases of cost control mechanisms and related services that the combined company would provide. We cannot predict what effect, if any, these proposals may have on its retail and pharmacy services businesses. Other legislative or market-driven changes in the health care system that we cannot anticipate could also materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and/or cash flow from operations.
If we are found to be in violation of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement regulations, we could become subject to retroactive adjustments and recoupment, or exclusion from the Medicaid, Medicare programs, and PBM networks.
As a Medicaid and Medicare provider, we are subject to retroactive adjustments due to prior-year audits, reviews and investigations, government fraud and abuse initiatives, and other similar actions. Federal regulations provide for withholding payments to recoup amounts payable under the programs and, in certain circumstances, allow for exclusion from Medicaid and Medicare. We cannot offer any assurance that, pursuant to such audits, reviews, investigations, or other proceedings, we will be found to be complying in all respects with such reimbursement regulations. A determination that we are in violation of any such reimbursement regulation could result in retroactive adjustments and recoupment of payments and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. As a Medicaid and Medicare provider, we are also subject to routine, unscheduled audits, and if any such audit results in a negative finding, finding, we may be subject to exclusions from Medicaid, Medicare, and other PBM networks, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our industry is subject to extensive government regulation, and noncompliance by us or our suppliers could harm our business.
The repackaging, marketing, sale, and purchase of medications are extensively regulated by federal and state governments. In addition, many of the brand name and controlled medications that we sell receive greater attention from law enforcement officials than medications that are most often dispensed by traditional pharmacies due to the high cost of these medications and the potential for diversion and fraud, waste, and abuse. We sell common blood pressure, statin and other common drugs, and dispense either brand name or generic drugs according to the doctor’s prescription. If we fail to, or are accused of failing to, comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties that may include exclusion from the Medicare or Medicaid programs, fines, requirements to change our practices, and civil or criminal penalties, which could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any from participating in Medicare or the state Medicaid programs would significantly reduce our net sales and our ability to maintain . Our business could also be if the entities with which we contract or have business relationships, such as pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, physicians, clinics, or home health agencies are of laws or regulations.
While we believe that we are operating our business in substantial compliance with existing legal requirements material to the operation of our business, there are significant uncertainties involving the application of many of these legal requirements to our business. Changes in interpretation or enforcement policies could subject our current practices to allegations of impropriety or illegality. The applicable regulatory framework is complex and evolving, and the laws are very broad in scope. Many of the laws remain open to interpretation and have not been addressed by substantive court decisions to clarify their meaning. We are also unable to predict what additional federal or state legislation or regulatory initiatives may be enacted in the future relating to our business or the healthcare industry in general, or what effect any such legislation or regulation might have on us. Further, we cannot provide any assurance that federal or state governments will not impose additional restrictions or adopt interpretations of existing laws that could increase our cost of compliance with such laws or reduce our ability to remain profitable.
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Federal and state investigations and enforcement actions continue to focus on the healthcare industry, scrutinizing a wide range of items such as referral and billing practices, product discount arrangements, dissemination of confidential patient information, clinical drug research trials, pharmaceutical marketing programs, and gifts for patients. It is difficult to predict how any of the laws implicated in these investigations and enforcement actions may be interpreted to apply to our business. Any future investigation may cause publicity, regardless of the eventual result of the investigation, or its underlying merits, that would cause potential patients to avoid us, reducing our net sales and profits and causing our stock price to decline.
Our operating results are affected by the health of the economy in general and the markets we serve.
The U.S. capital markets are currently experiencing extreme volatility and disruption following the global outbreak of COVID-19 and other global events. Disruptions in the capital markets in the past have resulted in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets we serve. Our business is affected by the economy in general, including changes in consumer purchasing power, preferences and/or spending patterns. These changes could affect drug utilization trends as well as the financial health and number of covered lives of our clients, resulting in an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Unfavorable economic conditions may cause a decline in drug utilization and dampen demand for pharmaceutical drugs and durable medical equipment as well as consumer demand for sundry products sold in our retail store and our business and financial results could be adversely affected. Further, interest rate fluctuations and changes in capital market conditions may affect our ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms, our ability to secure suitable store locations under acceptable terms and our ability to execute sale or lease transactions under acceptable terms.
If the products and services that we offer fail to meet customer needs, our sales may be affected.
Our products and services must satisfy the needs and desires of our customers, whose preferences may change in the future. If we misjudge either the demand for products and services we provide or our customers’ purchasing habits and tastes, we may be faced with excess inventories of some products and missed opportunities for products and services we chose not to offer. In addition, our sales may decline, or we may be required to dispose of the inventory we have obtained at lower prices. This would have a negative effect on our business and results of operations.
We are highly dependent on one supplier for our products, and a loss of that supplier may adversely impact our ability to sell products to our customers.
We obtain pharmaceutical and other products from wholesale distributors. We maintained a relationship with a primary supplier, McKesson, that accounted for 98% and 95% of pharmaceutical purchases for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and several supplementary suppliers. If that supplier was to cease supplying us with products for any reason, we would be forced to find alternative sources for our products. Despite this, we believe we would be able to readily find multiple alternative sources for our products. We may not be able to quickly or effectively replace that supplier, which may lead to delays in product availability and losses of sales, which would have a negative effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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We derive a significant portion of our revenues from a small number of customers and a loss of one or both of those customers would have a material adverse impact on our business.
We sell to numerous customers including various managed care organizations within both the private and public sectors. Certain healthcare payors, including Medicare Part D and the State of Florida, account for more than ten percent or more of our consolidated net revenue in fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022. Medicare Part D and the State of Florida Medicaid public assistance program are major customers of ours. However, both government programs function under several different healthcare payors, the concentration of which varies throughout the course of the year. To the extent we lost the business of one or more of these healthcare payors, our revenues would significantly decrease, having a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to grow our business may be constrained by our inability to find suitable new pharmacy locations at acceptable prices.
Our ability to grow our business may be constrained if suitable new pharmacy locations cannot be identified with lease terms or purchase prices that are acceptable to us. We compete with other retailers and businesses for suitable pharmacy locations. Local land use and other regulations may impact our ability to find suitable locations and influence the cost of construction. The expiration of leases at existing locations may adversely affect us if the renewal terms of those leases are unacceptable to us and we are forced to close or relocate. Furthermore, changing local demographics at existing locations may adversely affect revenue and profitability levels at those locations.
Our ability to grow our business may be constrained by our inability to obtain adequate permits and licensing for new locations, business lines, and market territories.
Our ability to grow our business may be constrained if new locations, business lines, and market territories are not permitted and licensed to conduct ordinary operations. Expansion initiatives can be delayed or even canceled due to a failure to acquire certain government agency approvals. Such delay or cancellation will have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
Product liability, product recall or personal injury issues could damage our reputation and have a significant adverse effect on our businesses, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition.
Should a product liability issue, recall or personal injury issue arise, inadequate product or other liability insurance coverage or our inability to maintain such insurance may result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Products that we sell could become subject to contamination, product tampering, mislabeling, recall or other damage. In addition, errors in the dispensing and packaging of pharmaceuticals could lead to serious injury. Product liability or personal injury claims may be asserted against us with respect to any of the products or pharmaceuticals we sell or services we provide.
If we are not able to market our services effectively to clinics, their affiliated healthcare providers and prescription drug providers, we may not be able to grow our patient base as rapidly as we have anticipated.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and maintain relationships with clinics and their affiliated healthcare providers because each is an important patient referral source for our business. In addition, we also must maintain and continue to establish relationships with prescription drug providers so we can continue to fill prescriptions for our dual eligible customers who receive prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D. If we are unable to market our services effectively to these clinics, healthcare providers and prescription drug providers, or if our existing relationships with clinics and providers are terminated, our ability to grow our patient base will be harmed, which could significantly reduce our net sales and our ability to maintain profitability. Additionally, Medicare Part D regulations that strictly limit our ability to market to our current and new patients may limit our ability to maintain and grow our current patient base.
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We may fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and effective disclosure controls and procedures, and as a result, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner or prevent fraud, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company.
As an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an emerging growth company or a smaller reporting company. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event material weaknesses have been identified in our internal control over financial reporting.
To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we have undertaken and will need to undertake additional actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Testing and maintaining internal control can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. In addition, when evaluating our internal control over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadlines imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. If we identify any material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting once we are no longer an emerging growth company, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports. As a result, the market price of our common stock could be materially affected.
Failure to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and remediate the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting could affect our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations.
As a public company, we are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company is an emerging growth company and may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies. As an emerging growth company, the Company is not subject to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which would require that our independent registered public accounting firm review and attest as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Management is required to make an annual assessment of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(a), including the disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by management in internal control over financial reporting.
As described in Part II, Item 9A — “Controls and Procedures”, Management has identified a material weakness in the Company's internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company's annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The Company has developed a remediation plan to address the identified material weakness. If the Company’s remediation efforts are insufficient or if additional material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting are discovered or occur in the future, the Company's consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements and it could be required to revise or restate its financial results, which could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition, restrict its ability to meet SEC reporting requirements, to access the capital markets, require it to expend significant resources to correct the material weaknesses, subject it to fines, penalties, or judgments, harm its reputation, or otherwise cause a decline in investor confidence.
If we fail to manage our growth or implement changes to our reporting systems effectively, our business could be harmed.
If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, we could incur losses. How we manage our growth will depend, among other things, on our ability to adapt our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures to the demands of a larger business, including the demands of integrating our acquisitions. To manage the growth and increasing complexity of our business, we may make modifications to or replace computer and other reporting systems, including those that report on our financial results and on which we are substantially dependent. We may incur significant financial and resource costs because of any such modifications or replacements, and our business may be subject to transitional difficulties. The difficulties associated with any such implementation, and any failure or delay in the system implementation, could negatively affect our internal control over financial reporting and harm our business and results of operations. In addition, we may not be able to successfully hire, train and manage additional sales, marketing, customer support and pharmacists quickly enough to support our growth. To provide this support, we may need to open additional offices, which will result in additional on our systems and resources and require additional capital expenditures.
We may acquire other companies or technologies, which could divert our management ’ s attention, result in additional dilution to our shareholders and otherwise disrupt our operations and harm our operating results.
Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to grow our business in response to the demands of the patients and physicians we serve within the health services industry as well as competitive pressures. In some circumstances, we may determine to do so through the acquisition of complementary businesses and technologies rather than through internal development. The identification of suitable acquisition candidates can be difficult, time-consuming and costly, and we may not be able to successfully complete identified acquisitions. The risks we face in connection with acquisitions include:
diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to addressing acquisition integration challenges;
coordination of technology, research and development and sales and marketing functions;
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retention of employees from the acquired company;
cultural challenges associated with integrating employees from the acquired company into our organization;
integration of the acquired company’s accounting, management information, human resources and other administrative systems;
the need to implement or improve controls, procedures and policies at a business that prior to the acquisition may have lacked effective controls, procedures and policies;
potential write-offs of intangibles or other assets acquired in such transactions that may have an adverse effect our operating results in a given period;
liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, including patent and trademark infringement claims, violations of laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities; and
litigation or other claims in connection with the acquired company, including claims from terminated employees, consumers, former shareholders or other third-parties.
Our failure to address these risks or other problems encountered in connection with our future acquisitions and investments could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions or investments, cause us to incur unanticipated liabilities, and harm our business generally. Future acquisitions could also result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses, or the impairment of goodwill, any of which could harm our financial condition. Also, the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions may not materialize to the extent we anticipate or at all.
Conflicts of interest may arise between us and our directors and officers as a result of other business activities undertaken by such individuals.
We may be subject to various potential conflicts of interest because some of our directors and executive officers may be engaged in a range of business activities. In addition, our executive officers and directors may devote time to their outside business interests, so long as such activities do not materially or adversely interfere with their duties to us. In some cases, our executive officers and directors may have fiduciary obligations associated with these business interests that interfere with their ability to devote time to our business and affairs and that could adversely affect our operations. These business interests could require significant time and attention of our executive officers and directors.
In addition, we may also become involved in other transactions which conflict with the interests of our directors and the officers who may from time-to-time deal with persons, firms or institutions with which we may be dealing, or which may be seeking investments similar to those we desire. The interests of these persons could conflict with our interests. In addition, from time to time, these persons may be competing with us for available investment opportunities. Conflicts of interest, if any, will be subject to the procedures and remedies provided under applicable laws, regulations and stock market rules. In particular, in the event that such a conflict of interest arises at a meeting of our board of directors, a director who has such a conflict will abstain from voting for or against the approval of such transaction. In accordance with applicable laws, our directors are required to act honestly, in good faith and in our best interests.
A disruption in our telephone system or our computer system could harm our business.
We receive and take most prescription orders electronically, over the telephone and by facsimile. We also rely extensively upon our computer system to confirm payor information, patient eligibility and authorizations; to check on medication interactions and patient medication history; to facilitate filling and labeling prescriptions for delivery and billing; and to help with the collection of payments. Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to promptly fill and deliver complex prescription orders as well as on our ability to provide reimbursement management services for our patients and their healthcare providers. Any continuing disruption in our telephone, facsimile or computer systems could adversely affect our ability to receive and process prescription orders, make deliveries on a timely basis and receive reimbursement from our payors. This could adversely affect our relations with the patients and healthcare providers we serve and potentially result in a partial reduction in orders from, or a complete loss of, these patients.
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We incur increased costs as a result of being a reporting company, and given our limited capital resources, such additional costs may have an adverse impact on our profitability.
We are an SEC reporting company. The rules and regulations under the Exchange Act require a public company to provide periodic reports with interactive data files which will cause the Company to incur legal, accounting and auditing services, and XBRL and EDGAR service providers. The engagement of such services can be costly. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as a variety of related rules implemented by the SEC, have required changes in corporate governance practices and generally increased the disclosure requirements of public companies. For example, as a result of being a reporting company, we are required to file periodic and current reports and other information with the SEC and we must adopt policies regarding disclosure controls and procedures and regularly evaluate those controls and process. The expenses incurred for filing periodic reports and implementing disclosure controls and procedures may be as high as $100,000 annually. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that we will have sufficient resources to meet our reporting and filing obligations with the SEC as they come due.
We may fail to retain or recruit necessary personnel, and, even if we are successful, we may be unable to successfully integrate new personnel into our operations.
Our success is highly dependent on the performance of our management team and certain employees, and our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees and consultants.
We have also engaged consultants to advise us on various aspects of our business. Qualified individuals are in high demand, and we may incur significant costs to attract and retain them. While employment agreements and incentive agreements are customarily used as a primary method of retaining the services of key employees, these agreements and arrangements cannot assure the continued services of such employees. The loss of the services of any key personnel or an inability to attract other suitably qualified persons when needed, could prevent us from executing on our business plan and strategy, and we may be unable to find adequate replacements on a timely basis, or at all.
Moreover, to execute our growth plans, we expect to hire additional executive officers and key employees. Our future performance will depend in part on our ability to successfully integrate those newly hired executive officers into our management team and our ability to develop an effective working relationship among senior management.
Our Chief Financial Officer has additional business activities which may result in periodic interruptions, or business failure.
Our Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), Cecile Munnik, pursuant to an amendment to the Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between the Company and Cecile Munnik, may provide up to approximately 30% of her time on a weekly basis to provide services to NextPlat and receive compensation from NextPlat. While Ms. Munnik will continue to serve the Company faithfully and to the best of her ability and shall devote her full time, attention, and energies to the business of the Company during customary business hours, Ms. Munnik must balance her time between both NextPlat and our Company. In the event Ms. Munnik is unavailable during times where she was previously available, it may lead to the periodic interruption in our business and could have a significant negative effect on the success of the business.
Our Chief Executive Officer has additional business activities which may result in periodic interruption, business failure or have a negative impact on our ability to generate revenue.
On November 11, 2022, Alan Jay Weisberg, former Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), tendered his resignation which the Board approved. On the same date, the Board appointed Charles M. Fernandez as our new CEO. Mr. Fernandez is also the CEO of Nexplat. Mr. Fernandez does not have to commit his full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating his time between managing the Company and NextPlat. Mr. Fernandez does not have to contribute any specific number of hours to our affairs. While Mr. Fernandez intends to serve the Company faithfully and to the best of his ability, he shall devote his full time, attention, and energies to the business of NextPlat, Mr. Fernandez must balance his time between both NextPlat and our Company. Moreover, because we did not enter into any new compensatory arrangements, nor did we make any additional grants or awards to Mr. Fernandez, it is not clear how Mr. Fernandez will prioritize our business affairs. For example, NextPlat beneficially owns 60.9% of our Company. Mr. Fernandez is the sole member and managing partner of eApeiron Partners, LLC. If any of his other business affairs, primarily as CEO of NextPlat, require him to devote substantial amounts of time to such matters, it could materially limit his ability to devote his time and attention to our business which may lead to the periodic in our business, could have a significant effect on the of the business and our ability to generate revenue.
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Risks Related to the Pharmacy Industry
There is substantial competition in our industry, and we may not be able to compete successfully.
The pharmacy industry is highly competitive and is continuing to become more competitive. All medications, supplies and services that we provide are also available from our competitors. Our current and potential competitors may include:
Other pharmacy distributors;
Specialty pharmacy divisions of wholesale drug distributors;
Not for profit organizations with pharmacies;
Hospital-based pharmacies;
Local infusion providers;
Sterile and non-sterile compounding pharmacies;
Other retail pharmacies;
Provider dispensaries;
Manufacturers that sell their products both to distributors and directly to clinics and physicians’ offices;
Hospital-based care centers and other alternate-site healthcare providers;
Insurance companies with proprietary pharmacy services;
Customers and MSO’s of ours who decide to open their own pharmacies;
Chain pharmacies; and
Mail-order pharmacies.
Many specialty patients are currently receiving prescription benefits from federally funded programs such as the Ryan White CARE Act. These payors only use non-profit providers to dispense medications to their enrollees.
Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources and marketing staffs and more established operations and infrastructure than we have. A significant factor in effective competition will be our ability to maintain and expand our relationships with patients, healthcare providers and government and private payors.
If demand for our products and services is reduced, our business and ability to grow would be harmed.
A reduction in demand for specialty medications would significantly harm our business, as we would not be able to quickly shift our business to provide medications for other diseases or disorders. Reduced demand for our products and services could be caused by several circumstances, such as:
A cure or vaccine for chronic care conditions;
The emergence of new diseases resistant to available medications;
Shifts to treatment regimens other than those we offer;
New methods of delivery of existing medications or of injectable or infusible medications that do not require our specialty pharmacy and disease management services;
Recalls of the medications we sell;
Adverse reactions caused by the medications we sell; and
The expiration of or challenge to the drug patents on the medications we sell.
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Our revenues could be adversely affected if new drugs or combination therapies are developed and prescribed to our patients that have a reimbursement rate less than that of the current drug therapies our patients receive.
If our patients switch medications to those with lower reimbursement rates or to combination therapies, which combine multiple drugs into a single medication, our net sales could decline. Combination therapies reduce the number of total prescriptions received by our patients, resulting in reduced average revenues and a decrease in dispensing fees per patient.
If our credit terms with vendors become unfavorable or our relationship with them is terminated, our business could be adversely affected.
We depend on existing credit terms from vendors to meet our working capital needs between the times we purchased medications from vendors and when we received reimbursement or payment from third-party payors. Our ability to grow has been limited in part by our inability to negotiate favorable credit terms from our suppliers. If our position changes and we are unable to maintain adequate credit terms or sufficient financing from third-party lenders, we may become limited in our ability to continue to increase the volume of medications we need to fill prescriptions.
There are only a few wholesale distributors from which we can purchase the high cost medications we offer. If any of our vendor agreements terminate or are not renewed, we might not be able to enter into a new agreement with another wholesale distributor on a timely basis or on terms favorable to us. Our inability to enter into a new supply agreement may cause a shortage of the supply of medications we keep in stock, or we may be required to accept pricing and credit terms from a vendor that are less favorable to us than those we currently have.
Risks Relating to Our Data Management Services
Competition with some customers, or decisions by customers to perform internally some of the same solutions or services that we offer, could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Some of our existing customers compete with us, or may do so in the future, and some customers belong to alliances that compete with us, or may do so in the future, either with respect to the solutions or services we provide to them now, or with respect to other lines of business. To the extent that customers elect to perform internally any of the business processes our solutions address, either because they believe they can provide such processes more efficiently internally or otherwise, we may lose such customers, or the volume of our business with such customers may be reduced, which could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition.
If our solutions do not interoperate with our customers ’ or their vendors ’ networks and infrastructures, or if customers or their vendors implement new system updates that are incompatible with our solutions, sales of those solutions could be adversely affected.
Our solutions must interoperate with our customers’ and their vendors’ existing infrastructures, which often have different specifications, rapidly evolve, utilize multiple protocol standards, and applications from multiple vendors, and contain multiple generations of products that have been added to that infrastructure over time. Some of the technologies supporting our customers and their vendors are changing rapidly and we must continue to adapt to these changes in a timely and effective manner at an acceptable cost. In addition, our customers and their vendors may implement new technologies into their existing networks and systems infrastructures that may not immediately interoperate with our solutions.
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Our continued success will depend on our ability to adapt to changing technologies, manage and process ever-increasing amounts of data and information and improve the performance, features and reliability of our services in response to changing customer and industry demands. If we encounter complications related to network configurations or settings, we may have to modify our solutions to enable them to interoperate with customers’ and their vendors’ networks and manage customers’ transactions in the manner intended.
Our ability to generate revenue could suffer if we do not continue to update and improve existing solutions and develop new ones.
We must continually improve the functionality of our existing solutions in a timely manner and introduce new and valuable healthcare IT and service solutions in order to respond to technological and regulatory developments and customer demands and, thereby, retain existing customers and attract new ones. For example, from time to time, government agencies may alter format and data code requirements applicable to electronic transactions. In addition, customers may request that solutions be customized to satisfy particular security protocols, modifications, and other contractual terms in excess of industry norms and standard configurations. We may not be successful in responding to technological and regulatory developments or changing customer needs. In addition, these regulatory or customer-imposed requirements may impact the profitability of particular solutions and customer engagements. The pace of change in the markets served by us is rapid, and there are frequent new product and service introductions by competitors in their offerings. If we do not respond successfully to technological and regulatory changes, as well as evolving industry standards and customer demands, our solutions may become obsolete. Technological changes also may result in the offering of competitive solutions at lower prices than we are charging for our solutions, which could result in us sales unless we lower the prices we charge or provide additional or capabilities to the customer. If we lower our prices on some of our solutions, we will need to increase margins on other solutions in order to maintain overall .
There are increased risks of performance problems and breaches during times when we are making significant changes to our solutions or systems we use to provide our solutions. In addition, changes to our solutions or systems, including cost savings initiatives, may cost more than anticipated, may not provide the benefits expected, may take longer than anticipated to develop and implement or may increase the risk of performance problems.
In order to respond to technological changes, such as continuing development in the areas of data analytics as well as regulatory changes and evolving security risks and industry standards, our solutions and the software and systems we use to provide our solutions must be continually updated and enhanced. We cannot be certain that errors will not arise in connection with any such changes, updates, enhancements or new versions, especially when first introduced. Even if our new, updated or enhanced solutions do not have performance problems, technical and customer service personnel may have difficulties installing them or providing any necessary training and support to customers, and customers may not follow our guidance on appropriate training, support and implementation for such new, updated or enhanced solutions. In addition, changes in technology and systems may not provide the additional functionality or other benefits that were expected.
Implementation of changes in our technology and systems may cost more or take longer than originally expected and may require more testing than initially anticipated. While new, updated or enhanced solutions will be tested before they are used in production, we cannot be sure that the testing will uncover all problems that may occur in actual use.
If significant problems occur as a result of these changes, we may fail to meet our contractual obligations to customers, which could result in claims being made against us or in the loss of customer relationships.
Breaches and failures of our IT systems and the security measures protecting them, and the sensitive information we transmit, use and store, expose us to potential liability and reputational harm.
Our business relies on sophisticated information systems to obtain, rapidly process, analyze, and manage data, affecting our ability to provide services. To the extent our IT systems are not successfully implemented or fail, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
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Our business and results of operations may also be adversely affected if a vendor servicing our IT systems does not perform satisfactorily, or if the IT systems are interrupted or damaged by unforeseen events, including the actions of third-parties. Further, our business relies to a significant degree upon the secure transmission, use and storage of sensitive information, including protected health information and other personally identifiable information, financial information and other confidential information and data within these systems. To protect this information, we seek to implement commercially reasonable security measures and maintain information security policies and procedures informed by requirements under applicable law and recommended practices, in each case, as applicable to the data collected, hosted and processed. Despite our security management efforts with respect to physical and technological infrastructure, employee training, vendor controls and contractual relationships, our infrastructure, data or other operation centers and systems used in connection with our business operations, including the internet and related systems of our vendors are vulnerable to, and from time to time experience, unauthorized access to data and/or of confidential information due to conduct, physical -ins, hackers, employee or insider and/or employee or contractor access, computer viruses, programming , -of-service attacks, ransomware events, phishing schemes, , terrorist attacks, human or other by insiders or third-parties or similar . It is not possible to prevent all security to our systems and data. Techniques used to obtain access, disable or service or systems change frequently and may be to detect for long periods of time.
Because our products and services involve the storage, use and transmission of personal information of consumers, we and other industry participants have been and expect to routinely be the target of attempted cyber and other security threats by outside third-parties, including technically sophisticated and well-resourced bad actors attempting to access or steal the data we store. Vendor, insider or employee cyber and security threats also occur and are a significant concern for all companies, including us. While we maintain liability insurance coverage including coverage for errors and omissions and cyber-liability, claims may not be covered or could exceed the amount of our applicable insurance coverage, if any, or such coverage may not continue to be available on acceptable terms or in sufficient amounts.
We collect, process, store, share, disclose and use personal information and other data, and our actual or perceived failure to protect such information and data could damage our reputation and brand and harm our business and operating results.
We collect, process, store, share, disclose and use personal information and other data provided by patients and healthcare providers. We rely on encryption and authentication technology licensed from third parties to effect secure transmission of such information. We may need to expend significant resources to protect against security breaches or to address problems caused by breaches. Any failure or perceived failure to maintain the security of personal and other data that is provided to us by patients and healthcare providers could harm our reputation and brand and expose us to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, any of which could harm our business and operating results. In addition, from time to time, it is possible that concerns will be expressed about whether our products, services, or processes compromise the privacy of our users. about our practices with regard to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information or other privacy related matters, even if , could our business and operating results.
There are numerous federal, state and local laws around the world regarding privacy and the collection, processing, storing, sharing, disclosing, using and protecting of personal information and other data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and which may be costly to comply with and may be inconsistent between countries and jurisdictions or conflict with other rules. We generally comply with industry standards and are subject to the terms of our privacy policies and privacy-related obligations to third parties. We strive to comply with all applicable laws, policies, legal obligations and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection, to the extent possible. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in new ways or in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices or that new regulations could be enacted. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to consumers or other third parties, or our privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the release or transfer of sensitive information, which may include personally identifiable information or other user data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, or public statements us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause consumers to trust in us, which could have an effect on our business. Additionally, if vendors, developers or other third parties that we work with applicable laws or our policies, such may also put consumer or dealer information at risk and could in turn our reputation, business and operating results.
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If we are unable to successfully execute on cross-selling opportunities of our solutions the growth of our business and financial performance could be harmed.
Our ability to generate growth partly depends on our ability to cross-sell solutions to existing customers and new customers. We have identified our ability to successfully cross-sell our solutions as a key part of our business strategy and therefore one of the most significant factors influencing growth. We may not be successful in cross-selling our solutions because customers may find additional solutions unnecessary, unattractive or cost-ineffective. Failure to sell additional solutions to existing and new customers could negatively affect our ability to grow our business.
We rely on internet infrastructure, bandwidth providers, other third parties and our own systems in providing certain of our solutions to our customers, and any failure or interruption in the services provided by these third parties or our own systems could negatively impact our relationships with customers, adversely affecting our brand and our business.
Our ability to deliver our solutions is dependent on the development and maintenance of the infrastructure of the internet and other telecommunications services by third parties. This includes maintenance of a reliable network connection with the necessary speed, data capacity and security for providing reliable internet access and services and reliable telephone and facsimile services. As a result, our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain and enhance existing systems and develop new systems in order to keep pace with continuing changes in information technology, emerging cybersecurity risks and threats, evolving industry and regulatory standards and changing preferences of our customers.
Our solutions are designed to operate without interruption in accordance with our service level commitments. However, we have experienced limited interruptions in these systems in the past, including server failures that temporarily slow down the performance of our solutions, and we may experience more significant interruptions in the future. We rely on internal systems as well as vendors, including bandwidth and telecommunications equipment providers, to provide our solutions. We do not maintain redundant systems or facilities for some of these services. Interruptions in these systems, whether due to system failures, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins or other catastrophic events, could affect the security or availability of our solutions and prevent or inhibit the ability of our customers to access our solutions.
If a catastrophic event were to occur with respect to one or more of these systems or facilities, we may experience an extended period of system unavailability, which could result in substantial costs to remedy those problems or negatively impact our relationship with our partners, our business, results of operations and financial condition. To operate without interruption, both we and our vendors must guard against:
damage from fire, power loss, tornado and other natural disasters;
telecommunications failures;
software and hardware errors, failures and crashes;
security breaches, computer viruses and similar disruptive problems; and
other potential interruptions.
Any disruption in the network access, telecommunications or co-location services provided by vendors, or any failure of or by vendors’ systems or our own systems to handle current or higher volume of use could significantly harm our business. We exercise limited control over these vendors, which increases our vulnerability to problems with services they provide. Any errors, failures, interruptions or delays experienced in connection with these vendor technologies and information services or our own systems could negatively impact our relationships with partners and adversely affect our business and could expose us to liabilities. Although we maintain insurance for our business, the coverage under our policies may not be adequate to compensate us for all losses that may occur. In addition, we cannot provide assurance that we will continue to be to obtain adequate insurance coverage at an acceptable cost.
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Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
We expect to seek to raise additional funds in the future, which may be dilutive to stockholders or impose operational restrictions.
We expect to raise additional capital in the future to help fund development of our future expansion plans. If we raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of our current stockholders will be reduced. We may also enter strategic transactions, compensate employees or consultants or settle outstanding payables using equity that may be dilutive. Our stockholders may experience additional dilution in net book value per share and any additional equity securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the holders of our common stock. If we cannot raise additional funds, we will have to delay development activities of our expansion plans.
Our stock price is likely to be highly volatile because of several factors, including a limited public float.
The market price of our common stock has been volatile in the past and is likely to be highly volatile in the future because there has been a relatively thin trading market for our stock, which causes trades of small blocks of stock to have a significant impact on our stock price. You may not be able to resell shares of our common stock following periods of volatility because of the market’s adverse reaction to volatility.
Other factors that could cause such volatility may include, among other things:
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;
the absence of securities analysts covering us and distributing research and recommendations about us;
overall stock market fluctuations;
announcements concerning our business or those of our competitors;
actual or perceived limitations on our ability to raise capital when we require it, and to raise such capital on favorable terms;
conditions or trends in the industry;
litigation;
changes in market valuations of other similar companies;
future sales of common stock;
departure of key personnel or failure to hire key personnel; and
general market conditions.
Any of these factors could have a significant and adverse impact on the market price of our common stock. In addition, the stock market in general has at times experienced extreme volatility and rapid decline that has often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
We are an emerging growth and smaller reporting company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth and smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, enacted in April 2012. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Annual Report and our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of common equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of common equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement, or December 31, 2026 (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which requires the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates to exceed $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
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Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to irrevocably opt out of this exemption and, therefore, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted.
Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a smaller reporting company, which would allow us to continue to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements, including, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Annual Report and our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
We provide indemnification of our officers and directors and we may have limited recourse against these individuals.
Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws contain broad indemnification and liability limiting provisions regarding our officers and directors, including the limitation of liability for certain violations of fiduciary duties. If we were called upon to indemnify an officer or director, then the portion of our available funds expended for that purpose would reduce the amount otherwise available for our business. The indemnification obligations and the resultant costs associated with indemnification may also discourage us from bringing a lawsuit against our directors and officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties and may similarly discourage the filing of derivative litigation by our shareholders against our directors and officers even though such actions, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. We would bear the expenses of such litigation for any of its directors or officers upon such person’s promise to repay us if it is ultimately determined that any such person shall not have been entitled to indemnification. This could result in significant expenditures which we may be to recoup.
We have never paid dividends and do not anticipate paying any dividends to holders of our shares of common stock for the foreseeable future.
We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any for the foreseeable future. Payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors after considering many factors, including our earnings, operating results, financial condition and current and anticipated cash needs. As a result, investors may not receive any return on an investment in our shares of common stock unless they sell their shares of common stock for a price greater than that which such investors paid for them.
We are controlled by our current officers, directors, and certain beneficial shareholders.
Currently, our directors, executive officers, and certain beneficial shareholders own a majority of the voting control of the Company. Thus, they will be able to exert substantial influence over the election of our Board of Directors and the vote on issues submitted to our shareholders. As of the date of this filing, our officers, directors and certain beneficial shareholders beneficially owned 4,941,730 shares (approximately 64%) of our common stock and 3,000 shares of our Series B Preferred Stock (100%), which excludes shares of common stock held in street name by non-affiliated individuals.
As a result of the Voting Agreement entered into among NextPlat Corp., Charles M. Fernandez and Rodney Barreto with respect to a majority voting interest in the Company ’ s common stock, our ability to influence corporate matters is expected to be limited.
Pursuant to the Voting Agreement dated June 30, 2023, Charles M. Fernandez, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Rodney Barreto, Vice-Chairman of the Company’s Board, agreed to vote all shares of common stock of the Company owned directly or indirectly and all future acquired shares, together with the vote of NextPlat Corp. at any annual meeting or special meeting of the Company’s shareholders, or any action by written consent. As of the date of this report, NextPlat Corp., Messrs. Fernandez and Barreto beneficially own 42%, 6%, and 5% voting shares of common stock of the Company, respectively, comprising collectively approximately 53% of the Company’s voting common stock. This concentration of ownership is also likely to have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the Company, which other stockholders may view as beneficial.
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We cannot assure you that the common stock will be liquid or that it will remain listed on a securities exchange.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the listing standards of the OTCQB or any other national market. If we are delisted from the OTCQB then our common stock will not trade. In addition, delisting of our common stock could further depress our stock price, substantially limit liquidity of our common stock and materially adversely affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Delisting could also have other negative results, including the potential loss of confidence by suppliers and employees, the loss of institutional investor interest and fewer business development opportunities.
We cannot assure you that restricted shares issued in certificate form will be cleared by clearing firms for sale.
We are subject to all rules and regulations promulgated for issuing companies. However, we cannot provide assurance that restricted shares issued in certificate form will be accepted by brokerage or clearing firms. We can provide support with legend removal subject to all rules and regulations provided by the SEC and FINRA, however we cannot guarantee that certificates with legends removed will be accepted or cleared for sale by brokerage or clearing firms.
