Real-time Form 4 intelligence. Smarter insider tracking.
YoY shift: Neutral
Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K. This filing is 0.04pp more bullish than last year's.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Tone shift by section
The two components the gauge averages: how Risk Factors and MD&A each shifted in net tone versus last year's 10-K. The headline above is their average, so a green needle over a soft section just means the other section carried it.
Risk Factors
+0.46pp
Lean +
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
MD&A
-0.38pp
Lean -
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
Per-snippet highlights
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Language change vs prior 10-K
Risk Factors (Item 1A) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
closing+6
conflict+5
adverse+3
investigation+3
concern+2
Positive rising
best+3
satisfy+2
gain+2
satisfied+2
benefit+2
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
5,157 words
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
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.
Language change vs prior 10-K
MD&A (Item 7) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
closing+1
resigned+1
resignations+1
cease+1
terminate+1
Positive rising
effective+2
gain+1
satisfaction+1
diligently+1
MD&A (Item 7)
3,308 words
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. 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Titan has incurred, and will continue to incur, significant transaction and transition costs in connection with the Merger.
Titan has incurred, and will continue to incur, significant, non-recurring costs in connection with consummating the Merger. Titan may also incur unanticipated costs associated with the Merger, including costs driven by BSKE Ltd.’s (“BSKE”) becoming a public company and the listing on the Nasdaq of the ordinary shares of BSKE, and these unanticipated costs may have an adverse impact on the results of operations of BSKE following the effectiveness of the Merger. Titan and TalenTec shall be equally responsible for and pay the cost for the preparation, filing and mailing of the proxy statement/prospectus and other related fees. Titan cannot provide assurance that the benefits of the Merger will offset the incremental transaction costs in the near term, if at all.
If the conditions to the Merger Agreement are not met, the Merger may not occur.
Even if the Merger Agreement is approved by Titan stockholders, specified conditions must be satisfied or waived before the parties to the Merger Agreement are obligated to complete the Merger. BSKE and TalenTec may not satisfy all of the closing conditions in the Merger Agreement. If the closing conditions are not satisfied or waived, the Merger will not occur, or will be delayed pending later satisfaction or waiver, and such non-occurrence or delay may cause Titan and TalenTec to each lose some or all of the intended benefits of the Merger.
Since Titan’s officers and directors have interests that are different, or in addition to (and which may conflict with), the interests of the Titan stockholders, a conflict of interest may have existed in determining whether the Merger is appropriate.
Titan’s officers and directors have interests that are different from, or in addition to, those of the Titan stockholders and warrant holders generally. Our Board was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the Merger and transaction agreements and in recommending to Titan stockholders that they vote in favor of the Merger.
These interests include, among other things:
the fact that Titan’s existing officers and directors will be eligible for continued indemnification and continued coverage under a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy after the Merger and pursuant to the Merger Agreement; and
In addition, Brynner Chiam, Avraham Ben-Tzvi, Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar and Francisco Osvaldo Flores García will continue to serve on the board of BSKE, and Mr. Chay, our Chief Executive Officer, will serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The existence of interests of one or more of Titan’s directors may result in a conflict of interest on the part of such director(s) between what he or they may believe is in the best interests of Titan and its stockholders and what he or they may believe is best for himself or themselves in determining to recommend that stockholders vote for the Merger.
The existence of the interests described above may result in a conflict of interest on the part of Titan’s officers and directors or other affiliates in entering into the Merger Agreement and making their recommendation that stockholders vote in favor of the approval of the Merger.
There are risks to the Titan stockholders becoming shareholders of BSKE through the Merger rather than acquiring securities of TalenTec directly in an underwritten public offering, including no independent due diligence review by an underwriter and conflicts of interest of the Titan officers and directors.
Because there is no independent third-party underwriter involved in the Merger or the issuance of ordinary shares of BSKE in connection therewith, investors will not receive the benefit of any outside independent review of Titan’s and TalenTec’s respective finances and operations.
Underwritten public offerings of securities conducted by a licensed broker-dealer are subjected to a due diligence review by the underwriter or dealer manager to satisfy statutory duties under the Securities Act, the rules of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and the national securities exchange where such securities are listed. Additionally, underwriters or dealer-managers conducting such public offerings are subject to liability for any material misstatements or omissions in a registration statement filed in connection with the public offering. As no such review will be conducted in connection with the Merger, the Titan stockholders must rely on the information in the proxy statement/prospectus related to the Merger and will not have the benefit of an independent review and investigation of the type normally performed by an independent underwriter in a public securities offering. Although Titan performed a due diligence review and investigation of TalenTec in connection with the Merger and obtained a Fairness Opinion that the consideration to be paid pursuant to the Merger is fair to unaffiliated stockholders of Titan, from a financial point of view, Titan has different incentives and objectives in the Merger than an underwriter would in a traditional initial public offering. The lack of an independent due diligence review and investigation may increase the risk of an investment in BSKE because it may not have uncovered facts that would be important to a potential investor.
In addition, because BSKE will not become a public reporting company by means of a traditional underwritten initial public offering, securities or industry analysts may not provide, or may be less likely to provide, coverage of BSKE. Investment banks may also be less likely to agree to underwrite securities offerings on behalf of BSKE than they might if BSKE became a public reporting company by means of a traditional underwritten initial public offering, because they may be less familiar with BSKE as a result of more limited coverage by analysts and the media. The failure to receive research coverage or support in the market for the ordinary shares of BSKE could have an adverse effect on BSKE’s ability to develop a liquid market for ordinary shares of BSKE.
The exercise of our Board’s discretion in agreeing to changes or waivers in the terms of the Merger Agreement and related agreements, including closing conditions, may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether such changes to the terms or waivers of conditions are appropriate and in the Titan stockholders’ best interest.
In the period leading up to the Merger Closing, events may occur that, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, would require Titan to agree to amend the Merger Agreement to consent to certain actions taken by TalenTec or to waive rights that Titan is entitled to under the Merger Agreement, including those related to Merger Closing conditions. Such events could arise because of changes in TalenTec’s businesses, a request by Titan to undertake actions that would otherwise be prohibited by the terms of the Merger Agreement, or the occurrence of other events that would have a material adverse effect on TalenTec’s business and would entitle Titan to terminate the Merger Agreement. In any of such circumstances, it would be at Titan’s discretion, acting through our Board, to grant its consent or waive those rights. The existence of financial and personal interests of one or more of the directors described in the preceding risk factors (and described elsewhere in the proxy statement/prospectus related to the Merger) may result in a conflict of interest on the part of such director(s) between what he, she or they may believe is best for Titan and its stockholders and what he, she or they may believe is best for himself, herself or themselves in determining whether or not to take the requested action. Titan does not believe there will be any changes or waivers that our Board would be likely to make after stockholder approval of the Merger has been obtained. While certain changes could be made without further stockholder approval, Titan will circulate a new or amended proxy statement/prospectus and resolicit Titan stockholders if changes to the terms of the transaction that would have a material impact on its stockholders are required prior to the vote on the Merger.
Titan may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete the Merger, which may adversely affect Titan’s leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of Titan stockholders’ investments.
Although Titan has no commitments to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following the Merger, Titan may choose to incur substantial debt to complete its Merger. The incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
default and foreclosure on assets if operating revenues after a Merger are insufficient to repay debt obligations;
acceleration of Titan obligations to repay the indebtedness even if Titan makes all principal and interest payments when due if Titan breaches certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting Titan’s ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
using a substantial portion of cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
limitations on Titan’s flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in its business and in the industry in which Titan operates;
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
limitations on Titan’s ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of its strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to companies with less debt.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect Titan’s business, including its ability to negotiate and complete the Merger, and results of operations.
Titan is subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, Titan is required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on Titan’s business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including its ability to negotiate and complete the Merger, and results of operations.
Legal proceedings in connection with the Merger, the outcomes of which are uncertain, could delay or prevent the completion of the Merger.
In connection with business combination transactions similar to the proposed Merger, it is not uncommon for lawsuits to be filed against the parties and/or their respective directors and officers alleging, among other things, that the proxy statement/prospectus provided to stockholders contains false and misleading statements and/or omits material information concerning the transaction. Although no such lawsuits have been filed in connection with the Merger to date, it is possible that such actions may arise and, if such actions do arise, they generally seek, among other things, injunctive relief and an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses. Defending such lawsuits could require BSKE, Titan and/or TalenTec to incur significant costs and draw the attention of their respective management teams away from the Merger. Further, the defense or settlement of any lawsuit or claim that remains unresolved at the time the Merger is consummated may adversely affect BSKE’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Such legal proceedings could delay or prevent the Merger from becoming effective within the expected timeframe.
The ordinary shares of BSKE to be received by Titan stockholders as a result of the Merger will have different rights from shares of Titan common stock.
Following completion of the Merger, Titan stockholders will no longer hold shares of Titan common stock but will instead be shareholders of BSKE. There will be important differences between your current rights as a Titan stockholder and your rights as a BSKE shareholder.
The Merger is with a company located outside of the United States, and the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all material agreements related to TalenTec, and as a result Titan may not be able to enforce its legal rights under United States law.
The laws of the country in which TalenTec presently operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. Titan cannot assure you that TalenTec will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of its future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
We may be obligated to purchase outstanding warrants in connection with the Merger.
A holder of those certain Titan warrants initially exercisable July 9, 2020, expiring July 9, 2025; or those certain Titan warrants initially exercisable January 20, 2021, expiring July 20, 2026; or those certain Titan warrants initially exercisable February 4, 2022, expiring August 4, 2027 (the “Repurchase Warrants”), may, within 30 days after the consummation of the Merger, require the Surviving Corporation to purchase the unexercised portion of those warrants from the holder at the Black Scholes Value of that portion (the “Repurchase Option”).
“Black Scholes Value” means the value of the Repurchase Warrant based on the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg determined as of the day of consummation of the Merger for pricing purposes and reflecting (A) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the time between August 19, 2024, the date of the public announcement of the Merger, and the Repurchase Warrant expiration date, (B) an expected volatility equal to the lesser of 75% and the 100 day volatility of our common stock as of August 20, 2024, (C) the underlying price per share used in the calculation shall be the greater of (i) $5.46, the price per share of our common stock used in determining the Exchange Ratio and (ii) the highest VWAP during the period beginning on August 16, 2024, the trading day immediately preceding the announcement of the Merger and ending on the trading day of the holder’s exercise of the Repurchase Option, (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the Merger and the Repurchase Warrant expiration date, and (E) a zero cost of borrow.
The tax consequences of the Merger may adversely affect holders of our common stock or warrants.
It is intended that for U.S. federal income tax purposes that the transactions effected pursuant to the Merger, will constitute an integrated transaction that qualifies as an exchange generally eligible for the tax-deferred treatment under Section 351(a) of the Code (the “Intended Tax Treatment”). However, if it does not qualify for the Intended Tax Treatment (and does not otherwise qualify for tax-deferred treatment under another section of the Code), the Merger would be a taxable transaction to holders of our common stock and warrants. Further, the receipt of BSKE warrants in exchange for Titan warrants pursuant to the Merger is generally expected to be a taxable transaction to holders of Titan warrants notwithstanding the Intended Tax Treatment.
In addition, Section 367(a) of the Code generally requires a U.S. holder of stock in a U.S. corporation to recognize gain (but not loss) when such stock is exchanged for stock of a non-U.S. corporation in an exchange that would otherwise qualify for nonrecognition treatment unless certain conditions are met. It is currently expected that Section 367(a) of the Code will not apply to cause the exchange of our common stock for ordinary shares of BSKE pursuant to the Merger to be taxable (provided that the holder will, to the extent required, enter into a gain recognition agreement with the IRS). However, holders are cautioned that the potential application of Section 367(a) of the Code to the Merger is complex and depends on factors that cannot be determined until the closing of the Merger, and the interpretation of legal authorities and facts relating to the Merger. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not take the position that Section 367(a) of the Code applies to cause U.S. holders to recognize gain as a result of the Merger or that a court will not agree with such a position of the IRS in the event of litigation.
The requirements for the Intended Tax Treatment, including the application of Section 367(a) of the Code, are highly complex and subject to uncertainty. If you are a U.S. holder exchanging Titan common stock in the Merger or holding Titan warrants at the time of the consummation of the Merger, you are urged to consult your tax advisor to determine the tax consequences thereof.
Titan has incurred net losses in almost every year since its inception, which losses will continue for the foreseeable future and raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.
Titan incurred net losses in almost every year since its inception. Titan’s financial statements have been prepared assuming that Titan will continue as a going concern. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Titan had net losses of approximately $4.7 million and $5.6 million, respectively, and had net cash used in operating activities of approximately $3.9 million and $7.1 million, respectively. These net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on Titan’s stockholders’ equity and working capital, which have declined in the past year. At December 31, 2024, Titan had working capital of approximately $2.4 million compared to working capital of approximately $6.6 million at December 31, 2023. At December 31, 2024, Titan had cash of approximately $2.8 million. Titan expects to continue to incur net losses and negative operating cash flow for the foreseeable future. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this proxy statement/prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from its inability to continue as a going concern.
We currently do not have a full-time CFO. This lack of senior leadership raises seriousdoubts about ability to continue to run our Company effectively.
While we have appointed an acting principal financial officer, we currently do not have a full-time Chief Financial Officer. Accordingly, we have a crucial role that is not currently being filled. We are actively seeking a full-time Chief Financial Officer; however, because of our financial condition, we may not be able to find a suitable individual to fill this role. Because competition for skilled employees is highly competitive, and the process of finding qualified individuals can be lengthy and expensive, we believe that the loss of the services of key personnel may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations .
Discontinuation
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 Investing LLC 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.
On September 1, 2023 (the “Closing Date”), we closed on the sale of certain ProNeura assets, including our portfolio of drug addiction products, in addition to other early development programs based on the ProNeura drug delivery technology (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 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 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.
On April 2, 2024, David Lazar, our Chief Executive Officer, Kate Beebe DeVarney, Ph.D., our President and Chief Operating Officer and a member of our Board of Directors, and three other members of our Board of Directors, Eric Greenberg, Matthew C. McMurdo and David Natan, resigned their positions with the Company. Pursuant to the terms of their respective settlement agreements, we made payments in aggregate of approximately $1.2 million. The Board of Directors subsequently appointed Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar and Francisco Osvaldo Flores García as independent directors of the Company to fill two of the vacancies created by the resignations. In addition, Seow Gim Shen was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer and continued to serve as the Company’s Chairman of the Board, which he had done since October 12, 2023.
On August 19, 2024, we entered into a Merger and Contribution and Share Exchange Agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) regarding a business combination with TalenTec Sdn. Bhd. (formerly known as KE Sdn. Bhd.) (“TalenTec”). The Merger Agreement was approved by our Board of Directors. If the Merger Agreement is approved by our stockholders and the stockholders of TalenTec (and the other closing conditions are satisfied or waived in accordance with the Merger Agreement), and upon consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (the “Merger Closing”), Titan will be combined with TalenTec in a “reverse merger” transaction consisting of two steps:
TTNP Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of BSKE Ltd. (“BSKE”), a Cayman Islands exempted company, will merge with and into Titan (the “Merger”); the separate existence of Merger Sub will cease; and Titan will be the surviving corporation of the Merger and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of BSKE.
Within five business days after the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed transaction becomes effective, shareholders of TalenTec may elect to enter into a share exchange agreement (the “Share Exchange Agreement”) with Titan and BSKE, pursuant to which, immediately following the Merger, each TalenTec shareholder entering into the Share Exchange Agreement will contribute and exchange all of his TalenTec shares in exchange for ordinary shares of BSKE. Titan may terminate the Merger Agreement if fewer than all TalenTec shareholders enter into the Share Exchange Agreement within the specified period.
Completion of the Merger is subject to the approval of the Merger by our stockholders and the issuance of shares related to the Merger, approval of the listing by Nasdaq of BSKE on the Nasdaq Capital Market, post-Merger, and satisfaction or waiver of other customary conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the proposed Merger will be consummated. The Company has been working diligently with TalenTec and BSKE to prepare a joint proxy statement/prospectus in respect of the Merger, which was initially filed by BSKE confidentially with the SEC on October 2, 2024. An amendment filing was subsequently made on February 13, 2025 for purposes of addressing comments received from the SEC.
On October 24, 2024, Seow Gim Shen notified our Board of Directors of his decision to resign as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Company for personal reasons and not as a result of any disagreement with our Board or management on any matter relating to our operations, policies or practices. We anticipate that the resignation of Mr. Seow will not impact the Merger Closing with TalenTec.
On November 6, 2024, our Board of Directors appointed Brynner Chiam, a director of the Company, as acting principal executive officer and acting principal financial officer of the Company. Mr. Chiam continued to serve on our Board of Directors while he concurrently served as acting principal executive officer and acting principal financial officer. At that time, the Company also launched a search to identify a full-time chief executive officer. Mr. Chiam has not received and will not receive any additional compensation in connection with his service as acting principal executive officer and acting principal financial officer and has not entered into an employment agreement in connection with his service in those roles.
On December 2, 2024, our Board of Directors appointed Mr. Chay Weei Jye as Chief Executive Officer, effective December 2, 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, 2024 and 2023 to be applicable:
Revenue Recognition
We have generated revenue principally from collaborative research and development arrangements and government grants.
Grant Revenue
We had contracts with National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIDA, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other government-sponsored organizations for research and development related activities that provided for payments for reimbursed costs, which may have included overhead and general and administrative costs. We recognized revenue from these contracts as we performed services under these arrangements when the funding was committed. Associated expenses were recognized when incurred as research and development expense. Revenues and related expenses are presented gross in the condensed statements of operations.
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, 2024 and 2023 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.
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 condensed balance sheets as right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities current and operating lease liabilities non-current.
The operating lease expired on June 30, 2024, and was not renewed.
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, 2024, we had working capital of approximately $2.4 million compared to working capital of approximately $6.6 million at December 31, 2023.
As of December 31 :
Cash
Working capital
Current ratio
For the Years Ended December 31 :
Cash used in operating activities
Cash provided by investing activities
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 consisted primarily of the net loss for the period of approximately $4.7 million offset by approximately $0.8 million related to net changes in operating assets and liabilities.
At December 31, 2024, we had cash of approximately $2.8 million, which we believe is sufficient to fund our planned operations into the fourth 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, 2024 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023
Revenues
For the Years ended December 31,
Change
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
Revenue:
License revenue
Grant revenue
Total revenue
License revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 consisted of royalties received on sales of Probuphine by Knight in Canada.
The decrease in total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024, was primarily due to the completion of activities related to development grants in February 2024.
Operating Expenses
For the Years ended December 31,
Change
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
Operating expenses:
Research and development
General and administrative
Total operating expenses
The decrease in research and development costs for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily associated with the completion of activities related to our development grants and decreases in research and development personnel-related costs and other expenses. 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.
The decrease in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily related to decreases in personnel-related expenses and decreases in non-cash stock-based compensation.
Other Expenses, Net
For the Years ended December 31,
Change
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
Other income (expense):
Interest income, net
Other expense, net
Gain on asset sale
Other income (expense), net
The decrease in other income (expense) for the year ended December 31, 2024, was primarily due to the gain related to the sale of the ProNeura Assets to Fedson in the prior period.
Net Loss and Net Loss per Share
Our net loss applicable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2024 was approximately $4.7 million, or approximately $5.23 per share, compared to our net loss from operations applicable to common stockholders of approximately $5.6 million, or approximately $7.41 per share, for the comparable period in 2023.
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.
