Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
Other Information
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
PART III
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Executive Compensation
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
PART IV
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
Form 10-K Summary
Signatures
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control, and which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through our use of words such as “may,” “can,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “should,” “indicate,” “would,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “expect,” “seek,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “point to,” “project,” “predict,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “potential” and other similar words and expressions of the future.
There are a number of important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by us. These factors include, but are not limited to:
our ability to continue as a going concern;
the costs associated with our business;
our financial and business performance, including financial projections and business metrics;
our ability to achieve and maintain profitability in the future
our ability to effectively grow and expand operations;
the risk of disruption to our current plans and operations;
the potential for business or economic disruptions, including those caused by catastrophic events;
our ability to maintain the quotation of our securities on the OTCQB® Venture Market, and the potential liquidity and trading of our securities;
our ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of our business, which may be affected by, among other things, the ability to grow and manage our research and development and clinical activity, and retain key employees;
the impact of changes to applicable laws or regulations;
our future capital requirements and sources and uses of cash, including the ability to access sources of capital or raise financing in the future;
the strength of our network, effectiveness of its technology, and quality of the offerings provided through our platform;
the projected financial information, growth rate, strategies, and market opportunities for our business;
our ability to maintain our existing license agreements and other collaborative arrangements;
our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our product candidates, and any related restrictions and limitations of any approved products in the future;
the success, cost and timing of our research and development strategies and activities;
our ability to successfully launch our product candidates and be accepted by the market;
our ability, assessment of, and strategies to compete with our competitors;
our ability to attract and retain talent and the effectiveness of our compensation strategies and leadership;
our ability to maintain our licenses and operate in the heavily regulated pharmaceutical industries;
our ability to prevent and guard against cybersecurity attacks;
our reliance on third-party service providers for processing payments, web and mobile operating systems, software, background checks, and insurance policies;
our ability to establish and maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting;
the outcome of any known and unknown litigation and regulatory proceedings, including the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances, including the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us that could impact our business;
our ability to maintain and protect our brand and intellectual property; and
other factors detailed under the section entitled “ Risk Factors .”
The foregoing does not represent an exhaustive list of matters that may be covered by the forward-looking statements contained herein or risk factors that we are faced with that may cause our actual results to differ from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Please see “Part I—Item 1A—Risk Factors” for additional risks which could adversely impact our business and financial performance.
All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report or the date of the document incorporated by reference into this report. We have no obligation, and expressly disclaims any obligation, to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We have expressed our expectations, beliefs and projections in good faith and believe they have a reasonable basis. However, we cannot assure you that our expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished.
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
All references in this report to “ZyVersa,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” mean ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries unless we state otherwise, or the context otherwise indicates.
Company Overview
We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging proprietary technologies to develop drugs for patients with chronic renal or inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical needs. Our mission is to develop drugs that optimize health outcomes and improve patients’ quality of life.
We have two proprietary globally licensed drug development platforms, each of which was discovered by research scientists at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine (the “University of Miami” or “University”). These development platforms are:
Cholesterol Efflux Mediator TM VAR 200 (2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin or “2HPβCD”) is an injectable drug in clinical development for treatment of renal diseases. VAR 200 was licensed from L&F Research LLC on December 15, 2015. L&F Research was founded by the University of Miami research scientists who discovered the use of VAR 200 for renal diseases.
Inflammasome ASC Inhibitor IC 100 is a humanized monoclonal antibody in preclinical development for treatment of inflammatory conditions. IC 100 was licensed from InflamaCore, LLC on April 18, 2019. InflamaCore, LLC was founded by the University of Miami research scientists who invented IC 100.
We believe that each of our product candidates has the potential to treat numerous indications in their respective therapeutic areas. Our strategy is to focus on indication expansion to maximize commercial potential.
Our renal pipeline is initially focused on rare, chronic glomerular diseases. Our lead indication for VAR 200 is focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (“FSGS”). We plan to initiate a Phase 2a basket trial in FSGS and Alport syndrome patients in Q2-2026. VAR 200 has pharmacologic proof-of-concept data in animal models representative of FSGS, Alport Syndrome, and diabetic kidney disease.
Our Inflammasome ASC Inhibitor IC 100 focuses on chronic inflammatory diseases. Our lead indication for IC 100 is cardiometabolic conditions associated with obesity. IC 100’s preclinical development is nearing completion. Our focus is on advancing IC 100 toward a currently planned IND submission in Q4-2026, followed by initiation of a Phase 1 trial in healthy overweight patients with a BMI between 27 – 30 at risk for cardiometabolic conditions. We are preparing to initiate IND-enabling preclinical studies in an animal model of diet-induced obesity, which develops metabolic complications, and an animal model representative of an orphan renal disease in Q2-2026.
About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Chronic kidney disease (“CKD”) is an increasing public health problem which affects over 750 million people worldwide, and approximately 37 million in the United States. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that approximately 80 million adults are at risk for kidney disease in the United States. With no disease modifying drug therapies commercially available, a sizeable percentage of kidney patients progress to end-stage renal disease (“ESRD”), requiring dialysis or transplant to survive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, approximately 131,600 people in the United States started treatment for ESRD, and nearly 786,000 people are currently living with ESRD in the United States (of those 786,000 people, approximately 71% are on dialysis, and 29% are living with a kidney transplant). Further, the economic burden associated with chronic kidney disease is substantial, with Medicare Fee-for-Service spending of $130 billion in 2018 according to the National Kidney Foundation. We believe the high incidence level and the steep monetary burden caused by CKD create a need for effective, disease modifying drug therapies. We believe that VAR 200 has the potential to help reduce the number of patients developing renal failure by mediating removal of excess renal cholesterol and lipids that contribute to kidney damage and dysfunction,
Our lead renal indication is FSGS, which is a progressive form of kidney disease with no approved drug therapies. Approximately 40-60% of FSGS patients develop end stage kidney disease within 10-20 years, requiring dialysis and ultimately kidney transplant to survive. FSGS is an orphan disease affecting approximately 40,000 people in the United States. It is characterized by injury to the kidneys’ filtration system or “glomerular podocytes” leading to scarring that is focal (i.e., affecting only some glomerulus) and segmental (i.e., affecting only part of glomerulus). Accumulation of cholesterol and lipids in renal glomeruli, which has been associated with structural damage and impaired kidney function, has been seen in FSGS patient biopsies and in representative FSGS animal models. Damage to the glomeruli causes protein to leak into urine, a condition known as proteinuria. As the level of protein increases in the urine, patients develop a specific set of symptoms known as nephrotic syndrome. Proteinuria is strongly associated with kidney disease progression, and nephrotic syndrome is generally predictive of a poor prognosis. Approximately 70% of FSGS patients present with nephrotic syndrome at diagnosis. By mediating removal of excess cholesterol from renal glomeruli, we believe that VAR 200 has the potential to preserve renal structure and function and thereby reduce proteinuria that leads to FSGS progression.
About Inflammatory Diseases
Chronic inflammatory diseases have been recognized as one of the most significant causes of death in the world today, with more than 50% of all deaths worldwide attributable to inflammation-related diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (“NAFLD”), and autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions. Excessive and persistent activation of inflammasomes have been linked to the pathophysiology of these types of chronic diseases.
Inflammasomes are comprised of 3 proteins: (i) one of several types of sensor molecules, (ii) an apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (“ASC”), and (iii) proinflammatory caspase-1 (“pro-caspase-1”). There are multiple types of inflammasomes that trigger inflammation. They are named based on their associated sensor molecule, such as NLRP1, NLRP2, NLRP3, NLRC4, AIM2, and Pyrin. Numerous inflammatory diseases are often associated with activation of multiple types of inflammasomes. For example, obesity is associated with activation of AIM2 and NLRP3, insulin resistance is associated with AIM2, NLRP3, and NLRC4 and diabetic nephropathy is associated with activation of AIM2, NLRP3, and NLRC4. The ASC component of inflammasomes is a promising drug target since it is a component of the six most common types of inflammasomes referenced above. We believe targeting ASC is more effective than targeting a specific sensor protein such as NLRP3, that inhibits only one type of inflammasome. In addition to its pivotal role in inflammasome formation and activation required for initiation of an inflammatory response, ASC also plays a role in the perpetuation of inflammation associated with extracellular release of ASC specks. By targeting ASC, we believe IC 100 has potential to effectively control inflammation in a multitude of inflammatory diseases.
Our Pipeline
The goal of our pipeline is to target renal and inflammatory indications with high unmet medical needs, which we believe can be addressed by our mechanisms of action. We intend to further enhance and expand our product portfolio through the development of multiple indications for VAR 200 and IC 100 each, and through potential in-licensing of promising renal and anti-inflammatory product candidates.
Our current pipeline consists of the following:
Development Phase : Phase in which a drug formulation is developed that ensures the proper drug delivery parameters are met
Preclinical Phase: Phase in which in vitro (laboratory) and in vivo (animal) studies are conducted to gather evidence to justify clinical trials in humans
Phase 1: First testing in healthy humans, primarily to test safety
Phase 2: Testing in a small number of patients to assess safety, monitor how a drug is metabolized, and gather initial data on efficacy
Phase 3: Large trial in patients to test efficacy and safety that are used for regulatory approval
Business Strategy
We seek to be recognized as a leading biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of innovation for patients with high unmet medical needs. We are committed to restoring health and transforming the lives of patients through development of biopharmaceutical products. Our strategy is to:
Advance development of Cholesterol Efflux Mediator TM VAR 200. We intend to advance development of VAR 200 by initiating a small Phase 2a trial in FSGS and Alport syndrome patients in Q2-2026.
Advance development of Inflammasome ASC Inhibitor IC 100. We intend to advance our IC 100 preclinical program toward a planned IND submission Q4-2026, followed by initiation of a Phase 1 trial in healthy patients with a BMI between 27 – 30 at risk for cardiometabolic conditions. In preparation for IND submission, we are preparing to initiate an IND-enabling preclinical study in a diet-induced obesity animal model,that develops cardiometabolic conditions.
Capitalize on our indication expansion strategy to maximize the commercial potential for each of our product platforms by developing multiple indications in their respective therapeutic areas. Our current pipeline includes three potential indications for our Cholesterol Efflux Mediator TM VAR 200 Platform, FSGS (lead indication), Alport Syndrome, and diabetic kidney disease. Two near-term potential indications for our Inflammasome ASC inhibitor IC 100 platform are cardiometabolic conditions associated with obesity (lead indication) and an orphan renal disease. We intend to leverage our knowledge from preclinical and clinical programs from both product platforms to identify other opportunities for indication expansion.
Maintain rights to develop and commercialize our product candidates. We intend to maintain the rights to develop and commercialize our product candidates in the United States, while pursuing strategic alliances and collaborations with other pharmaceutical companies to accelerate development, share risk, supplement our resources and maximize potential outside the United States.
Expand our product candidate portfolio. We plan to expand our product portfolio by leveraging our expertise in development and commercialization to identify and in-license additional drug candidates with significant clinical and commercial potential. In addition to indication expansion for our VAR 200 and IC 100 platforms, our business strategy includes identifying and opportunistically acquiring development and commercialization rights to technologies relating to the treatment of kidney and inflammatory diseases.
Continue to strengthen and expand our intellectual property portfolio. The intellectual property for VAR 200 is comprised of a portfolio of issued and pending patents in the United States and other countries. We have 2 patent families covering glomerular disorders and disease, and diabetic kidney disease. Likewise, we plan to seek orphan drug designation for FSGS and Alport Syndrome, which would provide 7 years exclusivity in United States and 10 years in European Union, if approved in each of those jurisdictions. Intellectual Property for IC 100 is comprised of a portfolio of issued and pending patents in the United States and other countries. We have 5 patent families covering composition of matter, biomarkers, and methods of use. Additionally, we plan to seek orphan exclusivity for any rare disease indications we develop for IC 100. For both product platforms, our proprietary position is reinforced by additional technical know-how and trade secrets. We plan to actively seek to obtain, where appropriate, the broadest intellectual property protection possible for our product candidates by filing for patents or other applicable intellectual property protection covering new or enhanced proprietary technology, and new formulations, dosing regimens, and administration routes in development.
The dates and events reflected in the foregoing are estimates only, and there can be no assurances that the events included will be completed on the anticipated timeline presented, or at all. Further, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in the development of any of our product candidates, or any other products or product candidates we may develop in the future, or that any product candidate we may develop in the future, will receive FDA approval for any indication.
Our Product Candidates
Cholesterol Efflux Mediator TM VAR 200 (2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, 2HP β CD)
Cholesterol Efflux Mediator VAR 200 is an injectable drug in clinical development for treatment of chronic glomerular diseases, initially focusing on FSGS as the lead. Alport syndrome and diabetic kidney disease indications may be pursued based on our indication expansion strategy.
VAR 200 was developed to mediate removal of excess cholesterol that damages renal glomeruli, with the intent to preserve renal structure and function and reduce proteinuria that leads to glomerular disease progression. We are planning to initiate a small Phase 2a basket trial in FSGS and Alport syndrome patients in Q2-2026.
Role of Cholesterol and Lipid Accumulation in Glomerular Diseases (Including FSGS, Alport Syndrome, and Diabetic Kidney Disease)
In chronic glomerular diseases, cholesterol and lipids accumulates in glomerular podocytes, due in part to impaired transport out of the cell, or “efflux,” resulting from reduced expression of the cholesterol transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1. Glomerular lipid accumulation has been demonstrated in in vitro podocyte studies, human biopsy data, and in animal models of various kidney diseases, including FSGS, Alport syndrome, and diabetic kidney disease. As shown below, the lipid accumulation causes distorted podocyte structure, damaged podocyte foot processes, and podocyte detachment and loss, which impairs kidney filtration resulting in proteinuria and disease progression. Preclinical animal models with VAR 200 show that reduction in podocyte cholesterol and lipids protects against ongoing kidney damage and progression of disease, which we hypothesize will translate to patients with kidney disease and potentially reduce or delay the need for dialysis and ultimately transplant.
VAR 200 Mechanism of Action
VAR 200’s active ingredient, 2HβCD, is comprised of seven sugar molecules bound together in a 3-D ring with a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic exterior. VAR 200 mediates cholesterol and lipid efflux both passively and actively by interacting with hydrophilic components of the glomerular membrane.
Passive Cholesterol Efflux
Passive cholesterol efflux occurs with formation of 2HPβCD dimers, which bind to the cell membrane surface and incorporate cholesterol into its hydrophobic core as an inclusion complex. Release of the 2HPβCD/cholesterol inclusion complex from the cell membrane surface brings the cholesterol into solution for transfer to cholesterol acceptors, such as high-density lipoprotein (“HDL”).
Active Cholesterol Efflux
Active cholesterol efflux occurs through mediating metabolism of free cholesterol into oxysterols. Oxysterols activate the liver X receptor (“LXR”)-transcription factors, resulting in induction of cellular cholesterol efflux pathways, including upregulation cholesterol efflux transporters, ABCA1 and ABCG1, which transport free cholesterol outside the cell to cholesterol acceptors, such as HDL.
Preclinical Support for VAR 200
We believe that VAR 200 has an established benefit/risk profile supported by IND-enabling preclinical studies demonstrating safety and proof of concept, which led to FDA clearance to progress into Phase 2 clinical trials. Data from animal models representing FSGS, Alport Syndrome, and diabetic kidney disease consistently demonstrate that VAR 200 promotes cholesterol and lipid removal from podocytes, protecting the kidney’s filtration system from damage and reducing protein spillage into the urine or “proteinuria.” These types of outcomes are thought to be key to delaying or preventing progression of kidney disease. For a detailed overview of VAR 200’s preclinical data, refer to the VAR 200 White Paper at https://www.zyversa.com/renal-lipids/white-paper-renal-lipids-in-the-pathogenesis-of-kidney-disease .
Inflammasome ASC Inhibitor IC 100
IC 100 is a humanized monoclonal antibody inflammasome ASC inhibitor in preclinical development for the treatment of numerous inflammatory diseases, with cardiometabolic conditions associated with obesity as the lead. IC 100 was developed with the intent of attenuating chronic aberrant inflammation that is pathogenic in a multitude of inflammatory diseases by attenuating initiation and perpetuation of inflammation to stop disease progression and improve quality of life.
Our focus is on advancing IC 100 toward a planned IND submission in Q4-2026, following which we intend to initiate a Phase 1 trial in healthy subjects who are overweight (BMI 27 -30) and at risk of cardiometabolic conditions. Non-GLP toxicology data with IC 100 in mice and non-human primates (“NHP”) demonstrate no adverse effects nor anti-drug antibodies at doses as high as 300 mg/kg. We are preparing to initiate IND-enabling preclinical studies in an animal models of diet-induced obesity that develops metabolic complications, and an animal model representative of an orphan renal disease in Q2-2026.
Role of Inflammasomes in Inflammatory Diseases
Excessive and persistent activation of inflammasomes have been linked to the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases. Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that initiate an immune response to pathogens or internal danger signals. They are comprised of three basic proteins: (i) one of several types of sensor molecules (e.g., NLRP1, NLRP2, NLRP3, NLRC4, AIM2, and Pyrin), (ii) adaptor protein, ASC, and (iii) pro-caspase 1. Each sensor molecule responds to different pathogens or internal danger signals. Inflammasomes are named by their sensor molecule (e.g., NLRP3 inflammasome).
As depicted below, in the presence of harmful pathogens or cell damage, an intracellular sensor molecule (e.g., NLRP3) is triggered, stimulating recruitment of adaptor ASC, which in turn recruits pro-caspase-1 to form an inflammasome. The inflammasome is the organizing center that recruits additional ASC and polymerizes in a prion-like structure to form a large filamentous signaling platform, known as an ASC Speck. ASC Specks provide a scaffold for pro-caspase-1 recruitment, which triggers conversion of pro-caspase-1 to active caspase-1, which in turn converts the cytokine pro-IL-1ß to its active form IL-1ß, initiating the inflammatory response. Activated caspase-1 also drives cleavage of Gasdermin D, which triggers pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, releasing active cytokines and ASC Specks into the extracellular space, with continued activation of pro-IL-1ß, heightening and perpetuating the inflammatory response in neighboring cells and tissues. Although inflammasome triggering of the innate immune response is essential for protection against pathogens, persistent overactivation of inflammasomes can lead to chronic inflammation underlying a multitude of inflammatory conditions and diseases. Numerous inflammatory diseases are associated with activation of multiple types of inflammasomes. For example, obesity is triggered by AIM2 and NLRP3 and Parkinson’s disease is triggered by NLRP1, NLRP3, and AIM2.
Inflammasome ASC Inhibitor IC 100 Mechanism of Action
IC 100 was designed to bind to key amino acids in adaptor protein ASC that govern ASC recruitment into the inflammasome complex and ASC Speck formation:
By inhibiting ASC recruitment into the inflammasome complex, inflammasome formation is inhibited thereby blocking initiation of the inflammatory cascade; and
By disrupting ASC Speck formation, both intracellularly and extracellularly, damaging perpetuation of inflammation is blocked.
Inflammasome Activation in One Condition Can Impact Another
A paper published in Translational Research demonstrates that inflammasome activity and signaling proteins triggered by one unique inflammatory condition can impact and potentially interact with another. The authors provided extensive evidence that traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are linked by activation of multiple types of inflammasomes (NLRP3, NLRP1, and AIM2). In each condition, inflammasome activation leads to cell death and release of active cytokines and ASC specks to neighboring cells allowing for one condition to potentially exacerbate the other. For example, individuals with a history of moderate TBI have a 2.3 times greater risk of developing AD. Likewise, AD pathology is potentially exacerbated by inflammasome activation in patients with TBI through IL-18 and pathological ASC speck interactions with amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau, hallmarks of AD. The authors reported that inflammasome ASC represents a promising therapeutic target for TBI and AD because of ASC’s unique role in heightening and perpetuating inflammation in neighboring cells, and its pathological interactions with amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau. In a subsequent study, also published in Translational Research by several of the same authors, researchers evaluated if blocking inflammasome activity by inhibiting ASC with IC 100 reduces the elevated inflammatory response in AD mice after TBI. Data demonstrated that IC 100 resulted in reduction of inflammasome-mediated cytokine IL-1β in the injured cortex of AD mice at 1-week post-injury.
Preclinical Support for IC 100
Non-GLP toxicology studies in mice and non-human primates demonstrate that IC 100 has a good safety profile. There were no drug-related adverse events at doses up to 300 mg/kg in either species. Likewise, epigenetic screening demonstrates a lower immunogenicity potential than many biologics. Based on our preclinical study in an animal model representing MS, inflammation was attenuated without immunosuppression.
IC 100 has preclinical data substantiating its mechanism of action in both CNS and Non-CNS diseases, summarized below. For a detailed overview of IC 100’s preclinical data, refer to the IC 100 White Paper at https://investors.zyversa.com/static-files/64964310-ab95-4a06-bc47-dd44c63dc5c7.
For a detailed overview of IC 100’s preclinical data, refer to the IC 100 White Paper at https://investors.zyversa.com/static-files/64964310-ab95-4a06-bc47-dd44c63dc5c7.
Market and Commercial Opportunity
We believe that each of our product candidates has potential for treatment of numerous diseases with significant unmet medical needs. VAR 200 has potential to treat Alport syndrome, diabetic nephropathy, and other glomerular diseases in addition to its lead indication, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). IC 100 has potential to treat multiple and diverse inflammatory diseases, including, but not limited to orphan renal diseases, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, in addition to its lead indication, cardiometabolic conditions associated with obesity.
Cholesterol Efflux Mediator TM VAR 200 Opportunity
According to a report from Precedence Research, the global renal drug market was $20 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $30 billion by 2034. There are two key drivers of this growth. The first is the significant increase in obesity and diabetes which lead to renal disease. The second is a resurgence in development of innovative new drug therapies resulting from the increasing economic and societal burdens of chronic kidney disease, as well as advances in technology facilitating a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying kidney disease. A more recent growth driver is data from the Parasol project supporting use of 2-year changes in proteinuria as an endpoint for approval of FSGS drugs, that will shorten the regulatory path. The Parasol project, co-chaired by Dr. Aliza Thompson, Director of the Cardio-Renal Division at the FDA, was prompted by the urgent need to develop safe and effective therapies for people with FSGS since there are no approved drug therapies. The goal of Parasol was to define a traditional or reasonably likely surrogate endpoint for use in FSGS clinical trials to enable accelerated approval of novel therapies and expedite access to effective treatments for this rare but devastating glomerular disorder. PARASOL was a partnership among NephCure, the National Kidney Foundation, the International Society of Glomerular Disease, and the Kidney Health Initiative, who brought together all the relevant parties - patients, clinical nephrologists, industry sponsors, basic scientists, biostatisticians, and regulatory authorities. PARASOL’s analysis of 1600 FSGS patients found that a reduction in proteinuria over 24 months was strongly associated with a reduced risk of kidney failure. Based on the data, Parasol recommended proteinuria as a surrogate endpoint for full regulatory approval of FSGS drugs.
Following is a summary of the market for VAR 200’s current pipeline.
IC 100 Opportunity
Anti-Inflammatory Biologics Market
According to a report from Precedence Research, the global anti-inflammatory biologics market was valued at $104.81 billion in 2024, and it is projected to reach $185.51 billion by 2034. This growth is driven by the rising incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases associated with population aging, lifestyle changes, and environmental factors. The growth trajectory is expected to accelerate over time with R&D focus on use of anti-inflammatory biologics, such as inflammasome inhibitors, as add-on to GLP-1 drugs to treat the inflammatory comorbidities of obesity. According to Morgan Stanley, global sales of GLP-1 drugs were $6 billion in 2023. With the surging demand seen in 2024, they project global sales to reach between $105 to $144 billion by 2030. Key drivers are the unsurpassed weight loss achieved and the broadening evidence that these drugs have potential to improve outcomes in numerous obesity-related comorbidities. Following is a summary of the market for IC 100’s current pipeline.
Other Development Candidates
We continue to seek to identify and acquire commercialization rights to other technologies relating to renal and inflammatory diseases.
Strategic Alliances and Arrangements
Unless otherwise specifically provided herein, all share and per share information (including information relating to warrants) reflect the 1-for-35 reverse stock split and the 1-for-10 reverse stock split that we effected on December 4, 2023, and April 25, 2024, respectively.
L&F Research LLC License Agreement
We entered into a License Agreement with L&F Research LLC (“L&F Research”) effective December 15, 2015, as amended (the “L&F License Agreement”), pursuant to which L&F Research granted us an exclusive, royalty-bearing, worldwide, sublicensable license under the patent and intellectual property rights and know-how specific to and for the development and commercialization of VAR 200, for the treatment, inhibition or prevention of kidney disease in humans and symptoms thereof, including FSGS. L&F Research was founded by the VAR 200 inventors and researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who licensed the intellectual property from the University of Miami. Pursuant to the L&F License Agreement, we (i) paid L&F Research an upfront license fee of $200,000 upon signing; (ii) agreed to make additional payments to L&F Research upon the achievement of certain development milestones up to an aggregate maximum of $21.5 million; and (iii) agreed to pay L&F Research royalty payments on net sales of any resulting product upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones, ranging from 5% to 10% based on certain annual net sales thresholds. In addition, upon the signing of and pursuant to the L&F License Agreement, we issued to L&F Research four (4) warrants (the “L&F Warrants”), of which one (1) warrant was exercised for 200 shares of common stock and the remaining three (3) warrants are exercisable in the aggregate for 300 shares of our common stock upon certain terms and conditions set forth in the L&F License Agreement and the L&F Warrants.
On December 23, 2022, we entered into a Second Amendment to Waiver of Certain Rights under License Agreement (the “Second Amendment”) with L&F Research LLC (“L&F Research”), amending the previously disclosed Waiver of Certain Rights under License Agreement, dated March 2, 2022, between ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc., a Florida corporation (“Old ZyVersa”) and L&F Research, as amended (the “Waiver Agreement”). The Second Amendment further extended to March 31, 2023, the period that L&F Research waived its right to terminate the License Agreement and exercise any other remedies thereunder, with respect to $1,500,000 of aggregate milestone payments due to L&F Research pursuant to the L&F License Agreement (the “Milestone Payments”).
On February 28, 2023, we entered into an Amendment and Restatement Agreement (the “Restatement”) with L&F Research, amending and restating the Waiver Agreement, as amended. The Restatement provides that, with respect to the Milestone Payments, L&F Research waives its right to terminate the L&F License Agreement and exercise any other remedies thereunder, until (a) March 31, 2023, as to $1,000,000 of such Milestone Payments (“Waiver A”), and (b) January 31, 2024, as to $500,000 of such Milestone Payments (“Waiver B”). Waiver A is contingent upon (i) forgiveness by the Company of $351,579 in aggregate principal amount outstanding under the previously disclosed Promissory Note, dated December 13, 2020, between L&F Research, as the borrower, and Old ZyVersa, as the lender (the “Note”), and (ii) a cash payment by the Company to L&F Research in the amount of $648,421, in each case, to be effectuated on or before March 31, 2023. Waiver B is contingent upon a cash payment by the Company to L&F Research in the amount of $500,000 to be effectuated on or before the earlier of (x) January 31, 2024, and (y) ten business days from the date that the Company receives net proceeds of at least $30,000,000 from the issuance of new equity capital. All other terms of the L&F License Agreement remain in effect.
On March 29, 2023, the Company paid the $648,421 of cash to L&F, thus meeting the conditions of Waiver A, which also had the effect of canceling the Note Receivable and the Put Option.
On January 30, 2024, the Company paid $500,000 of cash to L&F, thus meeting the conditions of Waiver B.
The L&F License Agreement will terminate at the expiration of the last-to-expire of all royalty payment obligations under the L&F License Agreement and we have the right to terminate the L&F License Agreement upon 60 days’ notice.
The L&F License is terminable by either party if the other party is in material breach of the agreement, and has not cured the breach within 60 days of notice. If we fail to make payments under the agreement, L&F Research may terminate the agreement on 10 days’ notice. Further, L&F Research has the right to terminate the L&F License Agreement immediately upon written notice to us if we directly, or through assistance granted to a third party, commence any interference or opposition proceeding with respect to, challenges the validity or enforceability of, or opposes any extension of or the grant of a supplementary protection certificate with respect to, any Licensor Patent Right (as defined in the agreement).
In the event we do not complete the Throughput Milestones by the Throughput Milestone Completion Date (as each term is defined in the agreement), L&F Research may elect upon 90 days written notice to us to either (a) terminate the agreement in its entirety; or (b) terminate the exclusivity provisions of the agreement and convert the license to non-exclusive. However, before L&F Research terminates the agreement or terminates exclusivity, the parties will negotiate in good faith to agree upon a revised date for the relevant Throughput Milestone if we fail to achieve a particular Throughput Milestone by the specified time occurs because of a Force Majeure Event or a Significant Change (as those terms are defined in the agreement). In the event we cannot agree as to whether a Force Majeure Event or Significant Change has occurred by the later of the date of failure to meet the original Throughput Milestone Completion Date or 15 days after our notice that a Force Majeure Event or Significant Change has occurred, L&F Research may exercise its termination rights.
InflamaCORE, LLC License Agreement
We entered into a License Agreement with InflamaCORE, LLC (“InflamaCORE”) effective as of April 18, 2019 (the “InflamaCORE License Agreement”), pursuant to which InflamCORE granted us an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license to patents, intellectual property rights, technology, and know-how to and for the development and commercialization of IC 100, in all therapeutic and diagnostic uses in all diseases and conditions. InflamaCORE was founded by the IC 100 inventors and researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who licensed the intellectual from the University of Miami and Selexis SA, a cell line development company in Switzerland. Pursuant to the InflamaCORE License Agreement, we (i) paid InflamaCORE an upfront license fee of $346,321.08 upon signing; (ii) agreed to make additional payments to InflamaCORE upon the achievement of certain development milestones up to an aggregate maximum of $22.5 million; (iii) agreed to pay InflamaCORE royalty payments on net sales of certain resulting products upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones, ranging from 5% to 10% depending on the level of net sales; (iv) agreed to pay University of Miami royalty payments on net sales of certain resulting products upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones, ranging from 3% to 6% of net sales, depending on the level of net sales; and (v) were granted a sublicense to all third-party technologies, including the Selexis cell line technology, and agreed to pay to InflamaCORE the obligations of their Selexis license. Pursuant to the Selexis license, we paid an upfront license fee to Selexis of CHF 50,000. We are also obligated to pay to Selexis (through reimbursement of InflamaCORE) (i) an annual maintenance fee of CHF 10,000, (ii) payments upon the achievement of certain development milestones up to an aggregate maximum of approximately CHF 1.1 million, and (iii) a royalty payment on net sales equal to a low single digit. Additionally, upon the execution of and pursuant to the InflamaCORE License Agreement, we issued (i) 114 shares of our common stock to the University of Miami, (ii) and four (4) warrants to InflamaCORE (the “InflamaCORE Warrants”) of which one (1) warrant exercisable for 227 shares of common stock expired in April 2024 and the remaining three (3) warrants are exercisable in the aggregate for 342 shares of our common stock upon certain terms and conditions set forth in the InflamaCORE License Agreement and the InflamaCORE Warrants.
The InflamaCORE License Agreement will terminate at the expiration of the last-to-expire of all royalty payment obligations under the InflamaCORE License Agreement and we have the right to terminate the InflamaCORE License Agreement upon 60 days’ notice. The license may be terminated by either party if the other party is in material breach of the agreement, and has not cured the breach within 60 days of notice. If we fail to make payments under the agreement, InflamaCORE may terminate the agreement on 10 days’ notice. Further, the agreement may be terminated by a party upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of the other party.
Upon any termination of the InflamaCORE License Agreement, the license granted to us will automatically terminate and revert back to InflamaCORE.
Manufacturing
We do not currently own or operate any facilities to formulate, manufacture, test, store, package or distribute VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we are developing or may seek to develop and do not currently have the capabilities to conduct such activities. We currently rely on third parties to manufacture, store and test VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we may seek to develop. We will depend on third-party suppliers and manufacturing organizations for all our required raw materials and drug substance and to formulate, manufacture, test, store, package and distribute clinical trial quantities of VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we may seek to develop. We plan to continue developing our network of third-party suppliers and manufacturing organizations, but in the future we may decide to consider investing in our own manufacturing and supply capabilities if there is a technical need or a strategic or financial benefit.
We have internal personnel and utilizes consultants with extensive technical, manufacturing, analytical and quality experience to oversee our contract manufacturing and testing activities. Manufacturing is subject to extensive regulations that impose procedural and documentation requirements, including, but not limited to, record-keeping, manufacturing processes and controls, personnel, quality control and quality assurance. Our systems, procedures and contractors are required to be in compliance with these regulations and are assessed through regular monitoring and formal audits.
Research and Development
We spent approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, and $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2025, there was an $18.6 million impairment charge related to in-process research and development (“IPR&D”), which was recorded upon the determination that the carrying value of our IPR&D intangible asset may not be recoverable.
Sales and Marketing
We currently have no marketing, sales or distribution capabilities. To commercialize any product that is approved for commercial sale, we must either develop our own sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure or collaborate with third parties that have such commercial infrastructure and relevant marketing and sales experience. We expect to be able to build our commercial infrastructure over time in advance of any anticipated launch of our products, and we may rely on licensing, co-sale and co-promotion agreements with strategic partners for the commercialization of our products. If we establish the commercial infrastructure to support the potential marketing of VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we may seek to develop, such commercial infrastructure could be expected to include a targeted sales force supported by sales management, internal sales support, a market access group, an internal marketing group and distribution support. To establish the proper commercial infrastructure, we would need to invest significant financial and management resources prior to any approval of VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we may seek to develop.
Competition
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is highly competitive. These competitors include many public and private companies, universities, governmental agencies and other research organizations actively engaged in the research and development of products that may be similar to our product candidates that we seek to develop or address similar indications. Many competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we possess and may be better equipped to develop, manufacture and market their products. We also expect that the number of companies seeking to develop products and therapies similar to our products may increase over time. Competitive factors in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry include product efficacy, safety, ease of use, price, demonstrated cost-effectiveness, marketing effectiveness, stakeholder support, service, reputation, and access to technical information. Any products that we develop and seek to commercialize may not be able to compete with the products of our competitors with respect to one or more of these considerations.
For instance, there are currently several other companies with drugs in clinical development for FSGS, targeting inflammation, hypertension, and fibrosis. Among our competitors, there are products in various phases of development, including compounds in Phase 2 and Phase 3 of development. However, we believe that VAR 200 may be the only drug currently in development that lipotoxicity. The current treatment algorithm for renal disease includes multiple drug therapies to address the various pathways contributing to renal disease. We believe that VAR 200 could potentially be used in combination with other treatment modalities addressing other pathogenic pathways.
Additionally, there are a number of other companies developing drugs targeting inflammasome pathways, mainly NLRP3 inflammasome pathways, some of which have clinical trials underway in multiple indications. Indications being evaluated in current Phase 2 clinical trials include obesity-related cardometabolic comorbidities, obesity-related osteoarthritis, recurrent pericarditis, and Parkinson’s disease. We believe that IC 100 may be the only monoclonal antibody targeting the ASC component of the inflammasome, which can potentially inhibit multiple types of inflammasomes and disrupt the structure and function of ASC specks to prevent initiation and perpetuation of inflammation.
Intellectual Property
We seek to protect our products and technologies through a combination of patents, regulatory exclusivity, and proprietary know-how. Our goal is to obtain, maintain, and enforce patent protection for our products, formulations, processes, methods, and other proprietary technologies, preserve our trade secrets, and operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of other parties, both in the United States and in other countries. Our policy is to actively seek to obtain, where appropriate, the broadest intellectual property protection possible for our current compositions and methods and any future compositions and methods under development, proprietary information, and proprietary technology through a combination of contractual arrangements and patents, where applicable, both in the United States and abroad. However, even patent protection may not always afford complete protection against competitors who seek to circumvent our patents. For additional information, see section entitled “ Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”
Pursuant to the L&F License Agreement, we have an exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license to the inventions relating to 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (“2HPβCD”) for the treatment of kidney disease in humans, including FSGS, as described in certain method-of-use patents and pending applications filed in the United States and selected foreign countries (Canada, China, Europe, Japan, and Mexico) from two international patent applications filed pursuant to the provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”). Currently, there are 4 issued United States patents and 12 foreign granted or allowed applications. These patents, and any patents that issue from the pending applications, are anticipated to have a term to at least 2033, absent of any patent term adjustments or extensions.
Pursuant to the InflamaCORE License Agreement, we have an exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license to the inventions relating to recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of inflammatory responses and inflammation mediated by inflammasomes and components thereof, including but not limited to IC 100 which is a humanized IgG4 antibody directed against a specific amino acid sequence of the pyrin domain of Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (“ASC”). The patent portfolio for IC 100 includes 5 patent families covering composition of matter, biomarker, and method-of-use patents and their related national stage filings in the United States and selected foreign countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Europe, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam). Currently, there are 6 issued United States patents, 14 foreign granted patents or allowed applications, and 59 pending applications. These patents, including composition of matter patents that have a term until December 2037, and any patents that issue from the pending applications are anticipated to have a term until at least 2028, absent of any patent term adjustments or extensions.
At this time, ZyVersa has no patents or patent applications outside of those connected to the L&F or InflamaCORE License Agreements.
Even though we have licensed issued patents, there is no guarantee that the validity of the patents will be upheld if challenged by a third party. There can be no assurance that any of our intellectual property rights will afford us any protection from competition.
We use the trade names Cholesterol Efflux Mediator™ and Lipid Efflux Mediator™ in association with our VAR 200 pharmaceutical preparations and plan to seek federal trademark protection in the United States and foreign national trademark protection where available and when appropriate. No other applications for trademark protection have been filed for any names or logos for products or technologies in development. We intend to use these marks in connection with our pharmaceutical product candidates currently in development as added levels of intellectual property protection for our proprietary technologies.
Regulatory Matters
In the United States, the FDA regulates drug products, biological products, and medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), the Public Health Service Act (“PHSA”), and other federal laws and regulations. These FDA-regulated products are also subject to state and local statutes and regulations, as well as applicable laws or regulations in foreign countries. The FDA, and comparable regulatory agencies in state and local and local jurisdictions and in foreign countries, impose substantial requirements on the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record-keeping, approval, post-approval monitoring, advertising, promotion, marketing, sampling and import and export of FDA-regulated products.
Government Regulation
Any product development activities related to VAR 200, IC 100, and any other product candidates that we may seek to develop or acquire in the future will be subject to extensive regulation by various government authorities, including the FDA and other federal, state and local statutes and regulations and comparable regulatory authorities in other countries, which regulate the design, research, clinical and non-clinical development, testing, manufacturing, storage, distribution, import, export, labeling, advertising and marketing of pharmaceutical products and devices. Generally, before a new drug can be sold, considerable data demonstrating its quality, safety and efficacy must be obtained, organized into a format specific to each regulatory authority, submitted for review and approved by the regulatory authority. The data is often generated in two distinct development states: pre-clinical and clinical. VAR 200, IC 100, and any other product candidates that we may seek to develop or acquire in the future must be approved by the FDA through the New Drug Application (“NDA”), Biologic Licensing Application (“BLA”) or other applicable approval process before they may be legally marketed in the United States.
The clinical stages of development can generally be divided into three sequential phases that may overlap: Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials. In Phase 1, generally, small numbers of healthy volunteers are exposed to single escalating doses and then multiple escalating doses of the product candidate. The primary purpose of these studies is to assess the metabolism, pharmacologic action, side effect tolerability and safety of the drug. Phase 2 trials typically involve studies in disease-affected patients to determine the dose required to produce the desired benefits. At the same time, safety and further pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information is collected. In some instances, formal Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials may not be deemed necessary or required by the FDA. Such is often the case when the safety and efficacy of an API is considered to be well understood by the FDA. In Phase 3 studies, the drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely. Under established regulatory pathways, pharmaceutical products with APIs equal or similar to those known by the FDA often enter more streamlined development programs than compounds entirely new to the agency.
Post-approval studies, sometime referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial marketing approval. These studies may be used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic condition or to gain additional indications for a medication. In certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 studies.
Development of Drugs and Biological Products in the United States
In the United States, the process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable United States requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, warning letters, product recalls or withdrawal from the market, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement, or civil or criminal penalties.
Prior to the start of human clinical studies for a new drug or biological product in the United States, pre-clinical laboratory and animal tests are often performed under the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practices regulations. The Sponsor must submit the results of the pre-clinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data and literature and a proposed clinical protocol to the FDA as part of the Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application. Similar filings are required in other countries. The amount of data that must be supplied in the IND depends on the phase of the study. Phase 1 studies typically require less data than larger Phase 3 studies. A clinical plan must be submitted to the FDA prior to commencement of a clinical trial. If the FDA has concerns about the clinical plan or the safety of the proposed study, they may suspend or terminate the study at any time. Studies must be conducted in accordance with good clinical practice and regular reporting of study progress and any adverse experiences is required. Studies are also subject to review by independent institutional review boards responsible for overseeing studies at particular investigator sites and protecting human research study subjects. An independent institutional review board may also suspend or terminate a study once initiated. Accordingly, submission of an IND does not guarantee approval by the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin, or, once begun, that issues will not arise that could cause the trial to be suspended or terminated.
Review and Approval of Drugs and Biological Products in the United States
Following completion of Phase 3 trials, data from the trials are analyzed to determine safety and effectiveness. Complete development data is then filed with the FDA in a NDA or BLA, along with proposed labeling for the product and information about the manufacturing and testing processes and facilities that will be used to ensure product quality. The NDA and BLA applications are the vehicle through which drug sponsors formally propose that the FDA approve a new pharmaceutical product for sale and marketing in the United States. The NDA or BLA must contain proof of safety, purity, potency and efficacy, which entails extensive pre-clinical and clinical testing. The data gathered during the animal studies and human clinical trials of an IND become part of the NDA or BLA.
The review and evaluation of an NDA or BLA by the FDA may take several years to complete. The FDA may conduct pre-approval inspections of the manufacturing facilities for the new product to determine whether they comply with cGMP requirements and may also audit data from clinical and pre-clinical trials.
The FDA may place conditions on approvals including the requirement for a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (“REMS”) to assure the safe use of the agent. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the Sponsor of the application must submit a proposed REMS, which may include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools.
IND and Clinical Trials of Drugs and Biological Products
Prior to commencing a human clinical trial of a drug or biological product, an IND, which contains the results of preclinical studies along with other information, such as information about product chemistry, manufacturing and controls and a proposed protocol, must be submitted to the FDA. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational drug or biological product to humans. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA within the 30-day time period raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the clinical trial. In such a case, the IND sponsor must resolve any outstanding concerns with the FDA before the clinical trial may begin. A separate submission to the existing IND must be made for each successive clinical trial to be conducted during drug development.
An independent Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) for each site proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the investigational plan for the trial before it commences at that site. Informed written consent must be obtained from each trial subject.
Human clinical trials for drug and biological products typically are conducted in sequential phases that may overlap:
Phase I: The investigational drug/biologic is given initially to healthy human subjects or patients with the target disease or condition in order to determine metabolism and pharmacologic actions of the drug in humans, side effects and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. During Phase I clinical trials, sufficient information about the investigational drug/biologic’s pharmacokinetics and pharmacologic effects may be obtained to permit the design of well-controlled and scientifically valid Phase II clinical trials.
Phase II: Clinical trials are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug/biologic for a particular indication or in a limited number of patients in the target population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to determine the efficacy of the drug/biologic for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage. Multiple Phase II clinical trials may be conducted by the Sponsor to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive Phase III clinical trials.
Phase III: When Phase II clinical trials demonstrate that a dosage range of the drug/biologic appears effective and has an acceptable safety profile, and provide sufficient information for the design of Phase III clinical trials, Phase III clinical trials in an expanded patient population at multiple clinical sites may begin. They are intended to further evaluate dosage, effectiveness and safety, to establish the overall benefit-risk relationship of the investigational drug/biologic and to provide an adequate basis for product labeling and approval by the FDA. In most cases, the FDA requires two adequate and well-controlled Phase III clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy of the drug in an expanded patient population at multiple clinical trial sites.
All clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with FDA regulations, including good clinical practice (“GCP”) requirements, which are intended to protect the rights, safety and well-being of trial participants, define the roles of clinical trial sponsors, administrators and monitors and ensure clinical trial data integrity. Regulatory authorities, including the FDA, an IRB, a data safety monitoring board or the Sponsor, may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the participants are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk or that the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with FDA requirements.
During the development of a new drug or biologic, sponsors are given opportunities to meet with the FDA at certain points. These points may be prior to submission of an IND, at the end of Phase II clinical trials, and before a NDA or BLA is submitted. Meetings at other times may be requested. These meetings can provide an opportunity for the Sponsor to share information about the data gathered to date, for the FDA to provide advice and for the Sponsor and the FDA to reach agreement on the next phase of development. Sponsors typically use the end-of-Phase II clinical trials meetings to discuss their Phase II clinical trials results and present their plans for the pivotal Phase III registration trial that they believe will support approval of the new drug/biologic.
An investigational drug product that is a combination of two different drugs in the same dosage form must comply with an additional rule that requires that each component make a contribution to the claimed effects of the drug product. This typically requires larger studies that test the drug against each of its components.
Disclosure of Clinical Trial Information
Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including drugs, biologics, and devices, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information. Information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, study sites and investigators, and other aspects of the clinical trial, is made public as part of the registration. Sponsors also are obligated to discuss summary results of their clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov within 1 year after primary completion (the date when the last data point for the primary outcome measure is collected from the last enrolled participant). Disclosure of the clinical trial results can be delayed until the new product or new indication being studied has been approved. Competitors may use this publicly available information to gain knowledge regarding the progress of development programs.
The NDA and Biologics License Application (BLA) Approval Processes
Our drug or biological products must be approved by the FDA through the NDA and BLA approval processes, respectively, before they may be legally marketed in the U.S. These FDA-required processes for drugs or biological products to be marketed in the U.S. generally involve the following:
completion of non-clinical laboratory tests, in the case of a NDA, completion of animal studies and formulation studies conducted according to good laboratory practice or other applicable regulations;
submission of an IND application;
performance of human clinical trials conducted in accordance with GCP to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug or biological product for its intended use or uses;
submission to the FDA of a NDA or BLA (as applicable) after completion of all pivotal clinical trials;
FDA pre-approval inspection of manufacturing facilities and audit of clinical trial sites; and
FDA approval of a NDA or BLA, as applicable.
In order to obtain approval to market a drug or biological product in the U.S., a marketing application must be submitted to the FDA that provides data establishing to the FDA’s satisfaction the safety and effectiveness of the investigational drug for the proposed indication. The cost of preparing and submitting a NDA or BLA is substantial. Each NDA or BLA submission requires a user fee payment (exceeding $2.5 million in fiscal year 2019), unless a waiver or exemption applies. The manufacturer or sponsor of an approved BLA is also subject to annual establishment fees. The application includes all relevant data available from pertinent non-clinical studies, or preclinical studies and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls and proposed labeling, among other information. Data can come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and effectiveness of a use of a product, or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators that meet GCP requirements.
Companies also must develop additional information about the characteristics of the drug or biological product and finalize a process for the NDA or BLA sponsor’s manufacturing the product in compliance with current good manufacturing practice (“cGMP”) requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate, and the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the finished drug or biological product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf-life.
The results of drug or biological product development, non-clinical studies and clinical trials, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, tests conducted on the drug or biological product, proposed labeling and other relevant information are submitted to the FDA as part of a NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product.
The FDA reviews all NDAs or BLAs submitted to ensure that they are sufficiently complete for substantive review before it accepts them for filing. FDA may request additional information rather than accept a NDA or BLA for filing. In this event, the NDA or BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. The FDA has 60 days from its receipt of a NDA or BLA to conduct an initial review to determine whether the application will be accepted for filing based on the agency’s threshold determination that it is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review.
Once the NDA or BLA submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth review of the NDA or BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe and effective for its intended use, and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to ensure the product’s identity, strength, quality and purity. The FDA has agreed to specific performance goals on the review of NDAs and BLA’s and seeks to review standard NDAs or BLAs within 12 months and prior review biologics within 8 months from submission of the respective applications. The review process may be extended by the FDA for three additional months to consider certain late submitted information or information intended to clarify information already provided in the submission.
After the FDA evaluates the NDA or BLA, it will issue either an approval letter or a complete response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug or biologic product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A complete response letter indicates that the application is not ready for approval. A complete response letter may require additional clinical data and/or an additional pivotal clinical trial(s), and/or other significant, expensive and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing. Even if such additional information is submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA or BLA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. The FDA may also refer applications for novel drug or biological products or drug or biological products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and, if so, under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully and generally follows such recommendations when making decisions.
Before approving a NDA or BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. After the FDA evaluates the NDA or BLA and the manufacturing facilities, it issues either the approval letter or the complete response letter. If the FDA determines the application, manufacturing process or manufacturing facilities are not acceptable, its complete response letter typically will outline the deficiencies and often will request additional testing or information, which may include additional large-scale clinical testing or information in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. This may significantly delay further review of the application.
If the FDA finds that a clinical site did not conduct the clinical trial in accordance with GCP regulations, the FDA may determine the data generated by the clinical site should be excluded from the primary efficacy analyses provided in the NDA or BLA. Additionally, notwithstanding the submission of any requested additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
If, or when, those deficiencies have been addressed to the FDA’s satisfaction in a resubmission of the NDA or BLA, the FDA will issue the approval letter. The FDA has committed to reviewing such resubmissions in 2 or 6 months depending on the type of information included. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing and distribution of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require substantial post-approval testing and surveillance to monitor the product’s safety or efficacy after a product is approved, including additional clinical trials and may impose other conditions, including labeling restrictions, which can materially affect the product’s potential market and profitability. These so-called Phase IV or post-approval clinical trials may be a condition for continuing drug approval. The results of Phase IV clinical trials can confirm the effectiveness of a product candidate and can provide important safety information. In addition, the FDA now has express statutory authority to require sponsors to conduct post-marketing trials to specifically address safety issues identified by the agency. Once granted, product approvals may be withdrawn if compliance with regulatory standards is not maintained or problems or safety issues are identified following initial marketing.
The FDA also has authority to require a REMS to ensure that the benefits of a drug or biological product outweigh its risks. A sponsor may also voluntarily propose a REMS as part of the NDA submission. The need for a REMS is determined as part of the review of the NDA or BLA. Elements of a REMS may include “dear doctor letters,” a medication guide, more elaborate targeted educational programs, and in some cases elements to assure safe use (“ETASU”), which is the most restrictive REMS. ETASU can include, but are not limited to, special training or certification for prescribing or dispensing, dispensing only under certain circumstances, special monitoring and the use of patient registries. These elements are negotiated as part of the NDA or BLA approval, and in some cases the approval date may be delayed. Once implemented, REMS are subject to periodic assessment and modification.
Changes to some of the conditions established in an approved application, including changes in indications, labeling, device components or manufacturing processes or facilities, may require submission and FDA approval of a new NDA or BLA, or NDA or BLA supplement before the change can be implemented. A NDA or BLA supplement for a new indication typically requires clinical data similar to that in the original application, and the FDA uses the same procedures and actions in reviewing NDA or BLA supplements as it does in reviewing NDAs or BLAs.
Even if a product candidate receives regulatory approval, the approval may be limited to specific disease states, patient populations and dosages, or might contain significant limitations on use in the form of warnings, precautions or contraindications, or in the form of onerous risk management plans, restrictions on distribution or post-marketing trial requirements. Further, even after regulatory approval is obtained, later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product or even complete withdrawal of the product from the market. Delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain, regulatory approval for our products, or obtaining approval but for significantly limited use, would harm our business. Also, new government requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, may be established, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our products in development. In addition, we cannot predict what adverse governmental regulations may arise from future U.S. or foreign governmental action.
Hatch-Waxman Act
Under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, as amended, commonly known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, a portion of a product’s U.S. patent term that was lost during clinical development and regulatory review by the FDA may be restored. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments also provide a process for listing patents pertaining to approved products in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known as the Orange Book) and for a competitor seeking approval of an application that references a product with listed patents to make certifications pertaining to such patents. In addition, the Hatch-Waxman Amendments provide for a statutory protection, known as non-patent exclusivity, against the FDA’s acceptance or approval of certain competitor applications.
Patent Term Restoration
Patent term restoration can compensate for time lost during drug development and the regulatory review process by returning up to five years of patent life for a patent that covers a new product or its use. This period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND (falling after issuance of the patent) and the submission date of a NDA, plus the time between the submission date of a NDA and the approval of that application, provided the Sponsor acted with diligence. Patent term restorations, however, cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended and the extension must be applied for prior to expiration of the patent. The USPTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration.
Orange Book Listing
In seeking approval for a drug through a NDA, applicants are required to list with the FDA each patent whose claims cover the applicant’s product. Upon approval of a drug, each of the patents listed by the NDA holder in the drug’s application or otherwise are published in the FDA’s Orange Book. Drugs listed in the Orange Book can, in turn, be cited by potential generic competitors in support of approval of an abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”). An ANDA permits marketing of a drug product that has the same active ingredient(s) in the same strengths and dosage form as the listed drug and has been shown through bioequivalence testing to be therapeutically equivalent to the listed drug. Other than the requirement for bioequivalence testing, ANDA applicants are not required to conduct, or submit results of, preclinical studies or clinical trials to prove the safety or effectiveness of their drug product. Drugs approved under and ANDA are commonly referred to as “generic equivalents” to the listed drug and can often be substituted by pharmacists under prescriptions written for the original listed drug. Any applicant who files an ANDA seeking approval of a generic equivalent version of a drug listed in the Orange Book or a 505(b)(2) NDA referencing a drug listed in the Orange Book must certify to the FDA that (i) no patent information on the drug product that is the subject of the application has been submitted to the FDA; (ii) such patent has expired; (iii) the date on which such patent expires; or (iv) such patent is invalid or will not be infringed upon by the manufacture, use or sale of the drug product for which the application is submitted. This last certification is known as a paragraph IV certification. A notice of the paragraph IV certification must be provided to each owner of the patent that is the subject of the certification and to the holder of the approved NDA to which the ANDA or 505(b)(2) application refers. The applicant also may elect to submit a “section viii” statement certifying that its proposed label does not contain (or carves out) any language regarding the patented method-of-use rather than certify to a listed method-of-use patent. If the reference NDA holder and patent owners assert a patent challenge directed to one of the Orange Book listed patents within 45 days of the receipt of the paragraph IV certification notice, the FDA is prohibited from approving the application until the earlier of 30 months from the receipt of the notice of the paragraph IV certification, the expiration of the patent, when the infringement case concerning each such patent was favorably decided in the applicant’s favor or such shorter or longer period as may be ordered by a court. This prohibition is generally referred to as the thirty-month stay. The ANDA or 505(b)(2) application also will not be approved until any applicable non-patent exclusivity listed in the Orange Book for the branded reference drug has expired. Thus, approval of an ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA could be delayed for a significant period depending on the patent certification the applicant makes and the reference drug sponsor’s decision to initiate patent litigation.
Market Exclusivity
Market exclusivity provisions under the FDCA also can delay the submission or the approval of certain drug applications. The Hatch-Waxman Act establishes periods of regulatory exclusivity for certain approved drug products, during which the FDA cannot approve (or in some cases accept) an ANDA or 505(b)(2) application that relies on the branded reference drug. For instance, the FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within the U.S. to the first applicant to gain approval of a NDA for a new chemical entity (“NCE”). A drug is a NCE if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an ANDA or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company for another version of such drug where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference to all the data required for approval. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a Paragraph IV certification. The Hatch- Waxman Act also provides three years of marketing exclusivity to the holder of a NDA (including a 505(b)(2) NDA) for a particular condition of approval, or change to a marketed product, such as a new formulation for a previously approved product, if one or more new clinical studies (other than bioavailability or bioequivalence studies) conducted or sponsored by the applicant were deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, including, for example, new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three- year exclusivity period protects against FDA approval of ANDAs and 505(b)(2) NDA for drugs that include the innovation that required the new clinical data, but does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active ingredient. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA; however, an applicant submitting a full NDA is required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the non-clinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
Biosimilar Exclusivity
The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (“BPCIA”) creates an abbreviated approval pathway for biosimilar products under section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (“PHSA”). A biosimilar product or “biosimilar” is a biological product that is highly similar to and has no clinically meaningful differences from an existing FDA-licensed reference product. Biosimilarity must be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and at least one clinical study, absent a waiver. A biosimilar product may be deemed interchangeable with a prior licensed product if it is biosimilar and meets additional requirements under the BPCIA, including that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product and, for products administered multiple times, the biologic and the reference biologic may be switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic. An interchangeable product may be substituted for the reference product without the involvement of the prescriber.
Under the BPCIA, no section 351(k) application for a biosimilar may be submitted for four (4) years from the date of licensure of the reference product. Additionally, a reference biologic is granted twelve (12) years of exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the reference product, During this twelve (12)-year exclusivity period, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product submitted under section 351(a) of the PHSA containing the competing sponsor’s own pre-clinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity, and potency of the other company’s product. The first biologic product submitted under the abbreviated approval pathway that is determined to be interchangeable with the reference product may obtain exclusivity against a finding of interchangeability for other biologics for the same condition of use for the lesser of (i) one (1) year after first commercial marketing of the first interchangeable biosimilar; (ii) eighteen (18) months after the first interchangeable biosimilar is approved if there is no patent challenge; (iii) eighteen (18) months after resolution of a lawsuit over the patents of the reference biologic in favor of the first interchangeable biosimilar applicant; or (iv) forty-two (42) months after the first interchangeable biosimilar’s application has been approved if a patent lawsuit is ongoing within the forty-two (42)-month period.
Expedited Development and Review Programs
Fast Track Designation
Fast track designation may be granted for a product that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition for which preclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the condition. The sponsor of an investigational drug product may request that the FDA designate the drug candidate for a specific indication as a fast track drug concurrent with, or after, the submission of the IND for the drug candidate. The FDA must determine if the drug candidate qualifies for fast track designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request. For fast track products, sponsors may have greater interactions with the FDA and the FDA may initiate review of sections of a fast track product’s NDA before the application is complete. This rolling review is available if the FDA determines, after preliminary evaluation of clinical data submitted by the sponsor, that a fast track product may be effective. The sponsor must also provide, and the FDA must approve, a schedule for the submission of the remaining information and the sponsor must pay applicable user fees. At the time of NDA filing, the FDA will determine whether to grant priority review designation. Additionally, fast track designation may be withdrawn if the FDA believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in the clinical trial process.
Breakthrough Therapy Designation
The FDA may also accelerate the approval of a designated Breakthrough Therapy, which is a drug that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The sponsor of a Breakthrough Therapy may request the FDA to designate the drug as a Breakthrough Therapy at the time of, or any time after, the submission of a IND for the drug. If the FDA designates a drug as a Breakthrough Therapy, it must take actions appropriate to expedite the development and review of the application, which may include (i) holding meetings with the sponsor and the review team throughout the development of the drug; (ii) providing timely advice to, and interactive communication with, the sponsor regarding the development of the drug to ensure that the development program to gather the nonclinical and clinical data necessary for approval is as efficient as practicable; (iii) involving senior managers and experienced review staff, as appropriate, in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary review; (iv) assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the FDA review team to facilitate an efficient review of the development program and to serve as a scientific liaison between the review team and the sponsor; and (v) taking steps to ensure that the design of the clinical trials is as efficient as practicable, when scientifically appropriate, such as by minimizing the number of patients exposed to a potentially less efficacious treatment.
Accelerated Approval
Accelerated approval may be granted for a product that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and that generally provides a meaningful therapeutic advantage to patients over existing treatments. A product eligible for accelerated approval may be approved on the basis of either a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. The accelerated approval pathway is most often used in settings in which the course of a disease is long, and an extended period of time is required to measure the intended clinical benefit of a product, even if the effect on the surrogate or intermediate clinical endpoint occurs rapidly. The accelerated approval pathway is contingent on a sponsor’s agreement to conduct additional post-approval confirmatory studies to verify and describe the product’s clinical benefit. These confirmatory trials must be completed with due diligence and, in some cases, the FDA may require that the trial be designed, initiated, and/or fully enrolled prior to approval. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or to confirm a clinical benefit during post-marketing studies, would allow the FDA to withdraw the product from the market on an expedited basis. All promotional materials for product candidates approved under accelerated regulations are subject to prior review by the FDA.
Orphan Drugs
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States but for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the product for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product in the United States.
Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting a NDA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the identity of the drug and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.
The first NDA applicant to receive FDA approval for a particular active moiety to treat a rare disease for which it has such designation is entitled to a seven-year exclusive marketing period in the U.S. for that product, for that indication. During the seven-year exclusivity period, the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same disease, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity by means of greater effectiveness, greater safety, or providing a major contribution to patient care, or in instances of drug supply issues. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug for the same disease or condition, or the same drug for a different disease or condition. Other benefits of orphan drug designation include tax credits for certain research and an exemption from the NDA user fee.
Pediatric Information
Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, NDAs or supplements to NDAs must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the drug is safe and effective. The FDA may grant full or partial waivers, or deferrals, for submission of data. Unless otherwise required by regulation, PREA does not apply to any drug for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted, with certain exceptions.
The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, or BPCA, provides NDA holders a six-month extension of any exclusivity — patent or nonpatent — for a drug if certain conditions are met. Conditions for exclusivity include the FDA’s determination that information relating to the use of a new drug in the pediatric population may produce health benefits in that population, the FDA making a written request for pediatric studies, and the applicant agreeing to perform, and reporting on, the requested studies within the statutory timeframe. Applications under the BPCA are treated as priority applications, with all of the benefits that designation confers.
Post-Marketing FDA Regulations
Following approval of a new product, a pharmaceutical company and the approved product are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA and other federal and state regulatory authorities, including, among other things, monitoring and record-keeping activities, reporting to applicable regulatory authorities of adverse experiences with the product, providing the regulatory authorities with updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, and complying with promotion and advertising requirements, which include, among others, standards for direct-to-consumer advertising, restrictions on promoting drugs for uses or in patient populations not described in the drug’s approved labeling (known as “off-label use”), limitations on industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and requirements for promotional activities involving the internet. Although physicians may prescribe legally available drugs for off-label uses, manufacturers may not market or promote such off-label uses. Modifications or enhancements to the products or labeling or changes of site of manufacture are often subject to the approval of the FDA and other regulators, which may or may not be received or may result in a lengthy review process.
The FDA, state and foreign regulatory authorities have broad enforcement powers. Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, state or foreign regulatory authorities, which may include the following:
untitled letters or warning letters;
fines, disgorgement, restitution or civil penalties;
injunctions (e.g., total or partial suspension of production) or consent decrees;
product recalls, administrative detention, or seizure;
customer notifications or repair, replacement or refunds;
operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
delays in or refusal to grant requests for future product approvals or foreign regulatory approvals of new products, new intended uses, or modifications to existing products;
withdrawals or suspensions of FDA product marketing approvals or foreign regulatory approvals, resulting in prohibitions on product sales;
clinical holds on clinical trials;
FDA refusal to issue certificates to foreign governments to export products for sale in other countries; and
criminal prosecution.
Any of these sanctions could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. Such actions by government agencies could also require us to expend a large amount of resources to respond to the actions. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Prescription drug advertising is subject to federal, state and foreign regulations. In the United States, the FDA regulates prescription drug promotion, including direct-to-consumer advertising. Prescription drug promotion materials must be submitted to the FDA in conjunction with their first use. Any distribution of prescription drug products and pharmaceutical samples must comply with the U.S. Prescription Drug Marketing Act (“PDMA”), a part of the FDCA. Once a product is approved, its manufacture is subject to comprehensive and continuing regulations by the FDA. The FDA regulations require the products be manufactured in specific approved facilities and in accordance with cGMP, and NDA or BLA holders must list their products and register their manufacturing establishments with the FDA. These regulations also impose certain organizational, procedural and documentation requirements with respect to manufacturing and quality assurance activities. Drug manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws.
NDA or BLA holders using contract manufacturers, laboratories or packagers are responsible for the selection and monitoring of qualified firms. These firms are subject to inspections by the FDA at any time, and the discovery of violations could result in enforcement actions that interrupt the operation of any such facilities or the ability to distribute products manufactured, processed or tested by them. Newly-discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s approved labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and also may require the implementation of other risk management measures.
Healthcare and Reimbursement Regulation
If VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we seek to develop, are approved by the FDA, government coverage and reimbursement policies will both directly and indirectly affect our ability to successfully commercialize the product, and such coverage and reimbursement policies will be affected by future healthcare reform measures. Government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations generally decide which drugs they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels for healthcare. In particular, in the United States, private health insurers and other third-party payors often provide reimbursement for products based on the level at which the government (through the Medicare or Medicaid programs) provides reimbursement for such treatments. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers performing the prescribed services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Many patients are unlikely to use our products unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our products. Sales of our products will therefore depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, to the extent they are reimbursed by government health administration authorities, such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payors. The market for our products will depend significantly on access to third-party payors’ formularies, or lists of products or treatments for which third-party payors provide coverage and reimbursement. Also, third-party payors are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. Coverage and reimbursements for therapeutic products can differ significantly from payor to payor. A third-party payors’ decision to provide coverage for a medical product or service does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. One third-party payor’s decision to cover a particular medical product or service does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the medical product or services, or to provide coverage at an adequate reimbursement rate. As a result, the coverage determination process will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of or products to each payor separately, with no assurance that adequate coverage and reimbursement will be obtained.
In the United States and other potentially significant markets for VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we seek to develop, government authorities and other third-party payors are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. For example, third-party payors are attempting to limit or regulate the price of medical products, particularly for new and innovative products and therapies, which has resulted in lower average selling prices. Further, the increased emphasis on managed healthcare in the United States will put additional pressure on product pricing, reimbursement and usage. These pressures can arise from rules and practices of managed care groups, judicial decisions and governmental laws and regulations related to Medicare, Medicaid and healthcare reform, pharmaceutical reimbursement policies and pricing in general.
The United States and some foreign jurisdictions have enacted or are considering a number of additional legislative and regulatory proposals designed to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell our products profitably. Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, enacted in March 2010. In the future, there may be additional proposals relating to the reform of the United States health care system, some of which could further limit the prices we are able to charge for our products, or the amounts of reimbursement available for our products. If drug products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply. All of these activities are also potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.
Further, if a drug product is reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid or other federal or state healthcare programs, we, and our business activities, including but not limited to our sales, marketing and scientific/educational grant programs must comply with the False Claims Act, as amended, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, as amended, other healthcare fraud and abuse laws and similar state laws. Additionally, if an outpatient prescription drug product is reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid, pricing and rebate programs must comply with, as applicable, the Medicaid rebate requirements of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, as amended, and the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.
Other Regulatory Matters and Compliance Requirements
Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities following product approval are also subject to regulation by numerous regulatory authorities in addition to the FDA, including, in the United States, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), other divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state and local governments. Sales, marketing and scientific/educational programs must also comply with federal and state fraud and abuse laws. Pricing and rebate programs must comply with the Medicaid rebate requirements of the U.S. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. If products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply. The handling of any controlled substances must comply with the U.S. Controlled Substances Act and Controlled Substances Import and Export Act. Products must meet applicable child-resistant packaging requirements under the U.S. Poison Prevention Packaging Act. Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities are also potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair completion laws.
The distribution of pharmaceutical products is subject to additional requirements and regulations, including extensive record-keeping, licensing, storage and security requirements intended to prevent the unauthorized sale of pharmaceutical products.
The Federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act within the ACA, and its implementing regulations, require that certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report information related to certain payments or other transfers of value made or distributed to physicians and teaching hospitals, or to entities or individuals at the request of, or designated on behalf of, the physicians and teaching hospitals and to report annually certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.
In addition, we may be subject to data privacy and security regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”), and its implementing regulations, imposes certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. Among other things, HITECH makes HIPAA’s privacy and security standards directly applicable to “business associates”— independent contractors or agents of covered entities that receive or obtain protected health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity. HITECH also created four new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates and possibly other persons, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. In addition, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. For example, California recently enacted legislation, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, which went into effect January 1, 2020. The CCPA, among other things, creates new data privacy obligations for covered companies and provides new privacy rights to California residents, including the right to opt out of certain disclosures of their information. The CCPA also creates a private right of action with statutory damages for certain data breaches, thereby potentially increasing risks associated with a data breach.
Corruption Laws
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar foreign anti-corruption laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments or providing anything of value to improperly influence foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, or obtaining an unfair advantage. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the global enforcement of anti-corruption laws. Our anticipated non-U.S. operations and our anticipated expansion into additional countries outside the United States, including in developing countries, could increase the risk of such violations. Violations of these laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, could disrupt our business, and could adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations or financial condition.
International Regulation of Drugs
Before we can market VAR 200, IC 100 and any other product candidate that we seek to develop, in any jurisdiction outside of the United States, we must obtain the necessary marketing authorizations in such jurisdiction. Many such jurisdictions require extensive safety and efficacy data similar to the data required by the FDA before granting marketing authorization. We may not be successful in obtaining marketing authorizations that we seek outside of the United States. If we are successful in obtaining marketing authorization in one jurisdiction, including the United States, that authorization does not ensure that we will receive marketing authorization in any other jurisdiction. The authorizations that are required to market a pharmaceutical product vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. If we obtain marketing approval in any jurisdiction outside of the United States, we will be subject to ongoing regulation in such jurisdiction, consistent with the ongoing regulations to which we would be subject in the United States.
International Data Privacy and Security Laws
Certain non-U.S. laws, such as the GDPR govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, some of which are more stringent than HIPAA and many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant civil and/or criminal penalties and private litigation. For example, in Europe, the GDPR went into effect in May 2018 and introduces strict requirements for processing the personal data of individuals within the EEA. The GDPR also increases the scrutiny of transfers of personal data from clinical trial sites located in the EEA to the United States and other jurisdictions that the European Commission does not recognize as having “adequate” data protection laws. Further, recent legal developments in Europe have created complexity and compliance uncertainty regarding certain transfers of information from the EEA to the United States. For example, on June 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union, or the CJEU, declared the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework, or the Privacy Shield, to be invalid. As a result, Privacy Shield is no longer a valid mechanism for transferring personal data from the EEA to the United States. Moreover, it is uncertain whether the standard contractual clauses will also be invalidated by the European courts or legislature, which seems possible given the rationale behind the CJEU’s concerns about U.S. law and practice on government surveillance. Companies that must comply with the GDPR face increased compliance obligations and risk, including more robust regulatory enforcement of data protection requirements and potential fines for noncompliance of up to €20 million or 4% of the annual global revenues of the noncompliant company, whichever is greater. Additionally, following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union and the EEA, companies have to comply with the GDPR and the GDPR as incorporated into United Kingdom national law, the latter regime having the ability to separately fine up to the greater of £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover. The relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unclear, for example around how data can lawfully be transferred between each jurisdiction, which exposes us to further compliance risk. In Canada, PIPEDA and similar provincial laws impose obligations on companies with respect to processing personal information, including health-related information, and provides individuals certain rights with respect to such information, including the right to access and challenge the accuracy of their personal information held by an organization. Failure to comply with PIPEDA could result in significant fines and penalties.
Employees
As of December 31, 2025, we had six (6) full-time employees. We believe our relations with our employees are good. In addition, we utilize and will continue to utilize consultants, clinical research organizations and third parties to perform our pre-clinical studies, clinical studies, manufacturing and regulatory functions.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated under the name “Larkspur Health Acquisition Corp.” on March 17, 2021 under the laws of the State of Delaware for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving one or more other businesses. On December 12, 2022, we changed our name to “ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc.” in connection with the Business Combination (as hereinafter defined) with ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc., a Florida corporation (“Old ZyVersa”). Our principal executive offices are located at 2200 North Commerce Parkway, Suite 208, Weston, Florida 33326. Our telephone number is (754) 231-1688 and our website address is https://www.zyversa.com . On our website, investors can obtain, free of charge, a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, including disclosure related to any amendments or waivers thereto, other reports and any amendments thereto filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material electronically with, or furnish it to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). None of the information posted on our website is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding the Company and other companies that file materials with the SEC electronically.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K and the information incorporated herein by reference contain references to registered or common law trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us or other companies. Solely for convenience, such trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this report and the information incorporated herein, including logos, artwork, and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or ™ or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, service marks and trade names. We do not intend to use or display of other companies’ trademarks, service marks or trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this report are the property of their respective owners.
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
There have been no material changes as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the risk factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 27, 2025, other than those described below.
We have never been profitable.
To date, we do not have data to support regulatory approval of any of our drug products, we have no products approved for commercial sale in any jurisdiction, and we have not generated any revenue from product sales. As a result, our ability to curtail our losses and reach profitability is unproven, and we may never achieve or sustain profitability.
We have never been profitable and do not expect to be profitable for the foreseeable future. As of December 31, 2025, our accumulated net loss was approximately $204 million, inclusive of the period prior to the Business Combination period. We have devoted most of our financial resources to our organizational and capital-raising activities and negotiating our license agreements, and other strategic partnerships and collaborations. We have not completed development of any product candidate through the receipt of marketing approval, and we have therefore not generated any revenues from product sales. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with pharmaceutical product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. We expect to incur increased expenses as we continue the clinical development of VAR 200 and preclinical development of IC 100 and other product candidates that we may seek to develop and for which we may seek marketing approval in the United States and elsewhere. We also expect an increase in our expenses associated with creating additional infrastructure (including hiring additional personnel) to commence clinical trials and continue the development and commercialization of VAR 200 and IC 100 and other product candidates that we may seek to develop. As a result, we expect to continue to incur net losses and negative cash flows for the foreseeable future. These net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.
To date, we have financed our operations through the sale of our equity securities. The amount of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenues. If we are unable to develop and commercialize VAR 200, IC 100, or any other product candidates that we may seek to develop, either alone or with collaborators, or if revenues from any product candidate that receives marketing approval are insufficient, we may not be able to raise additional capital and will not achieve profitability. Current limitations on accessing capital in a risk-averse environment for the biotechnology sector, characterized by decreased investor appetite, market volatility, and regulatory uncertainty, have contributed to a sustained decline in our market capitalization. As a result, in September 2025, we determined that the carrying value of our in-process research and development intangible asset was not recoverable and recorded an $18.6 million impairment charge.
Our common stock has been delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market.
Effective October 6, 2025, our common stock was delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market. Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB under the ticker symbol “ZVSA.” We can provide no assurance that our common stock will continue to trade on this market, whether broker-dealers will continue to provide public quotes of our common stock on this market, whether the trading volume of our common stock will be sufficient to provide for an efficient trading market or whether quotes for our common stock will continue on this market in the future. Stocks trading in the OTC Markets generally have substantially less liquidity; consequently, it can be much more difficult for stockholders and broker/dealers to purchase and sell our shares in an orderly manner or at all. Due in part to the decreased trading price of our common stock and reduced analyst coverage, the trading price of our common stock may change quickly, and brokers may not be able to execute trades as quickly as they previously could when our common stock was listed on a national exchange.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Our use of information systems for using, transmitting and storing data is a vital aspect of our business operations. Information systems can be vulnerable to a range of cybersecurity threats that could potentially have a material impact on our business strategy, results of operations and financial condition.
Cybersecurity is a key category within our risk management efforts, and our cybersecurity risk management is intended to assist in assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats to the Company’s information systems. Our cybersecurity risk management and strategy is based upon utilizing systems that are cloud based which require multifactor authentication to access. Due to our small size, we partner with a third-party service provider which utilizes multiple security operations centers . The security operations centers maintain, monitor, mitigate and alert on threats against the cloud systems that we utilize. If a risk is identified the security operations center has the ability to shut down access to any user in the organization.
The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for oversight of the Company’s cyber-risk management and management’s role is to assist the Audit Committee in identifying and considering material cybersecurity risks, ensure implementation of management and employee level cybersecurity practices and training and provide the Audit Committee with unrestricted access to Company personnel and documents regarding any cybersecurity attacks or vulnerabilities.
We also require our employees to participate in cybersecurity training and awareness programs. Company’s employees are expected to help safeguard the Company’s information systems and to assist in the discovery and reporting of cybersecurity incidents. These programs are intended to decrease cybersecurity risks associated with human error and foster a culture of cybersecurity consciousness.
To date, the risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous immaterial cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. While our insurance covers certain cybersecurity related matters, the costs related to cybersecurity threats or disruptions may not be fully insured.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our principal executive offices are located at 2200 North Commerce Parkway, Suite 208, Weston, Florida 33326. On January 18, 2019, we entered into a lease agreement (the “Lease”) for 3,502 square feet of office space located at this facility, with a lease term of 60 months beginning in January 2019 and ending in January 2024. On January 15, 2024, the Company extended the lease for an additional year and on January 9, 2025, the Company extended the lease for an additional year. The lease agreement ended on January 31, 2026 and it was not extended.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings; however, we may from time to time become a party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. Although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, as of the date of this report, we do not believe we are party to any claim or litigation the outcome of which, if determined adversely to us, would individually or in the aggregate be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on our business. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT ’ S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB® Venture Market under the symbol “ZVSA”. Any over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down, or commission, and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. Prior to July 17, 2025, our common stock traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market.
Holders
As of March 25, 2026, there were approximately 88 holders of record of our common stock. These numbers do not include beneficial owners whose shares were held in street name. The actual number of holders of our common stock is greater than this number of record holders and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers or held by other nominees.
Dividends
The Company has never declared dividends on the Company’s equity securities, and currently does not plan to declare dividends on shares of the Company’s common stock in the foreseeable future. The Company expects to retain future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of the Company’s business. The payment of cash dividends in the future, if any, will be at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend upon such factors as earnings levels, capital requirements, overall financial condition and any other factors deemed relevant by the board of directors.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
There were no unregistered sales of equity securities which have not been previously disclosed in a quarterly report on Form 10-Q or a current report on Form 8-K since January 1, 2024.
Penny Stock Regulations
The SEC has adopted Rule 15g-9, which establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for purposes relevant to the Company, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require: (i) that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, and (ii) that the broker or dealer receive from the investor a written agreement to the transaction, setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must (i) obtain financial information and investment experience and objectives of the person, and (ii) make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and that such person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks. The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prepared by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form, (i) sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination, and (ii) confirms that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction. Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading, and about commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities, and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.
Because of these regulations, broker-dealers may encounter difficulties in their attempt to buy or sell shares of our common stock, which may affect the ability of our shareholders to sell their shares in the secondary market and have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market. These additional sales practice and disclosure requirements could impede the sale of our common stock in the marketplace. In addition, the liquidity for our common stock may be decreased, with a corresponding decrease in the price of our common stock. Our shares are likely to be subject to such penny stock rules for the foreseeable future.
ITEM 6. [ RESERVED]
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT ’ S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this section to “we,” “us” or “our” refer to the combined business of ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc., a Florida corporation, prior to the Business Combination and ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries after giving effect to the Business Combination.
The following discussion and analysis provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated results of operations and financial condition. You should read this discussion and analysis in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Certain amounts may not foot due to rounding. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” We assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
Business Overview
We are a clinical stage specialty biopharmaceutical company leveraging advanced proprietary technologies to develop first-in-class drugs for patients with renal or inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical needs.
Our renal drug candidate, which we refer to as Cholesterol Efflux Mediator TM VAR 200 (2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin or “2HβCD”), is in development to treat multiple renal indications. The lead indication is focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Our anti-inflammatory drug candidate, which we refer to as Inflammasome ASC Inhibitor IC 100, is a humanized monoclonal IgG4 antibody targeting apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (“ASC”) in development to treat multiple inflammatory diseases. The lead indication is obesity-related cardiometabolic comorbidities.
Financial Operations Overview
We have not generated any revenue to date and have incurred significant operating losses. Our net losses were $25.0 million for the period from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, compared to $9.4 million for the period from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $137.6 million and cash of $0.1 million. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses for the foreseeable future and to incur operating losses. We expect our expenses will increase in connection with our ongoing activities as we:
progress development of VAR 200 and IC 100
prepare and file regulatory submissions;
begin to manufacture our product candidates for clinical trials;
hire additional research and development, finance, and general and administrative personnel;
protect and defend our intellectual property; and
meet the requirements of being a public company.
We will need additional financing to support our continuing operations. We will seek to fund our operations through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, which may include government grants and collaborations with third parties. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.
Recent Developments
On July 15, 2025, we received a determination letter (the “Letter”) from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) indicating that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) has determined to deny our request to continue our listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Our common stock was delisted on October 6, 2025. As a result of the delisting, there may be a very limited market in which our shares are traded, our stockholders may find it difficult to sell their shares of our common stock, and the trading price of our securities, if any, may be adversely affected. We applied for trading on the OTCQB® Venture Market (“OTCQB”) maintained by the OTC Markets Group Inc. to mitigate the risk of delisting from Nasdaq. Our application was approved on July 25, 2025, and our common stock began trading on OTCQB on July 28, 2025, under the symbol “ZVSA.”
Components of Operating Results
Revenue
Since inception, we have not generated any revenue and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products in the near future. If our development efforts for our product candidates are successful and result in regulatory approval, or if we enter into collaboration or license agreements with third parties, we may generate revenue in the future from a combination of product sales or payments from collaboration or license agreements.
Operating Expenses
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred in the discovery and development of our product candidates, and primarily include:
expenses incurred under third party agreements with contract research organizations (“CROs”), and investigative sites, that conducted or will conduct our clinical trials and a portion of our pre-clinical activities;
costs of raw materials, as well as manufacturing cost of our materials used in clinical trials and other development testing;
expenses, including salaries, stock-based compensation and benefits of employees engaged in research and development activities;
costs of equipment, depreciation and other allocated expenses; and
fees paid for contracted regulatory services as well as fees paid to regulatory authorities including the US Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) for review and approval of our product candidates.
We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs for external development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our vendors. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in our financial statements as prepaid expenses or accrued expenses.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. We expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase for the foreseeable future as we continue preclinical and clinical development for our product candidates. As products enter later stages of clinical development, they will generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. Historically, our research and development costs have primarily related to the development of VAR 200 and IC 100. As we advance VAR 200 and IC 100, as well as identify other potential product candidates, we will continue to allocate our direct external research and development costs to the products. We expect to fund our research and development expenses from our current cash and cash equivalents and any future equity or debt financings, or other capital sources, including potential collaborations with other companies or other strategic transactions.
The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of, or when, if ever, material net cash inflows may commence from our product candidates. This uncertainty is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the duration and cost of clinical trials, which vary significantly over the life of a project resulting from many factors, including:
the number of clinical sites included in the clinical trials;
the length of time required to enroll suitable patients;
the size of patient populations participating in the clinical trials;
the number of doses a patient receives;
the duration of patient follow-ups;
the number and types of assessments;
the development state of the product candidates; and
the efficacy and safety profile of the product candidates.
Our expenditures are subject to additional uncertainties, including the terms and timing of regulatory approvals, and the expense of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims or other intellectual property rights. We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for our product candidates. We may obtain unexpected results from our clinical trials. We may elect to discontinue, delay or modify clinical trials of our product candidates. A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of a product candidate could mean a significant change in the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. For example, if the FDA or other regulatory authorities were to require us to conduct clinical trials beyond those that we currently anticipate, or if we experience significant delays in enrollment in any of our clinical trials, we could be required to expend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of clinical development. Product commercialization will take years and likely millions of dollars in development costs.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, stock-based compensation and related costs for our employees in administrative, executive and finance functions. General and administrative expenses also include professional fees for legal, accounting, audit, tax and consulting services, insurance, human resources, information technology, office, and travel expenses.
We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization of our product candidates. We also expect to incur increased expenses associated with being a public company, including costs of accounting, audit, legal, regulatory and tax compliance services, director and officer insurance, and investor and public relations costs.
Results of Operations
As we continue to explore commercial opportunities and partners in both U.S. and international markets, we remain attentive to evolving global economic conditions, including uncertainties related to international trade policies, tariffs, and supply chain dynamics. Although these factors have not had a material impact on our operations to date, future changes in trade regulations, tariff structures, or logistical constraints could influence the cost, availability, or timing of materials, services and other components associated with the development of our product candidates and manufacturing capabilities. We continue to monitor these developments closely to maintain operational efficiency and help mitigate potential future impacts.
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.
For the Years Ended
Favorable
December 31,
(Unfavorable)
(in thousands)
$ Change
% Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development
General and administrative
Impairment of in-process research and development
Total Operating Expenses
Loss from Operations
Other (Income) Expense, Net
Pre-tax net loss
Income tax benefit
Net loss
Research and development expenses
Research and development expenses were approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, a decrease of approximately $0.7 million or 37.4% from the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease is attributable to fewer consultants utilized in 2025 for a decrease of $0.3 million, retirement of Chief Medical Officer in late 2025 for a net decrease of $0.1 million, decrease in VAR200 clinical patient trial expense of $0.1 million, as program paused in 2025, and a decrease in preclinical bioassay IC100 work of $0.1 million which was completed in 2024.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses were approximately $5.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, a decrease of approximately $1.6 million or 22.1% from the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease is attributable to $0.5 million decrease in director and officer insurance due to reduced costs in the third year of being a public company, a $0.4 million decrease in stock-based compensation as a result of options becoming fully amortized in 2025, a $0.4 million decrease in marketing expense due to fewer investor relations and public relations firms used in 2025, and a $0.2 million decrease in Delaware franchise tax as a result of a decrease in total assets.
Impairment of in-process research and development
For the year ended December 31, 2025, impairment of in-process research and development was $18.6 million which is a result of a significant and sustained decline in the Company’s market capitalization. There was no impairment for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Other (Income) Expense, Net
Other (income) expense, net was $312 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2025, an increase of $42 thousand from the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in expense is attributable to $243 thousand increase in interest expense charged by a vendor for outstanding amounts owed offset by a decrease of $201 thousand for a mark to market adjustment in the fair value of equity payable due to the decreased price in stock.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
For the Years Ended
December 31,
Increase
(in thousands)
(decrease)
Net cash provided by (used in)
Operating activities
Financing activities
Net Decrease in Cash
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $5.1 million and $7.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the net cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to the net loss of approximately $25.1 million and $9.4 million, respectively, offset by $18.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively, of net non-cash expenses, and approximately $1.7 million and $1.0 million, respectively, of cash generated by the levels of operating assets and liabilities, respectively.
Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities was $3.7 million and $5.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2025 represented proceeds from the exercise of warrants and private placement of warrants. Cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 represented proceeds from the exercise of warrants and at the market stock proceeds.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table summarizes our total current assets, liabilities and working capital deficiency at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively:
December 31,
December 31,
(in thousands)
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
Working Capital Deficiency
Since our inception in 2014 through December 31, 2025, we have not generated any revenue and have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations. Based on our current operating plan, we expect our cash of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2025 will only be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements on a month-to-month basis. It is difficult to predict our spending for our product candidates prior to obtaining FDA approval. Moreover, changing circumstances may cause us to expend cash significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to spend more cash than currently expected because of circumstances beyond our control.
Going Concern
Since inception we have been engaged in organizational activities, including raising capital and research and development activities. We have not generated revenues and have not yet achieved profitable operations, nor have we ever generated positive cash flow from operations. There is no assurance that profitable operations, if achieved, could be sustained on a continuing basis. We are subject to those risks associated with any pre-clinical stage pharmaceutical company that has substantial expenditures for research and development. There can be no assurance that our research and development projects will be successful, that products developed will obtain necessary regulatory approval, or that any approved product will be commercially viable. In addition, we operate in an environment of rapid technological change and are largely dependent on the services of our employees and consultants. Further, our future operations are dependent on the success of our efforts to raise additional capital. These uncertainties raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for 12 months after the issuance date of our financial statements. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the continuation of operations, realization of assets and liquidation of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the possible inability to continue as a going concern. We incurred a net loss of $25.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 and had an accumulated deficit of $137.6 million on December 31, 2025. We anticipate incurring additional losses until such time, if ever, that we can generate significant revenue from our product candidates currently in development. Our primary source of capital has been the issuance of debt and equity securities. On February 27, 2026, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase agreement and received approximately $1.0 million. We believe that current cash is only sufficient to fund operations and capital requirements on a month-to-month basis. Additional financing will be needed to fund our operations, to complete development of and to commercialize our product candidates. There is no assurance that such financing will be available when needed or on acceptable terms.
Contractual Obligations
The following summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025 that will affect our future liquidity. Based on our current operating plan, we plan to satisfy the obligations identified below from our current cash balance and future financing.
Cash requirements for our current liabilities as of December 31, 2025 are approximately $12.7 million for accounts payable and accrued expenses.
Future Capital Needs
We expect our cash on hand will enable us to invest in our continued development of VAR 200 and IC 100 on a month-to-month basis as cash is available. We intend to raise additional capital in the future to fund continued development.
We expect to raise additional capital by issuing equity, equity-linked securities, or debt in subsequent offerings. If we are unable to raise additional capital on terms favorable to us, we may not have sufficient liquidity to execute our business strategy. We have various warrants outstanding that can be exercised for our common stock, many of which must be exercised in exchange for cash by the holders of such warrants. If the market price of our common stock is less than the exercise price of a holder’s warrants, it is unlikely that holders will exercise their warrants. As such, we do not expect to receive significant proceeds in the near term from the exercise of most of our warrants based on the current market price of our common stock and the exercise prices of such warrants.
Our policy is to invest any cash exceeding our immediate requirements in investments designed to preserve the principal balance and provide liquidity while producing a modest return on investment.
We expect to continue to incur substantial additional operating losses for at least the next several years as we continue to develop our product candidates and seek marketing approval and, the eventual commercialization of our product candidates if approved. If we obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, we will incur significant sales, marketing and outsourced manufacturing expenses. In addition, we expect to incur additional expenses to add operational, financial, and information systems and personnel, to support our planned product development efforts, and other initiatives. We also expect to incur significant costs to comply with corporate governance, internal controls, and requirements applicable to public companies.
Our future use of operating cash and capital requirements will depend on many forward-looking factors, including the following:
the initiation, progress, timing, costs and results of clinical development plans and clinical trials for our product candidates;
the number and characteristics of product candidates that we develop or in-license;
the terms of any collaboration agreements we may choose to execute;
the outcome, timing and cost of meeting regulatory requirements established by the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities;
the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing our patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
the cost of defending intellectual property disputes, including patent infringement actions brought by third parties against us;
the cost and timing of the implementation of commercial scale manufacturing activities; and
the cost of establishing, or outsourcing, sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for any product candidates for which we may receive regulatory approval in regions where we choose to commercialize our products on our own.
To continue to grow our business over the longer term, we plan to commit substantial resources to research and development, clinical trials of our product candidates, and other operations and potential product acquisitions and in-licensing. We have evaluated and expect to continue to evaluate a wide array of strategic transactions as part of our plan to acquire or in-license approved or development products and develop additional products and product candidates to augment our internal development pipeline or expand our existing operations. Strategic transaction opportunities that we may pursue could materially affect our liquidity and capital resources and may require us to incur additional indebtedness, seek equity capital or both. Strategic transactions may also be structured as a collaboration or partnering arrangement. We have no arrangements, agreements, or understandings in place at the present time to enter into any acquisition, in-licensing or similar strategic business transaction. We continue to evaluate commercial collaborations and strategic relationships with established pharmaceutical companies, which would provide us with more immediate access to marketing, sales, market access and distribution infrastructure.
If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders will experience dilution. Debt financing, if available, would result in increased fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Any debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms, such as liquidation and other preferences that are not favorable to us or our existing stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or product candidates or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.
JOBS Act Accounting Election
ZyVersa is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. The JOBS Act permits companies with emerging growth company status to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards, delaying the adoption of these accounting standards until they apply to private companies. ZyVersa expects to use this extended transition period to enable compliance with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date the Company (1) is no longer an emerging growth company or (2) affirmatively and irrevocably opts out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting standards as of public company effective dates.
In addition, the Company intends to rely on the other exemptions and reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
There are no off-balance sheet arrangements with any other entity that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future effect on financial conditions, changes in financial conditions, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to stockholders.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require our management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or results of operations would be affected. We base our estimates on our own historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable after taking account of our circumstances and expectations for the future based on available information. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis.
We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if: (i) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made, and (ii) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Our critical accounting estimates are described below.
Impairment of In-Process Research and Development
The Company reviews for the impairment of in-process research and development at a minimum annually, but more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company measures the carrying amount of the asset against the estimated undiscounted future cash flows associated with it. Should the sum of the expected future net cash flows be less than the carrying value of the asset being evaluated, an impairment loss would be recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, we determined that it was more likely than not that the Company’s single reporting unit’s fair value was below its carrying amount, due to significant and sustained decline in the Company’s market capitalization. Current limitations on accessing significant capital in what is currently a risk averse environment for biotech (as evidenced by decreased investor appetite for risk, market volatility, regulatory uncertainty from a changing Food and Drug Administration and a challenging economic environment), resulted in a sustained decline in the Company’s market capitalization, and the Company’s ability to further finance the development of its drug candidates to the next milestone could be adversely impacted. Accordingly, the Company determined that the carrying value of its IPR&D intangible asset was not recoverable and it was fully impaired. Therefore, the Company recorded an $18.6 million impairment charge, reflected within operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2025.
The evaluation of asset impairment requires the Company to make assumptions about future cash flows over the life of the asset being evaluated. These assumptions require significant judgement, and actual results may differ from assumed and estimated amounts.
There are other items within our financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed critical, as defined above.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The amendments in this update address investor requests for more transparency about income tax information through improvements to income tax disclosures primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. This update also includes certain other amendments to improve the effectiveness of income tax disclosures. The amendments in ASU 2023-09 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in ASU 2023-09 were adopted by the Company on a prospective basis effective January 1, 2025. There was no material impact to the Company’s financial statements as a result of adopting ASU 2023-09. Refer to Note 6 – Income Taxes for the inclusion of new disclosures required.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2024, The FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income – Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220 – 04). This update requires an entity to disclose more detailed information regarding expenses for the entity. The amendments require that at each interim and the annual reporting period, the entity must disclose amounts related to purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, intangible asset amortization and depreciation, depletion, and amortization recognized as part of oil and gas- producing activities. Including the amounts, the entity is required to disclose and qualitative description of the amounts remaining in relevant expense captions, and to disclose the total amount of selling expenses and the definition of selling expenses. The amendments in this update should be applied prospectively to financial statements issued for reporting periods, and retrospectively to any prior periods presented in the financials. Although early adoption is permitted, the new guidance becomes effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027. Since this new ASU addresses only disclosures, the Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have any material effects on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
