Delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market could also result in other negative consequences, including the potential loss of confidence by suppliers, customers and employees, the loss of institutional investor interest, fewer business development opportunities and potential liabilities arising from stockholder litigation or other disputes.
On March 17, 2025, we were formally notified that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) determined that we regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(3) (the “Net Income Rule”), which requires listed companies to maintain a minimum of $500,000 of net income from continuing operations. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(A), we will be subject to a discretionary panel monitor for a period of one year from March 17, 2025. If, within that one-year monitoring period, we fail to maintain compliance with any Nasdaq continued listing requirement, the Listing Qualifications Staff (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq will issue a Delist Determination Letter, and we will have an opportunity to request a new hearing with the initial Panel or a newly convened Hearings Panel if the initial Panel is unavailable. Notwithstanding Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(2), we will not be permitted to provide the Staff with a plan of compliance with respect to any deficiency that arises during the one-year monitoring period, and the Staff will not be permitted to grant additional time for us to regain compliance with respect to any deficiency.
As previously disclosed, on April 10, 2024, we received written notice from Nasdaq notifying us that for the last 31 consecutive business days, our minimum Market Value of Listed Securities was below the minimum of $35 million required for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2). In addition, on January 10, 2025, we received a notice from Nasdaq indicating that following our hearing before the Panel on December 10, 2024, the Panel granted our request for continued listing on Nasdaq through March 31, 2025, subject to our compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) (the “Equity Rule”), among other conditions. While we had initially planned to regain compliance with the Equity Rule, upon review of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, the Staff confirmed that we demonstrated compliance with the Net Income Rule. Accordingly, the Panel determined to continue the listing of our securities on Nasdaq and closed the matter.
In particular, our share price may continue to decline for a number of reasons, including many that are beyond our control. See the risk factor captioned “The market price of our stock may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment,” described elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with Nasdaq’s listing standards or that we will be able to continue our listing on Nasdaq. If we fail to comply with the continued listing standards of The Nasdaq Capital Market, we may seek to list our common stock on the NYSE American or on a regional stock exchange or, if one or more broker-dealer market makers comply with applicable requirements, the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market. Listing on such other market or exchange could reduce the liquidity of our common stock. If our common stock were to trade in the OTC market, an investor would find it more difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations for the price of, the common stock. Delisting of the common stock could depress our stock price, substantially limit liquidity of our common stock and materially adversely affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Further, delisting of the common stock would likely result in the common stock becoming a “penny stock” under the Exchange Act.
Recently enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to commercialize our product candidates and affect the prices we may obtain.
In the United States and many foreign jurisdictions, the legislative landscape continues to evolve. There have been a number of enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system and pharmaceutical industry that could, among other things, prevent or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidate for which we obtain regulatory approval.
For example, in March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, “ACA”) broadened access to health insurance, reduced or constrained the growth of healthcare spending, enhanced remedies against healthcare fraud and abuse, add imposed new transparency requirements for healthcare and health insurance industries, imposed new taxes and fees on pharmaceutical manufacturers and imposed additional health policy reforms. Since the ACA’s enactment, there have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges and amendments to certain aspects of the ACA. For example, the IRA, among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket cost and creating a new manufacturer discount program. It is possible that the ACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is unclear how any such challenges and additional healthcare reform measures of the second Trump administration will impact the ACA and our business. For example, on July 4, 2025, the annual reconciliation bill, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (“OBBBA”), was signed into law which is expected to reduce Medicaid spending and enrollment by implementing work requirements for some beneficiaries, capping state-directed payments, reducing federal funding, and limiting provider taxes used to fund the program.