Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

Note 1 - Organization, Plan of Business Operations

v3.25.1
Note 1 - Organization, Plan of Business Operations
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Notes to Financial Statements  
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 1 - Organization, Plan of Business Operations

 

Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company” or “Avenue”) was incorporated in Delaware on February 9, 2015, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortress Biotech, Inc. (“Fortress”). Avenue is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of neurologic diseases. Avenue's current product candidates include intravenous tramadol ("IV tramadol") for the treatment of post-operative acute pain and BAER-101 for the treatment of epilepsy and panic disorders.

 

Nasdaq Delisting

 

On  March 17, 2025, the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notified the Company that Nasdaq had determined to delist the Company’s common stock and that trading of the Company’s securities would be suspended at the open of trading on  March 19, 2025. Nasdaq will file a Form 25 with the SEC notifying the SEC of Nasdaq’s determination to remove the Company’s securities from listing on Nasdaq, at which time the common stock will be formally delisted, cease to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act and immediately be deemed registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act. Since  March 19, 2025, the Company’s common stock has been traded on the over-the-counter market under the symbol “ATXI”.

 

AJ201 Termination

 

On February 28, 2023, Avenue entered into a license agreement with AnnJi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. ("AnnJi"), whereby Avenue obtained an exclusive license (the "AnnJi License Agreement") from AnnJi to the intellectual property rights pertaining to the molecule known as JM17, which activates Nrf1 and Nrf2, enhances androgen receptor degradation and underlies AJ201, a clinical product candidate currently in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial in the U.S. for the treatment of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (“SBMA”, also known as Kennedy's Disease). Under the AnnJi License Agreement, in exchange for exclusive rights to the intellectual property underlying the AJ201 product candidates, Avenue paid $3.0 million, issued shares of Avenue stock in two tranches, and agreed to make additional payments including: reimbursement of payments up to $10.8 million in connection with the product’s Phase 1b/2a clinical trial, up to $14.5 million in connection with certain development milestones pertaining to the first indication in the U.S., up to $27.5 million in connection with certain drug development milestones pertaining to additional indications and development outside the U.S., up to $165 million upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones ranging from $75 million to $750 million in annual net sales, and royalty payments based on a percentage of net sales ranging from mid-single digits to the low-double digits, which were subject to potential diminution in certain circumstances. On March 3, 2025, Avenue received a notice of AnnJi’s intent to terminate the AnnJi License Agreement, in which AnnJi asserted several bases for its right to terminate the AnnJi License Agreement.

 

On April 24, 2025 (the “Termination Effective Date”), Avenue and AnnJi entered into a License Termination and Program Transfer Agreement (the “Termination and Transfer Agreement”), pursuant to which: (i) the AnnJi License Agreement and related agreements were terminated with immediate effect; (ii) the parties dismissed all pending dispute resolution proceedings and provided mutual releases of claims; (iii) Avenue transferred to AnnJi all of its rights, title and interest to and under the assets arising under the AnnJi License Agreement and otherwise related to AJ201 and (iv) Avenue agreed not to, for 48 months following the date of the Termination and Transfer Agreement, develop, commercialize, manufacture or sell any product competing with AJ201 in the US, Canada, the European Union, Great Britain or Israel. Under the Termination and Transfer Agreement, Avenue will repurchase all shares of common stock held by AnnJi for an aggregate payment of $1.00, and Avenue also made a payment of $0.2 million to AnnJi as consideration for legal expenses.

 

AnnJi agreed to make payments to Avenue of $2.0 million, with $1.0 million due within 30 days after the Termination Effective Date and $1 million due within 90 days after the Termination Effective Date. Additionally, Avenue will be eligible to receive from AnnJi:

 

 

payments totaling up to $5 million in the aggregate upon the occurrence of certain development and regulatory milestone events pertaining to AJ201;

 

payments totaling up to $17 million in the aggregate upon AJ201 experiencing certain commercial sales milestone events;

 

a 1.75% royalty on net sales of AJ201, which royalty percentage is subject to potential diminution in certain circumstances; and

 

in the event that AnnJi enters into one or more subsequent licenses of rights to AJ201 with third party licensee(s), 15% of payments received by AnnJi from such licensee(s), up to a cap of $7.5 million, and with a minimum of $4 million owing under certain mechanism in the event of an approval of a New Drug Application in the U.S. with respect to AJ201.

 

The Termination and Transfer Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties and provisions related to confidentiality and indemnification.

 

Going Concern

 

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. The going concern assumption contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. However, as described below, substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern exists.

 

The Company is not yet generating revenue, has incurred substantial operating losses since its inception and expects to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future as it executes on its product development plan and may never become profitable. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $104.4 million. Due to uncertainties regarding future operations of the Company for a potential Phase 3 safety study for IV tramadol, and the expansion of the Company's development portfolio within neuroscience with the consummation of the transaction with Baergic Bio, Inc. ("Baergic"), the Company will need to secure additional funds through equity or debt offerings, the timing of which is unknown at this time. The Company cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to it on acceptable terms, or at all. These factors individually and collectively cause substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern to exist within one year from the date of this report. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the carrying amounts and classification of assets, liabilities, and reported expenses that may be necessary if the Company were unable to continue as a going concern.