Item 1A. Risk Factors
There is a high degree of risk associated with investing in our securities. Prospective investors should carefully read this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and consider the following risk factors when deciding whether to purchase our securities.
The risk factors outlined below are some of the known, substantial, material and potential risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and common share value. We cannot assure that we will successfully address these or any unknown risks and a failure to do so can have a negative impact on your investment. We may encounter risks in addition to those described below. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we currently deem to be immaterial, may also impair or adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.
Risks Associated with our Company and our Industry
We operate in a highly competitive market. We face competition from large, well established medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies in the market for treating and managing diabetes and related ailments. Many of these companies are very well accepted by health practitioners and have significant resources, and we may not be able to compete effectively.
The market for treatment and management of diabetes and related ailments is intensely competitive, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions. We compete indirectly with pharmaceutical and medical device companies, such as Bayer Corp., Becton Dickinson Corp., LifeScan Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson, the MediSense Inc. and TheraSense Inc. These competitors’ products are based on traditional healthcare model and are well accepted by health practitioners and patients. If these companies decide to penetrate our target market they could threaten our position in the market.
We are subject to numerous governmental regulations which can increase our costs of developing the eBalance® Technology and products based on this technology.
Our products are subject to rigorous regulation by the FDA, Health Canada and numerous international, supranational, federal, and state authorities. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time-consuming, and approvals may not be granted for future products, or additional indications or uses of existing products, on a timely basis, if at all. Delays in the receipt of, or failure to obtain approvals for, our products, or new indications and uses, could result in delayed realization of product revenues, reduction in revenues, and in substantial additional costs. In addition, no assurance can be given that we will remain in compliance with applicable FDA, Health Canada and other regulatory requirements once approval or marketing authorization has been obtained for a product. These requirements include, among other things, regulations regarding manufacturing practices, product labeling, advertising, and post-marketing reporting, including adverse event reports and field alerts due to manufacturing quality concerns.
Changes in the health care regulatory environment may adversely affect our business.
A number of the provisions of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and its amendments changed access to health care products and services and established new fees for the medical device industry. Future rulemaking could increase rebates, reduce prices or the rate of price increases for health care products and services, or require additional reporting and disclosure. We cannot predict the timing or impact of any future rulemaking.
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Inability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our financial results.
Intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets, confidential information, trademarks, tradenames, and other forms of trade dress, are important to our business. An inability to defend, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our financial results, even if we are successful in developing and marketing products based on the eBalance® Technology. In addition, an adverse outcome in any litigation or interference proceeding could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties and require us to cease using the technology that is at issue or to license the technology from third parties. In addition, a finding that any of our intellectual property rights are invalid could allow our competitors to compete more easily and cost-effectively. Thus, an unfavorable outcome in any patent litigation or interference proceeding could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
The cost to us of any patent litigation or interference proceeding could be substantial. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or interference proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace. Patent litigation and interference proceedings could also absorb significant management time.
Competitors’ intellectual property may prevent us from selling our products or have a material adverse effect on our future profitability and financial condition.
Competitors may claim that our technology infringes upon their intellectual property. Resolving an intellectual property infringement claim can be costly and time consuming and may require us to enter into license agreements. We cannot guarantee that we would be able to obtain license agreements on commercially reasonable terms. A successful claim of patent or other intellectual property infringement could subject us to significant damages or an injunction preventing the manufacture, sale or use of our product. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and financial condition.
Our research and development efforts may not result in the development of commercially successful products based on our eBalance® Technology, which may hinder our profitability and future growth.
Further research into our eBalance® Technology and development of products based on the technology required substantial investment. Due to our current financial situation, we had to pause our plans for further research and development. In order to continue development of commercially marketable products, we will be required to commit substantial efforts, funds, and other resources to research and development. A high rate of failure is inherent in the research and development of new products and technologies. We will be required to face ongoing substantial expenditures without any assurance that our efforts will be commercially successful.
Failure can occur at any point in the process, including after significant funds have been invested. Planned products may fail to reach the market or may only have limited commercial success because of efficacy or safety concerns, failure to achieve positive clinical outcomes, inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, limited scope of approved uses, excessive costs to manufacture, the failure to establish or maintain intellectual property rights, or infringement of the intellectual property rights of others.
Even if we successfully develop marketable products or commercially develop our current technology, we may be quickly rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences, changing industry standards, or competitors’ innovations.
Innovations may not be accepted quickly in the marketplace because of, among other things, entrenched patterns of clinical practice or uncertainty over third-party reimbursement. We cannot state with certainty when or whether our products under development will be launched, whether we will be able to develop, license, or otherwise acquire new products, or whether any products will be commercially successful. Failure to launch successful new products or new indications for existing products may cause our products to become obsolete, causing our revenues and operating results to suffer.
New products and technological advances by our competitors may negatively affect our results of operations.
Our products face intense competition from our competitors. Competitors’ products may be safer, more effective, more effectively marketed or sold, or have lower prices or superior performance features than our products. We cannot predict with certainty the timing or impact of the introduction of competitors’ products.
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Significant safety concerns could arise for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and financial condition.
Health care products typically receive regulatory approval based on data obtained in controlled clinical trials of limited duration. Following regulatory approval, these products will be used over longer periods of time in many patients. Investigators may also conduct additional, and perhaps more extensive, studies. If new safety issues are reported, we may be required to amend the conditions of use for a product. For example, we may be required to provide additional warnings on a product’s label or narrow its approved intended use, either of which could reduce the product’s market acceptance. If serious safety issues arise with our product, sales of the product could be halted by us or by regulatory authorities. Safety issues affecting suppliers’ or competitors’ products also may reduce the market acceptance of our products.
Inability to attract and maintain key personnel may cause our business to fail.
Success depends on the acquisition of key personnel. We will have to compete with other companies both within and outside the healthcare industry to recruit and retain competent employees and consultants. If we cannot maintain qualified personnel to meet the needs of our anticipated growth, we could face material adverse effects on our business and financial condition.
We are recently formed, lack operating history and to date have generated only minimal revenues. If we cannot increase our revenues to start generating profits, our investors may lose their entire investment.
We are a recently formed company and to date have generated only minimal revenues. No profits have been made to date and if we fail to make any then we may fail as a business and an investment in our common stock will be worth nothing. We have a limited operating history and thus our progress as well as potential future success cannot be reasonably estimated. Success has yet to be proven and financial losses should be expected to continue in the near future and at least until such time that we enter commercial production of devices based on the eBalance® Technology, of which there is no assurance. As a new business, we face all the risks of a ‘start-up’ venture including unforeseen costs, expenses, problems, and management limitations and difficulties. Since inception, we have accumulated deficit of $9,812,420 and there is no guarantee, that we may ever be able to turn a profit or locate additional opportunities, hire additional management and other personnel.
We need to acquire additional financing, or our business will fail.
We must obtain additional capital, or our business will fail. In order to continue research and development of our eBalance® Technology, we must secure more funds. Currently, we have limited resources and have already accumulated a deficit. We do not have immediate sources of financing. Financing may be subject to numerous factors including investor sentiment, acceptance of our technology and so on. We may also have to borrow large sums of money that require substantial capital and interest payments.
Risks related to our stock
We expect to raise additional capital through the offering of more shares, which will result in dilution to our current shareholders.
Raising additional capital through future offerings of common stock is expected to be necessary for our Company to continue. However, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in raising additional capital. Issuance of additional stock will increase the total number of shares issued and outstanding resulting in decrease of the percentage interest held by each of our shareholders.
There is a limited market for our common stock meaning that our shareholders may not be able to resell their shares.
Our common stock currently has a limited market which may restrict shareholders’ ability to resell their stock or use their stock as collateral. Thus, the shareholders may have to sell their shares privately which may prove exceedingly difficult. Private sales are more difficult and often give lower than anticipated prices.
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Should a larger public market develop for our stock, future sales of shares may negatively affect their market price.
Even if a larger market develops, the shares may be sparsely traded and have wide share price fluctuations. Liquidity may be low despite there being a market, making it difficult to get a return on the investment. The price also depends on potential investor’s feelings regarding the results of our operations, the competition of other companies’ shares, our ability to generate future revenues, and market perception about future of microcurrent technologies.
Because our stock is a penny stock, stockholders will be more limited in their ability to sell their stock.
The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on the NASDAQ system, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or quotation system.
Because our securities constitute “penny stocks” within the meaning of the rules, the rules apply to us and to our securities. The rules may further affect the ability of owners of shares to sell our securities in any market that might develop for them. As long as the quotation price of our common stock is less than $5.00 per share, the common stock will be subject to Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the SEC, that:
·contains a description of the nature and level of risk in the market for penny stocks in both public offerings and secondary trading;
·contains a description of the broker’s or dealer’s duties to the customer and of the rights and remedies available to the customer with respect to a violation to such duties or other requirements of securities laws;
·contains a brief, clear, narrative description of a dealer market, including bid and ask prices for penny stocks and the significance of the spread between the bid and ask price;
·contains a toll-free telephone number for inquiries on disciplinary actions;
·defines significant terms in the disclosure document or in the conduct of trading in penny stocks; and
·contains such other information and is in such form, including language, type, size and format, as the SEC shall require by rule or regulation.
The broker-dealer also must provide, prior to effecting any transaction in a penny stock, the customer with: (a) bid and offer quotations for the penny stock; (b) the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction; (c) the number of shares to which such bid and ask prices apply, or other comparable information relating to the depth and liquidity of the market for such stock; and (d) a monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the penny stock rules require that, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement, a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks, and a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our stock
We have not paid nor anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock.
We have not declared any dividends on our common stock during the past two fiscal years or at any time in our history. The Nevada Revised Statutes (the “NRS”), provide certain limitations on our ability to declare dividends. Section 78.288 of Chapter 78 of the NRS prohibits us from declaring dividends where, after giving effect to the distribution of the dividend:
(a)we would not be able to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business; or
(b)except as may be allowed by our Articles of Incorporation, our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed, if we were to be dissolved at the time of the distribution, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of stockholders who may have preferential rights and whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution.
We do not expect to declare any dividends in the foreseeable future as we expect to spend any funds legally available for the payment of dividends on the development of our business
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We are an OTC reporting issuer under applicable Canadian securities laws. The British Columbia Securities Commission has issued a cease trade order in respect of our securities for failing to comply with our reporting obligations under applicable Canadian securities laws.
As an “OTC reporting issuer” under applicable Canadian securities laws, we are required to make periodic filings with applicable Canadian securities authorities, including annual and interim financial statements and management’s discussion & analysis relating to those periods. Due to a lack of sufficient funds, we were late filing our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022, and for the interim period ended August 31, 2022, and we have not yet made the required filings for the interim periods ended November 30, 2022 and February 28, 2023. On October 11, 2022, the British Columbia Securities Commission issued a cease trade order in respect of our securities. As a result of this order, holders of our securities in Canada will not be able to trade in our securities until the order is revoked.
No assurance that forward-looking assessments will be realized.
Our ability to accomplish our objectives and whether or not we are financially successful is dependent upon numerous factors, each of which could have a material effect on the results obtained. Some of these factors are in the discretion and control of management and others are beyond management’s control. The assumptions and hypotheses used in preparing any forward-looking assessments contained herein are considered reasonable by management. There can be no assurance, however, that any projections or assessments contained herein or otherwise made by management will be realized or achieved at any level.
FOR ALL OF THE AFORESAID REASONS AND OTHERS SET-FORTH AND NOT SET-FORTH HEREIN, AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES A CERTAIN DEGREE OF RISK. ANY PERSON CONSIDERING TO INVEST IN OUR SECURITIES SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE AND OTHER FACTORS SET-FORTH IN THIS REPORT AND IN THE OTHER REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS THAT WE FILE FROM TIME TO TIME WITH THE SEC AND SHOULD CONSULT WITH HIS/HER LEGAL, TAX, AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS PRIOR TO MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES. AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES SHOULD ONLY BE ACQUIRED BY PERSONS WHO CAN AFFORD TO LOSE THEIR TOTAL INVESTMENT.