UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PART I
Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (including the section regarding Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations) contains forward-looking statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not deemed to represent an all-inclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements as denoted in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additionally, statements concerning future matters are forward-looking statements.
Although forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflect the good faith judgment of our management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known by us. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in or anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences in results and outcomes include, without limitation, those specifically addressed under the heading “Risk Factors” below, as well as those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The SEC maintains an Internet site (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us.
We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made throughout the entirety of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this Annual Report to “BioSig,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” mean BioSig Technologies, Inc., and its predecessor entities.
ITEM 1 – BUSINESS
Corporate Structure
We were formed as BioSig Technologies, Inc., a Nevada corporation, in February 2009 and in April 2011 we merged with our wholly owned subsidiary, BioSig Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, with the Delaware corporation continuing as the surviving entity. BioSig is principally devoted to improving the standard of care in electrophysiology, or EP, with our PURE EP™ System’s enhanced signal acquisition, digital signal processing, and analysis during catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias. The Company has generated minimal revenue to date and consequently its operations are subject to all risks inherent in business enterprise in early commercialization stage.
On November 7, 2018, we formed a subsidiary under the laws of the State of Delaware, originally under the name of NeuroClear Technologies, Inc., for the purpose of pursuing additional applications of the PURE EP™ signal processing technology outside of the field of cardiac electrophysiology. In March 2020, it was renamed ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“ViralClear”). As of April 14, 2025, the Company retains 69.08% ownership of ViralClear. Please see the section titled, “ViralClear Business Overview” for more information on ViralClear.
On July 2, 2020, the Company formed an additional subsidiary, NeuroClear Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which was renamed to BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. (“BioSig AI”) on May 31, 2023. The subsidiary was established to pursue clinical needs of cardiac and neurological disorders through recordings and analyses of action potentials. BioSig AI aims to contribute to the advancements of AI-based diagnoses and therapies. At April 14, 2025, the Company had a majority interest in BioSig AI of 84.5%.
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Business Overview
BioSig Technologies is a medical device technology company with an advanced digital signal processing technology platform, the PURE EP™ Platform (“PURE EP”), that delivers insights to electrophysiologists for ablation treatments of cardiovascular arrhythmias.
The PURE EP™ Platform enables electrophysiologists to acquire raw signal data in real-time—absent of unnecessary noise or interference—to maximize procedural success and minimize unnecessary inefficiencies. As physician advocates, we believe that the ability to maintain the integrity of intracardiac signals with precision and clarity without driving up procedural costs has never been more pertinent.
By capturing critical cardiac signals—even the most complex—PURE EP is designed to enhance clinical decision-making and improve clinical workflow for all types of arrhythmias, even the most challenging procedures for cardiac arrhythmias, like ventricular tachycardia (VT) and atrial fibrillation (AF).
BioSig has pivoted from a focus on commercial distribution of hardware to the research and development of novel software algorithms that advance our understanding of mechanisms and tissue characteristics. Data collection began in December 2023 and is ongoing. Despite its rapid adoption, there is room to improve the long-term outcomes of pulsed field ablation (PFA). Our primary focus is aimed at improving the specificity of PFA treatment and improving clinical outcomes.
Our owned patent portfolio now includes 41 issued/allowed utility patents (29 utility patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Thirty-one additional U.S. and foreign utility patent applications are pending covering various aspects of our PURE EP System for recording, measuring, calculating and displaying of electrocardiograms during cardiac ablation procedures (31 U.S. and foreign utility patent applications where either BioSig, Mayo, or both is at least one of the applicants). We also have one U.S. patent and one U.S. Pending application directed to artificial intelligence (AI). We also have 30 issued worldwide design patents, which cover various features of our display screens and graphical user interface for enhanced visualization of biomedical signals (30 design patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Finally, we have licenses to 12 (issued/allowed) patents and 9 additional worldwide utility patent applications from Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research that are pending (12 issued/allowed patents and 9 applications where only Mayo is the applicant). These patents and applications are generally directed to electroporation and stimulation.
Recent Developments
Issuance of debt
On March 7, 2024, the Company issued a promissory note to an investor and related party (10% plus shareholder) for $500,000. The Company designated its 12% note due 2026, in accordance with exemptions from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
The note was due March 7, 2026. The Company promised to pay interest in cash on the unpaid principal amount of this note at a rate per annum equal to twelve percent (12%), commencing to accrue on the date hereof and payable on the maturity date or earlier prepayment as provided therein. The Note contained customary events of default.
The Company was able to prepay all or any portion of the principal amount of the Note at any time or from time to time without penalty. On May 1, 2024, we converted the promissory note and related accrued interest of $509,165 into 348,624 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 174,312 shares of common stock at $1.398 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance.
Private Placements
On January 12, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 260,720 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”) at a purchase price of $3.989, and warrants to purchase up to 130,363 shares at an exercise price of $3.364 per share that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance in exchange for aggregate consideration of $1,040,000.
On May 1, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 783,406 shares of the Common Stock at a purchase price of $1.4605 per share, and warrants to purchase up to 391,703 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.398 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance, in exchange for aggregate consideration of $1,144,164, including $634,999 in cash and $509,165 representing conversion of the principal balance of and accrued interest on the previously issued Note. The Note was not convertible by its terms, but the holder had agreed to convert it into shares of common stock and warrants under the Purchase Agreement.
On May 29, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and issue to the investors (i) in a registered direct offering, 1,570,683 shares of Common Stock at a price of $1.91 per share and (ii) in a concurrent private placement, warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,570,683 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $1.78 per share. In connection with the Offering, the Company issued 109,948 warrants to its placement agent. The gross proceeds from the offering were approximately $3,000,000.
On March 5, 2025, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 758,514 shares Common Stock at a purchase price of $1.07974 per share, and warrants to purchase up to 758,514 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.95474 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire three and one-half years following the date of issuance, in exchange for aggregate consideration of $818,998.
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ATM Sales Agreement
On December 18, 2024, the Company entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, as sales agent or principal (the “Agent”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time in transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“common stock”), through or to the Agent (the “ATM Offering”). The Sales Agreement, among other things, provides for the issuance and sale of up to an aggregate of $8,500,000 of shares of the Company’s common stock (the “ATM Shares”).
The ATM Shares are being offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-276298) and an accompanying prospectus filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 28, 2023, as amended on January 5, 2024 and December 9, 2024, and declared effective by the SEC on December 17, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”) and pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated December 18, 2024.
From January 17, 2025 through April 14, 2025, the Company has sold 4,403,166 ATM Shares at an average offering price of $0.91 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $4,019,063, or $3,882,420 net of fees of $136,643.
Equity Line of Credit
On February 28, 2025 (the “Effective Date”), the Company entered into a Equity Subscription Agreement (the “Subscription Agreement”) with Lind Global Fund III, LP (the “Investor”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Investor from time to time (each such occurrence, an “Advance”) up to $5.0 million (the “Commitment Amount”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), during the 36 months following the execution of the Subscription Agreement, subject to (a) an overall cap of 10,000,000 shares and (b) the restrictions and satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Subscription Agreement. The Company is under no obligation to sell any of its Common Stock to the Investor under the Subscription Agreement. At the Company’s option, the shares of Common Stock would be purchased by the Investor from time to time at a price (the “Market Price”) equal to 95% of the lowest of the daily VWAPs (as hereinafter defined) during a five (or such other period as the Company and the Investor may agree) consecutive trading day period commencing on the date that the Company delivers a notice to the Investor (an “Advance Notice”) that the Company is requiring the Investor to purchase a specified number of shares of Common Stock (the “Advance Shares”). The Company may also specify a minimum acceptable price per share in each Advance. “VWAP” means, for any trading day, the daily volume weighted average price of the Company’s Common Stock for such trading day on the Nasdaq Stock Market as reported by Bloomberg L.P. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock that the Company may require the Investor to purchase in any Advance is an number equal to 66.667% of the average daily volume of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market during the five consecutive trading days immediately preceding the date of the Advance Notice; provided that notwithstanding the foregoing limitation, in any period of 30 consecutive days, the total number of Advance Shares that the Company may sell to the Investor may be up to 0.5% of the quotient of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on the date of the Advance divided by the Market Price determined for such Advance.
As consideration for the Investor’s irrevocable commitment (subject to the conditions set forth in the Subscription Agreement) to purchase the Company’s Common Stock up to the Commitment Amount, the Company issued 108,542 shares of Common Stock (the “Commitment Shares”) to the Investor. The Company had previously advanced to the Investor $10,000 to cover certain expenses related to the Subscription Agreement.
The Investor’s obligation to purchase the Company’s shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Subscription Agreement is subject to a number of conditions, including that the Company file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), registering the issuance and sale of the Commitment Shares and the Advance Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to an Advance under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and that the Registration Statement be declared effective by the SEC.
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Neuro-Kinesis Corporation
On July 1, 2024, the Company announced the intent to acquire the assets of Neuro-Kinesis Corporation (NKC), a privately held Los Angeles-based medical technology company developing smart EP tools. A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) had been executed confirming BioSig’s preliminary interest in the proposed acquisition of the assets of NKC. The purchase price would be paid through the issuance of shares of BioSig’s common stock to the shareholders of NKC. In addition, at closing, NKC would provide a minimum of $2.5 million, but could provide up to $6 million, of unrestricted cash to BioSig. The proposed acquisition would require extensive due diligence, potentially through the first quarter of 2025. The LOI expired on October 14, 2024, and the Company entered into an amendment to extend the term of the LOI through March 31, 2025. In addition, the amendment stated that any party may terminate the LOI in writing prior to the end of the term. On February 3, 2025, the Company terminated the LOI pursuant to the interests of the Company and its shareholders.
Notices of Delisting
On March 5, 2024, the Company received a letter from the staff at the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq (the “Staff”) stating that the Company has not regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) because the Company’s common stock did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), and the Company is not eligible for a second 180 day cure period under Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(2) because the Company does not comply with the $5,000,000 minimum stockholders’ equity initial listing requirement for Nasdaq, and that accordingly, Nasdaq would delist the Company’s common stock unless the Company requested an appeal of this determination. On March 11, 2024, the Company submitted a request for a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel to appeal the Staff’s delisting determination.
On March 12, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Staff stating that based upon the Staff’s review of the Company and pursuant to Listing Rule 5101, the Staff believes that the Company no longer has an operating business and is a “public shell,” and that the continued listing of its securities is no longer warranted, in view of work force reductions and resignations of members of the board of directors and officers. The letter further stated that the Company no longer meets the requirement of Rule 5550(b)(2) to maintain a minimum market value of listed securities of $35 million, if none of the other standards set forth in Rule 5550(b) is met. The Staff stated that the foregoing matters serve as an additional basis for delisting the Company’s common stock from the Nasdaq, and that the Hearings Panel will consider this matter in rendering a determination regarding the Company’s continued listing on the Nasdaq. The Company appealed the foregoing determinations. The requested hearing before the Hearings Panel was held on May 7, 2024.
On June 10, 2024, the Company received formal notice that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel had determined to delist the Company’s common stock from Nasdaq due to the Company’s continued non-compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. As a result, trading in the Company’s common stock was suspended on the Nasdaq Capital Market effective with the open of business on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The Company’s common stock should be eligible to trade on the OTC Markets’ Pink Current Information tier under symbol “BSGM” effective with the open of trading on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The Company sought the Panel’s reconsideration of its decision in accordance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules (the “Rules”).
On June 24, 2024, the Company was notified by Nasdaq that the Hearings Panel had declined to reconsider its decision dated June 10, 2024, to delist the Company’s common stock from Nasdaq (the “Delisting Decision”). Trading in the Company’s securities was suspended on Nasdaq effective with the open of business on June 12, 2024, at which point the Company’s common stock was eligible to trade on the OTC Market’s Pink Current Information tier.
On July 10, 2024, the Company filed a submission in support of an appeal to the Delisting Decision to the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council (the “Listing Council”) and is currently awaiting a decision.
On July 23, 2024, the Company commenced trading of its common stock on the OTCQB, operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc.
On October 18, 2024, the Company was notified by the Staff that the Listing Council had granted the Company an exception through March 7, 2025, to evidence compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b), namely either the $35 million in market value of listed securities requirement or the alternative requirement of $2.5 million in stockholders’ equity (the “Equity Rule”) for continued listing on the Nasdaq.
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On October 23, 2024, the Company’s common stock resumed trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
On October 24, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Staff notifying the Company that based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock from the period of June 11, 2024 through the reinstatement date, October 23, 2024, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required by the Rules and as a result, the Company no longer met this requirement. However, the Rules also provide the Company a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance. Since then, Staff had determined that for the 10 consecutive business days, from October 30, 2024, to November 12, 2024, the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock was at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, the Company regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and this matter closed as of November 13, 2024.
On March 6, 2025, the Company submitted supporting documents to the Listing Council evidencing compliance with the Equity Rule. On March 24, 2025, the Company was notified by the Office of General Counsel of Nasdaq that the Company had successfully met the qualifications to regain full compliance for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
On April 11, 2025, the Company received a letter from the Staff indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock for the 30 consecutive business day period between February 27, 2025, through April 10, 2025, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The letter also indicated that the Company will be provided with a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until October 8, 2025 (the “Compliance Period”), in which to regain compliance pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). In order to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement, the Company’s common stock must maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 for at least ten consecutive business days during the Compliance Period. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by the end of the Compliance Period, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance. To qualify, the Company will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for the market value of its publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and will need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split if necessary. If the Company meets these requirements, the Company may be granted an additional 180 calendar days to regain compliance. However, if it appears to Nasdaq that the Company will be unable to cure the deficiency, or if the Company is not otherwise eligible for the additional cure period, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Company’s common stock will be subject to delisting. The letter has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company’s common stock, which will continue to be listed and traded on Nasdaq, subject to the Company’s compliance with the other listing requirements of Nasdaq. At that time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a hearings panel pursuant to the procedures set forth in the applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules. However, there can be no assurance that, if the Company does appeal the delisting determination by Nasdaq to the panel, such appeal would be successful.
Delisting from Nasdaq Stock Market could negatively impact the Company’s ability to raise additional financing to fund future operations.
Lack of funding, workforce reductions, resignations and appointments of members of the Company’s board of directors and certain officers
On January 28, 2024 and February 20, 2024, management of the Company commenced a workforce reduction intended to reduce significantly the annual cash burn which was completed as of February 20, 2024. The workforce reduction consisted of the departure of sixteen employees, effective as of January 31, 2024 and included the departure of John Sieckhaus, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, and Gray Fleming, the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer and twenty six employees effective February 20, 2024. The effect of the workforce reductions had significantly reduce operations in the short-term.
On February 15, 2024, Steve Buhaly resigned from his position as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective as of the same date.
On February 19, 2024, David Weild IV, Donald E. Foley, Patrick J. Gallagher and James J. Barry, resigned from their positions as directors of the Company, effective as of the same date.
On February 20, 2024, James L. Klein and Frederick D. Hrkac resigned from their positions as directors of the Company, effective as of the same date.
On February 20, 2024 due to lack of funding, the company had laid off the entire workforce except for the CEO.
On February 27, 2024, the company re-appointed Frederick D. Hrkac as a director and the president and principal executive officer. Additionally, on February 27, 2024, Kenneth L. Londoner resigned from his positions as director, executive chairman and chief executive officer of the Company and from any and all committees, offices, appointments, designations, responsibilities or other capacities related to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, effective as of the same date.
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On April 30, 2024, the board of directors appointed former advisory board member and consultant, Anthony Amato as a director, president, chief executive officer and principal executive officer, effective immediately. In connection with the appointment of Mr. Amato, Mr. Hrkac tendered his resignation as president and principal executive officer effective as of the same date, however, continues to serve as a director and acted as chief financial officer until June 5, 2024.
On May 2, 2024, the board of directors appointed Mr. Chris Baer as a director on the Board.
On May 3, 2024, the board of directors appointed Messrs. Steven E. Abelman and Donald F. Browne as directors on the board.
On June 5, 2024, Frederick D. Hrkac resigned as acting chief financial officer and principal accounting officer of the Company, effective as of the same date. Also on June 5, 2024, the Company and Ferdinand Groenewald entered into the Agreement effective June 5, 2024, pursuant to which Mr. Groenewald agreed to lead accounting and financial reporting activities of the Company. Mr. Groenewald currently serves as the Company’s interim chief financial officer, principal accounting officer and vice president of finance. The Agreement will continue indefinitely until terminated by either party upon 30 days’ advance notice. The Agreement provides for compensation at a fixed rate of $15,000 per month and reimbursement by the Company for any usual and customary business expenses incurred by Mr. Groenewald in connection with performing services pursuant to the Agreement. In addition, the Agreement provides for the Company to indemnify Mr. Groenewald on terms customary for officers.
Currently, the Company has 5 employees and 3 key consultants. Dependent upon funding, the Company would plan on hiring a team of 4-6 persons to execute the business development strategy of finding partners for the continued research and development, and commercialization of PURE EP, and develop new products in the field of Pulse Field Ablation.
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Our Industry
Pharmacological, or medicine-based, therapies have traditionally been used as initial treatments for cardiac arrhythmias, but they often fail to adequately control the arrhythmia and may have significant side effects. Catheter ablation is now often recommended for an arrhythmia that medicine cannot control. Catheter ablation involves advancing several flexible catheters into the patient’s blood vessels, usually either in the femoral vein, internal jugular vein or subclavian vein. The catheters are then advanced towards the heart. Electrical impulses are then used to induce the arrhythmia and local thermal or nonthermal energy is used to ablate (destroy) the abnormal tissue that is causing it. Catheter ablation for most of arrhythmias has a high success rate. For patients with complex arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT), it is often necessary to perform multiple procedures to achieve success. VT is a fast, abnormal heart rate in the heart’s lower chambers. VT does not give your heart enough time to fill with blood before it contracts again. This can affect blood flow to the rest of your body and is potentially life-threatening. AF is the most common cardiac arrhythmia associated with a fivefold risk of stroke. AF occurs when the upper chambers of the heartbeat irregularly, and do not pump all of the blood to the lower chambers, causing some blood to pool and potentially form clots. If a clot breaks loose, it can travel through the bloodstream to the brain and lead to a stroke. Strokes related to AF are often more severe compared to strokes with other underlying causes.
Catheter ablation is performed by an electrophysiologist (a specially trained cardiologist) in an electrophysiology (EP) laboratory. EP labs are equipped with specialized equipment including recording systems, mapping systems, stimulators, fluoroscopy, catheters and ablation systems using thermal radiofrequency energy or cryoenergy, or nonthermal pulsed field energy.
The global electrophysiology laboratory devices market size was estimated at USD 12.9 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.1% from 2025 to 2030. Increasing use of electrophysiology (EP) tests in treating and diagnosing heart diseases, such as atrial fibrillation, growing demand for devices for cardiac rhythm management for constant monitoring, and increasing application of these devices in out-of-hospital settings are propelling the industry growth. The prevalence of heart failure, cardiac arrest, and atrial fibrillation among millennials is rising due to sedentary lifestyles, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and others. According to the CDC, approximately 12.1 million Americans will be suffering from atrial fibrillation by 2030.
Catheter Ablation of AF and VT
Accurate recording of electrograms is critical to efficient mapping and ablation of complex arrhythmias. We believe that the clearer recordings and the very small amplitude of intracardiac signals—high frequency, small amplitude components in midst of large physiologic signals; signals important to characterize critical substrate, such as fractionated atrial and ventricular electrograms; and high-frequency, low-amplitude signals such as the Purkinje potentials—provided by PURE EP may improve outcomes during EP studies and ablation procedures for a variety of arrhythmias.
For patients who are candidates for ablation, an EP study is necessary to define the targeted sites for the ablation procedure. Two common, yet complex, conditions for which ablation procedures are performed are AF and VT. Most cardiac arrhythmias are well understood, and ablation simply requires destroying a small area of heart tissue possessing electrical abnormality. In contrast, complex arrhythmias, such as AF and VT, have complex pathophysiology and, because knowledge of their origins and mechanisms are incomplete, ablation treatments for these arrhythmias are largely empirical. Furthermore, the length of these procedures, which typically last from 2-4 hours, exposes the physician and staff to extensive radiation, requiring them to wear heavy lead vests. Consequently, ablating AF and VT has been regarded as being difficult.
AF is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the world and increases the risk for stroke 5-fold, which can lead to death. It has a significant global impact, affecting nearly 40 million individuals worldwide and 6 million in the United States alone. AF is a serious condition that affects the rhythm of your heart, causing it to beat irregularly. This irregular heartbeat can manifest in various ways, including beating too fast, switching between fast and slow rhythms, or skipping beats altogether. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that it is estimated that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AF in 2030, more than 454,000 patients hospitalized annually as the primary diagnosis, and AF contributes to an estimated 158,000 deaths each year. An increasing proportion of diagnosed AF cases are now being treated via ablation, as both physician confidence and the devices used in these procedures improve. A growing amount of positive clinical data has demonstrated the efficacy of AF ablation when compared to the traditional first-line treatment of anti-arrhythmic drugs.
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Pulsed Field Ablation
Catheter ablation can especially be an effective treatment for patients with symptomatic, drug-refractory AF. Traditional thermal ablation may result in adverse events such as esophageal injury, phrenic nerve injury, and pulmonary vein stenosis. Conversely, pulsed field ablation, which was first approved in December 2023, creates lesions in cardiac tissue nonthermally and within milliseconds through irreversible electroporation. Acute clinical results demonstrated that pulsed field ablation can achieve pulmonary vein isolation without collateral damage in a time-efficient manner. Irreversible electroporation is a novel, nonthermal method for cardiac ablation that can improve the safety and efficiency of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.
Recording electrograms (the electrical signals recorded from the heart) during the procedure are crucial for guiding the ablation process. Electrograms allow the EP doctors to assess the effectiveness of the pulsed field energy delivery and identify areas where further treatment is needed, particularly when aiming to achieve complete isolation of targeted cardiac tissue like pulmonary veins in atrial fibrillation treatment; essentially, electrograms help monitor the changes in electrical activity within the heart as the pulsed field ablation is being performed.
Unlike traditional ablation techniques that use heat to create lesions, PFA utilizes high-voltage electrical pulses to induce irreversible electroporation, causing cell death without significant tissue heating; this makes electrogram analysis particularly important to ensure adequate lesion formation.
By analyzing electrogram characteristics like amplitude and morphology before and after PFA application, clinicians can determine if a targeted area (like a pulmonary vein) is electrically isolated, meaning the abnormal electrical signals are no longer able to propagate through that region.
Electrograms are recorded in real-time during PFA, enabling the physician to precisely position the ablation catheter and adjust the energy delivery based on the electrical signals observed. Changes in electrogram characteristics after PFA can indicate the extent and quality of the created lesion, helping to optimize treatment and minimize unnecessary energy delivery.
EP Lab Environment and EP Recording Systems
The electrophysiology (EP) laboratory consists of sophisticated equipment that requires an electrophysiologist to mentally integrate information from a number of sources during procedures. There are numerous monitors in an EP lab that provide and display this variety of information. An electrophysiologist needs to evaluate the acquired cardiac signals and the patient’s responses to any induced arrhythmias during the procedure. However, it can be difficult for an electrophysiologist to synthesize the disparate information produced by the numerous monitors in the lab and calculate the real-time, three-dimensional orientation of the anatomy and the location of the recording and ablation catheters. As the number of EP procedures increase, a variety of diagnostic, therapeutic and highly specialized ablation catheters are widely available and continue to be developed. In addition, remote robotic and magnetic navigation systems have been developed to address limitations of dexterity in controlling the catheter tip, especially during complex arrhythmia ablation procedures. We believe that, considering the improvements being made with respect to other equipment used in the EP lab and the continual increase of ablation procedures, the EP recorders currently available on the market are not sufficiently advanced with respect to the quality of their recordings to deliver adequate results. We believe that PURE EP will be able to deliver superior quality of recordings that will allow it to successfully integrate with the other advanced equipment found in the EP lab.
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Generally, some current electrophysiology recording systems can effectively support the treatment of arrhythmias such as atrial flutter and supraventricular tachycardia, which show up as large-amplitude, low-frequency signals. However, more complex and prevalent arrhythmias, such as AF and VT, which are characterized by low-amplitude, high-frequency signals, have not found an effective evaluation of all relevant signals. This signal detection, acquisition, and isolation can be further complicated by equipment line noise and pacing signals. Current EP recorders use low-pass, high-pass, and notch filters to remove noise and artifacts from the various electrical signal information. Unfortunately, conventional filtering techniques can alter signals and make it difficult or impossible to see low-amplitude, high-frequency signals that can be inherent in cardiac monitoring, the visualization of which signals could help treat atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. It has been recently recognized that the assurance of waveform integrity, such as for the noise-free acquisition of intracardiac and ECG signals in an EP environment, had not been previously accomplished due to contamination of various signals by artifacts and noise.
The requirement for optimal signal integrity is amplified during ablation treatments of AF and VT. One of the main objectives of the AF ablation procedure is to precisely identify, ablate and eliminate pulmonary vein potentials and one of the main objectives of the VT procedure is to map the arrhythmia substrate and precisely identify, ablate and eliminate small abnormal potentials. The information provided by recorders is essential for an electrophysiologist to determine ablation strategy during termination of both pulmonary vein potentials and VT. Therefore, it is important that the recording system’s noise removal technique does not alter the appearance and fidelity of these potentials. As a result, it is necessary that any new signal processing technology preserves signal fidelity as much as possible during EP recordings; otherwise, the signals that are needed to guide the ablation procedures will be difficult to distinguish due to noise interference.
Our Product
The patented PURE EP™ Platform is designed to address long-standing limitations that slow and disrupt cardiac catheter ablation procedures, such as environmental lab noise from other equipment, signal saturation, slow signal recovery, and inaccurate display of fractionated potentials. PURE EP is a signal processing platform that combines advanced hardware and software to address known challenges associated to signal acquisition, to enable electrophysiologists to see more signals and analyze them in real-time. The device aims to minimize noise and artifacts from cardiac recordings and acquire high-fidelity cardiac signals. Improving fidelity of acquired cardiac signals may potentially increase the diagnostic value of these signals, thereby possibly improving accuracy and efficiency of the EP studies and ablation procedures.
Our PURE EP can record raw (unaltered) cardiac signals with multiple display options, low noise, and a large input signal dynamic range. This is achieved using a low-noise amplifier topology with minimal filtering to band-limit the signal and a high-resolution A/D converter. In addition, PURE EP can provide large-signal (e.g., from a defibrillator) input protection and radio frequency (RF) signal (e.g., from ablation) noise suppression. There is no need for gain switching in this architecture, and the full range of input signals is digitized with high resolution.
We are focused on improving intracardiac signal acquisition and enhancing diagnostic information for catheter ablation procedures for all arrhythmias, especially complex types like VT and AF.
The PURE EP™ Platform enables electrophysiologists to acquire raw signal data in real-time—absent of unnecessary noise or interference—to maximize procedural success and minimize unnecessary inefficiencies. As physician advocates, we believe that the ability to maintain the integrity of intracardiac signals with precision and clarity without driving up procedural costs has never been more pertinent.
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We believe that PURE EP and its advanced signal processing tools may contribute to improvements in patient outcomes in connection with catheter ablation due to the following advantages over currently available devices on the market:
● | Less noise: PURE EP’s low-noise proprietary architecture was engineered to enable acquisition of high-fidelity signals in the original, unfiltered format. PURE EP’s Main System Unit (MSU) topology incorporates advanced shielding and very low noise front-end components. | |
● | Wider range: An expanded dynamic range retains cardiac signal details and reduces saturation. PURE EP™ combines a low-noise signal architecture with a fixed range up to 500mV, so signals are rarely clipped or limited by quantization noise. | |
● | Higher definition: PURE EP supports a large frequency bandwidth and linear signal acquisition to accurately display complex fractionated signals, even at lower amplitudes and higher frequencies. | |
● | Unipolar signals: PURE EP incorporates an innovative WCT+™ design for acquiring unipolar signals, relying on a common front-end circuitry similar to how bipolar intracardiac signals are acquired. | |
● | Customizable software and filters: PURE EP offers software modules and specialty digital filters, so electrophysiologists can customize their interface and optimize signals for mapping, signal interpretation and during therapy delivery. | |
● | Seamless integration: PURE EP integrates with existing EP labs and workflows. It is compatible and complementary with EP recording systems, mapping systems, robotic equipment, and multi-display panels. |
We believe that PURE EP’s features may allow physicians to better determine precise ablation targets, strategy, and end point of procedures with the objective of reducing the need for patients to undergo multiple procedures, and to allow for less experienced EP physicians to perform more complex procedures.
Initial Analysis
According to S. J. Asirvatham, MD, et. al. (“Signals and Signal Processing for the Electrophysiologist,” Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. (2011) 4:965-973), recording environments in a typical electrophysiology laboratory presents challenging situations. S. J. Asirvatham, MD, et. al., state, “Successful mapping and ablation in the electrophysiology laboratory is critically dependent on acquiring multiple, low-amplitude, intracardiac signals in the presence of numerous sources of electric noise and interference and displaying these signals in an uncomplicated and clinically relevant fashion, with minimal artifacts. This represents a significant engineering challenge and, in real-life electrophysiology laboratory, is not always successful.”
Proof of Concept Testing
In the second and third quarters of 2013, we performed and finalized testing of our proof of concept unit by initially using an electrocardiogram/intracardiac simulator at our lab, and subsequently by obtaining pre-clinical recordings from the lab at the University of California at Los Angeles. We believe that our proof of concept unit performed well as compared to GE’s CardioLab recording system, in that the electrocardiogram and intracardiac signals displayed on our proof of concept unit showed less baseline wander, noise and artifacts compared to signals displayed on GE’s CardioLab recording system. Subsequently, we determined the final design of the PURE EP System prototype to use for end-user preference studies, additional pre-clinical studies and research studies.
Prototype Testing
After conducting research of peer-reviewed EP publications (see Initial Analysis in Our Products section above), we contacted Samuel J. Asirvatham. M.D. (who we believed to be an expert in the field of signal-based catheter ablation), at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Since the end of 2014, we have collaborated with Dr. Asirvatham and other physicians affiliated with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and Jacksonville, Florida. We have performed pre-clinical studies at Mayo Clinic since 2015 to validate technology within the PURE EP System prototype. These studies have been designed to determine clinical effectiveness for features within the PURE EP System. Since March 2016, we have published nine manuscripts in collaboration with the physicians from Mayo Clinic evidencing our pre-clinical findings. To date, we have conducted a total of twenty-four pre-clinical studies with the PURE EP System, twenty-one of which were conducted at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. We also conducted a pre-clinical study at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY with emphasis on the VT model; and two pre-clinical studies at the University of Pennsylvania in preparation for clinical studies to be conducted there.
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Clinical Evaluations
In February 2019, we conducted the first clinical cases with our PURE EP™ System. The observational patient cases were performed by Andrea Natale, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.H.R.S., F.E.S.C., Executive Medical Director, Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas. In April 2019, we announced the completion of our second set of observational patient cases, which were performed at Prisma Health at Greenville Health System in South Carolina by Andrew Brenyo, MD, FHRS. Dr. Brenyo used the PURE EP™ System during procedures on patients with ischemic ventricular tachycardias, AF, PVC, and atypical flutters.
In May 2019, we announced the completion of our third set of observational patient cases at Indiana University under the leadership of Prof. John M. Miller, M.D., and Dr. Mithilesh K. Das, MBBS. Drs. Miller and Das used the PURE EP™ System during procedures on patients with atypical flutter, atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT), AF, supraventricular tachycardia, premature ventricular contractions, and a rare case of dual septal pathway. In August 2019, observational patient cases at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California were performed by Brett Andrew Gidney, M.D. The initial experience across these early evaluation centers showed the PURE EP™ System functions as designed with positive feedback from EP users about the improved signal detection and fidelity.
In November 2019, we commenced our first clinical study for the PURE EP™ System titled, “Novel Cardiac Signal Processing System for Electrophysiology Procedures (PURE EP 2.0 Study).” The PURE EP 2.0 Study was conducted at three U.S. hospitals: Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
In April 2021, we announced the completion of the enrollment in the PURE EP 2.0 Study. Intracardiac signal data of clinical interest were collected during 51 cardiac ablation procedures using the PURE EP™ System, the signal recording system, and the 3D mapping system at the same time stamps. The samples were randomized and subjected to blinded, head-to-head evaluation by three independent electrophysiologists to determine the overall quality and clinical utility of PURE EP™ signals when compared to conventional sources. Each reviewer responded to the same 235 signal comparisons using a 10-point rating scale.
Results showed 93% consensus across the blinded reviewers with a 75% overall improvement in intracardiac signal quality and confidence in interpreting PURE EP signals over the signals from conventional sources. Further analysis of the responses from the blinded reviewers showed an 83% (p-value <0.001) improved confidence when interpreting complex multi-component signals, leading to a better understanding of the catheter position in relation to the ablation target. Additionally, there was a 73% (p-value <0.001) improved visualization of small, fractionated potentials increasing the proper analysis of scar and abnormal conduction tissue characteristics.
In April 2024, we began conducting the research study, Tissue Characterization by Frequency Assessment in Pulmonary Vein Isolation with Andrea Natale, MD at Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute in Austin, Texas. Pulsed Field Ablation is a newer ablation modality for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The promise of PFA is a better safety profile while offering comparable efficacy to that of thermal energy ablation. While it has been established that each catheter design requires a specific waveform tuning to create durable lesions, it remains unclear if there is a specific tissue characterization that is better suited for one PFA technology versus another. We believe that PURE EP has the ability to capture critical information related to tissue responsiveness to PFA.
While the results from PFA are trending to have better long-term outcomes versus thermal energy ablation methods, there remains AF reoccurrence even with optimized waveform tuning. Tissue characteristics may play an important role in the selection of the PFA system and long-term results. Tissue characterization can be accomplished with the PURE EP™ Platform in near real-time during 3D mapping prior to the ablation. We believe that PURE EP provides precise, real-time data that other systems do not capture during these types of procedures.
Technology and Development Plan
PURE EP has been developed by a technology team consisting of engineers and consultants with expertise in digital signal processing, low power analog and digital circuit design, software development, embedded system development, electromechanical design, testing and system integration, and the regulatory requirements for medical devices. Currently, we have pivoted from a focus on commercial distribution of hardware to the research and development of novel software algorithms that advance our understanding of mechanisms and tissue characteristics. Data collection began in December 2023 and is ongoing at TCAI. Despite its rapid adoption, there is room to improve the long-term outcomes of pulsed field ablation (PFA). Our primary focus is aimed at improving the specificity of PFA treatment and improving clinical outcomes.
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Customers
In December 2020, we announced that three PURE EPs were contracted for purchase by St. David’s Healthcare in Austin, Texas and were subsequently sold in February 2021. These units were our first commercial sales. We also sold three PURE EPs to Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research in 2021 and leased two PURE EPs in 2022, one in July 2022 to Overland Park Regional Medical Center and one in October 2022 to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio.
Competition
We plan to capitalize on PURE EP’s novel software modules for incorporation into other systems within the EP lab that display cardiac signals; at this time, we do not believe we have direct competition. However, in general, the EP market is characterized by intense competition. There are currently four large companies that share the majority of the EP recording market share in the US. They produce the following electrophysiology recording systems, with an average selling price of approximately $160,000 (source: DRG Medtech 360 Millennium report on EP Devices, issued in June 2019):
● | GE Healthcare’s family of CardioLab Recording Systems were initially developed in the early 1990s by Prucka Engineering, which was acquired by General Electric Company in 1999. |
● | The LabSystem PRO EP Recording System was originally designed in the late 1980s by C.R. Bard. C.R. Bard’s electrophysiology business was acquired by Boston Scientific Corporation in 2013. |
● | HeNan HuaNan Medical Science and Technology Co., LTD. offers the GY-6000 multi-channel physiological recorder (not FDA approved). |
● | St. Jude Medical, Inc.’s EP-WorkMate Recording System was acquired from EP MedSystems, Inc. in 2008, which had received clearance for the product from the FDA in 2003. In January 2017, Abbott Laboratories acquired St Jude Medical, Inc. |
● | CathVision is developing an EP recording system, ECGenius System™ and recently obtained FDA 510(k) clearance in May 2022. |
Based upon our analysis of data taken from patent applications filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and 510(k) approval applications filed with the FDA, and various publications, we believe that the above recording systems are built on relatively old technologies and all use similar approach in applying hardware and digital filters to remove noise and artifacts. We reasonably believe that such an approach sacrifices cardiac signal fidelity, and in the case of ablation, has a direct impact on the ablation strategy of an electrophysiologist. The method to remove noise and artifacts used by the conventional recorders could be a contributing factor to the multiple (or repeated) ablation procedures that are frequently required in order to completely cure patients from complex arrhythmias. We are not currently aware of any other companies that are developing similar signal processing technologies for electrophysiology laboratories.
Suppliers
PURE EP has software modules currently in research studies; we are not actively working with suppliers at this time. Our complete PURE EP™ System contains proprietary hardware and software modules that are assembled into the system. Hardware boards contain components that are available from different distributors. The parts used to manufacture analog and digital boards are readily available from several distributors or manufacturers. Plexus Corp was our manufacturing partner for the complete PURE EP System.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 were $832,795 and $5,092,376, respectively.
ViralClear Business Overview
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“ViralClear”) is a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company originally known as NeuroClear Technologies, Inc. The subsidiary was established November 2018 to pursue additional applications of PURE EP™ signal processing technology outside of EP. In March 2020, it was renamed ViralClear in connection with its prior objective to develop merimepodib, a broad-spectrum anti-viral agent that showed potential to treat COVID-19. We had ceased the development of merimepodib in late 2020 and realigned ViralClear with its original objective, however, currently the business is dormant. As of April 14, 2025, the Company retains 69.08% ownership of ViralClear. Currently, ViralClear’s business objectives are being evaluated considering both the pharmaceutical and medical device.
BioSig AI Sciences Overview
BioSig AI Sciences, Inc.
On July 2, 2020, the Company formed NeuroClear Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which was renamed to BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. (“BioSig AI”) on May 31, 2023. The subsidiary was established to pursue clinical needs of cardiac and neurological disorders through recordings and analyses of action potentials. BioSig AI aims to contribute to the advancements of AI-based diagnoses and therapies. At April 14, 2025, the Company had a majority interest in BioSig AI of 84.5%.
BioSig AI is a medical technology company that was developing AI solutions for the hospital marketplace utilizing structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. BioSig AI’s business operations have currently been placed on hold due to lack of resources. The Company’s former established technology team with external partners and collaborators were joined to advance the research and development of an artificial intelligence (“AI”) medical device platform.
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Intellectual Property
Patents
Our success depends in large part on our ability to establish and maintain the proprietary nature of our technology. We have retained Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C., a patent firm based in Washington DC, to help develop and execute a strategy for the development of our patent portfolio.
Our owned patent portfolio now includes 41 issued/allowed utility patents (29 utility patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Thirty one additional U.S. and foreign utility patent applications are pending covering various aspects of our PURE EP System for recording, measuring, calculating and displaying of electrocardiograms during cardiac ablation procedures (31 U.S. and foreign utility patent applications where either BioSig, Mayo, or both is at least one of the applicants). We also have one U.S. patent and one U.S. Pending application directed to artificial intelligence (AI). We also have 30 issued worldwide design patents, which cover various features of our display screens and graphical user interface for enhanced visualization of biomedical signals (30 design patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Finally, we have licenses to 12 (issued/allowed) patents and 9 additional worldwide utility patent applications from Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research that are pending (12 issued/allowed patents and 9 applications where only Mayo is the applicant). These patents and applications are generally directed to electroporation and stimulation.
BioSig and ViralClear signed three patent and know-how license agreements with Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research in November 2019. Under the terms of such agreements, BioSig exclusively licensed additional patents and applications of the Mayo Clinic related to novel ways for ablation therapy and to treat autonomic nervous system disease including hardware, software and algorithmic solutions to be integrated into PURE EPtechnology. BioSig intends to take the licensed intellectual properties and products, which have been developed by Mayo Clinic over the last decade, through FDA approval, manufacturing, and commercialization. The development program is run under the leadership of Dr. Asirvatham. On March 5, 2021, we announced that the U.S. Patent Office had allowed a utility patent that ViralClear has exclusively licensed from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. The patent application number 16/805,017 entitled, “Systems and Methods for Electroporation” was filed on February 28, 2020. The patent describes and claims methods and materials for improving the treatment of hypertension via electroporation of nerves in the renal area. Electroporation is an emerging technique that has demonstrated efficacy in treatments for several critical conditions and is currently being evaluated for the treatments of autonomic nervous disorders, including hyper- and hypotension / syncope.
Trademarks
Our trademark for “BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES” was registered on April 25, 2017.
Our trademark for “PURE EP” was registered on January 26, 2016.
Our trademark for the standard mark, “BIOSIG” was registered March 19, 2019.
Our trademark for “SEE MORE, CLEARLY” was registered on April 4, 2023.
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Our trademark for “WCT+” was registered on February 20, 2024.
In July 2021, we received EU certificates of registration for the following trademarks: “ACCUVIZ”, “WCT+”, and “COMBIO”.
In July 2021, we received UK certificates of registration for the following trademarks: “SMARTFINDER”, “ACCUVIZ”, “WCT+”, and “COMBIO”.
Government Regulation
The U.S. government regulates healthcare and related products through various agencies, including but not limited to the following: (i) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which enforces the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and related laws; (ii) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs; (iii) the Office of Inspector General (OIG), which enforces various laws aimed at curtailing fraudulent or abusive practices, including by way of example, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly referred to as the Stark law, the Civil Monetary Penalty Law (including the beneficiary inducement prohibition) (CMP), and the laws that authorize the OIG to exclude healthcare providers and others from participating in federal healthcare programs; and (iv) the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which administers the privacy aspects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). All of the aforementioned are agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Healthcare is also provided or regulated, as the case may be, by the Department of Defense through its TRICARE program, the Department of Veterans Affairs, especially through the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, the Public Health Service within HHS under Public Health Service Act § 340B (42 U.S.C. § 256b), the Department of Justice through the Federal False Claims Act and various criminal statutes, and state governments under the Medicaid and other state sponsored or funded programs. Various states also have state laws equivalent to certain healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including but not limited to state equivalents of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark law, as well as more general state laws regulating all healthcare activities and certain healthcare products, including medical devices.
In addition to being regulated by the FDA, advertising and promotion of certain types of medical devices in the United States is also regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and by state regulatory and enforcement authorities. Recently, promotional activities for FDA-regulated products of other companies have been the subject of enforcement action brought under healthcare laws and consumer protection statutes. Further, competitors can initiate litigation relating to advertising claims under the federal Lanham Act and similar state laws.
FDA Regulation
Our solutions include software and hardware which will be used for patient diagnosis and, accordingly, are subject to regulation by the FDA and other regulatory agencies. FDA regulations govern, among other things, the following activities that we perform and will continue to perform in connection with:
● | Product design and development; |
● | Product testing; |
● | Product manufacturing; |
● | Product labeling and packaging; |
● | Product handling, storage, and installation; |
● | Pre-market clearance or approval; |
● | Advertising and promotion; and |
● | Product sales, distribution, and servicing. |
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FDA Pre-market Clearance and Approval Processes
The FDA classifies all medical devices into one of three classes based on the risks associated with the medical device and the controls deemed necessary to reasonably ensure the device’s safety and effectiveness. Those three classes are:
● | Class I devices present a low risk and are not life-sustaining or life-supporting. The majority of Class I devices are subject only to “general controls” (e.g., prohibition against adulteration and misbranding, registration and listing, good manufacturing practices, labeling, and adverse event reporting. General controls are baseline requirements that apply to all classes of medical devices.) | |
● | Class II devices present a moderate risk and are devices for which general controls alone are not sufficient to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Devices in Class II are subject to both general controls and “special controls” (e.g., special labeling, compliance with performance standards, and post market surveillance. Unless exempted, Class II devices typically require FDA clearance before marketing, through the premarket notification (510(k)) process). | |
● | Class III devices present the highest risk. These devices generally are implantable, life-sustaining, life-supporting, or for a use that is of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human health, and/or they present a potential unreasonable risk of illness or injury. Class III devices are devices for which general controls, by themselves, are insufficient and for which there is insufficient information to determine that application of special controls would provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Class III devices are subject to general controls and typically require FDA approval of a premarket approval (“PMA”) application before marketing. |
Unless it is exempt from premarket review requirements, a medical device must receive marketing authorization from the FDA prior to being commercially marketed, distributed, or sold in interstate commerce in the United States. The most common pathways for obtaining marketing authorizations are 510(k) and PMA. With the enactment of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), the de novo pathway was made available for certain low-to-moderate risk devices that do not qualify for 510(k) clearance due to the absence of a predicate device.
510(k) Clearance Process
The 510(k) review process compares a new device to an existing legally marketed device (or, “predicate device”). “Substantial equivalence” means that the proposed new device: (i) has the same intended use as the predicate device; (ii) has the same or similar technological characteristics as the predicate device; (iii) is as safe and effective as the predicate device, as shown by the supporting information submitted within the 510(k); and (iv) does not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness than the predicate device.
To obtain 510(k) clearance, one must submit a 510(k) containing sufficient information and data to demonstrate that the proposed device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed predicate device. This data generally includes non-clinical performance testing (e.g., software validation, bench testing electrical safety testing), but may also include clinical data. Typically, it takes approximately three-to-six months for the FDA to complete its review of a 510(k) submission; however, it can take significantly longer and not all 510(k) submissions are accepted by the FDA for review, and not all are cleared following FDA review. During its review of a 510(k), the FDA may request additional information, including clinical data, which may significantly prolong the review process. After completing its review of a 510(k), the FDA may issue an order, in the form of a letter (i) finding the proposed device to be substantially equivalent to the predicate device and stating that the device can be marketed in the U.S., or (ii) finding the proposed device not substantially equivalent to the predicate device and stating that device cannot be marketed in the U.S. We received 510(k) clearance for PURE EP on August 8, 2018.
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After a device receives 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, will require a new 510(k) clearance or could require a pre-market approval, which requires more data and is generally a significantly longer process than the 510(k) clearance process. The FDA requires each manufacturer to make this determination initially, but the FDA can review any such decision and can disagree with a manufacturer’s determination. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s determination, it can require the manufacturer to cease marketing and/or recall the modified device until 510(k) clearance or a pre-market approval is obtained.
A device that reaches market through the 510(k) process is not considered to be “approved” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They are generally referred to as “cleared” or “510(k) cleared” devices. Nevertheless, it can be marketed and sold in the U.S.
The Premarket Approval Pathway
The PMA process is the most stringent type of device marketing application required by the FDA. Whether PMA is granted is based on a determination by the FDA that the PMA application contains sufficient valid scientific evidence to ensure that the device is safe and effective for its intended use(s). A PMA application generally includes extensive information about the device including the results of clinical testing conducted on the device and a detailed description of the manufacturing process.
After a PMA application is accepted for review, the FDA begins an in-depth review of the submitted information. FDA regulations provide 180 days to review the PMA application and make a determination; however, in practice, the review time is typically longer (e.g., 1-3 years). During this review period, the FDA may request additional information or clarification of information already provided. Also, during the review period, an advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the data supporting the application and provide recommendations as to whether the data provide a reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use. In addition, the FDA generally will conduct a preapproval inspection of the manufacturing facility to ensure compliance with the quality system regulation (QSR), which imposes comprehensive development, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance requirements for the design and manufacturing of a medical device.
Based on its review, the FDA may (i) issue an order approving the PMA, (ii) issue a letter stating the PMA is “approvable” (e.g., minor additional information is needed), (iii) issue a letter stating the PMA is “not approvable,” or (iv) issue an order denying PMA. A company may not market a device subject to PMA review until the FDA issues an order approving the PMA application. As a condition to approval, the FDA may impose post-approval requirements intended to ensure the continued safety and effectiveness of the device including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution, and requiring the collection of additional clinical data. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in materially adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval.
Most modifications to a PMA approved device, including changes to the design, labeling, or manufacturing process, require prior approval before being implemented. Prior approval is obtained through submission of a PMA supplement. The type of information required to support a PMA supplement and the FDA’s time for review of a PMA supplement vary depending on the nature of the modification.
We obtained FDA clearance related to the PURE EP via the 510(k) process in 2018 and we do not anticipate a PMA for it or other devices at this time.
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Pervasive and continuing FDA regulation
After a medical device is placed on the market, numerous FDA regulatory requirements apply, including, but not limited to, the following:
● | Quality System Regulation (QSR), which requires manufacturers to follow design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during the manufacturing process; |
● | Establishment Registration, which requires establishments involved in the production and distribution of medical devices intended for commercial distribution in the U.S. to register with the FDA; |
● | Medical Device Listing, which requires manufacturers to list the devices they have in commercial distribution with the FDA; |
● | Labeling regulations, which prohibit “misbranded” devices from entering the market, as well as mandate the inclusion of certain content in device labels and labeling and prohibit the promotion of products for unapproved or “off-label” uses and impose other restrictions on labeling; and |
● | Medical Device Reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA if their device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur. |
Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may include one or more of the following sanctions:
● | Fines, injunctions, and civil penalties; |
● | Mandatory recall or seizure of our products; |
● | Administrative detention or banning of our products; |
● | Operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production; |
● | Refusing our request for 510(k) clearance or pre-market approval of new product versions; |
● | Revocation of 510(k) clearance or pre-market approvals previously granted; and |
● | Criminal penalties. |
We are subject to unannounced device inspections by the FDA, as well as other regulatory agencies overseeing the implementation of, and compliance with, applicable state public health regulations. These inspections may include our suppliers’ facilities.
U.S. Healthcare Laws and Regulations
In the United States, there are various healthcare fraud and abuse laws that apply to medical device manufacturers, such as us, with respect to our financial relationships with hospitals, physicians, patients, marketers and sales agents, and other potential purchasers or acquirers of our products or those who are in a position to refer or recommend our products. Federal and state anti-kickback laws prohibit the payment or receipt of kickbacks, bribes or other remuneration intended to induce the purchase or recommendation of healthcare products and services. The U.S. government has published regulations that identify exemptions or “safe harbors,” which describe various payment and business practices that, although they potentially implicate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, are not treated as offenses under the statute, and thereby, protected from enforcement actions under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. To qualify, the activity must fit squarely within the safe harbor. Arrangements that do not meet a safe harbor are not necessarily illegal but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and the federal safe harbors may not apply to state anti-kickback laws. Other provisions of state and federal law impose civil and criminal penalties for presenting, or causing to be presented, to third-party payors (including the government) for reimbursement claims that are false or fraudulent, or for items or services that were not provided as claimed. False claims allegations under federal, and some state, laws may be brought on behalf of the government by private persons, or “whistleblowers,” who could then receive a share of any recovery. In addition, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) imposes criminal and civil liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly referred to as the Stark law, is a strict liability statute that prohibits physicians from referring patients to receive certain services defined as “designated health services” payable by Medicare or Medicaid from entities with which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship, unless a specific exception applies. Violations of these laws can lead to civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to punitive sanctions, damage assessments, money penalties, imprisonment, denial of payment, exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, or some combination thereof.
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International Regulation
International sales of medical devices are subject to foreign government regulations, which vary substantially from country to country. The time required to obtain approval by a foreign country may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval, and the requirements may differ significantly.
The European Union has adopted legislation, in the form of directives to be implemented in each member state, concerning the regulation of medical devices within the European Union. The directives include, among others, the Medical Device Directive that establishes standards for regulating the design, manufacture, clinical trials, labeling, and vigilance reporting for medical devices. Our PURE EP may be affected by this legislation. Under the European Union Medical Device Directive, medical devices are classified into four classes, I, IIa, IIb, and III, with class I being the lowest risk and class III being the highest risk. Under the Medical Device Directive, a competent authority is nominated by the government of each member state to monitor and ensure compliance with the Medical Device Directive. The competent authority of each member state then designates a notified body to oversee the conformity assessment procedures set forth in the Medical Device Directive, whereby manufacturers demonstrate that their devices comply with the requirements of the Medical Device Directive and are entitled to bear the CE mark. CE is an abbreviation for Conformité Européenne (or European Conformity) and the CE mark, when placed on a product, indicates compliance with the requirements of the applicable directive. Medical devices properly bearing the CE mark may be commercially distributed throughout the European Union. Failure to obtain the CE mark will preclude us from selling the PURE EP and related products in the European Union.
● | Administrative detention or banning of our products; |
● | Operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production; |
● | Refusing our request for 510(k) clearance or pre-market approval of new product versions; |
● | Revocation of 510(k) clearance or pre-market approvals previously granted; and |
● | Criminal penalties. |
We are subject to unannounced device inspections by the FDA, as well as other regulatory agencies overseeing the implementation of, and compliance with, applicable state public health regulations. These inspections may include our suppliers’ facilities.
U.S. Healthcare Laws and Regulations
In the United States, there are various healthcare fraud and abuse laws that apply to medical device manufacturers, such as us, with respect to our financial relationships with hospitals, physicians, patients, marketers and sales agents, and other potential purchasers or acquirers of our products or those who are in a position to refer or recommend our products. Federal and state anti-kickback laws prohibit the payment or receipt of kickbacks, bribes or other remuneration intended to induce the purchase or recommendation of healthcare products and services. The U.S. government has published regulations that identify exemptions or “safe harbors,” which describe various payment and business practices that, although they potentially implicate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, are not treated as offenses under the statute, and thereby, protected from enforcement actions under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. To qualify, the activity must fit squarely within the safe harbor. Arrangements that do not meet a safe harbor are not necessarily illegal but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and the federal safe harbors may not apply to state anti-kickback laws. Other provisions of state and federal law impose civil and criminal penalties for presenting, or causing to be presented, to third-party payors (including the government) for reimbursement claims that are false or fraudulent, or for items or services that were not provided as claimed. False claims allegations under federal, and some state, laws may be brought on behalf of the government by private persons, or “whistleblowers,” who could then receive a share of any recovery. In addition, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) imposes criminal and civil liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly referred to as the Stark law, is a strict liability statute that prohibits physicians from referring patients to receive certain services defined as “designated health services” payable by Medicare or Medicaid from entities with which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship, unless a specific exception applies. Violations of these laws can lead to civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to punitive sanctions, damage assessments, money penalties, imprisonment, denial of payment, exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, or some combination thereof.
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International Regulation
International sales of medical devices are subject to foreign government regulations, which vary substantially from country to country. The time required to obtain approval by a foreign country may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval, and the requirements may differ significantly.
The European Union has adopted legislation, in the form of directives to be implemented in each member state, concerning the regulation of medical devices within the European Union. The directives include, among others, the Medical Device Directive that establishes standards for regulating the design, manufacture, clinical trials, labeling, and vigilance reporting for medical devices. Our PURE EP may be affected by this legislation. Under the European Union Medical Device Directive, medical devices are classified into four classes, I, IIa, IIb, and III, with class I being the lowest risk and class III being the highest risk. Under the Medical Device Directive, a competent authority is nominated by the government of each member state to monitor and ensure compliance with the Medical Device Directive. The competent authority of each member state then designates a notified body to oversee the conformity assessment procedures set forth in the Medical Device Directive, whereby manufacturers demonstrate that their devices comply with the requirements of the Medical Device Directive and are entitled to bear the CE mark. CE is an abbreviation for Conformité Européenne (or European Conformity) and the CE mark, when placed on a product, indicates compliance with the requirements of the applicable directive. Medical devices properly bearing the CE mark may be commercially distributed throughout the European Union. Failure to obtain the CE mark will preclude us from selling the PURE EP and related products in the European Union.
Employees
As of April 14, 2025, we had 5 full-time employees. Additionally, we use 3 consultants as needed to perform various specialized services. None of our employees are represented under a collective bargaining agreement.
Corporate and Other Information
We were incorporated in Nevada in February 2009 and in April 2011 we merged with our wholly owned subsidiary, BioSig Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, with the Delaware corporation continuing as the surviving entity. Our principal executive offices are located at 12424 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 745 Los Angeles, CA 90025 and our telephone number is (203) 409-5444. Our website address is www.biosig.com. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the inclusion of our website address in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is an inactive textual reference only.
We file or furnish electronically with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and other information. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We make available on our website at www.biosig.com, under “Investors,” free of charge, copies of these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after filing or furnishing these reports with the SEC.
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ITEM 1A – RISK FACTORS
RISK FACTORS
There are numerous and varied risks, known and unknown, that may prevent us from achieving our goals. You should carefully consider the risks described below and the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of the following risks, or any other risks not described below, actually occur, it is likely that our business, financial condition, and/or operating results could be materially adversely affected. The risks and uncertainties described below include forward-looking statements and our actual results may differ from those discussed in these forward-looking statements.
Risk Factor Summary
Below is a summary of the principal factors that make an investment in our common stock speculative or risky. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks that we face, can be found below under the heading “Risk Factors” and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC before making investment decisions regarding our common stock.
● | There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. | |
● | Because we have reverted to a development stage company, we expect to incur operating losses. | |
● | Our PURE EP and other product candidates are in continued development and may not be successfully developed or commercialized. | |
● | We expect to derive our revenue from sales of our PURE EP and other products we may develop. If we fail to generate revenue from these sources, our results of operations and the value of our business will be materially and adversely affected. | |
● | We may need to finance our future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. Any additional funds that we obtain may not be on terms favorable to us or our stockholders and may require us to relinquish valuable rights. | |
● | We may be unable to develop our existing or future technology. | |
● | We may experience delays in any phase of the preclinical or clinical development of a product, including during its research and development. | |
● | We have completed one clinical trial of our product. The results of additional clinical studies may not support the usefulness of our technology. | |
● | The medical device industry is subject to stringent regulation and failure to obtain regulatory approval will prevent commercialization of our products. | |
● | We, and our third-party manufacturer(s), are, and will be, subject to extensive regulation by the FDA. | |
● | The market for our technology and revenue generation avenues for our products may be slow to develop, if at all. | |
● | Our estimate of the size of our addressable market may prove to be inaccurate. | |
● | The EP market is highly competitive. | |
● | If we do not effectively manage changes in our business, these changes could place a significant strain on our management and operations. |
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● | Our strategic business plan may not produce the intended growth in revenue and operating income. | |
● | We currently have limited sales, marketing or distribution operations and will need to expand our expertise in these areas. | |
● | Our product development program depends upon third-party researchers, including Mayo, who are outside our control and whose negative performance could materially hinder or delay our pre-clinical testing or clinical trials. | |
● | We may face risks associated with future litigation and claims. | |
● | The Company has concluded that there is a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting, which, if not remediated, could materially adversely affect its ability to timely and accurately report its results of operations and financial condition. The accuracy of the Company’s financial reporting depends on the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting. | |
● | If we do not obtain protection for our intellectual property rights, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our research and development efforts to develop competing products. | |
● | If we infringe upon the rights of third parties, we could be prevented from selling products and forced to pay damages and defend against litigation. | |
● | We depend on our collaboration with Mayo Clinic for the research and development of additional advanced features of PURE EP. If this collaboration is not successful, we may not be able to realize the market potential of such features and may not have rights to use any such developed advanced features. | |
● | If we fail to comply with our obligations under our license agreements, we could lose the rights to intellectual property that is important to our business. | |
● | We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers. | |
● | Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedures and other requirements, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated in case of non-compliance with these requirements. | |
● | The market price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly, which could result in substantial losses by our investors. | |
● | Although our shares of common stock are now listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we currently have a limited trading volume, which results in higher price volatility for, and reduced liquidity of, our common stock. | |
● | Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in a delisting of our common stock, which could negatively impact the market price and liquidity of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets. | |
● | Future sales of our common stock in the public market or other financings could cause our stock price to fall. | |
● | If we sell additional equity or debt securities to fund our operations, it may impose restrictions on our business. |
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Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an opinion on our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that states that the consolidated financial statements were prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared using accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America applicable for a going concern, which assume that we will realize our assets and discharge our liabilities in the ordinary course of business. We have incurred substantial operating losses and have used cash in our operating activities for the past few years. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, we had a net loss of $10.3 million and net cash used in operating activities of $4.8 million. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amounts and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern. We also cannot be certain that additional financing, if needed, will be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could limit our ability to continue our operations. There remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from the date the consolidated financial statements were issued.
To date, we have experienced negative cash flow from development of our technology, as well as from the costs associated with building a sales force to market our product and services. We expect to incur substantial net losses for the foreseeable future in order to further develop and commercialize our product. We also expect that our selling, general and administrative expenses will continue to increase due to the additional costs associated with market development activities and expanding our staff to sell and support our product. Our ability to achieve or, if achieved, sustain profitability is based on numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the market acceptance of our products, competitive product development and our market penetration and margins. We may never be able to generate sufficient revenue to achieve or, if achieved, sustain profitability.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with further development and commercialization of our technology and any future tests, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses or when we will become profitable, if ever. We may never become profitable, and you may never receive a return on an investment in our securities. An investor in our securities must carefully consider the substantial challenges, risks and uncertainties inherent in the development and commercialization in the medical device industry. We may never successfully commercialize our technology and our business may fail.
Because we have reverted to a development stage company, we expect to incur operating losses. |
We have diverted from early commercialization stage to a development stage company and we expect to incur substantial additional operating expenses over the next several years as our marketing, commercialization, and customer development along with additional research and development increase for our PURE EP and other product candidates. The amount of our future losses and when, if ever, we will achieve profitability are uncertain. Our products that have generated minimal commercial revenue, and, although we expect to generate revenues this year from the commercial sale of our PURE EP, may not be able to generate sufficient revenues to fund our operating expenses, if any. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability will depend on, among other things, the following:
● | successful completion of the pre-clinical and clinical development of our products; | |
● | obtaining necessary regulatory approvals from the FDA or other regulatory authorities; | |
● | establishing manufacturing, sales, and marketing arrangements, either alone or with third parties; and | |
● | raising sufficient funds to finance our activities. |
We might not succeed at all, or at any, of these undertakings. If we are unsuccessful at some or all of these undertakings, our business, prospects, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
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Our PURE EP and other product candidates are in continued development and may not be successfully developed or commercialized.
Although our main product candidate, PURE EP, received FDA 510(k) clearance from FDA, we are currently conducting research studies, which may require substantial further capital expenditure, to establish the safety and efficacy data needed to obtain acceptance by the medical community and coverage by third-party payors. The continued development of PURE EP, and/or any other product candidates we may develop, is dependent upon our ability to obtain sufficient additional financing. However, even if we are able to obtain the requisite financing to fund our development program, we cannot assure you that our current or future product candidates will be successfully developed or commercialized. Our failure to develop, manufacture, receive regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize any of our product candidates could result in the failure of our business and a loss of all of your investment in our company.
We expect to derive our revenue from sales of our PURE EP and other products we may develop. If we fail to generate revenue from these sources, our results of operations and the value of our business will be materially and adversely affected.
As of December 31, 2024, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $0.1 million. Based on our currently expected level of operating expenditures, we do not expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our operations in the near future. Our revenue was generated from sales of our PURE EP, for which we made first commercial sale in February 2021, and other products we may develop. Future sales of these products, if any, will be subject to, among other things, commercial and market uncertainties that may be outside our control. If we fail to generate our intended revenues from these products, our results of operations and the value of our business and securities would be materially and adversely affected.
We may need to finance our future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. Any additional funds that we obtain may not be on terms favorable to us or our stockholders and may require us to relinquish valuable rights.
Until PURE EP or another product of ours become commercially viable, we will have to fund all of our operations and capital expenditures from cash on hand, public or private equity offerings, debt financings, bank credit facilities or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. However, we may need to raise additional funds more quickly if one or more of our assumptions prove to be incorrect or if we choose to expand our product development efforts more rapidly than we presently anticipate. We also may decide to raise additional funds before we require them if we are presented with favorable terms for raising capital.
If we seek to sell additional equity or debt securities, obtain a bank credit facility or enter into a corporate collaboration or licensing arrangement, we may not obtain favorable terms for us and/or our stockholders or be able to raise any capital at all, all of which could result in a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. The sale of additional equity or debt securities, if convertible, could result in dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could also result in covenants that would restrict our operations. Raising additional funds through collaboration or licensing arrangements with third parties may require us to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates, or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us or our stockholders. In addition, we could be forced to discontinue product development, reduce or forego sales and marketing efforts and forego attractive business opportunities, all of which could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
We may be unable to develop our existing or future technology.
Our product, the PURE EP, may not deliver the levels of accuracy and reliability needed to make it a successful product in the marketplace, and the development of such accuracy and reliability may be indefinitely delayed or may never be achieved. In addition, we may experience delays in the development of our technology for other reasons, including failure to obtain necessary funding and failure to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals. Failure to develop this or other technology could have an adverse material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
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We may experience delays in any phase of the preclinical or clinical development of a product, including during its research and development.
We may experience delays in any phase of the preclinical or clinical development of a product, including during its research and development. The completion of any of these studies may be delayed or halted for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
● | successful completion of the pre-clinical and clinical development of our products; | |
● | the FDA or other regulatory authorities do not approve a clinical study protocol or place a clinical study on hold; | |
● | patients do not enroll in a clinical study or results from patients are not received at the expected rate; | |
● | patients discontinue participation in a clinical study prior to the scheduled endpoint at a higher than expected rate; | |
● | patients experience adverse events from a product we develop; | |
● | third-party clinical investigators do not perform the studies in accordance with the anticipated schedule or consistent with the study protocol and good clinical practices or other third-party organizations do not perform data collection and analysis in a timely or accurate manner; | |
● | third-party clinical investigators engage in activities that, even if not directly associated with our studies, result in their debarment, loss of licensure, or other legal or regulatory sanction; | |
● | regulatory inspections of manufacturing facilities, which may, among other things, require us to undertake corrective action or suspend the preclinical or clinical studies; | |
● | changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions; | |
● | the interim results of the preclinical or clinical study, if any, are inconclusive or negative; and | |
● | the study design, although approved and completed, is inadequate to demonstrate effectiveness and safety. |
If the preclinical and clinical studies that we are required to conduct to gain regulatory approval are delayed or unsuccessful, we may not be able to market any product that we develop in the future. Preclinical studies and clinical trials are expensive and difficult to design and implement and any delays or prolongment in our preclinical and clinical studies will require additional capital. There is no assurance that we will be able to acquire additional capital to support our studies. The failure to obtain additional capital would have a material adverse effect on the Company.
We have completed one clinical trial of our product. The results of additional clinical studies may not support the usefulness of our technology.
In November 2019, we commenced our first clinical study with PURE EP and completed the clinical trial as of September 2021. Conducting clinical trials is a long, expensive, and uncertain process that is subject to delays and failure at any stage. Clinical trials can take months or years. The commencement or completion of any of our subsequent clinical trials may be delayed or halted for numerous reasons, including:
● | the FDA may not approve a clinical trial protocol or a clinical trial, or may place a clinical trial on hold; | |
● | subjects may not enroll in clinical trials at the rate we expect, or we may not follow up on subjects at the rate we expect; | |
● | subjects may experience unexpected adverse events; |
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● | third-party clinical investigators may not perform our clinical trials consistent with our anticipated schedule or the clinical trial protocols and good clinical practices, or other third-party organizations may not perform data collection and analysis in a timely or accurate manner; | |
● | interim results of any of our clinical trials may be inconclusive or negative; | |
● | regulatory inspections of our clinical trials may require us to undertake corrective action or suspend or terminate the clinical trials if investigators find us to be in violation of regulatory requirements; or | |
● | governmental regulations or administrative actions may change and impose new requirements, particularly with respect to reimbursement. |
Results of pre-clinical studies do not necessarily predict future clinical trial results and previous clinical trial results may not be repeated in subsequent clinical trials. We may experience delays, cost overruns and project terminations despite achieving promising results in pre-clinical testing or early clinical testing. In addition, the data obtained from clinical trials may be inadequate to support a device’s approval or clearance, or to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the extent required to obtain third-party coverage and/or reimbursement. The FDA may disagree with our interpretation of the data from our clinical trials, or may find the clinical trial design, conduct, or results inadequate to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the product candidate. The FDA may also require additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials that could further delay clearance or approval of any product candidates we may develop in the future and/or the PURE EP to the extent we seek clearance/approval for different indications than that for which it is currently cleared. If we are unsuccessful in receiving FDA clearance approval of a future product candidate, or a product’s clearance or approval is withdrawn, we would not be able to commercialize the product(s) in the U.S., which could seriously harm our business. Moreover, we face similar risks in other jurisdictions in which we may sell or propose to sell our products.
The medical device industry is subject to stringent regulation and failure to obtain regulatory approval will prevent commercialization of our products.
Medical devices are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the FDA pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, by comparable agencies in foreign countries and by other regulatory agencies and governing bodies. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and associated regulations, manufacturers of medical devices must comply with certain regulations that cover the composition, labeling, testing, clinical study, manufacturing, packaging and distribution of medical devices. In addition, medical devices must receive FDA clearance or approval before they can be commercially marketed in the U.S., and the FDA may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the effects of approved products that have been commercialized and can prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of these post-market evaluation programs. The process of obtaining marketing clearance or approval from the FDA for new products could take a significant period of time, require the expenditure of substantial resources, involve rigorous pre-clinical and clinical testing, require changes to the products and result in limitations on the indicated uses of the product. In addition, if we seek regulatory approval in non-U.S. markets, we will be subject to further regulatory approvals that may require additional costs and resources. There is no assurance that we will obtain necessary regulatory approvals in a timely manner, or at all.
To obtain 510(k) clearance for a medical device, a pre-market notification must be submitted to the FDA demonstrating that the device is “substantially equivalent” to a previously cleared “predicate” device. A new device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device “at least as safe and effective” as the predicate. The FDA considers a device substantially equivalent to a predicate if it has the same intended use as the predicate and has either: (i) the same technological characteristics as the predicate or (ii) different technological characteristics from the predicate, but the information submitted to the FDA does not raise new questions of safety or effectiveness or demonstrates that the device is at least as safe and effective as the predicate.
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We received 510(k) clearance to market our current lead product, the PURE EP in the U.S. However, if we intend to market the PURE EP for additional medical uses or indications, we may need to submit additional 510(k) applications to the FDA that are supported by satisfactory clinical trial results specifically for the additional indication. Clinical trials necessary to support 510(k) clearance or PMA approval for any future product candidates, or any new indications for use for our PURE EP, would be expensive and could require the enrollment of large numbers of suitable patients who could be difficult to identify and recruit. Delays or failures in any necessary clinical trials could prevent us from commercializing any modified product or new product candidate and could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
The results of our initial clinical trials may not provide sufficient evidence to allow the FDA to grant us such additional marketing clearances and even additional trials requested by the FDA may not result in our obtaining 510(k) marketing clearance for our product. The failure to obtain FDA marketing clearance for any additional indications for the PURE EP or any other of our future products would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We, and our third-party manufacturer(s), are, and will be, subject to extensive regulation by the FDA.
In addition to the pre-market regulations, once a device is approved or cleared for the applicable indications for use, numerous FDA regulations apply, including but not limited to those relating to manufacturing, labeling, packaging, advertising, and record keeping. Notably, these regulations apply to us, as well as our contract manufacturer(s). Even if regulatory approval or clearance of a product is obtained, the approval or clearance may be subject to limitations on the uses for which the product may be marketed or contain requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. Any such requirements could reduce our revenues, increase our expenses, and render the product not commercially viable. If we fail to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements, or if previously unknown problems with any approved commercial products, manufacturers, or manufacturing processes are discovered, we could be subject to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions or other negative consequences, including:
● | restrictions on our products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes; | |
● | warning letters and untitled letters; | |
● | civil penalties and criminal prosecutions and penalties; | |
● | fines; | |
● | injunctions; | |
● | product seizures or detentions; | |
● | import or export bans or restrictions; | |
● | voluntary or mandatory product recalls and related publicity requirements; | |
● | suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals; | |
● | total or partial suspension of production; and | |
● | refusal to approve pending applications for marketing approval of new products or of supplements to approved applications. |
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Regulations are constantly changing, and in the future our business may be subject to additional regulations that increase our compliance costs.
We believe we understand the current laws and regulations to which our products will be subject in the future. However, federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to the sale of our products are subject to future changes, as are administrative interpretations of regulatory agencies. If we fail to comply with such federal, state or foreign laws or regulations, we may fail to obtain regulatory approval for our products and, if we have already obtained regulatory approval, we could be subject to enforcement actions, including injunctions preventing us from conducting our business, withdrawal of clearances or approvals and civil and criminal penalties. In the event that federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations change, we may incur additional costs to seek government approvals, in addition to the clearance from the FDA in order to sell or market our products. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing regulatory requirements or the promulgation of new regulatory requirements or policies, we or our licensees may, following approval, lose marketing approval for our products which will impact our ability to conduct business in the future.
The market for our technology and revenue generation avenues for our products may be slow to develop, if at all.
The market for our products may be slower to develop or smaller than estimated or it may be more difficult to build the market than anticipated. The medical community may resist our products or be slower to accept them than we anticipate. Revenues from our products may be delayed or costs may be higher than anticipated which may result in our need for additional funding. We anticipate that our principal route to market will be through commercial distribution partners. These arrangements are generally non-exclusive and have no guaranteed sales volumes or commitments. The partners may be slower to sell our products than anticipated. Any financial, operational or regulatory risks that affect our partners could also affect the sales of our products. In the current economic environment, hospitals and clinical purchasing budgets may exercise greater restraint with respect to purchases, which may result in purchasing decisions being delayed or denied. If any of these situations were to occur this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our estimate of the size of our addressable market may prove to be inaccurate.
While our addressable market size estimate for the EP market was made in good faith and is based on assumptions and estimates we believe to be reasonable, this estimate may not be accurate. If our estimates of the size of our addressable market are not accurate, our potential for future growth may be less than we currently anticipate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we seek to market our products in foreign jurisdictions, we may need to obtain regulatory approval in these jurisdictions.
In order to market our products in the European Union and many other foreign jurisdictions, we may need to obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. Approval procedures vary among countries (except with respect to the countries that are part of the European Economic Area) and can involve additional clinical testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. Should we decide to market our products abroad, we may fail to obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority, including obtaining CE Mark approval, does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. We may be unable to file for, and may not receive, necessary regulatory approvals to commercialize our products in any foreign market, which could adversely affect our business prospects. In addition, a new Medical Device Regulation was published in 2017, which includes additional premarket and post-market requirements, as well as potential product reclassifications or more stringent commercialization requirements that could delay or otherwise adversely affect our clearances and approvals.
The EP market is highly competitive.
There are a number of groups and organizations, such as healthcare, medical device and software companies in the EP market that may develop a competitive offering to our products. The largest companies in the EP market are GE, Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, Siemens, Medtronic, and Abbott. All of these companies have significantly greater resources, experience and name recognition than we possess. There is no assurance that they will not attempt to develop similar or superior products, that they will not be successful in developing such products or that any products they may develop will not have a competitive advantage over our products. Moreover, our product may not be viewed as superior to existing technology or new technology from our competitors and as a result we may not be able to justify expected selling price our product, which may have a material adverse effect on market acceptance of our product. In addition, if we experience delayed regulatory approvals or disputed clinical claims, we may not have a commercial or clinical advantage over competitors’ products that we believe we currently possess. Should a superior offering come to market, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
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We rely on key officers, consultants and scientific and medical advisors, and their knowledge of our business and technical expertise would be difficult to replace.
We are highly dependent on our officers, consultants and scientific and medical advisors because of their expertise and experience in medical device development. We do not have “key person” life insurance policies for any of our officers. Moreover, if we are unable to obtain additional funding, we will be unable to meet our current and future compensation obligations to such employees and consultants. In light of the foregoing, we are at risk that one or more of our consultants or employees may leave our company for other opportunities where there is no concern about such employers fulfilling their compensation obligations, or for other reasons. The loss of the technical knowledge and management and industry expertise of any of our key personnel could result in delays in product development, loss of customers and sales and diversion of management resources, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
We may fail to attract and retain qualified personnel.
We expect to rapidly expand our operations and grow our sales, research and development and administrative operations. This expansion is expected to place a significant strain on our management and will require hiring a significant number of qualified personnel. Accordingly, recruiting and retaining such personnel in the future will be critical to our success. There is intense competition from other companies, research and academic institutions, government entities and other organizations for qualified personnel in the areas of our activities. Many of these companies, institutions and organizations have greater resources than we do, along with more prestige associated with their names. If we fail to identify, attract, retain and motivate these highly skilled personnel, we may be unable to continue our marketing and development activities, and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
If we do not effectively manage changes in our business, these changes could place a significant strain on our management and operations.
Our ability to grow successfully requires an effective planning and management process. The expansion and growth of our business could place a significant strain on our management systems, infrastructure and other resources. To manage our growth successfully, we must continue to improve and expand our systems and infrastructure in a timely and efficient manner. Our controls, systems, procedures and resources may not be adequate to support a changing and growing company. If our management fails to respond effectively to changes and growth in our business, including acquisitions, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our strategic business plan may not produce the intended growth in revenue and operating income.
Our strategies ultimately include making significant investments in sales and marketing programs to achieve revenue growth and margin improvement targets. If we do not achieve the expected benefits from these investments or otherwise fail to execute on our strategic initiatives, we may not achieve the growth improvement we are targeting and our results of operations may be adversely affected. We may also fail to secure the capital necessary to make these investments, which will hinder our growth.
In addition, as part of our strategy for growth, we may make acquisitions and enter into strategic alliances such as joint ventures and joint development agreements. However, we may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, complete acquisitions or integrate acquisitions successfully, and our strategic alliances may not prove to be successful. In this regard, acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the integration of the operations, technologies, services and products of the acquired companies and the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns. Although we will endeavour to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular transaction, there can be no assurance that we will properly ascertain all such risks. In addition, acquisitions could result in the incurrence of substantial additional indebtedness and other expenses or in potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities. There can be no assurance that difficulties encountered with acquisitions will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We currently have limited sales, marketing or distribution operations and will need to expand our expertise in these areas.
We currently have limited sales, marketing or distribution operations. We have begun implementing a market development program and are in the process of building such operations in connection with the commercialization of PURE EP, and we are expanding our expertise in sales, marketing and distribution operations for commercial growth. To increase internal sales, distribution and marketing expertise and be able to conduct these operations, we have begun to invest in and will have to invest significant amounts of financial and management resources. In developing these functions ourselves, we could face a number of risks, including:
● | we may not be able to attract and build an effective marketing or sales force; | |
● | the cost of establishing, training and providing regulatory oversight for a marketing or sales force may be substantial; and | |
● | there are significant legal and regulatory risks in medical device marketing and sales that we have never faced, and any failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements for sales, marketing and distribution could result in an enforcement action by the FDA, European regulators or other authorities that could jeopardize our ability to market our planned products or could subject us to substantial liability. |
Our product development program depends upon third-party researchers, including Mayo Clinic, who are outside our control and whose negative performance could materially hinder or delay our pre-clinical testing or clinical trials.
We do not have the ability to conduct all aspects of pre-clinical testing or clinical trials ourselves. We depend upon independent investigators and collaborators, such as commercial third-parties, government, universities and medical institutions, to conduct our pre-clinical and clinical trials under agreements with us. For our first clinical trial for the PURE EP, titled “Novel Cardiac Signal Processing System for Electrophysiology Procedures (PURE EP 2.0 Study)” which commenced in November 2019, we rely on third parties, including TCARF and Mayo Clinic to conduct the patient cases. In addition, we are party to various license agreements with Mayo, pursuant to which we rely on research and development information, materials, technical data, unpatented inventions, trade secrets, know-how and supportive information of Mayo to develop, make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell, and import licensed products. These collaborators are not our employees and we cannot control the amount or timing of resources that they devote to our programs. These investigators may not assign as great a priority to our programs or pursue them as diligently as we would if we were undertaking such programs ourselves. The failure of any of these outside collaborators to perform in an acceptable and timely manner in the future, including in accordance with any applicable regulatory requirements, such as good clinical and laboratory practices, or pre-clinical testing or clinical trial protocols, could cause a delay or otherwise adversely affect our pre-clinical testing or clinical trials, our success in obtaining regulatory approvals and, ultimately, the timely advancement of our development programs. In addition, these collaborators may also have relationships with other commercial entities, some of whom may compete with us. If our collaborators assist our competitors at our expense, our competitive position would be harmed.
If healthcare providers are unable to obtain sufficient reimbursement or other financial incentives from third-party healthcare payers related to the use of our products, their adoption and our future product sales will be materially adversely affected.
Widespread adoption of the PURE EP, and any other products we may develop in the future, by the medical community is unlikely to occur without a financial incentive from third-party payors for the use of these products. Third-party payors include but are not limited to governmental programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, commercial health insurers and private payors, workers’ compensation programs, and other organizations. Currently, the PURE EP does not receive separate reimbursement from any third-party payor. Instead, healthcare providers typically receive reimbursement for the procedure in which our product is used. Future regulatory action by CMS or other governmental agencies, or unfavorable clinical data, among other things, may impact coverage and/or reimbursement policies for procedures performed using our products. If healthcare providers are unable to obtain adequate coverage of, or reimbursement for, procedures performed using our products, or if managed care organizations do not receive improved capitated payments due to more accurate patient risk assessment using our products, we may be unable to sell our products at levels that are sufficient to allow us to achieve and maintain profitability, and our business would suffer significantly.
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We may face risks associated with future litigation and claims.
We may, in the future, be involved in one or more lawsuits, claims or other proceedings. These suits could concern issues including contract disputes, employment actions, employee benefits, taxes, environmental, health and safety, personal injury and product liability matters. Due to the uncertainties of litigation, we can give no assurance that we will prevail on any claims made against us in any such lawsuit. Also, we can give no assurance that any other lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or operating results.
The risk that we may be sued on product liability claims is inherent in the development and commercialization of medical devices. Specifically, we believe we will be subject to product liability claims or product recalls, particularly in the event of false positive or false negative reports, because we plan to develop and manufacture medical diagnostic products. Once a product is approved for sale and commercialized, the likelihood of product liability lawsuits increases. Product liability claims could be asserted directly by consumers, health-care providers or others. We have obtained product liability insurance coverage; however such insurance may not provide full coverage for our current or future clinical trials, products to be sold, and other aspects of our business. A product recall or a successful product liability claim or claims that exceed our planned insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, insurance coverage is becoming increasingly expensive and we may not be able to maintain current coverage, or expand our insurance coverage to include future clinical trials or the sale of new products or existing products in new territories, at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts to protect against losses due to product liability or at all. A successful product liability claim or series of claims brought against us could result in judgments, fines, damages and liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In the event of an award against us during a time when we have no available insurance or insufficient insurance, we may sustain significant losses of our operating capital. We may incur significant expense investigating and defending these claims, even if they do not result in liability. Moreover, even if no judgments, fines, damages or liabilities are imposed on us, our reputation could suffer, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as impair our reputation in the medical and investment communities.
Our business is subject to cybersecurity risks.
Our operations are increasingly dependent on information technologies and services. Threats to information technology systems associated with cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents or attacks continue to grow, and include, among other things, storms and natural disasters, terrorist attacks, utility outages, theft, viruses, phishing, malware, design defects, human error, and complications encountered as existing systems are maintained, repaired, replaced, or upgraded. Risks associated with these threats include, among other things:
● | theft or misappropriation of funds; | |
● | loss, corruption, or misappropriation of intellectual property, or other proprietary, confidential or personally identifiable information (including supplier, or employee data); | |
● | disruption or impairment of our and our business operations and safety procedures; | |
● | damage to our reputation with our potential customers and the market; | |
● | exposure to litigation; | |
● | increased costs to prevent, respond to or mitigate cybersecurity events. |
Although we utilize various procedures and controls to mitigate our exposure to such risk, cybersecurity attacks and other cyber events are evolving and unpredictable. Moreover, we have no control over the information technology systems of our suppliers, and others with which our systems may connect and communicate. As a result, the occurrence of a cyber incident could go unnoticed for a period time.
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We presently maintain insurance coverage to protect against cybersecurity risks. However, we cannot ensure that it will be sufficient to cover any particular losses we may experience as a result of such cyberattacks. Any cyber incident could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to U.S. federal and state healthcare laws, including fraud and abuse, false claims, and privacy laws and regulations. Prosecutions under such laws have increased in recent years and we may become subject to such litigation and enforcement. If we are unable to, or have not fully complied with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
We are subject, directly or indirectly, to various U.S. federal and state healthcare laws and regulations. These laws include fraud and abuse laws, such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, federal False Claims Act, and federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we may be subject, directly or indirectly, to patient privacy regulations by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The healthcare laws that may affect our ability to operate include, but are not limited to, the following.
● | The federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving, or providing remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. |
● | The federal physician self-referral law, commonly referred to as the Stark Law, which prohibits a physician from making a referral for certain designated health services covered by the Medicare program, if the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship with the entity providing the designated health services, unless the financial relationship falls within an applicable exception to the prohibition. |
● | Federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, including the False Claims Act, which prohibits persons from knowingly filing, or causing to be filed, a false claim to, or the knowing use of false statements to obtain payment from, the federal government. Suits may be filed under the federal False Claims Act by the government or by an individual on behalf of the government (known as “qui tam” actions). Such individuals, commonly known as “relators” or “whistleblowers,” may share in any amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. |
● | The federal transparency requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, including the provision known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires manufacturers of drugs, biologics, devices and medical supplies covered under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to record any information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members, and to report this data annually to CMS for subsequent public disclosure. Manufacturers must also disclose investment interests held by physicians and their family members. |
● | The federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among other things, the offering or transfer of remuneration to a Medicare or state healthcare program beneficiary if the person knows or should know it is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular provider, practitioner, or supplier of services reimbursable by Medicare or a state healthcare program, unless an exception applies. |
● | Federal criminal statutes created through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which prohibit knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private) and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by any trick or device a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services relating to healthcare matters. |
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● | HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 and their respective implementing regulations, which imposes requirements on certain covered healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their respective business associates that perform services for them that involve the use, or disclosure of, individually identifiable health information, relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. |
● | Other federal and state fraud and abuse laws, prohibitions on self-referral and kickbacks, fee-splitting restrictions, prohibitions on the provision of products at no or discounted cost to induce physician or patient adoption, and false claims acts, transparency, reporting, and disclosure requirements, which may extend to services reimbursable by any third-party payer, including private insurers. |
● | State and federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that could potentially harm consumers. |
Additionally, we may be subject to state equivalents of each of the healthcare laws described above, among others, some of which may be broader in scope and may apply regardless of the payor. Many U.S. states have adopted laws similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, some of which apply to the referral of patients for healthcare services reimbursed by any source, not just governmental payors, including private insurers. Several states impose marketing restrictions or require medical device companies to make marketing or price disclosures to the state. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these state requirements, and if we fail to comply with an applicable state law requirement, we could be subject to penalties.
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our future business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. In addition, healthcare reform legislation has strengthened these laws. For example, the Affordable Care Act, among other things, amended the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback and criminal healthcare fraud statutes. As a result of such amendment, a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of these statutes or specific intent to violate them in order to have committed a violation. Moreover, the Affordable Care Act provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.
Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including penalties, fines and/or exclusion or suspension from federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and debarment from contracting with the U.S. government. In addition, private individuals have the ability to bring actions on behalf of the U.S. government under the False Claims Act as well as under the false claims laws of several states.
Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our existing or future business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. Any such actions instituted against us could have a significant adverse impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, disgorgement, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Even if we are successful in defending against such actions, we may nonetheless be subject to substantial costs, reputational harm and adverse effects on our ability to operate our business. In addition, the approval and commercialization of any of our products outside the United States will also likely subject us to non-U.S. equivalents of the healthcare laws mentioned above, among other non-U.S. laws.
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If any of our employees, agents, or the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we do business are found to have violated applicable laws, we may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs, or, if we are not subject to such actions, we may suffer reputational harm for conducting business with persons or entities found, or accused of being, in violation of such laws. Any such events could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
In addition, to the extent we commence commercial operations overseas, we will be subject to the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other countries’ anti-corruption/anti-bribery regimes, such as the U.K. Bribery Act. The federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Safeguards we implement to discourage improper payments or offers of payments by our employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors may be ineffective, and violations of the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, or other liabilities or proceedings against us, any of which would likely harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We could be adversely affected if healthcare legislation or reform measures substantially change the market for medical care or healthcare coverage in the U.S., negatively affecting our business or revenue for PURE EP or future products.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, commonly referred to as the “Healthcare Reform Law,” includes a number of rules regarding health insurance, the provision of healthcare, conditions to reimbursement for healthcare services provided to Medicare and Medicaid patients, and other healthcare policy reforms. Through the law-making process, substantial changes have been and continue to be made to the current system for paying for healthcare in the U.S., including changes made to extend medical benefits to certain Americans who lacked insurance coverage and to contain or reduce healthcare costs (such as by reducing or conditioning reimbursement amounts for healthcare services and medical devices, and imposing additional taxes, fees, and rebate obligations on medical device companies). This legislation was one of the most comprehensive and significant reforms ever experienced by the U.S. in the healthcare industry and has significantly changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. This legislation has impacted the scope of healthcare insurance and incentives for consumers and insurance companies, among others. Additionally, the Healthcare Reform Law’s provisions were designed to encourage providers to find cost savings in their clinical operations. Medical devices represent a significant portion of the cost of providing care. This environment has caused changes in the purchasing habits of consumers and providers and resulted in specific attention to the pricing negotiation, product selection and utilization review surrounding medical devices. This attention may result in our products we may commercialize or promote, including our current commercial products, being chosen less frequently or the pricing being substantially lowered. At this stage, it is difficult to estimate the full extent of the direct or indirect impact of the Healthcare Reform Law on us.
These structural changes could entail further modifications to the existing system of private payors and government programs (such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program), creation of government-sponsored healthcare insurance sources, or some combination of both, as well as other changes. Restructuring the coverage of medical care in the U.S. could impact the reimbursement for medical devices, including our current commercial products, those we and our development or commercialization partners are currently developing or those that we may commercialize or promote in the future. If reimbursement for our approved medical devices, products we currently commercialize or promote, or any product we may commercialize or promote is substantially reduced or otherwise adversely affected in the future, or rebate obligations associated with them are substantially increased, it could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations.
Extending medical benefits to those who currently lack coverage will likely result in substantial costs to the U.S. federal government, which may force significant additional changes to the healthcare system in the U.S. Much of the funding for expanded healthcare coverage may be sought through cost savings. While some of these savings may come from realizing greater efficiencies in delivering care, improving the effectiveness of preventive care and enhancing the overall quality of care, much of the cost savings may come from reducing the cost of care and increased enforcement activities. Cost of care could be reduced further by decreasing the level of reimbursement for medical services or products (including those products currently being developed by us or our development or commercialization partners or any product we may commercialize or promote, including our current commercial products), or by restricting coverage (and, thereby, utilization) of medical services or products. In either case, a reduction in the utilization of, or reimbursement for, any medical device or any product we may commercialize or promote, including our current commercial products, or for which we receive marketing approval in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations.
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Further, the healthcare regulatory environment has seen significant changes in recent years and is still in flux. Legislative initiatives to modify, limit, replace, or repeal the Healthcare Reform Law and judicial challenges have continued for over a decade. However, as of the Supreme Court’s ruling ordering the dismissal of, arguably, the most promising case challenging the Healthcare Reform Law to-date in June 2021, it appears that the Healthcare Reform Law will remain in-effect in its current form for the foreseeable future; however, we cannot predict what additional challenges may arise in the future, the outcome thereof, or the impact any such actions may have on our business. Additionally, the Biden administration has introduced various measures in recent years, focusing on healthcare and medical-product pricing, in particular. It remains to be seen how these measures will affect our business and there is uncertainty as to what other healthcare programs and regulations may be implemented or changed at the federal and/or state level in the U.S., but, it is possible that such initiatives could have an adverse effect on our ability to obtain approval and/or successfully commercialize products in the U.S. in the future. For example, any changes that reduce, or impede the ability of healthcare providers to obtain reimbursement for medical procedures in which the products we currently, or intend to, commercialize are used, or that reduce medical procedure volumes, could adversely affect our operations and/or future business plans. The financial impact of U.S. healthcare reform legislation over the next few years will depend on a number of factors, including the policies reflected in implementing regulations and guidance and changes in sales volumes for medical devices affected by the legislation. From time to time, legislation is drafted, introduced and passed in the U.S. Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing coverage, reimbursement, pricing, and marketing of medical device products. In addition, third-party payor coverage and reimbursement policies are often revised or interpreted in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products.
As a smaller reporting company, we are subject to scaled disclosure requirements that may make it more challenging for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects.
Currently, we are a “smaller reporting company,” as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. As a “smaller reporting company,” we are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosures in our filings and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in our filings with the SEC, including being required to provide only two years of audited financial statements in annual reports. Consequently, it may be more challenging for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects.
Furthermore, we are a non-accelerated filer as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, and, as such, are not required to provide an auditor attestation of management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting, which is generally required for SEC reporting companies under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Because we are not required to, and have not, had our auditor’s provide an attestation of our management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting, a material weakness in internal controls may remain undetected for a longer period.
Global economic uncertainty and financial market volatility caused by political instability, changes in international trade relationships and conflicts could make it more difficult for us to access financing and could adversely affect our business and operations.
Our ability to raise capital is subject to the risk of adverse changes in the market value of our stock. Periods of macroeconomic weakness or recession and heightened market volatility caused by adverse geopolitical developments could increase these risks, potentially resulting in adverse impacts on our ability to raise further capital on favorable terms. The impact of geopolitical tension, such as a deterioration in the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China or in the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, including resulting sanctions, export controls or other restrictive actions that may be imposed by the U.S. and/or other countries against governmental or other entities in, for example, Russia, also could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in global trade patterns, which may in turn impact our ability to source necessary reagents, raw materials and other inputs for our research and development operations. In addition, political developments impacting government spending and international trade, including changes in trade agreements, potential government shutdowns and trade disputes and tariffs, including tariffs that have been or may in the future be imposed by the United States or other countries and future legislation or actions taken by the United States or other countries that restrict trade, and protectionist or retaliatory measures taken by the United States or other countries, may negatively impact markets and cause weaker macroeconomic conditions. Any of the abovementioned factors could affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. The extent and duration of any political instability and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict but could be substantial. Any such disruptions may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks and uncertainties described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section.
The U.S. Congress, the Trump administration, or any new administration may make substantial changes to fiscal, tax, and other federal policies that may adversely affect our business.
In 2017, the U.S. Congress and the Trump administration made substantial changes to U.S. policies, which included comprehensive corporate and individual tax reform. In addition, the Trump administration called for significant changes to U.S. trade, healthcare, immigration and government regulatory policy in President Trump’s second term. The transitions between the Trump and Biden presidential terms led to substantial changes in the direction and focus of administrative and regulatory policies. Changes to U.S. policy implemented by the U.S. Congress, the Trump administration or any future administration have impacted and may in the future impact, among other things, the U.S. and global economy, international trade relations, unemployment, immigration, healthcare, taxation, the U.S. regulatory environment, inflation and other areas. Although we cannot predict the impact, if any, of these changes to our business, they could adversely affect our business. Until we know what policy changes are made, whether those policy changes are challenged and subsequently upheld by the court system and how those changes impact our business and the business of our competitors over the long term, we will not know if, overall, we will benefit from them or be negatively affected by them.
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The Company has concluded that there is a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting, which, if not remediated, could materially adversely affect its ability to timely and accurately report its results of operations and financial condition. The accuracy of the Company’s financial reporting depends on the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting.
Internal controls over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements and may not prevent or detect misstatements. Failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, or lapses in disclosure controls and procedures, could undermine the ability to provide accurate disclosure (including with respect to financial information) on a timely basis, which could cause investors to lose confidence in the Company’s disclosures (including with respect to financial information), require significant resources to remediate the lapse or deficiency, and expose it to legal or regulatory proceedings.
In connection with the audit of its December 31, 2024 financial statements, the Company’s management identified inadequate identification, recording and reporting of stock based compensation due under consulting or other third-party contracts entered into by the Company, but not yet ratified by the Company’s Board of Directors which resulted in deficiencies, which, in aggregate, amounted to a material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Other material weaknesses along with stock-based compensation identified were the lack of segregation of duties and ineffective review processes over period end financial disclosure and reporting.
The Company’s remediation efforts are ongoing and it will continue its initiatives to implement and document policies, procedures, and internal controls. Remediation of the identified material weakness and strengthening the internal control environment will require a substantial effort throughout 2025 and beyond, as necessary, and the Company will test the ongoing operating effectiveness of the new and existing controls in future periods. The material weakness cannot be considered completely remediated until the applicable controls have operated for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively. The Company cannot guarantee that it will be successful in remediating the material weakness it identified or that its internal control over financial reporting, as modified, will enable it to identify or avoid material weaknesses in the future.
The Company cannot guarantee that its management will be successful in identifying and retaining appropriate personnel; that newly engaged staff or outside consultants will be successful in identifying material weaknesses in the future; or that appropriate personnel will be identified and retained prior to these deficiencies resulting in material and adverse effects on the Company’s business.
There are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
The ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require us to identify material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, which is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our internal controls and disclosure controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, in our company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may be inadequate because of changes in conditions, such as growth of the company or increased transaction volume, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
In addition, discovery and disclosure of a material weakness, by definition, could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements. Such an occurrence could discourage certain customers or suppliers from doing business with us and adversely affect how our stock trades. This could in turn negatively affect our ability to access equity markets for capital.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we do not obtain protection for our intellectual property rights, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our research and development efforts to develop competing products.
We intend to rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets, and nondisclosure and non-competition agreements to protect our proprietary intellectual property. Our owned patent portfolio now includes 41 issued/allowed utility patents (29 utility patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Thirty one additional U.S. and foreign utility patent applications are pending covering various aspects of our PURE EP System for recording, measuring, calculating and displaying of electrocardiograms during cardiac ablation procedures (31 U.S. and foreign utility patent applications where either BioSig, Mayo, or both is at least one of the applicants). We also have one U.S. patent and one U.S. Pending application directed to artificial intelligence (AI). We also have 30 issued worldwide design patents, which cover various features of our display screens and graphical user interface for enhanced visualization of biomedical signals (30 design patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Finally, we have licenses to 12 (issued/allowed) patents and 9 additional worldwide utility patent applications from Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research that are pending (12 issued/allowed patents and 9 applications where only Mayo is the applicant). These patents and applications are generally directed to electroporation and stimulation.
We plan to file additional patent applications in the U.S. and in other countries as we deem appropriate for our products. Our applications have and will include claims intended to provide market exclusivity for certain commercial aspects of the products, including the methods of production, the methods of usage and the commercial packaging of the products. However, we cannot predict:
● | the degree and range of protection any patents will afford us against competitors, including whether third parties will find ways to invalidate or otherwise circumvent our patents; |
● | if and when such patents will be issued, and, if granted, whether patents will be challenged and held invalid or unenforceable; |
● | whether or not others will obtain patents claiming aspects similar to those covered by our patents and patent applications; or |
● | whether we will need to initiate litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly regardless of outcome. |
Furthermore, the issuance of a patent, while presumed valid and enforceable, is not conclusive as to its validity or its enforceability and it may not provide us with adequate proprietary protection or competitive advantages against competitors with similar products. Competitors may also be able to design around our patents. Other parties may develop and obtain patent protection for more effective technologies, designs or methods. We may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical knowledge or trade secrets by consultants, vendors, former employees and current employees.
Patent rights are territorial, and patent protection extends only to those countries where we have issued patents. Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our products and product candidates in all countries and jurisdictions throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States could be less extensive than those in the United States. Many countries, however, do not protect intellectual property to the same extent as the U.S. or Europe, and their litigation processes differ. Competitors may successfully challenge or avoid our patents, or manufacture products in countries where we have not applied for patent protection. Changes in the patent laws in the U.S. or other countries may diminish the value of our patent rights. As a result of these and other factors, the scope, validity, enforceability, and commercial value of our patent rights are uncertain and unpredictable.
Indeed, several companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of some countries do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property rights, which could make it difficult for BioSig to stop the infringement, misappropriation or other violation of BioSig’s intellectual property rights generally. Proceedings to enforce BioSig’s intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of BioSig’s business, could put BioSig’s patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and BioSig’s patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against BioSig. BioSig may not prevail in any lawsuits that it initiates, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful.
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The patent positions of medical device companies, including our patent position, involve complex legal and factual questions, and, therefore, the issuance, scope, validity and enforceability of any patent claims that we may obtain cannot be predicted with certainty. Patents, if issued, may be challenged, deemed unenforceable, invalidated, or circumvented. A third-party may submit prior art, or we may become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review, supplemental examination, or interference proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of our licensors or development partners. The costs of defending or enforcing our proprietary rights in these proceedings can be substantial, and the outcome can be uncertain. An adverse determination in any such submission or proceeding could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, or reduce our ability to manufacture or commercialize products. Furthermore, if the scope or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could discourage companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future products. The ownership of our proprietary rights could also be challenged.
Furthermore, our ability to enforce our patent rights depends on our ability to detect infringement. It is difficult to detect infringers who do not advertise the components that are used in their products. Moreover, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain evidence of infringement in a competitor’s or potential competitor’s product, particularly in litigation in countries other than the U.S. that do not provide an extensive discovery procedure. Any litigation to enforce or defend our patent rights, if any, even if we were to prevail, could be costly and time-consuming and would divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded if we were to prevail may not be commercially meaningful.
Our success also depends upon the skills, knowledge and experience of our scientific and technical personnel, our consultants and advisors as well as our licensors and contractors. To help protect our proprietary know-how and our inventions for which patents may be unobtainable or difficult to obtain, we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements. To this end, it is our policy to require all of our employees, consultants, advisors and contractors to enter into agreements which prohibit the disclosure of confidential information and, where applicable, require disclosure and assignment to us of the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions important to our business. These agreements may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure or the lawful development by others of such information. If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information is disclosed, the value of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary rights would be significantly impaired and our business and competitive position would suffer.
Given the fact that we may pose a competitive threat, competitors, especially large and well-capitalized companies that own or control patents relating to electrophysiology recording systems, may successfully challenge our current and planned patent applications, produce similar products or products that do not infringe our future patents, or produce products in countries where we have not applied for patent protection or that do not respect our patents.
If any of these events occurs, or we otherwise lose protection for our trade secrets or proprietary know-how, the value of our intellectual property may be greatly reduced. Patent protection and other intellectual property protection are important to the success of our business and prospects, and there is a substantial risk that such protections will prove inadequate.
If we infringe upon the rights of third parties, we could be prevented from selling products and forced to pay damages and defend against litigation.
Our commercial success also depends upon our ability, and the ability of any third party with which we may partner, to develop, manufacture, market and sell our products, if approved, and use our patent-protected technologies without infringing the patents of third parties. We may not have identified all patents, published applications or published literature that affect our business by blocking our ability to commercialize our products, by preventing the patentability of one or more aspects of our products to us or our licensors, or by covering the same or similar technologies that may affect our ability to market our products. For example, we (or the licensor of a product to us) may not have conducted a patent clearance search sufficient to identify potentially obstructing third party patent rights. Moreover, patent applications in the United States are maintained in confidence for up to 18 months after their filing. In some cases, however, patent applications remain confidential in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, for the entire time prior to issuance as a U.S. patent. Patent applications filed in countries outside of the United States are not typically published until at least 18 months from their first filing date. Similarly, publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries. We cannot be certain that we or our licensors were the first to invent, or the first to file, patent applications covering our products. We also may not know if our competitors filed patent applications for technology covered by our pending applications or if we were the first to invent the technology that is the subject of our patent applications. Competitors may have filed patent applications or received patents and may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights that block or compete with our patents.
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If our products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs and we may be required to:
● | obtain licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all; |
● | abandon an infringing product candidate; |
● | redesign our product candidates or processes to avoid infringement; |
● | cease usage of the subject matter claimed in the patents held by others; |
● |
pay damages; and/or |
● | defend litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly regardless of outcome, and which could result in a substantial diversion of our financial and management resources. |
We may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion. Any of these events could substantially harm our earnings, financial condition and operations.
We depend on our collaboration with Mayo Clinic for the research and development of additional advanced features of PURE EP. If this collaboration is not successful, we may not be able to realize the market potential of such features and may not have rights to use any such developed advanced features.
On March 15, 2017, we entered into a know-how license agreement with Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (“Mayo Clinic”), effective December 2, 2016, and as amended whereby we were granted an exclusive license, with the right to sublicense, certain know how and patent applications in the fields of signal processing, physiologic recording, electrophysiology recording, electrophysiology software and autonomics to develop, make and offer for sale. The agreement expires ten years from the effective date. In furtherance of this collaboration, we subsequently entered into four additional agreements whereby we were granted exclusive licenses, with the right to sublicense additional Mayo Clinic patents and know-how. Pursuant to these agreements, Mayo Clinic retains ownership of the licensed intellectual property and any developed intellectual property. Mayo Clinic also retains the right to prosecute and enforce the developed intellectual property. If our agreements with Mayo Clinic terminate, our access to technology and intellectual property licensed to us by Mayo Clinic may be restricted or terminate entirely, which may delay our continued development of such advanced features utilizing the Mayo Clinic’s technology or intellectual property or require us to stop development of those product candidates completely. Additional risks posed by this collaboration include:
● | Mayo Clinic may not properly obtain, maintain, enforce, or defend intellectual property or proprietary rights relating to our advanced features or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to expose us to potential litigation or other intellectual property related proceedings, including proceedings challenging the scope, ownership, validity, and enforceability of our intellectual property; |
● | Mayo Clinic may own or co-own intellectual property covering our advanced features that results from our collaboration with them, and in such cases, we may not have the exclusive right or any right to commercialize such intellectual property or such product candidates or research programs; or |
● | We may be prevented from enforcing or defending any intellectual property that we contribute to or that arises out of the collaboration, if Mayo Clinic refuses to cooperate with such action. |
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Our collaboration with Mayo Clinic is made subject to the rights of the U.S. government to the extent that the technology covered by the licensed intellectual property was developed under a funding agreement between Mayo Clinic and the U.S. government. Additionally, to the extent there is any conflict between our agreements with Mayo Clinic and applicable laws or regulations, applicable laws and regulations will prevail. Some, and possibly all, of the developed intellectual property rights relating to our advanced features may have been developed in the course of research funded by the U.S. government. As a result, the U.S. government may have certain rights to intellectual property embodied in our current or future products pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Government rights in certain inventions developed under a government-funded program include a nonexclusive, non-transferable, irrevocable worldwide license to use inventions for any governmental purpose. In addition, the U.S. government has the right to require us, or an assignee or exclusive licensee to such inventions, to grant licenses to any of these inventions to a third party if the U.S. government determines that adequate steps have not been taken to commercialize the invention, that government action is necessary to meet public health or safety needs, that government action is necessary to meet requirements for public use under federal regulations, or that the right to use or sell such inventions is exclusively licensed to an entity within the U.S. and substantially manufactured outside the U.S. without the U.S. government’s prior approval. Additionally, we may be restricted from granting exclusive licenses for the right to use or sell our inventions created pursuant to such agreements unless the licensee agrees to additional restrictions (e.g., manufacturing substantially all of the invention in the U.S.). The U.S. government also has the right to take title to these inventions if we fail to disclose the invention to the government and fail to file an application to register the intellectual property within specified time limits. In addition, the U.S. government may acquire title in any country in which a patent application is not filed within specified time limits. Additionally, certain inventions are subject to transfer restrictions during the term of these agreements and for a period, thereafter, including sales of products or components, transfers to foreign subsidiaries for the purpose of the relevant agreements, and transfers to certain foreign third parties. If any of our intellectual property becomes subject to any of the rights or remedies available to the U.S. government or third parties pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, this could impair the value of our intellectual property and could adversely affect our business. The U.S. government has not exercised any of these rights or provided us with any notice of its intent to exercise any of these rights with respect to any of the intellectual property licensed to us by Mayo Clinic. We are not aware of any instance in which the U.S. government has ever exercised any such rights with respect to any technologies or other intellectual property developed under funding agreements with the U.S. government.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under our license agreements, we could lose the rights to intellectual property that is important to our business.
Our current license agreements impose on us various development obligations, payment of royalties and fees based on achieving certain milestones as well as other obligations. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these agreements, the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. In addition, if the licensor fails to enforce its intellectual property, the licensed rights may not be adequately maintained. The termination of any license agreements or failure to adequately protect such license agreements could prevent us from commercializing our products or possible future products covered by the licensed intellectual property. Any of these events could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
Our employees may have been previously employed at other companies in the industry, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we are not aware of any claims currently pending against us, we may be subject to claims that these employees or we have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers of our employees. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. If we fail in defending such claims, in addition to paying money claims, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize product(s), which would materially adversely affect our commercial development efforts.
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Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedures and other requirements, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated in case of non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will be due to the relevant patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patents and /or applications. The relevant patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions during the patent application process. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which the failure to comply with the relevant requirements can result in the abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, our competitors might be able to use our technologies and know-how which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
The market price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly, which could result in substantial losses by our investors.
The stock market in general, and Nasdaq in particular, as well as biotechnology companies, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of small companies. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as:
● | announcements of technological innovations, new products or product enhancements by us or others; |
● | actual or anticipated quarterly increases or decreases in revenue, gross margin or earnings, and changes in our business, operations or prospects; |
● | announcements of significant strategic partnerships, out-licensing, in-licensing, joint ventures, acquisitions or capital commitments by us or our competitors; |
● | conditions or trends in the biotechnology industry; |
● | changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other biotechnology companies; |
● | general market conditions or domestic or international macroeconomic and geopolitical factors unrelated to our performance or financial condition; |
● | purchase or sale of our common stock by stockholders, including executives and directors; |
● | volatility and limitations in trading volumes of our common stock; |
● | changes in our capital structure or dividend policy, future issuances of securities, sales or distributions of large blocks of our common stock by stockholders; |
● | our cash position; |
● | announcements and events surrounding financing efforts, including debt and equity securities; |
● | changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by security analysts, if our common stock is covered by analysts; |
● | the addition or departure of key personnel; |
● | disputes and litigation related to intellectual property rights, proprietary rights, and contractual obligations; |
● | changes in applicable laws, rules, regulations, or accounting practices and other dynamics; and |
● | other events or factors, many of which may be out of our control. |
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These factors and any corresponding price fluctuations may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock and result in substantial losses by our investors.
Further, the stock market in general, and the market for technology companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations in the past. Continued market fluctuations could result in extreme volatility in the price of our common stock, which could cause a decline in the value of our common stock.
Price volatility of our common stock might be worse if the trading volume of our common stock is low. In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have often instituted securities class action litigation. If we were involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and attention of management from our business, even if we are successful. Future sales of our common stock could also reduce the market price of such stock.
Moreover, the liquidity of our common stock is limited, not only in terms of the number of shares that can be bought and sold at a given price, but by delays in the timing of transactions and reduction in security analysts’ and the media’s coverage of us, if any. These factors may result in lower prices for our common stock than might otherwise be obtained and could also result in a larger spread between the bid and ask prices for our common stock. In addition, without a large float, our common stock is less liquid than the stock of companies with broader public ownership and, as a result, the trading prices of our common stock may be more volatile. In the absence of an active public trading market, an investor may be unable to liquidate its investment in our common stock. Trading of a relatively small volume of our common stock may have a greater impact on the trading price of our stock than would be the case if our public float were larger. We cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade in the future.
Although our shares of common stock are now listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we currently have a limited trading volume, which results in higher price volatility for, and reduced liquidity of, our common stock.
Although our shares of common stock are now listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “BSGM,” trading volume in our common stock has been limited and an active trading market for our shares of common stock may never develop or be maintained. The absence of an active trading market increases price volatility and reduces the liquidity of our common stock. As long as this condition continues, the sale of a significant number of shares of common stock at any particular time could be difficult to achieve at the market prices prevailing immediately before such shares are offered.
Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in a delisting of our common stock, which could negatively impact the market price and liquidity of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, such as the minimum bid price, shareholders’ equity, public float and other requirements, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would have a negative effect on the price of our common stock, impair the ability to sell or purchase our common stock when persons wish to do so, and any delisting materially adversely affect our ability to raise capital or pursue strategic restructuring, refinancing or other transactions on acceptable terms, or at all. Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could also have other negative results, including the potential loss of institutional investor interest and fewer business development opportunities. In the event of a delisting, we would attempt to take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements.
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On March 5, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Staff stating that the Company had not regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) because the Company’s common stock did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and the Company is not eligible for a second 180 day cure period under Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(2) because the Company does not comply with the $5,000,000 minimum stockholders’ equity initial listing requirement for Nasdaq, and that accordingly, Nasdaq would delist the Company’s common stock unless the Company requested an appeal of this determination. On March 11, 2024, the Company submitted a request for a hearing before Hearings Panel to appeal the delisting determination.
On March 12, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Staff stating that based upon the Staff’s review of the Company and pursuant to Listing Rule 5101, the Staff believes that the Company no longer has an operating business and is a “public shell,” and that the continued listing of its securities is no longer warranted, in view of work force reductions and resignations of members of the board of directors and officers. The letter further stated that the Company no longer meets the requirement of Rule 5550(b)(2) to maintain a minimum market value of listed securities of $35 million, if none of the other standards set forth in Rule 5550(b) is met. The Staff stated that the foregoing matters serve as an additional basis for delisting the Company’s common stock from the Nasdaq Stock Market, and that the Panel will consider this matter in rendering a determination regarding the Company’s continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Company appealed the foregoing determinations. The requested hearing before the Panel was held on May 7, 2024.
On June 10, 2024, the Company received formal notice that the Panel had determined to delist the Company’s common stock from Nasdaq due to the Company’s continued non-compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) for continued listing on Nasdaq. As a result, trading in the Company’s common stock was suspended on Nasdaq effective with the open of business on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The Company’s common was eligible to trade on the OTC Markets’ Pink Current Information tier under symbol “BSGM” effective with the open of trading on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The Company sought the Panel’s reconsideration in accordance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules
On June 24, 2024, the Company was notified by Nasdaq that the Panel had declined to reconsider its decision dated June 10, 2024 to delist the Company’s common stock from Nasdaq (the “Delisting Decision”). Trading in the Company’s securities remained suspended on Nasdaq effective with the open of business on June 12, 2024, at which point the Company’s common stock was eligible to trade on the OTC Market’s Pink Current Information tier.
On July 10, 2024, the Company filed a submission in support of an appeal to the Listing Council.
On July 23, 2024, the Company commenced trading of its common stock on the OTCQB, operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc.
On October 18, 2024, the Company was notified by the Staff that the Listing Council had granted the Company an exception through March 7, 2025, to evidence compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b), namely either the $35 million in market value of listed securities requirement or the alternative requirement of $2.5 million in stockholders’ equity (the “Equity Rule”) for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market.
On October 23, 2024, the Company’s common stock resumed trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
On October 24, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Staff notifying the Company that based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock from the period of June 11, 2024 through the reinstatement date, October 23, 2024, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required by the Listing Rules and as a result, the Company no longer met this requirement. However, the Listing Rules also provided the Company a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance. Since then, Staff had determined that for the 10 consecutive business days, from October 30, 2024, to November 12, 2024, the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock was at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, the Company regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and this matter closed as of November 13, 2024.
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On March 6, 2025, the Company submitted supporting documents to the Listing Council evidencing compliance with the Equity Rule. And on March 24, 2025, the Company was notified by the Office of General Counsel of Nasdaq that the Company had successfully met the qualifications to regain full compliance for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
On April 11, 2025, the Company received a letter from the Staff indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock for the 30 consecutive business day period between February 27, 2025, through April 10, 2025, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The letter also indicated that the Company will be provided with a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until October 8, 2025 (the “Compliance Period”), in which to regain compliance pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). In order to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement, the Company’s common stock must maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 for at least ten consecutive business days during the Compliance Period. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by the end of the Compliance Period, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance. To qualify, the Company will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for the market value of its publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and will need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split if necessary. If the Company meets these requirements, the Company may be granted an additional 180 calendar days to regain compliance. However, if it appears to Nasdaq that the Company will be unable to cure the deficiency, or if the Company is not otherwise eligible for the additional cure period, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Company’s common stock will be subject to delisting. The letter has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company’s common stock, which will continue to be listed and traded on Nasdaq, subject to the Company’s compliance with the other listing requirements of Nasdaq. At that time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a hearings panel pursuant to the procedures set forth in the applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules. However, there can be no assurance that, if the Company does appeal the delisting determination by Nasdaq to the panel, such appeal would be successful.
Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could negatively impact the Company’s ability to raise additional financing to fund future operations.
We may need to seek to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock in order to attempt to comply with the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirements, which could occur in the near term, but requires stockholder approval, of which there can be no assurance. We may be unable to complete a reverse stock split, and even if we do, we may still be unable to meet the minimum bid price requirement, and we may be unable to meet other applicable Nasdaq listing requirements, including maintaining minimum levels of stockholders’ equity or market values of our common stock.
If our common stock is delisted and we are not able to list our common stock on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities would be quoted on an over-the-counter market. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained.
Future sales of our common stock in the public market or other financings could cause our stock price to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, the perception that these sales might occur or other financings, could depress the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. A substantial majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act unless these shares are owned or purchased by “affiliates” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. In addition, shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options, restricted stock units and shares reserved for future issuance under our incentive stock plan will be eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by applicable vesting requirements and, in some cases, subject to compliance with the requirements of Rule 144. As a result, these shares can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to restrictions under the securities laws.
If we sell additional equity or debt securities to fund our operations, it may impose restrictions on our business.
In order to raise additional funds to support our operations, we may sell additional equity or debt securities, which may impose restrictive covenants that adversely impact our business. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. If we are unable to expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities due to such restrictions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
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Our stockholders may experience substantial dilution as a result of the exercise of outstanding options or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, or upon conversion of our Series C preferred stock into shares of our common stock.
As of April 14, 2025, we have outstanding options to purchase 2,515,200 shares of common stock, 1,156,663 restricted stock units and have reserved 4,251,595 shares of our common stock for further issuances pursuant to our 2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan. In addition, as of April 14, 2025, we may be required to issue 546,514 shares of our common stock for issuance upon conversion of outstanding convertible Series C preferred stock which includes accrued dividends as of April 14, 2025, and 5,589,760 shares of our common stock for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants. Should all of these shares be issued, you would experience dilution in ownership of our common stock and the price of our common stock will decrease unless the value of our company increases by a corresponding amount.
The interests of our controlling stockholders may not coincide with yours and such controlling stockholders may make decisions with which you may disagree.
As of April 14, 2025, two of our stockholders beneficially owned over 21.32% of our common stock. As a result, these stockholders may be able to influence the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. In addition, this concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change in control of our company and make some future transactions more difficult or impossible without the support of our controlling stockholders. The interests of our controlling stockholders may not coincide with our interests or the interests of other stockholders.
Delaware law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws contain anti-takeover provisions that could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.
Our board of directors is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the voting powers, preferences and other rights and limitations of the preferred stock. Accordingly, we may issue shares of preferred stock with a preference over our common stock with respect to dividends or distributions on liquidation or dissolution, or that may otherwise adversely affect the voting or other rights of the holders of common stock. Issuances of preferred stock, depending upon the rights, preferences and designations of the preferred stock, may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control, even if that change of control might benefit our stockholders. In addition, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Section 203 generally prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or (iii) on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Section 203 could delay or prohibit mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts with respect to us and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire us even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.
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Risks Related to our Series C Preferred Stock
Our Series C Preferred Stock contains covenants that could limit our financing options and liquidity position, which would limit our ability to grow our business.
Covenants in the certificate of designation for our Series C Preferred Stock impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions prohibit or limit our ability to, among other things:
● | incur additional indebtedness; | |
● | permit liens on assets; | |
● | repay, repurchase or otherwise acquire more than a de minimis number of shares of capital stock; | |
● | pay cash dividends to our stockholders; and | |
● | engage in transactions with affiliates. |
As of April 14, 2025, we were in compliance with all covenants of the Series C Preferred Stock.
These restrictions may limit our ability to obtain financing, withstand downturns in our business or take advantage of business opportunities. Moreover, debt financing we may seek may contain terms that include more restrictive covenants, may require repayment on an accelerated schedule or may impose other obligations that limit our ability to grow our business, acquire needed assets, or take other actions we might otherwise consider appropriate or desirable.
In addition, the certificate of designation for our Series C Preferred Stock requires us to redeem shares of our Series C Preferred Stock, at each holder’s option and for an amount greater than their stated value, upon the occurrence of certain events, including our being subject to a judgment of greater than $100,000 or our initiation of bankruptcy proceedings.
The holders of our Series C Preferred Stock are entitled to receive a dividend, which may be increased if we do not comply with certain covenants.
The holders of the Series C Preferred Stock are entitled to a 9% annual dividend on the $1,000 per share stated value of our Series C Preferred Stock, which is payable in cash or, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, in pay-in-kind shares. The dividend may be increased to a 18% annual dividend if we fail to comply with certain covenants, including our being subject to a judgment of greater than $100,000 or our initiation of bankruptcy proceedings. As a result of the payment of dividends related to our Series C Preferred Stock, we may be obligated to pay significant sums of money or issue a significant number of shares of our common stock, which could negatively affect our operations or result in the dilution of the holders of our common stock, respectively.
The terms of our Series C Preferred Stock contain anti-dilution provisions that may result in the reduction of the conversion prices in the future.
The terms of our Series C Preferred Stock contain anti-dilution provisions, which provisions require the lowering of the conversion price to the purchase price of future offerings. If in the future we issue securities for less than the conversion of our Series C Preferred Stock then in effect, we will be required to further reduce the relevant conversion prices.
The terms of our Series C Preferred Stock prohibit us from paying dividends in the future on our common stock. As a result, any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.
The terms of our Series C Preferred Stock prohibit us from paying dividends in the future on our common stock, absent consent from the holders representing a super-majority of the outstanding shares of our Series C Preferred Stock and a certain investor. Because we will likely not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on an investment in our common stock will only occur if our stock price appreciates.
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General Risk Factors
The liability of our directors and officers is limited.
The applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws limit the liability of our directors to us and our stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of their fiduciary duties, with certain exceptions, and for other specified acts or omissions of such persons. In addition, the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws provide for indemnification of such persons under certain circumstances. In the event we are required to indemnify any of our directors or any other person, our financial strength may be harmed.
Negative publicity or unfavorable media coverage could damage our reputation and harm our operations.
In the event that the marketplace perceives our products as not offering the benefits which we believe they offer, we may receive negative publicity. This publicity may result in litigation and increased regulation and governmental review. If we were to receive such negative publicity or unfavorable media attention, whether warranted or unwarranted, our ability to market our products would be adversely affected. We may be required to change our products and services and become subject to increased regulatory burdens, and we may be required to pay large judgments or fines and incur significant legal expenses. Any combination of these factors could further increase our cost of doing business and adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We currently do not have new research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If we have coverage in the future and any analyst who covers us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline; or if any analyst ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
We are subject to financial reporting and other requirements that place significant demands on our resources.
We are subject to reporting and other obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 requires us to conduct an annual management assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. These reporting and other obligations place significant demands on our management, administrative, operational, internal audit and accounting resources. Any failure to maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and stock price. Moreover, effective internal control is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, we may not be able to manage our business as effectively as we would if an effective control environment existed, and our business and reputation with investors may be harmed.
ITEM 1B – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 1C – CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity is reviewed as part of our overall enterprise risk management program, led by our Chief Administrative Officer, which assesses our significant enterprise risks, provides a summary of those risks and primary mitigations, identifies control improvement projects for our significant risks, and regularly reports on the progress of control improvement projects for those risks to our Board of Directors. Cybersecurity risks are reviewed by the Board of Directors, at least annually, as part of the Company’s corporate risk mapping exercise.
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We
rely on a multidisciplinary team (including from management and
To operate our business, we utilize certain third-party service providers to perform a variety of functions, such as outsourced business critical functions, clinical research, professional services, SaaS platforms, cloud-based infrastructure, encryption and other functions. We have certain vendor management processes designed to help to manage cybersecurity risks associated with our use of these providers. Depending on the nature of the services provided, and the sensitivity and quantity of information processed, our vendor management process may include reviewing the cybersecurity practices of such provider, contractually imposing obligations on the provider related to the services they provide and/or the information they process, conducting security assessments, conducting on-site inspections, requiring their completion of written questionnaires regarding their services and data handling practices, and conducting periodic re-assessments during their engagement.
We
have
ITEM 2 – PROPERTIES
We maintain our principal executive office at 12424 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, where we lease approximately 4,000 square feet of office space. This lease runs until July 31, 2025, with monthly payments of $14,124 from September 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023, $14,618 from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 and $15,130 from July 1, 2024 through July 31, 2025. In connection with the lease, we paid a security deposit of $27,404. We have an option to extend past its lease term for three additional years.
We ended our lease in July 2024 for our previous principal executive office at 55 Greens Farms Road, Westport, Connecticut, where we sublet approximately 6,590 square feet of office space. The lease was to run until December 31, 2024, with monthly payments of $15,926 plus any additional utility expenses. In connection with the lease, we paid a security deposit of $14,828.
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We believe we do not need to expand our current facilities to meet our future needs.
ITEM 3 – LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
On December 4, 2023, the Company received a threat of litigation for the termination of employment with the Company alleging the termination of employment was in retaliation for bringing to the attention of the Company’s board of directors and executives a series of wrongful and questionable practices by members of the Company’s board of directors, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The claimant sought compensation in the amount of $775,782. After an investigation conducted by the Board and guidance of legal counsel, it was concluded that the claim was without merit.
On February 22, 2024, the Company received a threat of litigation seeking restitution for losses resulting from unlawful actions taken by the Company and its board of directors. The claimant contends that he and others have sustained losses totalling approximately $1,440,000. On March 22, 2024, September 3, 2024, September 27, 2024 and December 6, 2024, the claimant sent additional letters to the Company referencing the previous letters and requesting several documents. On September 19, 2024, the Company sent the claimant a cease and desist and litigation hold notice which threatened legal action against the claimant if the conduct continued. On March 24, 2025, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with the claimant for 1,000,000 shares with a market price of $0.4938 per share. As of December 31, 2024, the Company accrued $493,800 for the liability.
On December 3, 2024, the Court filed an Order Granting Motion to Dismiss to the lawsuit filed on March 22, 2024 by plaintiff, Michael Gray Fleming (the “Plaintiff”), in Hennepin County, Minnesota District Court. The lawsuit named the Company, its former Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Financial Officer as defendants. The Plaintiff contended that the Company failed to meet its obligations in issuing the Plaintiff stock under the terms of a restricted stock award agreement. Plaintiff was seeking at least $288,000 in damages. The Company believed Plaintiff’s allegations were baseless and had moved to dismiss Plaintiff’s claims during a hearing in September 2024.
We may be subject at times to other legal proceedings and claims, which arise in the ordinary course of its business. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters should not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.
There are no material proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates or any registered or beneficial shareholder of more than 5% of our common stock is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our interest.
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 for Common Stock
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “BSGM.”
Holders of Record
As of April 14, 2025, there were approximately 421 holders of our common stock, as determined by counting our record holders and the number of participants reflected in a security position listing provided to us by the Depository Trust Company. Because the “DTC participants” are brokers and other institutions holding shares of our common stock on behalf of their customers, we do not know the actual number of unique shareholders represented by these record holders.
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Dividends
We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future but intend to retain our capital resources for reinvestment in our business.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
Information about our equity compensation plans is incorporated by reference to Item 12 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Use of Proceeds from the Sale of Registered Securities
Not applicable.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Recent Sale of Unregistered Equity Securities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we did not issue or sell any unregistered securities, except as previously reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
ITEM 6 – RESERVED
ITEM 7 – MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is intended to provide a reader of our financial statements with a narrative from the perspective of our management on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and certain other factors that may affect our future results. You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes thereto that are included in this Form 10-K. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and analysis includes forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly in the section entitled “Risk Factors.” See “Note on Forward-Looking Statements.”
Overview
Business Overview
BioSig Technologies is a medical device technology company with an advanced digital signal processing technology platform, the PURE EP™ Platform (“PURE EP”), that delivers insights to electrophysiologists for ablation treatments of cardiovascular arrhythmias.
The PURE EP™ Platform enables electrophysiologists to acquire raw signal data in real-time—absent of unnecessary noise or interference—to maximize procedural success and minimize unnecessary inefficiencies. As physician advocates, we believe that the ability to maintain the integrity of intracardiac signals with precision and clarity without driving up procedural costs has never been more pertinent.
By capturing critical cardiac signals—even the most complex—PURE EP is designed to enhance clinical decision-making and improve clinical workflow for all types of arrhythmias, even the most challenging procedures for cardiac arrhythmias, like ventricular tachycardia (VT) and atrial fibrillation (AF).
BioSig has pivoted from a focus on commercial distribution of hardware to the research and development of novel software algorithms that advance our understanding of mechanisms and tissue characteristics. Data collection began in December 2023 and is ongoing. Despite its rapid adoption, there is room to improve the long-term outcomes of pulsed field ablation (PFA). Our primary focus is aimed at improving the specificity of PFA treatment and improving clinical outcomes.
Our owned patent portfolio now includes 41 issued/allowed utility patents (29 utility patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Thirty one additional U.S. and foreign utility patent applications are pending covering various aspects of our PURE EP System for recording, measuring, calculating and displaying of electrocardiograms during cardiac ablation procedures (31 U.S. and foreign utility patent applications where either BioSig, Mayo, or both is at least one of the applicants). We also have one U.S. patent and one U.S. Pending application directed to artificial intelligence (AI). We also have 30 issued worldwide design patents, which cover various features of our display screens and graphical user interface for enhanced visualization of biomedical signals (30 design patents where BioSig is at least one of the applicants). Finally, we have licenses to 12 (issued/allowed) patents and 9 additional worldwide utility patent applications from Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research that are pending (12 issued/allowed patents and 9 applications where only Mayo is the applicant). These patents and applications are generally directed to electroporation and stimulation.
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Recent Developments
Issuance of debt
On March 7, 2024, the Company issued a promissory note to an investor and related party (10% plus shareholder) for $500,000. The Company designated its 12% note due 2026, in accordance with exemptions from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
The note was due March 7, 2026. The Company promised to pay interest in cash on the unpaid principal amount of this note at a rate per annum equal to twelve percent (12%), commencing to accrue on the date hereof and payable on the maturity date or earlier prepayment as provided therein. The Note contained customary events of default.
The Company was able to prepay all or any portion of the principal amount of the Note at any time or from time to time without penalty. On May 1, 2024, we converted the promissory note and related accrued interest of $509,165 into 348,624 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 174,312 shares of common stock at $1.398 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance.
Private Placements
On January 12, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 260,720 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”) at a purchase price of $3.989, and warrants to purchase up to 130,363 shares at an exercise price of $3.364 per share that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance in exchange for aggregate consideration of $1,040,000.
On May 1, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 783,406 shares of the Common Stock at a purchase price of $1.4605 per share, and warrants to purchase up to 391,703 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.398 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance, in exchange for aggregate consideration of $1,144,164, including $634,999 in cash and $509,165 representing conversion of the principal balance of and accrued interest on the previously issued related party note payable. The note was not convertible by its terms, but the holder has agreed to convert it into shares of common stock and warrants under the Purchase Agreement.
On May 29, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and issue to the investors (i) in a registered direct offering, 1,570,683 shares of Common Stock at a price of $1.91 per share and (ii) in a concurrent private placement, warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,570,683 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $1.78 per share. In connection with the Offering, the Company issued 109,948 warrants to its placement agent. The gross proceeds from the offering were approximately $3,000,000.
On March 5, 2025, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 758,514 shares Common Stock at a purchase price of $1.07974 per share, and warrants to purchase up to 758,514 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.95474 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire three and one-half years following the date of issuance, in exchange for aggregate consideration of $818,998.
ATM Sales Agreement
On December 18, 2024, the Company entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, as sales agent or principal (the “Agent”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time in transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“common stock”), through or to the Agent (the “ATM Offering”). The Sales Agreement, among other things, provides for the issuance and sale of up to an aggregate of $8,500,000 of shares of the Company’s common stock (the “ATM Shares”).
The ATM Shares are being offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-276298) and an accompanying prospectus filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 28, 2023, as amended on January 5, 2024 and December 9, 2024, and declared effective by the SEC on December 17, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”) and pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated December 18, 2024.
From January 17, 2025 through April 14, 2025, the Company has sold 4,403,166 ATM Shares at an average offering price of $0.91 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $4,019,063 or $3,882,420 net of fees of $136,643.
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Equity Line of Credit
On February 28, 2025 (the “Effective Date”), the Company entered into a Equity Subscription Agreement (the “Subscription Agreement”) with Lind Global Fund III, LP (the “Investor”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Investor from time to time (each such occurrence, an “Advance”) up to $5.0 million (the “Commitment Amount”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), during the 36 months following the execution of the Subscription Agreement, subject to (a) an overall cap of 10,000,000 shares and (b) the restrictions and satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Subscription Agreement. The Company is under no obligation to sell any of its Common Stock to the Investor under the Subscription Agreement. At the Company’s option, the shares of Common Stock would be purchased by the Investor from time to time at a price (the “Market Price”) equal to 95% of the lowest of the daily VWAPs (as hereinafter defined) during a five (or such other period as the Company and the Investor may agree) consecutive trading day period commencing on the date that the Company delivers a notice to the Investor (an “Advance Notice”) that the Company is requiring the Investor to purchase a specified number of shares of Common Stock (the “Advance Shares”). The Company may also specify a minimum acceptable price per share in each Advance. “VWAP” means, for any trading day, the daily volume weighted average price of the Company’s Common Stock for such trading day on the Nasdaq Stock Market as reported by Bloomberg L.P. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock that the Company may require the Investor to purchase in any Advance is an number equal to 66.667% of the average daily volume of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market during the five consecutive trading days immediately preceding the date of the Advance Notice; provided that notwithstanding the foregoing limitation, in any period of 30 consecutive days, the total number of Advance Shares that the Company may sell to the Investor may be up to 0.5% of the quotient of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on the date of the Advance divided by the Market Price determined for such Advance.
As consideration for the Investor’s irrevocable commitment (subject to the conditions set forth in the Subscription Agreement) to purchase the Company’s Common Stock up to the Commitment Amount, the Company issued 108,542 shares of Common Stock (the “Commitment Shares”) to the Investor. The Company had previously advanced to the Investor $10,000 to cover certain expenses related to the Subscription Agreement.
The Investor’s obligation to purchase the Company’s shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Subscription Agreement is subject to a number of conditions, including that the Company file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), registering the issuance and sale of the Commitment Shares and the Advance Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to an Advance under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and that the Registration Statement be declared effective by the SEC.
Neuro-Kinesis Corporation
On July 1, 2024, the Company announced the intent to acquire the assets of Neuro-Kinesis Corporation (NKC), a privately held Los Angeles-based medical technology company developing smart EP tools. A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) had been executed confirming BioSig’s preliminary interest in the proposed acquisition of the assets of NKC. The purchase price would be paid through the issuance of shares of BioSig’s common stock to the shareholders of NKC. In addition, at closing, NKC would provide a minimum of $2.5 million, but could provide up to $6 million, of unrestricted cash to BioSig. The proposed acquisition would require extensive due diligence, potentially through the first quarter of 2025. The LOI expired on October 14, 2024, and the Company entered into an amendment to extend the term of the LOI through March 31, 2025. In addition, the amendment stated that any party may terminate the LOI in writing prior to the end of the term. On February 3, 2025, the Company terminated the LOI.
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Lack of funding, workforce reductions, resignations and appointments of members of the Company’s board of directors and certain officers
On January 28, 2024 and February 20, 2024, management of the Company commenced a workforce reduction intended to reduce significantly the annual cash burn which was completed as of February 20, 2024. The workforce reduction consisted of the departure of sixteen employees, effective as of January 31, 2024 and included the departure of John Sieckhaus, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, and Gray Fleming, the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer and twenty six employees effective February 20, 2024. The effect of the workforce reductions had significantly reduce operations in the short-term.
On February 15, 2024, Steve Buhaly resigned from his position as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective as of the same date.
On February 19, 2024, David Weild IV, Donald E. Foley, Patrick J. Gallagher and James J. Barry, resigned from their positions as directors of the Company, effective as of the same date.
On February 20, 2024, James L. Klein and Frederick D. Hrkac resigned from their positions as directors of the Company, effective as of the same date.
On February 20, 2024 due to lack of funding, the company had laid off the entire workforce except for the CEO.
On February 27, 2024, the company re-appointed Frederick D. Hrkac as a director and the president and principal executive officer. Additionally, on February 27, 2024, Kenneth L. Londoner resigned from his positions as director, executive chairman and chief executive officer of the Company and from any and all committees, offices, appointments, designations, responsibilities or other capacities related to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, effective as of the same date.
On April 30, 2024, the board of directors appointed former advisory board member and consultant, Anthony Amato as a director, president, chief executive officer and principal executive officer, effective immediately. In connection with the appointment of Mr. Amato, Mr. Hrkac tendered his resignation as president and principal executive officer effective as of the same date, however, continues to serve as a director and acted as chief financial officer until June 5, 2024.
On May 2, 2024, the board of directors appointed Mr. Chris Baer as a director on the Board.
On May 3, 2024, the board of directors appointed Messrs. Steven E. Abelman and Donald F. Browne as directors on the board.
On June 5, 2024, Frederick D. Hrkac resigned as acting chief financial officer and principal accounting officer of the Company, effective as of the same date. Also on June 5, 2024, the Company and Ferdinand Groenewald entered into the Agreement effective June 5, 2024, pursuant to which Mr. Groenewald will lead accounting and financial reporting activities of the Company. Mr. Groenewald currently serves as the Company’s interim chief financial officer, principal accounting officer and vice president of finance. The Agreement will continue indefinitely until terminated by either party upon 30 days’ advance notice. The Agreement provides for compensation at a fixed rate of $15,000 per month and reimbursement by the Company for any usual and customary business expenses incurred by Mr. Groenewald in connection with performing services pursuant to the Agreement. In addition, the Agreement provides for the Company to indemnify Mr. Groenewald on terms customary for officers.
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Currently, the Company has 5 employees and 3 key consultants. Dependent upon funding, the Company would plan on hiring a team of 4-6 persons to execute the business development strategy of finding partners for the continued research and development, and commercialization of PURE EP, and develop new products in the field of Pulse Field Ablation.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements include estimates based on currently available information and our judgment as to the outcome of future conditions and circumstances.
We believe the following critical accounting estimates affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. We evaluate these estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on our historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Among the significant judgments made by management in the preparation of our financial statements are the following:
Stock Based Compensation
We estimate the fair value of options and stock warrants granted using the Black Scholes Merton model. We estimate when and if performance-based awards will be earned. If an award is not considered probable of being earned, no amount of equity-based compensation expense is recognized. If the award is deemed probable of being earned, related equity-based compensation expense is recorded. The fair value of an award ultimately expected to vest is recognized as an expense, net of forfeitures, over the requisite service periods in our statements of operations, which is generally the vesting period of the award.
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The Black Scholes Merton model requires the input of certain subjective assumptions and the application of judgment in determining the fair value of the awards. The most significant assumptions and judgments include the expected volatility, risk-free interest rate, the expected dividend yield, and the expected term of the awards. In addition, the recognition of equity-based compensation expense is impacted by our forfeitures, which are accounted for as they occur.
The assumptions used in our option pricing model represent management’s best estimates. If factors change and different assumptions are used, our equity-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. The assumptions used in our option pricing model represent management’s best estimates. If factors change and different assumptions are used, our equity-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future.
All stock-based payments to employees and to nonemployee directors for their services as directors consisted of grants of restricted stock and stock options, which are measured at fair value on the grant date and recognized in the statements of operations as compensation expense over the relevant vesting period. Restricted stock payments and stock-based payments to nonemployees are recognized as an expense over the period of performance.
Such payments are measured at fair value at the earlier of the date a performance commitment is reached, or the date performance is completed. In addition, for awards that vest immediately and are non-forfeitable, the measurement date is the date the award is issued.
Results of Operations (000’s)
We anticipate that our results of operations will fluctuate for the foreseeable future due to several factors, such as financing needs, the progress of our research and development efforts and the timing and outcome of regulatory submissions. Due to these uncertainties, accurate predictions of future operations are difficult or impossible to make.
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024, Compared to Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023
Revenues and Cost of Goods Sold. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024, totaled $40 comprised of recognized service revenue as compared to $18 comprised of recognized service revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in revenue is related to the sales contracts of our medical devices.
We derive our revenue primarily from the sale or lease of our medical device, PURE EP, as well as related support and maintenance services and software upgrades in connection with the system.
Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, were $832, a decrease of $4,260 or 83.66%, from $5,092 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. This decrease is primarily due to a decrease in payroll and stock-based compensation related to research and development in 2024 as compared to 2023.
Research and development expenses were comprised of the following:
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Salaries and equity compensation | $ | 551 | $ | 3,885 | ||||
Consulting expenses | 120 | 311 | ||||||
Research, clinical studies, and design work | 85 | 373 | ||||||
Regulatory | 3 | 75 | ||||||
Data/AI development | - | 117 | ||||||
Product development and formulation | - | 99 | ||||||
Travel, supplies, other | 73 | 232 | ||||||
Total | $ | 832 | $ | 5,092 |
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Stock-based compensation for research and development personnel was $90 and $1,224 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, were $11,629, a decrease of $11,448 or 49.61%, from $23,077 incurred in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. This decrease is primarily due to a reduction in force and decreases in equity-based and other compensation, professional services, consulting fees and travel, meals and entertainment costs.
Payroll related expenses (including equity compensation) decreased to $7,951 in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, from $14,144 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, a decrease of $6,193, or 43.79%. This decrease is due to a decrease in payroll expenses decreasing to $1,083 in 2024, as a result of the workforce reduction mainly during the first quarter of the year driven by the change in management and reallocation of resources, as compared to $7,405 payroll expenses in 2023. Partially offset by an increase in stock-based compensation of $129 for the current year compared to the prior year.
Professional services for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, totaled $1,778, a decrease of $2,563, or 59.04%, over the $4,341 recognized for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. Included in professional fees is legal fees, consulting, accounting fees and marketing fees. Legal fees totaled $729 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, a decrease of $5, or 0.7%, from $734 incurred for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. Accounting fees incurred in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, amounted to $206, a decrease of $11 or 5.07%, from $217 incurred for the same period in 2023. Consulting fees and marketing totaled $843 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, a decrease of $2,224 or 72.51%, from $3,067 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The decrease primarily relates to reductions in consultants in connection with our commercialization efforts.
Travel, meals and entertainment costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, were $328, a decrease of $382, or 53.80%, from $710 incurred during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in 2024 was due to reductions in travel in both corporate and commercialization as compared to 2023.
Rent for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, totaled $238, a decrease of $140, or 37.04%, from $378 incurred during the same period in 2023. In 2024, we incurred a rent reduction by closing our Connecticut office reflecting the savings in 2024.
The remaining general and administrative expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, were $1,334, a decrease of $1,792, or 57.33% from $3,126 incurred in the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The remaining expenses consisted of board fees, insurance expenses, computer software expenses, supplies and office supplies. The decrease was mainly driven by the reduced work force and reduce operations as the new management team took over during the year as compared to the prior year.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense. Depreciation and amortization expense for the twelve months ended 2024 totaled $188 as compared to $361 incurred during the same period in 2023.
Interest Income (Expense), net. Interest income (expense) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, totaled $(11) as compared to $9 earned during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Gain on settlement and forgiveness of debt. Gain on settlement and forgiveness of debt was $2,511 for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to Nil during 2023. Management was able to negotiate with our vendors to settle our liabilities for less during the current period.
Other Income (expense). Other income (expense) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, totaled $23 as compared to $(187) in 2023.
Preferred Stock Dividend. Preferred stock dividends for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, totaled $9. Preferred stock dividends are related to the issuance of our Series C Preferred Stock issued from 2013 through 2015. In addition, the Series C Preferred stock conversion rate reset from $2.50 to $0.31 in 2024, therefore we recorded a noncash deemed preferred stock dividend of $174 during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $0 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
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Noncontrolling Interest. In 2023, BioSig AI Sciences sold shares of its common stock to fund initial and ongoing operations. As of December 31, 2024, we had a majority interest in BioSig AI Sciences of 84.5%
In 2019 and 2020, ViralClear sold shares of its common stock to fund its initial and ongoing operations. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had a majority interest in ViralClear of 69.08%.
The proportionate income (loss) attributed to noncontrolling interests for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, was $(9) as compared to $351 for 2023.
Net Loss Available to BioSig Technologies, Inc. Net loss available to common stockholders for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, was $10,513 as compared to a net loss of $29,050 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, a decrease of $18,537 or 63.81%. The primary reasons for the decrease, as described above, are the decreases in expenses from 2024 to 2023.
Segment Results
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise for which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) and relied upon when making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. When evaluating the Company’s financial performance, the CODM reviews total revenues, total expenses, and expenses by functional classification, using this information to make decisions on a company-wide basis. The Company views its operations and manages its business in one operating segment.
The Summary Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, is detailed in Note 13 of the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Going Concern
We had an accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2024, of approximately $255.35 million, as well as a net loss of approximately $10.3 million and negative operating cash flows. We expect to continue incurring losses and negative cash flows from operations until our products (primarily PURE EP) reach commercial profitability.
We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and our expectation is that these conditions will continue for the foreseeable future. In addition, we will require additional financing to fund future operations. Although we have commercial products available for sale, we have not generated significant revenues to date, and there is no assurance that we will be able to generate cash flow to fund operations. In addition, there can be no assurance that our research and development will be successfully completed or that any additional products will be approved or commercially viable. Our ability to continue as a going concern is subject to our ability to obtain necessary funding from outside sources, including obtaining additional funding from the sale of our securities, obtaining loans from various financial institutions or being awarded grants from government agencies, where possible. Our continued net operating losses increase the difficulty in meeting such goals and there can be no assurances that such methods will prove successful. Additionally, with our reduction in staff, our planned commercialization may be further delayed.
Our plans include the continued research and development of PURE EP and other applications of our core technology and raising capital through the sale of additional equity securities, debt or capital inflows from strategic partnerships. Our reduction in force and payables has allowed us to reduce our annual expenses in a meaningful way. As a result of this transition, we have been able to achieve savings through reductions in executive and management compensation and a reduction of our utilization of external consultants and professional service providers. We believe these cost-saving measures combined with our expectations of positive trends in commercial activity create the potential for us to achieve a lower cash flow breakeven rate. There are no assurances, however, that we will be successful in obtaining the level of financing needed for our operations.
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A continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital and on the market price of our common stock, and we may not be able to successfully raise capital through the sale of our securities.
Our Series C Preferred Stock contains triggering events which would, among other things, require redemption (i) in cash, at the greater of (a) 120% of the stated value of $1 or (b) the product of (I) the variable weighted average price of our common stock on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the triggering event and (II) the stated value divided by the then conversion price or (ii) in shares of our common stock, equal to a number of shares equal to the amount set forth in (i) above divided by 75%. As of December 31, 2024, the aggregate stated value of our Series C Preferred Stock was $105. The triggering events include our being subject to a judgment of greater than $100 or our initiation of bankruptcy proceedings. If any of the triggering events contained in our Series C Preferred Stock occur, the holders of our Series C Preferred Stock may demand redemption, an obligation we may not have the ability to meet at the time of such demand. We will be required to pay interest on any amounts remaining unpaid after the required redemption of our Series C Preferred Stock, at a rate equal to the lesser of 18% per annum or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law.
We expect to incur losses from operations for the near future. We expect to incur additional research and development costs relating to PURE EP and other product candidates, including expenses related to clinical trials. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we expand our business development, add infrastructure and incur additional costs related to being a public company, including incremental audit fees, investor relations programs and increased professional services.
Our future capital requirements will depend on a number of factors, including the progress of our research and development of product candidates, the timing and outcome of regulatory approvals, the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights, the status of competitive products, the availability of financing and our success in developing markets for our product candidates.
Future financing may include the issuance of equity or debt securities, obtaining credit facilities, or other financing mechanisms. Even if we are able to raise the funds required, it is possible that we could incur unexpected costs and expenses or experience unexpected cash requirements that would force us to seek alternative financing. Furthermore, if we issue additional equity or debt securities, existing holders of our securities may experience additional dilution or the new equity securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing holders of our securities.
If additional financing is not available or is not available on acceptable terms, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate our research and development programs, reduce our commercialization efforts or obtain funds through arrangements with collaborative partners or others that may require us to relinquish rights to certain product candidates that we might otherwise seek to develop or commercialize independently.
We follow the guidance of Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern, in order to determine whether there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date our financial statements are issued. Given our current development plans and cash management efforts, we anticipate that our cash resources will be sufficient to fund operations into the second quarter of 2025. Our ability to continue operations after our current cash resources are exhausted depends on our ability to obtain additional financing, as to which no assurances can be given. Cash requirements may vary materially from those now planned because of changes in our focus and direction of our research and development programs, competitive and technical advances, patent developments, regulatory changes or other developments. If adequate additional funds are not available when required, management may need to curtail its development efforts and planned operations to conserve cash.
Based on the current cash forecast, management has determined that our present capital resources will not be sufficient to fund our planned operations for at least one year from the issuance date of the financial statements, which raises substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. This forecast of cash resources and planned operations is forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties, and the actual amount of expenses could vary materially and adversely as a result of a number of factors.
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Equity Financing
Issuance of debt
On March 7, 2024, the Company issued a promissory note to an investor and related party (10% plus shareholder) for $500,000. The Company designated its 12% note due 2026, in accordance with exemptions from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
The note was due March 7, 2026. The Company promised to pay interest in cash on the unpaid principal amount of this note at a rate per annum equal to twelve percent (12%), commencing to accrue on the date hereof and payable on the maturity date or earlier prepayment as provided therein. The Note contained customary events of default.
The Company was able to prepay all or any portion of the principal amount of the Note at any time or from time to time without penalty. On May 1, 2024, we converted the promissory note and related accrued interest of $509,165 into 348,624 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 174,312 shares of common stock at $1.398 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance.
Private Placements
On January 12, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 260,720 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”) at a purchase price of $3.989, and warrants to purchase up to 130,363 shares at an exercise price of $3.364 per share that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance in exchange for aggregate consideration of $1,040,000.
On May 1, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 783,406 shares of the Common Stock at a purchase price of $1.4605 per share, and warrants to purchase up to 391,703 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.398 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance, in exchange for aggregate consideration of $1,144,164, including $634,999 in cash and $509,165 representing conversion of the principal balance of and accrued interest on the previously issued related party note payable. The note was not convertible by its terms, but the holder had agreed to convert it into shares of common stock and warrants under the Purchase Agreement.
On May 29, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and issue to the investors (i) in a registered direct offering, 1,570,683 shares of Common Stock at a price of $1.91 per share and (ii) in a concurrent private placement, warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,570,683 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $1.78 per share. In connection with the Offering, the Company issued 109,948 warrants to its placement agent at an exercise price of $2.3875. The gross proceeds from the offering were approximately $3,000,000.
On March 5, 2025, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of 758,514 shares Common Stock at a purchase price of $1.07974 per share, and warrants to purchase up to 758,514 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.95474 per share, that will become exercisable six months after the date of issuance and will expire three and one-half years following the date of issuance, in exchange for aggregate consideration of $818,998.
ATM Sales Agreement
On December 18, 2024, the Company entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, as sales agent or principal (the “Agent”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time in transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“common stock”), through or to the Agent (the “ATM Offering”). The Sales Agreement, among other things, provides for the issuance and sale of up to an aggregate of $8,500,000 of shares of the Company’s common stock (the “ATM Shares”).
The ATM Shares are being offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-276298) and an accompanying prospectus filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 28, 2023, as amended on January 5, 2024 and December 9, 2024, and declared effective by the SEC on December 17, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”) and pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated December 18, 2024.
From January 17, 2025 through April 14, 2025, the Company has sold 4,403,166 ATM Shares at an average offering price of $0.91 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $4,019,063 or $3,882,420 net of fees of $136,643.
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Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024, Compared to Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023
As of December 31, 2024, we had a working capital deficit of $1,920, comprised of cash of $142, accounts receivable of $109, net investments in leases of $13 and prepaid expenses of $80, which was offset by $2,052 of accounts payable and accrued expenses, accrued dividends on preferred stock issuances of $110 and short-term lease liabilities of $102. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, cash provided by financing activities totaled $4,710, comprised of proceeds from the sale of our common stock of $4,210, proceeds from At-the-market sale of our common stock and proceeds from issuance of related party note payable of $500. In the comparable period in 2023, $15,301 was raised through the sale of our common stock, proceeds from At-the-market sale of our common stock of $60 and proceeds of $1,971 from the sale of subsidiary stock to non-controlling interest, net of issuance costs. At December 31, 2024, we had cash of $142 compared to $190 at December 31, 2023. Our cash is held in bank deposit accounts. At December 31, 2024, and 2023, we had no convertible debentures outstanding.
Cash used in operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 was $4,758 and $17,313, respectively, which represent cash outlays for research and development and general and administrative expenses in such periods. The decrease in cash outlays principally resulted in a reduction in cash operating expenditures in 2024 as compared with 2023.
Cash used in investing activities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, was Nil, compared to $186 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, we incurred $186 on purchases of office furniture, manufacturing equipment, computer equipment and leasehold improvements.
Our Series C Preferred Stock contains triggering events which would, among other things, require redemption (i) in cash, at the greater of (a) 120% of the stated value of $1,000 or (b) the product of (I) the variable weighted average price of our common stock on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the triggering event and (II) the stated value divided by the then conversion price or (ii) in shares of our common stock, equal to a number of shares equal to the amount set forth in (i) above divided by 75%. As of December 31, 2024, the aggregate stated value of our Series C Preferred Stock was $105,000. The triggering events include our being subject to a judgment of greater than $100,000 or our initiation of bankruptcy proceedings. If any of the triggering events contained in our Series C Preferred Stock occur, the holders of our Series C Preferred Stock may demand redemption, an obligation we may not have the ability to meet at the time of such demand. We will be required to pay interest on any amounts remaining unpaid after the required redemption of our Series C Preferred Stock, at a rate equal to the lesser of 18% per annum or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law.
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires disaggregated information about our effective tax rate reconciliation as well as information on income taxes paid. The guidance will first be effective in our annual disclosures for the year ending December 31, 2025, and should be applied on a prospective basis with the option to apply retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact of ASU 2023-09 on our disclosures.
In November 2023, the “FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, “Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures (Topic 280)” which is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through incremental disclosures of segment information on an annual and interim basis for all public entities. The ASU expands public entities’ segment disclosures by requiring disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker and included within each reported measure of segment profit or loss, an amount and description of its composition for other segment items and interim disclosures of a reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets. The ASU is effective for our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and interim periods thereafter with and it has been applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented. See Note 13 – Segment Reporting.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, “Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses” (“ASU 2024-03”). ASU 2024-03 requires disclosure of the nature of expenses included in the income statement in response to longstanding requests from investors for more information about an entity’s expenses. The new standard requires disclosures about specific types of expenses included in the expense captions presented on the face of the income statement as well as disclosures about selling expenses. ASU 2024-03 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim reporting periods within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027. The Company is currently evaluating ASU 2024-03 and does not expect it to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
There were other various updates recently issued, most of which represented technical corrections to the accounting literature or application to specific industries and are not expected to a have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Other Potential Risks
The Company takes some tax positions, including the reporting of stock-based compensation, that may not be accepted by the Internal Revenue Service upon an examination, and we may be subject to penalties for underreporting of recipient’s income. The result of any such examination is uncertain, and any such penalties could be material to our financial position and results of operations given our current limited cash and revenues.
ITEM 7A – QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not applicable.
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ITEM 8 – FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
F-1 |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Biosig Technologies, Inc.
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Biosig Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in equity (deficit) and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 2, the Company has incurred significant losses and needs to raise additional funds to meet its obligations and sustain its operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
/s/ Marcum LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
April 15, 2025
F-2 |
BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In Thousands, Except Par Value and Share Amounts)
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||
Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
Accounts receivable | ||||||||
Employee advance | ||||||||
Net investment in leases, short term | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses and vendor deposits | ||||||||
Total current assets | ||||||||
Property and equipment, net | ||||||||
Right-to-use assets, net | ||||||||
Other assets: | ||||||||
Net investment in leases, long term | ||||||||
Patents, net | ||||||||
Other assets | ||||||||
Total assets | $ | $ | ||||||
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY (DEFICIT) | ||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses, including
$ | $ | $ | ||||||
Customer deposits | ||||||||
Dividends payable | ||||||||
Lease liability, short term | ||||||||
Total current liabilities | ||||||||
Long term liabilities: | ||||||||
Lease liability, long term | ||||||||
Total long term liabilities | ||||||||
Total liabilities | ||||||||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12) | ||||||||
Series C 9% Convertible
Preferred Stock, $ | ||||||||
Deficit | ||||||||
Preferred stock, $ par value, authorized shares, designated shares of Series A, shares of Series B, shares of Series C, shares of Series D, shares of Series E, shares of Series F Preferred Stock. shares of Series C outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 (see above) | ||||||||
Common stock, $ par value, authorized shares, and issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
Additional paid in capital | ||||||||
Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Total stockholders’ deficit attributable to BioSig Technologies, Inc. | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Non controlling interest | ||||||||
Total deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Total liabilities and deficit | $ | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements
F-3 |
BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In Thousands, Except Par Value and Share Amounts)
For the twelve months ended December 31, | ||||||||
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Revenue: | ||||||||
Service | $ | $ | ||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||
Research and development | ||||||||
General and administrative | ||||||||
Impairment of long term assets | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||
Total operating expenses | ||||||||
Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Interest income (expense), net | ( | ) | ||||||
Gain on settlement and forgiveness of debt | ||||||||
Other income (expense), net: | ( | ) | ||||||
Loss before income taxes | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Income taxes (benefit) | ||||||||
Net loss | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Non-controlling interest | ( | ) | ||||||
Net loss attributable to BioSig Technologies, Inc. | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Preferred stock dividend | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Preferred stock deemed dividend | ( | ) | ||||||
NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON SHAREHOLDERS | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted | $ | ) | $ | ) | ||||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic and diluted |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements
F-4 |
BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Additional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | Paid in | Accumulated | Non-controlling | |||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Interest | Total | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||
Common stock issued for services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sale of common stock and warrants, net of transaction costs of $ | | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sale of common stock under At-the-market offering, net of transactional
expenses of $ | - * | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock issued in settlement of accounts payable | -* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock issued for exercise of warrants cashless | * | * | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sale of subsidiary stock | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock based compensation | * | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred stock dividend | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2023 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock issued for services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sale of common stock and warrants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock issued in exchange of note payable and accrued interest | * | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock issued as forgiveness of debt | * | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock based compensation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of warrants | * | * | - | |||||||||||||||||||||
Warrant modification expense | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of deemed preferred stock dividend | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Deemed preferred stock dividend | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Preferred stock dividend | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) |
* |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
F-5 |
BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In Thousands, Except Par Value and Share Amounts)
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: | ||||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||
Non-cash lease expense | ||||||||
Non-cash inventory write-down | ||||||||
Gain on settlement of debt and forgiveness of accounts payable | ( | ) | ||||||
Impairment of long term assets | ||||||||
Warrant modification expense | ||||||||
Equity based compensation | ||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts receivable | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Lease receivables | ||||||||
Employee advances | ( | ) | ||||||
Inventory | ( | ) | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other | ||||||||
Deferred revenue | ( | ) | ||||||
Customer deposits | ( | ) | ||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
Operating lease liabilities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: | ||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment | ( | ) | ||||||
Net cash used in investing activity | ( | ) | ||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of related party note payable | ||||||||
Proceeds from sale of common stock and warrants, net of issuance costs | ||||||||
Proceeds from sale of common stock under at-the-market offerings, net of issuance costs | ||||||||
Proceeds from the sale of subsidiary stock to non-controlling interest, net of issuance costs | ||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities | ||||||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
| ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Cash, beginning of the year | ||||||||
Cash, end of the year | $ | $ | ||||||
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information: | ||||||||
Cash paid during the period for interest | $ | $ | ||||||
Cash paid during the period for income taxes | $ | $ | ||||||
Non cash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
Common stock issued in settlement of debt | $ | $ | ||||||
Common stock issued in settlement of accrued severance | $ | $ | ||||||
Common stock issued for conversion of note payable and accrued interest | $ | $ | ||||||
Dividend payable on preferred stock charged to additional paid in capital | $ | $ | ||||||
Series C convertible preferred stock deemed dividend | $ | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements
F-6 |
NOTE 1 – NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Business and organization
BioSig Technologies, Inc. was initially incorporated on February 24, 2009 under the laws of the State of Nevada and subsequently re-incorporated in the state of Delaware in 2011. The Company is principally devoted to improving the standard care in electrophysiology with our PURE EP’s enhanced signal acquisition, digital signal processing, and analysis during ablation of cardiac arrhythmias. The Company has generated minimal revenue to date and consequently its operations are subject to all risks inherent in business enterprises in early commercialization stage.
On November 7, 2018, the Company formed a subsidiary under the laws of the State of Delaware originally under the name of NeuroClear Technologies, Inc. which was renamed to ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“ViralClear”) in March 2020. The subsidiary was established to pursue additional applications of PURE EP™ signal processing technology outside of cardiac electrophysiology, and subsequently in 2020, was repurposed to develop merimepodib, a broad-spectrum anti-viral agent that showed potential for the treatment of COVID-19. Since late 2020, ViralClear has been realigned with its original objective of pursuing additional applications of PURE EP™ signal processing technology outside of cardiac electrophysiology.
In
2019 and 2020, ViralClear sold an aggregate of
On
July 2, 2020, the Company formed an additional subsidiary, NeuroClear Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which was renamed to
BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. (“BioSig AI”) on May 31, 2023. The subsidiary was established to pursue clinical needs of cardiac
and neurological disorders through recordings and analyses of action potentials. BioSig AI aims to contribute to the advancements of
AI-based diagnoses and therapies. In June and July 2023, BioSig AI sold an aggregate of
The Company continues to evaluate opportunities for the two subsidiaries.
On
January 28, 2024 and February 20, 2024, management of the Company commenced a workforce reduction intended to reduce significantly the
annual cash burn which was completed as of February 20, 2024. The workforce reduction consisted of the departure of sixteen employees,
effective as of January 31, 2024 and included the departure of John Sieckhaus, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, and Gray
Fleming, the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer and twenty-six employees effective February 20, 2024. The effect of the workforce
reductions has significantly reduced operations in the short term. In connection with workforce reduction, the Company issued an aggregate
of
On March 5, 2024, Nasdaq (the “Staff”) notified the Company that it failed to regain compliance with
Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) the minimum bid price requirement of $
On June 10, 2024, the Company received formal notice that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel had determined to delist the Company’s common stock from Nasdaq due to the Company’s continued non-compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) for continued listing on Nasdaq. As a result, trading in the Company’s common stock will be suspended on Nasdaq effective with the open of business on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The Company’s common stock should be eligible to trade on the OTC Markets’ Pink Current Information tier under symbol “BSGM” effective with the open of trading on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The Company sought the Panel’s reconsideration of its decision in accordance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules.
On June 24, 2024, the Company was notified by Nasdaq that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel had declined to reconsider its decision dated June 10, 2024 to delist the Company’s common stock from Nasdaq (the “Delisting Decision”). Trading in the Company’s securities was suspended on Nasdaq effective with the open of business on June 12, 2024, at which point the Company’s common stock was eligible to trade on the OTC Market’s Pink Current Information tier.
On July 10, 2024, the Company filed a submission in support of an appeal to the Delisting Decision to the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council.
On July 23, 2024, the Company commenced trading of its common stock on the OTCQB, operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc.
F-7 |
On
October 18, 2024, the Company received a decision from the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council granting the Company a grace period
until March 7, 2025 to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) (the “MVLS Rule”), which requires a market
value of listed securities of at least $
On October 21, 2024, the Company was notified that its common stock will commence trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, effective at the opening of trading.
On October 24, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock from the period of June 11, 2024 through the reinstatement date, October 23, 2024, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $ per share required by the Nasdaq Listing Rules (“Rules”) and as a result, the Company no longer meets this requirement. However, the Rules also provides the Company a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance.
On November 13, 2024, the Company issued a press release announcing its Nasdaq bid price compliance.
On March 6, 2025, the Company submitted supporting documents to the Listing Council evidencing compliance with the Equity Rule. And on March 24, 2025, the Company was notified by the Office of General Counsel of Nasdaq that the Company had successfully met the qualifications to regain full compliance for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
On April 11, 2025, the Company received a letter from the Staff indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock for the 30 consecutive business day period between February 27, 2025, through April 10, 2025, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $
per share required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The letter also indicated that the Company will be provided with a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until October 8, 2025 (the “Compliance Period”), in which to regain compliance pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). In order to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement, the Company’s common stock must maintain a minimum closing bid price of $ for at least ten consecutive business days during the Compliance Period. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by the end of the Compliance Period, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance. To qualify, the Company will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for the market value of its publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and will need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split if necessary. If the Company meets these requirements, the Company may be granted an additional 180 calendar days to regain compliance. However, if it appears to Nasdaq that the Company will be unable to cure the deficiency, or if the Company is not otherwise eligible for the additional cure period, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Company’s common stock will be subject to delisting. The letter has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company’s common stock, which will continue to be listed and traded on Nasdaq, subject to the Company’s compliance with the other listing requirements of Nasdaq. At that time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a hearings panel pursuant to the procedures set forth in the applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules. However, there can be no assurance that, if the Company does appeal the delisting determination by Nasdaq to the panel, such appeal would be successful.
NOTE 2 – GOING CONCERN AND MANAGEMENT’S LIQUIDITY PLANS
As
of December 31, 2024, the Company had cash of $
The Company’s primary source of operating funds since inception has been cash proceeds from sale of common and preferred stock. The Company has experienced net losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and expects these conditions to continue for the foreseeable future. See Note 16 – Subsequent event from cash proceeds from sales of common stock after December 31, 2024.
The Company’s plans include the continued research and development of our PURE EP and other applications of our core technology and raising capital through the sale of additional equity securities, debt or capital inflows from strategic partnerships. The Company’s strategic shift to potentially hiring a team of an additional 4-6 persons to execute a business development strategy of finding partners for the commercialization of PURE EP, develop new products in the field of Pulse Field Ablation and to continue to integrate PURE EP into today’s lab equipment will allow the Company to significantly reduce operating expenses from years prior.
The Company will require additional financing to fund future operations. There can be no assurance that the Company’s continuing research and development will be successfully completed or that any additional products will be commercially viable.
Accordingly, the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which contemplates continuation of the Company as a going concern and the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The carrying amounts of assets and liabilities presented in the consolidated financial statements do not necessarily purport to represent realizable or settlement values. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustment that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
NOTE 3 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
A summary of the significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements follows.
Reverse Stock Split
On
January 31, 2024, the Company filed a Reverse Stock Split Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, effective February
2, 2024. Pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split Amendment, the Company effected a
Principals of consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of BioSig Technologies, Inc. and its majority owned subsidiary, ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and wholly owned subsidiary, BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. herein collectively referred to as the “Company” or “BioSig”. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
F-8 |
Use of Estimates
The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include the recoverability and useful lives of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation and the valuation allowance related to deferred tax assets. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Revenue Recognition
The Company derived its revenue primarily from the sale of its medical device, PURE EP, and well as related support and maintenance services and software upgrades in connection with the system.
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 842, Leases (“ASC 842”) for lease components and ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) for non-lease components. For medical device sales, the Company recognize revenue under ASC 606.
The core principle of ASC 606 is that an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.
Under ASC 606, the Company determines revenue recognition through the following five steps:
● | Identify the contract with the customer; |
● | Identify the performance obligations in the contract; |
● | Determine the transaction price; |
● | Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligation in the contract; and |
● | Recognize revenue when, or as, the performance obligations are satisfied. |
Performance obligations are the units of accounting for revenue recognition and generally represent the distinct goods or services that are promised to the customer. If the Company determines that it has not satisfied a performance obligation, it will defer recognition of the revenue until the performance obligation is deemed to be satisfied. Once PURE EP is delivered, installed, and accepted by the customer, our performance obligation is recognized. Support, maintenance, and software upgrades are performance obligations over a defined period and are recognized ratably over the contractual service period. Customers typically purchase these services with the initial sale of PURE EP and do not have the right to terminate their contracts unless we fail to perform material obligations.
The Company may execute more than one contract with a single customer. If so, it is evaluated whether the agreements were negotiated as a package with a single objective, whether the amount of consideration to be paid in one agreement depends on the price and/or performance of another agreement, or whether the goods or services promised in the agreements represent a single performance obligation. The conclusions reached can impact the allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation and the timing of revenue recognition related to those arrangements.
The Company records accounts receivable for amounts invoiced to customers for which the Company has an unconditional right to consideration as provided under the contractual arrangement. Unbilled receivables, if any, include amounts related to the Company’s contractual right to consideration for completed performance obligations not yet invoiced. Deferred revenue includes payments received in advance of performance under the contract. Our unbilled receivables and deferred revenue are reported on an individual contract basis at the end of each reporting period. Unbilled receivables are classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of when we expect to bill the customer. Deferred revenue is classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of when we expect to recognize revenue.
F-9 |
The Company’s unconditional right to consideration for goods and services transferred to the customer is included in accounts receivable, net (if any) in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
In
2022, the Company entered two leases for our PURE EP at a rate of $
The
Company determined the leases meet the criteria of a sales-type lease whereby the present value of the future expected revenue (less
the present value of the estimated unguaranteed residual value), cost of sales and profit and loss are recognized at the lease inception.
Non-lease components are recognized under ASC 606. The discount rate utilized was the contract explicit rate of
A reconciliation of contract liabilities with customers for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, are presented below:
Year ended December 31, 2024:
Balance at December 31, 2023 (000’s) | Consideration Received (000’s) | Recognized in Revenue (000’s) | Balance at December 31, 2024 (000’s) | |||||||||||||
Service revenue | $ | $ | | $ | ( | ) | $ |
Year ended December 31, 2023:
Balance at December
31, | Consideration Received (000’s) | Recognized in Revenue (000’s) | Balance at December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||||||||
Service revenue | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ |
The
Company had one customer which accounted for
The
Company had three customers which accounted for approximately
F-10 |
The Company utilized one contract manufacturer for the manufacture and supply of PURE EP for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023.
Deferred Costs (Contract acquisition costs)
The Company capitalizes initial and renewal sales commissions in the period the commission is earned, which generally occurs when a customer contract is obtained, and amortize deferred commission costs on a straight-line basis over the expected period of benefit, which we have deemed to be the contract term. As a practical expedient, the Company expenses sales commissions as incurred when the amortization period of related deferred commission costs would have been one year or less.
Allowance for Credit Losses
The
Company adjusts accounts receivable down to net realizable value with its allowance methodology. In determining the allowance for doubtful
accounts for estimated losses, aged receivables are analyzed periodically by management. Each identified receivable is reviewed based
upon historical collection experience, financial condition of the customer and the status of any open or unresolved issues with the customer
preventing the payment thereof. Corrective action, if necessary, is taken by the Company to resolve open issues related to unpaid receivables.
The allowance for doubtful accounts was $
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments and related items, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company places its cash and temporary cash investments with credit quality institutions. At times, such amounts may be in excess of the FDIC insurance limit. At December 31, 2024, and 2023, deposits in excess of FDIC limits were .
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 825-10, Financial Instruments (“ASC 825-10”) requires disclosure of the fair value of certain financial instruments. The carrying value of cash, accounts payable and accrued liabilities as reflected in the balance sheets, approximate fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments. All other significant financial assets, financial liabilities and equity instruments of the Company are either recognized or disclosed in the financial statements together with other information relevant for making a reasonable assessment of future cash flows, interest rate risk and credit risk. Where practicable the fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities have been determined and disclosed; otherwise only available information pertinent to fair value has been disclosed.
The Company follows Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 820-10, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820-10”) and ASC 825-10, which permits entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair value.
F-11 |
Prepaid Expenses and Vendor Deposits
Prepaid expenses and vendor deposits are comprised of prepaid insurance, operating expenses and other prepayments.
Leases (lessee)
The Company determines if a contractual arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, current operating lease liabilities, and noncurrent operating lease liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The Company evaluates and classifies leases as operating or finance leases for financial reporting purposes. The classification evaluation begins at the commencement date and the lease term used in the evaluation includes the non-cancellable period for which the Company has the right to use the underlying asset, together with renewal option periods when the exercise of the renewal option is reasonably certain and failure to exercise such option which result in an economic penalty. All the Company’s real estate leases are classified as operating leases. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term.
The lease payments included in the present value are fixed lease payments. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company estimates its collateralized incremental borrowing rate, based on information available at the commencement date, in determining the present value of lease payments. The Company applies the portfolio approach in applying discount rates to its classes of leases. The operating lease ROU assets include any payments made before the commencement date. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company does not currently have subleases. The Company does not currently have residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants in its leases.
Leases (lessor)
The Company classifies contractual lease arrangements entered as a lessor as a sales-type, direct financing or operating lease as described in ASC 842-Leases. For sales-type leases, the Company derecognizes the leased asset and recognizes the lease investment on the balance sheet.
F-12 |
Other Assets:
Other assets are comprised of the following:
December 31, 2024 (000’s) | December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||
Security deposits | | | ||||||
Trademarks | ||||||||
Total other assets | $ | $ |
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
The Company recognizes an impairment of long-lived assets used in operations, other than goodwill, when events or circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired and the estimated undiscounted cash flows to be generated by those assets over their remaining lives are less than the carrying amount of those items. The net carrying value of assets not recoverable is reduced to fair value, which is typically calculated using the discounted cash flow method.
During
the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company re-assessed its carrying amounts of certain property and equipment due to reduced manufacturing
of its commercial products and determined that these carrying amounts exceeded the estimated undiscounted future cash flows. Accordingly,
the Company recorded a $
Research and Development Costs
The
Company accounts for research and development costs in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 730-10, Research
and Development (“ASC 730-10”). Under ASC 730-10, all research and development costs must be charged to expense as incurred.
Accordingly, internal research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Third-party research and developments costs are expensed
when the contracted work has been performed or as milestone results have been achieved. Company-sponsored research and development costs
related to both present and future products are expensed in the period incurred. The Company incurred research and development expenses
of $
The Company computes earnings (loss) per share under Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 260-10, Earnings Per Share (“ASC 260-10”). Net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share, if presented, would include the dilution that would occur upon the exercise or conversion of all potentially dilutive securities into common stock using the “treasury stock” and/or “if converted” methods as applicable.
The computation of basic and diluted loss per share as of December 31, 2024, and 2023 excludes potentially dilutive securities when their inclusion would be anti-dilutive, or if their exercise prices were greater than the average market price of the common stock during the period.
December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |||||||
Series C convertible preferred stock | ||||||||
Options to purchase common stock | ||||||||
Warrants to purchase common stock | ||||||||
Restricted stock units to acquire common stock | ||||||||
Totals |
The Company measures the cost of services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the fair value of the award as measured on the grant date. The fair value amount is then recognized over the period during which services are required to be provided in exchange for the award, usually the vesting period.
F-13 |
Income Taxes
The Company follows Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 740-10, Income Taxes (“ASC 740-10”) for recording the provision for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are computed based upon the difference between the financial statement and income tax basis of assets and liabilities using the enacted marginal tax rate applicable when the related asset or liability is expected to be realized or settled. Deferred income tax expenses or benefits are based on the changes in the asset or liability during each period. If available evidence suggests that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is required to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Future changes in such valuation allowance are included in the provision for deferred income taxes in the period of change. Deferred income taxes may arise from temporary differences resulting from income and expense items reported for financial accounting and tax purposes in different periods.
Patents, Net
The
Company capitalizes certain initial asset costs in connection with patent applications including registration, documentation and other
professional fees associated with the application. Patent costs incurred prior to the Company’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(“FDA”) 510(k) application on March 28, 2018 were charged to research and development expense as incurred. Commencing upon
first in-man trials on February 18 and 19, 2019, capitalized costs are amortized to expense using the straight-line method over the lesser
of the legal patent term or the estimated life of the product of 20 years. During the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company
recorded amortization of $
Warranty
The
Company generally warrants its products to be free from material defects and to conform to material specifications for a period of up
to two (
Segment Information
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise for which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) and relied upon when making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. When evaluating the Company’s financial performance, the CODM reviews total revenues, total expenses, and expenses by functional classification; using this information to make decisions on a company-wide basis. The Company views its operations and manages its business in one operating segment. (See Note 13 – Segment Reporting).
Non-controlling Interest
The
Company’s non-controlling interest represents the non-controlling shareholders’ ownership interests related to the Company’s
subsidiaries, ViralClear and BioSig AI. The Company reports its non-controlling interest in subsidiaries as a separate component of equity
in the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets and reports both net loss attributable to the non-controlling interest and net
loss attributable to the Company’s common shareholders on the face of the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.
The Company’s equity interest in ViralClear and BioSig AI is
Warrants
The Company accounts for stock warrants as either equity instruments, derivative liabilities, or liabilities in accordance with ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (ASC 480), and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (ASC 815), depending on the specific terms of the warrant agreement.
F-14 |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires disaggregated information about our effective tax rate reconciliation as well as information on income taxes paid. The guidance will first be effective in our annual disclosures for the year ending December 31, 2025, and should be applied on a prospective basis with the option to apply retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact of ASU 2023-09 on our disclosures.
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, “Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures (Topic 280)” which is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through incremental disclosures of segment information on an annual and interim basis for all public entities. The ASU expands public entities’ segment disclosures by requiring disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker and included within each reported measure of segment profit or loss, an amount and description of its composition for other segment items and interim disclosures of a reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets. The ASU is effective for our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and interim periods thereafter with and it has been applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. See Note 13 – Segment Reporting.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, “Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses” (“ASU 2024-03”). ASU 2024-03 requires disclosure of the nature of expenses included in the income statement in response to longstanding requests from investors for more information about an entity’s expenses. The new standard requires disclosures about specific types of expenses included in the expense captions presented on the face of the income statement and disclosures about selling expenses. ASU 2024-03 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim reporting periods within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027. The Company is currently evaluating ASU 2024-03 and does not expect it to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
There were various updates recently issued, most of which represented technical corrections to the accounting literature or application to specific industries and are not expected to a have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
NOTE 4 – PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property and equipment as of December 31, 2024, and 2023 is summarized as follows:
December 31, 2024 (000’s) | December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||
Computer equipment | $ | $ | ||||||
Furniture and fixtures | ||||||||
Manufacturing equipment | ||||||||
Testing/Demo equipment | ||||||||
Leasehold improvements | ||||||||
Total | ||||||||
Less accumulated depreciation | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Property and equipment, net | $ | $ |
Property
and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of
During the year ended
December 31, 2024, the Company re-assessed its carrying amounts of certain property and equipment due to reduced manufacturing of its
commercial products and determined that these carrying amounts exceeded the estimated undiscounted future cash flows. Accordingly, the
Company recorded a $
Depreciation
expenses were $
NOTE 5 – RIGHT TO USE ASSETS AND LEASE LIABILITY
During
the year December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company had outstanding
Right to use assets is summarized below:
December 31, 2024 (000’s) | December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||
Right to use asset | $ | $ | ||||||
Less accumulated amortization | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Right to use assets, net | $ | $ |
F-15 |
During
the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company recorded $
Lease liability is summarized below:
December 31, 2024 (000’s) | December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||
Total lease liability | $ | $ | ||||||
Less: short term portion | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Long term portion | $ | $ |
Maturity analysis under these lease agreements are as follows (000’s):
Year ended December 31, 2025 | ||||
Total | ||||
Less: Present value discount | ( | ) | ||
Lease liability | $ |
Lease expense for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 was comprised of the following:
December 31, 2024 (000’s) | December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||
Operating lease expense | $ | $ | ||||||
Short-term lease expense | ||||||||
Variable lease expense | ||||||||
Total | $ | $ |
NOTE 6 – LEASE RECEIVABLES
In
2022, the Company entered into two leases for our PURE EP at a rate of $
The
Company determined the leases meet the criteria of a sales-type lease whereby the present value of the future expected revenue (less
the present value of the estimated unguaranteed residual value), cost of sales and profit and loss are recognized at the lease inception.
The discount rate utilized was the contract explicit rate of
A reconciliation of lease receivables with customers for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 are presented below:
Year ended December 31, 2024:
Balance at December 31, 2023 (000’s) | Recognized in Revenue (000’s) | Invoiced to Customer (000’s) | Interest Earned (000’s) | Unguaranteed Residual Assets (000’s) | Balance at December
31, (000’s) | |||||||||||||||||||
Contract asset | $ | $ | ( | ) | | |||||||||||||||||||
Less current portion | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Noncurrent portion | $ | $ | ( | ) |
F-16 |
Year ended December 31, 2023:
Balance at December 31, 2022 (000’s) | Recognized in Revenue (000’s) | Invoiced to Customer (000’s) | Interest Earned (000’s) | Unguaranteed Residual Assets (000’s) | Balance at December
31, (000’s) | |||||||||||||||||||
Contract asset | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | | $ | |||||||||||||||
Less current portion | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Noncurrent portion | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ |
Future cash flows under this lease agreement are as follows (000’s):
Year ended December 31, 2025 | ||||
Present value of unguaranteed residual assets | ||||
Total | ||||
Less: Present value discount | ( | ) | ||
Net investment in leases | $ |
NOTE 7 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES
Accounts payable and accrued expenses at December 31, 2024, and 2023 consist of the following:
December 31, 2024 (000’s) | December 31, 2023 (000’s) | |||||||
Accrued accounting and legal | $ | $ | ||||||
Accrued reimbursements and travel | ||||||||
Accrued consulting | ||||||||
Accrued research and development expenses | ||||||||
Accrued marketing | ||||||||
Accrued office and other | ||||||||
Accrued settlement expense | ||||||||
Accrued payroll | ||||||||
$ | $ |
NOTE 8 – SERIES C 9% CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK
Series C 9% Convertible Preferred Stock
On January 9, 2013, the Board of Directors authorized the issuance of up to shares of 9% Series C Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series C Preferred Stock”).
The
Series C Preferred Stock is entitled to preference over holders of junior stock upon liquidation in the amount of $
F-17 |
As
a result of an amendment to the conversion price of our Series C Preferred Stock, the conversion price effective as of December 31,
2020 was $
The
Series C Preferred Stock contains triggering events which would, among other things, require redemption
Series
C Preferred Stock issued and outstanding totaled
NOTE 9 – STOCKHOLDER EQUITY
Preferred stock
The Company is authorized to issue shares of $ par value preferred stock. As of December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company has designated shares of Series A preferred stock, shares of Series B preferred stock, shares of Series C Preferred Stock, shares of Series D Preferred Stock, shares of Series E Preferred Stock and shares of Series F Preferred Stock. As of December 31, 2024, and 2023, there were no outstanding shares of Series A, Series B, Series D, Series E and Series F preferred stock.
Common stock
On
January 31, 2024, the Company filed a Reverse Stock Split Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, effective February
2, 2024. Pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split Amendment, the Company effected a
The Company is authorized to issue shares of $ par value common stock. As of December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company had and shares issued and outstanding, respectively.
2024:
During
the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of
During
the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock for vested restricted stock units.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of
shares of common stock in exchange for warrants cashless exercised.
Sale of common stock - BioSig Technologies, Inc. 2024:
On
January 12, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited and institutional investors, pursuant
to which the Company sold to the investors an aggregate of shares of the Company’s common stock and
warrants to purchase up to
On
May 1, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which the
Company sold to the Investors an aggregate of shares
of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $per
share, and warrants to purchase up to
F-18 |
On
May 29, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which the Company
agreed to sell and issue to the investors (i) in a registered direct offering,
ATM Sales Agreement 2024
On December 18, 2024, the Company entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, as sales agent or principal (the “Agent”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time in transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Company’s common stock, par value $
per share (“common stock”), through or to the Agent (the “ATM Offering”). The Sales Agreement, among other things, provides for the issuance and sale of up to an aggregate of $ of shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Shares”). See Note 16 – Subsequent events for sales under the Sales Agreement subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2024.
The Shares are being offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-276298) and an accompanying prospectus filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 28, 2023, as amended on January 5, 2024 and December 9, 2024, and declared effective by the SEC on December 17, 2024 (the “Registration Statement”) and pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated December 18, 2024.
2023:
During
the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued an aggregate of
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock in settlement of 2022 board fees at a fair value of $ .
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock for vested restricted stock units.
At December 31, 2023, the Company accrued board fees of $ as stock based compensation.
Sale of common stock - BioSig Technologies, Inc. 2023:
In
2023, the Company entered into multiple Securities Purchase Agreements with certain institutional and accredited investors, pursuant
to which the Company sold to the investors an aggregate of
Pursuant to certain engagement agreements, dated October 11, 2022, February 24, 2023 and July 26, 2023, the Company had entered into with Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. (“Laidlaw”), the Company issued to Laidlaw in connection with the 2023 PIPEs, warrants to purchase an aggregate of shares of common stock at an average exercise price of $ per share. The Laidlaw warrants become exercisable after the date of issuance and will expire five and one-half years following the date of issuance.
On
November 8, 2023, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with an institutional investor, pursuant to which the Company
sold in a registered direct offering (the “Offering”), (i)
H.C.
Wainwright & Co., LLC (the “Placement Agent”) acted as the Company’s exclusive placement agent in the Offering.
In connection with the Offering, the Company paid the Placement Agent a cash fee equal to seven percent (
The
Shares and the Warrants (and shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants) were offered and sold by the Company pursuant to a shelf
registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-251859) (the “Shelf Registration Statement”), previously filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 31, 2020, and declared effective by the SEC on January 12, 2021,
and the base prospectus included therein. A final prospectus supplement relating to the Offering, dated November 8, 2023, and the accompanying
prospectus, has been filed with the SEC. The closing of the Offering occurred on November 13, 2023. The net proceeds to the Company from
the Offering, after deducting fees and expenses, were approximately $
F-19 |
ATM Sales Agreements 2023
On
August 18, 2023, the Company entered into a Controlled Equity Offering℠ Sales Agreement (the “Cantor Sales Agreement”)
with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. to act as the Company’s sales agent or principal (“Cantor”), with respect to the issuance
and sale of up to $
The
Company agreed to pay Cantor a commission of equal to
From
August 22, 2023 through September 6, 2023, the Company sold (
The Company terminated the Cantor Sales Agreement with Cantor, effective as of September 15, 2023.
On
September 15, 2023, the Company entered into an At-The-Market Issuance Sales Agreement (the “Ascendiant Sales Agreement”)
with Ascendiant Capital Markets, LLC, to act as the Company’s sales agent or principal (“Ascendiant”), with respect
to the issuance and sale of up to $
The
Company agreed to pay Ascendiant a commission of equal to
From
September 21, 2023 through September 25, 2023, the Company sold
The Company terminated the Ascendiant Sales Agreement with Ascendiant, effective as of November 6, 2023.
BioSig AI Sciences, Inc.:
In
June and July 2023, BioSig AI sold an aggregate of
Pursuant to an engagement agreement, dated June 13, 2023, as amended on July 19, 2023, BioSig AI entered into with Laidlaw, BioSig AI issued to Laidlaw warrants to purchase an aggregate of shares of its common stock at an exercise price of $ per share. The Laidlaw warrants become exercisable immediately and will expire five years following the date of issuance.
BioSig Technologies, Inc.
2012 Equity Incentive Plan
On October 19, 2012, the Board of Directors of BioSig Technologies, Inc. approved the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and terminated the Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”). The Plan (as amended) provides for the issuance of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units to purchase up to shares of the Company’s common stock to officers, directors, employees and consultants of the Company. Under the terms of the Plan the Company may issue Incentive Stock Options as defined by the Internal Revenue Code to employees of the Company only and nonstatutory options. The Board of Directors of the Company or a committee thereof administers the Plan and determines the exercise price, vesting and expiration period of the grants under the Plan.
F-20 |
However, . The fair value of the common stock is determined based on the quoted market price or in absence of such quoted market price, by the administrator in good faith.
Additionally, the vesting period of the grants under the Plan will be determined by the administrator, in its sole discretion, with an expiration period of not more than ten years. On October 19, 2022, the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan expired.
2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan
On December 27, 2022, the Board of Directors of BioSig Technologies, Inc. approved the 2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”). The 2023 Plan was amended effective as of December 31, 2024. The 2023 Plan provides for the issuance of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units to purchase up to . Under the terms of the Plan the Company may issue Incentive Stock Options as defined by the Internal Revenue Code to employees of the Company only and nonstatutory options. The Board of Directors of the Company or a committee thereof administers the Plan and determines the exercise price, vesting and expiration period of the grants under the Plan.
However, The fair value of the common stock is determined based on the quoted market price or in absence of such quoted market price, by the administrator in good faith.
Additionally, the vesting period of the grants under the Plan will be determined by the administrator, in its sole discretion, with an expiration period of not more than . At December 31, 2024, there were shares available under the 2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
Options
Option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions. The fair value of stock-based payment awards was estimated using the Black-Scholes option model with a volatility figure derived from historical stock prices of the Company. The Company accounts for the expected life of options using the based on the contractual life of options for non-employees.
For employees, the Company accounts for the expected life of options in accordance with the “simplified” method, which is used for “plain-vanilla” options, as defined in the accounting standards codification. The risk-free interest rate was determined from the implied yields of U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bonds with a remaining life consistent with the expected term of the options.
During the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company granted an aggregate of and options to officers, directors and key consultants, respectively.
Options Outstanding | Options Exercisable | |||||||||||||
Weighted | ||||||||||||||
Average | Exercisable | |||||||||||||
Exercise | Number of | Remaining Life | Number of | |||||||||||
Price | Options | In Years | Options | |||||||||||
$ | Under | |||||||||||||
- | ||||||||||||||
- | - | |||||||||||||
- | - | |||||||||||||
- | ||||||||||||||
- | - | |||||||||||||
- | ||||||||||||||
- | ||||||||||||||
Over | - | |||||||||||||
F-21 |
Shares | Weighted-Average Exercise Price | Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Grants | $ | |||||||||||||||
Forfeited/expired | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2023 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Grants | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Forfeited/expired | ( | ) | $ | 28.97 | ||||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Exercisable at December 31, 2024 | $ | $ |
The aggregate intrinsic value in the preceding tables represents the total pretax intrinsic value, based on options with an exercise price less than the stock price of BioSig Technologies, Inc. of $ as of December 31, 2024, which would have been received by the option holders had those option holders exercised their options as of that date.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company granted an aggregate of options to purchase the Company’s common stock at a weighted average exercise prices of $ to $ per share for a term of , with vesting from six months to three years from the date of grant.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company granted an aggregate of options to purchase the Company’s common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $ per share for a term of , with vesting for three years from the date of grant.
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Risk-free interest rate | % | %to | % | |||||
Dividend yield | % | % | ||||||
Stock price volatility | % | % to | % | |||||
Expected life | years | - years | ||||||
Weighted average grant date fair value | $ | $ |
F-22 |
The fair value of all options vesting during the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 of $ and $ , respectively, was charged to current period operations. Unrecognized compensation expense of $ at December 31, 2024 which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted average period of years.
Warrants
Exercise | Number | Expiration | ||||||||
Price | Outstanding | Date | ||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
F-23 |
During
the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued shares of its common stock upon cashless exercise of warrants to purchase an aggregate of shares of common stock, pursuant to the formula set forth in such warrants.
On
October 17, 2024, the Company’s board of directors agreed to amend the existing
During
the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of
A summary of the warrant activity for the two years ended December 31, 2024 is as follows:
Shares | Weighted-Average Exercise Price | Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Issued | $ | - | ||||||||||||||
Expired | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2023 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Issued | $ | |||||||||||||||
Exercised | ( | ) | $ | - | - | |||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
Exercisable at December 31, 2024 | $ | $ |
|
The aggregate intrinsic value in the preceding tables represents the total pretax intrinsic value, based on warrants with an exercise price less than the company’s stock price of $ of December 31, 2024, which would have been received by the warrant holders had those warrants holders exercised their options as of that date.
Restricted Stock Units
Restricted shares issued as of January 1, 2023 | ||||
Granted | ||||
Vested and issued | ( | ) | ||
Forfeited | ||||
Restricted shares issued as of December 31, 2023 | ||||
Granted | ||||
Vested and issued | ( | ) | ||
Forfeited | ( | ) | ||
Vested restricted shares as of December 31, 2024 | ||||
Unvested restricted shares as of December 31, 2024 |
F-24 |
On
March 1, 2024, the Company granted
On
April 1, 2024, the Company granted
On
May 1, 2024, the Company issued
On May 1, 2024, the Company granted restricted stock units for shares of its common stock to an employee .
On May 30, 2024, the Company granted an aggregate of restricted stock units for shares of its common stock to consultants of which shares were fully vested at the time of grant and shares vest on July 3, 2024 and the remaining vest on October 4, 2024.
June
1, 2024, the Company issued
On
June 7, 2024, the Company granted an aggregate of
On
July 26, 2024, the Company granted an aggregate of
On
July 26, 2024, the Company paid $
On
September 11, 2024, the company granted
Stock based compensation expense related to restricted stock grants was $ and $ for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, the stock-based compensation relating to restricted stock of $ remains unamortized.
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan
On September 24, 2019, ViralClear’s Board of Directors approved the 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan (as subsequently amended, the “ViralClear Plan”). The ViralClear Plan was approved by BioSig as ViralClear’s majority stockholder. The ViralClear Plan provides for the issuance of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units to purchase up to shares of ViralClear’s common stock to officers, directors, employees and consultants of the ViralClear. Under the terms of the ViralClear Plan, ViralClear may issue Incentive Stock Options as defined by the Internal Revenue Code to employees of ViralClear only and nonqualified options. The Board of Directors of ViralClear or a committee thereof (the “Administrator”) administers the ViralClear Plan and determines the exercise price, vesting and expiration period of the grants under the ViralClear Plan.
However, The fair market value of the common stock is determined based on the quoted market price or in absence of such quoted market price, by the Administrator in good faith.
Additionally, the vesting period of the grants under the ViralClear Plan will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, with an expiration period of not more than . There are shares remaining available for future issuance of awards under the terms of the ViralClear Plan.
ViralClear Options
Shares | Weighted-Average Exercise Price | Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term | ||||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | | ||||||||||
Forfeited/expired | ||||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
Forfeited/expired | ( | ) | ||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2024 | $ | - | - | |||||||||
Exercisable at December 31, 2024 | $ | - |
F-25 |
Warrants (ViralClear)
Exercise | Number | Expiration | ||||||||
Price | Outstanding | Date | ||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
Restricted stock units (ViralClear)
Restricted shares outstanding at January 1, 2023: | ||||
Forfeited | ||||
Restricted shares outstanding at December 31, 2023 | ||||
Forfeited | ( | ) | ||
Total restricted shares outstanding at December 31, 2024: | ||||
Comprised of: | ||||
Vested restricted shares as of December 31, 2024 | ||||
Unvested restricted shares as of December 31, 2024 | ||||
Total |
Stock based compensation expense related to restricted stock unit grants of ViralClear was $ and $ for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, the stock-based compensation relating to restricted stock of $ remains unamortized.
BioSig AI Sciences, Inc.
Warrants (BioSig AI)
Exercise | Number | Expiration | ||||||||
Price | Outstanding | Date | ||||||||
$ | ||||||||||
In
June and July 2023, the BioSig AI issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of
A summary of the warrant activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 is as follows:
Shares | Weighted- Average Exercise Price | Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term | ||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2023 | - | |||||||||||
Issued | $ | |||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2024 | $ | |||||||||||
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2024 | $ | |||||||||||
Exercisable at December 31, 2024 | $ |
NOTE 11 – NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST
As
of December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company had a majority interest in ViralClear of
On
July 2, 2020, the Company formed an additional subsidiary, now known as BioSig AI Sciences, Inc., to pursue clinical needs of cardiac
and neurological disorders through recordings and analyses of action potential. BioSig AI aims to contribute to the advancements of AI-based
diagnoses therapies. In June and July 2023, BioSig AI sold
As
of December 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company had a majority interest in BioSig AI of
A reconciliation of ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. non-controlling loss attributable to the Company:
Net income (loss) attributable to the non-controlling interest for the year ended December 31, 2024 (000’s):
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (000’s) | BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. (000’s) | Total (000’s) | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | ( | ) | $ | | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Average Non-Controlling interest percentage of profit/losses | % | % | % | |||||||||
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) |
F-26 |
Net income (loss) attributable to the non-controlling interest for the year ended December 31, 2023 (000’s):
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (000’s) | BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. (000’s) | Total (000’s) | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||
Average Non-Controlling interest percentage of profit/losses | % | % | % | |||||||||
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ |
The following table summarizes the changes in non-controlling interest for the two years ended December 31, 2024 (000’s):
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (000’s) | BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. (000’s) | Total (000’s) | ||||||||||
Balance, January 1, 2023 | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) | |||||
Allocation of equity to non-controlling interest for settlement of shares issued to settle debt to parent | ||||||||||||
Allocation of equity to non-controlling interest to equity-based compensation issued | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest | ( | ) | ||||||||||
Balance, January 1, 2024 | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | |||||||
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2024 | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ |
NOTE 12 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Operating leases
See Note 5 for operating lease discussion.
Licensing agreements
F-27 |
2017 Know-How License Agreement
On March 15, 2017, the Company entered into a know-how license agreement with Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research whereby the Company was granted an exclusive license, with the right to sublicense, certain know how and patent applications in the field of signal processing, physiologic recording, electrophysiology recording, electrophysiology software and autonomics to develop, make and offer for sale. The agreement expires in ten years from the effective date.
The
Company is obligated to pay to Mayo Foundation a
Patent and Know-How License Agreement – EP Software Agreement
On November 20, 2019, the Company entered into a patent and know-how license agreement (the “EP Software Agreement”) with Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (“Mayo”). The EP Software Agreement grants to the Company an exclusive worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, within the field of electrophysiology software and under certain patent rights as described in the EP Software Agreement (the “Patent Rights”), to make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell and import licensed products and a non-exclusive license to the Company to use the research and development information, materials, technical data, unpatented inventions, trade secrets, know-how and supportive information of Mayo to develop, make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell, and import licensed products. The EP Software Agreement will expire upon the later of either (a) the expiration of the Patent Rights or (b) the 10th anniversary of the date of the first commercial sale of a licensed product, unless earlier terminated by Mayo for the Company’s failure to cure a material breach of the EP Software Agreement, the Company’s or a sublicensee’s commencement of any action or proceedings against Mayo or its affiliates other than for an uncured material breach of the EP Software Agreement by Mayo, or insolvency of the Company.
In
connection with the EP Software Agreement, the Company agreed to make earned royalty payments to Mayo in connection with the Company’s
sales of the licensed products to third parties and sublicense income received by the Company and to make milestone payments of up to
$
Amended and Restated Patent and Know-How License Agreement – Tools Agreement
On
November 20, 2019, the Company entered into an amended and restated patent and know-how license agreement (the “Tools Agreement”)
with Mayo. The Tools Agreement contains terms of license grant substantially identical to the EP Software Agreement, although it is for
different patent rights and covers the field of electrophysiology systems. In June 2021, patent rights were issued (“Valid Claim”)
as defined whereby the Company paid milestone one of $
In
connection with the Tools Agreement, the Company agreed to pay Mayo an upfront consideration of $
ViralClear Patent and Know-How License Agreement
On November 20, 2019, the Company’s majority-owned subsidiary, ViralClear, entered into a patent and know-how license agreement (the “ViralClear Agreement”) with Mayo. The ViralClear Agreement contains terms of license grant substantially identical to the EP Software Agreement and the Tools Agreement, although it is for different patent rights and covers the field of stimulation and electroporation for hypotension/syncope management, renal and non-renal denervation for hypertension treatment, and for use in treatment of arrhythmias in the autonomic nervous system.
In
connection with the ViralClear Agreement, ViralClear agreed to make earned royalty payments to Mayo in connection with ViralClear’s
sales of the licensed products to third parties and sublicense income received by the Company and to make milestone payments of up to
$
F-28 |
Trek Therapeutics, PBC
In
the event of sublicensing, sale, transfer, assignment or similar transaction, ViralClear agreed to pay Trek
As
part of the acquired assets, ViralClear received an assignment and licensing rights agreement from Trek with a third-party vendor regarding
certain formulas and compounds usage. The agreement calls for milestone payments upon marketing authorization (as amended and defined
with respect of product in a particular jurisdiction in the territory, the receipt of all approvals from the relevant regulatory authority
necessary to market and sell such product in any such jurisdiction, excluding any pricing approval or reimbursement authorization) in
any first and second country of $
BioSig AI Sciences, Inc. – Consulting Agreement
On June 17, 2023, BioSig AI entered into an agreement with Reified Labs LLC (“Reified”) whereby Reified will work with the BioSig AI to develop datasets for the purpose of creating a foundational artificial intelligence platform. The agreement has a one-year term from the effective date and automatically renews for successive one-year terms, unless terminated.
BioSig
AI is obligated to pay Reified a monthly consulting fee of $
Neuro-Kinesis Corporation
On July 1, 2024, the Company announced the intent to acquire the assets of Neuro-Kinesis Corporation (NKC), a privately held Los Angeles-based medical technology company developing smart EP tools. A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) has been executed confirming BioSig’s preliminary interest in the proposed acquisition of the assets of NKC. The purchase price will be paid through the issuance of shares of BioSig’s common stock to the shareholders of NKC.
In addition, at closing, NKC will provide a minimum of $
Defined Contribution Plan
Effective
January 1, 2019, the Company established a qualified defined contribution plan (the “401(k) Plan”) pursuant to Section 401(k)
of the Code, whereby all eligible employees may participate. Participants may elect to defer a percentage of their annual pretax compensation
to the 401(k) plan, subject to defined limitations. The Company is required to make contributions to the 401(k) Plan equal to 3 percent
of each participant’s eligible compensation, subject to limitations under the Code. For the year end December 31, 2024, and 2023,
the Company charged operations $(
Litigation
Threatened litigation
On December 4, 2023, the Company received a threat of litigation for the termination of employment with the Company alleging the termination of employment was in retaliation for bringing to the attention of the Company’s board of directors and executives a series of wrongful and questionable practices by members of the Company’s board of directors, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The claimant sought compensation in the amount of $775,782. After an investigation conducted by the Board and guidance of legal counsel, it was concluded that the claim was without merit.
On
February 22, 2024, the Company received a threat of litigation seeking restitution for losses resulting from unlawful actions taken
by the Company and its board of directors. The claimant contends that he and others have sustained losses totaling approximately
$
On December 3, 2024, the Court filed an Order Granting
Motion to Dismiss to the lawsuit filed on March 22, 2024 by plaintiff, Michael Gray Fleming (the “Plaintiff”), in Hennepin
County, Minnesota District Court. The lawsuit named the Company, its former Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Financial Officer
as defendants. The Plaintiff contended that the Company failed to meet its obligations in issuing the Plaintiff stock under the terms
of a restricted stock award agreement. Plaintiff was seeking at least $
F-29 |
We may be subject at times to other legal proceedings and claims, which arise in the ordinary course of its business. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters should not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.
There are no material proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates or any registered or beneficial shareholder of more than 5% of our common stock is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our interest.
Stock-based compensation
The Company takes some tax positions, including the reporting of stock-based compensation, that may not be accepted by the Internal Revenue Service upon an examination, and we may be subject to penalties for underreporting of recipient’s income. The result of any such examination is uncertain, and any such penalties could be material to our financial position and results of operations given our current limited cash and revenues.
NOTE 13 – SEGMENT REPORTING
The CODM for the Company is the Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”). The Company’s CEO reviews operating results on an aggregate basis and manages the Company’s operations as a whole for the purpose of evaluating financial performance and allocating resources. This decision-making process reflects the way in which financial information is regularly reviewed and used by the CODM to evaluate performance, set operational targets, forecast future financial results, and allocate resources. Accordingly, the Company has determined that it has one reportable and operating segment.
The Company’s CODM assesses financial performance and allocates resources based on consolidated operating results which are also reported on the consolidated statements of operations. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total consolidated assets. The CODM utilizes consolidated operating results by comparing actual results against budgeted amounts. As part of this process, consolidated net loss is a critical performance measure used to evaluate the Company’s operating performance and guide strategic decisions and resource allocations, including additional investments in research and development The table below provides information about the Company’s revenue, significant segment expenses and other segment expenses.
Information concerning the operations of the Company’s reportable segment is as follows:
For The Year Ended |
||||||||
December 31, |
||||||||
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
(000’s) | (000’s) | |||||||
Revenues | $ | $ | ||||||
Less Segment expenses: | ||||||||
Research and development | ||||||||
Research and development - stock-based compensation expenses | ||||||||
General and administrative | ||||||||
General and administrative - stock-based compensation expenses | ||||||||
Impairment of long term assets | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||
Total operating and segment expense | ||||||||
Plus: | ||||||||
Interest income, net | ( | ) | ||||||
Gain on settlement and forgiveness of debt | ||||||||
Other income (expense), net: | ( | ) | ||||||
Segment Net Loss | $ | $ | ||||||
Non-controlling interest | ( | ) | ||||||
Net loss attributable to BioSig Technologies, Inc. | $ | $ |
F-30 |
NOTE 14 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses include due to related parties comprised primarily director fees and travel reimbursements. Due to related
parties as of December 31, 2024, and 2023, was $
On
June 5, 2024, the Company and Mr. Ferdinand Groenewald entered into a consulting agreement (the “Agreement”) effective
June 5, 2024, pursuant to which Mr. Groenewald will lead accounting and financial reporting activities of the Company. Mr.
Groenewald will serve as the Company’s interim chief financial officer, principal accounting officer and vice president of
finance. The Agreement will continue indefinitely until terminated by either party upon 30 days’ advance notice. The Agreement
provides for compensation at a fixed rate of $ per
month and reimbursement by the Company for any usual and customary business expenses incurred by Mr. Groenewald in connection with
performing services pursuant to the Agreement. Per the Agreement Mr. Groenewald earned $
On March 1, 2024, the Company
issued
On
March 7, 2024, the company issued a promissory note to a significant shareholder for $
During the year ended December 31, 2024, Mr. Amato earned $
NOTE 15 – INCOME TAXES
At December 31, 2024,
the Company had federal operating losses of approximately $
A valuation allowance, if needed, reduces deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. When determining the amount of net deferred tax assets that are more likely than not to be realized, the Company assesses all available positive and negative evidence. This evidence includes, but is not limited to, prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carry-back and carry-forward periods and the feasibility of ongoing tax strategies that could potentially enhance the likelihood of the realization of a deferred tax asset. The weight given to the positive and negative evidence is commensurate with the extent the evidence may be objectively verified. As such, it is generally difficult for positive evidence regarding projected future taxable income, exclusive of reversing taxable temporary differences, to outweigh objective negative evidence of recent financial reporting losses. Based on these criteria and the relative weighting of both the positive and negative evidence available, management continues to maintain a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets.
The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations for tax years ending on or before December 31, 2018.
The effective rate differs from the statutory rate of 26.08% and 26.93%, respectively, as of December 31, 2024, and 2023 due to the following:
December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |||||||
Statutory rate on pre-tax book loss | % | % | ||||||
Other | ( | )% | ( | )% | ||||
Valuation allowance | ( | )% | ( | )% | ||||
% | % |
F-31 |
The Company’s deferred taxes as of December 31, 2024, and 2023 consist of the following:
December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |||||||
Non-Current deferred tax asset: | ||||||||
Net operating loss carry-forwards | $ | $ | ||||||
Stock based compensation | ||||||||
Research and development costs | ||||||||
Other | ||||||||
Valuation allowance | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Net non-current deferred tax asset | $ | $ |
NOTE 16 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company has evaluated subsequent events from the balance sheet date through the date on which these condensed financial statements were issued. Other than as described in the notes above, the Company did not have any material subsequent events that impacted its condensed financial statements or disclosures.
Equity Line of Credit
On
February 28, 2025 (the “Effective Date”), the Company entered into a Equity Subscription Agreement (the “Subscription
Agreement”) with Lind Global Fund III, LP (the “Investor”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, the Company has
the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Investor from time to time (each such occurrence, an “Advance”) up to $
As
consideration for the Investor’s irrevocable commitment (subject to the conditions set forth in the Subscription Agreement) to
purchase the Company’s Common Stock up to the Commitment Amount, the Company issued
The Investor’s obligation to purchase the Company’s shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Subscription Agreement is subject to a number of conditions, including that the Company file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), registering the issuance and sale of the Commitment Shares and the Advance Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to an Advance under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and that the Registration Statement be declared effective by the SEC.
Private Placement
On
March 5, 2025, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the Company
sold to the investors an aggregate of
At The Marketing Offering
From
January 17, 2025 through April 14, 2025, the Company has sold
Equity transactions
On January 1, 2025, the Company issued shares of its common stock for vested restricted stock units.
In
January 2025, the Company issued
On February 1, 2025, the Company issued shares of its common stock for vested restricted stock units.
On
February 6, 2025, the Company issued
On
February 25, 2025, the Company issued
In March 2025, the Company issued shares of its common stock for vested restricted stock units.
On April 1, 2025, the Company issued shares of its common stock for vested restricted stock units.
Notice of Delisting
On April 11, 2025, the Company received a letter from the Staff indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock for the 30 consecutive business day period between February 27, 2025, through April 10, 2025, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price of $
per share required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The letter also indicated that the Company will be provided with a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until October 8, 2025 (the “Compliance Period”), in which to regain compliance pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). In order to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement, the Company’s common stock must maintain a minimum closing bid price of $ for at least ten consecutive business days during the Compliance Period. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by the end of the Compliance Period, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance. To qualify, the Company will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for the market value of its publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and will need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split if necessary. If the Company meets these requirements, the Company may be granted an additional 180 calendar days to regain compliance. However, if it appears to Nasdaq that the Company will be unable to cure the deficiency, or if the Company is not otherwise eligible for the additional cure period, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Company’s common stock will be subject to delisting. The letter has no immediate impact on the listing of the Company’s common stock, which will continue to be listed and traded on Nasdaq, subject to the Company’s compliance with the other listing requirements of Nasdaq. At that time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a hearings panel pursuant to the procedures set forth in the applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules. However, there can be no assurance that, if the Company does appeal the delisting determination by Nasdaq to the panel, such appeal would be successful.
F-32 |
ITEM 9 – CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A – CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Management’s evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Based on management’s evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are not designed at a reasonable assurance level and are not effective in providing reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for our company. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act, as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, a company’s principal executive and principal financial officer and effected by the our board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:
(1) | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; | |
(2) | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and | |
(3) | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible enhancements to controls and procedures.
63 |
Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on the criteria in a framework developed by the Company’s management pursuant to and in compliance with the criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (“COSO”) of the Treadway Commission. This evaluation included review of the documentation of controls, evaluation of the design effectiveness of controls, walkthroughs of the operating effectiveness of controls and a conclusion on this evaluation. Based on this evaluation, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2024, because management identified that i) inadequate identification, recording and reporting of stock based compensation, ii) ineffective review processes over period end financial disclosure and reporting, and (iii) inadequate segregation of duties for transaction posting and processing, amounted to a material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
The material weaknesses did not result in any identified misstatements to the consolidated financial statements and there were no changes to previously released financial results.
Management’s Remediation Plan
In 2025, we have intents to add sufficient staff and oversight supervision controls to provide adequate accounting segregation. We believe these changes will remediate the underlying deficiencies as identified by us. The remediation efforts will include an ongoing review of the implementation of additional controls to ensure all risks have been addressed.
As a result of the material weaknesses discussed above or of others, we may experience negative impacts on our ability to accurately report our results of operation and financial condition in a timely manner. If we do identify a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and are unsuccessful in implementing or following a remediation plan, or fail to update our internal control over financial reporting as our business evolves or to integrate acquired businesses into our controls system, if additional material weaknesses are found in our internal controls in the future, or if our external auditors cannot attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial review, if applicable, we may not be able to timely or accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows or to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures. If we are unable to report financial information in a timely and accurate manner or to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures, we could be subject to, among other things, regulatory or enforcement actions by the SEC, an inability for us to be accepted for listing on any national securities exchange in the near future, securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could adversely affect our business prospects and the market value of our common stock. Further, there are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures. We could face additional litigation exposure and a greater likelihood of an SEC enforcement or other regulatory action if further restatements were to occur or other accounting-related problems emerge.
The weaknesses will not be considered remediated until the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation referred to above that occurred during our last completed fiscal quarter that has materially negatively affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. As discussed above, management has remediation plans that will be implemented in 2025.
ITEM 9B – OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9C – DISCLOSURES REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
64 |
PART III
ITEM 10 – DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers and the members of our board of directors.
Name | Age | Position with the Company | ||
Anthony Amato | 57 | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Director | ||
Ferdinand Groenewald | 40 | Interim Chief Financial Officer | ||
Frederick D. Hrkac | 59 | Director | ||
Christopher A. Baer | 56 | Director | ||
Donald F. Browne | 74 | Director | ||
Steven Abelman | 67 | Director |
Directors are elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders and hold office until their successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal. Officers are appointed by our board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors.
Biographical Information
Anthony Amato. Mr. Amato previously served on the Company’s advisory board from January 2021 until February 2024. Since March 2024, Mr. Amato has served as a consultant to the Company and as chief executive officer, chairman and director of the Company since April 2024. Mr. Amato is a business leader and entrepreneurial thinker with an intuitive ability to rapidly assess challenges and identify growth opportunities. He quickly sees organizational vision and understands goals, taking appropriate ownership and action required to guide the team, achieving aggressive targets and performance levels. Anthony has hands-on executive skills at engaging and influencing key stakeholders to not only grow business, but also to optimize profits. Mr. Amato founded InQuest Science in March 2017 and then acquired Bridge Associates International Pharmaceutical Consulting in March 2020. Mr. Amato’s outstanding interpersonal, business development, team building and management skills makes him an asset to the Company’s board of directors.
Ferdinand Groenewald. Mr. Groenewald has served as our interim chief financial officer since June 5, 2024. Mr. Groenewald is a certified public accountant with significant experience in finance and accounting. He currently serves as Vice President, Finance at Alaunos Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, Mr. Groenewald served as an Independent Outside Director at SYLA Technologies Co., Ltd.; an Independent Director at HeartCore Enterprises, Inc.; an Independent Director at Sushi Ginza Onodera, Inc.; an Accountant at Wrinkle, Gardner & Co. PC; a Senior Staff Accountant at Financial Consulting Strategies LLC; a Controller, VP-Finance & Accounting Officer at Sadot Group, Inc. and a Chief Financial Officer at the same company; and Chief Accounting Officer & VP-Finance at Muscle Maker Development LLC. Mr. Groenewald obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of South Africa.
Frederick D. Hrkac. Mr. Hrkac has served as our director since February 27, 2024. Previously, Mr. Hrkac served as chief financial officer, president and principal executive officer from February 27, 2024 to April 30, 2024, and as our director from April 2022 until his resignation on February 20, 2024. Mr. Hrkac has more than 30 years of experience in the medical device industry as an executive and corporate board director. He is currently serves on the board of Serres in Helsinki, Finland since September 2018, and Spineart in Geneva, Switzerland as chairman of the board since August 2017. In 2017, he served as senior vice president corporate development and from 2014-2016 served a senior vice president of global commercial operations of Biosensors International. From 2009-2011, Mr. Hrkac served as Europe, Middle East & Africa president of Boston Scientific where he was responsible for close to $2 billion of sales. From 2005-2009, Mr. Hrkac was an executive of Sorin Group CRM, Paris, France. And, from November 1990-April 2005 he lived in 6 different countries working as an executive for Johnson & Johnson including Biosense Webster, a Johnson & Johnson company having laid the groundwork strategically for the most successful J&J division of the last 20 years with sales growing from a few hundred million dollars to several billion dollars. Mr. Hrkac holds an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration from the Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario Canada and currently resides in Zagreb, Croatia. Mr. Hrkac brings extensive expertise in global marketing and strategic business development, making him a valuable resource for our Board.
Christopher A. Baer. Mr. Baer has served as our director since May 2, 2024. Mr. Baer brings more than 25 years of commercial experience in the medical device space across both large publicly held and smaller privately held organizations. He currently serves as the chief commercial officer at CDL Nuclear Technologies. He started in this role in April 2022 and prior to that from June 2019 to April 2022 he served as the vice president of commercial operations at Impulse Dynamics. He also held several commercial leadership roles in the cardiac rhythm management and electrophysiology space including vice president and general manager at St Jude Medical/Abbott. Mr. Baer holds a pharmacy degree from The University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Baer’s extensive experience in the electrophysiology medical device space makes him a valuable member of our board.
Steven E. Abelman. Mr. Abelman has served as our director since May 3, 2024. Mr. Abelman has more than 30 years of commercial litigation experience and currently serves as a shareholder for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in Denver, CO. Mr. Abelman is a trusted advisor and trial counsel to banks, lending institutions and a variety of organizations and recognized by his peers for his expertise at the intersection of litigation and transactional law. Yearly recognized as a top bankruptcy attorney, Mr. Abelman has been a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights topics, and combines sage advice, objective counsel with effective advocacy. The combination of over 30 years of handling loan workouts and dissolutions provide him with unique transactional aptitude for a commercial litigator. He serves as a trusted advisor and trial counsel to many banks and other lending institutions, as well as to businesses of various sizes. Mr. Abelman is especially known for his success in representing creditors in large commercial bankruptcy cases, receiverships, and foreclosures, defending banks in lender liability cases, and representing both debtors and creditors in workout scenarios and distressed asset sales. He also represents parties regarding UCC matters and equipment lessors. Mr. Abelman graduated with a J.D. in 1984 from Whittier College Law School and a B.S. in 1979 from University of Chicago; was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Court, District of Colorado in 1984. Mr. Abelman’s extensive legal experience makes him an asset to the Board.
Donald F. Browne. Mr. Browne, C.P.A. has served as our director since May 3, 2024. Mr. Browne is a graduate of La Salle College, 1972, with a B.S. in Accounting and later became licensed as a Certified Public Accountant from the State of New Jersey in 1980. Mr. Browne’s career has included being employed as a Divisional Controller of Caddy Corporation of America and a Controller for Full Line Foods, Inc. In 1990, Mr. Browne’s career then transitioned to public accounting, a field in which he launched his own firm (which he continues to run and operate). Mr. Browne specializes in business accounting, including financial and tax reporting for businesses of several different industries and professions; concentrations in Federal and State tax audits. Mr. Browne’s tax and financial expertise makes him a valuable asset to our Board.
65 |
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships amongst our directors and executive officers.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our directors and officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of our common stock, to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock. To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we believe that all filing requirements applicable to our officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders were complied with for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, except for one late Form 3 filing by each of Donald Browne, Anthony Amato, Ferdinand Groenewald, Steven Abelman and Christopher Baer in connection with their appointments and one late Form 4 filing by Frederick Hrkac for a grant of restricted stock.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has established an audit committee, a nominating and corporate governance committee, and a compensation committee, each of which has the composition and responsibilities described below.
Audit Committee
Our audit committee was established in accordance with section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act and is currently comprised of Messrs. Abelman, Browne and Baer, each of whom our board has determined to be financially literate and qualifies as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) and Section 5605(c)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Mr. Abelman is the chairman of our audit committee. In addition, Mr. Abelman qualifies as an audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Our nominating and corporate governance committee is currently comprised of Messrs. Abelman, Browne and Baer, each of whom qualifies as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Mr. Browne is the chairman of our nominating and corporate governance committee.
Compensation Committee
Our compensation committee is currently comprised of Messrs. Abelman, Browne and Baer, each of whom qualifies as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, an “outside director” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and a “non-employee director” for purposes of Section 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and does not have a relationship to us which is material to his ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, as described in Section 5605(d)(2) of the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Mr. Browne is the chairman of our compensation committee.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our officers, directors and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The full text of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is published on the Investors section of our website at www.biosig.com. We intend to disclose any future amendments to certain provisions of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or waivers of such provisions granted to executive officers and directors, on this website within four business days following the date of any such amendment or waiver.
Clawback Policy
Pursuant to Nasdaq listing requirements, we have adopted a policy providing for the recovery of erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation received by our executive officers during an applicable recovery period (the “Clawback Policy”). Under the Clawback Policy, in the event that financial results upon which a cash or equity-based incentive award was based becomes the subject of a financial restatement that is required because of material non-compliance with financial reporting requirements, the Compensation Committee will conduct a review of awards covered by the Clawback Policy and recoup any erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation to ensure that the ultimate award reflects the financial results as restated. The Clawback Policy covers any cash or equity-based incentive compensation award that was paid, earned or granted to covered executive officers during the last completed three fiscal years immediately preceding the date on which we are required to prepare the accounting restatement.
Insider Trading Policy
We have adopted an insider trading policy, governing the purchase, sale and other transactions in our securities that applies to our directors, executive officers, employees, and other covered persons, including immediate family members and entities controlled by any of the foregoing persons, as well as by the Company itself.
The insider trading policy prohibits, among other things, insider trading and certain speculative transactions in our securities (including short sales, buying put and selling call options and other hedging or derivative transactions in our securities) and establishes a regular blackout period schedule during which directors, executive officers, employees, and other covered persons may not trade in our securities, as well as certain pre-clearance procedures that directors and executive officers must observe prior to effecting any transaction in our securities.
We believe that the insider trading policy is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and listing standards applicable to us. A copy of the insider trading policy is filed as Exhibit 19.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
ITEM 11 – EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Philosophy and Practices
We believe that the performance of our executive officers significantly impacts our ability to achieve our corporate goals. We, therefore, place considerable importance on the design and administration of our executive officer compensation program. This program is intended to enhance stockholder value by attracting, motivating and retaining qualified individuals to perform at the highest levels and to contribute to our growth and success. Our executive officer compensation program is designed to provide compensation opportunities that are tied to individual and corporate performance.
Our compensation packages are also designed to be competitive in our industry. The Compensation Committee from time-to-time consults with other advisors in designing our compensation program, including in evaluating the competitiveness of individual compensation packages and in relation to our corporate goals.
Our overall compensation philosophy has been to pay our executive officers an annual base salary and to provide opportunities, through cash and equity incentives, to provide higher compensation if certain key performance goals are satisfied.
The main principles of our fiscal year 2024 compensation strategy included the following:
● | An emphasis on pay for performance. A significant portion of our executive officers’ total compensation is variable and at risk and tied directly to measurable performance, which aligns the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders; | |
● | Performance results are linked to Company and individual performance. When looking at performance over the year, we equally weigh individual performance as well as that of the Company as a whole. Target annual compensation is positioned to allow for above-median compensation to be earned through an executive officer’s and the Company’s extraordinary performance; and | |
● | Equity as a key component to align the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders. Our Compensation Committee continues to believe that keeping executives interests aligned with those of our stockholders is critical to driving toward achievement of long-term goals of both our stockholders and the Company. |
66 |
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth the names and positions of: (i) each person who served as our principal executive officer during the year ended December 31, 2024; (ii) our most highly compensated executive officers, other than our principal executive officer, who was serving as an executive officer, as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, as of December 31, 2024, with compensation of $100,000 or more, and (iii) an additional individual for whom disclosure would have been provided pursuant to clause (ii) but for the fact that the individual was not serving as our executive officer at December 31, 2024 (collectively our “Named Executive Officers”):
Name and principal position | Year | Salary
($) | Bonus ($) | Stock Awards ($) (1) | Option Awards ($)(1) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Anthony Amato, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director (2) | 2024 | 145,833 | - | 1,140,046 | (3) | 965,592 | (4) | 40,000 | (5) | 2,291,471 | ||||||||||||||||||
2023 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferdinand Groenewald, Interim Chief Financial Officer (6) | 2024 | - | - | - | - | 106,500 | (7) | 106,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Frederick D. Hrkac Former Principal Financial and Executive Officer (8) | 2024 | - | - | 458,100 | (9) | - | - | (10) | 458,100 | |||||||||||||||||||
2023 | - | - | 52,388 | (11) | - | - | (12) | 52,388 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kenneth L. Londoner, Former Chief Executive Officer, Executive Chairman and Director (13) | 2024 | 59,926 | (14) | - | - | - | - | 59,926 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 854,902 | (15) | - | 831,908 | (16) | - | 122,000 | (17) | 1,808,810 | |||||||||||||||||||
Steven Chaussy, Former Chief Financial Officer (18) | 2024 | 110,928 | (19) | - | 46,125 | (20) | - | - | (21) | 157,053 | ||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 499,550 | (22) | - | 652,745 | (23) | - | 13,506 | (24) | 1,165,801 | |||||||||||||||||||
Steven Buhaly, Former Chief Financial Officer (25) | 2024 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 69,744 | - | - | 240,130 | (26) | - | 309,874 | |||||||||||||||||||||
John R Sieckhaus, Former Chief Operating Officer (27) | 2024 | 11,926 | - | - | - | - | 11,926 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 277,480 | - | 421,635 | (28) | 699,115 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Gray Fleming, Former Chief Commercial Officer (29) | 2024 | 20,764 | - | - | - | - | 20,764 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 396,400 | - | 431,943 | (30) | - | - | 828,343 |
(1) | In accordance with SEC rules, this column reflects the aggregate fair value of the stock awards or option awards, as applicable, granted during the respective fiscal year computed as of their respective grant dates in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 for share-based compensation transactions. The assumptions made in the valuation of the share-based payments are contained in Notes 9 and 10 to our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 in this annual report. |
(2) | Mr. Amato has served as our Director And Chief Executive Officer since April 30, 2024 and Chairman since September 11, 2024 of the Company and subsidiaries. |
(3) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 500,000 fully vested shares granted on March 1, 2024 of $352,550, (ii) a common stock award of 50,000 fully vested shares granted on June 7, 2024 of $93,250,(iii) a common stock award of 275,000 fully vested shares granted on September 11, 2024 of $123,173 and (iv) unvested restricted stock units of $1,275,000 issued on September 11, 2024 of $571,073. |
(4) | Represents a stock option granted September 11, 2024 for the purchase of 2,400,000 shares of common stock, vesting 1,200,000 on the date of grant and the remaining 1,200,000 vesting in equal installments bi-annually over the term of 3 years commencing on the date of grant, subject to continued service with the Company through each relevant vesting date, at an exercise price of $0.4479 per share and termination date of September 11, 2034. |
(5) | Represents consulting fees and board fees. |
(6) | Mr. Groenewald has served as our Interim Chief Financial Officer since June 5, 2024. |
(7) | Represents consulting fees. |
(8) | Mr. Hrkac served as our Principal Executive Officer from February 27, 2024 until April 30, 2024 and our Principal Financial Officer from February 27, 2024 until June 5, 2024. Mr. Hrkac has served as our Director since April 2022. |
(9) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 500,000 fully vested shares granted on March 1, 2024 $352,550, (ii) a common stock award of 50,000 fully vested shares granted on June 7, 2024 of $93,250, (iii) a common stock award of 30,000 fully vested shares granted on July 26, 2024 of $12,300, |
(10) | Represents consulting fees. |
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(11) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 16,000 fully vested shares granted on February 24, 2023 of $19,040, (ii) a common stock award of 17,544 fully vested shares granted on April 20, 2023 of $23,166, (iii) a common stock award of 1,600 fully vested shares granted on August 15, 2023 of $10,182, |
(12) | Represents (i) consulting fees and (ii) board fees. |
(13) | Mr. Londoner served as our Executive Chairman and Director through the entirety of our last two fiscal years. Mr. Londoner has served as our Chief Executive Officer since July 31, 2017. On February 27, 2024, Mr. Londoner resigned his positions as director, executive chairman and chief executive officer of the Company and subsidiaries. |
(14) | Represents (i) salary of $59,926 from Company and (ii) salary of $34,375 from ViralClear. |
(15) | Represents (i) salary of $679,902 from Company and (ii) salary of $175,000 from ViralClear. |
(16) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 57,600 fully vested shares granted on May 8, 2023 and (ii) a common stock award of 21,970 fully vested shares granted November 30, 2023. |
(17) | Represents (i) director fees of $80,000 from company; (ii) director fees of $30,000 from ViralClear, (iii) $12,000 auto allowance in lieu for reimbursement of mileage. |
(18) | Mr. Chaussy served as served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 1, 2018 until his retirement as Chief Financial Officer on February 6, 2023. |
(19) | Represents (i) salary of $110,928 from Company and (ii) salary of $100,000 from ViralClear. |
(20) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 100,000 fully vested shares granted July 26, 2024 and (ii) 12,500 shares vested in 2023 but issued in 2024. |
(21) | Represents (i) consulting fees and (ii) board fees. |
(22) | Represents (i) salary of $399,550 from Company and (ii) salary of $100,000 from ViralClear. |
(23) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 20,000 fully vested shares granted February 10, 2023 (ii) a common stock award of 35,000 fully vested shares granted on May 8, 2023 and (iii) a common stock award of 13,060 fully vested shares granted November 30, 2023. |
(24) | Represents (i) $6,000 auto allowance in lieu for reimbursement of mileage and (ii) $7,506 medical insurance reimbursement in lieu of Company provided plan. |
(25) | Mr. Buhaly served as our Chief Financial Officer since February 6, 2023. On February 15, 2024, Mr. Buhaly resigned his position as Chief Financial Officer. |
(26) | Represents a stock option granted February 16, 2023 for the purchase of 25,000 shares of common stock, vesting quarterly over one year at an exercise price of $12.50 and termination date of February 16, 2033. |
(27) | Mr. Sieckhaus served as our Chief Operating Officer from March 21, 2022, date of hire. On January 31, 2024, Mr. Sieckhaus was discharged as part of the Company’s reduction in force. |
(28) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 29,562 fully vested shares granted on May 8, 2023 and (ii) a common stock award of 9,230 fully vested shares granted November 30, 2023. |
(29) | Mr. Fleming served as our Chief Commercial Officer from December 6, 2021, date of hire. On January 31, 2024, Mr. Fleming was discharged as part of the Company’s reduction in force. |
(30) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 29,562 fully vested shares granted on May 8, 2023 and (ii) a common stock award of 13,190 fully vested shares granted November 30, 2023. |
Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table
Executive Employment Agreements
Messrs. Londoner, Chaussy, Buhaly, Sieckhaus and Fleming were at-will employees, and do not have employment agreements with us. Additionally, we do not have any agreements that would provide for payment to any of Messrs. Londoner, Chaussy, Sieckhaus or Fleming following, or in connection with the resignation, retirement, or other termination of any of them, a change of control of us, or a change in either of their responsibilities following a change of control of us.
On February 2, 2023, we entered into a General Release and Severance Agreement (the “Release Agreement”) with Mr. Chaussy, pursuant to which Mr. Chaussy’s employment with the Company will terminate at such point when his services are no longer required (the “Separation Date”). On July 26, 2024, the Company paid $25,000 in cash and issued and aggregate of 112,500 shares of its common stock as a full settlement of the General Release and Severance Agreement dated January 29, 2023 by and between Steve Chaussy and BioSig Technologies, Inc. (the “Severance Agreement”). The Company granted 12,500 shares of the afore mentioned common stock in 2023 (the Tranche B Awarded Shares) but was only issued as part of the settlement. Pursuant to the original Severance Agreement, the Company was to pay a cash bonus of $200,000 to Steve Chaussy. For more detailed discussion of the Release Agreement, please see below under “Executive Employment Agreements – Steve Chaussy” in this Form 10-K.
Anthony Amato
On September 11, 2024, the Company entered into an Executive Employment Agreement (the “Executive Agreement”) which became effective August 1, 2024, by and between the Company and Mr. Amato (the “Executive”).
Under the Executive Agreement, effective August 1, 2024, the Executive receives a base salary of $300,000 annually and is eligible for a discretionary bonus equal to 60% of this salary. On September 11, 2024, the Executive was granted stock options for 2,400,000 shares at an exercise price of $0.4479 per share, with half immediately vested and the remainder vesting biannually over four years. Additionally, the Executive received 275,000 fully vested restricted shares and another 1,275,000 restricted shares vesting biannually over three years. The Executive remains eligible for additional equity grants and benefits.
Mr. Amato’s salary and stock awards were determined by the Compensation Committee with consultation from members of the board of directors.
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Retirement Plans
As part of our overall compensation program, we provided all full-time employees, including our named executive officers, with the opportunity to participate in a defined contribution 401(k) plan. Our 401(k) plan is intended to qualify under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code so that employee pre-tax contributions and income earned on such contributions are not taxable to employees until withdrawn. Employees may elect to defer up to 100 percent of their eligible compensation (not to exceed the statutorily prescribed annual limit) in the form of elective deferral contributions to our 401(k) plan. Our 401(k) plan also has a “catch-up contribution” feature for employees aged 50 or older (including those who qualify as “highly compensated” employees) who can defer amounts over the statutory limit that applies to all other employees. As of February 29, 2024 this benefit was terminated.
Employee Benefits and Perquisites
Along with all other full-time employees, Messrs. Londoner, Chaussy, Sieckhaus and Fleming were eligible to participate in our health and welfare plans which were comprised of medical, vision, life, and dental insurance benefits and an FSA and HSA plan. As of February 29, 2024 these benefits were terminated.
Pursuant to the Release Agreement described above, Mr. Chaussy had continued participation through the Separation Date in our previous employee benefit plans in which Mr. Chaussy had elected to participate and in accordance with the terms and conditions of such benefit plans.
No Tax Gross-Ups
We do not make gross-up payments to cover our executives’ personal income taxes that may pertain to any of the compensation paid by us.
Policy on the Timing of Awards of Options and Other Option-Like Instruments
The board of directors approves with the recommendation of the compensation committee to grant equity awards based on performance. The board of directors has not established policies and practices (whether written or otherwise) regarding the timing of option grants or other awards in relation to the release of material non-public information (“MNPI”) and does not take MNPI into account when determining the timing and terms of stock option or other equity awards to executive officers. The Company does not time the disclosure of MNPI, whether positive or negative, for the purpose of affecting the value of executive compensation.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information regarding equity awards that have been previously awarded to each of the named executive officers and which remained outstanding as of December 31, 2024.
Name | Number of Securities underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable | Number of Securities underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | Option Exercise Price ($/Sh) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested (#) | Market Value of Shares of Units That Have Not Vested ($) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested (#) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market of Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Anthony Amato | 1,200,000 | (1) | 1,200,000 | (2) | $ | 0.4479 | 09/11/2034 | 1,275,000 | (3) | $ | 571,073 | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Frederick D. Hrkac | 5,000 | (1) | $ | 8.20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
60,000 | (4) | $ | 4.74 | 90,000 | (5) | $ | 426,780 |
(1) Each of these options vested immediately
(2) Each of these options vest bi-annually over three years.
(3) Each of these shares of restricted stock vest biannually over three years in equal installments with vesting commencing on September 11, 2024.
(4) Each of these options vested over six months in equal installments commencing on December 28, 2023.
(5) 30,000 shares of this restricted stock award vest when the Company achieves a market value of $50 million and an additional 60,000 shares for achieving a market value of $100 million.
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Director Compensation
The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as a non-employee director of our Board during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Other than as set forth in the table and described more fully below, we did not pay any compensation, reimburse any expense of, make any equity awards or non-equity awards to, or pay any other compensation to any of the other members of our Board in such period.
Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($) (1) | Option Awards ($) (1) | All Other Compensation ($) (1) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||
Chris Baer | $ | 20,000 | $ 105,550 | (2) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 125,550 | ||||||||||
Donald Browne | $ | 20,000 | $ 105,550 | (2) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 125,550 | ||||||||||
Steven Abelman | $ | 20,000 | $ 105,550 | (2) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 125,550 | ||||||||||
Donald E. Foley (3) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||
Patrick J Gallagher (4) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||
David Weild, IV (5) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||
James J. Barry PhD (6) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||
James Klein (7) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||
Total: | $ | 60,000 | $ | 316,650 | $ | $ | - | $ | 376,650 |
(1) | In accordance with SEC rules, this column reflects the aggregate fair value of stock or option awards granted during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, computed as of their respective grant dates in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 for share-based compensation transactions. |
(2) | Represents (i) a common stock award of 50,000 fully vested shares granted June 7, 2024 and (ii) a common stock award of 30,000 fully vested shares granted on July 26, 2024. |
(3) | Mr. Foley resigned as a member of the Company’s board of directors on February 19, 2024. |
(4) | Mr. Gallagher resigned as a member of the Company’s board of directors on February 19, 2024. |
(5) | Mr. Weild resigned as a member of the Company’s board of directors on February 19, 2024. |
(6) | Mr. Barry resigned as a member of the Company’s board of directors on February 19, 2024. |
(7) | Mr. Klein resigned as a member of the Company’s board of directors on February 20, 2024. |
ITEM 12 – SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides certain information as of December 31, 2024, with respect to our equity compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance:
Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options (a) | Weighted- average exercise price of outstanding options (b) | Securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1) | - | $ | - | 4,376,595 | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(2) | - | $ | - | 2,915,071 | ||||||||
Total | - | $ | - | 7,291,666 |
(1) Represents shares available for issuance under the 2023 Plan.
(2) Represents shares available for issuance under the ViralClear Plan.
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BioSig Technologies, Inc. 2023 Long-Term Incentive Plan
Purpose. The purpose of the 2023 Plan is to enable us to remain competitive and innovative in our ability to attract and retain the services of key employees, key contractors, and outside directors of the Company and our subsidiaries. The 2023 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, other awards, performance goals, and tandem awards which may be granted singly or in combination, or in tandem, and that may be paid in cash, shares of our Common Stock, or other consideration, or any combination thereof. The 2023 Plan is expected to provide flexibility to our compensation methods in order to adapt the compensation of our key employees, key contractors, and outside directors to a changing business environment, after giving due consideration to competitive conditions and the impact of applicable tax laws.
Effective Date and Expiration. The 2023 Plan was approved by our Board on December 27, 2022 (the “Effective Date”) and approved by our stockholders at a special meeting held on February 7, 2023, and amended effective December 31, 2024. The 2023 Plan will terminate on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, unless earlier terminated by our Board. No award may be granted under the 2023 Plan after its termination date, but awards made prior to the termination date may extend beyond that date in accordance with their terms.
Share Authorization. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum aggregate number of shares of our Common Stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2023 Plan is currently 4,376,595 shares, plus any Prior Plan Awards (as defined below), subject to adjustment in certain circumstances to prevent dilution or enlargement as described below. All of the shares available for issuance as an award under the 2023 Plan may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options. “Prior Plan Awards” means (i) any awards granted pursuant to the BioSig Technologies, Inc. 2011 Long-Term Incentive Plan or the BioSig Technologies, Inc. 2012 Equity Incentive Plan that are outstanding on the Effective Date and that, on or after the Effective Date, (x) expire or otherwise terminate without having been exercised in full or without Common Stock being issued pursuant to such awards, (y) are forfeited, or (z) are repurchased by us.
Shares to be issued under the 2023 Plan may be made available from authorized but unissued shares of our Common Stock, Common Stock held in our treasury, or shares purchased by us on the open market or otherwise. During the term of the 2023 Plan, we will at all times reserve and keep enough shares available to satisfy the requirements of the 2023 Plan. Shares underlying awards granted under the 2023 Plan that expire or are forfeited, or terminated without being exercised, or awards that are settled for cash, will again be available for the grant of additional awards within the limits provided by in the 2023 Plan. If previously acquired shares of Common Stock are delivered to the Company in full or partial payment of the exercise price for the exercise of a stock option granted under the 2023 Plan, the number of shares of Common Stock available for future awards under the 2023 Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise of the stock option. Awards that may be satisfied either by the issuance of shares of Common Stock or by cash or other consideration shall be counted against the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the 2023 Plan only during the period that the award is outstanding or to the extent the award is ultimately satisfied by the issuance of shares. An award will not reduce the number of shares that may be issued pursuant to the 2023 Plan if the settlement of the award will not require the issuance of shares, such as, for example, SARs that can only be satisfied by the payment of cash. Only shares forfeited back to the us or shares canceled on account of termination, expiration or lapse of an award, shares surrendered in payment of the exercise price of a stock option or shares withheld for payment of applicable employment taxes and/or withholding obligations resulting from the exercise of an option shall again be available for grant as incentive stock options under the 2023 Plan, but shall not increase the maximum number of shares that may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options.
Administration. Under the terms of the 2023 Plan, the 2023 Plan will be administered by our Board or such committee of the Board as is designated by the Board to administer the 2023 Plan (the “Committee”), which, to the extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shall consist entirely of two or more “outside directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. At any time there is no Committee to administer the 2023 Plan, any reference to the Committee is a reference to our Board. The Committee will determine the persons to whom awards are to be made; determine the type, size, and terms of awards; interpret the 2023 Plan; establish and revise rules and regulations relating to the 2023 Plan and any sub-plans (including sub-plans for awards made to participants who do not reside in the United States); establish performance goals applicable to awards and certify the extent of their achievement; and make any other determinations that it believes are necessary for the administration of the 2023 Plan. The Committee may delegate certain of its duties to one or more of our officers as provided in the 2023 Plan.
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Eligibility. The 2023 Plan provides for awards to the outside directors, officers, employees, and contractors of the Company and our subsidiaries. As of April 14, 2025, there were 5 employees, 4 directors, and approximately 2 consultants eligible to participate in the 2023 Plan. The Company’s current Section 16 executive officers and each member of our Board are among the individuals eligible to receive awards under the 2023 Plan.
Stock Options. Subject to the terms and provisions of the 2023 Plan, options to purchase shares of our Common Stock may be granted to eligible individuals at any time and from time to time as determined by the Committee. Stock options may be granted as incentive stock options, which are intended to qualify for favorable treatment to the recipient under federal tax law, or as nonqualified stock options, which do not qualify for such favorable tax treatment. Subject to the limits provided in the 2023 Plan, the Committee determines the number of stock options granted to each recipient. Each stock option grant will be evidenced by a stock option agreement that specifies the stock option’s exercise price, whether the stock options are intended to be incentive stock options or nonqualified stock options, the duration of the stock options, the number of shares to which the stock options pertain, and such additional limitations, terms, and conditions as the Committee may determine.
The Committee determines the exercise price for each stock option granted, except that the exercise price may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock on the date of grant; provided, however, that if an incentive stock option is granted to an employee who owns or is deemed to own more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of our Common Stock (or of any parent or subsidiary), the exercise price must be at least 110% of the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock on the date of grant. All stock options granted under the 2023 Plan will expire no later than ten years (or, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to an employee who owns or is deemed to own more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of our Common Stock (or of any parent or subsidiary), five years) from the date of grant. Stock options are nontransferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or, in the case of nonqualified stock options, as otherwise expressly permitted by the Committee. The granting of a stock option does not accord the recipient the rights of a stockholder, and such rights accrue only after the exercise of a stock option and the registration of shares of our Common Stock in the recipient’s name.
Stock Appreciation Rights. The 2023 Plan authorizes the Committee to grant SARs, either as a separate award or in connection with a stock option. A SAR entitles the holder to receive from us, upon exercise, an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the aggregate fair market value of a specified number of shares of our Common Stock to which such SAR pertains over the aggregate exercise price for the underlying shares. The exercise price of a SAR shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock on the date of grant.
Each SAR will be evidenced by an award agreement that specifies the exercise price, the number of shares to which the SAR pertains, and such additional limitations, terms, and conditions as the Committee may determine. We may make payment of the amount to which the participant exercising SARs is entitled by delivering shares of our Common Stock, cash, or a combination of stock and cash as set forth in the award agreement relating to the SARs. SARs are not transferable except as expressly permitted by the Committee.
Restricted Stock. The 2023 Plan provides for the award of shares of our Common Stock that are subject to forfeiture and restrictions on transferability as set forth in the 2023 Plan, the applicable award agreement, and as may be otherwise determined by the Committee. Except for these restrictions and any others imposed by the Committee, upon the grant of restricted stock, the recipient will have rights of a stockholder with respect to the restricted stock, including the right to vote the restricted stock and to receive all dividends and other distributions paid or made with respect to the restricted stock on such terms as will be set forth in the applicable award agreement; provided, however, such dividends or distributions may, if provided in the applicable award agreement, be withheld by us for a participant’s account until the restrictions lapse with respect to such restricted stock. During the restriction period set by the Committee, the recipient may not sell, transfer, pledge, exchange, or otherwise encumber the restricted stock.
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Restricted Stock Units. The 2023 Plan authorizes the Committee to grant restricted stock units. Restricted stock units are not shares of our Common Stock and do not entitle the recipients to the rights of a stockholder, although the award agreement may provide for rights with respect to dividends or dividend equivalents. The recipient may not sell, transfer, pledge, or otherwise encumber restricted stock units granted under the 2023 Plan prior to their vesting. Restricted stock units will be settled in shares of our Common Stock, in an amount based on the fair market value of our Common Stock on the settlement date. If the right to receive dividends on restricted stock units is awarded, then, if provided in the applicable award agreement, such dividends may be withheld by us for a participant’s account until the restrictions lapse with respect to such restricted stock units.
Dividend Equivalent Rights. The Committee may grant a dividend equivalent right either as a component of another award or as a separate award. The terms and conditions of the dividend equivalent right will be specified by the grant and, when granted as a component of another award, may have terms and conditions different from such other award. Dividend equivalent rights granted as a separate award also may be paid currently or may be deemed to be reinvested in additional Common Stock. Any such reinvestment will be at the fair market value at the time thereof. Dividend equivalent rights may be settled in cash or Common Stock.
Performance Awards. The Committee may grant performance awards payable at the end of a specified performance period in cash, shares of Common Stock, or other rights based upon, payable in, or otherwise related to our Common Stock. Payment will be contingent upon achieving pre-established performance goals (as described below) by the end of the applicable performance period. The Committee will determine the length of the performance period, the maximum payment value of an award, and the minimum performance goals required before payment will be made, so long as such provisions are not inconsistent with the terms of the 2023 Plan, and to the extent an award is subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), are in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and any applicable regulations or authoritative guidance issued thereunder. In certain circumstances, the Committee may, in its discretion, determine that the amount payable with respect to certain performance awards will be reduced from the maximum amount of any potential awards. If the Committee determines, in its sole discretion, that the established performance measures or objectives are no longer suitable because of a change in our business, operations, corporate structure, or for other reasons that the Committee deems satisfactory, the Committee may modify the performance measures or objectives and/or the performance period.
Performance Goals. The 2023 Plan provides that performance goals may be established by the Committee in connection with the grant of any award under the 2023 Plan. Such goals shall be based on the attainment of specified levels of one or more business criteria, which may include, without limitation: cash flow; cost; revenues; sales; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; net borrowing, credit quality or debt ratings; profit before tax; economic profit; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; gross margin; earnings per share (whether on a pre-tax, after-tax, operational or other basis); operating earnings; capital expenditures; expenses or expense levels; economic value added; ratio of operating earnings to capital spending or any other operating ratios; free cash flow; net profit; net sales; net asset value per share; the accomplishment of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, public offerings or similar extraordinary business transactions; sales growth; price of our Common Stock; return on assets, equity or stockholders’ equity; market share; inventory levels, inventory turn or shrinkage; total return to stockholders; or any other criteria determined by the Committee, in each case with respect to the Company or any one or more of our subsidiaries, divisions, business units, or business segments, either in absolute terms or relative to the performance of one or more other companies (including an index covering multiple companies).
Other Awards. The Committee may grant other forms of awards, based upon, payable in, or that otherwise relate to, in whole or in part, shares of our Common Stock, if the Committee determines that such other form of award is consistent with the purpose and restrictions of the 2023 Plan. The terms and conditions of such other form of award shall be specified in the grant. Such other awards may be granted for no cash consideration, for such minimum consideration as may be required by applicable law, or for such other consideration as may be specified in the grant.
Vesting of Awards; Forfeiture; Assignment. Except as otherwise provided below, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that an award will be immediately vested, in whole or in part, or that all or any portion may not be vested until a date, or dates, subsequent to its date of grant, or until the occurrence of one or more specified events, subject in any case to the terms of the 2023 Plan.
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The Committee may impose on any award, at the time of grant or thereafter, such additional terms and conditions as the Committee determines, including terms requiring forfeiture of awards in the event of a participant’s termination of service. The Committee will specify the circumstances under which performance awards may be forfeited in the event of a termination of service by a participant prior to the end of a performance period or settlement of awards. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, restricted stock will be forfeited upon a participant’s termination of service during the applicable restriction period.
Awards granted under the 2023 Plan generally are not assignable or transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, except that the Committee may, in its discretion and pursuant to the terms of an award agreement, permit transfers of nonqualified stock options or SARs to: (i) the spouse (or former spouse), children, or grandchildren of the participant (“Immediate Family Members”); (ii) a trust or trusts for the exclusive benefit of such Immediate Family Members; (iii) a partnership in which the only partners are (a) such Immediate Family Members and/or (b) entities that are controlled by the participant and/or his or her Immediate Family Members; (iv) an entity exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Code or any successor provision; or (v) a split interest trust or pooled income fund described in Section 2522(c)(2) of the Code or any successor provision, provided that (x) there shall be no consideration for any such transfer, (y) the applicable award agreement pursuant to which such nonqualified stock options or SARs are granted must be approved by the Committee and must expressly provide for such transferability, and (z) subsequent transfers of transferred nonqualified stock options or SARs shall be prohibited except those by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Change in Control. In connection with a change in control, outstanding awards may be converted into new awards, exchanged or substituted for with new awards, or canceled for no consideration, provided participants were given notice and an opportunity to purchase or exercise such awards, or cancelled and cashed out based on the positive difference between the per share amount to be received in connection with the transaction and the purchase/exercise price per share of the award, if any. The description of a change in control and its effects on awards granted under the 2023 Plan is qualified in its entirety by reference to the relevant terms and provisions of the 2023 Plan, which is attached as Annex A to our Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on December 29, 2022.
Recoupment for Restatements. The Company may recoup all or any portion of any shares of our Common Stock or cash paid to a participant in connection with an award, in the event of a restatement of our financial statements as set forth in our clawback policy as may be in effect from time to time.
Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, shares of our Common Stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, rights offering, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, split-off, combination, subdivision, repurchase, or exchange of shares of our Common Stock or other securities, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase shares of our Common Stock or other securities, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the fair market value of an award, the Committee shall adjust any or all of the following so that the fair market value of the award immediately after the transaction or event is equal to the fair market value of the award immediately prior to the transaction or event: (i) the number of shares and type of Common Stock (or other securities or property) that thereafter may be made the subject of awards; (ii) the number of shares and type of Common Stock (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding awards; (iii) the exercise price of each outstanding stock option; (iv) the amount, if any, we pay for forfeited shares in accordance with the terms of the 2023 Plan; and (v) the number of or exercise price of shares then subject to outstanding SARs previously granted and unexercised under the 2023 Plan, to the extent that the same proportion of our issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock in each instance shall remain subject to exercise at the same aggregate exercise price; provided, however, that the number of shares of Common Stock (or other securities or property) subject to any award shall always be a whole number. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such adjustment shall be made or authorized to the extent that such adjustment would cause the 2023 Plan or any stock option to violate Section 422 of the Code or Section 409A of the Code. All such adjustments must be made in accordance with the rules of any securities exchange, stock market, or stock quotation system to which we are subject.
Amendment or Discontinuance of the 2023 Plan. Our Board may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of participants, alter, amend, revise, suspend, or discontinue the 2023 Plan in whole or in part; provided, however, that (i) no amendment that requires stockholder approval in order for the 2023 Plan and any awards under the 2023 Plan to continue to comply with Sections 421 and 422 of the Code (including any successors to such sections or other applicable law) or any applicable requirements of any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which our Common Stock is listed or traded, shall be effective unless such amendment is approved by the requisite vote of our stockholders entitled to vote on the approval of the 2023 Plan; and (ii) unless required by law, no action by our Board regarding amendment or discontinuance of the 2023 Plan may adversely affect any rights of any participants or obligations of the Company to any participants with respect to any outstanding awards under the 2023 Plan without the consent of the affected participant.
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Repricing of Stock Options or SARs. The Committee may not “reprice” any stock option or SAR without stockholder approval. For purposes of the 2023 Plan, “reprice” means any of the following or any other action that has the same effect: (a) amending a stock option or SAR to reduce its exercise price; (b) canceling a stock option or SAR at a time when its exercise price exceeds the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock in exchange for cash or a stock option, SAR, award of restricted stock, or other equity award; or (c) taking any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles, provided that nothing will prevent the Committee from (x) making adjustments to awards upon changes in capitalization, (y) exchanging or cancelling awards upon a merger, consolidation, or recapitalization, or (z) substituting awards for awards granted by other entities, to the extent permitted by the 2023 Plan.
ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan
On September 24, 2019, the board of directors (the “ViralClear Board”) of ViralClear approved the ViralClear Plan, subject to stockholder approval, which provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted stock, and restricted stock units to key employees, key contractors, and outside directors of ViralClear, to be granted from time to time as determined by the ViralClear Board or its designee. An aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of the ViralClear common stock are reserved for issuance under the ViralClear Plan. The material features of the ViralClear Plan are described below.
Purpose. The purpose of the ViralClear Plan is to enable ViralClear to attract and retain the services of key employees, key contractors, and outside directors of ViralClear and its subsidiaries and to provide such persons with a proprietary interest in ViralClear. The ViralClear Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, SARs, restricted stock, and restricted stock units, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem; which may be paid in cash, shares of common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of common stock, as described in more detail below; and which will increase the interest of such persons in ViralClear’s welfare, furnish an incentive to such persons to continue their services for ViralClear or its subsidiaries, and provide a means through which ViralClear may attract able persons as employees, contractors, and outside directors.
Effective Date and Expiration. The ViralClear Plan became effective on September 24, 2019 and will continue in effect for a term of 10 years, unless earlier terminated by the ViralClear Board.
Share Authorization. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the ViralClear Plan is currently 4,000,000 shares, 100% of which may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options.
Shares to be issued may be made available from authorized but unissued common stock, common stock held by ViralClear in its treasury, or common stock purchased by ViralClear on the open market or otherwise. During the term of the ViralClear Plan, ViralClear will at all times reserve and keep available the number of shares of common stock sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the ViralClear Plan. If an award under the ViralClear Plan is forfeited, expires, or is canceled, in whole or in part, then the number of shares of common stock covered by the award or stock option so forfeited, expired, or canceled may again be awarded pursuant to the provisions of the ViralClear Plan. In the event that previously acquired shares of common stock are delivered to ViralClear in full or partial payment of the exercise price for the exercise of a stock option granted under the ViralClear Plan, the number of shares of common stock available for future awards under the ViralClear Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares of common stock issued upon the exercise of the stock option. Awards that may be satisfied either by the issuance of shares of common stock or by cash or other consideration shall be counted against the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the ViralClear Plan only during the period that the award is outstanding or to the extent the award is ultimately satisfied by the issuance of shares of common stock. Awards will not reduce the number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to the ViralClear Plan if the settlement of the award will not require the issuance of shares of common stock, as, for example, a SAR that can be satisfied only by the payment of cash. Notwithstanding any provisions of the ViralClear Plan to the contrary, only shares forfeited back to ViralClear, shares canceled on account of termination, expiration or lapse of an award, shares surrendered in payment of the exercise price of a stock option or shares withheld for payment of applicable employment taxes and/or withholding obligations resulting from the exercise of an option shall again be available for grant of incentive stock options under the ViralClear Plan, but shall not increase the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the ViralClear Plan as the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options.
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Administration. The ViralClear Plan may be administered by our ViralClear Board or such committee of the ViralClear Board as is designated by it to administer the ViralClear Plan (the “Committee”). The ViralClear Board or the Committee will determine and designate the persons to whom awards are to be made and set forth the award period, date of grant, terms, provisions, limitations, and performance requirements of awards. The Committee will determine whether an award shall include one type of equity incentive, two or more equity incentives granted in combination, or two or more equity incentives granted in tandem. The ViralClear Board may authorize one or more officers of ViralClear to designate one or more employees as eligible persons to whom nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, or SARs will be granted under the ViralClear Plan and determine the number of shares of common stock that will be subject to such stock options, incentive stock options, or SARs. The Committee will interpret the ViralClear Plan and award agreements; prescribe, amend, and rescind any rules and regulations, as necessary or appropriate for the administration of the ViralClear Plan; and establish performance goals for an award and certify the action as it deems necessary or advisable in the administration of the ViralClear Plan. The Committee may delegate to officers of ViralClear the authority to perform specified functions under the ViralClear Plan. With respect to restrictions in the ViralClear Plan that are based on the requirements of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the rules of any exchange or inter-dealer quotation system upon which ViralClear’s securities are listed or quoted, or any other applicable law, to the extent that any such restrictions are no longer required by applicable law, the Committee shall have the sole discretion and authority to grant awards that are not subject to such mandated restrictions and/or to waive any such mandated restrictions with respect to outstanding awards. Subject to the provisions of the ViralClear Plan, the ViralClear Board and Committee’s decisions, determinations, and interpretations will be final, binding, and conclusive on all ViralClear Plan participants and any other award holders.
Eligibility. Employees (including any employee who is also a director or an officer), contractors, and outside directors of ViralClear whose judgment, initiative, and efforts contributed to, or may be expected to contribute to, the successful performance of ViralClear are eligible to participate in the ViralClear Plan, provided that only employees of a corporation shall be eligible to receive incentive stock options.
Grant of Awards. The grant of an award shall be authorized by the Committee and shall be evidenced by an award agreement setting forth the applicable award being granted; the total number of shares or units to be granted; the price to be paid, if any; the award period; the date of grant; and such other terms, provisions, limitations, and performance objectives, as are approved by the Committee. The Company shall execute an award agreement with a participant after the Committee approves the issuance of an award. Any award granted pursuant to the ViralClear Plan must be granted within 10 years of the date of adoption of the ViralClear Plan by the ViralClear Board. The ViralClear Plan shall be submitted to ViralClear’s stockholders for approval; however, the Committee may grant awards under the ViralClear Plan prior to the time of stockholder approval. Any such award granted prior to such stockholder approval shall be made subject to such stockholder approval. The grant of an award to a participant shall not be deemed either to entitle the participant to, or to disqualify the participant from, receipt of any other award under the ViralClear Plan. If the Committee establishes a purchase price for an award, the participant must accept such award within a period of 30 days (or such shorter period as the Committee may specify) after the date of grant by executing the applicable award agreement and paying such purchase price. Any award under the ViralClear Plan that is settled in whole or in part in cash on a deferred basis may provide for interest equivalents to be credited with respect to such cash payment. Interest equivalents may be compounded and shall be paid upon such terms and conditions as may be specified by the grant.
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Stock Options. The Committee may grant either incentive stock options, qualifying under Section 422 of the Code, or nonqualified stock options, provided that only employees of ViralClear are eligible to receive incentive stock options. The option price for any share of common stock which may be purchased under a nonqualified stock option for any share of common stock must be equal to or greater than the fair market value of such share on the date of grant. The option price for any share of common stock which may be purchased under an incentive stock option must be at least equal to the fair market value of such share on the date of grant. If an incentive stock option is granted to an employee who owns or is deemed to own more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of ViralClear (or any parent or subsidiary), the option price shall be at least 110% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. No dividends may be paid or granted with respect to any stock option. No stock option shall be granted with a term of greater than 10 years from its date of grant; however, if an employee owns or is deemed to own more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of ViralClear (or any parent or subsidiary), and an incentive stock option is granted to such employee, the term of such incentive stock option shall be no more than five years from the date of grant. The Committee may not grant incentive stock options under the ViralClear Plan to any employee that would permit the aggregate fair market value (determined on the date of grant) of the common stock with respect to which incentive stock options (under the ViralClear Plan and any other plan of ViralClear and its subsidiaries) are exercisable for the first time by such employee during any calendar year to exceed $100,000. To the extent any stock option granted under the ViralClear Plan that is designated as an incentive stock option exceeds this limit or otherwise fails to qualify as an incentive stock option, such stock option (or any such portion thereof) shall be a nonqualified stock option. In such case, the Committee shall designate which stock will be treated as incentive stock option stock by causing the issuance of a separate stock certificate and identifying such stock as incentive stock option stock on ViralClear’s stock transfer records.
If a stock option is exercisable prior to the time it is vested, the common stock obtained on the exercise of the stock option shall be restricted stock that is subject to the applicable provisions of the ViralClear Plan and the award agreement. If the Committee imposes conditions upon exercise, then subsequent to the date of grant, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the date on which all or any portion of the stock option may be exercised. No stock option may be exercised for a fractional share of common stock. The granting of a stock option shall impose no obligation upon the participant to exercise that stock option. The Committee will determine the manner in which recipients of stock options may pay the option exercise price, which may include payment by cash or check, bank draft, or money order payable to the order of ViralClear; by delivery of common stock owned by the participant on the exercise date, valued at its fair market value on the exercise date, and which the participant has not acquired from ViralClear within six months prior to the exercise date; by delivery (including by FAX or electronic transmission) to ViralClear or its designated agent of an executed irrevocable option exercise form (or, to the extent permitted by ViralClear, exercise instructions, which may be communicated in writing, telephonically, or electronically) together with irrevocable instructions from the participant to a broker or dealer, reasonably acceptable to ViralClear, to sell certain of the shares of common stock purchased upon exercise of the stock option or to pledge such shares as collateral for a loan and promptly deliver to ViralClear the amount of sale or loan proceeds necessary to pay such purchase price; by requesting ViralClear to withhold the number of shares otherwise deliverable upon exercise of the stock option by the number of shares of Common Stock having an aggregate fair market value equal to the aggregate option price at the time of exercise (i.e., a cashless net exercise); and/or in any other form of valid consideration that is acceptable to the Committee in its sole discretion.
Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee may grant SARs to any participant, either as a separate award or in connection with a stock option, and impose terms and conditions on such SARs. A SAR may be exercised by the delivery (including by FAX) of written notice to the Committee setting forth the number of shares of common stock with respect to which the SAR is to be exercised and the exercise date, which shall be at least three days after giving such notice, unless an earlier time shall have been mutually agreed upon. The grant of the SAR may provide that the holder may be paid for the value of the SAR either in cash, in shares of common stock, or a combination thereof. In the event of the exercise of a SAR payable in shares of common stock, the holder of the SAR shall receive that number of whole shares of common stock having an aggregate fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the value obtained by multiplying the difference between the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of exercise over the SAR price as set forth in such SAR (or other value specified in the agreement granting the SAR), by the number of shares of common stock as to which the SAR is being exercised, with a cash settlement to be made for any fractional shares of common stock. The SAR price for any share of common stock subject to a SAR may be equal to or greater than the fair market value of such share on the date of grant. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may place a ceiling on the amount payable upon exercise of a SAR, but any such limitation shall be specified at the time the SAR is granted.
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Restricted Stock. Restricted stock consists of shares of our common stock that may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated and that may be forfeited in the event of certain terminations of employment or service prior to the end of a restricted period, as specified by the Committee in the applicable award agreement. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, remove any or all of the restrictions on such restricted stock. The Committee will set forth in the award agreement: the number of shares of common stock awarded; the price, if any, to be paid by the participant for such restricted stock and the method of payment of the price; the time or times within which such award may be subject to forfeiture; specified performance goals of ViralClear, a subsidiary, any division thereof or any group of employees of ViralClear, or other criteria, which the Committee determines must be met in order to remove any restrictions (including vesting) on such award; and all other terms, limitations, restrictions, and conditions applicable to the restricted stock.
Restricted Stock Units. Restricted stock units are the right to receive shares of common stock, cash, or a combination thereof at a future date in accordance with the terms of such grant upon the attainment of certain conditions specified by the Committee, which include a substantial risk of forfeiture and restrictions on their sale or other transfer by the participant. Restricted stock units shall be subject to such restrictions as the Committee determines, including, without limitation, a prohibition against sale, assignment, transfer, pledge, hypothecation, or other encumbrance for a specified period of time or a requirement that the holder forfeit (or in the case of shares of common stock or units sold to the participant, resell to ViralClear at cost) such shares or units in the event of termination of employment or service during the applicable period of restriction.
Vesting, Forfeiture, Assignment. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that an award will be immediately vested, in whole or in part, or that all or any portion may not be vested until a date, or dates, subsequent to its date of grant, or until the occurrence of one or more specified events, subject in any case to the terms of the ViralClear Plan. If the Committee imposes conditions upon vesting, then, except as otherwise provided below, subsequent to the date of grant, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the date on which all or any portion of the award may be vested.
The Committee may impose on any award, at the time of grant or thereafter, such additional terms and conditions as the Committee determines. Except as otherwise provided in the particular award agreement, upon termination of service during the applicable restriction period, nonvested shares of restricted stock shall be forfeited by the participant.
Incentive stock options may not be transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated, or otherwise conveyed or encumbered other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of the participant only by the participant or the participant’s legally authorized representative, and each award agreement in respect of an incentive stock option shall so provide, except that the Committee may waive or modify such limitation that is not required for compliance with Section 422 of the Code. Other awards granted under the ViralClear Plan generally may not be transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise conveyed or encumbered other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its discretion, authorize all or a portion of a nonqualified stock option or SAR to be granted to a participant on terms which permit transfer by such participant to the spouse (or former spouse), children, or grandchildren of the participant (“Immediate Family Members”); a trust or trusts for the exclusive benefit of such Immediate Family Members; a partnership in which the only partners are such Immediate Family Members and/or entities which are controlled by the participant and/or Immediate Family Members; an entity exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Code or any successor provision; or a split interest trust or pooled income fund described in Section 2522(c)(2) of the Code or any successor provision, provided that there shall be no consideration for any such transfer; the award agreement pursuant to which such nonqualified stock option or SAR is granted must be approved by the Committee and must expressly provide for transferability in a manner consistent with the ViralClear Plan; and subsequent transfers of transferred nonqualified stock options or SARs shall be prohibited except those by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Following any transfer, any such nonqualified stock option and SAR shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as were applicable to such award immediately prior to transfer. The events of termination of service shall continue to be applied with respect to the original participant, following which the nonqualified stock options and SARs shall be exercisable or convertible by the transferee only to the extent and for the periods specified in the applicable award agreement. The Committee and ViralClear shall have no obligation to inform any transferee of a nonqualified stock option or SAR of any expiration, termination, lapse, or acceleration of such stock option or SAR. The Company shall have no obligation to register with any federal or state securities commission or agency any common stock issuable or issued under a nonqualified stock option or SAR that has been transferred by a participant under the ViralClear Plan.
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Capital Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, common stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, rights offering, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, split-off, combination, subdivision, repurchase, or exchange of common stock or other securities of ViralClear, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase common stock or other securities of ViralClear, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the fair value of an award, then the Committee shall adjust any or all of the following so that the fair market value of the award immediately after the transaction or event is equal to the fair market value of the award immediately prior to the transaction or event: the number of shares and type of common stock (or the securities or property) which thereafter may be made the subject of awards; the number of shares and type of common stock (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding awards; the number of shares and type of common stock (or other securities or property) specified as the annual per-participant limitation; the option price of each outstanding award; the amount, if any, ViralClear pays for forfeited shares of common stock; and the number of or SAR price of shares of common stock then subject to outstanding SARs previously granted and unexercised under the ViralClear Plan, to the end that the same proportion of ViralClear’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock in each instance shall remain subject to exercise at the same aggregate SAR price; provided, however, that the number of shares of common stock (or other securities or property) subject to any award shall always be a whole number. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such adjustment shall be made or authorized to the extent that such adjustment would cause the ViralClear Plan or any stock option to violate Section 422 of the Code or Section 409A of the Code, and such adjustments shall be made in accordance with the rules of any securities exchange, stock market, or stock quotation system to which ViralClear is subject.
Amendment or Discontinuance of the ViralClear Plan. The ViralClear Board may at any time and from time to time, without the consent of participants, alter, amend, revise, suspend, or discontinue the ViralClear Plan in whole or in part, except that we will obtain stockholder approval of any ViralClear Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which our common stock is listed or quoted, and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where awards are, or will be, granted under the ViralClear Plan. Any amendments made shall, to the extent deemed necessary or advisable by the Committee, be applicable to any outstanding awards theretofore granted under the ViralClear Plan, notwithstanding any contrary provisions contained in any award agreement. In the event of any such amendment to the ViralClear Plan, the holder of any award outstanding under the ViralClear Plan shall, upon request of the Committee and as a condition to the exercisability thereof, execute a conforming amendment in the form prescribed by the Committee to any award agreement relating thereto. Notwithstanding anything contained in the ViralClear Plan to the contrary, unless required by law, no action contemplated or permitted by the ViralClear Board or Committee for the alteration, amendment, revision, suspension, or termination of the ViralClear Plan shall adversely affect any rights of participants or obligations of ViralClear to participants with respect to any award theretofore granted under the ViralClear Plan without the consent of the affected participant.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
Common Stock
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our voting securities as of April 14, 2025 by (i) each person known to us to beneficially own five percent (5%) or more of any class of our voting securities; (ii) each of our named executive officers and directors; and (iii) all of our named directors and executive officers as a group. The percentages of voting securities beneficially owned are reported on the basis of regulations of the SEC governing the determination of beneficial ownership of securities. Under the rules of the SEC, a person is deemed to be a beneficial owner of a security if that person has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting of the security, or investment power, which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of the security. Except as indicated in the footnotes to this table, to our knowledge and subject to community property laws where applicable, each beneficial owner named in the table below has sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned and each person’s address is c/o BioSig Technologies, Inc, 12424 Wilshire Blvd Suite 745 Los Angeles, CA 90025. Percentage of common stock ownership is based on 24,252,482 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of April 14, 2025. Percentage of Series C Preferred Stock ownership is based on 105 shares of Series C Preferred Stock issued and outstanding as of April 14, 2025.
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Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. For the purpose of calculating the number of shares beneficially owned by a stockholder and the percentage ownership of that stockholder, shares of common stock subject to options or warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within sixty (60) days of April 14, 2025 by that stockholder are deemed outstanding.
Name | Number of Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned (1) | Percentage Class (1) (2) | Number of Shares of Series C Preferred Stock Beneficially Owned | Percentage Class (6) | Total Voting Power | |||||||||||||||
5% Beneficial holder | ||||||||||||||||||||
Donald E. Garlikov | 2,933,938 | (3) | 11.79 | % | — | — | 9.50 | % | ||||||||||||
Directors and Named Executive Officers | ||||||||||||||||||||
Anthony Amato | 2,445,702 | (4) | 9.53 | % | — | — | 4.28 | % | ||||||||||||
Frederick D. Hrkac | 654,501 | (5) | 2.69 | % | — | — | 2.43 | % | ||||||||||||
Chris Baer | 80,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||
Donald Browne | 80,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||
Steven Abelman | 80,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||
Ferdinand Groenewald | 25,000 | * | * | |||||||||||||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group of six person | 3,365,203 | 13.09 | % | — | — | 7.84 | % | |||||||||||||
Series C Holders | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ray Weber | 233,855 | (7) | * | 45 | 43 | % | * | |||||||||||||
StoneX C/F Raymond E Weber IRA | 182,385 | (8) | * | 35 | 33 | % | * | |||||||||||||
Martin F. Sauer | 130,274 | (9) | 25 | 24 | % | * |
* Less than 1%.
(1) | Shares of common stock beneficially owned and the respective percentages of beneficial ownership of common stock assume the exercise of all options and other securities convertible into common stock beneficially owned by such person or entity currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April 14, 2025, except as otherwise noted. Shares issuable pursuant to the exercise of stock options and other securities convertible into common stock exercisable within 60 days are deemed outstanding and held by the holder of such options or other securities for computing the percentage of outstanding common stock beneficially owned by such person but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage of outstanding common stock beneficially owned by any other person. |
(2) | These percentages have been calculated based on 24,252,482 shares of common stock outstanding as of April 14, 2025. |
(3) | Comprised of (i) 2,304,400 shares of common stock and (ii) warrants to purchase 629,538 shares of common stock. |
(4) | Comprised of (i) 1,045,702 shares of common stock and (ii) options to purchase 1,400,000 shares of common stock that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April 14, 2025. |
(5) | Comprised of (i) 589,501 shares of common stock and (ii) options to purchase 65,000 shares of common stock that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April 14, 2025. |
(6) | These percentages have been calculated based on 105 shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding as of April 14, 2025. |
(7) | Comprised of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of shares of our Series C Preferred Stock, including dividends accrued thereon as of April 14, 2025. Ray Weber may also be deemed beneficial owner of shares held by StoneX Group Inc C/F Raymond E Weber IRA. Mr. Weber’s address is 27 Zabriskie St., Jersey City, NJ 07307. |
(8) | Comprised of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of shares of our Series C Preferred Stock, including dividends accrued thereon as of April 14, 2025. This stockholder’s address is 27 Zabriskie St., Jersey City, NJ 07307. |
(9) | Comprised of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of shares of our Series C Preferred Stock, including dividends accrued thereon as of April 14, 2025. This stockholder’s address is 1028 Steeplechase Dr. Lancaster, PA 17601. |
ITEM 13 – CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
Transactions with related persons are governed by our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which applies to all of our directors, officers and employees. This code covers a wide range of potential activities, including, among others, conflicts of interest, self-dealing and related party transactions. Waiver of the policies set forth in this code will only be permitted when circumstances warrant. Such waivers for directors and executive officers, or that provide a benefit to a director or executive officer, may be made only by our Board, as a whole, or the Audit Committee. Absent such a review and approval process in conformity with the applicable guidelines relating to the particular transaction under consideration, such arrangements are not permitted. All related party transactions for which disclosure is required to be provided herein were approved in accordance with our Code of Conduct and Ethics.
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On June 5, 2024, the Company and Mr. Ferdinand Groenewald entered into a consulting agreement (the “Agreement”) effective June 5, 2024, pursuant to which Mr. Groenewald will lead accounting and financial reporting activities of the Company. Mr. Groenewald will serve as the Company’s interim chief financial officer, principal accounting officer and vice president of finance. The Agreement will continue indefinitely until terminated by either party upon 30 days’ advance notice. The Agreement provides for compensation at a fixed rate of $15,000 per month and reimbursement by the Company for any usual and customary business expenses incurred by Mr. Groenewald in connection with performing services pursuant to the Agreement. In addition, the Agreement provides for the Company to indemnify Mr. Groenewald on terms customary for officers.
Accounts payable and accrued expenses include due to related parties comprised primarily director fees and travel reimbursements. Due to related parties as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $18,500 and $30,000, respectively.
On March 1, 2024, the Company issued 500,000 shares of common stock to Frederick D Hrkac, director in exchange for consulting services with a fair value of $352,550, pursuant to a consulting agreement dated March 1, 2024.
On March 1, 2024, the Company issued 500,000 shares of common stock to Anthony Amato, CEO and director in exchange for services with a fair value of $352,550.
On June 7, 2024, the Company issued 50,000 shares of common stock to Anthony Amato, CEO and director in exchange for services with a fair value of $93,250.
On March 7, 2024, the company issued a promissory note to a significant shareholder for $500,000. This note was subsequently converted into shares of common stock (See Note 9).
Independent Directors
We are currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and therefore rely on the definition of independence set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of our Board, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his background, employment, and affiliations, including family relationships, we have determined that each of Christopher A. Baer, Donald F. Browne, and Steven Abelman has no material relationships with us that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment and is an “independent director” as that term is defined in the Nasdaq Listing Rules.
ITEM 14 – PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Fees to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms
The following is a summary of the fees billed to us by Marcum LLP for professional services rendered in the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023:
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Audit Fees | $ | 204,112 | $ | 154,875 | ||||
Audit-Related Fees | - | 78,225 | ||||||
Tax Fees | - | - | ||||||
Total Fees | $ | 204,112 | $ | 233,100 |
Audit Fees. This category includes the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, reviews of our financial statements included in our Form 10-Qs and services that are normally provided by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with its engagements for those years. This category also includes advice on audit and accounting matters that arose during, or as a result of, the audit or the review of our interim financial statements.
Audit-Related Fees. This category consists of assurance and related services by our independent registered public accounting firm that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported above under “Audit Fees.” The services for the fees disclosed under this category include consents regarding equity issuances.
Tax Fees. This category typically consists of professional services rendered by our independent registered public accounting firm for tax compliance and tax advice.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Our audit committee pre-approves all auditing services and all permitted non-auditing services (including the fees and terms thereof) to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, except for de minimis non-audit services that are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit. The audit committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees consisting of one or more members when appropriate, including the authority to grant pre-approvals of audit and permitted non-auditing services, provided that decisions of such subcommittee to grant pre-approval is presented to the full audit committee at its next scheduled hearing.
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PART IV
ITEM 15 – EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
The following documents are filed as part of this report:
(1) | Financial Statements |
The following financial statements are included herein:
(2) | Exhibits |
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* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan.
ITEM 16 – FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
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SIGNATURES
In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BIOSIG TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | ||
Date: April 15, 2025 | By: | /s/ Anthony Amato |
Anthony Amato | ||
Chief Executive Officer | ||
Date: April 15, 2025 | By: | /s/ Ferdinand Groenewald |
Ferdinand Groenewald | ||
Interim Chief Financial Officer |
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