Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

NATURE OF BUSINESS

v3.21.2
NATURE OF BUSINESS
3 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
NATURE OF BUSINESS

NOTE 1 – NATURE OF BUSINESS

 

PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. (“Company”) is a biotechnology company focused on developing cellular therapies for cancer and diabetes based upon a proprietary cellulose-based live cell encapsulation technology known as “Cell-in-a-Box®”. The Cell-in-a-Box® technology is intended to be used as a platform upon which therapies for several types of cancer, including locally advanced, inoperable, non-metastatic pancreatic cancer (“LAPC”) will be developed. The current generation of the Company’s product candidate is referred to as “CypCaps™”. On September 1, 2020, the Company submitted an Investigational New Drug Application (“IND”) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for a planned Phase 2b clinical trial in LAPC. On October 1, 2020, the Company received notice from the FDA that it had placed the IND on clinical hold. On October 30, 2020, the FDA sent a letter to the Company setting forth the reasons for the clinical hold and specific guidance on what the Company must do to have the clinical hold lifted. To lift the clinical hold, the FDA has informed the Company that it needs to conduct several additional preclinical studies and assays. The FDA also requested additional information regarding several topics, including DNA sequencing data, manufacturing information and product release specifications. The Company is also in the process of conducting these studies and assays and gathering additional information to submit to the FDA. See “Our Investigational New Drug Application and the Clinical Hold” below.

 

The Cell-in-a-Box® encapsulation technology potentially enables genetically engineered live human cells to be used as a means to produce various biologically active molecules. The technology is intended to result in the formation of pinhead sized cellulose-based porous capsules in which genetically modified live human cells can be encapsulated and maintained. In a laboratory setting, this proprietary live cell encapsulation technology has been shown to create a micro-environment in which encapsulated cells survive and flourish. They are protected from environmental challenges, such as the sheer forces associated with bioreactors and passage through catheters and needles, which we believe enables greater growth and production. The capsules are largely composed of cellulose (cotton) and are bio inert.

 

The Company is developing therapies for pancreatic and other solid cancerous tumors by using genetically engineered live human cells that we believe are capable of converting a cancer prodrug into its cancer-killing form. The Company encapsulate those cells using the Cell-in-a-Box® technology and place those capsules in the body as close as possible to the tumor. In this way, the Company believes that when a cancer prodrug is administered to a patient with a particular type of cancer that may be affected by the prodrug, the killing of the patient’s cancerous tumor may be optimized.

 

In addition, the Company has been exploring ways to delay the production and accumulation of malignant ascites fluid that results from many types of abdominal cancerous tumors. Malignant ascites fluid is secreted by abdominal cancerous tumors into the abdomen after the tumors have reached a certain stage of growth. This fluid contains cancer cells that can seed and form new tumors throughout the abdomen. This fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity, causing swelling of the abdomen, severe breathing difficulties and extreme pain.

 

The Company has also been developing a potential therapy for Type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes. The Company’s product candidate for the treatment of diabetes consists of encapsulated genetically modified insulin-producing cells. The encapsulation will be done using the Cell-in-a-Box® technology. Implanting these cells in the body is designed to function as a bio-artificial pancreas for purposes of insulin production.

 

The Company has also been considering ways to exploit the benefits of the Cell-in-a-Box® technology to develop therapies for cancer that involve prodrugs based upon certain constituents of the Cannabis plant (“Cannabis Program”); these constituents are of the class of compounds known as “cannabinoids”.

 

Until: (i) the FDA allows the Company to commence a clinical trial in LAPC described in its IND for which the FDA has placed a clinical hold; and (ii) the Company validates its Cell-in-a-Box® encapsulation technology in its planned Phase 2b clinical trial in LAPC, the Company is not spending any further resources developing the Cannabis Program.

 

Clinical Hold

 

On September 1, 2020, the Company submitted an IND to the FDA for a planned Phase 2b clinical trial in LAPC. Shortly thereafter, the Company received Information Requests from the FDA related to the IND. The Company timely responded to all information requests.

  

On October 1, 2020, the Company received notice that the FDA had placed the IND on clinical hold.

 

On October 30, 2020, the FDA sent a letter to the Company setting forth the reasons for the clinical hold and specific guidance on what the Company must do to have the clinical hold lifted.

 

In order to lift the clinical hold, the FDA has informed the Company that it needs to conduct several additional preclinical studies. The FDA also requested additional information regarding several topics, including sequencing data, manufacturing information and product release specifications.

 

In addition, the FDA requested that several items not related to the clinical hold be addressed through the submission of an IND amendment. Specifically, the FDA requested that the Company perform qualification studies for the drug substance filling step to ensure that the product remains sterile and stable during the filling process. The FDA also requested additional information, discussion and clarification on several other topics.

 

Since October 30, 2020, there has been no further communication with the FDA regarding the clinical hold.

 

The Company has assembled a scientific team to address the FDA requests related to the clinical hold. That team is working through an extensive list of items that the FDA requested. Among other things, the Company has successfully completed a 9-month product stability study, commenced physical parameter testing for CypCaps™ and commenced additional studies for the sequence of DNA encoding of its encapsulated cells. The Company has also designed the biocompatibility tests for cytotoxicity, sensitization, irritation, acute systemic toxicity, material-mediated pyrogenicity, subacute/subchronic toxicity, genotoxicity and implantation. In addition, the Company has begun a compression and swelling study of CypCaps™, designed a study to determine if CypCaps™ are adversely affected by contrast medium and designed a study to show the catheters used to implant CypCaps™ do not adversely impact the encapsulated cells.

 

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Company’s Operations

 

The coronavirus SARS-Cov2 pandemic (“COVID-19”) is causing significant, industry-wide delays in clinical trials. Although the Company is not yet in a clinical trial, the Company has filed an IND with the FDA to commence a clinical trial in LAPC. While the IND has been placed on clinical hold by the FDA, the Company has assessed the impact of COVID-19 on its operations. Currently, many clinical trials are being delayed due to COVID-19. There are numerous reasons for these delays. For example, patients have shown a reluctance to enroll or continue in a clinical trial due to fear of exposure to COVID-19 when they are in a hospital or doctor’s office. There are local, regional and state-wide orders and regulations restricting usual normal activity by people. These discourage and interfere with patient visits to a doctor’s office if the visit is not COVID-19 related. Healthcare providers and health systems are shifting their resources away from clinical trials toward the care of COVID-19 patients. The FDA and other healthcare providers are making product candidates for the treatment of COVID-19 a priority over product candidates unrelated to COVID-19. As of the date of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and related footnotes on Form 10-Q (“Report”), the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact upon the Company’s operations, although the Company believes that impact is not material. The impact primarily relates to delays in tasks associated with the preparation of the Company’s responses to the clinical hold, including all requested preclinical studies. There may be further delays in generating responses to the requests from the FDA related to the clinical hold.

 

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, commencement of the Company’s planned clinical trial to treat LAPC may be delayed beyond the lifting of the clinical hold should that occur. Also, enrollment may be difficult for the reasons discussed above. In addition, after enrollment in the trial, if patients contract COVID-19 during their participation in the trial or are subject to isolation or shelter in place restrictions, this may cause them to drop out of our clinical trial, miss scheduled therapy appointments or follow-up visits or otherwise fail to follow the clinical trial protocol. If patients are unable to follow the clinical trial protocol or if the trial results are otherwise affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient participation or actions taken to mitigate COVID-19 spread, the integrity of data from the clinical trial may be compromised or not be accepted by the FDA. This could further adversely impact or delay the Company’s clinical development program.

 

It is highly speculative in projecting the effects of COVID-19 on the Company’s clinical development program and the Company generally. The effects of COVID-19 quickly and dramatically change over time. Its evolution is difficult to predict, and no one is able to say with certainty when the pandemic will subside.

 

Company Background

 

The Company is a Nevada corporation incorporated in 1996. In 2013, the Company restructured its operations to focus on biotechnology. The restructuring resulted in the Company focusing all its efforts upon the development of a novel, effective and safe way to treat cancer and diabetes. In January 2015, the Company changed its name from Nuvilex, Inc. to PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. to reflect the nature of its current business.

 

Increase in Authorized Shares and Reverse Stock Split

 

On July 2, 2021, pursuant to stockholder approval at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada a Certificate of Amendment to its Articles of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares to fifty billion ten million (50,010,000,000) shares, of which fifty billion (50,000,000,000) shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share are designated as common stock and of which ten million (10,000,000) shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share, are designated as preferred stock.

 

Effective July 12, 2021, pursuant to the approval by the Board of Directors, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of Nevada a Certificate of Change to the Articles of Incorporation, to effect a 1-for-1,500 reverse stock split of the Company’s common stock. The reverse stock split decreased the number of authorized shares of common stock from fifty billion (50,000,000,000) shares to thirty-three million three hundred thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-four (33,333,334) shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Any fractional shares resulting from the reverse stock split were rounded up to the next whole share. Except as otherwise indicated, all share and per share information in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and related footnotes gives effect to the reverse stock split of the Company’s common stock.