Scilex Holding Company risk analysis
Scilex Holding Company (SCLX) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Jun 30, 2026, filed Aug 14, 2026
Risk Change Over Time
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly, and investors in our Common Stock may lose all or a part of their investment.
The market prices for securities of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have historically been highly volatile, and the market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. For example, from November 11, 2022 (the first trading day following the closing of the Scilex Business Combination) to August 12, 2026, our closing stock price ranged from $2.48 to $322.54. The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as: - our ability to commercialize ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, if approved;- legal disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, government investigations and the results of any proceedings or lawsuits, including, but not limited to, patent or stockholder litigation;- announcements of the introduction of new products by our company and our competitors;- issuances of debt or equity securities;- market conditions and trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;- overall performance of the equity markets and other factors that may be unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors, including changes in market valuations of similar companies;- trading volume of our Common Stock;- ineffectiveness of our internal controls; and - other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control. See the risk factor titled "If our operations and performance do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of our securities may decline" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for more factors affecting the trading price of our securities. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in these "Risk Factors," could have a dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our Common Stock. The equity markets in general have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Continued market fluctuations could result in extreme volatility in the price of our Common Stock. Further, price volatility of our Common Stock might worsen if the trading volume of our Common Stock is low. Although we have had periods of high-volume daily trading in our Common Stock, generally our stock is thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. If an active trading market for our Common Stock does not continue, the price of our Common Stock may be more volatile and it may be more difficult and time consuming to complete a transaction in our Common Stock, which could have an adverse effect on the realized price of our Common Stock. In addition, an adverse development in the market price for our Common Stock could negatively affect our ability to issue new equity to fund our activities.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Our Warrants are exercisable for our Common Stock, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
As of June 30, 2026, we have 6,958,204 outstanding SPAC Warrants, consisting of 5,958,204 Public Warrants and 1,000,000 Private Warrants (as defined below), which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 198,807 shares of our Common Stock (on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis) in accordance with the terms of the Warrant Agreement (the "Warrant Agreement"), dated as of January 6, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and Vickers, governing those securities. The exercise price of these SPAC Warrants is $397.89 per whole share (on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis). "SPAC Warrants" means (i) the redeemable warrants that were included in the Units (each of which consisted of one Vickers ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant) that, following the Scilex Business Combination and the Reverse Stock Split, entitle the holder of each whole warrant to purchase 1/35th of a share of Common Stock at a price of $397.89 per whole share (the "Public Warrants"), and (ii) the 6,840,000 warrants (which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 195,429 shares of Common Stock, on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis) sold in a private placement to Vickers Venture Fund VI Pte Ltd and Vickers Venture Fund VI (Plan) Pte Ltd consummated on January 11, 2021 (of which 2,736,000 (which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 78,172 shares of Common Stock) were subsequently forfeited and 3,104,000 (which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 88,686 shares of Common Stock, on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis) were transferred to Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. ("Sorrento"), in each case in connection with the Scilex Business Combination) (the "Private Warrants"). As of June 30, 2026, we have outstanding, (i) 3,803,447 February 2024 BDO Firm Warrants, which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 108,686 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $59.50 per share; (ii) 470,588 February 2024 BDO Representative Warrants, which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 13,446 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $74.38 per share; (iii) 3,250,000 Deposit Warrant, which is currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 3,250,000 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $1.20 per share, and (iv) 1,200,000 April 2024 RDO Placement Agent Warrants, which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 34,286 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $43.75 per share. On October 8, 2024, we issued the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 214,284 shares of Common Stock. On the same date, we also issued the October 2024 Placement Agent Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 107,142 shares of Common Stock, which became exercisable 180 days following the date of issuance. The current exercise price of both the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants and the October 2024 Placement Agent Warrants is $36.40 per share. On July 22, 2025, we entered into the Warrant Exchange Agreements with the Tranche B Investors, pursuant to which the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants to purchase up to 107,142 shares of Common Stock were surrendered in exchange for the New Tranche B Warrants. Oramed waived its right to participate in the exchange. On December 13, 2024, we issued the December 2024 RDO Pre-Funded Warrants (as defined below) to purchase an aggregate of 68,604 shares of Common Stock, which have been fully exercised as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. On the same date, we also issued the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants (as defined below) to purchase an aggregate of 1,642,871 shares of Common Stock and the StockBlock Warrants (as defined below) to purchase an aggregate of 131,472 shares of Common Stock, which became exercisable 180 days following the date of issuance. The exercise price of both the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants and the StockBlock Warrants is $22.72 per share and $25.81 per share, respectively. On September 30, 2025, we entered into the Warrant Exercise Agreement with certain holders of the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants, pursuant to which, among other things, December 2024 RDO Common Warrants to purchase 179,236 shares were exercised and we issued such exercising holders new warrants (the "September 2025 Warrants") to purchase an aggregate of 275,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $20.00 per share. To the extent the SPAC Warrants, the Penny Warrants, the February 2024 BDO Firm Warrants, the February 2024 BDO Representative Warrants, the Deposit Warrant, the Fee Warrant (as defined in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on April 10, 2026), the April 2024 RDO Common Warrants, the April 2024 RDO Placement Agent Warrants, the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants, the October 2024 Placement Agent Warrants, the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants, the StockBlock Warrants, the New Tranche B Warrants and the September 2025 Warrants (collectively, the "Warrants") are exercised, additional shares of our Common Stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the holders of our Common Stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market, or the fact that such Warrants may be exercised, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices of our Common Stock. There is no guarantee that the Warrants will ever be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Warrants may expire worthless. See below risk factor, "The SPAC Warrants may never be in the money, they may expire worthless and the terms of the SPAC Warrants may be amended in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then-outstanding SPAC Warrants approve of such amendment. In addition, almost all of the other warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock are out-of-the-money and may also expire worthless."
- Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3We have a limited operating history and have incurred significant losses since our inception. We anticipate that we will incur continued losses for the foreseeable future.
We have a limited operating history. Prior to March 2019, our operations were conducted through Scilex Pharma, which was formed in September 2012 and is now our wholly owned subsidiary. In March 2019, we effected a corporate reorganization and acquired Semnur Pharmaceuticals, Inc., then a majority-owned subsidiary of our company ("Legacy Semnur"), which was formed in June 2013. Since our inception, we have focused on organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, identifying potential non-opioid pain therapy candidates, undertaking preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates and establishing research and development and manufacturing collaborations. Most of our revenue to date is attributable to sales of ZTlido, and we expect that sales of ZTlido will account for most of our revenue for at least the near term. Our relatively short operating history as a company makes any assessment of our future success and viability subject to significant uncertainty. Investment in biopharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that any potential product candidate will fail to demonstrate adequate effect or an acceptable safety profile, gain regulatory approval and become commercially viable. We will encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by early-stage biopharmaceutical companies in rapidly evolving fields, and we have not yet demonstrated an ability to overcome such risks and difficulties successfully. Our ability to execute on our business model and generate revenues depends on a number of factors including our ability to: - successfully complete ongoing clinical trials and obtain regulatory approvals for our current and future product candidates;- identify new acquisition or in-licensing opportunities;- successfully identify new product candidates and advance those product candidates into pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;- raise additional funds when needed and on terms acceptable to us;- attract and retain experienced management and advisory teams;- add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support clinical, manufacturing and planned future commercialization efforts and operations;- launch commercial sales of our product candidates, whether alone or in collaboration with others;- initiate and continue relationships with third-party suppliers and manufacturers and have commercial quantities of product candidates manufactured at acceptable cost and quality levels and in compliance with the FDA, and other regulatory requirements;- set acceptable prices for product candidates and obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors;- achieve market acceptance of product candidates in the medical community and with third-party payors and consumers; and - maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio. If we cannot successfully execute any one of the foregoing, our business may not succeed or become profitable. Since our inception, we have incurred significant net losses, with net losses of $374.0 million and $72.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, we had net losses of $160.6 million and $70.1 million, respectively. As of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $1,078.6 million and $921.8 million, respectively. For the foreseeable future, we expect to continue to incur significant expenses related to the commercialization of ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB and the research and development of our product candidates, SP-102 (10 mg dexamethasone sodium phosphate viscous gel) ("SEMDEXA"), SP-103 (lidocaine topical system) 5.4% ("SP-103"), and SP-104 (4.5 mg, low-dose naltrexone hydrochloride delayed-release capsules) ("SP-104"). We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially due to any future trials related to SEMDEXA and SP-103 and initiation of the Phase 2 clinical trial for SP-104. Consequently, we expect to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future and may never become profitable. We are subject to risks incidental to the development of new biopharmaceutical products, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. If we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations. If we are unable to raise capital through a registered offering, we would be required to conduct our equity financing transactions on a private placement basis, which may be subject to pricing, size and other limitations imposed under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, or seek other sources of capital.
- Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4Our recurring losses from operations, negative cash flows and substantial cumulative net losses raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
In Note 2 titled "Liquidity and Going Concern" of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we disclose that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. We have negative working capital and have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from operations and expect to continue incurring losses for the foreseeable future. Further, we had an accumulated deficit of $1,078.6 million as of June 30, 2026 and $921.8 million as of December 31, 2025. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Our ability to become a profitable operating company is dependent upon our ability to generate revenue and obtain financing adequate to fulfill our development and commercialization activities, and achieve a level of revenue adequate to support our cost structure. We have plans to obtain additional resources to fund our currently planned operations and expenditures through additional debt and equity financing. We will need to seek additional financing to fund our current operations, including the commercialization of ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB, as well as the development of our other material product candidates for the next 12 months. Our plans are substantially dependent upon the success of future sales of ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB, among which GLOPERBA and ELYXYB are still in the early stages of commercialization, and are dependent upon, among other things, the success of our marketing of ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB and our ability to secure additional payor contracts with terms that are consistent with our business plan. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funding, our financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected and we may be unable to continue as a going concern. Future financial statements may disclose substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 5The terms of the Oramed Note and the Tranche B Notes impose certain operating and financial covenants that restrict our operating and financial flexibility and any failure to comply with such covenants could result in an event of default that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
On September 21, 2023 (the "Oramed Closing Date"), we issued and sold to Oramed the Oramed Note pursuant to that certain securities purchase agreement we entered into with Oramed, dated as of September 21, 2023 (the "Scilex-Oramed SPA"). Interest under the Oramed Note accrues at a fluctuating per annum interest rate equal to the sum of (1) the greater of (x) four percent (4%) and (y) Term SOFR (as defined in the Oramed Note) and (2) eight and one-half percent (8.5%), payable in-kind on a monthly basis. Pursuant to the Oramed Note, since the outstanding principal of the Oramed Note was not repaid in full on or prior to March 21, 2024, an exit fee of $3,056,250 has been earned with respect to the Oramed Note, which shall be due and payable on the date the outstanding principal amount of the Oramed Note is paid in full. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an event of default under the Oramed Note, holders of more than 50% of the aggregate unpaid principal amount of the Oramed Notes may elect to cause all outstanding amounts under the Oramed Note to accrue interest at a default rate equal to the lesser of (i) Term SOFR plus fifteen percent (15%) or (ii) the maximum rate permitted under applicable law. If the Oramed Note is accelerated upon an event of default, we are required to repay the principal amount of the Oramed Note at a mandatory default rate of 125% of such principal amount (together with 100% of accrued and unpaid interest thereon and all other amounts due in respect of the Oramed Note). The Oramed Note contains mandatory prepayment provisions requiring us and our subsidiaries to use 70% of the net cash proceeds of any Cash Sweep Financing (as defined in the Oramed Note) or advance under the ELOCs (as defined in the Oramed Note) to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the Oramed Note (the "Mandatory Prepayment Sweep"). Following each of the April 2024 RDO, the receipt of the FSF Deposit and sales of shares pursuant to that certain at-the-market sales agreement entered into on December 22, 2023, by and among the Company, B. Riley Securities, Inc., Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (the "ATM Sales Agreement") (which agreement was voluntarily terminated by us effective as of March 5, 2025), that occurred in April 2024, June 2024, and January 2024, respectively, we made mandatory prepayments of $9.6 million, $7.0 million and $1.8 million, respectively, to Oramed, which equaled 70% of the net cash proceeds we received from each of the April 2024 RDO, the FSF Deposit and the sale of shares pursuant to the ATM Sales Agreement. Given such payment was not a voluntary prepayment, such prepayment did not trigger the make-whole amount under the Oramed Note. On October 8, 2024 (the "Issuance Date"), we issued and sold in a registered offering to certain institutional investors (collectively, the "Tranche B Investors") and Oramed (together with the Tranche B Investors, the "Tranche B Noteholders") senior secured convertible notes in the aggregate principal amount of $50.0 million (the "Tranche B Notes"), which notes are convertible into shares of Common Stock, pursuant to the Tranche B Securities Purchase Agreement. In consideration for Tranche B Notes issued to Oramed, the outstanding principal balance of the Oramed Note was reduced by $22.5 million, and additional principal payments of an aggregate amount of $15.0 million were made in November and December 2024. As of June 30, 2026, the outstanding principal amount, as well as the accrued interest and fees, of the Oramed Note was $29.5 million, with the remaining amount due on March 21, 2025, which maturity date was extended to December 31, 2025 pursuant to an amendment letter we entered into with Oramed, dated as of January 21, 2025, and extended further to September 30, 2026, pursuant to an amendment letter we entered into with Oramed, dated as of June 25, 2026. In September 2025 and December 2025, the Company fully exercised its option to repurchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 warrants related to the issuance of the Oramed Note (the "Penny Warrants") and paid to Oramed the $1.5 million consideration for such option (the "Option Payment Amount") in full, extending the maturity date of the Oramed Note to March 31, 2026, and waiving any make-whole payment otherwise due thereunder upon prepayment. On March 29, 2026, the Company received notice from Oramed granting a one-time extension of certain payment obligations under existing debt arrangements. Pursuant to the extension, (i) the final payment due under Note A and (ii) the April 1, 2026, amortization payment due under the Tranche B Note were extended to April 20, 2026. On June 25, 2026, Oramed further extended the due dates of Note A and the April 1, 2026 and July 1, 2026 amortization payments due under the Tranche B Note to September 30, 2026. See Note 8 titled "Debt" to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information. Unless earlier converted or redeemed, the Tranche B Notes mature on the two-year anniversary of the Issuance Date, subject to extension at the option of the holder in certain circumstances as provided therein. The Tranche B Notes bear interest at a rate of 5.5% per annum, payable in arrears on the first trading day of each calendar quarter, beginning January 2, 2025, at our option, either in cash or in shares of Common Stock, subject to certain conditions. Pursuant to the amortization schedule included in the Tranche B Notes, an amortization payment that was scheduled to be paid to Oramed on October 1, 2025, was deferred until January 1, 2026, pursuant to the warrant agreement we entered into with Oramed on February 19, 2026, in exchange for the February 2026 Warrants (as defined in our Annual Report on Form 10-K). The deferred amortization payment was made to Oramed in November 2025. The Oramed Note and the Tranche B Notes contain affirmative and negative covenants binding on us and our subsidiaries that restrict, among other things, us and our subsidiaries from incurring indebtedness or liens, repaying certain indebtedness, or declaring or paying any cash dividends or distributions, selling or otherwise disposing of any assets, and entering into transactions with affiliates, in each case as more fully set forth in, and subject to certain qualifications, exceptions, and "baskets" set forth in the Oramed Note and the Tranche B Notes. The Oramed Note also contains covenants requiring us to maintain a segregated bank account under specific terms and conditions, for purposes of receiving the Mandatory Prepayment Sweep, requiring SCLX JV, to comply with the separateness representations and covenants in its organizational documents, and requiring our subsidiary, SCLX DRE Holdings LLC, to maintain its status as a passive holding company. The Tranche B Notes also require us to, at the request of the holder, not more frequently than once per fiscal year, hire an independent, reputable investment bank to investigate whether any breach of the Tranche B Notes has occurred if an event constituting an event of default has occurred and is continuing or any holder reasonably believes that an event constituting an event of default has occurred or is continuing. In addition, the Tranche B Notes prohibit us from entering into specified fundamental transactions unless the successor entity assumes all of our obligations under the Tranche B Notes under a written agreement approved by the required holders of the Tranche B Notes before the transaction is completed. Upon consummation of specified fundamental transactions, the successor entity must confirm that upon conversion or redemption of the Tranche B Notes thereafter, shares of the successor entity will be issuable upon such conversion or redemption. The holders of the Tranche B Notes also have certain redemption rights upon a fundamental transaction constituting a change of control. The Oramed Note and the Tranche B Notes contain certain customary events of default, including, without limitation, a cross-default to other specified indebtedness or any other indebtedness involving an obligation of a certain amount, a failure in payment of principal, as well as any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization event. In addition, failure to comply with the covenants under the Oramed Note or Tranche B Notes could result in an event of default. The events of default under the Oramed Note include, among others, a change of control of our company and under the Tranche B Notes include, among others, any material adverse effect on our business, properties, assets, liabilities, operation, condition or prospects. Upon an event of default under the Oramed Note or the Tranche B Notes, subject to notice requirements in the case of certain events of default, all amounts outstanding under the Oramed Note may become immediately due and payable and the holders of the Tranche B Notes are entitled to certain conversion and redemption rights, respectively. We may not have sufficient funds or may be unable to arrange for additional financing to repay such indebtedness or to make any accelerated or redemption payments, and Oramed and/or the Tranche B Noteholders could seek to enforce their security interests in the collateral securing such indebtedness or other remedies available to them under the Oramed Note or Tranche B Notes, respectively, or as provided by applicable law. Oramed could also seek to enforce the guaranty under the Subsidiary Guarantee entered into by us and each of our subsidiaries, dated as of September 21, 2023, to carry out our payment obligations under the Oramed Note. Any failure by us to comply with the obligations under the Oramed Note or the Tranche B Notes could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our outstanding indebtedness and any future indebtedness we may incur, combined with our other financial obligations, could increase our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and market conditions, limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry and impose a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt or better debt servicing options. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 6We will require substantial additional funding, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.
Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. We expect to significantly increase our spending to continue our commercialization efforts for ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB, advance development of our current product candidates and launch and commercialize any product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval. Furthermore, we expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company. We will also require additional capital to fund our other operating expenses and capital expenditures. As of June 30, 2026, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $0.6 million and we had an accumulated deficit of $1,078.6 million. The amount and timing of our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, some of which are outside of our control, including but not limited to: - the costs and expenses associated with our ongoing commercialization efforts for ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB;- the degree of success we experience in commercializing ZTlido, GLOPERBA and ELYXYB;- the revenue generated by sales of ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB and other products that may be approved, if any;- the scope, progress, results and costs of conducting studies and clinical trials for our product candidates, SEMDEXA, SP-103 and SP-104;- the timing of, and the costs involved in, obtaining regulatory approvals for our product candidates;- the costs of manufacturing ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB and our product candidates;- the timing and amount of any milestone, royalty or other payments we are required to make pursuant to any current or future collaboration or license agreements;- our ability to maintain existing, and establish new, strategic collaborations, licensing or other arrangements and the financial terms of any such agreements, including the timing and amount of any future milestone, royalty or other payments due under any such agreement;- the extent to which ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or any of our product candidates, if approved for commercialization, is adopted by the physician community;- our need to expand our research and development activities;- the costs of acquiring, licensing or investing in businesses, product candidates and technologies;- the effect of competing products and product candidates and other market developments;- the number and types of future products we develop and commercialize;- any product liability or other lawsuits related to our products;- the expenses needed to attract, hire and retain skilled personnel;- the costs associated with being a public company;- our need to implement additional internal systems and infrastructure, including financial and reporting systems;- the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications and maintaining, enforcing and defending intellectual property-related claims;- the costs related to servicing of our debt;- the costs of financing additional clinical, regulatory and commercial activities; and - the extent and scope of our general and administrative expenses. Until we are able to generate significant revenue, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, government contracts or other strategic transactions. We cannot be sure that any additional funding, if needed, will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. Any additional fundraising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates. Furthermore, any additional equity or equity-related financing may be dilutive to our stockholders, and debt or equity financing, if available, may subject us to restrictive covenants and significant interest costs. If we raise additional funds through collaborations or strategic alliances with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our product candidates, future revenue streams, research programs or technologies, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unsuccessful in our efforts to raise additional financing on acceptable terms, we may be required to significantly reduce or cease our operations.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 121
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1ChangedThe market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly, and investors in our Common Stock may lose all or a part of their investment.
The market prices for securities of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have historically been highly volatile, and the market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. For example, from November 11, 2022 (the first trading day following the closing of the Scilex Business Combination) to August 12, 2026, our closing stock price ranged from $2.48 to $322.54. The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as: - our ability to commercialize ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, if approved;- legal disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, government investigations and the results of any proceedings or lawsuits, including, but not limited to, patent or stockholder litigation;- announcements of the introduction of new products by our company and our competitors;- issuances of debt or equity securities;- market conditions and trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;- overall performance of the equity markets and other factors that may be unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors, including changes in market valuations of similar companies;- trading volume of our Common Stock;- ineffectiveness of our internal controls; and - other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control. See the risk factor titled "If our operations and performance do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of our securities may decline" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for more factors affecting the trading price of our securities. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in these "Risk Factors," could have a dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our Common Stock. The equity markets in general have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Continued market fluctuations could result in extreme volatility in the price of our Common Stock. Further, price volatility of our Common Stock might worsen if the trading volume of our Common Stock is low. Although we have had periods of high-volume daily trading in our Common Stock, generally our stock is thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. If an active trading market for our Common Stock does not continue, the price of our Common Stock may be more volatile and it may be more difficult and time consuming to complete a transaction in our Common Stock, which could have an adverse effect on the realized price of our Common Stock. In addition, an adverse development in the market price for our Common Stock could negatively affect our ability to issue new equity to fund our activities.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2ChangedOur Warrants are exercisable for our Common Stock, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
As of June 30, 2026, we have 6,958,204 outstanding SPAC Warrants, consisting of 5,958,204 Public Warrants and 1,000,000 Private Warrants (as defined below), which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 198,807 shares of our Common Stock (on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis) in accordance with the terms of the Warrant Agreement (the "Warrant Agreement"), dated as of January 6, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and Vickers, governing those securities. The exercise price of these SPAC Warrants is $397.89 per whole share (on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis). "SPAC Warrants" means (i) the redeemable warrants that were included in the Units (each of which consisted of one Vickers ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant) that, following the Scilex Business Combination and the Reverse Stock Split, entitle the holder of each whole warrant to purchase 1/35th of a share of Common Stock at a price of $397.89 per whole share (the "Public Warrants"), and (ii) the 6,840,000 warrants (which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 195,429 shares of Common Stock, on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis) sold in a private placement to Vickers Venture Fund VI Pte Ltd and Vickers Venture Fund VI (Plan) Pte Ltd consummated on January 11, 2021 (of which 2,736,000 (which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 78,172 shares of Common Stock) were subsequently forfeited and 3,104,000 (which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 88,686 shares of Common Stock, on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis) were transferred to Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. ("Sorrento"), in each case in connection with the Scilex Business Combination) (the "Private Warrants"). As of June 30, 2026, we have outstanding, (i) 3,803,447 February 2024 BDO Firm Warrants, which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 108,686 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $59.50 per share; (ii) 470,588 February 2024 BDO Representative Warrants, which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 13,446 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $74.38 per share; (iii) 3,250,000 Deposit Warrant, which is currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 3,250,000 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $1.20 per share, and (iv) 1,200,000 April 2024 RDO Placement Agent Warrants, which are currently exercisable for an aggregate of up to 34,286 shares of Common Stock, the exercise price of which is $43.75 per share. On October 8, 2024, we issued the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 214,284 shares of Common Stock. On the same date, we also issued the October 2024 Placement Agent Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 107,142 shares of Common Stock, which became exercisable 180 days following the date of issuance. The current exercise price of both the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants and the October 2024 Placement Agent Warrants is $36.40 per share. On July 22, 2025, we entered into the Warrant Exchange Agreements with the Tranche B Investors, pursuant to which the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants to purchase up to 107,142 shares of Common Stock were surrendered in exchange for the New Tranche B Warrants. Oramed waived its right to participate in the exchange. On December 13, 2024, we issued the December 2024 RDO Pre-Funded Warrants (as defined below) to purchase an aggregate of 68,604 shares of Common Stock, which have been fully exercised as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. On the same date, we also issued the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants (as defined below) to purchase an aggregate of 1,642,871 shares of Common Stock and the StockBlock Warrants (as defined below) to purchase an aggregate of 131,472 shares of Common Stock, which became exercisable 180 days following the date of issuance. The exercise price of both the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants and the StockBlock Warrants is $22.72 per share and $25.81 per share, respectively. On September 30, 2025, we entered into the Warrant Exercise Agreement with certain holders of the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants, pursuant to which, among other things, December 2024 RDO Common Warrants to purchase 179,236 shares were exercised and we issued such exercising holders new warrants (the "September 2025 Warrants") to purchase an aggregate of 275,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $20.00 per share. To the extent the SPAC Warrants, the Penny Warrants, the February 2024 BDO Firm Warrants, the February 2024 BDO Representative Warrants, the Deposit Warrant, the Fee Warrant (as defined in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on April 10, 2026), the April 2024 RDO Common Warrants, the April 2024 RDO Placement Agent Warrants, the October 2024 Noteholder Warrants, the October 2024 Placement Agent Warrants, the December 2024 RDO Common Warrants, the StockBlock Warrants, the New Tranche B Warrants and the September 2025 Warrants (collectively, the "Warrants") are exercised, additional shares of our Common Stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the holders of our Common Stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market, or the fact that such Warrants may be exercised, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices of our Common Stock. There is no guarantee that the Warrants will ever be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Warrants may expire worthless. See below risk factor, "The SPAC Warrants may never be in the money, they may expire worthless and the terms of the SPAC Warrants may be amended in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then-outstanding SPAC Warrants approve of such amendment. In addition, almost all of the other warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock are out-of-the-money and may also expire worthless."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3We may be required to make milestone payments to the former stockholders of Semnur in connection with our development and commercialization of SEMDEXA, which could adversely affect the overall profitability of SEMDEXA, if approved.
Under the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger we entered into with Semnur, Sigma Merger Sub, Inc., our prior wholly owned subsidiary, Fortis Advisors LLC, solely as representative of the "Semnur Equityholders", and Sorrento, for limited purposes, we are obligated to pay the Semnur Equityholders up to an aggregate of $280.0 million in contingent cash consideration based on the achievement of certain milestones. A $40.0 million payment will be due upon obtaining the first approval of a new drug application by the FDA ("NDA") of any Semnur product, which includes SEMDEXA. Additional payments will be due upon the achievement of certain cumulative net sales of Semnur products, as follows: - a $20.0 million payment upon the achievement of $100.0 million in cumulative net sales of a Semnur product;- a $20.0 million payment upon the achievement of $250.0 million in cumulative net sales of a Semnur product;- a $50.0 million payment upon the achievement of $500.0 million in cumulative net sales of a Semnur product; and - a $150.0 million payment upon the achievement of $750.0 million in cumulative net sales of a Semnur product. These milestone obligations could impose substantial additional costs on us, divert resources from other aspects of our business, and adversely affect the overall profitability of SEMDEXA, if approved. We may need to obtain additional financing to satisfy these milestone payments, and cannot be sure that any additional funding, if needed, will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4We may redeem any unexpired SPAC Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making the SPAC Warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding SPAC Warrants (other than Private Warrants still held by the initial purchasers thereof) at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per SPAC Warrant, provided that the closing price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $630.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on each of the 20 trading days within any 30-trading-day period commencing after the SPAC Warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given. If and when the SPAC Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding SPAC Warrants could force the holders thereof to: (i) exercise such SPAC Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for a holder to do so; (ii) sell such SPAC Warrants at the then-current market price when a holder might otherwise wish to hold such SPAC Warrants; or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price that, at the time the outstanding SPAC Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of such Warrants. In addition, we may redeem the SPAC Warrants (other than Private Warrants still held by the initial purchasers thereof) at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration for a number of shares of our Common Stock determined based on the fair market value of our Common Stock. The value received upon exercise of the SPAC Warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their SPAC Warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the SPAC Warrants.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5The SPAC Warrants may never be in the money, they may expire worthless and the terms of the SPAC Warrants may be amended in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then-outstanding SPAC Warrants approve of such amendment. In addition, almost all of the other warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock are out-of-the money and may also expire worthless.
As of December 31, 2025, the exercise price for our SPAC Warrants is $402.50 per whole share of Common Stock. On April 2, 2026, the closing price of our Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $7.44. If the price of our shares of Common Stock remains below $402.50 per whole share, which is the exercise price of our SPAC Warrants, we believe our warrant holders will be unlikely to cash exercise their SPAC Warrants, resulting in little or no cash proceeds to us. There is no guarantee that our SPAC Warrants will be in the money prior to their expiration and, as such, our SPAC Warrants may expire worthless. The SPAC Warrants were issued in registered form under the Warrant Agreement. The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the SPAC Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision or correct any mistake, but requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding SPAC Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of SPAC Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the SPAC Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then-outstanding SPAC Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the SPAC Warrants with the consent of majority of the then-outstanding SPAC Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the SPAC Warrants, convert the SPAC Warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period, or decrease the number of shares of our Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a SPAC Warrant. In addition, as noted above, on April 2, 2026, the closing price of our Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $7.44, making almost all of the Warrants out-of-the-money. If the price of our shares of Common Stock remains below the exercise prices of such warrants, we believe the holders of such warrants will be unlikely to cash exercise such warrants, resulting in little or no cash proceeds to us. There is no guarantee that such out-of-the-money warrants will be in the money prior to their expiration and, as such, may expire worthless.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6We are an emerging growth company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Common Stock less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding nonbinding advisory stockholder votes on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stock and our stock price may be more volatile. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of the initial public offering of 13,800,000 units of Vickers consummated on January 11, 2021 (the "IPO"), (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which requires the market value of our Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates to equal or exceed $700 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. As a result, changes in rules of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or their interpretation, the adoption of new guidance or the application of existing guidance to changes in our business could significantly affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7The Certificate of Incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders and the federal district courts of the United States as the exclusive forum for litigation arising under the Securities Act, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with the Company.
Pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks subject matter jurisdiction, any state court located within the State of Delaware or, if and only if all such state courts lack subject matter jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) and any appellate court therefrom, will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers, employees or stockholders to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, employees or stockholders arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws; (iv) any claim or cause of action seeking to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws; (v) any action or proceeding asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, employees or stockholders as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and (vi) any action asserting an "internal corporate claim," as that term is defined in Section 115 of the DGCL;provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing forum selection provision will not apply to claims arising under the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. The Certificate of Incorporation also provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. The Certificate of Incorporation further provides that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our Common Stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation described above. Refer to the description of our securities in the form filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. The forum selection provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies' certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings and there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions. In addition, investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. If the enforceability of our forum selection provisions were to be challenged, it may incur additional costs associated with resolving such challenge. While we currently have no basis to expect any such challenge would be successful, if a court were to find its forum selection provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of these specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with having to litigate in other jurisdictions, which could result in a diversion of the time and resources of our employees, management and board of directors, and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Anti-takeover provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our Company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
The Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), the Bylaws of the Company (the "Bylaws") and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended (the "DGCL"), contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders. Among other things, these provisions include: - allow our Board to authorize the issuance of undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and the shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include supermajority voting, special approval, dividend, or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of other stockholders;- provide for a classified board of directors with staggered three-year terms;- provide that directors may only be removed for cause, and only by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class;- prohibit stockholder action by written consent;- provide that special meetings may only be called by or at the direction of the Chairperson of the Board, the Board or the Chief Executive Officer;- provide that any alteration, amendment or repeal, in whole or in part, of any provision of the Bylaws by our stockholders will require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class; and - establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to the Board and for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings. Section 203 of the DGCL generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an interested stockholder. We are governed by Section 203 of the DGCL, except that the restrictions on business combinations of Section 203 of the DGCL will not apply to Sorrento or its current or future Affiliates (as defined in the Certificate of Incorporation) regardless of its percentage ownership of our Common Stock. These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of the Company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and cause us to take other corporate actions they desire, including actions that our stockholders may deem advantageous. In addition, because our Board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirors to obtain control of the Board or initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current board of directors and could also delay or impede a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving the Company. The existence of these provisions could negatively affect the price of our Common Stock and limit opportunities for a stockholder to realize value in a corporate transaction. For additional information regarding these and other provisions, refer to the description of our securities in the form filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, if prospective takeovers are not consummated for any reason, we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on the price of our Common Stock.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9Our failure to maintain compliance with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq could result in a delisting of our Common Stock.
On November 1, 2024, we received the Notice from Nasdaq notifying us that, because the closing bid price for our shares of Common Stock, had been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days, we did not comply with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the Minimum Bid Price Requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Under Nasdaq Listing Rules, we had 180 days, or until April 30, 2025, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. Following the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, on April 30, 2025, the Company received notification from Nasdaq that it had regained compliance with the minimum closing bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). On November 21, 2024, we received a second letter from Nasdaq advising us that we were not in compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements under the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) ("Listing Rule 5250(c)(1)") as a result of our failure to file the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 (the "2024 Q3 Form 10-Q") in a timely manner. Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) requires listed companies to timely file all required periodic reports (the "Timely Reporting Requirement") with the SEC. Under Nasdaq rules, we had 60 calendar days from receipt of such notice, or until January 20, 2025, to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Listing Rule. We regained compliance with Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) by filing the 2024 Q3 Form 10-Q on January 17, 2025. If, in the future, we are unable to maintain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules, Nasdaq could determine to delist our securities from trading on its exchange and if we are then unable to obtain listing on another national securities exchange, some or all of the following may occur, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our stockholders: - causing our shares of Common Stock to be transferred to a more limited market than Nasdaq, which could affect the market price, trading volume, liquidity and resale price of such shares;- causing an event of default under our existing debt instruments;- reducing the number of investors, including institutional investors, willing to hold or acquire our Common Stock, which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity;- decreasing the amount of news and analyst coverage relating to us;- reducing the availability of information concerning the trading prices and volume of our Common Stock - limiting our ability to issue additional securities, obtain additional financing or pursue strategic restructuring, refinancing or other transactions; and - impacting our reputation and, as a consequence, our business and operations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to ZTlido or our product candidates.
We may issue additional equity securities to fund future expansion and pursuant to equity incentive or employee benefit plans. We may also issue additional equity for other purposes. These securities may have the same rights as our Common Stock or, alternatively, may have dividends, liquidation or other preferences to our Common Stock. The issuance of additional equity securities, whether upon conversion of the Tranche B Notes into Common Stock or otherwise, will dilute the holdings of existing stockholders and may reduce the share price of our Common Stock. Pursuant to the Scilex Holding Company 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Equity Incentive Plan"), which became effective on November 9, 2022, we are authorized to grant equity awards to our employees, directors and consultants. In addition, pursuant to the Scilex Holding Company 2022 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP"), which became effective on November 9, 2022, we are authorized to sell shares to our employees. Further, pursuant to the Scilex Holding Company 2023 Inducement Plan (the "Inducement Plan"), which was adopted on January 17, 2023, we are authorized to grant equity awards to individuals as a material inducement to join the Company. A total of 222,117 shares of Common Stock (which number of shares accounts for the automatic annual increase on January 1, 2026), 217,302 shares of Common Stock (which number of shares accounts for the annual increase on January 1, 2026) and 40,000 shares of our Common Stock have been reserved for future issuance under the Equity Incentive Plan, the ESPP and the Inducement Plan, respectively. In addition, the Equity Incentive Plan and ESPP provide for annual automatic increases in the number of shares reserved thereunder, in each case, beginning on January 1, 2023. As a result of such annual increases, our stockholders may experience additional dilution, which could cause the price of our Common Stock to fall. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2022, by and among us, Vickers Venture Fund VI Pte Ltd, Vickers Venture Fund VI (Plan) Pte Ltd, Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and certain security holders set forth on the signature pages thereto (the "November 2022 Registration Rights Agreement"), which was entered into in connection with the Business Combination, certain stockholders of Vickers and Legacy Scilex can each demand that we register their registrable securities under certain circumstances and will each also have piggyback registration rights for these securities. In addition, we are required to file and maintain an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), covering such securities and certain of our other securities. We have filed a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-268603) which was initially declared effective by the SEC on December 27, 2022, in order to satisfy these obligations. The registration of these securities will permit the public sale of such securities, subject to certain contractual restrictions imposed by the November 2022 Registration Rights Agreement and the Merger Agreement. The presence of these additional shares of our Common Stock trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. If we raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, or grant licenses on terms unfavorable to us. If adequate funds are not available, our ability to achieve profitability or to respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited and we may be required to delay, significantly curtail or eliminate the development of our product candidates.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Common Stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about the Company or our business. We may never obtain research coverage by securities and industry analysts. Since we became public through a merger, securities analysts of major brokerage firms may not provide coverage of the Company since there is no incentive to brokerage firms to recommend the purchase of our Common Stock. If no or few securities or industry analysts commence coverage of the Company, the trading price for our capital stock would be negatively impacted. In the event we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage, if any of the analysts who cover it issues an adverse opinion regarding the Company, our business model, our intellectual property or our stock performance, or if our clinical trials and operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of the Company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12We have in the past and may in the future be subject to short selling strategies that may drive down the market price of our Common Stock.
Short sellers have in the past and may attempt in the future to drive down the market price of our Common Stock. Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but may have borrowed with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the time the securities are borrowed and the time they are replaced. As it is in the short seller's best interests for the price of the stock to decline, many short sellers (sometimes known as "disclosed shorts") publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects to create negative market momentum. Although traditionally these disclosed shorts were limited in their ability to access mainstream business media or to otherwise create negative market rumors, the rise of the Internet and technological advancements regarding document creation, videotaping and publication by weblog ("blogging") have allowed many disclosed shorts to publicly attack a company's credibility, strategy and veracity by means of so-called "research reports" that mimic the type of investment analysis performed by large Wall Street firms and independent research analysts. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market. Further, these short seller publications are not regulated by any governmental, self-regulatory organization or other official authority in the U.S. and they are not subject to certification requirements imposed by the SEC. Accordingly, the opinions they express may be based on distortions, omissions or fabrications. Companies that are subject to unfavorable allegations, even if untrue, may have to expend a significant amount of resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend themselves, including stockholder suits against the company that may be prompted by such allegations. We may in the future be the subject of stockholder suits that we believe were prompted by allegations made by short sellers.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13Future sales, or the perception of future sales, of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stock may cause the price of our Common Stock to decline.
If our existing stockholders sell, or indicate an intention to sell, substantial amounts of our Common Stock, the trading price of our Common Stock could decline, and it could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14If our operations and performance do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of our securities may decline.
Any of the factors listed below could have a negative impact on your investment in our securities, and our securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our securities may not recover and may experience a further decline. Factors affecting the trading price of our securities may include: - our ability to commercialize ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, if approved;- the status and cost of our marketing commitments for ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB and our product candidates;- announcements regarding results of any clinical trials relating to our product candidates;- unanticipated serious safety concerns related to the use of ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or any of our product candidates;- adverse regulatory decisions;- changes in laws or regulations applicable to ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, including but not limited to clinical trial requirements for approvals;- legal disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for ZTlido, GLOPERBA, ELYXYB or our product candidates, government investigations and the results of any proceedings or lawsuits, including, but not limited to, patent or stockholder litigation;- our decision to initiate a clinical trial, not initiate a clinical trial or to terminate an existing clinical trial;- our dependence on third parties;- announcements of the introduction of new products by our competitors;- market conditions and trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;- announcements concerning product development results or intellectual property rights of others;- future issuances of common stock or other securities;- the recruitment or departure of key personnel;- failure to meet or exceed any financial guidance or expectations regarding product development milestones that we may provide to the public;- actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results;- our failure to meet or exceed the estimates and projections of the investment community;- overall performance of the equity markets and other factors that may be unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors, including changes in market valuations of similar companies;- announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors;- changes in financial estimates by the Company or by any securities analysts who might cover our stock;- fluctuation of the market values of any of our potential strategic investments;- issuances of debt or equity securities;- compliance with our contractual obligations;- sales of our Common Stock by us or our stockholders in the future;- trading volume of our Common Stock;- ineffectiveness of our internal controls;- publication of research reports about the Company or its industry or positive or negative recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts;- general political and economic conditions, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and regime change in Venezuela;- effects of natural or man-made catastrophic events;- effects of public health crises, pandemics and epidemics; and - other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control, such as the government closure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and liquidity concerns at other financial institutions. Further, the global equity markets in general have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty and increased interest rates, inflation, the government closure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and liquidity concerns at other financial institutions that may be unrelated to our operating performance. More recently, the escalating conflict with Iran and related military actions throughout the Middle East have caused significant uncertainty, including increased fuel prices and shipping channel disruptions, adding to disruptions to global economic conditions. 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 worsen if the trading volume of our Common Stock is low. In the past, stockholders have initiated class action lawsuits against pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies following periods of volatility in the market prices of these companies' stock. Such litigation, if instituted against the Company, could cause us to incur substantial costs and divert management's attention and resources from our business. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in these "Risk Factors," could have a dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our Common Stock.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

