PIP Pharmathene, (delisted)

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

If any of the risks and uncertainties set forth below actually materialize, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, the trading price of our common stock could decline and a stockholder could lose all or part of his or her investment. The risks and uncertainties set forth below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also impair our business operations.

With respect to the proposed Mergers, certain risks and uncertainties include that the issuance of shares of PharmAthene common stock to the Altimmune stockholders in the Mergers will dilute substantially the voting power of current PharmAthene stockholders; there is no assurance when or even if the Mergers will be completed, and failure to obtain required approvals necessary to satisfy closing conditions may delay or prevent completion of the Mergers; because the lack of a public market for Altimmune's outstanding shares makes it difficult to evaluate the fairness of the Mergers, Altimmune stockholders may receive consideration in the Mergers that is greater than or less than the fair market value of the Altimmune shares; because the Mergers will be completed after the date of the PharmAthene special meeting of stockholders and the Altimmune written consent of stockholders, at the time of the special meeting or written consent, investors will not know the exact number of shares of PharmAthene common stock that the Altimmune stockholders will receive upon completion of the Mergers; PharmAthene and Altimmune executive officers and directors may have interests in the Mergers that are different from, or in addition to, those of PharmAthene stockholders and Altimmune stockholders generally; the pendency of the Mergers could have an adverse effect on the trading price of PharmAthene common stock and the business, financial condition, results of operations or business prospects for PharmAthene, Altimmune and the combined company following consummation of the Mergers; failure of the combined company to satisfy initial listing requirements of the NYSE MKT; during the pendency of the Mergers, PharmAthene and Altimmune may be unable to enter into a business combination with another party because of restrictions in the Merger Agreement; the Mergers may be completed even though material adverse changes may result during the pendency of the Mergers or from industry-wide changes or other causes; the rights of Altimmune stockholders who become PharmAthene stockholders in the Mergers will be governed by PharmAthene's Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, each as amended; if the Mergers do not qualify as a reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Code or are otherwise taxable to U.S. holders of Altimmune common stock, then such holders may be required to pay substantial U.S. federal income taxes; PharmAthene and Altimmune have incurred and will continue to incur significant transaction costs in connection with the Mergers; and the anticipated benefits of the Mergers may not be realized fully or at all or may take longer to realize than expected. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the proposed Mergers, are more fully discussed in the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by PharmAthene with the SEC on February 3, 2017, as the same may be amended from time to time.

Risks Related to the Proposed Mergers

There is no assurance when or even if the Mergers will be completed. Failure to obtain required approvals necessary to satisfy closing conditions may delay or prevent completion of the Mergers.

Completion of the Mergers is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions, including the requisite approvals by the stockholders of PharmAthene and the stockholders of Altimmune. There can be no assurance that PharmAthene or Altimmune will be able to satisfy the closing conditions or that closing conditions beyond their control will be satisfied or waived. If the Mergers are not completed, PharmAthene will need to consider other strategic alternatives to grow and diversify its business to enhance stockholder value.

The anticipated benefits of the Mergers may not be realized fully or at all or may take longer to realize than expected.

The Mergers involve the integration of two companies that have previously operated independently with principal offices in two distinct locations. Due to legal restrictions, PharmAthene and Altimmune are able to conduct only limited planning regarding the integration of the two companies prior to completion of the Mergers. Significant management attention and resources will be required to integrate the two companies. Delays in this process could adversely affect the combined company's business, financial results, financial condition, and stock price following the Mergers. Even if the combined company were able to integrate the business operations successfully, there can be no assurance that this integration will result in the realization of the full benefits of synergies, innovation and operational efficiencies that may be possible from this integration and that these benefits will be achieved within a reasonable period of time.

Risks Related to our Financial Condition. History of Losses: Limited Resources.

We have experienced a significant decline in revenues. All of our immediately foreseeable future revenues relate to one contract with the U.S. Government. We will not achieve sufficient revenues from this agreement to attain profitability.

We have incurred significant losses since we commenced operations. As of December 31, 2016, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $29.9 million since our inception, after posting net income of approximately $193.9 million during 2016 and had net losses of approximately $3.4 million and $10.0 million during 2015 and 2014, respectively.

We can offer no assurances that we have correctly estimated the resources or personnel necessary to seek partners, co-developers or acquirers for our biodefense programs or execute under our NIAID contract. If a larger workforce or one with a different skillset is ultimately required to maintain our operations, we may be unable to maximize our existing anthrax vaccine program. If revenues from our NIAID contract are less than we anticipate, or if operating expenses exceed our expectations or cannot be adjusted accordingly, then our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows will be materially and adversely affected.

We cannot provide assurances that we will be able to obtain financing on acceptable terms or at all and any equity financing we do obtain will result in dilution.

If for any reason we require additional cash to maintain our operations, we may be forced to cease operations unless we are able to obtain financing on acceptable terms. There can be no assurances that we would be successful in obtaining sufficient financing on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Our requirements for additional capital may be substantial and will be dependent on many factors.

To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of securities, the issuance of those securities or shares underlying such securities would result in dilution that could be substantial to our stockholders. In addition, if we incur additional debt financing, a substantial portion of our operating cash flow may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on such indebtedness, thus limiting funds available for our business activities.

The IRS could challenge the amount of our net operating loss carryforwards.

The amount of our net operating loss carryforwards has not been audited or otherwise validated by the IRS. The IRS could challenge the amount of our net operating loss carryforwards, which could significantly reduce our net operating loss carryforwards. In addition, calculating whether an ownership change has occurred is subject to uncertainty, both because of the complexity and ambiguity of Section 382 of the Code and because of limitations on a publicly-traded company’s knowledge as to the ownership of, and transactions in, its securities. Therefore, the calculation of the amount of our net operating loss carryforwards may be changed as a result of a challenge by a governmental authority or our learning of new information about the ownership of, and transactions in, our securities. In reliance on our calculations of available NOL carryforwards, we announced, and on February 3, 2017 paid, a dividend of $2.91 per share to our stockholders of record as of January 24, 2017, totaling approximately $200 million. As a result, we may not have sufficient cash available to satisfy any amounts that may become due pursuant to an additional tax bill.

Risks Related to Product Development and Commercialization

We have not commercialized any products or recognized any revenues from sales. Our product candidates are still under development, which reduces their value from the perspective of potential partners, co-developers or acquirers.

We have not commercialized any product candidates or recognized any revenues from product sales. It is unlikely that we will receive complete funding for the development of our product candidates. Even if we do receive such funding, there can be no assurances that any of our product candidates would meet the safety and efficacy standards required for commercialization. To develop and commercialize biodefense treatment and prophylactic product candidates, we must provide the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities with human clinical and non-clinical animal data that demonstrate adequate safety and effectiveness. To generate this data, we would have to subject our product candidates to significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive non-clinical studies and clinical testing. We cannot be sure that our approach to drug discovery would be effective or would result in the development of any drug. Our development efforts have been primarily focused on two product candidates, SparVax ^® and SparVax L. Even if our product candidates were successful when tested in animals, such success would not be a guarantee of the safety or effectiveness of such product candidates in humans.

Research and development efforts are time-consuming and subject to delays. Even if we or our potential partners, co-developers or acquirers initially received positive early-stage preclinical or clinical results, such results may not be indicative of results that could be anticipated in the later stages of drug development. Delays in obtaining results in non-clinical studies and clinical testing can occur for a variety of reasons, such as slower than anticipated enrollment by volunteers in the trials, adverse events related to the products, failure to comply with Good Clinical Practices, unforeseen safety issues, unsatisfactory results in trials, perceived defects in the design of clinical trials, changes in regulatory policy as well as for reasons detailed in the section entitled “— Necessary reliance on the Animal Rule in conducting trials is time-consuming and expensive.”

Any delay or adverse clinical event arising during any of the clinical trials could force us or our potential partners, co-developers or acquirers to conduct additional clinical trials in order to obtain approval from the FDA and other regulatory bodies. Development costs would increase substantially if we or they experience material delays in any clinical trials or need to conduct more or larger trials than planned. If delays are significant, or if any of our product candidates do not prove to be safe, pure, and potent (including efficacy) or do not receive required regulatory approvals, we or our potential partners, co-developers or acquirers may have to abandon the product candidate altogether and will be unable to recognize revenues from the sale of that product.

For any and all of the foregoing reasons, the value of our product candidates in the eyes of potential partners, co-developers or acquirers may be significantly less than we expect, resulting in lower proceeds to us from any agreement we may enter with such partners, co-developers or acquirers.

Necessary reliance on the Animal Rule in conducting trials is time-consuming and expensive.

To obtain FDA approval for biological warfare defense products under current FDA regulations, companies are required to utilize animal model studies for efficacy and provide animal and human safety data under the Animal Rule. For many of the biological and chemical threats, animal models are not yet available, and as such we or our potential partners, co-developers or acquirers have to develop appropriate animal models, which is a time-consuming and expensive research effort. Further, we or they may not be able to sufficiently demonstrate the animal correlation to the satisfaction of the FDA, as these corollaries are difficult to establish and are often unclear. The FDA may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional non-clinical, clinical or other studies, refuse to approve our products, or place restrictions on our or our partners’, co-developers’ or acquirers’ ability to commercialize those products. Further, other countries have not, at this time, established criteria for review and approval of these types of products outside their normal review process, i.e., there is no Animal Rule equivalent, and consequently there can be no assurance that a company will be able to make a submission for marketing approval in foreign countries based on such animal data.

Additionally, few facilities in the United States and internationally have the capability to test animals with anthrax, nerve agents, or other lethal biotoxins or chemical agents or otherwise assist in qualifying the requisite animal models. We or our potential partners, co-developers or acquirers have to compete with other biodefense companies for access to this limited pool of highly specialized resources and therefore may not be able to secure contracts to conduct the testing in a predictable timeframe or at all.

Even if we or our potential partners, co-developers or acquirers were able to overcome the obstacles to funding, development and commercialization described in these Risk Factors, our products may not become profitable and manufacturing problems or side effects discovered at later stages could further increase costs of commercialization.

It is uncertain whether we will receive future funding of the development of our product candidates. Even if we did receive such funding, and even if we succeed in commercializing our product candidates with the help of potential partners or co-developers, or alone, we could not assure you that any drugs resulting from our research and development efforts would become commercially available. Even if we succeeded in (co-)developing and commercializing our product candidates, they may never generate sufficient or sustainable revenues to enable us to be profitable.

Even if effective, a product that reaches market may be subject to FDA-mandated or –requested additional clinical trials, changes to or re-approvals of our manufacturing facilities or a change in labeling if we or others identify side effects or manufacturing problems after a product is on the market. This could harm sales of the affected products and could increase the cost and expenses of commercializing and marketing them. It could also lead to the suspension or revocation of regulatory approval for the products.

We or our potential partners or co-developers, and our and their respective CMOs are also required to comply with the applicable FDA cGMP regulations. These regulations include requirements relating to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Manufacturing facilities are subject to inspection by the FDA. These facilities must be approved to supply licensed products to the commercial marketplace. We or our potential partners or co-developers, and our respective contract manufacturers may not be able to comply with the applicable cGMP requirements and other FDA regulatory requirements. Should we or they fail to comply, we could be subject to fines or other sanctions or could be precluded from marketing the products.

We may become subject to product liability claims, which could result in damages that exceed our insurance coverage.

We face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability suits in connection with our product candidates being tested in clinical trials or sold commercially. We may become subject to a product liability suit if any product we (co-)develop causes injury, or if treated individuals subsequently become infected or suffer adverse effects from our products. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in decreased demand for a product, injury to our reputation, withdrawal of clinical trial volunteers, and loss of revenues.

In addition, if a product liability claim is brought against us, the cost of defending the claim could be significant and any adverse determination may result in liabilities in excess of our insurance coverage. Although our anthrax countermeasures are covered under the general immunity provisions of the U.S. Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or the Public Readiness Act, there can be no assurance that the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services will make other declarations in the future that cover any of our other product candidates or that the U.S. Congress will not act in the future to reduce coverage under the Public Readiness Act or to repeal it altogether. For further discussion of that act, see “— Legislation limiting or restricting liability for medical products used to fight bioterrorism is new, and it cannot be certain that any such protection will apply to our products or if applied what the scope of any such coverage will be.” Additionally, we are considering applying for indemnification under the U.S. Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act of 2002 which preempts and modifies tort laws so as to limit the claims and damages potentially faced by companies who provide certain “qualified” anti-terrorism products. However, we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain or maintain coverage under the SAFETY Act or adequate insurance coverage on acceptable terms, if at all.

Our inability to enter into and complete strategic transactions with respect to our product candidates or otherwise could materially harm our financial condition.

We will be seeking to identify strategic partners for one or more of our product candidates. Any resulting transactions can take the form of partnerships, co-development agreements, and sales of our product candidates, among others. There can be no assurances that such transactions, if commenced, would be successfully completed or completed on favorable terms. In addition, if we pursue strategic acquisitions and business combinations for further development and commercialization efforts, we may incur significant out of pocket costs as well as expend management time and those of other employees. To achieve the anticipated benefits of an acquisition, there must be an integration of the two companies’ businesses, technologies and employees in an efficient and effective manner.

Risks Related to Our Dependence on U.S. Government Contracts

All of our immediately foreseeable future revenues relate to our contract with the U.S. Government. We will not achieve sufficient revenues from this or any future agreements to attain profitability.

Substantially all of our revenues to date have been derived from grants and U.S. Government contracts. After the expiration of our SparVax ^® contract, our main source of revenue is our September 2014 contract with NIAID for the development of a next generation lyophilized anthrax vaccine based on our proprietary technology platform which contributes the rPA BDS that is used in the liquid SparVax ^® formulation. We will not achieve sufficient revenues from this contract to attain profitability.

We may choose not to apply for new government funding for any of our programs. If we applied for additional funding, there is no assurance that we would be successful in entering into new contracts or receiving new grants to supply the United States or other governments with our products. The process of obtaining government contracts is lengthy and uncertain. If the U.S. Government made significant contract awards for the supply to the SNS to our competitors, rather than to us, our business would be harmed and we may ultimately be unable to supply that particular treatment or product to foreign governments or other third parties. Further, changes in U.S. Government budgets and agendas, funding strategies, cost overruns in our programs or others, or advances by our competitors, may result in changes in the timing of funding for, a decreased and de-prioritized emphasis on, or termination of, U.S. Government contracts that support the development and/or procurement of biodefense products.

Funding is subject to U.S. Congressional appropriations, which are generally made on an annual basis even for multi-year contracts. More generally, due to the ongoing economic uncertainty, the U.S. Government may reduce or delay spending in the biodefense field or eliminate funding of certain programs altogether, which further decreases the likelihood of future government contract awards or that the government would procure products from us. Future funding levels for two of our historical government customers, BARDA and the U.S. Department of Defense, for the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures are uncertain, and may be subject to budget cuts as the U.S. Congress and the President continue to balance a multitude of competing priorities.

U.S. Government agencies have special contracting authority that gives them the ability to terminate and/or modify its contracts.

U.S. Government contracts typically are subject to audit, and contain termination provisions allowing the government to terminate all or part of a contract at its sole discretion, which will subject us to additional risks. These risks include the ability of the U.S. Government unilaterally to:

As stated above, the U.S. Government can terminate or modify any of its contracts with us either for its convenience (at its sole discretion) or for default if we fail to perform in accordance with the contract schedule and terms. Termination-for-convenience provisions generally enable us to recover only our costs incurred or committed, settlement expenses, and profit on the work completed prior to termination. A contractor’s rights under a termination for convenience are limited to an adjustment of profit and, with the contracting officer’s concurrence, a reduction in the estimated cost. Under the general termination for convenience procedures, a partial termination is treated as a full termination when (i) the terminated portion is clearly severable from the balance of the contract or (ii) when contract performance is virtually complete or performance of the continued portion of the contract is only on subsidiary items or is otherwise not substantial. Termination-for-default provisions do not permit these recoveries and could make us liable for excess costs incurred by the U.S. Government in procuring undelivered items from another source.

The U.S. Government may reduce or delay spending in the biodefense field or eliminate funding of certain programs altogether, which could further decrease the likelihood of future government contract awards, the likelihood that the government will exercise its right to extend its remaining contract with us and/or the likelihood that the government would procure products from us, if and when developed.

The U.S. Government’s determination to award any contracts may be challenged by an interested party, such as another bidder, at the relevant agency, GAO or the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (either in the first instance or in review of a prior agency or GAO decision). If such a challenge is successful, a contract award may be re-evaluated and terminated.

The laws and regulations governing the procurement of goods and services by the U.S. Government provide procedures by which other interested parties (typically, other offerors) may challenge the award of a government contract. If we were awarded a government contract, such challenges or protests could be filed, regardless of whether the award was actually improper. If a protest is filed, the government agency may decide, and in certain circumstances is required, either by statute or by court order, to suspend our performance under the contract while the protest is being considered by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, or GAO, or the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, thus potentially delaying delivery of goods and services and payment. In addition, we might need to expend considerable funds to defend any potential award. If a protest is successful, the government may be ordered to re-evaluate bids and make an award based on the re-evaluation or amend the solicitation, invite new bids, and make an award based on an evaluation of such revised bids.

For example, in March 2010, a third-party filed a bid protest with the GAO challenging the February 2010 decision of the DHHS to modify its existing research and development contract with us for the development of SparVax ^® . In March 2010 DHHS suspended performance under the modification pursuant to the automatic stay provisions of the Competition in Contract Act (31 U.S.C. § 3553(d)) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation, pending a decision by the GAO on the protest. While the bid protest was ultimately denied, and the related DHHS “stop work” order canceled in June 2010, the protest contributed to a reduction in revenues and cash and cash equivalents over the period that work could not be performed under the modification. In addition, we incurred unexpected general and administrative expenses to intervene in the protest.

Our business is subject to audit by the U.S. Government, and a negative audit could adversely affect our business.

BARDA audited indirect costs charged by us on the SparVax ^® contract for the years 2008 through 2014. We recorded additional revenue of $0.8 million and $5.8 million in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Other U.S. Government agencies such as the Defense Contract Audit Agency, or the DCAA, also routinely audit and investigate government contractors. These agencies review, among other things, a contractor’s performance under its contracts, incurred costs, cost structure and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. We have finalized incurred cost audits with DCAA for 2006 through 2011.

The DCAA also reviews the adequacy of, and a contractor’s compliance with, its internal control systems and policies, including the contractor’s purchasing, property, estimating, compensation and management information systems. Any costs found to be improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be reimbursed, while such costs already reimbursed must be refunded. If an audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including:

In addition, we could suffer serious reputational harm if allegations of impropriety were made against us.

Laws and regulations affecting government contracts make it more costly and difficult for us to successfully conduct our business.

We must comply with numerous laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of government contracts, which can make it more difficult for us to retain our rights under these contracts. These laws and regulations affect how we conduct business with government agencies. Among the most significant government contracting regulations that affect our business are:

Foreign governments typically also have laws and regulations governing contracts with their respective agencies. These foreign laws and regulations affect how we and our customers conduct business and, in some instances, impose added costs on our business. Any changes in applicable laws and regulations could restrict our ability to maintain our existing contracts and obtain new contracts, which could limit our ability to conduct our business and materially adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

Risks Related to Dependence on or Competition From Third Parties

Because we depend on clinical research centers and other contractors for clinical and non-clinical testing, including testing under the Animal Rule, and for certain research and development activities, the results of our clinical trial, non-clinical animal efficacy studies, and research and development activities are largely beyond our control.

The nature of clinical trials and our business strategy of outsourcing substantially all of our research and development and manufacturing work require that we rely on clinical research organizations and other contractors to assist us with research and development, clinical and non-clinical testing (including animal efficacy studies under the Animal Rule), patient enrollment, manufacturing and other activities. As a result, our success depends largely on the success of these third parties in performing their responsibilities. Although we prequalify our contractors and believe that they are fully capable of performing their contractual obligations, we cannot directly control the adequacy and timeliness of the resources and expertise that they apply to these activities. Furthermore, we have to compete with other biodefense and biopharmaceutical companies for access to this limited pool of highly specialized resources. If our contractors do not meet their obligations in an adequate and timely manner or we are unable to enter into contracts with them, the pace of clinical or non-clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of product candidates could be significantly delayed and our prospects could be adversely affected.

We depend on third parties to manufacture, package and distribute compounds for our product candidates and key components for our product candidates. The failure of these third parties to provide their services or to perform them successfully could harm our business.

Third-party manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, like most companies, have been adversely affected by the weakening of the global economy and as such may be more susceptible to being acquired as part of the current wave of consolidations in the pharmaceutical industry. If our third-party suppliers continue to experience financial difficulties as a result of weak demand for their products or for other reasons and are unable to obtain the capital necessary to continue their present level of operations or are acquired by others, they may have to reduce their activities and/or their priorities or our working relationship with them might change. A material deterioration in their ability or willingness to meet their obligations to us could cause a delay in our development program and potential future sales and jeopardize our ability to meet our obligations under our contract with the government or other third parties.

We do not have any of our own manufacturing facilities. We have therefore utilized third parties to manufacture, package and distribute our product candidates and key components of our product candidates. Any material disruption in manufacturing (i.e. due to third party capacity or availability limitations) could cause a delay in development programs and potential future sales, if any. Furthermore, certain compounds, media, or other raw materials used to manufacture our drug candidates are available from only one or a limited number of sources. Any delays or difficulties in obtaining key components for our product candidates or in manufacturing, packaging or distributing our product candidates could delay clinical trials and further development of these potential products. Additionally, the third parties we rely on for manufacturing and packaging are subject to regulatory review, and any regulatory compliance problems with these third parties could significantly delay or disrupt any commercialization activities we may engage in.

We face competition from companies with greater financial, personnel and research and development resources, further limiting our commercial opportunities.

The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by rapid and significant technological change. Even if we were able to overcome the obstacles to funding, development and commercialization described in these Risk Factors, our success would depend on our ability to establish and maintain a market for our product candidates. There are many organizations, both public and private, including major pharmaceutical and chemical companies, specialized biotechnology firms, universities and other research institutions engaged in developing pharmaceutical and biotechnology products. Many of these organizations have substantially greater financial, technical, intellectual property, research and development, and human resources than we have. Competitors may develop products or other technologies that are more effective than any that we may be developing or may obtain FDA approval for products more rapidly.

Even if we were able to overcome the obstacles to funding, development and commercialization described in these Risk Factors, we still must compete in the manufacturing and marketing of such products, areas in which we have limited experience. Many of these organizations also have manufacturing facilities and established marketing capabilities that would enable such companies to market competing products through existing channels of distribution. Any commercial opportunities will be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and market products that:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Affordable Care Act, signed into law by former President Obama on March 23, 2010, amends the Public Health Service Act to create an abbreviated licensure pathway for biological products that are demonstrated to be “biosimilar” to or “interchangeable” with an FDA-licensed biological product. Under this new law, a biological product may be demonstrated to be “biosimilar” if data show that, among other things, the product is “highly similar” to an already-approved biological product. To date, the FDA has not approved a biological product as biosimilar or interchangeable. Since passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, however, the FDA has been establishing standards for licensure to ensure the safety and effectiveness of biosimilars. Because biological products are complex products, the development and approval of biosimilars is a complicated and challenging process. Numerous companies are reportedly developing biosimilar products and several applications for licensure have reportedly been submitted to the FDA under the new law. On March 6, 2015, the FDA approved a biosimilar application filed by Novartis for a competing version of Amgen’s cancer treatment biologic drug product, Neupogen. Scientists, clinicians, and other personnel at the FDA are continuing to work out the details of the biosimilar application requirements, and the FDA’s review and licensure process, which are expected to vary on a product-by-product basis.

If we were successful in developing licensed biological products and a competitor company/companies chose to develop biosimilar products and receives FDA licensure for such products, this competition could impact the revenue projections for our products.

Even if we were successful in developing effective products, and obtain FDA and other regulatory approvals necessary for commercializing them, our products may not compete effectively with other successful products. Our competitors may succeed in developing and marketing products either that are more effective than those that we may develop, alone or with our collaborators, making our products obsolete, or that are marketed before any products that we develop are marketed.

Risks Related to Political and Social Factors

Political or social factors may delay or impair our ability to market our products and our business may be materially adversely affected.

Products developed to treat diseases caused by, or to combat the threat of, bioterrorism will be subject to changing political and social environments. The political and social responses to bioterrorism have been unpredictable. Even if we were able to overcome the obstacles to funding, development and commercialization described in these Risk Factors, political or social pressures may delay or cause resistance to bringing our products to market or limit pricing of our products, which would harm our business.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

Part of our value depends on our ability (i) to obtain and maintain protection for our proprietary technology and that of our licensors and collaborators and (ii) not to infringe on patents and proprietary rights of third parties.

Issues surrounding patents of biotechnology firms often involve complex legal and factual questions, and, therefore, validity and enforceability cannot be predicted with certainty. To date, no consistent policy has emerged regarding the breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology patents. We currently have two U.S. patents, three pending U.S. patent applications, and have a limited number of foreign patents and pending international and foreign patents applications. In addition, we have rights under other patents and patent applications pursuant to exclusive and non-exclusive license arrangements with licensors and collaborators. However, there can be no assurance that patent applications owned or licensed by us will result in patents being issued or that the patents, whether existing or issued in the future, will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. Any conflicts resulting from third-party patent applications and patents could significantly reduce the coverage of the patents owned, optioned by or licensed to us or our collaborators and limit our ability or that of our collaborators to obtain meaningful patent protection. Further, our commercial success would depend significantly on our ability to operate without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of third parties.

The costs associated with establishing the validity of patents, of defending against patent infringement claims of others and of asserting infringement claims against others is expensive and time consuming, even if the ultimate outcome is favorable. An outcome of any patent prosecution or litigation that is unfavorable to us or one of our licensors or collaborators may have a material adverse effect on us. The expense of a protracted infringement suit, even if ultimately favorable, would also have a material adverse effect on us.

We furthermore rely upon trade secrets protection for our confidential and proprietary information. We have taken measures to protect our proprietary information; however, these measures may not provide adequate protection to us. We have sought to protect our proprietary information by entering into confidentiality agreements with employees, collaborators and consultants. Nevertheless, employees, collaborators or consultants may still disclose our proprietary information, and we may not be able to meaningfully protect our trade secrets. In addition, others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.

Risks Related to Regulatory Approvals and Legislation

Our use of hazardous materials and chemicals requires us to comply with regulatory requirements which may result in significant costs and expose us to potential liabilities.

Our research and development involves the controlled use of hazardous materials and chemicals. We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of such materials. We will not be able to eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of such an accident, we could be forced to pay significant damages or fines, and these damages could exceed our resources and any applicable insurance coverage. In addition, we may be required to incur significant costs to comply with regulatory requirements in the future.

Legislation limiting or restricting liability for medical products used to fight bioterrorism is new, and it cannot be certain that any such protection will apply to our products or if applied what the scope of any such coverage will be.

The U.S. Public Readiness Act was signed into law in December 2005 and creates general immunity for manufacturers of countermeasures, including security countermeasures (as defined in Section 319F-2(c)(1)(B) of that act), when the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services issues a declaration for their manufacture, administration or use. The declaration is meant to provide general immunity from all claims under state or federal law for loss arising out of the administration or use of a covered countermeasure. Manufacturers are excluded from this protection in cases of willful misconduct. Although our anthrax countermeasures have been covered under the general immunity provisions of the Public Readiness Act since October 1, 2008, there can be no assurance that the Secretary of Health and Human Services will make other declarations in the future that would cover any of our other product candidates or that the U.S. Congress will not act in the future to reduce coverage under the Public Readiness Act or to repeal it altogether.

Upon a declaration by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a compensation fund would be created to provide “timely, uniform, and adequate compensation to eligible individuals for covered injuries directly caused by the administration or use of a covered countermeasure.” The “covered injuries” to which the program applies are defined as serious physical injuries or death. Individuals are permitted to bring a willful misconduct action against a manufacturer only after they have exhausted their remedies under the compensation program. A willful misconduct action could be brought against us if an individual(s) has exhausted their remedies under the compensation program which thereby could expose us to liability. Furthermore, there is no assurance that the Secretary of Health and Human Services will issue under this act a declaration to establish a compensation fund. We may also become subject to standard product liability suits and other third party claims if products we develop which fall outside of the Public Readiness Act cause injury or if treated individuals subsequently become infected or otherwise suffer adverse effects from such products.

We are required to comply with certain export control laws, which may limit our ability to sell our products to non-U.S. persons and may subject us to regulatory requirements that may further delay or limit our ability to develop and commercialize our products.

Our product candidates are subject to the Export Administration Regulations, or EAR, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce and are, in certain instances (such as aspects of our nerve agent countermeasure product candidates) subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, administered by the U.S. Department of State. EAR restricts the export of dual-use products and technical data to certain countries, while ITAR restricts the export of defense products, technical data and defense services. The U.S. Government agencies responsible for administering EAR and ITAR have significant discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in criminal and civil penalties and may harm our ability to enter into future contracts with the U.S. Government. It is also possible that these regulations could adversely affect our ability to sell any products to non-U.S. customers.

Risks Related to Personnel

We depend on our key technical and management personnel, and the loss of these personnel could impair the development of our products.

We rely, and will continue to rely, on our key management and scientific staff, all of whom are employed at-will. The loss of key personnel or the failure to recruit necessary additional qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. There is intense competition from other companies, research and academic institutions and other organizations for qualified personnel. We may not be able to continue to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business. If we do not succeed in retaining and recruiting necessary personnel or developing this expertise, our business could suffer significantly.

Biotechnology companies often become subject to claims that they or their employees wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of the employees’ former employers. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to our management.

As is commonplace in the biotechnology industry, we employ individuals who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including at competitors or potential competitors. Although no claims against us are currently pending, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. 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 distract management.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

If we do not meet the continued listing standards of the NYSE MKT our common stock could be delisted from trading, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our common stock and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE MKT, a national securities exchange, which imposes continued listing requirements with respect to listed shares. If we fail to satisfy the continued listing standards, including with respect to the maintenance of a minimum share price of $1.00, or the board of directors of the NYSE MKT, in its discretion, determines that a condition exists that makes further dealings of our Company on the exchange unwarranted, the NYSE MKT may issue a non-compliance letter or initiate delisting proceedings. On March 6, 2017, the closing price of our common stock on the NYSE MKT was $0.66, which, if sustained, could subject us to delisting. We have recently reduced our workforce and otherwise limited our business activities. Under NYSE MKT rules, any developments which substantially reduce the size of a listed company or the nature and scope of its operations, or any abandonment of a substantial portion of the listed company’s business, or the listed company’s inability to continue its business, among other reasons, may trigger a review of continued listing by the exchange. In addition, we may in the future sell or otherwise dispose of our principal operating assets or cease to be an operating company, either of which may cause the Board of Directors of the NYSE MKT to suspend dealings in or remove from listing our common stock.

If our securities are delisted from trading on the NYSE MKT and we are not able to list our securities on another exchange such as NASDAQ, our securities could be quoted on the OTC Marketplace or on the OTC Pink Marketplace. As a result, we could face significant adverse consequences including:

Our stock price is volatile.

The market price of our common stock has been, and is expected to continue to be, subject to significant volatility. The value of our common stock may decline regardless of our operating performance or prospects. Factors that may affect our market price include:

Shares that we may issue in the future in connection with certain capital-raising transactions and shares available for future issuance upon exercise of warrants and options could dilute our stockholders and depress the market price of our common stock.

The issuance of our securities in the future may depress the market price of our stock, and any such financing(s) will dilute our existing stockholders.

As of December 31, 2016, aggregate gross sales for additional common stock of approximately $3.0 million remained available under our controlled equity offering agreement, as amended.

In addition, as of December 31, 2016, we had outstanding options to purchase approximately 1.7 million shares of common stock (not including restricted shares). Additional shares are reserved for issuance under our 2007 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan. Our stock options are generally exercisable for ten years, with a significant portion exercisable either immediately or beginning one year after the date of the grant.

We filed two registration statements on Form S-3 (File Nos. 333-161587 and 333-176607) covering the resale of shares issued upon conversion of our 10% convertible notes and issuable upon exercise of related warrants by certain of our affiliates, among other security holders. Both registration statements have been declared effective. While the warrants expired on January 28, 2015 without being exercised, shares underlying the notes continue to be held by their original holders. Our obligation under the terms of the related registration rights agreement is to keep these registration statements effective until the last share issued upon conversion of the notes has been resold by the selling security holders or is eligible for resale without restrictions under Rule 144. The sale by these security holders of their shares pursuant to the registration statement or otherwise could depress the market price of our common stock.

Finally, as of December 31, 2016, we had issued and outstanding warrants to purchase up to approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock, of which, approximately 0.1 million remained outstanding on March 6, 2017.

The issuance or even the expected issuance of a large number of shares of our common stock upon purchase, conversion or exercise of the securities described above could depress the market price of our stock and the issuance of such shares will dilute the stock ownership of our existing stockholders. Shares that we may issue in the future in connection with certain capital-raising transactions and shares available for future issuance upon exercise of warrants and options could dilute our stockholders and depress the market price of our common stock.

We can give no assurances that we will ever again pay dividends.

Other than for the PharmAthene Board of Directors' declaration of a special one-time cash dividend of $2.91 per share of PharmAthene common stock paid on February 3, 2017 to holders of record as of January 24, 2017, PharmAthene has never paid any dividends on its common stock. While subject to periodic review, our current policy is to retain all earnings, if any, primarily to finance our future growth or ability to consummate strategic transactions, such as a merger or other business combination. We make no assurances that we will ever pay future dividends, cash or otherwise. Whether we pay any dividends in the future will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, and other factors that we will consider.