Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) |
12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Significant Accounting Policies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basis of Presentation |
Basis of Presentation The Company’s financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position for the periods presented. The Company has no subsidiaries. |
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| Segments |
Segments Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision-making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company views its operations and manages its business in one operating and segment. |
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| Use of Estimates |
Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. |
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| Cash and Cash Equivalents |
Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. |
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| Other Receivables - Related Party |
Other Receivables - Related Party Other receivables consist of amounts due to the Company from TG Therapeutics, Inc. (“TGTX”), a related party, and are recorded at the invoiced amount. Effective September 30, 2023, the Company and TGTX agreed to mutually terminate the collaboration agreements. |
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| Research and Development Costs |
Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made. Upfront and milestone payments due to third parties that perform research and development services on the Company’s behalf will be expensed as services are rendered or when the milestone is achieved. Research and development costs primarily consist of personnel related expenses, including salaries, benefits, travel, and other related expenses, stock-based compensation, payments made to third parties for license and milestone costs related to in-licensed products and technology, payments made to third party contract research organizations for preclinical and clinical studies, investigative sites for clinical trials, consultants, the cost of acquiring and manufacturing clinical trial materials, costs associated with regulatory filings, laboratory costs and other supplies. In accordance with ASC 730-10-25-1, Research and Development, costs incurred in obtaining technology licenses are charged to research and development expense if the technology licensed has not reached commercial feasibility and has no alternative future use. Such licenses purchased by the Company require substantial completion of research and development, regulatory and marketing approval efforts in order to reach commercial feasibility and have no alternative future use. |
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| Annual Equity Fee |
Annual Equity Fee Under the Founders Agreement with Checkpoint dated March 17, 2015 and amended and restated in July 2016 and October 2017 (the “Founders Agreement”), Fortress is entitled to an annual equity fee on January 1 of each year equal to 2.5% of fully diluted outstanding equity of the Company, payable in Checkpoint common shares (“Annual Equity Fee”). The Annual Equity Fee was part of the consideration payable for formation of the Company, identification of certain assets, including the license contributed to Checkpoint by Fortress (see Note 4). The Company records the Annual Equity Fee in connection with the Founders Agreement with Fortress as contingent consideration. Contingent consideration is recorded when probable and reasonably estimable. Due to the nature of the Company’s assets and stage of development, future share prices and shares outstanding cannot be estimated prior to the issuance of the Annual Equity Fee. Due to these uncertainties, the Company has concluded that it is unable to reasonably estimate the contingent consideration until shares are actually issued on January 1 of each year. Pursuant to the Founders Agreement, the Company issued 368,907 shares of common stock to Fortress for the Annual Equity Fee, representing 2.5% of the fully diluted outstanding equity of Checkpoint on January 1, 2023. Because the number of outstanding shares issuable to Fortress was determinable on January 1, 2023 prior to the issuance of the December 31, 2022 financial statements, the Company recorded approximately $1.9 million in research and development expense and a credit to Common shares issuable - Founders Agreement during the year ended December 31, 2022. Pursuant to the Founders Agreement, the Company will issue 1,492,915 shares of common stock to Fortress for the Annual Equity Fee, representing 2.5% of the fully diluted outstanding equity of Checkpoint on January 1, 2024. The Company did not have enough unreserved authorized shares under its certificate of incorporation on January 1, 2024 to issue the shares for the Annual Equity Fee. Therefore, in December 2023, Fortress and Checkpoint mutually agreed to defer the issuance until such time as certificate of incorporation has been amended in order to increase the number of authorized that may be issued thereunder. Because the number of outstanding shares issuable to Fortress was determinable on January 1, 2024 prior to the issuance of the December 31, 2023 financial statements, the Company recorded approximately $3.4 million in research and development expense and a credit to Common shares issuable - Founders Agreement during the year ended December 31, 2023. |
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| Stock-Based Compensation Expenses |
Stock-Based Compensation Expenses The Company expenses stock-based compensation over the requisite service period based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the awards and forfeiture rates. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. The Company estimates the fair value of stock option grants using the Black-Scholes Model. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. All stock-based compensation costs are recorded in general and administrative or research and development costs in the Statements of Operations based upon the underlying individual’s role at the Company. In addition, because some of the restricted stock, restricted stock units and options issued to employees, directors and consultants vest upon achievement of certain milestones, the total expense is uncertain. Compensation expense for such awards that vest upon the achievement of milestones is recognized when the achievement of such milestones is probable. |
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| Common Stock Warrant Liability |
Common Stock Warrant Liability The Company has issued freestanding warrants to purchase shares of its common stock in connection with its financing activities and accounts for them in accordance with applicable accounting guidance as either liabilities or as equity instruments depending on the specific terms of the warrant agreements. Warrants classified as liabilities are remeasured each period they are outstanding. Any resulting gain or loss related to the change in the fair value of the warrant liability is recognized in gain (loss) on common stock warrant liabilities, a component of other income (loss), in the Statements of Operations. The Company estimates the fair value of common stock warrant liabilities using the Black-Scholes Model. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. |
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| Fair Value Measurement |
Fair Value Measurement The Company follows the accounting guidance in ASC 820 for its fair value measurements of financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Under this accounting guidance, fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability. The accounting guidance requires fair value measurements be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Certain of the Company’s financial instruments are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis but are recorded at amounts that approximate their fair value due to their liquid or short-term nature, such as accounts payable and accrued expenses. |
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| Revenue from Contracts with Customers |
Revenue from Contracts with Customers The Company recognizes revenue under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The core principle of ASC 606 is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The following five steps are applied to achieve that core principle:
In order to identify the performance obligations in a contract with a customer, a company must assess the promised goods or services in the contract and identify each promised good or service that is distinct. A performance obligation meets ASC 606’s definition of a “distinct” good or service (or bundle of goods or services) if both of the following criteria are met:
If a good or service is not distinct, the good or service is combined with other promised goods or services until a bundle of goods or services is identified that is distinct. The transaction price is the amount of consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring promised goods or services to a customer, excluding amounts collected on behalf of third parties (for example, some sales taxes). The consideration promised in a contract with a customer may include fixed amounts, variable amounts, or both. When determining the transaction price, an entity must consider the effects of all of the following:
Variable consideration is included in the transaction price only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. The transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis. The transaction price allocated to each performance obligation is recognized when that performance obligation is satisfied, at a point in time or over time as appropriate. Revenue for a sales-based or usage-based royalty promised in exchange for a license of intellectual property is recognized only when (or as) the later of the following events occurs:
Incremental contract costs are expensed when incurred when the amortization period of the asset that would have been recognized is one year or less; otherwise, incremental contract costs are recognized as an asset and amortized over time as services are provided to a customer. |
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| Income Taxes |
Income Taxes The Company records income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax effects attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective income tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The Company establishes a valuation allowance if management believes it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be recovered based on an evaluation of objective verifiable evidence. For tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained upon audit, the Company recognizes the largest amount with a greater than 50% likely of being realized. The Company does not recognize any portion of the benefit for tax positions that are not more likely than not to be sustained upon audit. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company determined, based upon available evidence, that it is more likely than not that the net deferred tax asset will not be realized and, accordingly, has provided a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax asset. |
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| Net Loss per Share |
Net Loss per Share Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Net loss attributable to common stockholders consisted of net loss, as adjusted for deemed dividends. The Company recorded a deemed dividend for the modification of certain of its existing warrants and issuance of the October 2023 Common Stock Warrants of $7.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 (see Notes 1 and 6). Diluted net loss per share does not reflect the effect of shares of common stock to be issued upon the exercise of stock options and warrants, as their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. The following table summarizes potentially dilutive securities outstanding at December 31, 2023 and 2022 that were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share, as they would be anti-dilutive:
The unexercised pre-funded warrants from the December 2022 Registered Direct Offering were included in the December 31, 2022 computation of diluted net loss per share since the exercise price was $0.0001. The 1,134,000 shares held in abeyance from the October 2023 Inducement (see Note 6) as of December 31, 2023 were included in the December 31, 2023 computation of diluted net loss per share since no additional consideration is due upon issuance of the shares. |
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| Comprehensive Loss |
Comprehensive Loss The Company has no components of comprehensive loss other than net loss. Thus, comprehensive loss is the same as net loss for the periods presented. |
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| Recent Accounting Standards |
Recent Accounting Standards In October 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2023-06, Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Updated and Simplification Initiative, which amends the disclosure or presentation requirements related to various subtopics in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. ASU 2023-06 was issued in response to the SEC’s August 2018 final rule that updated and simplified disclosure requirements and is intended to align U.S. GAAP requirements with those of the SEC and to facilitate the application of U.S. GAAP for all entities. For entities subject to the SEC’s existing disclosure requirements and for entities required to file or furnish financial statements with or to the SEC in preparation for the sale of or for purposes of issuing securities that are not subject to contractual restrictions on transfer, the effective date for each amendment will be the date on which the SEC removes that related disclosure from its rules. However, if by June 30, 2027, the SEC has not removed the related disclosure from its regulations, the amendments will be removed from the Codification and not become effective for any entity. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on its disclosures. In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which amends ASC 280, Segment Reporting to require public entities to disclose significant segment expenses and other segment items that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) and included in each reported measure of a reportable segment’s profit or loss, on an annual and interim basis, and provide in interim periods all disclosures about a reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets that are currently required annually. The ASU permits entities to report multiple measures of a reportable segment’s profit or loss if the CODM uses those measures to allocate resources and assess performance. The guidance is required to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented in the financial statements, unless impracticable. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is also permitted. Although the guidance only requires additional disclosures, the Company is in the process of determining the impact of this guidance to its segment disclosures. In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which will require public entities to disclose on an annual basis a tabular reconciliation using both percentages and amounts, broken out into specific categories with certain reconciling items at or above 5% of the statutory (i.e. expected) tax further broken out by nature and/or jurisdiction. The ASU requires all entities to disclose on an annual basis the amount of income taxes paid (net of refunds received), disaggregated between federal (national), state/local and foreign, and amounts paid to an individual jurisdiction when 5% or more of the total income taxes paid. The guidance is required to be applied on a prospective basis; retrospective application is permitted. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. Although the guidance only requires additional disclosures, the Company is in the process of determining the impact of this guidance to its income tax disclosures. |
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