VYNE Therapeutics (VYNE) Risk Analysis

Our common stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. If the closing bid price for our common stock listed on Nasdaq remains below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days, we will receive a notice from Nasdaq notifying that we are not in compliance with the minimum closing bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2) (the "Rule"). In accordance with Nasdaq's listing rules, we have a period of 180 calendar days from the date of such notice to regain compliance with the Rule. If at any time during this 180-day period, the closing bid price of our common stock is at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written confirmation that we have achieved compliance with the Rule. To qualify for additional time to regain compliance, we may be required to meet the continued listing requirements for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards (except for the minimum bid price requirement). We would also need to provide written notice of our intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. If we meet these requirements, Nasdaq will inform us that we have been granted an additional 180 calendar days. However, if it appears to Nasdaq that we will not be able to cure the deficiency, or if we are otherwise not eligible, Nasdaq will provide notice that our securities will be subject to delisting. There is no assurance, however, that we will be eligible for an additional compliance period or that our common stock will not be delisted from Nasdaq. The perception among investors that we are at a heightened risk of delisting could negatively affect the market price and trading volume of our common stock. If our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq, the delisting could: substantially decrease trading in our common stock; adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock as a result of the loss of market efficiencies associated with Nasdaq and the loss of federal preemption of state securities laws; adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future on acceptable terms, if at all; result in the potential loss of confidence by investors, suppliers, partners, and employees and fewer business development opportunities; and result in limited news and analyst coverage. Additionally, the market price of our common stock may decline further, and shareholders may lose some or all of their investment.

We do not currently intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to invest our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth. Therefore, stockholders are not likely to receive any dividends on their common stock for the foreseeable future. Since we do not intend to pay dividends, stockholders' ability to receive a return on their investment will depend on any future appreciation in the market value of our common stock. Our common stock may not appreciate or even maintain the price at which our holders have purchased it.

We may in-license and acquire product candidates or engage in other strategic transactions. Additional potential transactions that we may consider include a variety of different business arrangements, including out-licensing, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, restructurings, divestitures, business combinations and investments. Any such transaction may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, may increase our near- and long-term expenditures and may pose significant integration challenges or disrupt our management or business, which could adversely affect our operations and financial results. For example, these transactions entail numerous potential operational and financial risks, including: - incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay for acquisitions;- exposure to unknown liabilities;- disruption of our business and diversion of our management's time and attention in order to develop acquired products, product candidates or technologies;- substantial acquisition and integration costs;- write-downs of assets or impairment charges;- increased amortization expenses;- difficulty and cost in combining the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel;- impairment of relationships with key suppliers, partners or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership; and - inability to retain our key employees or those of any acquired businesses. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will undertake or successfully complete any transactions of the nature described above, and any transaction that we do complete could harm our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.

There are numerous U.S. federal, state, local and foreign health care fraud and abuse laws pertaining to our business, including anti-kickback, false claims and physician transparency laws. Our business practices and relationships with providers, patients and third-party payors are subject to scrutiny under these laws. These laws may impact, among other things, our potential sales, marketing, patient assistance and education programs. We may also be subject to patient information privacy and security regulation by both the federal government, states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to operate include: - the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, soliciting, receiving, or paying remuneration directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of goods or services for which payment may be made in whole or part by Medicare, Medicaid or other federal health care programs. Remuneration has been broadly defined to include anything of value, including cash, improper discounts, and free or reduced price items and services. The intent standard under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute was amended by the ACA to a stricter standard such that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it, in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the ACA provides that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the FCA. Additionally, many states have similar laws that apply to their state health care programs as well as private payors. Violations of the federal or state anti-kickback laws can result in exclusion from federal and state health care programs and substantial civil and criminal penalties;- the federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalties laws, including the FCA, prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, false, fictitious or fraudulent claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs, and knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. As a result of a modification made by the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, a claim includes "any request or demand" for money or property presented to the federal government. Even where pharmaceutical companies do not submit claims directly to payors, they can be held liable under these laws if they are deemed to "cause" the submission of false or fraudulent claims by, for example, providing inaccurate billing or coding information to customers, promoting a product off-label, marketing products of sub-standard quality, or, as noted above, paying a kickback that results in a claim for items or services. In addition, activities relating to the reporting of wholesaler or estimated retail prices for pharmaceutical products, the reporting of prices used to calculate Medicaid rebate information and other information affecting federal, state and third-party reimbursement for such products, and the sale and marketing of such products, are subject to scrutiny under this law. For example, several pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have faced enforcement actions under these laws for allegedly inflating drug prices they report to pricing services, which in turn were used by the government to set Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, and for allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product. Private individuals or "whistleblowers" can bring FCA "qui tam" actions on behalf of the government and may share in recovered amounts. The FCA has been used to prosecute persons submitting claims for payment that are inaccurate or fraudulent, that are for services not provided as claimed, or for services that are not medically necessary. Proof of intent to deceive is not required to establish liability under the civil False Claims Act;- HIPAA, which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, executing or attempting to execute a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including any third party payors, knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations, or making false statements relating to healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;- HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, including the Final Omnibus Rule published on January 25, 2013, which impose, among other things, obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information held by certain healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses, known as "covered entities," and "business associates." Among other things, HITECH made certain aspects of HIPAA's rules (notably the Security Rule) directly applicable to business associates - independent contractors or agents of covered entities that receive or obtain individually identifiable health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity, and their covered subcontractors. HITECH also created four new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal court to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorney's fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") has increased its focus on compliance and continues to train state attorneys general for enforcement purposes. The OCR has increased both its efforts to audit HIPAA compliance and its level of enforcement, with one penalty amounting to $16 million. In addition, according to the United States Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers' personal information secure constitutes unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act ("FTCA") 15 USC § 45(a). The FTC expects a company's data security measures to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the sensitivity and volume of consumer information it holds, the size and complexity of its business, and the cost of available tools to improve security and reduce vulnerabilities. Medical data is considered sensitive data that merits stronger safeguards. The FTC's guidance for appropriately securing consumers' personal information is similar to what is required by the HIPAA Security Rule;- the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act and its implementing regulations, which require certain manufacturers of prescription drugs, devices and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program to annually report to CMS information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain other healthcare professionals (such as nurse practitioners and physicians assistants) and teaching hospitals, or to entities or individuals at the request of, or designated on behalf of, the physicians and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. In addition, Section 6004 of the ACA requires annual reporting of information about drug samples that manufacturers and authorized distributors provide to physicians; and - analogous state, local and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, and other states' laws addressing the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third party payors, including private insurers, and in some cases that may apply regardless of payor, i.e., even if reimbursement is not available; state laws that require drug companies to comply with the industry's voluntary compliance guidelines (the PhRMA Code) and the applicable compliance program guidance promulgated by the federal government (HHS-OIG) or otherwise prohibit or restrict gifts or payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state and local laws that require the licensure of sales representatives; state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to drug pricing or payments and other transfers of value to healthcare providers or marketing expenditures and pricing information; and state laws related to insurance fraud in the case of claims involving private insurers. These and similar laws may be subject to amendment or reinterpretation, and implementing regulations may be revised or reinterpreted, in ways that may significantly affect our business. State and federal authorities have aggressively targeted pharmaceutical companies for alleged violations of these fraud and abuse laws based on improper research or consulting contracts with doctors, certain marketing arrangements that rely on volume-based pricing, off-label marketing schemes, and other improper promotional practices. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the health regulatory laws described above or any other laws or regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including criminal, civil and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, debarment from contracting with the U.S. government, injunctions and private qui tam actions brought by individual whistleblowers in the name of the government. Companies targeted in such actions have, among other consequences, paid substantial fines in the hundreds of millions of dollars or more, have been forced to implement extensive corrective action plans, and have often become subject to consent decrees or corporate integrity agreements that severely restrict the manner in which they conduct their business, including the requirement of additional reporting and oversight obligations. Due to the breadth of these laws, the narrowness of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, and the range of interpretations to which they are subject, it is possible that some of our current or future practices might be challenged under one or more of these laws. Responding to investigations, enforcement actions and litigation can be time-and resource-consuming and can divert management's attention from the business. Any such investigation, action, litigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business and reputation. Even an unsuccessful challenge or investigation into our practices could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to. In addition, the approval and commercialization of any of our product candidates outside the U.S. will also likely subject us to non-U.S. equivalents of the healthcare laws mentioned above, among other non-U.S. laws.

Our directors and executive officers may be subject to litigation for a variety of claims or disputes. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. In addition, as permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated bylaws and our indemnification agreements that we have entered into with our directors and officers provide that: - We indemnify our directors and officers for serving us in those capacities or for serving other business enterprises at our request, to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Delaware law provides that a corporation may indemnify such person if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the registrant and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person's conduct was unlawful. - We may, in our discretion, indemnify employees and agents in those circumstances where indemnification is permitted by applicable law. - We are required to advance expenses, as incurred, to our directors and officers in connection with defending a proceeding, except that such directors or officers shall undertake to repay such advances if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification. - We will not be obligated pursuant to our amended and restated bylaws to indemnify a person with respect to proceedings initiated by that person against us or our other indemnitees, except with respect to proceedings authorized by our board of directors or brought to enforce a right to indemnification. - The rights conferred in our amended and restated bylaws are not exclusive, and we are authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors, officers, employees and agents and to obtain insurance to indemnify such persons. - We may not retroactively amend our amended and restated bylaw provisions to reduce our indemnification obligations to directors, officers, employees and agents. While we maintain directors' and officers' liability insurance, such insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur, which may reduce our available funds to satisfy third-party claims and could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, a stockholder's investment may be harmed to the extent that we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our directors and executive officers as required by these indemnification provisions.

The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory,and policy changes. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the last several years, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA, have had to furlough critical government employees and stop critical activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, and such delays could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, future government shutdowns could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, vendors, CROs, distributors, prescribers, pharmacies and any partners with which we may collaborate may engage in fraudulent or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these persons could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct or unauthorized activity that violates: laws or regulations, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities; manufacturing standards; federal, state and foreign healthcare fraud and abuse laws and data privacy; or laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular, sales, marketing and other business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws may restrict or prohibit a wide range of business activities, including research, manufacturing, distribution, pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commissions, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Activities subject to these laws also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, or illegal misappropriation of drug product, which could result in regulatory sanctions or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations, and serious harm to our reputation. In addition, federal procurement laws impose substantial penalties for misconduct in connection with government contracts and require certain contractors to maintain a code of business ethics and conduct. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our operating results.

We depend on a limited number of manufacturing facilities to manufacture our product candidates. Numerous factors could cause interruptions in the supply or manufacture of our product candidates, including: - timing, scheduling and prioritization of production by our contract manufacturers or a breach of our agreements by our contract manufacturers;- labor interruptions;- insufficient raw and intermediate materials necessary for production;- changes in our sources for manufacturing;- the timing and delivery of shipments;- our failure to locate and obtain replacement suppliers and manufacturers as needed on a timely basis;- conditions affecting the cost and availability of raw materials, including inflationary factors; and - business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war, such as the current Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas war, and terrorism, outbreak of a contagious disease, or natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires. Furthermore, the primary manufacturer of the active pharmaceutical ingredient ("API") in our product candidates is located in China. Certain Chinese biotechnology companies and contract manufacturing organizations may become subject to trade restrictions, sanctions, and other regulatory requirements by the U.S. government, which could restrict or even prohibit our ability to work with such entities, thereby potentially disrupting the supply of material to us. Such disruption could have adverse effects on the development of our product candidates and our business operations. Therefore, we are exposed to the possibility of product supply disruption and increased costs in the event of changes in the policies of the United States or Chinese governments or political unrest or unstable economic conditions in China. If we are required to change manufacturers for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations and guidelines. Production of product is necessary to perform preclinical activities and clinical trials and successful registration batches are necessary to file for approval to commercially market and sell product candidates. Delays in obtaining clinical material or registration batches could adversely impact our clinical trials and delay regulatory approval for our product candidates.