Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock-Based Compensation

v3.2.0.727
Stock-Based Compensation
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
Stock-Based Compensation

7. Stock-Based Compensation

 

The Company grants stock options as incentive compensation to directors and as compensation for the services of independent contractors and consultants of the Company.

 

On June 20, 2007, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the 2007 Stock Compensation Plan (the “2007 Plan”), which provides for the granting of awards, consisting of common stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares, or restricted shares of common stock, to employees and independent contractors, for up to 2,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, under terms and condition, as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. As of June 30, 2015, stock options for 650,000 shares had been issued under the 2007 Plan, and stock options for 1,850,000 were available for issuance under the 2007 Plan.

 

The fair value of each option awarded is estimated on the date of grant and subsequent measurement dates using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. Because the Company’s stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of its stock options. The expected dividend yield assumption is based on the Company’s expectation of dividend payouts. Expected volatilities are based on historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. treasury yield curve in effect as of the grant date. Expected life of the options is the average of the vesting term and the full contractual term of the options.

 

For options requiring an assessment of value during the six months ended June 30, 2015, the fair value of each option award was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

Risk-free interest rate   0.68% to 1.66 %
Expected dividend yield   0 %
Expected volatility   243 %
Expected life   3.5 to 4.3 years  

 

For options requiring an assessment of value during the six months ended June 30, 2014, the fair value of each option award was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

Risk-free interest rate   0.30% to 1.67 %
Expected dividend yield   0 %
Expected volatility   173 %
Expected life   3.0 to 4.5 years  

 

On January 28, 2014, the Company approved a second amendment to the Company’s consulting agreement with Gil Schwartzberg, a significant stockholder of and consultant to the Company, dated September 12, 2007 to extend it for an additional four years to January 28, 2019 and granted to Mr. Schwartzberg stock options to purchase an additional aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of common stock, exercisable for a period of the earlier of five years from the grant date or the termination of the consulting agreement at $0.50 per share, with one-half of the options (2,000,000 shares) vesting immediately and one-half of the options (2,000,000 shares) vesting on January 28, 2015. The fair value of these options, as calculated pursuant to the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was determined to be $596,400 ($0.15 per share) on January 28, 2014, of which $298,200 was attributed to the options fully-vested on January 28, 2014 and as such was charged to operations on that date. The remaining unvested portion of the fair value of the options was charged to operations ratably from January 28, 2014 through January 28, 2015. During the three months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded charges to operations of $0 and $44,279, respectively, with respect to these options. During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded charges to operations of $74,901 and $410,288, respectively, with respect to these options.

 

Effective September 16, 2012, in connection with her election to the Company’s Board of Directors, Dr. Kathleen P. Mullinix was granted stock options to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, vesting 25,000 shares on September 16, 2012, and 25,000 shares quarterly thereafter until all of the shares are vested, exercisable for a period of five years from the date of grant at $0.65 per share, which was the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on such date. The fair value of these options, as calculated pursuant to the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was determined to be $118,000 ($0.59 per share), and was being charged to operations from September 16, 2012 through June 16, 2014. During the three months ended June 30, 2014 and the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company recorded charges to operations of $12,280 and $26,899, respectively, with respect to these options.

 

On December 24, 2013, the Company entered into an agreement with NDA Consulting Corp. (“NDA”) for consultation and advice in the field of oncology research and drug development. As part of the agreement, NDA agreed to cause its president, Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., to become a member of the Company’s Scientific Advisory Committee. In connection with this agreement, NDA was granted stock options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, vesting 25,000 shares on June 24, 2014, and thereafter 25,000 shares annually on June 24, 2015, 2016 and 2017, exercisable for a period of five years from the date of grant at $0.13 per share, which was the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the grant date. The fair value of these options, as calculated pursuant to the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was initially determined to be $12,960 ($0.13 per share), and is being charged to operations from December 24, 2013 through June 24, 2017. During the three months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded charges to operations of $1,554 and $921 with respect to these options. During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded charges to operations of $3,870 and $3,459, respectively, with respect to these options.

 

On June 26, 2014, the Company granted to Francis Johnson, a consultant to the Company and a co-owner of Chem-Master International, Inc., a vendor of the Company, immediately vesting stock options to purchase 500,000 shares of common stock, exercisable for a period of five years from the grant date at $0.25 per share. The fair value of these options, as calculated pursuant to the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was determined to be $118,650 ($0.24 per share), which was charged to operations on that date. The options were granted to Mr. Johnson as compensation for his contributions to the Company’s compound development activities.

 

On October 7, 2014, the Company entered into an Advisory Agreement with Andrew Robell for consultation and advice with respect to identifying and assessing potential licensing and strategic opportunities through September 30, 2016. In connection with the agreement, the Company granted stock options to Mr. Robell to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, vesting 100,000 shares on October 7, 2014 and 100,000 shares on October 7, 2015, exercisable for a period of five years from the date of grant at $0.50 per share. The fair value of these options, as calculated pursuant to the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was determined to be $20,000 ($0.10 per share), of which $10,000 is attributed to the options fully-vested on October 7, 2014 and as such was charged to operations on that date. The remaining unvested portion of the fair value of the options will be charged to operations ratably from October 7, 2014 through October 7, 2015. During the three months ended June 30, 2014 and the six months ended June 30, 2014, the Company recorded charges to operations of $6,339 and $13,116, respectively, with respect to these options.

 

On October 7, 2014, the Company entered into an agreement with ProActive Capital Resources Group LLC (“ProActive”) for strategic advisory, investor relations and public relations services through October 6, 2015. In connection with the agreement, the Company agreed to pay ProActive a monthly fee of $1,500 in cash and agreed to issue to ProActive 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, vesting 125,000 shares upon execution of the agreement on October 7, 2014 and 125,000 shares six months thereafter on April 7, 2015. Additionally, the Company issued an option in the form of a warrant to ProActive to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, vesting upon execution of the agreement on October 7, 2014, and exercisable for a period of one year from the date of grant at $0.25 per share. The fair value of the warrant, as calculated pursuant to the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was determined to be $33,000 ($0.066 per share). The Company inadvertently neglected to timely record a charge to operations in 2014 of $45,500 with respect to this transaction, as well as to record a portion of the fair value of the remaining unvested 125,000 shares in 2014 (which had a fair value on the grant date of $12,500). The Company recorded a charge to operations for the aggregate fair value of these securities of $76,750 during the three months and six months ended June 30, 2015. Management performed an evaluation with respect to this matter and determined that this correction was not qualitatively or quantitatively material to the Company’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014 or for the three months ended March 31, 2015, and thus determined that no restatement of such prior periods was necessary or appropriate under the circumstances.

 

Total stock-based compensation expense was $84,643 and $176,130 for the three months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Total stock-based compensation expense was $168,637 and $559,296 for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

 

A summary of stock option activity during the six months ended June 30, 2015 is presented in the tables below.

 

                Weighted  
                Average  
          Weighted     Remaining  
    Number     Average     Contractual  
    Of     Exercise     Life  
    Shares     Price     (in Years)  
                   
Options outstanding at December 31, 2014     6,850,000       0.582          
Granted     500,000       0.250          
Exercised     —       —          
Expired     (100,000 )     0.500          
Options outstanding at June 30, 2015     7,250,000     $ 0.560       2.92  
                         
Options exercisable at December 31, 2014     4,675,000     $ 0.626          
Options exercisable at June 30, 2015     7,100,000     $ 0.564       2.62  

 

Total deferred compensation expense for the outstanding value of unvested stock options was approximately $20,000 at June 30, 2015, which is being recognized subsequent to June 30, 2015 over a weighted-average period of approximately twenty months.

 

The exercise prices of common stock options outstanding and exercisable are as follows at June 30, 2015:

 

      Options     Options  
Exercise     Outstanding     Exercisable  
Prices     (Shares)     (Shares)  
               
$ 0.130       100,000       50,000  
$ 0.250       1,000,000       1,000,000  
$ 0.500       4,200,000       4,100,000  
$ 0.650       700,000       700,000  
$ 0.980       250,000       250,000  
$ 1.000       1,000,000       1,000,000  
          7,250,000       7,100,000  

 

The intrinsic value of exercisable but unexercised in-the-money stock options at June 30, 2015 was approximately $16,500, based on a fair market value of $0.26 per share on June 30, 2015.

 

The intrinsic value of exercisable but unexercised in-the-money stock options at December 31, 2014 was approximately $2,750, based on a fair market value of $0.24 per share on December 31, 2014.

 

Outstanding options to acquire 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock had not vested at June 30, 2015.

 

The Company expects to satisfy such stock obligations through the issuance of authorized but unissued shares of common stock.