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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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Commission File Number 001-36193

Trevena, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (610) 354-8840

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐  No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, as of June 30, 2023, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $12.0 million. Such aggregate market value was computed by reference to the closing price of the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on June 30, 2023. For purposes of making this calculation only, the registrant has defined affiliates as including only directors and executive officers and stockholders holding greater than 10% of the voting stock of the registrant as of June 30, 2023.

The number of shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of March 28, 2024 was 18,321,010.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2024 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled “Business,” “Risk Factors,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” but also are contained elsewhere in this Annual Report. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” and “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this Annual Report, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about:

You should refer to the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel medicines for patients affected by central nervous system, or CNS, disorders.

Our product, OLINVYK® (oliceridine) injection, or OLINVYK, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, in August 2020. We initiated commercial launch of OLINVYK in the first quarter of 2021. OLINVYK is an opioid agonist for use in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. OLINVYK is the first new chemical entity, or NCE, in this intravenous, or IV, drug class in decades and it offers a differentiated profile that addresses significant unmet needs in the acute pain management landscape. OLINVYK delivers IV opioid efficacy with a rapid 1-3 minute median onset of action. In addition, OLINVYK requires no dosage adjustments in patients with renal impairment, a large patient population with significant medical complications. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, has classified oliceridine as a Schedule II controlled substance.

In April 2024, we announced that OLINVYK remains available for purchase by customers, but that we are reducing commercial support for the product to preserve capital as we conduct a process to explore a range of strategic alternatives for OLINVYK. Potential alternatives that may be explored or evaluated include, but are not limited to, a sale, license, or divestiture of OLINVYK. There can be no assurance regarding the schedule for completion of the strategic review process, that this strategic review process will result in the Company pursuing any transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed.

Using our proprietary product platform, we also have identified and are developing the following product candidates:

In September 2023 we announced positive data from two clinical proof-of-concept studies. TRV045 demonstrated statistically significant analgesic effect in a capsaicin-induced model of neuropathic pain. TRV045 also demonstrated a statistically significant evidence of CNS activity as measured by resting state EEG power spectral analysis in a transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, study. Subjects in both studies were enrolled outside of the United States, and the studies were not conducted under the Investigational New Drug Application for TRV045.

TRV045 was well tolerated in these proof-of-concept studies, with no drug-related adverse events and no serious adverse events reported. In addition, no drug-related lymphopenia, bradycardia, or change in blood pressure, adverse events generally observed with currently approved therapeutics targeting S1P receptors, were reported.

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Our Product and Pipeline

OLINVYK ® (oliceridine) injection

OLINVYK is a G-protein biased MOR ligand approved for acute pain in adults that is severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. It is an NCE with a novel mechanism of action.

Pain treatment options

Approximately 165 million units of IV opioids were used on average over the last three years, according to 2021 IQVIA data. Conventional IV opioid analgesics, such as morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphone, have been core components of pain management protocols in the immediate postoperative period. The effectiveness of conventional opioids agonists is limited by severe dose dependent side effects such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and sedation which can be exacerbated by accumulation of active metabolites and by reduced renal clearance in patients with impaired kidney function. These shortcomings of conventional IV opioids create substantial challenges for healthcare providers in certain clinical practice situations.

Injectable non-opioid analgesics are often used together with IV opioids in multimodal protocols for post-surgical pain management. However, these drugs, such as IV non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, IV acetaminophen, or local anesthetics such as bupivacaine, have their own potential for cardiovascular, hepatic and gastrointestinal side effects. In addition, none of these non-opioid analgesics offers sufficient efficacy to manage severe acute pain as a monotherapy in many patients.

We believe that OLINVYK addresses a significant unmet need for a highly effective IV opioid analgesic agent with a differentiated safety, tolerability, and PK/PD profile. OLINVYK delivers IV opioid efficacy with a rapid 1-3 minute median onset of action and requires no dosage adjustments in patients with renal impairment, a large patient population with significant medical complications.

OLINVYK was approved by the FDA in August 2020 for both bolus and patient-controlled analgesia, or PCA, delivery and we initiated commercial launch of OLINVYK in the first quarter of 2021. The DEA has classified oliceridine as a Schedule II controlled substance. Like other opioids, the label for OLINVYK contains a “boxed” warning and important safety information. Please consult www.olinvyk.com to view the prescribing information together with important safety information and boxed warning.

OLINVYK VOLITION Post-Approval Study

In 2023, we announced OLINVYK data from the VOLITION study, a 203-patient, real world, open-label, multi-site study led by clinical outcomes research experts from Cleveland Clinic and Wake Forest Baptist Health Medical Center. OLINVYK was dosed as the first-line analgesic during post-operative care, with a 1.5mg loading dose

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of OLINVYK at surgical closure, and 0.35mg to 0.5mg of OLINVYK, as needed, administered with a PCA device, with a 6-minute lockout period. Additional boluses (≤1 mg) of OLINVYK were available if needed as soon as 15 minutes after the initial 1.5 mg loading dose.

OLINVYK demonstrated a 22.8% respiratory compromise, defined as any one of five pre-specified respiratory events over 48 hours of continuous monitoring. As with all opioids, serious, life-threatening, or fatal respiratory depression may occur in patients treated with OLINVYK, as indicated in the boxed warning. OLINVYK also demonstrated a 52.2% GI complete response rate, defined as no vomiting and no antiemetic use throughout the post-operative period. Over 90% of OLINVYK-treated patients reported feeling “alert and calm” from the morning of the first post-operative day and at every observation point thereafter, based on the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, and 3.9% of OLINVYK-treated patients exhibited symptoms suggesting delirium at any point in the 48-hour post-operative period, based on the validated 3D-CAM screening tool. Sedation is an established risk of opioids including OLINVYK.

OLINVYK ARTEMIS Post-Approval Electronic Medical Records Study

In 2023, we also announced OLINVYK data from the ARTEMIS electronic medical records, or EMR, analysis that compared the health outcomes of VOLITION study patients with a matched population of patients, who underwent similar surgical procedures but were treated with other IV opioids, at the same institutions and during the same general time period as VOLITION. Matching was conducted with a greedy matching algorithm, using a propensity scoring method with eight different demographic and clinical characteristics including age, sex, type and duration of surgery, measures of overall surgical and medical morbidity, and type of hospital insurance.

OLINVYK-treated patients (n=201) had a $8,756 (19%) reduction in average cost per admission (p<0.0001) and 1.4-day (20%) reduction in average overall hospital length of stay (p<0.0001) compared to matched patients (n=982) treated with other IV opioids. Based on the data we have to date, there was not a statistically significant difference in the average duration of time in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) between OLINVYK-treated and matched patients.

Manufacturing

We have completed process development of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, in OLINVYK and have manufactured multiple commercial-scale batches under current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP. We also have completed drug product process development and have manufactured multiple commercial-scale batches of drug product under cGMP conditions.

For OLINVYK, we have established commercial supply agreements for the manufacture of the API and finished (compounded, filled and packaged) drug product. Sterling Pharma Solutions (formerly Alcami Corporation), or Sterling, is contracted to supply all of our commercial API from its Germantown, WI manufacturing facility. We have existing commercial supply agreements with two separate companies for the supply of drug product. Alcami Corporation, or Alcami, is contracted to supply commercial drug product from its facilities in Charleston, SC and Wilmington, NC and was included as part of our approved new drug application, or NDA, submission. Pfizer CentreOne (formerly Hospira) is also contracted to supply commercial drug product in the future, but was not included in our NDA submission.

In October 2020, we announced that the DEA has classified OLINVYK as a Schedule II controlled substance. All third-party facilities throughout the supply chain have the appropriate licenses from the DEA for handling Schedule II controlled substances according to each of their respective contractual roles (manufacturing, testing, distribution, etc.).

Competition

OLINVYK is approved for use in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are not adequate. OLINVYK competes with generic IV opioid analgesics, such as morphine, hydromorphone and fentanyl. IV opioid analgesics are limited by well-known adverse side effects, such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and post-operative ileus, which can be exacerbated by the way these molecules are metabolized or cleared. OLINVYK competes against, or is used in

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combination with, IV acetaminophen; EXPAREL® (liposomal bupivacaine), marketed by Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; ZYNRELEF® (bupivacaine and meloxicam) marketed by Heron Therapeutics, Inc; CALDOLOR® (IV ibuprofen), marketed by Cumberland Pharmaceuticals; DSUVIA™ (sublingual sufentanil) marketed by Alora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; XARACOLL™ (bupivacaine HCL) implant, marketed by Innocoll Holdings plc; and POSIMIR® (bupivacaine solution) marketed by INNOCOLL Biotherapeutic. Together with generic versions of IV NSAIDs such as ketorolac and acetaminophen, and generic versions of local anesthetics such as bupivacaine, these non-opioid analgesics are currently used in combination with opioids in the multimodal management of moderate-to-severe acute pain.

We also are aware of a number of products in mid- and late-stage clinical development that are aimed at improving the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain and may compete with OLINVYK. Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. is developing an IV version of generic opioid tramadol for moderate-to-severe acute pain.

Intellectual property

We wholly own the OLINVYK patent portfolio, including six issued U.S. patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,835,488; 9,309,234; 9,642,842; 9,849,119;11,077,098; and 11,931,350), which claim, among other things, OLINVYK, compositions comprising OLINVYK, and methods of using OLINVYK. The issued patents are expected to expire no earlier than 2032, subject to any disclaimers or extensions, and any U.S. patent to issue in the future is also expected to expire no earlier than 2032, subject to any disclaimers or extensions. We also have issued patents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Eurasia, Europe, Hong Kong, Macau, Israel, Japan, India, South Korea, and New Zealand, which claim, among other things, OLINVYK, compositions comprising OLINVYK and methods of making or using OLINVYK. We have patent applications pending in the United States, Europe and Japan. The issued patents and patents that could issue in the future from these allowed or pending applications outside the United States are expected to expire no earlier than 2032, subject to any disclaimers or extensions. Following the FDA approval of OLINVYK, the FDA has added four issued U.S. patents to the Orange Book of Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,835,488, 9,309,234, 9,642,842, and 11,077,098) and we expect the FDA to add a fifth patent (U.S. Patent No. 11,931,350) in the coming months. In addition, the Company has filed Patent Term Extension applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office that could extend the life of one of the patents until 2034. Finally, the FDA has designated OLINVYK as an NCE in the Orange Book and it will therefore receive the exclusivity and protections afforded to NCE’s.

TRV045 (S1P Modulators)

TRV045 is our novel sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P, receptor modulator that may offer a new, non-opioid approach to managing chronic pain, as well as for treating epilepsy and seizure disorders. TRV045 has also demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect in nonclinical studies that may have broad potential application in CNS disorders, autoimmune disease and inflammatory disease. TRV045 targets the S1P subtype 1 receptor and nonclinical data suggests that TRV045 effectively reverses neuropathic pain and reduces seizure risk without the immune-suppressing activity, or lymphopenia, observed with currently approved therapeutics targeting S1P receptors.

Target Engagement, Neuropathic Pain Proof-of-Concept Study

In September 2023, we announced data from our Target Engagement proof-of-concept study in a validated model of neuropathic pain. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single dose four-way cross-over study (n=25 subjects) designed to evaluate evidence of target engagement for TRV045, using a select battery of pharmacodynamic outcomes. The study used the validated PainCart® set of analgesic tests to evaluate potential central and peripheral nervous system effects and to provide insight into the potential anti-inflammatory actions of TRV045. Each subject received three different single doses of TRV045 (50mg, 150mg and 300mg) and placebo on four separate visits across the study duration. Plasma exposures of TRV045 in this study were comparable to levels seen in the previously reported Phase 1, FIH study and reached the anticipated targeted active dose range.

TRV045 demonstrated a statistically significant, dose-dependent reduction in mechanical allodynia following topical capsaicin application at 150mg and 300mg v. placebo. Allodynia was assessed by cutaneous pain sensation upon mechanical stimulation with Von Frey hair filaments, a validated model of neuropathic pain. The difference was

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measured for each dose of TRV045 compared to placebo as the change from baseline in both the secondary area of allodynic sensation and the total area of allodynia across 10 hours following the dose of study medication. The change from baseline in painful surface area at the final 10 hour timepoint is shown below, along with the associated P-values for each treatment difference across the entire 10 hour period of observation. Differences were evident for both the 150mg and 300mg doses beginning at hour 2 and continuing through the entire period of study observation at hour 10.

* Least squares (LS) mean change from baseline

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TRV045 further demonstrated a dose-dependent trend in change from baseline in the cold pressor test, and also demonstrated trends in reduction to heat pain detection threshold on both unexposed and capsaicin-treated forearm skin, on heat pain detection threshold on unexposed skin on the upper back, and pain tolerance in the electrical burst stimulation test, though these endpoints did not achieve statistical significance. TRV045 did not show a statistically significant difference or trend compared to placebo in other pain modalities.

Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, with pain in the extremities being one of the main symptoms. Other symptoms may include numbness, tingling, allodynia and hyperalgesia. Diabetic neuropathic pain, or DNP, is usually characterized as moderate to severe in nature and can substantially affect patients’ quality of life as well as their social and psychological well-being. Approximately one quarter of people with diabetes are affected by DNP, totaling over 5 million people in the United States. During their lifetime, approximately 50% to 70% of diabetic patients may experience symptoms of DNP.

TMS Proof-of-Concept Study.

In September 2023, we also announced data from our transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, proof-of-concept study for epilepsy. The TMS study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple dose, two-way cross-over study (n=25 subjects) designed to evaluate the pharmacodynamic effects of TRV045 (250mg) on cortical excitability in healthy male adults, using both EEG and EMG to measure the impact of TRV045 on the electrical excitation of the brain. The goal of the study was to provide further insight into TRV045 CNS target engagement and mechanism of action for the potential treatment of epilepsy and other CNS disorders. Each subject received one of two treatment sequences in random order: TRV045 at a dose of 250mg, followed by placebo; or placebo followed by 250mg of TRV045, each treatment sequence given once daily for four consecutive days. Plasma exposures of TRV045 in this study were comparable to levels seen in the previously reported Phase 1, FIH study and reached the anticipated targeted active dose range.

Among the EEG-related endpoints measured in the study, resting state EEG obtained before and after administration of TRV045, demonstrated statistically significant increases in the power spectral density on Day 4 in several of the middle to higher frequency bands including alpha, beta and gamma waves. The changes in alpha waves are

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generally considered to be associated with conscious arousal and alertness, while beta waves are thought to be associated with GABA-mediated inhibitory cortical neurotransmission, and gamma waves are generally associated with cognitive processing, learning and memory. Alpha waves demonstrated this statistically significant increase in power in the frontal region (P=0.0164), as well as both left parietal (P=0.0047), and right parietal (P=0.0418) regions. This statistically significant increase in power was observed in the frontal region for beta waves (P=0.0235) and gamma waves (P=0.0343).

With respect to slow brain waves, which are generally associated with sedation or sleep, TRV045 showed a statistically significant decrease in the delta brain waves on Day 4 in the right parietal region (P=0.0432), and no significant difference in theta brain waves at any of the three observed regions.

Among the EMG-related endpoints measured in the study, TRV045 demonstrated evidence of reduction in cortical excitability, as measured by change in peak motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude, on Day 1 comparable in magnitude to the reduction in cortical excitability reported in similar test conditions in the same laboratory for approved anti-epileptic drugs, though this result did not achieve statistical significance. There was no difference in mean peak MEP amplitude on Day 4, and no difference in resting motor threshold (RMT) on Day 1 or Day 4 or other EMG-related endpoints.

Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological diseases in the world, is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Nearly 50 million people suffer from epilepsy worldwide, including 3 million adults and 470,000 children in the United States. 150,000 new cases of epilepsy are reported in the United States each year. According to the CDC, 56% of adults living with diagnosed epilepsy continue to have seizures.

Subjects in both studies were enrolled outside of the United States, and the studies were not conducted under the Investigational New Drug Application for TRV045.

TMS Proof-of-Concept Studies – Safety and Tolerability

There were no drug-related adverse events and no serious adverse events were reported in either proof-of-cponcept study. Of the adverse events, 98% (102 of 104) were reported as mild in the Target Engagement study, and 99% (79 of 80) were reported as mild in the TMS study. The most common adverse events reported were headaches, somnolence, dizziness and fatigue.

In screening and follow-up physical exams, including ophthalmologic exams, there were no clinically significant observations. Laboratory results also showed no clinically significant reduction in total lymphocyte count, no clinically significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure, and no clinically significant changes in ECG interval measures (including no prolongation of PR or QTcF intervals).

This safety and tolerability data in 50 subjects is generally consistent with, and further builds upon, the 89-subject data from the first-in-human study of TRV045 reported in November 2022. The data supports the Company’s belief that TRV045 has the potential to effectively target indications, such as neuropathic pain and epilepsy, without adverse events such as lymphopenia, bradycardia, pulmonary adverse events and ophthalmologic adverse events, which have been reported with other S1P receptor modulators.

Intellectual Property

We wholly own the S1P patent portfolio, including one pending provisional application, two issued U.S. patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 11,912,693 and 11,884,655) claiming S1P receptor modulators and/or methods of making or using the same. We also have issued patents in Japan, India, Israel, and South Africa, and pending applications in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, India, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and New Zealand. The applications are directed to, amongst other things, compounds that modulate the S1P receptor and methods of making or using these compounds, including methods of treating pain, epilepsy, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma-and stressor-related disorders. Patents that could issue in the future from the national phase applications would be expected to expire no earlier than 2038 subject to any disclaimers or extensions.

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We are aware of a certain U.S. patent owned by a third party with claims that are broadly directed to a method of treating chemotherapy induced neuropathic pain with an S1P receptor agonist or an S1P receptor antagonist. Although we do not believe that this is a valid patent, this patent could be construed to cover our S1P compounds.

TRV734

TRV734 is a small molecule G-protein biased ligand of the MOR that we discovered and have developed through Phase 1 as a first-line, orally administered compound for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute and chronic pain. Like OLINVYK, TRV734 utilizes a well-established mechanism of pain relief by targeting the MOR. Also like OLINVYK, it does so with enhanced selectivity for the G-protein signaling pathway, which in nonclinical studies was linked to analgesia, as opposed to the beta-arrestin signaling pathway, which in nonclinical studies was associated with the development of side effects. Subject to successful nonclinical and clinical development and regulatory approval, we believe TRV734 may have an improved efficacy and side effect profile as compared to current commonly prescribed oral analgesics, such as oxycodone. In addition, TRV734’s mechanism of action suggests it may offer valuable benefits for another unmet medical need: the management of opioid dependence associated with OUD. We intend to continue to focus our efforts for TRV734 on securing a development and commercialization partner for this asset.

Clinical development

We have completed three Phase 1 trials of TRV734 in healthy volunteers, including a single ascending dose study, a multiple ascending dose study, and a pharmacokinetic study. In these studies, a total of 127 healthy volunteers were exposed to TRV734 at doses between 2 mg and 250 mg. We incorporated measures to assess the potential for analgesic efficacy and tolerability advantages in these studies. Based on these data and data for OLINVYK, we believe that TRV734 may offer an improved efficacy profile as compared to current opioid therapies or equivalent efficacy with an improved gastrointestinal tolerability and respiratory safety profile.

In collaboration with NIDA, we intend to pursue a clinical study to determine whether TRV734 decreases symptoms of opioid withdrawal in patients with OUD. We expect to initiate a randomized, double-blind, four-period, placebo- and positive-controlled study that will enroll approximately 50 opioid-dependent patients undergoing stable methadone maintenance therapy. The primary objective of the study is to assess the ability of TRV734 to reduce acute opioid craving symptoms, as measured by the Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale. The study will also evaluate whether TRV734 suppresses withdrawal signs using the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale. Secondary outcomes will include assessments of safety and measures of neurocognitive changes. In June 2021, we announced that the study, which had been paused since March 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, had resumed recruiting patients.

NIDA has previously generated nonclinical data in a rodent model of maintenance treatment showing that chronic administration of TRV734 reduced oxycodone-seeking in rats. TRV734 may provide an alternative to existing therapies such as methadone and buprenorphine. Successful therapy with methadone is limited by side effects that include sedation and constipation, while use of buprenorphine is limited by lower maximal efficacy and challenges with initial induction of therapy. It is hypothesized that a MOR-biased agonist may provide high efficacy for preventing symptoms of opioid withdrawal while offering a more benign side-effect profile.

Intellectual property

We wholly own the TRV734 patent portfolio, including two issued U.S. patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 9,044,469 and 10,588,898) claiming TRV734, other compounds and/or methods of making or using the same. These patents are expected to expire no earlier than 2032, subject to any disclaimers or extensions. We also have issued patents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Eurasia, Hong Kong, Macau, Israel, Japan, India, South Korea, and New Zealand claiming TRV734, other compounds and/or methods of making or using the same. We also have patent applications pending in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The issued patents and patents that could issue in the future from these allowed or pending applications outside the United States are expected to expire no earlier than 2032, subject to any disclaimers or extensions.

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One of the two issued U.S. patents (U.S. Patent No. 10,588,898) also claims, among other things, methods of using TRV734 or compositions comprising TRV734 for treating drug abuse. We also have issued patents in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, and South Korea, which claim, among other things, methods of using TRV734 or compositions comprising TRV734 for treating drug abuse. The issued patent (U.S. Patent No. 10,588,898) is expected to expire no earlier than 2032. The issued patents outside the United States are expected to expire no earlier than 2032, subject to any disclaimers or extensions.

Intellectual Property

We strive to protect the proprietary technologies that we believe are important to our business, including seeking and maintaining patent protection intended to cover the composition of matter of our product candidates, their methods of use, related technology and other inventions that are important to our business. We also rely on trade secrets and careful monitoring of our proprietary information to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection.

Our success will depend significantly on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other proprietary protection for commercially important technology, inventions and know-how related to our business, defend and enforce our patents, maintain our licenses to use intellectual property owned by third parties, preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets and operate without infringing valid and enforceable patents and other proprietary rights of third parties. We also rely on know-how, and continuing technological innovation to develop, strengthen and maintain our proprietary position in the field of modulating G-protein coupled receptors with biased ligands.

One or more third parties may hold intellectual property, including patent rights, that is important or necessary to the development of our products. It may be necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of third parties to commercialize our products, in which case we would be required to obtain a license from these third parties on commercially reasonable terms, or our business could be harmed, possibly materially. If we were not able to obtain a license or were not able to obtain a license on commercially reasonable terms, our business could be harmed, possibly materially.

We plan to continue to expand our intellectual property estate by filing patent applications directed to dosage forms and methods of treatment for our product candidates. We anticipate seeking patent protection in the United States and internationally for compositions of matter covering the compounds, the chemistries and processes for manufacturing these compounds and the use of these compounds in a variety of therapies.

The patent positions of biopharmaceutical companies like us are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and the patent’s scope can be modified after issuance. Consequently, we do not know whether any of our product candidates will be protectable or remain protected by enforceable patents. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient proprietary protection from competitors. Any patents that we hold may be challenged, circumvented or invalidated by third parties.

Because many patent applications in the United States and certain other jurisdictions are maintained in secrecy for 18 months, and since publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain patent protection for the inventions disclosed and/or claimed in our pending patent applications. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office or a foreign patent office to determine priority of invention or in post grant challenge proceedings, such as oppositions, inter partes review, post grant review or a derivation proceeding, that challenge our entitlement to an invention or the patentability of one or more claims in our patent applications or issued patents. Such proceedings could result in substantial cost, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us.

The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a PCT application or a non-provisional patent application, subject to any disclaimers or extensions. The term of a patent in the United

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States can be adjusted and extended due to the failure of the United States Patent and Trademark Office following certain statutory and regulation deadlines for issuing a patent.

In the United States, the patent term of a patent that covers an FDA approved drug also may be eligible for patent term extension, which permits patent term restoration as compensation for a portion of the patent term lost during clinical development and the FDA regulatory review process. The Hatch Waxman Act permits a patent term extension of up to five years beyond the expiration of the patent. The length of the patent term extension is related to the length of time the drug is under clinical development and regulatory review. Patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended. Similar provisions are available in Europe and other non-United States jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug. In the future, if and when our additional pharmaceutical products receive FDA approval, we expect to apply for patent term extensions on patents covering those products much in the same manner as we did for OLINVYK. Although, we intend to seek patent term extensions to any of our issued patents in any jurisdiction where these are available there is no guarantee that the applicable authorities, including the United States Patent and Trademark Office, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions should be granted, and even if granted, the length of such extensions.

We also rely on trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. Although we take steps to protect our proprietary information and trade secrets, including through contractual means with our employees and consultants, third parties may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose our technology. Thus, we may not be able to meaningfully protect our trade secrets. It is our policy to require our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information concerning our business or financial affairs developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. In the case of employees, the agreements provide that all inventions conceived by the individual, and which are related to our current or planned business or research and development or made during normal working hours, on our premises or using our equipment or proprietary information, are our exclusive property.

Manufacturing

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for nonclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture. See “—OLINVYK (oliceridine) injection—Manufacturing.”

The use of contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, and reliance on collaboration partners is cost-efficient and has eliminated the need for our direct investment in manufacturing facilities and additional staff early in development. We believe available CDMOs are capable of providing sufficient quantities of our commercial product and product candidates to meet anticipated full-scale commercial demands.

Commercialization

We launched the customer-facing elements of our commercial team in the first quarter of 2021 with Syneos Health, a contract sales organization, to assist in the sourcing, training and deployment of a range of customer-facing roles. In 2022, we transitioned to an in-house U.S. commercial team. In April 2024, we announced that OLINVYK remains available for purchase by customers, but that we are reducing commercial support for the product to preserve capital as we conduct a process to explore a range of strategic alternatives for OLINVYK. Nowithstanding our reduction of commercial support for OLINVYK, we will continue to comply with all regulatory requirements, including post-marketing surveillance and reporting obligations.

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Competition

The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary products. While we believe that our technology, knowledge, experience and scientific resources provide us with competitive advantages, we face potential competition from many different sources, including major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions and governmental agencies and public and private research institutions. OLINVYK and any further product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future. Products in development by other companies may provide efficacy, safety, convenience and other benefits that are not provided by currently marketed therapies. As a result, they may provide significant competition for OLINVYK and any of our additional product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval.

Some of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, nonclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early stage companies also may prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

The key competitive factors affecting the success of all of our therapeutic product candidates, if approved, are likely to be their efficacy, safety, convenience, price, the level of generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. In addition, our ability to compete may be affected in many cases by insurers or other third-party payors seeking to encourage the use of generic products. Generic products that broadly address these indications are currently on the market for the indications that we are pursuing, and additional products are expected to become available on a generic basis over the coming years. If our product candidates achieve marketing approval, we expect that they will be priced at a significant premium over competitive generic products.

Government Regulation and Product Approval

Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, packaging, storage, recordkeeping, labeling, advertising, promotion, distribution, marketing, import and export of pharmaceutical products such as those we are developing. The processes for obtaining regulatory approvals in the United States and in foreign countries, along with subsequent compliance with applicable statutes and regulations, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.

FDA Regulation

In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and its implementing regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with applicable federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable United States requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions, such as the FDA’s refusal to approve pending NDAs, withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a

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clinical hold, issuance of warning or untitled letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement or civil or criminal penalties.

The process required by the FDA before a drug may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

Nonclinical Studies

Nonclinical studies include laboratory evaluation of drug substance chemistry, toxicity and drug product formulation, as well as animal studies to assess potential safety and efficacy. An IND sponsor must submit the results of the nonclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data and any available clinical data or literature, among other things, to the FDA as part of an IND. Manufacture of drug substance, drug product and the labeling and distribution of clinical supplies must all comply with cGMP standards. Some nonclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted. An IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions related to the data submitted in the IND or the proposed clinical trials and places the trial on a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. As a result, submission of an IND may not result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to commence.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational new drug to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCP requirements, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent in writing for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. In addition, an IRB covering each institution

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participating in the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that institution, and the IRB must continue to oversee the clinical trial while it is being conducted. Information about certain clinical trials must be submitted within specific timeframes to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, for public dissemination on their ClinicalTrials.gov website.

Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases, which may overlap or be combined. In Phase 1, the drug is initially introduced into healthy human subjects or patients with the target disease or condition and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution, excretion and, if possible, to gain an initial indication of its effectiveness. In Phase 2, the drug typically is administered to a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage. In Phase 3, the drug is administered to an expanded patient population, generally at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites, in well-controlled clinical trials to generate enough data to statistically evaluate the efficacy and safety of the product for approval, to establish the overall risk-benefit profile of the product and to provide adequate information for the labeling of the product.

Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and more frequently if serious adverse events occur. Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, or at all. Furthermore, the FDA or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

Marketing Approval

Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the nonclinical and clinical studies, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacture, controls and proposed labeling, among other things, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. In most cases, the submission of an NDA is subject to a substantial application user fee. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, guidelines that are currently in effect, the FDA has agreed to certain performance goals regarding the timing of its review of a marketing application.

In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act an NDA or supplement to an NDA must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric data requirements.

The FDA also may require a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to mitigate any identified or suspected serious risks and ensure safe use of the drug. The REMS plan could include medication guides, physician communication plans, assessment plans and elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries or other risk minimization tools. We expect that any oral mu-opioid agonist products may be subject to a REMS, since currently marketed oral opioid products are subject to this requirement. OLINVYK is an IV opioid and is not subject to a REMS.

The FDA conducts a preliminary review of all NDAs within the first 60 days after submission, before accepting them for filing, to determine whether they are sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. The FDA may request additional information rather than accept an NDA for filing. In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application is also subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine, among other things, whether the drug is safe and effective and whether the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packaged or held meets standards designed to assure the product’s continued safety, quality and purity.

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The FDA typically refers a question regarding a novel drug to an external advisory committee. An advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts, that reviews, evaluates and provides a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.

Before approving an NDA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured, referred to as a Pre-Approval Inspection, or PAI. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving an NDA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCPs.

The testing and approval process for an NDA requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and each may take several years to complete. Data obtained from nonclinical and clinical testing are not always conclusive and may be susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. The FDA may not grant approval of an NDA on a timely basis, or at all.

After evaluating the NDA and all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding the manufacturing facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a complete response letter. A complete response letter generally contains a statement of specific conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the NDA and may require additional clinical or nonclinical testing in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. Even with submission of this additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval. If and when those conditions have been met to the FDA’s satisfaction, the FDA will typically issue an approval letter. The FDA reviews NDA resubmissions in two or six months depending on the type of information included. An approval letter authorizes commercial distribution and marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications. For some products, an additional step of DEA review and scheduling is required.

Even if the FDA approves a product, it may limit the approved indications for use of the product, require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling, including a boxed warning, require that post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, be conducted to further assess a drug’s safety after approval, require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization or impose other conditions, including distribution restrictions or other risk management mechanisms under a REMS which can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the product. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-marketing studies or surveillance programs. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval.

Expedited Review and Approval

The FDA has various programs, including Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy designation, priority review, and accelerated approval, that are intended to expedite or simplify the process for reviewing drugs, and/or provide for the approval of a drug on the basis of a surrogate endpoint. Even if a drug qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the drug no longer meets the conditions for qualification or that the time period for FDA review or approval will be shortened. Generally, drugs that are eligible for these programs are those for serious or life-threatening conditions, those with the potential to address unmet medical needs and those that offer meaningful benefits over existing treatments. For example, Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions and fill unmet medical needs. Priority review is designed to give drugs that offer major advances in treatment or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists an initial review within six months as compared to a standard review time of ten months.

Although Fast Track and priority review do not affect the standards for approval, the FDA will attempt to facilitate early and frequent meetings with a sponsor of a Fast Track designated drug and expedite review of the application for a drug designated for priority review. Accelerated approval, which is described in Subpart H of 21 Code

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of Federal Regulations, or 21 CFR Part 314, provides for an earlier approval for a new drug that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and that fills an unmet medical need based on a surrogate endpoint. A surrogate endpoint is a clinical measurement or other biomarker used as an indirect or substitute measurement to predict a clinically meaningful outcome. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a product candidate receiving accelerated approval perform post-marketing clinical trials.

A Breakthrough Therapy designation is intended to expedite the development and FDA review of drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions or where preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement on a clinically significant endpoint(s) over available therapies. A request for Breakthrough Therapy designation should be submitted concurrently with, or as an amendment to an IND.

Post-Approval Requirements

Drugs manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, advertising and promotion and reporting of adverse experiences with the product. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims are subject to prior FDA review and approval. There also are continuing, annual program user fee requirements, as well as new application fees for supplemental applications with clinical data.

The FDA may impose a number of post-approval requirements as a condition of approval of an NDA. For example, the FDA may require post-marketing testing, including clinical trials in pediatric patients or other Phase 4 trials, and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization.

In addition, drug manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs are required to register their establishments with the FDA and state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and these state agencies for compliance with cGMP requirements. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated and often require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon the sponsor and any third-party manufacturers that the sponsor may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance.

Once an approval is granted, the FDA may withdraw the approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market.

Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in mandatory revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-marketing studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:

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The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Although physicians, in the practice of medicine, may prescribe approved drugs for unapproved indications, pharmaceutical companies generally are required to promote their drug products only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. However, companies may share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise consistent with a product’s approved labeling. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability.

In addition, the distribution of prescription pharmaceutical products is subject to the Prescription Drug Marketing Act, or PDMA, which regulates the distribution of drugs and drug samples at the federal level, and sets minimum standards for the registration and regulation of drug distributors by the states. Both the PDMA and state laws limit the distribution of prescription pharmaceutical product samples and impose requirements to ensure accountability in distribution.

DEA Regulation

OLINVYK has been classified as a Schedule II controlled substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or CSA. The CSA establishes registration, security, recordkeeping, reporting, storage, distribution and other requirements administered by the DEA. The DEA is concerned with the control of handlers of controlled substances, and with the equipment and raw materials used in their manufacture and packaging, in order to prevent loss and diversion into illicit channels of commerce.

The DEA regulates controlled substances as Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances. Schedule I substances by definition have no established medicinal use and may not be marketed or sold in the United States. A pharmaceutical product may be listed as Schedule II, III, IV or V, with Schedule II substances considered to present the highest risk of abuse and Schedule V substances the lowest relative risk of abuse among such substances. Because it is a Schedule II controlled substance, the manufacture, packaging, shipment, storage, sale and use of OLINVYK is subject to a high degree of regulation.

Annual registration is required for any facility that manufactures, packages, distributes, dispenses, imports, exports, or conducts research with any controlled substance. The registration is specific to the particular location, activity and controlled substance schedule.

The DEA typically inspects a facility to review its security measures prior to issuing a registration. Security requirements vary by controlled substance schedule, with the most stringent requirements applying to Schedule I and Schedule II substances. Required security measures include background checks on employees and physical control of inventory through measures such as cages, surveillance cameras and inventory reconciliations. Records must be maintained for the handling of all controlled substances, and periodic reports made to the DEA. Reports must also be made for thefts or losses of any controlled substance, and to obtain authorization to destroy any controlled substance. In addition, special authorization and notification requirements apply to imports and exports.

In addition, a DEA quota system controls and limits the availability and production of controlled substances in Schedule I or II. Distributions of any Schedule I or II controlled substance must also be accompanied by special order forms, with copies provided to the DEA. The DEA may adjust aggregate production quotas and individual production and procurement quotas during the year and across years, and the DEA has substantial discretion in whether or not to make such adjustments. Our contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO’s) quota of an active ingredient may not be sufficient to meet commercial demand or complete clinical trials. Any delay or refusal by the DEA in establishing our CDMO’s quota for controlled substances could delay or stop our clinical trials or product launches, or impact the ability to fill orders of approved products such as OLINVYK.

To meet its responsibilities, the DEA conducts periodic inspections of registered establishments that handle controlled substances. Individual states also regulate controlled substances, and we and our CDMO’s will be subject to state regulation with respect to the distribution of controlled substance products.

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Federal and State Fraud and Abuse and Data Privacy and Security Laws and Regulations

In addition to FDA restrictions on marketing of pharmaceutical products, federal and state fraud and abuse laws restrict business practices in the biopharmaceutical industry. These laws include anti-kickback and false claims laws and regulations, as well as transparency and data privacy and security laws and regulations.

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of any item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on one hand and prescribers, purchasers, formulary managers, and others on the other hand. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly and require strict compliance to offer protection. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Several courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean that if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the statute has been violated.

The reach of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute was also broadened by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively PPACA, which, among other things, amended the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute such that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, PPACA provides that the government may assert 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 federal False Claims Act or the civil monetary penalties statute, which imposes penalties against any person who is determined to have presented or caused to be presented a claim to a federal health program that the person knows or should know is for an item or service that was not provided as claimed or is false or fraudulent. PPACA also created new federal requirements for reporting, by applicable manufacturers of covered drugs of payments and other transfers of value to, as well as ownership interests held by, physicians and teaching hospitals.

The federal criminal and civil false claims laws, including the federal False Claims Act, and civil monetary penalties laws and civil monetary penalties laws, including the federal False Claims Act, prohibit any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. Pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product. Companies have been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of products for unapproved, and thus non-reimbursable, uses.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, created additional federal civil and criminal statutes that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Also, many states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor.

The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, also known as Open Payments program, requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to “payments or other transfers of value” made to physicians, as defined by such law, and teaching hospitals and applicable manufacturers and applicable group purchasing organizations to

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report annually to CMS ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Beginning in 2022, applicable manufacturers are also required to report such information regarding payments and transfers of value provided, as well as ownership and investment interests held, during the previous year to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse anesthetists and certified nurse-midwives.

In addition, we may be subject to data privacy and security regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, including the final omnibus rule published on January 25, 2013, imposed specified requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information on "covered entities" including certain healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. Among other things, HITECH makes HIPAA’s privacy and security standards directly applicable to “business associates,” defined as independent contractors or agents of covered entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information in connection with providing a service for or on behalf of a covered entity. HITECH also increased the civil and criminal penalties that may be imposed against covered entities, business associates and possibly other persons, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorney’s fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. In addition, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of available statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal or state laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including significant criminal, civil, and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, integrity oversight and reporting obligations to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. To the extent that any of our products are sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws and regulations, which may include, for instance, applicable post-marketing requirements, including safety surveillance, anti-fraud and abuse laws, implementation of corporate compliance programs and reporting of payments or transfers of value to healthcare professionals, and data privacy requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, prohibits any U.S. individual or business from paying, offering, or authorizing payment or offering of anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign official, political party or candidate for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of the foreign entity in order to assist the individual or business in obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with accounting provisions requiring such companies to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations. In Europe, and throughout the world, other countries have enacted anti-bribery laws and/or regulations similar to the FCPA. Violations of any of these antibribery laws, or allegations of such violations, could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and reputation.

Coverage and Reimbursement

The commercial success of our product candidates and our ability to commercialize any approved product candidates successfully will depend in part on the extent to which governmental payor programs at the federal and state levels, including Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third-party payors provide coverage for and establish adequate reimbursement levels for our product candidates. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided are made on a payor-by-payor basis. Government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations generally decide which drugs they will pay for and establish

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reimbursement levels for healthcare. In particular, in the United States, private health insurers and other third-party payors often provide reimbursement for products and services based on the level at which the government provides reimbursement through the Medicare or Medicaid programs for such treatments. In the United States, the European Union and other potentially significant markets for our product candidates, government authorities and third-party payors are increasingly attempting to limit or regulate the price of medical products and services, particularly for new and innovative products and therapies, which often has resulted in average selling prices lower than they would otherwise be. Further, the increased emphasis on managed healthcare in the United States and on country and regional pricing and reimbursement controls in the European Union will put additional pressure on product pricing, reimbursement and usage, which may adversely affect our future product sales and results of operations. These pressures can arise from rules and practices of managed care groups, judicial decisions and governmental laws and regulations related to Medicare, Medicaid and healthcare reform, pharmaceutical coverage and reimbursement policies and pricing in general.

Third-party payors are increasingly imposing additional requirements and restrictions on coverage and limiting reimbursement levels for medical products. For example, in the United States, federal and state governments reimburse covered prescription drugs at varying rates generally below average wholesale price. These restrictions and limitations influence the purchase of healthcare services and products. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved drug products for a particular indication. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of medical products and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our products, in addition to the costs required to obtain FDA approvals. Our product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in drug development. In addition, for hospital products, a private health insurer or Medicare will typically reimburse a fixed fee for certain procedures, including in-patient surgeries. Pharmaceutical products such as OLINVYK that may be used in connection with the surgery generally will not be separately reimbursed and, therefore, a hospital would have to assess the cost of OLINVYK relative to its benefits. Current or future efforts to limit the level of reimbursement for in-patient hospital procedures could cause a hospital to decide not to use OLINVYK.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contains substantial drug pricing reforms, including the establishment of a drug price negotiation program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would require manufacturers to charge a negotiated “maximum fair price” for certain selected drugs or pay an excise tax for noncompliance, the establishment of rebate payment requirements on manufacturers of certain drugs payable under Medicare Parts B and D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation, and requires manufacturers to provide discounts on Part D drugs. Substantial penalties can be assessed for noncompliance with the drug pricing provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 could have the effect of reducing the prices we can charge and reimbursement we receive for our product and our product candidates, if approved, thereby reducing our profitability, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. The effect of Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 on our business and the pharmaceutical industry in general is not yet known. Future efforts to reform healthcare or reduce costs under government insurance programs may result in lower reimbursement for our products and product candidates or exclusion of our products and product candidates from coverage. The cost containment measures that healthcare payors and providers are instituting and any healthcare reform could significantly reduce our revenue from the sale of any approved product candidates. We cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to obtain and maintain third-party coverage or adequate reimbursement for our product candidates in whole or in part.

Impact of Healthcare Reform on Coverage, Reimbursement and Pricing

The United States and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system that could restrict or regulate post-approval activities relating to our product and product candidates, if approved, and affect our ability to successfully commercialize our product and product candidates, if approved, including implementing cost-containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid healthcare costs,

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including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products for branded prescription drugs.

The Affordable Care Act was intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add transparency requirements for the healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms.

Among the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that have been implemented since enactment and are of importance to the successful commercialization of a pharmaceutical product are the following:

There have been significant ongoing judicial, administrative, executive and legislative efforts to modify or eliminate the Affordable Care Act. For example, the Tax Act enacted on December 22, 2017, repealed the shared responsibility payment for individuals who fail to maintain minimum essential coverage under section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code, commonly referred to as the individual mandate. Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since passage of the Affordable Care Act. The Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend proposals in spending reductions to Congress. The Joint Select Committee did not achieve its targeted deficit reduction of an amount greater than $1.2 trillion for the fiscal years 2012 through 2021, triggering the legislation’s automatic reductions to several government programs. These reductions included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to healthcare providers of up to 2.0% per fiscal year, which went into effect in April 2013. Subsequent litigation extended the 2% reduction, on average, to 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, which was

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designed to provide financial support and resources to individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended the 2% Medicare sequester from May 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022. As of July 2, 2022, the 2% sequester resumed. The sequester will remain in place through 2030. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

The Affordable Care Act has also been subject to challenges in the courts. On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. On December 18, 2019, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that the individual mandate is unconstitutional and remanded the case to the Texas District Court to reconsider its earlier invalidation of the entire Affordable Care Act. On June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law as they had not alleged personal injury traceable to the allegedly unlawful conduct. As a result, the Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the ACA or any of its provisions. Further changes to and under the Affordable Care Act remain possible but it is unknown what form any such changes or any law proposed to replace or revise the Affordable Care Act would take, and how or whether it may affect our business in the future. We expect that changes to the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, changes allowing the federal government to directly negotiate drug prices and changes stemming from other healthcare reform measures, especially with regard to healthcare access, financing or other legislation in individual states, could have a material adverse effect on the healthcare industry.

We expect that the Affordable Care Act, as well as other healthcare reform measures that have and may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for our product and product candidates, if approved, and could seriously harm our future revenues. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid, or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payers. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or successfully commercialize our product and product candidates, if approved.

Exclusivity and Approval of Competing Products

Hatch-Waxman Patent Exclusivity

In seeking approval for a drug through an NDA, applicants are required to list with the FDA each patent with claims that cover the applicant’s product or a method of using the product. Upon approval of a drug, each of the patents listed in the application for the drug is then published in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, commonly known as the Orange Book. Drugs listed in the Orange Book can, in turn, be cited by potential competitors in support of approval of an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, or 505(b)(2) NDA. Generally, an ANDA provides for marketing of a drug product that has the same active ingredients in the same strengths, dosage form and route of administration as the listed drug and has been shown to be bioequivalent through in vitro and/or in vivo testing or otherwise to the listed drug. ANDA applicants are not required to conduct or submit results of nonclinical or clinical tests to prove the safety or effectiveness of their drug product, other than the requirement for bioequivalence testing. Drugs approved in this way are commonly referred to as “generic equivalents” to the listed drug, and can often be substituted by pharmacists under prescriptions written for the original listed drug. 505(b)(2) NDAs generally are submitted for changes to a previously approved drug product, such as a new dosage, dosage form, or indication.

The ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA applicant is required to certify to the FDA concerning any patents listed for the approved product in the FDA’s Orange Book, except for patents covering methods of use for which the ANDA applicant is not seeking approval. Specifically, the applicant must certify with respect to each patent that:

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Generally, the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA cannot be approved until all listed patents have expired, except when the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA applicant challenges a patent of a listed drug. A certification that the proposed product will not infringe the already approved product’s listed patents or that such patents are invalid or unenforceable is called a Paragraph IV certification. If the applicant does not challenge the listed patents or indicate that it is not seeking approval of a patented method of use, the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA application will not be approved until all the listed patents claiming the referenced product have expired.

If the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA applicant has provided a Paragraph IV certification to the FDA, the applicant must also send notice of the Paragraph IV certification to the NDA and patent holders once the application has been accepted for filing by the FDA. The NDA and patent holders may then initiate a patent infringement lawsuit in response to the notice of the Paragraph IV certification. The filing of a patent infringement lawsuit within 45 days after the receipt of notice of the Paragraph IV certification automatically prevents the FDA from approving the ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA until the earlier of 30 months, expiration of the patent, settlement of the lawsuit or a decision in the infringement case that is favorable to the ANDA applicant.

Hatch-Waxman Non-Patent Exclusivity

Market and data exclusivity provisions under the FDCA also can delay the submission or the approval of certain applications for competing products. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent data exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. A drug is a new chemical entity if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the activity of the drug substance. OLINVYK has been designated as a new chemical entity in the FDA’s Orange Book. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an ANDA or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company that contains the previously approved active moiety. However, an ANDA or 505(b)(2) NDA may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or noninfringement. The FDCA also provides three years of marketing exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA, or supplement to an existing NDA or 505(b)(2) NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant, are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application or supplement. Three-year exclusivity may be awarded for changes to a previously approved drug product, such as new indications, dosages, strengths or dosage forms of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the conditions of use associated with the new clinical investigations and, as a general matter, does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs or 505(b)(2) NDAs for generic versions of the original, unmodified drug product. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA; however, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the nonclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.

Pediatric Exclusivity

Pediatric exclusivity is another type of non-patent marketing exclusivity in the United States and, if granted, provides for the attachment of an additional six months of marketing protection to the term of any existing regulatory exclusivity, including the non-patent exclusivity periods described above. This six-month exclusivity may be granted if an NDA sponsor submits pediatric data that fairly respond to a written request from the FDA for such data. The data do not need to show the product to be effective in the pediatric population studied; rather, if the clinical trial is deemed to fairly respond to the FDA’s request, the additional protection is granted. If reports of requested pediatric studies are submitted to and accepted by the FDA within the statutory time limits, whatever statutory or regulatory periods of exclusivity or Orange Book listed patent protection cover the drug are extended by six months. This is not a patent term extension, but it effectively extends the regulatory period during which the FDA cannot approve an ANDA or 505(b)(2) application owing to regulatory exclusivity or listed patents. When any of our products is approved, we anticipate seeking pediatric exclusivity when it is appropriate.

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Foreign Regulation

To market any product outside of the United States, we would need to comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and distribution of our products. For example, in the European Union, we must obtain authorization of a clinical trial application, or CTA, in each member state in which we intend to conduct a clinical trial. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we would need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries might differ from and be longer than that required to obtain FDA approval. Regulatory approval in one country does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may negatively impact the regulatory process in others.

Employees and Human Capital Resources

Investing in, developing, and maintaining human capital is critical to our success. As of December 31, 2023, we had 23 employees, all of whom were located in the United States. We emphasize a number of measures and objectives in managing our human capital assets, including, among others, employee safety and wellness, talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement, development, and training, diversity and inclusion, and compensation and pay equity. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

In April 2024, we announced that OLINVYK remains available for purchase by customers, but that we are reducing commercial support for the product to preserve capital as we conduct a process to explore a range of strategic alternatives for OLINVYK. Following this realignment of resources, as well as other changes, as of the date of this annual report we had 18 employees, all of whom were located in the United States.

Our human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and new employees, advisors and consultants. The principal purposes of our equity and cash incentive plans are to attract, retain and reward personnel through the granting of stock-based and cash-based compensation awards, in order to increase stockholder value and the success of our company by motivating such individuals to perform to the best of their abilities and achieve our objectives.

The success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our employees. Accordingly, we are committed to their health, safety and wellness. We provide our employees and their families with access to a variety of innovative, flexible and convenient health and wellness programs, including benefits that provide protection and security so they can have peace of mind concerning events that may require time away from work or that impact their financial well-being; that support their physical and mental health by providing tools and resources to help them improve or maintain their health status and encourage engagement in healthy behaviors; and that offer choice where possible so they can customize their benefits to meet their needs and the needs of their families. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented significant changes that we determined were in the best interest of our employees, as well as the community in which we operate, and which comply with government regulations, including working from home where appropriate.

Corporate Compliance Program

Our business is subject to extensive regulations. Management has designed and implemented a comprehensive corporate compliance program as part of our commitment to comply fully with applicable criminal, civil and administrative laws, rules and regulations and to maintain the high standards of conduct we expect from all of our employees. We continuously review this compliance program and work to enhance it as and when appropriate. The primary purposes of the compliance program include, among other things:

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We have a Code of Conduct and Business Ethics that guides and binds each of our employees, officers and directors which is available on the “Governance Documents ” page of our website, www.trevena.com, under the “Governance” tab. We use an anonymous compliance hotline for employees and outside parties to report potential instances of noncompliance. Our Chief Compliance Officer administers the compliance program and chairs the Company’s Compliance Committee. The Chief Compliance Officer reports directly to our Chief Executive Officer and meets regularly with the Chair of the Audit Committee.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in November 2007. Our principal executive offices are located at 955 Chesterbrook Boulevard, Suite 110, Chesterbrook, PA 19087. Our telephone number is (610) 354-8840 and our internet address is www.trevena.com.

Available Information

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and all amendments to these filings, are available, free of charge, on our website at www.trevena.com as soon as reasonably practicable following our filing of any of these reports with the SEC. You can also obtain copies free of charge by contacting our Investor Relations department at our office address listed above. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy, and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. The information posted on or accessible through these websites is not incorporated into this filing.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to our executive officers as of the date of this annual report.

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Carrie L. Bourdow

Ms. Bourdow has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of our Company and member of our Board of Directors since October 2018 and as Chair of our Board of Directors since November 2023. Prior to her role as Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Bourdow joined our company as our Chief Commercial Officer in May 2015 and was

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appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2018. From May 2013 to May 2015, she was Vice President of Marketing at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to joining Cubist in 2013, Ms. Bourdow served for more than 20 years at Merck & Co., Inc., where she held positions of increasing responsibility across multiple therapeutic areas. Ms. Bourdow previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of Nabriva Therapeutics plc, a biopharmaceutical company, from June 2027 until July 2023 and she has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sesen Bio, a biopharmaceutical company, from February 2020 until March 2023. Ms. Bourdow earned her B.A. from Hendrix College and her M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University.

Mark A. Demitrack, M.D.

Dr. Demitrack, a board-certified psychiatrist, joined our company as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer in May 2018. From May 2017 to May 2018, he served as Vice President of Clinical Strategy at Roivant Sciences, Ltd. From July 2003 to May 2017, he served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Neuronetics, Inc., where he led the clinical development of the NeuroStar TMS Therapy System. Prior to this, Dr. Demitrack was Assistant Vice President for Global Medical Affairs in Neuroscience at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he was responsible for post-marketing clinical development of the Effexor XR brand. Dr. Demitrack also served as Medical Director of the New Antidepressant Team at Lilly Research Laboratories where he led the registration clinical development and the NDA submission program for the antidepressant, duloxetine (Cymbalta). Prior to his industry career, Dr. Demitrack was a faculty member of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he directed the Michigan Eating Disorders Program and received federal grant funding in clinical research studying the neuroendocrine pathophysiology of eating disorders and the idiopathic conditions chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Dr. Demitrack received a B.A. in Physics from Columbia University, and his M.D. from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. He completed his psychiatry residency training at the University of California-San Francisco and completed a research fellowship in clinical neuroendocrinology at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Demitrack is a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Robert T. Yoder

Mr. Yoder was appointed Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer and Head of Commercial Operations in November 2021. Prior to this role, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer since December 2018. He joined our company as Vice President of Commercial Operations and Sales in June 2018. Prior to this, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Commercial Operations, Alliance Management and IT at Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from March 2015 to June 2018. While at Orexigen, Mr. Yoder built the commercial infrastructure with a focus on innovative, efficient, and effective business process and architecture. Additionally, he led external business development efforts that delivered 11 partnership deals spanning 67 countries. Prior to joining Orexigen, Mr. Yoder spent 28 years at Merck & Co., where he held various roles of increasing responsibility across global business operations and commercial functions. In several of these roles, he was responsible for oversight and execution of large-scale initiatives including integration following acquisitions and led a range of organizational design and corporate change initiatives. Mr. Yoder received his B.S. degree in biology from Dickinson College and earned an M.B.A. from Emory University.

Barry Shin

Mr. Shin has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of our company since February 2024. Prior to this role, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since June 2019. Mr Shin joined our company with extensive investment banking experience advising biopharmaceutical companies through financing and merger and acquisition, or M&A, transactions. He was Managing Director in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Mizuho Securities from May 2017 until he joined the Company. Prior to joining Mizuho Securities, he was a Managing Director in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group of Guggenheim Securities from May 2012 to May 2017. From February 2005 to May 2012, he served in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group of Piper Jaffray. From September 2001 to February 2005, he advised healthcare and technology companies in financing and M&A transactions as a corporate attorney. Mr. Shin received a B.Sc. and joint J.D. / M.B.A. from the University of Toronto.

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Patricia Drake

Ms. Drake joined our company as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer in November 2021. She has held numerous U.S. and global commercial roles in marketing, sales, and strategy and is widely regarded as an influential and inclusive leader with a consistent track record of exceeding financial performance. Prior to joining the Company, she served as Chief Commercial Officer of Sesen Bio. from June 2021 to September 2021. Prior to that, she served in various capacities with Merck & Co., Inc., including as Managing Director and CEO of Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Finland from January 2019 to May 2021. Ms. Drake also served in Merck’s Global Human Health Commercial Strategy Office from November 2017 to December 2018, as Leader of U.S. Market Operations and Strategy Realization from January 2016 to November 2017, as Vice President – Primary Care Sales (Canada) from May 2014 to December 2015, and Hospital Business Unit Leader in Canada where she led the successful launch of multiple commercial products, including Bridion®, a highly successful post-surgical product with over $1 billion worldwide sales in 2020.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our business is subject to numerous risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and all other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as general economic and business risks, together with any other documents we file with the SEC. If any of the following events actually occur or risks actually materialize, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

Summary of Risk Factors

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Risks Related to our Strategic Review Process

We may not be successful in identifying and implementing any strategic transaction for OLINVYK and any strategic transactions that we may consummate in the future could have negative consequences.

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In April 2024, we announced that we are undertaking a review of strategic alternatives for OLINVYK focused on maximizing stockholder value, including, but not limited to, sale, out-license, divestiture of assets, in-licensing, discontinuation of US commercial sales or other strategic transaction. We expect to devote substantial time and resources to exploring strategic alternatives that our Board of Directors believes will maximize stockholder value. Despite devoting significant efforts to identify and evaluate potential strategic alternatives, there can be no assurance that this strategic review process will result in us pursuing any transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed on attractive terms or at all. We have not set a timetable for completion of this strategic review process, and our Board of Directors has not approved a definitive course of action. Additionally, there can be no assurances that any particular course of action, business arrangement or transaction, or series of transactions, will be pursued, successfully consummated or lead to increased stockholder value or that we will make any additional cash distributions to our stockholders.

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The process of continuing to evaluate these strategic options may be very costly, time-consuming and complex and we have incurred, and may in the future incur, significant costs related to this continued evaluation, such as legal and accounting fees and expenses and other related charges. We may also incur additional unanticipated expenses in connection with this process. A considerable portion of these costs will be incurred regardless of whether any such course of action is implemented or transaction is completed. Any such expenses will decrease the remaining cash available for use in our business.

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In addition, potential counterparties in a strategic transaction involving our company may place minimal or no value on our assets and our public listing. Further, should we resume the development of our product candidates, the development and any potential commercialization of our product candidates will require substantial additional cash to fund the costs associated with conducting the necessary preclinical and clinical testing and obtaining regulatory approval. Consequently, any potential counterparty in a strategic transaction involving our company may choose not to spend additional resources and continue development of our product candidates and may attribute little or no value, in such a transaction, to those product candidates.

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In addition, any strategic business combination or other transactions that we may consummate in the future could have a variety of negative consequences and we may implement a course of action or consummate a transaction that yields unexpected results that adversely affects our business and decreases the remaining cash available for use in our business or the execution of our strategic plan. Any potential transaction would be dependent on a number of factors that may be beyond our control, including, among other things, market conditions, industry trends, the interest of third parties in a potential transaction with us, obtaining stockholder approval and the availability of financing to third parties in a potential transaction with us on reasonable terms. Any failure of such potential transaction to achieve the anticipated results could significantly impair our ability to enter into any future strategic transactions and may significantly diminish or delay any future distributions to our stockholders.

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If we are not successful in setting forth a new strategic path for the Company, or if our plans are not executed in a timely fashion, this may cause reputational harm with our stockholders and the value of our securities may be adversely impacted. In addition, speculation regarding any developments related to the review of strategic alternatives and perceived uncertainties related to the future of the Company could cause our stock price to fluctuate significantly.

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Even if we successfully consummate any transaction from our strategic assessment, including, but not limited to, a sale, divestiture of assets and/or licensing of OLINVYK, we may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the transaction, those benefits may take longer to realize than expected, or we may encounter integration difficulties.

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Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of any potential business combination or any other result from our strategic assessment, are highly uncertain. Any anticipated benefits will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to integrate with any future business partner and our ability to generate future stockholder value in the platform we may elect to pursue. The process may be disruptive to our business and the expected benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all. The failure to meet the challenges involved and to realize the anticipated benefits of any potential transaction could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

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If we are successful in completing a strategic transaction for OLINVYK, we may be exposed to other operational and financial risks.

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Although there can be no assurance that a strategic transaction will result from the process we have undertaken to identify and evaluate strategic alternatives for OLINVYK, the negotiation and consummation of any such transaction will require significant time on the part of our management, and the diversion of management’s attention may disrupt our business.

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The negotiation and consummation of any such transaction may also require more time or greater cash resources than we anticipate and expose us to other operational and financial risks, including:

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Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.

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If a strategic transaction is not consummated, our Board of Directors may decide to pursue a dissolution and liquidation. In such an event, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such liquidation as well as the amount of cash that will need to be reserved for commitments and contingent liabilities.

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There can be no assurance that a strategic transaction will be completed. If a strategic transaction is not completed, our Board of Directors may decide to pursue a dissolution and liquidation. In such an event, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such decision and, with the passage of time the amount of cash available for distribution will be reduced as we continue to fund our operations. In addition, if our Board of Directors were to approve and recommend, and our stockholders were to approve, a dissolution and liquidation, we would be required under Delaware corporate law to pay our outstanding obligations, as well as to make reasonable provision for contingent and unknown obligations, prior to making any distributions in liquidation to our stockholders. As a result of this requirement, a portion of our assets may need to be reserved pending the resolution of such obligations and the timing of any such resolution is uncertain. In addition, we may be subject to litigation or other claims related to a dissolution and liquidation. If a dissolution and liquidation were pursued, our Board of Directors, in consultation with our advisors, would need to evaluate these matters and make a determination about a reasonable amount to reserve. Accordingly, holders of our common stock could lose all or a significant portion of their investment in the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up.

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Our ability to consummate a strategic transaction depends on our ability to retain our employees required to consummate such transaction.

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Our ability to consummate a strategic transaction depends upon our ability to retain our employees required to consummate such a transaction, the loss of whose services may adversely impact the ability to consummate such transaction. The strategic review process is supported by our deep and broad experience at the board, executive management, and supporting staff levels. Our cash conservation activities may yield unintended consequences, such as attrition beyond our reduction in workforce and reduced employee morale, which may cause remaining employees to seek alternative employment. Our ability to successfully complete a strategic transaction depends in large part on our ability to retain certain of our remaining personnel. If we are unable to successfully retain our remaining personnel, we are at risk of a disruption to our exploration and consummation of a strategic alternative as well as business operations.

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Any future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain and integrate additional employees. Due to our limited resources, we may not be able to effectively manage our operations or recruit and retain qualified personnel, which may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure and operations, risks that we may not be able to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Our future financial performance and, should we resume development, our ability to develop our product candidates or additional assets will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth or restructuring, as the case may be.

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We may become involved in litigation, including securities class action litigation, that could divert management’s attention and harm the company’s business, and insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all costs and damages.

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In the past, litigation, including securities class action litigation, has often followed certain significant business transactions, such as the sale of a company or announcement of any other strategic transaction, or the announcement of negative events, such as negative results from clinical trials. These events may also result in investigations by the SEC. We may be exposed to such litigation even if no wrongdoing occurred. Litigation is usually expensive and diverts management’s attention and resources, which could adversely affect our business and cash resources and our ability to consummate a potential strategic transaction or the ultimate value our stockholders receive in any such transaction.

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Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs

We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

Since inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. Our net loss was $40.3 million and $53.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $588.1 million. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through private placements and public offerings of our equity securities and debt borrowings. We have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to research and development, including nonclinical studies and clinical trials. In August 2020, the FDA granted approval for OLIVNYK as a treatment in the United States for the management of acute pain in adults severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. We have not generated significant revenue from the sale of OLINVYK, and in April 2024, we announced the reduction of commercial support for OLINVYK. We have suspended marketing and product development efforts with respect to OLINVYK as we evaluate potential strategic and financing alternatives for Trevena. We will continue to sell OLINVYK through our existing sales and distribution channels, but we may not be successful in generating additional sales of OLINVYK.

We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses over the next several years. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase if we:

To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in raising substantial additional funding for the Company and developing and commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including completing nonclinical testing and clinical trials of our product candidates, identifying additional product candidates, potentially entering into collaboration and license agreements, obtaining regulatory approval for product candidates, and manufacturing, marketing, and selling OLINVYK and any products or product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval. We are only in the preliminary stages of some of these activities and have not begun others. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, our future profitability will depend upon the size of any markets in which our product candidates have received approval, and our ability to achieve sufficient market acceptance, reimbursement from third-party payors and adequate market share for our products in those markets.

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Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with pharmaceutical product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses, whether we will have sufficient funding available to or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. If, for example, we are required by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities to perform studies in addition to those we currently anticipate conducting, or if there are any delays in completing our clinical trials, making necessary regulatory filings, or the development of any of our product candidates, our expenses could increase. Absent substantial additional fundraising, the level and extent of our clinical and, if approved, commercial efforts may lead to a delay in our ability to achieve profitability.

Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, continue our development efforts, diversify our product offerings, or even continue our operations. A decline in the value of our company also could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

Our prospects are highly dependent on the sales of OLINVYK and the successful commercialization of our other product candidates. To the extent we are unable to successfully complete clinical development, obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize one or more of our product candidates, or if delays in doing so, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected, and the price of our common stock may decline.

Our future success and ability to generate significant revenue from our product candidates is dependent on our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize one or more of our product candidates. All of our other product candidates are in earlier stages of development and will require substantial additional investment for manufacturing, preclinical testing, clinical development, regulatory review and approval in one or more jurisdictions. If any of our product candidates encounter safety or efficacy problems, development delays or regulatory issues or other problems, our development plans and business would be materially harmed.

We may not have the financial resources to continue development of our product candidates. Even if clinical trials are completed, we may experience other issues that may delay or prevent regulatory approval of, or our ability to commercialize, our product candidates. Our product candidates will require additional, time-consuming development efforts prior to commercial sale, including preclinical studies, clinical trials and approval by the FDA and applicable foreign regulatory authorities. All product candidates are prone to the risks of failure that are inherent in pharmaceutical product development, including the possibility that such product candidate will not be shown to be sufficiently safe and effective for approval by regulatory authorities. In addition, we cannot assure stockholders that any such products that are approved will be manufactured or produced economically, successfully commercialized or widely accepted in the marketplace or be more effective than other commercially available alternatives.

We will need substantial additional funding, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts and may not be able to continue as a going concern.

As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $33.0 million and restricted cash of $0.5 million. Based upon our current operating plan, we believe that our available cash and cash equivalents will not be sufficient to fund our planned operations and capital expenditure requirements for one year after the date of this filing and therefore management has concluded that substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern. Although we plan and budget funding for our operations, it is possible that we may have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. We expect to incur significant expenses in connection with our current operations. Furthermore, we will continue to incur costs associated with operating as a public company and hiring personnel, as needed. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding for these efforts; we would seek to obtain this funding through the sale of equity, the incurrence of debt, and/or other sources, including potential collaborations. Ultimately, we may be unable to raise

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additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed, on favorable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise additional capital or enter into such arrangements as, and when, needed, we could be forced to:

The extent of our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting nonclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. Despite these efforts, we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain regulatory approval and achieve product sales for our product candidates. In addition, our other product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success or meet our expectations.

Our ability to generate commercial revenue from sales of OLINVYK is unproven, and we do not expect our product candidates to be commercially available for the foreseeable future, if at all. Accordingly, we will need to

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continue to rely on additional financing to achieve our business objectives. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. Furthermore, a systemic failure of the banking system in the United States or globally may result in a situation in which we lose our deposits, or access to our deposits, and are unable to obtain financing from other sources which could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our limited operating history may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

We are a biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. Our activities to date have been limited to, among other things, organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, developing our product platform, identifying potential product candidates, undertaking nonclinical studies, and conducting clinical trials of our product candidates. With the exception of OLINVYK, our product candidates are in early stages of development. We have not yet demonstrated the ability to generate significant revenue from the sale of OLINVYK. Consequently, any predictions you make about our future success or viability may not be as reliable as they could be if we had a longer and more established operating history.

We have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in a rapidly developing and changing industry, such as the biopharmaceutical industry, including challenges in forecasting accuracy, determining appropriate investments of our limited resources, gaining market acceptance of our products, if approved, managing a complex regulatory landscape and developing new product candidates. Our current operating model may require changes in order for us to scale our operations efficiently. You should consider our business and prospects in light of the risks and difficulties we face as a company focused on developing products in the fields of biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

We expect our financial condition and operating results to continue to fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, you should not rely upon the results of any past quarterly or annual periods as indications of future operating performance.

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

We have incurred substantial losses during our history. We do not anticipate generating revenue from sales of products for the foreseeable future, if ever, and we may never achieve profitability. To the extent that we continue to generate tax losses, unused losses generated in tax years ending on or prior to December 31, 2018 will carry forward to offset future taxable income, if any, until such unused losses expire. Unused tax losses generated after December 31, 2018 under the Tax Act will not expire and may be carried forward indefinitely, but will be deductible only to the extent of 80% of current taxable income in any given year. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act. In addition, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership over a three year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre change tax attributes to offset its post change income or taxes may be limited. We have not completed an analysis to determine whether we have experienced an ownership change. In addition, we may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership. Similar provisions of state tax law may also apply to limit our use of accumulated state tax attributes. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of net operating losses is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed. As a result, even if we attain profitability, we may be unable to use all or a material portion of our net operating losses and other tax attributes, which could adversely affect our future cash flows. As of December 31, 2023, we had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $226.5 million that could be limited if we have experienced, or if in the future we experience, an ownership change.

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We may not have cash available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to make interest or principal payments on our indebtedness when due.

An indirect subsidiary (“SPV2”), entered into a royalty-based loan agreement, or the Loan Agreement, with R-Bridge Investment, Four Pte. Ltd., or R-Bridge, pursuant to which we may incur up to $40.0 million of indebtedness. The repayment of all borrowings, interest and other related payments under the Loan Agreement are secured by the Chinese intellectual property related to OLINVYK and associated with our license agreement with Nhwa, and deposit accounts established to hold any amounts received by SPV2 that are required to be used to repay amounts in accordance with the Loan Agreement. Our ability to make any royalty payments from U.S. sales as further provided in the Loan Agreement depends on our future performance, which is subject to regulatory, economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. We are a biopharmaceutical company that has not yet generated profit from product sales. We expect to continue to incur losses from our infrastructure and personnel to support our commercialization and product development efforts and operations. Accordingly, our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to make capital expenditures necessary to general royalty payments. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms. If SPV2 fails to satisfy its debt obligations under the Loan Agreement, it could result in an event of default and, as a result, R-Bridge could accelerate all of its rights and remedies under the Loan Agreement including, but not limited to, foreclosing on the Chinese intellectual property that secures the indebtedness. See Note 7 – Loans Payable to the financial statements included in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more specific description of the Loan Agreement.

We may not satisfy the milestones or conditions set forth in our Loan Agreement with R-Bridge in order to draw down additional funding on our royalty-based loan.

The second tranche of term loans (the “Second Tranche”) under our Loan Agreement with R-Bridge, in an amount up to $10.0 million, may only be drawn, subject to the achievement of either a commercial or financing milestone as set forth in the Loan Agreement. We believe the gross proceeds from the private placement in December 2023, in addition to other Permitted Financing, as such term is defined in the Loan Agreement, may satisfy the conditions for us to receive the Second Tranche under the Loan Agreement. However, there can be no assurance when, or if, we will receive the funds under the Second Tranche. Without the achievement of the required commercial or financing milestones and satisfaction of certain customary conditions, we will not be eligible to draw additional funds under the Second Tranche. If we are unable to draw down additional funding under the terms of the Loan Agreement, our business, financial condition and results of operation may be harmed, and we may be required to seek out alternative financing sources which, if available, may have less favorable terms.

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We are subject to certain restrictive covenants pursuant to the Loan Agreement which, if breached, could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

The Loan Agreement contains certain customary affirmative covenants, including those relating to: use of proceeds; maintenance of books and records; financial reporting and notification; compliance with laws; and protection of our intellectual property. The Loan Agreement also contains certain customary negative covenants, related to us or SPV2: entering certain fundamental transactions; issuing dividends and distributions (other than certain exceptions, including distributing the loan proceeds to us); incurring additional indebtedness outside of the ordinary course of business; engaging in any business activity other than related to our license agreement relating to OLINVYK with our partner in China, Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, or Nhwa.; and permitting any additional liens on the collateral provided to R-Bridge under the Loan Agreement. As a result, the Loan Agreement may limit our ability to pursue strategic alternatives and react to changes in our business. Our and SPV2’s failure to observe or breach these covenants could result in an event of default and, as a result, R-Bridge could accelerate all of the amounts then due by SPV2 under the Loan Agreement, including a premium in certain cases, or otherwise give R-Bridge certain rights over us or SPV2, which would have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, R-Bridge could seek to enforce its respective security interests in certain assets.

We maintain significant inventories of OLINVYK, and in 2023 and 2022 we recorded an inventory valuation adjustment, primarily for slow-moving or obsolete inventory related to OLINVYK, as well as an increase in returns reserve from our wholesalers.

We maintain significant inventories of OLINVYK and evaluate these inventories on a periodic basis for potential slow-moving or obsolete amounts on hand. During 2023, we recognized an inventory valuation adjustment of $0.9 million for OLINVYK inventories of hand, due to uncertainty of commercial activities and future expected OLINVYK sales. During 2023, we also recorded a $0.1 million returns reserve adjustment for OLINVYK to account for expected returns from our wholesalers. The inventory valuation adjustment and returns reserve adjustment were based upon our analysis of current OLINVYK inventory on hand and at our wholesalers, and the remaining shelf-life, in relation to our projected demand for the product.

Inventories are fully reserved as of December 31, 2023 and no additional inventory manufacturing is planned.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The trading price of the shares of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile, and you may not be able to resell some or all of your shares at a desired price.

Since our common stock commenced trading in January 2014, our stock price has been highly volatile, with closing stock prices ranging from a high of $339.25 per share to a low of $0.41 per share.

The stock market in general and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors in our stock may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the price paid for the shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

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If we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Nasdaq could delist our common stock.

Our common stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including the Minimum Bid Price Rule (as discussed below) and those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, and certain corporate governance requirements. There can be no assurances that we will be able to comply with the applicable listing standards.

We are required to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share. On September 1, 2023, we received a notice from Nasdaq indicating that the Company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), or the Minimum Bid Price Rule, because our common stock failed to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days.

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In accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5810 (c) (3)(A), the Company was afforded an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until February 28, 2024, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Rule. On March 1, 2024, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq stating that the Company has not regained compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Rule and is not currently eligible for a second 180-day extension period because the Company does not comply with the $5,000,000 minimum stockholders’ equity initial listing requirement for The Nasdaq Capital Market. The Nasdaq letter noted that unless the Company timely requests an appeal of this determination to the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”), the Company’s common stock will be scheduled for delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market. On March 5, 2024, the Company submitted a request for a hearing to appeal Nasdaq’s delisting determination. In response to the Company’s request for a hearing, on March 5, 2024, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq granting the Company’s request for a hearing on appeal and staying the delisting action noted in Nasdaq’s letter pending a final decision by the Panel and the expiration of any additional extension period granted by the Panel following the hearing. The Panel hearing is scheduled for May 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. via video conference.

In the event that our common stock is delisted from The Nasdaq Stock Market and is not eligible for quotation or listing on another market or exchange, trading of our common stock could be conducted only in the over the counter market or on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the Pink Sheets or the OTC Bulletin Board. In such event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for, our common stock, and there would likely also be a reduction in our coverage by securities analysts and the news media, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline further. Also, it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital if we are not listed on a major exchange.

Such a de-listing would also likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a de listing, we may take actions to restore our compliance with The Nasdaq Stock Market’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below The Nasdaq Stock Market minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with The Nasdaq Stock Market’s listing requirements.

If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a “penny stock,” a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock in the secondary market.

If our common stock were removed from listing with The Nasdaq Capital Market, it may be subject to the “penny stock” rules of the Exchange Act. The Exchange Act defines a “penny stock” as an equity security that has a market price per share of less than $5.00, subject to certain exceptions, such as any securities listed on a national securities exchange, which is the exception on which we currently rely.

The penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction involving a penny stock, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a “penny stock,” a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock on the secondary market.

We may be subject to securities class action and stockholder derivative litigation.

We have in the past, and may in the future, become subject to class action and stockholder derivative litigation. We and our officers and directors, from time to time, could be subject to such lawsuits. If that were to occur, such suits and any resolution of such suits could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

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Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. If our stockholders sell, or the market perceives that our stockholders intend to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly.

In addition, we have filed registration statements on Form S‑8 registering the issuance of shares of common stock subject to options or other equity awards issued or reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans. Shares registered under these registration statements on Form S‑8 are available for sale in the public market subject to vesting arrangements and exercise of existing options, the grant of new options in the future, and the restrictions of Rule 144 in the case of our affiliates.

We are a “smaller reporting company” and, as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies, our common stock may be less attractive to investors.

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and we intend to take advantage of some of the exemptions from reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not smaller reporting companies, including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

The issuance of additional stock in connection with financings, acquisitions, investments, our stock incentive plans or otherwise will dilute all other stockholders.

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes us to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of common stock and up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such rights and preferences as may be determined by our Board of Directors. Subject to compliance with applicable rules and regulations, we may seek to expand the number of authorized common shares, and issue our shares of common stock or securities convertible into our common stock from time to time in connection with a financing, acquisition, investment, our stock incentive plans or otherwise. Any such issuance could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law may prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to change our management and hinder efforts to acquire a controlling interest in us, and the market price of our common stock may be lower as a result.

There are provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that may make it difficult for a third party to acquire, or attempt to acquire, control of our company, even if a change in control was considered favorable by you and other stockholders. For example, our Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The Board of Directors can fix the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the preferred stock without any further vote or action by our stockholders. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control transaction. As a result, the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of our stockholders may be adversely affected. An issuance of shares of preferred stock may result in the loss of voting control to other stockholders.

Our charter documents also contain other provisions that could have an anti‑takeover effect, including:

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In addition, we are subject to the anti‑takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which regulates corporate acquisitions by prohibiting Delaware corporations from engaging in specified business combinations with particular stockholders of those companies. These provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. They could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock, including transactions that may be in your best interests. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management or limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our stock.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gains and you may never receive a return on your investment.

You should not rely on an investment in our common stock to provide dividend income. We have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock to date and have no plans to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock.

Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

OLINVYK or any of our product candidates for which we obtain approval may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors, and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.

OLINVYK or any of our product candidates for which we obtain approval may fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors, and others in the medical community. If OLINVYK or our product candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenue and we may not attain profitability. The degree of market acceptance of OLINVYK and our product candidates for which we obtain approval will depend on a number of factors, including:

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We cannot assure you that OLINVYK or any product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval in the future will achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, patient advocacy groups, third-party payors or others in the medical community necessary for commercial success. Any failure by OLINVYK or our product candidates that obtain regulatory approval to achieve market acceptance or commercial success could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing, or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.

OLINVYK is approved for use in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are not adequate. OLINVYK competes with generic IV opioid analgesics, such as morphine, hydromorphone and fentanyl. IV opioid analgesics are limited by well-known adverse side effects, such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and post-operative ileus, which can be exacerbated by the way these molecules are metabolized or cleared. OLINVYK competes against, or is used in combination with, IV acetaminophen; EXPAREL® (liposomal bupivacaine), marketed by Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; ZYNRELEF® (bupivacaine and meloxicam) marketed by Heron Therapeutics, Inc; CALDOLOR® (IV ibuprofen), marketed by Cumberland Pharmaceuticals; DSUVIA™ (sublingual sufentanil) marketed by Alora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; XARACOLL™ (bupivacaine HCL) implant, marketed by Innocoll Holdings plc; and POSIMIR® (bupivacaine solution) marketed by INNOCOLL Biotherapeutic. Together with generic versions of IV NSAIDs such as ketorolac and acetaminophen, and generic versions of local anesthetics such as bupivacaine, these non-opioid analgesics are currently used in combination with opioids in the multimodal management of moderate-to-severe acute pain.

We also are aware of a number of products in mid- and late-stage clinical development that are aimed at improving the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain and may compete with OLINVYK. Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. is developing an IV version of generic opioid tramadol for moderate-to-severe acute pain.

Some of these potential competitive compounds are being developed by large, well-financed, and experienced pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, or have been partnered with such companies, which may give them development, regulatory and marketing advantages over us.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for our product candidates, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. In addition, our ability to compete may be affected in many cases by insurers or other third-party payors seeking to encourage the use of generic products or lower-cost branded products. Generic products are currently on the market for the OLINVYK indications and the indications that we are pursuing for our product candidates. If our product candidates achieve marketing approval, we expect that they will be priced at a significant premium over competing generic products.

Some of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources, brand recognition and expertise than we do in research and development, manufacturing, nonclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals, and selling and marketing approved products. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early-stage companies

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also may prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

OLINVYK or any product candidates for which we are able to obtain regulatory approval in the future may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party payor coverage and reimbursement policies, or healthcare reform initiatives.

Our ability to sell OLINVYK or commercialize any of our other product candidates, if approved, successfully will depend, in part, on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government payor programs at the federal and state level, including Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers, managed care plans and other organizations. Government authorities and other third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. In addition, for hospital products, a private health insurer or Medicare will typically reimburse a fixed fee for certain procedures, including in‑patient surgeries. Pharmaceutical products such as OLINVYK that may be used in connection with the surgery generally will not be separately reimbursed and, therefore, a hospital would have to assess the cost of OLINVYK relative to its benefits. Current or future efforts to limit the level of reimbursement for in‑patient hospital procedures could cause a hospital to decide not to use OLINVYK.

A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and other third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications or procedures. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. Coverage and reimbursement may not be available for any drug that we or our collaborators commercialize and, even if these are available, the level of reimbursement for a product or procedure may not be satisfactory. Inadequate reimbursement levels may adversely affect the demand for, or the price of, any product candidate for which we or our collaborators obtain marketing approval. Obtaining and maintaining adequate reimbursement for our products may be difficult. We may be required to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies to seek to justify coverage and reimbursement or the level of reimbursement relative to other therapies. If coverage and adequate reimbursement are not available or reimbursement is available only to limited levels, we or our collaborators may not be able to successfully sell OLINVYK or commercialize any of our other product candidates for which marketing approval is obtained.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contains substantial drug pricing reforms, including the establishment of a drug price negotiation program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would require manufacturers to charge a negotiated “maximum fair price” for certain selected drugs or pay an excise tax for noncompliance, the establishment of rebate payment requirements on manufacturers of certain drugs payable under Medicare Parts B and D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation, and requires manufacturers to provide discounts on Part D drugs. Substantial penalties can be assessed for noncompliance with the drug pricing provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 could have the effect of reducing the prices we can charge and reimbursement we receive for our product and our product candidates, if approved, thereby reducing our profitability, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. The effect of Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 on our business and the pharmaceutical industry in general is not yet known.

There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage and reimbursement for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the indications for which the drug is approved by the FDA or analogous regulatory authorities outside the United States. Moreover, eligibility for coverage and reimbursement does not imply that a drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale, and distribution expenses. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, also may not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently

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restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Private third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies. Our or our collaborators’ inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement rates from both government‑funded and private payors for any approved drugs that we develop could adversely affect our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize drugs and our overall financial condition.

The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing, coverage and reimbursement for new drugs vary widely from country to country. Current and future legislation may significantly change the approval requirements in ways that could involve additional costs and cause delays in obtaining approvals. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we or our collaborators might obtain marketing approval for a drug in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay commercial launch of the drug, possibly for lengthy time periods, and negatively impact our ability to generate revenue from the sale of the drug in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more product candidates, even if our product candidates obtain marketing approval.

There can be no assurance that our product candidates, if they are approved for sale in the United States or in other countries, will be considered medically reasonable and necessary for a specific indication, that they will be considered cost‑effective by third-party payors, that coverage or an adequate level of reimbursement will be available, or that third-party payors’ reimbursement policies will not adversely affect our ability to profitably sell our product candidates if they are approved for sale.

Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and limit sales of OLINVYK or the development or commercialization of our product candidates.

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure as a result of the commercial sales of OLINVYK in the United States, the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials, and the commercialization of such product candidates, if approved. Product liability claims might be brought against us by consumers, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies or others selling or otherwise coming into contact with our products. For example, we may be sued if OLINVYK or any product candidate we develop allegedly causes injury or is found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we will incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our products. Even a successful defense would require significant financial and management resources.

Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

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We currently maintain product liability insurance coverage at levels which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may need to increase our insurance as we conduct additional clinical trials for our product candidates. We will need to further increase our insurance coverage if we commence commercialization of any of our product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive, and in the future may be difficult to obtain for our product and product candidates. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. Our insurance policies also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. A successful product liability claim or series of claims brought against us could cause our stock price to fall and, if judgments exceed our insurance coverage, could decrease our cash and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Concerns around the abuse of opioids, including law enforcement concerns over diversion of opioids and regulatory efforts to combat abuse, impact our ability to generate significant revenues from OLINVYK or any of our other product candidates and may adversely impact external investor perceptions of our business.

Prescription drug abuse and the diversion of opioids is a growing concern and has been referred to as an “opioid crisis” in the United States. Law enforcement and regulatory agencies applied policies that seek to limit the availability or use of opioids. Such efforts may inhibit sales of OLINVYK or our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Aggressive enforcement and unfavorable publicity regarding the use or misuse of opioids, including litigation or regulatory activity regarding sales or marketing of opioids, could have a material adverse effect on our business or reputation. Furthermore, a number of governmental entities have brought separate lawsuits against various pharmaceutical companies marketing and selling opioid pain medications, alleging misleading or otherwise improper promotion of opioid drugs to physicians and consumers. These efforts could reduce the potential size of the market for OLINVYK, decrease the revenues we are able to generate from its sale and adversely impact external investor perceptions of our business.

Many state legislatures and the federal government have enacted legislation intended to reduce opioid abuse. In addition, the FDA, DEA, CDC and HHS each have initiatives to address opioid-related overdose, death and dependence. While these initiatives are generally focused on prescribing oral opioids in an outpatient settings, some of these initiatives, and any legislation or regulations resulting from these initiatives, may apply to all opioid drugs, including those like OLINVYK that are administered through an IV in a hospital setting. Many of these changes and others could cause us to expend additional resources in developing and commercializing our products to meet additional requirements.

Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates

If we are not able to obtain, or if there are delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to timely commercialize, or to commercialize at all, our product candidates, and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.

Our product candidates and the activities associated with their development and commercialization, including their design, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, recordkeeping, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution, are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory agencies in the United States and by the European Medicines Agency and similar regulatory authorities outside the United States. Failure to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates will prevent us from commercializing these product candidates and will significantly limit our ability to generate revenue in the future.

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​

We have limited resources in filing and supporting the applications necessary to gain marketing approvals, and we have relied and expect to continue to rely on third parties to assist us in this process. Securing marketing approval requires the submission of extensive nonclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. Our product candidates may not be effective, may be only moderately effective, or may prove to have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that may preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use. If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, the accompanying label may limit the approved use of our drug in this way, which could limit sales of the product. The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the United States and abroad, is expensive, may take many years if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity, and novelty of the product candidates involved. Changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application.

​

OLINVYK has been classified as a Schedule II controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. The making, use, sale, importation, exportation and distribution of controlled substances are subject to regulation by state, federal and foreign law enforcement and other regulatory agencies. We anticipate that TRV734, if approved, would also be classified as a Schedule II controlled substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

Controlled substances are subject to state, federal and foreign laws and regulations regarding their manufacture, use, sale, importation, exportation and distribution. Controlled substances are regulated under the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or CSA, and regulations of the DEA.

The DEA regulates controlled substances as Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances. Schedule I substances by definition have a high potential for abuse and no established medicinal use and may not be marketed or sold in the United States. A pharmaceutical product may be listed as Schedule II, III, IV or V, with Schedule II substances considered to present the highest risk of abuse and Schedule V substances the lowest relative risk of abuse among such substances. The FDA has designated OLINVYK® (oliceridine) injection as a Schedule II controlled substance. Consequently, the manufacture, shipment, storage, sale, and use of OLINVYK will be subject to a high degree of regulation.

Various states also independently regulate controlled substances. Though state-controlled substances laws often mirror federal law, because the states are separate jurisdictions, they may separately schedule drugs as well. While some states automatically schedule a drug when the DEA does so, in other states there must be rulemaking or a legislative action. State scheduling may delay commercial sale of any controlled substance drug product for which we obtain federal regulatory approval and adverse scheduling could impair the commercial attractiveness of such product. We or our collaborators must also obtain separate state registrations in order to be able to obtain, handle and distribute controlled substances for clinical trials or commercial sale, and failure to meet applicable regulatory requirements could lead to enforcement and sanctions from the states in addition to those from the DEA or otherwise arising under federal law.

For any of our products classified as controlled substances, we and our suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, customers and distributors are required to obtain and maintain applicable registrations from state, federal and foreign law enforcement and regulatory agencies and comply with state, federal and foreign laws and regulations regarding the manufacture, use, sale, importation, exportation and distribution of controlled substances. There is a risk that DEA regulations may limit the supply of the compounds used in clinical trials for our product candidates and the ability to produce and distribute our products in the volume needed to both meet commercial demand and build inventory to mitigate possible supply disruptions.

Regulations associated with controlled substances govern manufacturing, labeling, packaging, testing, dispensing, production and procurement quotas, recordkeeping, reporting, handling, shipment and disposal. These regulations increase the personnel needs and the expense associated with development and commercialization of product

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candidates including controlled substances. The DEA, and some states, conduct periodic inspections of registered establishments that handle controlled substances. Failure to obtain and maintain required registrations or comply with any applicable regulations could delay or preclude us from developing and commercializing our product candidates containing controlled substances and subject us to enforcement action. The DEA may seek civil penalties, refuse to renew necessary registrations or initiate proceedings to revoke those registrations. In some circumstances, violations could lead to criminal proceedings. Because of their restrictive nature, these regulations could limit commercialization of any of our product candidates that are classified as controlled substances.

Failure to obtain marketing approval in international jurisdictions would prevent OLINVYK or our product candidates from being marketed abroad.

To market and sell our products in the European Union, Asia, and many other jurisdictions, we, our current collaborators in South Korea and China for OLINVYK, or any future third-party collaborators must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ substantially from that required to obtain FDA approval. The regulatory approval process outside the United States generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. In addition, in many countries outside the United States, it is required that the product be approved for reimbursement before the product can be approved for sale in that country. We or our collaborators may not obtain approvals from regulatory authorities outside the United States on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one regulatory authority outside the United States does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA. However, the failure to obtain approval in one jurisdiction may compromise our ability to obtain approval elsewhere. We may not be able to file for marketing approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market.

OLINVYK and any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval could be subject to post-marketing restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or if we experience unanticipated problems with our product candidates, when and if any of them are approved.

OLINVYK and any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval, along with the manufacturing processes, post‑approval clinical data, labeling, advertising, and promotional activities for such product, will be subject to ongoing requirements of and review by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post‑marketing information and reports, registration, and listing requirements, current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, requirements relating to manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, requirements regarding the distribution of samples to physicians and recordkeeping. Even if marketing approval of a product candidate is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, including the requirement to implement a REMS. If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, the accompanying label may limit the approved use of our drug, which could limit sales of the product.

The FDA also may impose requirements for costly post‑marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. The FDA closely regulates the post‑approval marketing and promotion of drugs to ensure drugs are marketed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling. However, companies may share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise consistent with a product’s FDA approved labeling. The FDA imposes stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off‑label use and if we do not market our products for only their approved indications, we may be subject to enforcement action for off‑label marketing. Violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act relating to the promotion of prescription drugs may lead to investigations alleging violations of federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, as well as state consumer protection laws.

Even though the FDA has granted approval of OLINVYK, the scope and terms of the approval may limit the ability to generate substantial sales revenues from OLINVYK either on our own or with a partner. The FDA has approved OLINVYK only for use in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous

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opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. The label for OLINVYK also contains a “boxed” warning about addiction, abuse, misuse, life-threatening respiratory depression, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, and risks from concomitant use with benzodiazepines or other central nervous system depressants. This “boxed” warning may discourage physicians from prescribing OLINVYK to patients.

In addition, later discovery of previously unknown adverse events or other problems with OLINVYK or our other product candidates, manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may yield various results, including:

If any of these actions were to occur, we may have to discontinue commercializing OLINVYK, limit our sales and marketing efforts, conduct further post-approval studies, and/or discontinue or change any other ongoing or planned clinical studies, which in turn could result in significant expense and delay or limit our ability to generate sales revenues. Moreover, the FDA’s policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could impose additional post-marketing obligations on any approved products. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained.

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Risks Related to the Discovery and Development of Our Product Candidates

We have only one product, OLINVYK, for which we received marketing approval from the FDA. If we are unable to find a commercial partner for OLINVYK, or if we are unable to complete development of our product candidates, or if we experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

We have only one product, OLINVYK, for which we have received marketing approval by the FDA. To this point, we have invested substantially all of our efforts and financial resources in the identification and development of biased ligands. Our ability to generate product revenue may depend heavily on the successful ability to find a commercial partner of OLINVYK and the development and commercialization, if approved, of our other product candidates. The success of OLINVYK and our development-stage product candidates will depend on several factors, including the following:

If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully commercialize our product candidates, if approved, which would materially harm our business.

Nonclinical and clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process, with an uncertain outcome. We may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

Clinical testing is expensive, can take many years to complete, and has a high risk of failure. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of any product candidate, we must complete nonclinical studies and then conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. The outcome of nonclinical testing and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and interim or topline results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. Moreover, nonclinical and clinical data often are susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in nonclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of their products. We may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, clinical trials, which could

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delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or subsequently to commercialize our product candidates, including:

If we are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our product candidates beyond those that we currently contemplate, if we are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of our product candidates or other testing, if the results of these trials or tests are not positive or are only modestly positive or if there are safety concerns, we may:

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Our product development costs also will increase if we experience delays in testing or in receiving marketing approvals. We do not know whether any of our nonclinical studies or clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, or at all. Significant nonclinical study or clinical trial delays also could shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates or allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do and impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates, thereby harming our business and results of operations.

We may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates under applicable regulatory requirements. The denial or delay of any such approval would delay commercialization of our product candidates and adversely impact our potential to generate revenue, our business and our results of operations.

The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, licensure, sale, marketing and distribution of biopharmaceutical products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and comparable regulatory authorities in the United States and other countries, and such regulations differ from country to country. We are not permitted to market our product candidates in any jurisdiction until they receive the requisite marketing approval from the applicable regulatory authorities of such jurisdictions. To gain approval to market our product candidates, we must provide the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities with nonclinical and clinical data that adequately demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the product for the intended indication applied for in the applicable regulatory filing. The approval process is typically lengthy and expensive, and approval is never certain. Our receipt of regulatory approval in the United States for OLINVYK does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining regulatory approval for our other product candidates.

The FDA or any foreign regulatory authorities can delay, limit or deny approval of our product candidates for many reasons, including:

Any of these factors, many of which are beyond our control, may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.

We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside the United States. Some of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that treat the same indications as our product candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates. Patient enrollment is affected by other factors including:

These factors can be exacerbated by other situations, such as our inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients for our clinical trials which would result in significant delays and could require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether. Enrollment delays in our clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates, which would cause the value of our company to decline and limit our ability to obtain additional financing.

If serious adverse or unacceptable side effects are identified during the development of our product candidates or following their approval by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities, we may need to abandon or limit our development of some of our product candidates, limit the commercial profile of an approved label, or it may result in significant negative consequences following marketing approval, if any.

If our product candidates are associated with adverse side effects in clinical trials or have characteristics that are unexpected, we may need to abandon their development or limit development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe, or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. In our industry, many compounds that initially showed promise in early-stage testing have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further development of the compound or significantly limited its commercial opportunity.

OLINVYK and TRV734 are both biased ligands targeted at the MOR. Common adverse reactions for agonists of the MOR include respiratory depression, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and addiction. In rare cases, MOR agonists can cause respiratory arrest requiring immediate medical intervention. The label for OLINVYK contains a “boxed” warning about addiction, abuse, misuse, life-threatening respiratory depression, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome,

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and risks from concomitant use with benzodiazepines or other central nervous system depressants. This “boxed” warning may discourage physicians from prescribing OLINVYK to patients.

If our clinical trials reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects, these trials could be suspended or terminated, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Drug related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial and could result in potential product liability claims.

Additionally, if we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by OLINVYK or one or more of our product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

We may not be successful in our efforts to expand our pipeline of product candidates.

One element of our strategy has been to expand our pipeline of therapeutics based on biased ligands and advance these product candidates through clinical development for the treatment of a variety of indications. Although we continue to assess the future development of our pipeline, without internal discovery research capabilities, we will need to expand our pipeline through other means, including, for example, by in-licensing product candidates for further development. We may not be able to identify, acquire, and develop product candidates that are safe and effective. Even if we are successful in continuing to expand our pipeline, the potential product candidates that we identify or in-license may not be suitable for clinical development, including as a result of being shown to have harmful side effects or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to receive marketing approval and achieve market acceptance. If we do not successfully develop, receive regulatory approval and commercialize product candidates, we will not be able to obtain product revenue in future periods, which would make it unlikely that we would ever achieve profitability.

We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and thereby fail to capitalize on other product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.

Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on research programs and product candidates that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with

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other product candidates that later prove to have fewer clinical or regulatory risks and/or greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate.

In the future, we may conduct a substantial portion of the clinical trials for our product candidates outside of the United States and, if approved, we may seek to market our product candidates abroad through third-party collaborators. Accordingly, we will be subject to the risks of doing business outside of the United States.

In the future, we may conduct a substantial portion of our clinical trials outside of the United States and we may seek to market our product candidates for which we obtain approval outside of the United States. We are thus subject to risks associated with doing business outside of the United States. We may choose to partner with third parties that have direct sales forces and established distribution systems, in lieu of our own sales force and distribution systems, which would indirectly expose us to these risks. Our business and financial results in the future could be adversely affected due to a variety of factors associated with conducting development and marketing of our product candidates, if approved, outside of the United States, including:

Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties

Our current collaborators are, and any future relationships or collaborations we may enter into may be, important to us. If we are unable to maintain our relationship with any of these collaborations, or if our relationship with these collaborators is not successful, our business could be adversely affected.

We have limited capabilities for product development, sales, marketing, and distribution. As a result, we may in the future determine to collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for the development and potential

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commercialization of our product candidates. For example, we entered into license agreements with partners in South Korea and China in 2018 whereby these parties will develop, seek regulatory approval for, and, if successful, commercialize OLINVYK. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. Our ability to reach a definitive agreement for collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration, and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. If we are unable to reach agreements with suitable collaborators on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all, we may have to curtail the development of a product candidate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to fund and undertake development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional expertise and additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to enter into collaborations and do not have sufficient funds or expertise to undertake the necessary development and commercialization activities, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market or continue to develop our product platform and our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Any future collaborations we might enter into with third parties, may pose a number of risks, including the following:

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If any collaborations we might enter into in the future do not result in the successful development and commercialization of products or if one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us, we may not receive any future research funding or milestone or royalty payments under the collaboration. If we do not receive the funding we expect under these agreements, our development of our product platform and product candidates could be delayed and we may need additional resources to develop our product candidates and our product platform. The risks relating to our product development, regulatory approval and commercialization described in this Annual Report also apply to the activities of our therapeutic program collaborators.

If a future collaborator of ours is involved in a business combination, the collaborator might deemphasize or terminate development or commercialization of any product candidate licensed to it by us. If one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us, we may find it more difficult to attract new collaborators and our reputation in the business and financial communities could be adversely affected.

We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct our nonclinical studies and clinical trials, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such trials or complying with applicable regulatory requirements.

We rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, clinical research organizations, clinical data management organizations, medical institutions, and clinical investigators to conduct our nonclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates. The agreements with these third parties might terminate for a variety of reasons, including a failure to perform by the third parties. If we need to enter into alternative arrangements, that could delay our product development activities. Some of these third parties may experience shutdowns or other disruptions due to future pandemics, including, but not limited to, the ability to adequately staff a project or effectively and expeditiously enroll patients in a clinical study, and therefore may be unable to provide the level of service that we received in the past.

Our reliance on these third parties for research and development activities will reduce our control over these activities but will not relieve us of our responsibilities. For example, we will remain responsible for ensuring that each of our nonclinical studies and clinical trials are conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and protocols for the trial and for ensuring that our nonclinical studies are conducted in accordance with GLP, as appropriate. Moreover, the FDA requires us to comply with standards, commonly referred to as GCPs for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. Regulatory authorities enforce these requirements through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, clinical investigators, and trial sites. If we or any of our clinical research organizations fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials complies with GCP regulations. In addition, our

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clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under cGMP regulations. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process. We also are required to register certain clinical trials and post the results of these clinical trials when completed on a government-sponsored public database, ClinicalTrials.gov, within specified timeframes. Failure to do so can result in fines, adverse publicity and civil and criminal sanctions.

The third parties with whom we have contracted to help perform our nonclinical studies or clinical trials also may have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines, or conduct our nonclinical studies or clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we will not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our product candidates.

If any of our relationships with these third-party contract research organizations or clinical research organizations terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative contract research organizations or clinical research organizations or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. Switching or adding additional contract research organizations or clinical research organizations involves additional cost and requires management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new contract research organization or clinical research organization commences work. As a result, delays could occur that could compromise our ability to meet our desired development timelines. Although we seek to carefully manage our relationships with our contract research organizations and clinical research organizations, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future.

We contract with third parties for the manufacture of commercial supply of OLINVYK and for clinical and nonclinical supply of our product candidates. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of OLINVYK or our product candidates or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.

We have no internal manufacturing capabilities and do not have any manufacturing facilities. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of commercial supply of OLINVYK and the manufacture of supply of our product candidates for nonclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture, if any of such product candidates receive marketing approval. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of OLINVYK or our product candidates or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.

We also expect to rely on third-party manufacturers or third-party collaborators for the manufacture of commercial supply of any other product candidates for which our collaborators or we obtain marketing approval. We may be unable to establish any agreements with third-party manufacturers or to do so on acceptable terms.

Our reliance on third-party manufacturers for commercial supply of OLINVYK and for any additional product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval entails additional risks, including:

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The failure of any of our contract manufacturers to maintain high manufacturing standards could result in injury or death of clinical trial participants or patients using products. Such failure could also result in product liability claims, product recalls, product seizures or withdrawals, delays or failures in testing or delivery, cost overruns or other problems that could seriously harm our business or profitability.

The facilities used by our contract manufacturers to manufacture our product candidates (and commercial supply of those product candidates, if approved) must be approved by the FDA pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we submit an NDA to the FDA. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, our contract manufacturers for compliance with current cGMP regulations for manufacture of our product candidates. These regulations cover all aspects of the manufacturing, testing, quality control and recordkeeping relating to our product candidates and any products that we may commercialize. Third-party manufacturers may not be able to comply with the cGMP regulations or similar regulatory requirements outside the United States. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including clinical holds, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of product candidates or products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our products.

OLINVYK and any product candidates that we may commercialize, if approved, may compete with other product candidates and products for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under cGMP regulations and that might be capable of manufacturing for us. Any performance failure on the part of our existing or future manufacturers could delay clinical development or marketing approval. We do not currently have arrangements in place for redundant supply or a second source for bulk drug substance or drug product. If our current contract manufacturers cannot perform as agreed, we may be required to replace such manufacturers. We may incur added costs and delays in identifying, qualifying, and obtaining applicable regulatory approval(s) of any replacement manufacturers.

The DEA restricts the importation of a controlled substance finished drug product when the same substance is commercially available in the United States, which could reduce the number of potential alternative manufacturers for OLINVYK or our other MOR targeted product candidates. In addition, a DEA quota system controls and limits the availability and production of controlled substances and the DEA also has authority to grant or deny requests for quota of controlled substances, which includes the active ingredient in OLINVYK. Supply disruptions could result from delays in obtaining DEA approvals for controlled substances or from the receipt of quota of controlled substances that are insufficient to meet future product demand. The quota system also may limit our ability to build inventory as a method for mitigating possible supply disruptions of OLINVYK.

Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates or products may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to commercialize any products that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.

We also expect to rely on other third parties to store and distribute drug supplies for our clinical trials. Any performance failure on the part of our distributors could delay clinical development or marketing approval of our product candidates or commercialization of our products, producing additional losses and depriving us of potential product revenue.

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Our business could be impacted by sanctions imposed on WuXi

Certain U.S. lawmakers have encouraged sanctions and introduced legislation that could affect WuXi AppTec (Hong Kong) Limited (“WuXi Apptec”), and WuXi Apptec’s affiliate XenoBiotics Laboratories, Inc. (“XenoBiotics,” together with WuXi Apptec “Wuxi”) and companies that do business with WuXi. WuXi is our primary manufacturer and supplier of an important starting material for the active pharmaceutical ingredient for OLINVYK. WuXi is also in the process of running certain toxicology and bioanalytic studies associated with TRV045. We, and the pharmaceutical industry generally, depend on China-based partners such as WuXi for integral chemical synthesis, reagents, starting materials, and ingredients. Sanctions against WuXi, and the impact that such sanctions could have on its business, could negatively impact our ability to manufacture the starting material for the active pharmaceutical ingredient for OLINVYK and could cause delays, disruptions and cost increases to our toxicology and bioanalytic studies for TRV045.

Materials necessary to manufacture our product or product candidates may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, which may delay the development and commercialization of our product or product candidates.

We currently rely on the manufacturers of our product and product candidates to purchase from third-party suppliers the materials necessary to produce the compounds for our nonclinical studies and clinical trials, and we rely, or will rely, on these other manufacturers for commercial distribution of our product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval. Suppliers may not sell these materials to our manufacturers at the time we need them or on commercially reasonable terms and all such prices are susceptible to fluctuations in price and availability due to transportation costs, government regulations, price controls and changes in economic climate or other foreseen circumstances. We do not have any control over the process or timing of the acquisition of these materials by our manufacturers. We may enter into agreements to purchase certain materials and provide them to our manufacturers, with all the risks and uncertainties of supply associated with those purchases. If we or our manufacturers are unable to obtain these materials for our nonclinical studies and clinical trials, product testing and potential regulatory approval of our product candidates would be delayed, significantly impacting our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates. If our manufacturers or we are unable to purchase these materials for commercial distribution of our product or, after regulatory approval has been obtained, our product candidates, the commercial launch of our product and product candidates, if approved, would be delayed or there would be a shortage in supply, which would materially affect our ability to generate revenues from the sale of our product or product candidates.

We rely on clinical data and results obtained by third parties that could ultimately prove to be inaccurate or unreliable.

As part of our strategy to mitigate development risk, we seek to develop product candidates with validated mechanisms of action and we utilize biomarkers to assess potential clinical efficacy early in the development process. This strategy necessarily relies upon clinical data and other results obtained by third parties that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate or unreliable. Further, such clinical data and results may be based on products or product candidates that are significantly different from our product candidates. If the third-party data and results we rely upon prove to be inaccurate, unreliable or not applicable to our product candidates, we could make inaccurate assumptions and conclusions about our product candidates and our research and development efforts could be compromised.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and products or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize technology and products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and products may be impaired.

Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to our product candidates. We seek to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our product candidates.

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The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Should we enter into collaborations with third parties, we may be required to consult with or cede control to collaborators regarding the prosecution, maintenance and enforcement of our patents. Therefore, these patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business.

The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. For example, European patent law restricts the patentability of methods of treatment of the human body more than United States law does. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after a first filing, or in some cases at all. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or products, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection.

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the Leahy-Smith Act, could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith Act was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to United States patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. The United States Patent and Trademark Office continues to develop and implement new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, and in particular, the first to file provisions, only became effective on March 16, 2013. Accordingly, it is not clear what, if any, impact the Leahy-Smith Act will have on the operation of our business. However, the Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Moreover, we may be subject to a third-party preissuance submission of prior art to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review or interference proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, render unenforceable, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future product candidates.

Even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our owned or licensed patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner.

The issuance of a patent does not foreclose challenges to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability. Therefore, our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or freedom to operate or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and products. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new

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product candidates, patents protecting such product candidates might expire before or shortly after such product candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our issued patents or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time consuming. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their patents. In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, construe the patent’s claims narrowly or refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, rendered unenforceable, or interpreted narrowly.

We may need to license certain intellectual property from third parties, and such licenses may not be available or may not be available on commercially reasonable terms.

A third party may hold intellectual property, including patent rights that are important or necessary to the development of our products. It may be necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of third parties to commercialize our products, in which case we would be required to obtain a license from these third parties on commercially reasonable terms, or our business could be harmed, possibly materially.

Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.

Our commercial success depends upon our ability, and the ability of our collaborators, to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates and use our proprietary technologies without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. There is considerable intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. We may become party to, or threatened with, future adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our products and technology, including interference or derivation proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the future.

If we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to continue developing and marketing our products and technology. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non‑exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease commercializing the infringing technology or product. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business.

If we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses and funding arrangements with third parties, we could lose rights that are important to our business.

We are currently party to license agreements for technologies that we use in conducting our drug discovery activities. In the future, we may become party to licenses that are important for product development and commercialization. If we fail to comply with our obligations under current or future license and funding agreements, our counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we might not be able to develop, manufacture or market any product or utilize any technology that is covered by these agreements or may face other

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penalties under the agreements. Such an occurrence could materially and adversely affect the value of a product candidate being developed under any such agreement or could restrict our drug discovery activities. Termination of these agreements or reduction or elimination of our rights under these agreements may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated agreements with less favorable terms, or cause us to lose our rights under these agreements, including our rights to important intellectual property or technology.

We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that our employees or we have misappropriated their intellectual property, or claiming ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

Many of our employees were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know‑how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that these employees or we have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims.

In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. Our and their assignment agreements may not be self‑executing or may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property.

If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in prosecuting or defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.

Intellectual property litigation could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities.

Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could compromise our ability to compete in the marketplace.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

In addition to seeking patent protection for our product candidates, we rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We limit disclosure of such trade secrets where possible, but we also seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non‑disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who do have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors, and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time‑consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently

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developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position would be harmed.

Risks Related to Legal Compliance Matters

Our current and future relationships with customers and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere may be subject, directly or indirectly, to applicable anti‑kickback, fraud and abuse, false claims, transparency, health information privacy and security and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens and diminished profits and future earnings.

Healthcare providers, physicians and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of OLINVYK and any other product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare providers, third-party payors, and customers may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the federal Anti‑Kickback Statute and the federal False Claims Act, which may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we conduct research, sell, market, and distribute OLINVYK and any other drugs for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, we may be subject to transparency laws and patient privacy regulation by U.S. federal and state governments and by governments in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to operate include:

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Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations may involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may 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 these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, integrity oversight and reporting obligations to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. If any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business, including our collaborators, is found not to be in compliance with applicable laws, it may be subject to significant criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from participation in government healthcare programs, which also could materially affect our business.

Healthcare reform measures may increase the difficulty and cost for us to successfully commercialize our product and product candidates, if approved, and affect the prices we may obtain.

The United States and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system that could restrict or regulate post-approval activities relating to our product and product candidates, if approved, including implementing cost-containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid healthcare costs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products for branded prescription drugs.

The Affordable Care Act was intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add transparency requirements for the healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms.

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Among the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that have been implemented since enactment and are of importance to the successful commercialization of a pharmaceutical product are the following:

There have been significant ongoing judicial, administrative, executive and legislative efforts to modify or eliminate the Affordable Care Act. For example, the Tax Act enacted on December 22, 2017, repealed the shared responsibility payment for individuals who fail to maintain minimum essential coverage under section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code, commonly referred to as the individual mandate. Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since passage of the Affordable Care Act. The Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend proposals in spending reductions to Congress. The Joint Select Committee did not achieve its targeted deficit reduction of an amount greater than $1.2 trillion for the fiscal years 2012 through 2021, triggering the legislation’s automatic reductions to several government programs. These reductions included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to healthcare providers of up to 2.0% per fiscal year, which went into effect in April 2013. Subsequent litigation extended the 2% reduction, on average, to 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, which was designed to provide financial support and resources to individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended the 2% Medicare sequester from May 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022. As of July 2, 2022, the 2% sequester resumed. The sequester will remain in place through 2030. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

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The Affordable Care Act has also been subject to challenges in the courts. On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. On December 18, 2019, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that the individual mandate is unconstitutional and remanded the case to the Texas District Court to reconsider its earlier invalidation of the entire Affordable Care Act. On June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law as they had not alleged personal injury traceable to the allegedly unlawful conduct. As a result, the Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the ACA or any of its provisions. Further changes to and under the Affordable Care Act remain possible but it is unknown what form any such changes or any law proposed to replace or revise the Affordable Care Act would take, and how or whether it may affect our business in the future. We expect that changes to the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, changes allowing the federal government to directly negotiate drug prices and changes stemming from other healthcare reform measures, especially with regard to healthcare access, financing or other legislation in individual states, could have a material adverse effect on the healthcare industry.

We expect that the Affordable Care Act, as well as other healthcare reform measures that have and may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for our product and product candidates, if approved, and could seriously harm our future revenues. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid, or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payers. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or successfully commercialize our product and product candidates, if approved.

Governments outside the United States tend to impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our revenue, if any.

In some countries, particularly the countries of the European Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a product. To obtain coverage and reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product candidate to other available therapies. If reimbursement of our products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business could be harmed, possibly materially.

If we fail to comply with environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could harm our business.

We are subject to numerous environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations.

Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials.

In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties, or other sanctions.

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Risks Related to Employee Matters and Managing Our Growth

Our future success depends on our ability to retain key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on the development, clinical, business development, legal, financial, and commercial expertise of our executive officers. Although we have entered into employment agreements with these individuals, each of them may terminate their employment with us at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees.

Recruiting and retaining qualified management, scientific, clinical, manufacturing, sales and marketing, and other personnel also will be critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees or consultants could impede the achievement of our development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees or consultants may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize products. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel.

We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific, clinical, and commercial advisors, to assist us in formulating our development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.

In the future, we may expand our development, regulatory, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

In the future, we may experience growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of drug development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and distribution. To manage potential future growth, we may be required to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.

Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could expose us to liability and hurt our reputation.

We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with FDA regulations, provide accurate information to the FDA, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. Employee misconduct also could involve the improper use or misrepresentation of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. 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 and financial results, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government

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healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, integrity oversight and reporting obligations to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

General Risk Factors

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations, or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue and positive cash flows from operations, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, and license and development agreements in connection with any collaborations. We do not have any committed external source of funds. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, either at the time of such capital raise or thereafter, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a common stockholder. Preferred equity financing and additional debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, or declaring dividends, or that include covenants requiring us to meet certain obligations, such as minimum cash requirements or net revenue targets.

If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances, or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce, or terminate our product development or our current or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

An active trading market for our common stock may not continue to develop or be sustained.

Although our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq, we cannot assure you that an active, liquid trading market for our shares will continue to develop or be sustained. If an active market for our common stock does not continue to develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell shares quickly or without depressing the market price for the shares or to sell your shares at all.

If equity research analysts do not continue to publish research or reports or publish unfavorable research or reports about us, our business or our industry, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We have only limited research coverage by equity research analysts. Equity research analysts may elect not to initiate or continue to provide research coverage of our common stock, and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We have no control over the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our stock could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our stock or issue other unfavorable commentary or research.

If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Changes in tax laws or regulations that are applied adversely to us or our customers may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, financial condition or results of operations.

New income, sales, use or other tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be enacted at any time, which could adversely affect our business operations and financial performance. Further, existing tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us. For example, the Tax Act enacted many significant changes to the U.S. tax laws. Future guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and other

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tax authorities with respect to the Tax Act may affect us, and certain aspects of the Tax Act could be repealed or modified in future legislation. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act or any newly enacted federal tax legislation. Changes in corporate tax rates, the realization of net deferred tax assets relating to our operations, the taxation of foreign earnings, and the deductibility of expenses under the Tax Act or future reform legislation could have a material impact on the value of our deferred tax assets, could result in significant one-time charges, and could increase our future U.S. tax expense.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis could be impaired.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. The Sarbanes‑Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. For our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, we are obligated to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filing for that year, as required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

We incur costs and demands upon management as a result of being a public company.

As a public company listed in the United States, we are incurring, and will continue to incur, significant legal, accounting and other costs. These costs could negatively affect our financial results. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including regulations implemented by the SEC and stock exchanges, may increase legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue‑generating activities to compliance activities. If, notwithstanding our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards, we fail to comply, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be harmed.

Failure to comply with these rules also might make it more difficult for us to obtain some types of insurance, including directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, and we might be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors, on committees of our Board of Directors or as members of senior management.

Our business and operations would suffer in the event of system failures.

We utilize information technology systems and networks to process, transmit and store electronic information in connection with our business activities. As use of digital technologies has increased, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks and attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and networks, have increased in frequency and sophistication. These threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in preventing cyber-attacks or successfully mitigating their effects.

Despite our implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and operations and those of our contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, outbreak of regional or global pandemic diseases, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak, terrorism, war, and telecommunication and electrical failures. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption to our product candidate development programs. For example, the loss of data from completed, ongoing or planned clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a

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loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of personal, confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development of any of our product candidates could be delayed or abandoned.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Cyber Risk Management and Strategy

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We recognize the importance of assessing, identifying, and managing risks from cybersecurity threats. Our approach to cybersecurity risk management is aligned with our risk profile and business.

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We have leveraged the support of third-party information technology and security providers, including to perform a risk assessment designed to identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity risks. We provide ongoing training to our employees to identify and understand the risks from cybersecurity threats, Further, we follow a formal, documented process to assess the data protection practices of certain third-party vendors.

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Our cybersecurity risk management program is integrated into our overall enterprise risk management program and shares common methodologies, reporting channels, and governance processes that apply across the enterprise risk management program to other legal, compliance, strategic, operational, and financial risk areas.

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Our cybersecurity risk management program includes:

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In addition to the processes, technologies, and controls that we have in place to reduce the likelihood of a material cybersecurity incident (or series of related cybersecurity incidents), our outsourced security team has a written incident response plan outlining how to address cybersecurity events that occur. We have assigned a team comprised of finance and technology personnel to review the plan annually to serve as a framework for the execution of responsibilities across businesses and operational roles. The incident response plan is designed to help us coordinate actions to prepare for, detect, respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents, and includes processes to triage, assess severity, escalate, contain, investigate, and remediate the incident, as well as to assess the need for disclosure, comply with applicable legal obligations and mitigate the impact to our brand and reputation and on impacted parties.

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 In addition to the cybersecurity incident response plan, our outsourced team conducts tabletop exercises to enhance our incident response preparedness. They also have processes to oversee and identify material risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our use of third-party service providers. Such processes include conducting due diligence and risk assessment of our current and potential vendors that examine such vendor’s cybersecurity protocols and adherence to applicable regulations.

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 We also maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans to prepare for and respond to the potential for any disruption in the technology we rely on. Additionally, we maintain insurance coverage that, subject to its terms and conditions, is intended to help us cover certain costs associated with cybersecurity incidents and information system failures.

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Although risks from cybersecurity threats have to date not materially affected, and we do not believe they are reasonably likely to materially affect, us or our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition, we could, from time to time, experience threats and security incidents relating to our and our third-party vendors’ information systems. For more information, please see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Governance Related to Cybersecurity Risks

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Based on the information available as of the date of this Annual Report, we have no reason to believe any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. For additional information, see “Risks Related to Cybersecurity, Data Privacy and IT Systems,” in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Our Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer and Head of Commercial Operations is responsible for the strategic leadership and direction of our cybersecurity program. The Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer and Head of Commercial Operations has nearly 10 years of experience overseeing information technology activities.

Our audit committee has oversight over cybersecurity risks. Our management provides periodic presentations to the audit committee on our cybersecurity program, including updates on cybersecurity risks and related cybersecurity strategy, as applicable. The audit committee provides updates regarding our cybersecurity program to the board of directors when material.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our principal office is located at 955 Chesterbrook Boulevard, Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania, where we currently lease approximately 8,231 square feet of developed office space on the first floor and 40,565 square feet of developed office space on the second floor. The lease term for this space extends through May 2028. On October 11, 2018, we entered into an agreement with The Vanguard Group, Inc., or Vanguard, whereby Vanguard agreed to sublease the 40,565 square feet of space on the second floor for an initial term of 37 months. On October 2, 2020, Vanguard notified the Company that they exercised the first option to extend the sublease term for three years through November 30, 2024. Vanguard has a second option to extend the sublease term for an additional three years through November 30, 2027. On August 3, 2023, Vanguard exercised its second option to extend its sublease term. The Company and Vanguard agreed to further extend the sublease through May 2028. With the current extension to May 2028, Vanguard’s sublease is coterminous with the Company’s master lease term. The sublease provides for rent abatement for the first month of the term; thereafter, the rent payable per square foot to us by Vanguard under the sublease is (i) $0.50 less during months 2 through 13 of the sublease, (ii) $1.00 less during months 14 through 109 of the sublease and (iii) in month 110 through 116 of the sublease, $16.50 less than the base rent per square foot payable by us under our master lease with Chesterbrook Partners, L.P. Vanguard also is responsible for paying to us all tenant energy costs, annual operating costs, and annual tax costs attributable to the subleased space during the term of the sublease. Management believes our office facilities are adequate to support our operations at their current levels and for the foreseeable future.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is not involved in any legal proceeding that it expects to have a material effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information and Holders

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “TRVN.” On March 28, 2024, there were 5 holders of record of our common stock.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid any dividends on our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

We did not sell any equity securities during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act.

ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes appearing in this Annual Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Please also see the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel medicines for patients affected by central nervous system, or CNS, disorders. Our lead product, OLINVYK® (oliceridine) injection, or OLINVYK, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, in August 2020. In October 2020, we announced that OLINVYK had received scheduling from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, and was classified as a Schedule II controlled substance. We initiated commercial launch of OLINVYK in the first quarter of 2021.

In April 2024, we announced that OLINVYK remains available for purchase by customers, but that we are reducing commercial support for the product to preserve capital as we conduct a process to explore a range of strategic alternatives for OLINVYK. Potential alternatives that may be explored or evaluated include, but are not limited to, a sale, license or divestiture of OLINVYK. There can be no assurance regarding the schedule for completion of the strategic review process, that this strategic review process will result in the Company pursuing any transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed.

OLINVYK is an opioid agonist for use in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. We are also developing a pipeline of

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product candidates based on our proprietary product platform, including TRV045 for diabetic neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and seizure disorders; and TRV734 for moderate-to-severe acute and chronic pain and opioid use disorders.

Since our incorporation in late 2007, our operations have included organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, discovering and developing our product candidates, and establishing our intellectual property portfolio. We have financed our operations primarily through private placements and public offerings of our equity securities and debt borrowings. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $588.1 million. Our net loss was $40.3 million and $53.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Our ability to become and remain profitable depends on our ability to generate revenue or sales. We do not expect to generate significant revenue or sales unless and until we or a collaborator successfully commercialize OLINVYK or obtain marketing approval for and successfully commercialize TRV045 or TRV734.

We expect to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue to make OLINVYK available for purchase by customers and continue the development and clinical trials of our other product candidates. We will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. We will seek to fund our operations through the sale of equity, debt financings or other sources, including potential collaborations. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements when needed on favorable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements as, and when, needed, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue our operations, development programs, and/or any future commercialization efforts.

Recent Developments

Results of Special General Meeting

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On March 21, 2024, the Special Meeting of Stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) was convened at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  The Special Meeting was adjourned without any business being conducted due to lack of the required quorum.  This adjournment will allow additional time for our stockholders to vote on the proposals set forth in the definitive proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 20, 2024 (the “Proxy Statement”).  The Special Meeting will reconvene on April 19, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. ET, to be held virtually at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TRVN2024SM. During the current adjournment, we will continue to solicit votes from our stockholders with respect to the proposals set forth in the Proxy Statement.  Only stockholders of record, as of the record date of February 9, 2024, are entitled to and are being requested to vote at the Special Meeting, either in person or by proxy. Proxies previously submitted in respect of the Special Meeting will be voted at the adjourned Special Meeting unless properly revoked, and stockholders who have previously submitted a proxy or otherwise voted need not take any action.

R-Bridge Financing

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In April 2022, an indirect subsidiary (“SPV2”) entered into the Loan Agreement with R-Bridge, pursuant to which we may be eligible to receive up to $40.0 million in term loan borrowings, or the R-Bridge Financing. Term loan borrowings were to be advanced in three tranches. The first tranche of $15.0 million was advanced in April 2022. The second tranche of $10.0 million (the “Second Tranche”) was to become available upon achievement of either a commercial or financing milestone as set forth in the Loan Agreement. The third tranche of $15.0 million was advanced in September 2023 upon the first commercial sale of OLINVYK in China.

In December 2023, we notified R-Bridge that we believed we had satisfied the conditions for the Second Tranche based on the achievement of the specified cumulative financing milestone. We are in discussions with R-Bridge with respect to the Second Tranche. However, there can be no assurance when, or if, we will receive the funds under the Second Tranche.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements, as well as the reported revenues and expenses during the reported periods. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in the notes to our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, we believe that the following accounting policies are important to understanding and evaluating our reported financial results, and we have accordingly included them in this discussion.

Product Revenue

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We account for product revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606). We perform the following five steps to recognize revenue under ASC 606: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. We only recognize revenue when we believe that it is probable that we will collect the consideration to which we are entitled in exchange for the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer.

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We sell OLINVYK to wholesalers in the US (collectively, “customers”). These customers subsequently resell our products generally to hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and other purchasers of OLINVYK. We recognize revenue from OLINVYK sales at the point customers obtain control of the product, which generally occurs upon delivery. The transaction price that is recognized as revenue for products includes an estimate of variable consideration which is described below.

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Variable Consideration

We include an estimate of variable consideration in our transaction price at the time of sale when control of the product transfers to the customer. Variable consideration includes distributor chargebacks, prompt payment (cash) discounts, distribution service fees and product returns.

We assess whether or not an estimate of our variable consideration is constrained based on the probability that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue may occur in the future when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. Actual amounts of consideration ultimately received may vary from our estimates. If actual results in the future vary from our estimates, we will adjust these estimates, which would affect product sales and earnings in the period such variances become known.

Distributor Chargebacks

When a product is sold to a third party that is subject to a contractual price agreement, the difference between the price paid to us by the wholesaler and the price under the specific contract is charged back to us by the wholesaler. Utilizing this information, we estimate a chargeback percentage for each product and record an allowance for chargebacks as a reduction to revenue when we record our sale of the products. We reduce the chargeback allowance when a chargeback request from a wholesaler is processed. Reserves for chargebacks are included in accounts receivable, net on the consolidated balance sheet.

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Product Returns

Generally, our customers have the right to return any unopened product during the eighteen (18) month period beginning six (6) months prior to the labeled expiration date and ending twelve (12) months after the labeled expiration date. We do not currently rely on industry data in our analysis of returns reserve. As we sold OLINVYK and established historical sales over a longer period of time (i.e., two to three years), we placed more reliance on historical purchasing, demand from hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, return patterns of our customers and the amount of OLINVYK held by wholesalers, when evaluating our reserves for product returns. OLINVYK has a forty-eight (48) month shelf life.

We recognize the amount of expected returns as a refund liability, representing the obligation to return the customer’s consideration. Since the returns primarily consist of expired and short dated products that will not be resold, we do not record a return asset for the right to recover the goods returned by the customer at the time of the initial sale (when recognition of revenue is deferred due to the anticipated return). Accrued product return estimates are recorded in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Research and development costs include, but are not limited to, personnel expenses, clinical trial supplies, fees for clinical trial services, manufacturing costs, consulting costs, and allocated overhead.

Costs for certain development activities, such as clinical trials, are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using data such as subject enrollment, clinical site activations or information provided to us by our vendors with respect to their actual costs incurred. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual arrangements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in the financial statements as prepaid or accrued research and development expense, as the case may be.

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our expenses resulting from our obligations under contracts with vendors, clinical research organizations and consultants, and under clinical site agreements in connection with conducting clinical trials. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations, which vary from contract to contract and may result in payment flows that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided under such contracts. Our objective is to reflect the appropriate trial expenses in our financial statements by matching those expenses with the period in which services are performed and efforts are expended. We may account for these expenses according to the progress of the trial as measured by subject progression and the timing of various aspects of the trial. We determine accrual estimates through financial models taking into account discussion with applicable personnel and outside service providers as to the progress or state of consummation of trials, or the services completed. During the course of a clinical trial, we adjust our clinical expense recognition if actual results differ from estimates. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date based on the facts and circumstances known to us at that time. Our clinical trial accruals are dependent upon the timely and accurate reporting of contract research organizations and other third-party vendors. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low for any particular period. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no material adjustments to our prior period estimates of accrued expenses for clinical trials.

Stock-Based Compensation

We have equity incentive plans under which various types of equity-based awards including, but not limited to, incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, and restricted stock unit awards, may be granted to employees, non-employee directors, and non-employee consultants. We also have an inducement plan under which various types of equity-based awards, including non-qualified stock options and restricted stock unit awards, may be granted to new employees.

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At December 31, 2023, we have one stock-based compensation plan from which we are actively making grants of stock-based awards, which is more fully described in Note 8 to the financial statements included in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have applied the fair value recognition provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation, or ASC 718, to account for stock-based compensation for employees.

We recognize compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for all stock-based awards based on the estimated grant-date fair values. For restricted stock unit awards to employees, the fair value is based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. We utilize a dividend yield of zero based on the fact that we have never paid cash dividends and have no current intention of paying cash dividends. We elected an accounting policy to record forfeitures as they occur.

See Note 8 to the financial statements included in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the assumptions we used in determining the grant date fair value of options granted under the Black-Scholes option pricing model, as well as a summary of the stock option activity under our stock-based compensation plan for all years presented.

Loan Payable

In April 2022, an indirect subsidiary (“SPV2”) entered into a Loan Agreement with R-Bridge, pursuant to which the Company may be eligible to receive up to $40.0 million in term loan borrowings, or the R-Bridge Financing. Term loan borrowings will be advanced in three tranches. The first tranche of $15.0 million was advanced in April 2022. The second tranche of $10.0 million will become available upon achievement of either a commercial or financing milestone as set forth in the Loan Agreement. The third tranche of $15.0 million was received in August 2023 upon the first commercial sale of OLINVYK in China. Under the relevant accounting guidance, the loan agreement has been accounted for as a debt instrument that will be amortized using the effective interest method over the life of the arrangement. In order to determine the amortization of the liability, we are required to estimate the total amount of future royalty payments to be paid to R-Bridge. Consequently, we impute interest on the unamortized portion of the liability and record interest expense related to the loan agreement accordingly. Due to the significant judgments and factors related to the estimates of future payments under the loan agreement, there are significant uncertainties surrounding the amount and timing of future payments and the related interest expense we recognize. We record non-cash interest expense within our consolidated statements of operations over the term of the loan agreement.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

None.

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Results of Operations

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

(in thousands, except per share data)

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Revenue

We derive our revenue from providing OLINVYK to our customers and activities pursuant to our licensing agreements related to the development and commercialization of OLINVYK in China and South Korea. For the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, product revenue includes a return adjustment of $0.1 million and $0.4 million respectively for expected returns from our wholesalers. In April 2024, we announced that OLINVYK remains available for purchase by customers, but that we are reducing commercial support for the product to preserve capital as we conduct a process to explore a range of strategic alternatives for OLINVYK.

As noted, in 2022 we recorded a returns reserve adjustment of $0.4 million for expected returns from our wholesalers. This adjustment was due, in part, to feedback we received in October 2022 from one of our wholesalers indicating that the wholesaler intended to return a significant portion of its supply of OLINVYK. As a result, we evaluated our returns reserves and updated our estimates to reflect this expected return, as well as potential increased probability of returns from our other wholesalers. In the fourth quarter of 2023, we recorded a returns adjustment of $0.1 million for expected returns from our wholesalers. This adjustment was due, in part, on our evaluation of historical purchasing trends, the remaining expiry period of inventory held by our wholesalers and the potential increase in the probability of returns from our wholesalers.

As further background on our methodology with respect to returns reserves, every quarter since our launch of OLINVYK, we review the amounts of OLINVYK held at our wholesalers to evaluate the likelihood of expected product returns. In our analysis, we consider a range of factors including the level of sales from our wholesalers to hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) and other purchasers of OLINVYK, which our wholesalers report to us on a regular basis, as well as any new customer contracts. Based on information from our wholesalers, sales from our wholesalers to

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hospitals and ASCs, which we refer to as commercial sell through, have occurred, at a low level, every quarter since our commercial launch in February 2021. Commercial sell through of OLINVYK from our wholesalers to hospitals and ASCs for the year ended December 31, 2023 was approximately $82,000. Commercial sell through from our wholesalers to hospitals and ASCs for the year ended December 31, 2022 was approximately $35,800. While there is a general upward trend compared to the prior period, the overall level of these sales remains low and we do not expect this trend will continue as we reduce commercial support for OLINVYK.

In our returns reserve analysis, we also consider feedback from our wholesalers, group purchasing organizations and users of OLINVYK, as well as additional factors such as new safety data, or clinical or health economic data for OLINVYK that may affect future adoption and sales trends. Examples include OLINVYK data we announced in April 2022 with respect to respiratory physiology, and in July 2022 with respect to cognitive function. More recently in July 2023, we also announced OLINVYK data with respect to reduced cost per admission for hospitals and reduced average length of hospital stay, for OLINVYK-treated patients compared to matched patients treated with other IV opioids. We also consider factors that may negatively affect sales of OLINVYK, such as the price of OLINVYK compared to conventional IV opioids, which are generally generic and available at a lower initial cost relative to OLINVYK, and our reduction in commercial support for OLINVYK that we announced in April 2024. Other factors may include the public perception of opioids in general, as well as the FDA’s and HHS’ policy initiatives that may limit the promotion and marketing of opioids.

We incorporate these factors as we consider the need for any adjustment for slow-moving or obsolete product on a quarterly basis.

License and royalty revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 relates to royalties earned on OLINVYK sales by Nhwa in China and the milestone payment that became payable by Nhwa upon regulatory approval of OLINVYK in China. License and royalty revenue recorded for the year ended December 31, 2022 related to materials shipped to Pharmbio to support the development of oliceridine efforts in South Korea.

Gross product revenue, and adjustments applied to calculate net product revenue, are set forth below (in thousands):

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Cost of goods sold

Cost of goods sold for product revenue includes product costs, third party logistics costs, shipping costs, and indirect overhead costs which are recorded as period costs in the period incurred.

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The following table provides information regarding cost of goods sold during the periods indicated, including percent changes (dollar amounts in thousands):

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Cost of goods sold decreased by $1.3 million, or 45% for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to a $0.9 million and $2.1 million non-cash valuation adjustment recoded in 2023 and 2022, respectively, for slow-moving or obsolete inventory due to the uncertainty of commercial activities and future expected OLINVYK sales.

Selling, general and administrative expense

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist principally of salaries and related costs for personnel in our executive, finance, commercial, and other administrative areas, including expenses associated with stock‑based compensation and travel. Other selling, general and administrative expenses include professional fees for legal, field sales organization, medical affairs, market research, consulting, and accounting services.

Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $14.3 million, or 41%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily related to a reduction in full time employees, a reduction in marketing activities and termination in early 2022 of our contract sales force agreement.

Research and development expense

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for research and the development of our product candidates, including costs associated with the regulatory approval process. In addition, research and development expenses include salaries and related costs for our research and development personnel and stock-based compensation expense and travel expenses for such individuals. Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size, complexity and duration of later-stage clinical trials.

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and are tracked by discovery program and subsequently by product candidate once a product candidate has been selected for development. We record costs for some development activities, such as clinical trials, based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using data such as patient enrollment, clinical site activations or information provided to us by our vendors.

Research and development expenses decreased by $1.9 million, or 10% in 2023 as compared to 2022. The following table summarizes our research and development expenses (in thousands):

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The decrease in research and development expenses during the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily driven by increased spend to advance TRV045 offset by decreased spend on OLINVYK post-approval clinical studies in respiratory physiology, cognitive function and gastrointestinal tolerability, lower personnel costs and decreased spending on TRV027 and TRV250.

Change in Fair Value Warrant Liability

Total Change in Fair Value Warrant Liability decreased by $9.1 million, or 81%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to a $9.1 million gain on the change in fair value of our liability classified warrants in 2022 and $4.6 million of expense in 2023 for issuances of inducement warrants associated with the December Financing.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased $2.4 million, or 190%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to an increase in interest expense related to the debt issuance associated with our royalty financing obligation with R-Bridge.

Other income, net

Other income, net, increased $3.2 million, or 41% during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to the recording of $7.0 million for the excess fair value of warrant liabilities over the proceeds received in connection with the Company’s equity offerings in July 2022 and November 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

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We have historically funded substantially all of our operations through the sale and issuance of our equity securities, debt securities and borrowings under debt facilities. We have also received an aggregate of $12.1 million pursuant to licensing agreements for the development and commercialization of OLINVYK in China and South Korea.

At December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $588.1 million, working capital of $27.7 million, cash and cash equivalents of $33.0 million and restricted cash of $0.5 million. In November 2020, we filed a $250.0 million shelf registration statement, which includes our at-the-market (“ATM”) program with H.C Wainwright & Co., LLC. (“HCW”) (“ HCW ATM Program”), of which there was approximately $33.7 million of available capacity as of December 31, 2023.

Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, which consist of research and development expenditures, commercialization expenditures, and other selling, general and administrative expenditures. We anticipate these expenses to decrease in 2024 as we reduce commercial support of OLINVYK, while we continue to make OLINVYK available for purchase by customers and continue to advance our other product candidates. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in accounts payable and accrued expenses. Net cash used in operating activities was $33.0 million and $51.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We incurred net losses of $40.3 million and $53.7 million for those same periods.

Our success is dependent on finding a commercial partner for OLINVYK and obtaining adequate capital to fund operating losses until we become profitable. We expect that our existing balance of cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 is not sufficient to fund operations for one year after the date of this filing and therefore management has concluded that substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern.

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Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows (in thousands):

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Net cash used in operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $33.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $51.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 includes a $40.3 million net loss as compared to $53.7 million for the prior period. The net loss was $13.4 million lower due to a $14.3 million decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses from the reduction of OLINVYK commercial activities and field-based headcount, lower cost of goods sold of $1.3 million due to a lower non-cash inventory reserve adjustment, and lower research and development costs of $1.9 million, as well as $3.0 million in license revenue.

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities was less than $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily related to capital expenditures related to cybersecurity and technology updates.

Net cash provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $26.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to net proceeds of $14.8 million from debt issuance upon the first commercial sale of OLINVYK in China per the royalty-based loan agreement, net proceeds of $8.1 million from the HCW ATM Program, and $3.5 million from the December 2023 equity offering.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $23.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to net proceeds of $13.9 million from debt issuance, and $9.7 million from the July 2022 and November 2022 equity offerings and issuance of warrants.

Leases

The Company currently leases approximately 8,231 square feet of developed office space on the first floor and 40,565 square feet of developed office space on the second floor in Chesterbrook Pennsylvania. The lease term for this space extends through May 2028. On October 11, 2018, the Company entered into an agreement with The Vanguard Group, Inc., or Vanguard, whereby Vanguard agreed to sublease the 40,565 square feet of space on the second floor for an initial term of 37 months. On October 2, 2020, Vanguard notified the Company that they exercised the first option to extend the sublease term for three years through November 30, 2024. Vanguard has a second option to extend the sublease term for an additional three years through November 30, 2027. On August 3, 2023, Vanguard exercised its second option to extend its sublease term. The Company and Vanguard agreed to further extend the sublease through May 2028. With the current extension to May 2028, Vanguard’s sublease is coterminous with the Company’s master lease term. The sublease provides for rent abatement for the first month of the term; thereafter, the rent payable per square foot to us by Vanguard under the sublease is (i) $0.50 less during months 2 through 13 of the sublease, (ii) $1.00 less during months 14 through 109 of the sublease and (iii) in month 110 through 116 of the sublease, $16.50 less than the base rent per square foot payable by us under our master lease with Chesterbrook Partners, L.P. Vanguard also is responsible for paying to the Company all tenant energy costs, annual operating costs, and annual tax costs attributable

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to the subleased space during the term of the sublease. In 2024, we expect to pay approximately $1.4 million for our operating lease obligations. Future rent streams of $1.2 million to be collected in less than one year and $3.5 million to be collected between one and three years are not offset against operating lease obligations. See “Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Note 9 – Commitments and Contingencies” in Part II of this Form 10-K for information about our operating lease obligations, including maturities of such obligations.

R-Bridge Financing

In April 2022, our wholly-owned subsidiary Trevena SPV2 LLC (“SPV2”) entered into a royalty-based loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which we may be eligible to receive up to $40.0 million in term loan borrowings. Term loan borrowings will be advanced in three tranches. The first tranche of $15.0 million was advanced in April 2022. The second tranche of $10.0 million will become available upon achievement of either a commercial or financing milestone as set forth in the Loan Agreement. The third tranche of $15.0 million became available upon the first commercial sale of OLINVYK in China which occurred in August 2023 and the Company elected to receive such proceeds.

In December 2023, we notified R-Bridge that we believed that we had satisfied the conditions for the second tranche of $10 million based on the achievement of the financing milestone. We are in discussions with R-Bridge with respect to the second tranche. However, there can be no assurance when, or if, we will receive the second tranche.

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The term loans bear interest at a rate per annum equal to 7.00% and will mature on the earlier of (i) the fifteen (15) year anniversary of the closing date in March 2022 and (ii) the date on which the license agreement with Nhwa expires. Repayment of any borrowings and related interest will be made quarterly beginning June 30, 2022. Repayment will be in the form of (i) a 4.0% royalty payment on net sales of OLINVYK in the United States and (ii) proceeds from royalties from our license agreement with Nhwa. As a result of Nhwa obtaining Chinese approval of OLINVYK in May 2023, royalties from net sales of OLINVYK in the United States are capped at $10.0 million in accordance with the Loan Agreement. Upon a change in control or in the event the Company elects to repay any outstanding borrowings prior to their contractual maturity, the Company is required to pay a control premium equal to the greater of (i) principal and interest and (ii) $10.0 million or $20.0 million depending on the timing in which the triggering event occurs as further provided in the Loan Agreement.

In April 2022, the Company placed $2.0 million into an interest reserve account in connection with the Loan Agreement. Payments of interest under the Loan Agreement are made quarterly from the royalty on the Company’s net sales of OLINVYK in the United States and proceeds from royalties from our license agreement with Nhwa. On each interest payment date, if the royalty payments received do not equal the total interest due for the respective quarter, the interest payment due will be paid from the interest reserve account. This interest reserve account was classified as restricted cash in our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2022. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company agreed to transfer the remaining funds, approximately $1.0 million, to R-Bridge to prepay future interest payments.

Repayments of all borrowings, interest and other related payments, under the Loan Agreement are secured by substantially all of the assets associated with the license agreement with Nhwa, the Chinese intellectual property related to OLINVYK, and deposit accounts established to hold amounts received on account for repayment of the borrowings and related interest under the Loan Agreement. The Loan Agreement contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and contains customary defined events of default, upon which any outstanding principal and unpaid interest shall be due on demand. At December 31, 2023, there were no events of default pursuant to the Loan Agreement and we were in compliance with all covenants.

In connection with the first tranche borrowings in April 2022, the Company issued a warrant to R-Bridge to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an initial exercise price of $20.50 per share and will be exercisable for a period of three years. The Company concluded the warrant was a freestanding equity-classified instrument to which the proceeds from the first tranche was allocated across the debt and warrant on a relative fair value basis. In addition, the Company incurred lender fees and third-party costs of $0.5 million each and were netted against the proceeds allocated to the debt and warrant. Fees netted against debt proceeds represent a debt discount and are amortized into interest expense using the effective interest method. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the

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Company recognized interest expense of $3.6 million, of which $0.1 million pertained to the amortization of the debt discount.

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The accounting for the Loan Agreement requires the Company to make certain estimates and assumptions, particularly about future royalties under the license agreement with Nhwa and sales of OLINVYK in the United States and China. Such estimates and assumptions are utilized in determining the expected repayment term, amortization period of the debt discount, accretion of interest expense and classification between current and long-term portions of amounts outstanding. The Company amortizes the debt discount into interest expense over the expected term of the arrangement using the interest method based on projected cash flows. Similarly, the Company classifies as current debt for the Loan Agreement, amounts that are expected to be repaid during the succeeding twelve months after the reporting period end. However, the repayment of amounts due under the Loan Agreement is variable because the cash flows to be utilized for periodic payments is a function of amounts received by the Company with respect to the royalties and net product sales.

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Accordingly, the estimates of the magnitude and timing of amounts to be available for debt service are subject to significant variability and thus, subject to significant uncertainty. Therefore, these estimates and assumptions are likely to change, which may result in future adjustments to the portion of the debt that is classified as a current liability, the amortization of debt discount and the accretion of interest expense. Other amounts that may become due and payable under the Loan Agreement, including amounts shared between the parties with respect to cash flows received in excess of pre-defined thresholds, are recognized as additional interest expense when they become probable and estimable. The amount of principal to be repaid in each of the five succeeding years is not fixed and determinable.

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Capital Raise

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On December 28, 2023, we closed an offering for the issuance and sale of 2,779,906 shares of common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) of the Company and warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,779,906 shares of common stock of the Company, at a purchase price of $0.70 per share (or pre-funded warrant in lieu thereof) and associated warrant in a private placement, for gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $1.9 million (the “private placement”).

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Pursuant to a previously announced definitive agreement with respect to the immediate exercise for cash of certain existing warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,934,380 shares of common stock issued in July 2022 and November 2022, the holder of such warrants exercised such warrants for cash at a reduced exercise price of $0.70 per share, in exchange for unregistered warrants to purchase up to 5,868,760 shares of common stock (the “induced warrant exercise” and, collectively with the private placement, the “offerings”).

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The warrants issued in the offerings have an exercise price of $0.70 per share, will be exercisable commencing on the effective date of stockholder approval of the issuance of the shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants and will expire five years thereafter.

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The aggregate gross proceeds to the Company from the offerings were approximately $4 million, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offerings for general corporate and working capital purposes.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined by applicable SEC regulations.

Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements

We have not achieved profitability since our inception, and we expect to continue to incur net losses and negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future. We expect our cash expenditures to continue to be significant in the near term as we continue to make OLINVYK available for purchase by customers, and continue to develop TRV045. Over the next twelve months, we anticipate that our total operating expenses will decrease compared to the previous twelve months.

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We believe that our cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023, together with interest thereon, will not be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for one year after the date of this filing and as a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through the year from the date of this filing. Our anticipated operating expenses involve significant risks and uncertainties and are dependent on our current assessment of the extent and costs of activities required to support our operations and advance our other product candidates. In the future, we anticipate that we will need to raise substantial additional financing to fund our operations. To meet these requirements, we may seek to sell equity or convertible securities in public or private transactions that may result in significant dilution to our stockholders. We may offer and sell shares of our common stock under the existing registration statement or any registration statement we may file in the future. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of convertible securities, these securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that restrict our operations.

Ultimately, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional equity or debt financing on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

Please see “Risk Factors” for additional risks associated with our substantial capital requirements.

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Other Commitments

In the course of normal business operations, we have agreements with contract service providers to assist in the performance of our research and development and manufacturing activities. We can elect to discontinue the work under these agreements at any time. We also could enter into additional collaborative research, contract research, manufacturing and supplier agreements in the future, which may require upfront payments and even long-term commitments of cash.

We have no material non-cancelable purchase commitments with contract manufacturers or service providers as we have generally contracted on a cancelable basis.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not required.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

REPORT OF MANAGEMENT

Management’s Report on Financial Statements

Our management is responsible for the preparation, integrity and fair presentation of information in our financial statements, including estimates and judgments. The financial statements presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Our management believes the financial statements and other financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows as of and for the periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The financial statements have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included herein.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control system was designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and Board of Directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and implemented, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues within a company are detected. The inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria based on the framework set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in “Internal Control—Integrated Framework” (2013). Based on the assessments of our internal control over financial reporting, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, believe that, as of December 31, 2023, our internal control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

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To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Trevena, Inc.

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Opinion on the Financial Statements

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We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Trevena, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders' (deficit) equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

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The Company's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern

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The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has stated that substantial doubt exists about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management's evaluation of the events and conditions and management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

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Basis for Opinion

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These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

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We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

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Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

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Critical Audit Matter

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The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

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/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

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We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2007.

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

April 1, 2024

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TREVENA, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)