SEC Company Response from CNBX Pharmaceuticals (CNBX) — Apr 21, 2015
CNBX Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Date: April 21, 2015 · CIK: 0001343009 · Accession: 0001019687-15-001576
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 000-52403
Show Raw Text
CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
#3 BETHESDA METRO CENTRE
SUITE 700
BETHESDA, MD 20814
________
Tel (877) 424-2429
Cannabics.com
April 20th, 2015
US Securities & Exchange Commission
Corporate Finance Division
Washington, DC 20549
Attn: Ms. Julie Marlowe
Re: Cannabics Pharmaceuticals
Inc.
Form 10-K for the Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2014
Filed December 15, 2014
File No. 000-52403
Dear Ms. Marlowe,
We are in receipt
of your letter dated March 23rd, 2015 regarding Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. and the aforementioned filing. Below
please find our respective responses:
#1) Please
reconcile the disclosure in this section that you license your proprietary technology with the disclosure on page 6 that you are
preparing to launch your line of Cannabics SR products in eligible states in the U.S. In addition, please provide a more detailed
discussion of the U.S. regulation of your proposed product and discuss the risks to the company. Clarify whether your proposed
product would require U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. If so, discuss the process for approval.
ANSWER: It
is not clear to us what “reconciliation” is needed as between the two areas you have addressed on pages 7 and 6
respectively. The Company’s business model is to licenses its proprietary technology; and we have undertaken exactly
such a relationship with Kalapa Holdings, as per our 8K of November 5th, 2014, and our agreement with Mountain
High LLC, per our 8K of December 16th, 2014. Mountain High LLC produces capsules at their licensed facility in
Colorado utilizing the proprietary IP of the company.
1
Regarding the
necessary US regulation, it is state determinative. Firstly, Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. itself does not manufacture, distribute,
dispense, or possess any controlled substances, including cannabis or cannabis-based preparations. The company merely researches,
patents and then licenses the proprietary IP technology to third parties, nothing more. The same can be seen from our website as
well as all public filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Its expertise (which it licenses) is derived from its
laboratory findings which are conducted exclusively in Israel, and pursuant to its license to do so granted from the Israeli Ministry
of Health on October 26th, 2014, as mentioned in the 10K.
The Company’s
product, a slow release capsule, is 100% natural and has no synthetic ingredients, & is considered as “GRAS” (Generally
Regarded As Safe). The company does not make any medical claims regarding this product, and as such needs no specific FDA approval.
In terms of Risks
to the company, in addition to that which was written in the 10-K, we would propose the following language –
“Dependence on Officers and Directors
of the Company
The Company is wholly dependent upon the
personal efforts and abilities of its Officers and Directors (the “Management.”) The loss the Management’s services
and the unavailability of the Company’s Officers and Directors to the Company would have a materially adverse effect on the
Company’s business prospects and potential. The Company is not insured against any such loss at the moment, and it has no
plans to do so in the future.
Reliance on Consumer
Perception
We believe that the medical
cannabis industry is highly dependent upon consumer perception regarding the safety, efficacy and quality of the medical cannabis
produced. Consumer perception of cannabis products can be significantly influenced by scientific research or findings, regulatory
investigations, litigation, media attention and other publicity regarding the consumption of medical cannabis products. There can
be no assurance that future scientific research, findings, regulatory proceedings, litigation, media attention or other research
findings or publicity will be favorable to the medical cannabis market or any particular product, or consistent with earlier publicity.
Future research reports, findings, regulatory proceedings, litigation, media attention or other publicity that are perceived as
less favorable than, or that question, earlier research reports, findings or publicity could have a material adverse effect on
the demand for the Company’s products and the business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows of the
Company.
The
Company’s dependence upon consumer perceptions means that adverse scientific research reports, findings, regulatory proceedings,
litigation, media attention or other publicity, whether or not accurate or with merit, could have a material adverse effect on
the Company, the demand for medical cannabis products, and the business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows
of the Company. Further, adverse publicity reports or other media attention regarding the safety, efficacy and quality of medical
cannabis in general, or the Company’s products specifically, or associating the consumption of medical cannabis with illness
or other negative effects or events, could have such a material adverse effect. Such adverse publicity reports or other media attention
could arise even if the adverse effects associated with such products resulted from consumers' failure to consume such products
appropriately or as directed.
2
Control by One Stockholder
As of this date, Cannabics,
Inc., which is controlled by the Company’s current directors and executive officers, owns 88% of the outstanding Common Stock.
Accordingly, Cannabics (and the Company’s executive officers) may be able to control the outcome of stockholder votes, including
votes concerning the election of directors, the adoption or amendment of provisions in the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws,
and the approval of mergers and other significant corporate transactions. These factors may also have the effect of delaying or
preventing a change in the management and voting control of the company. The Articles of Incorporation do not provide for cumulative
voting.
Limited Market for Common
Stock
While the Common Stock is
presently quoted on the OTCQB, there is no active and liquid trading market for it and there is no guarantee that one will ever
develop. Investors may be unable to sell some or all of their shares of Common Stock or more than what they paid for it, or at
all.
Market Price of Common
Stock Subject to Wide Price Fluctuations
The market price of the Common
Stock may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many factors, including variations in the operating results of the Company,
divergence in financial results from analysts’ expectations, changes in earnings estimates by stock market analysts, changes
in the business prospects for the Company, general economic conditions, legislative changes, and other events and factors outside
of the Company's control. In addition, stock markets have from time to time experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations,
which, as well as general economic and political conditions, could adversely affect the market price for the Common Stock.
IP & Trademark Rights and Infringement
Actions
The Company’s success depends in part
on its ability to protect the title to its IP rights. There can be no assurance that the measures taken by the Company to protect
its titled legal rights will be sufficiently adequate to prevent claims by third parties. There can be no assurance that the Company
will have the resources to defend or prosecute its claimed property rights against a competitor.”
#2) Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, page F-1
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, page
F-7
Note 5 – Intangible Assets, page F-12
2. We note that Cannabics, Inc. acquired a majority
of your outstanding stock resulting in a change in control on April 25, 2014. Pursuant to a Collaboration & Exclusivity Agreement
executed on July 24, 2014, you issued 18,239,594 shares of your common stock, valued at $0.25 per share, to Cannabics, Inc. in
exchange for its institutional knowledge. You recorded intangible assets of $4,409,899 which was calculated by reducing the total
value of the shares of $4,559,899 by $150,000 cash received. Please address the following:
o explain to us how you accounted for the transactions and tell us what guidance you used to record the intangible assets;
3
ANSWER - We received an intangible asset,
there was no business to acquire and we do not own any shares of Cannabics, Inc. The guidance we relied upon was ASC Topic 350
"Intangibles" and ASC Topic 505-50 "Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees". There was a full impairment analysis
done by our Auditor, to be reviewed annually.
o tell us why you did not consider the
combined transactions as either a reverse recapitalization of Cannabics, Inc. or as the simultaneous acquisition of a parent’s
assets and succession to the parent’s business, both of which would require historical cost accounting;
ANSWER - We do not consider the transaction
as either scenario presented. We do not believe this to be a reverse capitalization as the Company did not acquire any ownership
of Cannabics Inc. It is not a succession as there were neither assets nor business in Cannabics Inc. and it is not a subsidiary
in any event.
In our view, the issuer received an intangible
asset (the “know-how”), there was no “business” to acquire, Cannabics Inc. (Delaware) was simply a Delaware
Corporation created in December 2012 which the Directors had formed as a potential holding entity of IP to be filed. At no time
did it ever have any business, cash flow, marketable products, etc. It was a Delaware corporation, the heads of which were the
same Directors of the Public company. It had nothing to “bring” but for the accumulated knowledge of the three Directors
themselves. The Consideration for bringing that abstract knowledge into the public company on an exclusive basis was the issuance
of shares to the Delaware Company.
o and tell us why you have not filed a
Form 8-K that included information that would have been filed in a Form 10 as if Cannabics, Inc. were the registrant or a Form
8-K (Items 2.01 and 9.01) to file audited financial statements for a company whose business you have succeeded as a result of acquiring
its assets.
ANSWER: See Supra. Because the
issuer did not “acquire” any business (there was none). Rather it compensated the Delaware Company for its agreeing
to move forward in its studies only under the name of Cannabics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It is not a subsidiary, rather a separate
corporate entity, with no financials or business to audit in any event. The proof of this concept is that immediately following
this transaction, the Issuer filed an 8K on August 1st, 2014 of the newly filed IP under the name of Cannabics Pharmaceuticals,
the issuer. Had this transaction not taken place, said IP would have been under the name of the Delaware entity.
4
#3) Item
11. Executive Compensation, page 18
3. Please include the summary compensation
table and/or directors’ compensation table as required by Item 402 of Regulation S-K. In addition, please add a narrative
discussing the compensation paid to the one director and clarify the capacity in which the compensation was paid, i.e. as an officer
or director.
ANSWER: Dr. Ballan was the
one Director paid, but not for being a Director, rather because it is chiefly Dr. Ballan’s constant work in the laboratory
& research work which is critical to the company, and it was decided that until a more stable cash reserve is established,
that he alone of the Directors should be paid on a regular monthly basis as his work is indispensable. The amount of remuneration
was not set by any formulae, rather what seemed reasonable given the cash on hand at the time. We would propose inserting the following
table:
Summary
Compensation Table
Name and principal
position
Year
Salary
($)
Bonus
($)
Stock
awards ($)
Option
awards ($)
Non-equity
incentive plan compensation ($)
Change in pension value
and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings ($)
All
other compensation ($)
Total
($)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
Eyal Ballan
‘14
5,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
5,000
· Dr. Eyal Ballan was compensated at $5,000
per month for three successive months for his Critical work in the laboratoryand drafting of
the IP data.
From 10-K itself -
To date we have no employees. We have begun to
pay monthly salaries to one of our Directors and Counsel as of August, 2014. For the current year ending August 31, 2014, only
one Director received a monthly payment of $5,000 for three months. We have no employment agreements with any of our officers.
We do not contemplate entering into any employment agreements until such time as we have positive and stable cash flows. There
are no stock option plans, retirement, pension, or profit sharing plans for the benefit of our officers or directors. We do not
have any long- term incentive plans that provide compensation intended to serve as incentive for performance.
5
#4) Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management, page 18
4. We note that your officers and
directors are all directors of Cannabics, Inc., which owns 88.3% of your common stock. Please advise whether these individuals
are the control persons for Cannabics, Inc. If so, please provide clear disclosure in the table and revise the amount held by officers
and directors as a group. If not, please clearly disclose the control person(s). Please provide us with draft disclosure.
ANSWER: Your comment is accurate,
and upon review, we concur that we should have provided a clear disclosure as to the ownership of Cannabics Inc., the majority
block holder. We propose the following additional information to be inserted –
Beneficial Ownership
Name of Beneficial Owner
Common Shares
Percentage of class
Cannabics Inc. *
88,289,594
88.3%
All directors and executive officers, as a group
0
0
*The Directors of the Company hold positions
in Cannabics, Inc., the majority holder. The relative positions of Cannabics, Inc. are listed below:
Shareholder
Common Stock
% Issued
Eyal Bar-ad
294
25.70%
Eyal Ballan
235
20.54%
Shay Avraham Sarid
235
20.54%
Itamar Borochov
235
20.54%
Seach Sarid Ltd.
40
3.50%
Ariel Kirtchuk
25
2.19%
J Reiger
80
6.99%
Total
1,144
100.00%
#5) Item
15. Exhibits, page 20
5. With the exception
of the certifications required by Item 601(b)(31) and (32), you have not filed the exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation
S-K, including your articles of incorporation, bylaws, subsidiaries, and material contracts. Please file all the required exhibits,
or as applicable incorporate them by reference. For guidance we direct your attention to Question 146.02 of the Compliance and
Disclosure Interpretations: Regulation S-K at http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/guidance/regs-kinterp.htm.
ANSWER
– We have addressed this comment and said exhibits have been enumerated, two by reference and the others having the original
documents attached thereto. Those items appearing in red are newly itemized documents. We would propose the following Exhibit
list:
6
PART IV
Item 15.
Exhibits
Exhibit
3.1
Amended Articles of Incorporation, Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc., incorporated by reference from Form 8K filed June
20th, 2014
Exhibit
3.2
Bylaws of Cannabics Pharmaceuticals
Exhibit
3.3
Subsidiary – G.R.I.N. Ultra Ltd – Board Resolution Authorizing Creation.
Exhibit
3.4
Subsidiary – G.R.I.N. Ultra Ltd – Official Companies Listing (Israel)
Exhibit
3.5
Material Contract – Collaboration & Exclusivity Agreement with Cannabics, Inc.