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Organization, Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Organization, Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation |
Organization, Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation | 1. Organization and Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation Description of Business Synthetic Biologics, Inc. (the “Company” or “Synthetic Biologics”) is a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to prevent and treat gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in areas of high unmet need. The Company’s lead clinical development candidates are: (1) SYN-004 (ribaxamase) which is designed to degrade certain commonly used intravenous (IV) beta-lactam antibiotics within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to prevent (a) microbiome damage, (b) Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), (c) overgrowth of pathogenic organisms, (d) the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and (e) acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, and (2) SYN-020, a recombinant oral formulation of the enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) produced under Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) conditions and intended to treat both local GI and systemic diseases. The Company was also developing SYN-010 to reduce the impact of methane-producing organisms in the gut microbiome to treat an underlying cause of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). On September 30, 2020, Cedars Sinai Medical Center's (CSMC) (the Company's SYN-010 clinical development partner) informed the Company that it agreed to discontinue the ongoing Phase 2b investigator-sponsored clinical study of SYN-010 IBS-C patients. Based on the results of a planned interim futility analysis, it was concluded that although SYN-010 was well tolerated, it was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint by the time enrollment is completed. Corporate Structure and Basis of Presentation As of December 31, 2020, the Company had eight subsidiaries, Pipex Therapeutics, Inc. (“Pipex Therapeutics”), Effective Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“EPI”), Solovax, Inc. (“Solovax”), CD4 Biosciences, Inc. (“CD4”), Epitope Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Epitope”), Healthmine, Inc. (“Healthmine”), Putney Drug Corp. (“Putney”) and Synthetic Biomics, Inc. (“SYN Biomics”). Pipex Therapeutics, EPI, Healthmine and Putney are wholly owned, and Solovax, CD4, Epitope and SYN Biomics are majority-owned. For financial reporting purposes, the outstanding common stock of the Company is that of Synthetic Biologics, Inc. All statements of operations, (deficit) equity and cash flows for each of the entities are presented as consolidated. All subsidiaries were formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on January 8, 2001, except for EPI, which was incorporated in Delaware on December 12, 2000, Epitope which was incorporated in Delaware in January of 2002, Putney which was incorporated in Delaware in November of 2006, Healthmine which was incorporated in Delaware in December of 2007 and SYN Biomics which was incorporated in Nevada in December of 2013. Liquidity As of December 31, 2020, the Company has a significant accumulated deficit, and with the exception of the three months ended June 30, 2010 and the three months ended December 31, 2017, the Company has experienced significant losses and incurred negative cash flows since inception. The Company expects to continue incurring losses for the foreseeable future, with the recognition of revenue being contingent on successful phase 3 clinical trials and requisite approvals by the FDA. Historically, the Company has financed its operations primarily through public and private sales of its common stock and a private placement of its preferred stock, and it expects to continue to seek to obtain required capital in a similar manner. The Company has spent, and expects to continue to spend, a substantial amount of funds in connection with implementing its business strategy, including planned product development efforts, clinical trials and research and discovery efforts. Cash and cash equivalents totaled approximately $6.2 million as of December 31, 2020, which includes the net proceeds of approximately $3.4 million from sales of its Common Stock in "at-the-market" (ATM) equity offerings during 2020. Subsequent to year end through March 3, 2021, the Company received cash proceeds of approximately $8.0 million through the exercise of a portion of the October 2018 warrants and approximately $63.8 million from sales of its Common Stock in “at-the-market” (ATM) equity offerings, see Note 10. With these additional sources of liquidity, the Company believes it will be able to fund its operations through the next twelve months from the issuance date of these financial statements. Management believes its plan, which includes the further development of SYN-020 and additional testing of SYN-004 (ribaxamase), will allow the Company to meet its financial obligations, further advance key products, and maintain the Company's planned operations for at least one year from the issuance date of these consolidated financial statements. If necessary, the Company may attempt to utilize the ATM or seek to raise additional capital on the open market, neither of which is guaranteed. Use of the ATM is limited by certain restrictions and management's plan does not rely on additional capital from either of these sources. If the Company is not able to obtain additional capital (which is not assured at this time), our long-term business plan may not be accomplished and we may be forced to cease certain development activities. More specifically, the completion of any later stage clinical trial will require significant financing or a significant partnership.

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