2. Basis of presentation and summary of significant accounting policies

(a) Basis of presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in United States (“U.S.”) dollars and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The financial results are presented on a consolidated basis. All intercompany transactions are eliminated on consolidation.

(b) Capital requirements

The Company operates in a capital intensive business. To finance its operations, the Company is likely to require additional capital. The Company may seek to raise funds through equity or debt financing. There is no assurance that financing will be available to the Company or at terms acceptable to the Company. Failure to obtain sufficient funds on acceptable terms can have a negative impact on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and future prospects.

(c) Foreign currency translation and transactions

The functional currency of the Company and its subsidiary is the U.S. dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities of the Company’s operations denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar are re-measured into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate prevailing as at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities acquired in a currency other than U.S. dollars are translated at historical exchange rates prevailing at each transaction date.

Income and expenses are translated at the exchange rates prevailing at each transaction date, with the exception of amortization which is translated at historical exchange rates. Exchange gains and losses on translation are included in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

(d) Use of estimates and assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management 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 the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Significant areas requiring management estimates include valuation of stock options, amortization and depreciation, accrual of expenses, valuation allowance for deferred income taxes, and contingencies. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

(e) Cash and cash equivalents

All highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of acquisition are considered to be cash equivalents.

(f) Short and long-term investments

Short-term investments consist of bank term deposits and U.S. government securities with initial maturities of less than a year. Long-term investments consist of U.S. government securities with initial maturities of greater than a year. Short-term investments and long-term investments are both classified as available-for-sale and carried at their estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses recorded as a component of other comprehensive loss. Realized gains and losses are recorded in net loss. The Company periodically reviews its investments for impairment and when a decline in market value is deemed to be other than temporary, the loss is recognized in net loss.

(g) Property and equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost and are amortized using the straight-line basis over a range of three to five years.

Expenditures for improvements to the Company’s office spaces are capitalized and expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Tenant improvement allowances and rent holidays are included in deferred rent and recognized as a reduction in deferred rent over the term of the lease. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of useful life and term of the lease.

The Company reviews the carrying value of property and equipment for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable from the estimated future cash flows expected to result from its use and eventual disposition. In cases where undiscounted expected future cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to an amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of assets. The factors considered by management in performing this assessment include current operating results, trends and prospects, the manner in which the property is used, and the effects of obsolescence, demand, competition, and other economic factors. Based on management’s assessment there were no indicators of impairment of property and equipment as at December 31, 2017 and 2016.

(h) Clinical trial accruals

As part of the process of preparing its consolidated financial statements, the Company is required to estimate expenses resulting from its obligations under contracts with vendors, consultants and clinical site agreements in connection with conducting clinical trials. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations which vary contract to contract and may result in payment flows that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided to the Company under such contracts. The Company reflects the appropriate clinical trial expenses in the financial statements by matching those expenses with the period in which services and efforts are expended. The Company accounts for these expenses according to the progress of the trial as measured by patient progression and the timing of various aspects of the trial.

During the course of a clinical trial, the Company adjusts the rate of clinical trial expense recognition if actual results differ from estimates. The Company prepares estimates of accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the financial statements based on facts and circumstances known at that time. Although the Company does not expect the estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, the Company’s 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 the Company reporting amounts that are too high or too low for any particular period. The Company’s clinical trial accruals are dependent upon the timely and accurate reporting of contract research organizations and other third-party vendors.

(i) Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using ASC 740, Income Taxes which is an asset and liability approach that requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company’s consolidated financial statements or tax returns. In estimating future tax consequences, ASC 740 generally considers all expected future events other than enactments of and changes in the tax law or rates. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by the extent of the valuation allowance. ASC 740 clarifies the criteria that must be met prior to recognition of the financial statement benefit of a position taken in a tax return. ASC 740 provides a benefit recognition model with a two-step approach consisting of a “more-likely-than-not” recognition criteria, and a measurement attribute that measures a given tax position as the largest amount of tax benefits that are more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. ASC 740 also requires the recognition of liabilities created by differences between tax positions taken in a tax return and amounts recognized in the financial statements.

Investment tax credits relating to scientific research and experimental development are accounted for as a reduction in operating expenses. To the extent there is reasonable assurance the credits will be realized, they are recorded in the period the related expenditure is made. If investment tax credit amounts subsequently received are less or more than originally recorded, the difference is treated as a change in estimate.

(j) Research and development costs

Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred and include items such as: employee related expenses, including salaries and benefits, expenses incurred under agreements with contract research organizations and investigative sites that conduct clinical trials and preclinical studies, the cost of acquiring, developing and manufacturing clinical trial materials, facilities, and other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities, and other supplies and costs associated with clinical trials, preclinical activities, and regulatory operations.

Development costs are expensed in the period incurred unless management believes a development project meets generally accepted accounting criteria for deferral and amortization. No product development expenditures have been deferred to date. The Company records costs for certain development activities, such as clinical trials, based on management’s evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using data such as patient enrollment, clinical site activations, or information provided to the Company by vendors on 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 consolidated financial statements as prepaid or accrued expense.

(k) Accounting for stock-based compensation

The Company measures the cost of services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of the award. The cost of such award will be recognized over the period during which services are provided in exchange for the award, generally the vesting period. All share-based payments to employees are recognized in the consolidated financial statements based upon their respective grant date fair values.

The Company estimates the fair value of options granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. This approximation uses assumptions regarding a number of inputs that requires management to make significant estimates and judgments. Prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) in March 2014, the Company’s common stock was not publicly traded. As a result, the expected volatility assumption is based on industry peer information due to insufficient trading history of the Company’s common stock. Additionally, because the Company has no significant history to calculate the expected term, the simplified method calculation is used.

(l) Segment reporting

The Company operates in one segment, the identification and development of therapeutics for chronic urological conditions marked by inflammation and pain. The Company has significant Canadian operations but its assets are mostly held in the United States, comprising primarily of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and long-term investments of $96,230 as of December 31, 2017 (December 31, 2016 - $149,796), with an immaterial amount of long-lived assets in Canada.

(m) Net loss per common stock

Basic net loss per common stock is computed by dividing loss by the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per common stock is determined using the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period, adjusted for the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, consisting of shares that might be issued upon exercise of common stock options and warrants. In periods where losses are reported, the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding excludes common stock equivalents because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

(n) Fair value of financial instruments

ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements requires disclosures about transfers into and out of Levels 1 and 2 and separate disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements relating to Level 3 measurements. It also clarifies existing fair value disclosures regarding the level of disaggregation and the inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value as the amounts that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The fair value of the Company’s financial instruments are determined according to a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs and assumptions used, and the valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 - Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

(o) Concentration of credit risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and long-term investments. Cash, cash equivalents and investments are invested in accordance with the Company’s investment policy. The primary objective for the Company’s investment portfolio is the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity and includes guidelines on the quality of financial instruments and defines allowable investments that the Company believes minimizes the exposure to concentration of credit risk.

(p) Recently issued and recently adopted accounting standards

The Company adopted FASB ASU 2015-17 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes,” effective January 1, 2017 which requires entities to present deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The previous guidance required entities to separately present deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as current or noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. This change did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements as a full valuation allowance has been applied against the deferred tax assets.

The Company adopted FASB ASU 2016-09 “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting,” effective January 1, 2017 which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The Company has elected to change its accounting policy to account for forfeitures as they occur instead of on an estimated basis as this will more accurately reflect the cost of forfeitures. The change has been applied on a modified retrospective approach with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained deficit of an immaterial amount as of January 1, 2017. The provisions relating to the accounting for income taxes has no significant impact on the consolidated financial statements as the Company applies a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01 “Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,” which revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. The ASU also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. ASU 2016-01 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted under certain circumstances. The Company does not anticipate a material impact to the Company’s financial statements as a result of this adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 “Leases (Topic 842)”, which requires the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases with a lease term of greater than 12 months. Upon the adoption of ASU 2016-02, leases will be recognized and measured at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that companies may elect to apply. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU 2016-02 on the Company’s financial statements and whether to elect to apply the optional practical expedients under the modified retrospective approach.

(q) Risks and uncertainties

The Company is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. These risks, among others, included the following:

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the Company has no source of revenue, has an accumulated deficit of $198.5 million as of December 31, 2017, may never become profitable and may incur substantial and increasing net losses for the foreseeable future as it continues development of, seeks regulatory approvals for, and potentially begins to commercialize rosiptor, its lead product candidate, and any future product candidates;

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the Company is likely to require additional capital to finance its operations which may not be available to it on acceptable terms, or at all;

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the Company’s success is primarily dependent on the successful development, regulatory approval and commercialization of rosiptor, its lead product candidate, and any future product candidates;

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SHIP1 has not been validated as a target for the treatment of any disease;

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the Company is subject to regulatory approval processes that are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable; the Company may not be able to obtain approval for rosiptor or any future product candidates from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or foreign regulatory authorities;

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the Company’s intellectual property rights may be subject to claims by third parties and can be difficult and costly to protect;

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the Company may not be able to recruit or retain key employees, including its senior management team;

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the Company depends on the performance of third parties, including contract research organizations and third-party manufacturers; and

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the Company faces competition from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, governmental agencies, and public and private research institutions, among others.