{"url_path":"/sec/aqst/10-q/2026/item-1a","section_key":"item-1a","section_title":"Item 1A Risk Factors","topic":"sec","document":{"doc_type":"10-Q","doc_date":"2026-05-13","source_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1398733/0001398733-26-000030-index.html","accession_number":"0001398733-26-000030","cik":"0001398733","ticker":"AQST","issuer_name":"Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.","edgar_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1398733/0001398733-26-000030-index.html","primary_entity_key":"0001398733","primary_entity_name":"Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc."},"word_count":1019,"has_tables":true,"body_markdown":"Item 1A.    Risk Factors\n\nIn addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully review and consider the information regarding certain risks and uncertainties facing the Company that could have a material adverse effect on our business prospects, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and available capital resources set forth in Part I, Item 1A of Aquestive’s 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K.\n\nWe rely on third parties to manufacture API for our licensed products and product candidates, and we intend to rely on third parties to manufacture the API for other approved products. The commercialization of any of our licensed products and product candidates, if approved, could be stopped, delayed or made less profitable if those third parties fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of API or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices or fail to maintain or achieve satisfactory regulatory compliance.\n\nWe currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to manufacture API for our licensed products and our product candidates, and control only certain aspects of their activities.\n\nAny of these third parties may terminate their engagements with us at any time. If we need to enter into alternative arrangements, it could delay our supply of licensed products, proprietary product candidate programs and commercialization activities. Our reliance on these third parties reduces our control over these activities but does not relieve us of our responsibility to ensure compliance with all required legal, regulatory and scientific standards and any applicable trial protocols or our obligations under our product supply commitments and obligations. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we will not be able to complete, or may be delayed in completing, clinical trials required to support future regulatory submissions and approval of our product candidates and we would likely be in default in our supply commitments and obligations for our licensed products, which could result in the termination of our supply agreements, our incurring potential default damages and our loss of significant revenues.\n\nThe facilities used by us, and by our third-party API manufacturers, to manufacture our licensed products and product candidates must maintain a compliance status acceptable to the FDA or other applicable regulatory authorities pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we submit our NDA to the FDA. If we or any of our third-party API manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the applicable regulatory authorities’ strict regulatory requirements, or pass regulatory inspection, we or they will not be able to secure or maintain regulatory approval for the manufacturing facilities. In addition, we have no control over the ability of third-party API manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. Further, as we scale up manufacturing of our product candidates and conduct required stability testing, product, packaging, equipment and process-related issues may require refinement or resolution in order for us to proceed with our planned clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval for commercialization of our product candidates. In the future, for example, we may identify impurities in the product manufactured by us or for us for commercial supply, which could result in increased scrutiny by the regulatory agencies, delays in our clinical program and regulatory approval, increases in our operating expenses, or failure to obtain or maintain approval for our licensed products and product candidates. If the FDA or any other applicable regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our products or if they withdraw any such approval in the future, or if our suppliers or third-party manufacturers decide they no longer want to manufacture our products, we would need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates and which could also result in default in our supply commitments and obligations for our licensed products, our incurring potential default damages and our loss of significant revenues.\n\nMore generally, we and our API manufacturers of pharmaceutical products, may often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up and validating initial production. These problems include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, quality assurance testing, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and foreign regulations. Additionally, we and our API manufacturers may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environments, such as recent events in Ukraine and Russia, the Israel and Gaza armed conflict, the war with Iran or other geopolitical uncertainty. If we or our manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with their contractual obligations, our ability to manufacture our products, or to make our product candidates available for clinical trials and development purposes or to further commercialize any of our licensed products and product candidates in the United States, would be jeopardized. Any delay or interruption in our ability to meet commercial demand may result in the loss of significant potential revenues and could adversely affect our ability to gain market acceptance for approved products as well as a potential default of our supply commitments or obligations. In addition, any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial supplies could delay the completion of clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical trial programs and,\n\n47\n\n[Table of](#i65b3f6374bb0418bacd030f2ff357555_7)[Contents](#i65b3f6374bb0418bacd030f2ff357555_7)\n\ndepending upon the period of delay, require us to commence new clinical trials at additional expense or terminate clinical trials completely. Additionally, if supply from one approved API manufacturer is interrupted, there could be a significant disruption in commercial supply. Regulatory agencies may also require additional studies if a new manufacturer is relied upon for commercial production. Switching manufacturers may involve substantial costs and would likely result in a delay in our desired clinical and commercial timelines and disrupt our supply commitment and obligations.\n\nThe occurrence of any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects."}