Loading...
Loading...
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
RISKS RELATING TO THE MERGER
The completion of the Merger is subject to a number of conditions, many of which are largely outside of the parties control, and, if these conditions are not satisfied or waived on a timely basis, the Merger Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may not be completed.
The Merger is subject to various closing conditions that remain open, including:
(1)the expiration or termination of the waiting period applicable to the consummation of the Merger under the HSR Act;
(2)the absence of any judgment, ruling, order, writ, injunction or decree of any governmental authority, nor any statute, code, decree, law, healthcare law, act, ordinance, rule, regulation or order of any governmental authority or other legal restraint or prohibition, that is in effect that would make the Merger illegal or otherwise prevent or prohibit its consummation;
(3)subject to specific standards, the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other party or parties;
(4)the performance or compliance in all material respects by the other party or parties of such partys or parties covenants, obligations, and agreements under the Merger Agreement;
(5)with respect to Parents and Merger Subs obligations to consummate the merger, the absence of a material adverse effect (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and the absence of any changes having occurred that would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect;
(6)our having delivered to Parent a certificate, dated as of the closing date and signed by one of our executive officers, certifying to the satisfaction of the foregoing conditions; and
(7)Parent and Merger Sub having delivered to us a certificate, dated as of the closing date and signed by an executive officer, certifying to the satisfaction of the foregoing conditions.
The failure to satisfy all of the required conditions could delay the completion of the Merger by a significant period of time or prevent it from closing. Any delay in completing the Merger could cause the parties to not realize some or all of the benefits that are expected to be achieved if the Merger is successfully completed within the expected timeframe. There can be no assurance that the conditions to closing of the Merger will be satisfied or waived or that the Merger will be completed within the expected timeframe, or at all.
The Merger Agreement and the pendency or failure of the Merger could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
There can be no assurance that the conditions to the closing of the Merger will be satisfied or waived or that the Merger will be completed in a timely manner, or at all. If the Merger is not completed within the expected timeframe or at all, our ongoing business, relationships and financial condition could be materially adversely affected and we will be subject to a variety of additional risks and possible consequences associated with the failure to complete the Merger, including the following:
upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified circumstances, we may be required to pay Parent a termination fee of $20,380,000;
we have incurred and will continue to incur substantial transaction costs, including legal, accounting, financial advisor, economic advisor, electronic discovery service, filing, printing and mailing fees, regardless of whether the Merger closes;
under the Merger Agreement, we are subject to restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to the closing of the Merger, which may adversely affect our ability to execute our business strategies; and
the Merger, whether or not it closes, has significantly diverted and will continue to significantly divert the attention of certain of our management and other key employees from ongoing business activities, including the pursuit of other opportunities that could be beneficial to us as an independent company.
If the Merger is not completed, these risks could materially affect our business and financial results, the trading price of our common stock, including to the extent that the market price of our common stock is positively affected by a market assumption that the Merger will be completed, and investor confidence in our business.
21
While the Merger is pending, we will be subject to several business uncertainties and contractual restrictions that could adversely affect our business and operations.
In connection with the pending Merger, some customers, vendors, distributors, suppliers, landlords, service providers or other third parties with which we have important business relationships may react unfavorably, including by delaying or deferring decisions concerning their business relationships or transactions with us, which could adversely affect our revenues, earnings, funds from operations, cash flows, expenses and prospects, regardless of whether the Merger is completed. In addition, due to restrictions in the Merger Agreement on the conduct of our business prior to completing the Merger, we are unable, without Parents prior written consent, during the pendency of the Merger, to pursue strategic transactions, undertake significant capital projects, undertake certain significant financing transactions and otherwise pursue other actions, even if such actions would prove beneficial, and may cause us to forego certain opportunities we might otherwise wish to pursue. Parent may withhold its consent of these items for any reason. In addition, the pendency of the Merger may make it more difficult for us to effectively retain and incentivize key personnel and may cause distractions from our strategy and day-to-day operations and result in a decline in productivity for our current employees and management.
We have incurred and will continue to incur substantial transaction fees and costs in connection with the Merger that could adversely affect our business and operations if the Merger is not completed.
We have incurred and will incur significant non-recurring transaction fees, which include legal and advisory fees and substantial costs associated with completing the Merger, including costs related to the Second Request and any divestitures required to obtain regulatory approvals, and which could adversely affect our business operations and cash position if the Merger is not completed.
The termination fee and restrictions on solicitation contained in the Merger Agreement may discourage other companies from trying to acquire us while the Merger is pending.
The Merger Agreement prohibits us from soliciting, initiating, knowingly encouraging or knowingly facilitating any competing acquisition proposals, subject to certain limited exceptions. The Merger Agreement also contains certain termination rights, including, but not limited to, our right to terminate the Merger Agreement to accept a superior proposal (as defined in the Merger Agreement), subject to and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement further provides that, upon our termination of the Merger Agreement to enter into an alternative acquisition agreement that is the subject of a superior proposal, we will be required to pay Parent a termination fee of $20,380,000 in cash. The termination fees and restrictions in the Merger Agreement relating to acquisition proposals by third parties, including with respect to the process such third parties would need to follow, could discourage other companies from trying to acquire us, even though those other companies might be willing to offer greater value to our shareholders than they will receive in the Merger.
Active or future litigation against us, Parent, or the members of their respective boards could prevent or delay the completion of the Merger or result in the payment of damages following completion of the Merger or otherwise negatively affect our business and operations.
In July 2024, two of our shareholders filed separate lawsuits in New York State court against us and our board (the New York Lawsuits). The New York Lawsuits allege that the proxy statement relating to the meeting at which the Merger was approved by our shareholders was materially misleading and contained material omissions in certain respects. The New York Lawsuits seek preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, rescission of the transaction or actual or punitive damages, and attorneys fees. No defendant has been served, and no additional proceedings have occurred in the New York Lawsuits. It is possible that the New York Lawsuits or other additional shareholder complaints, including securities-fraud class actions, demands for books and records, or other similar matters, may be filed by certain of our shareholders challenging the Merger. The outcome of such lawsuits cannot be assured, including the amount of costs associated with defending these claims or any other liabilities that may be incurred in connection with the litigation of these claims. If a plaintiff in any such lawsuits is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting the parties from completing the Merger, such injunction may delay the consummation of the Merger in the expected timeframe, or may prevent the Merger from being consummated at all. Whether or not any such plaintiffs claim is successful, this type of litigation can result in significant costs, including costs associated with the indemnification of obligations to our directors, and divert managements attention and resources from the closing of the Merger and ongoing business activities, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Uncertainty about the Merger has adversely impacted our ability to retain employees and may adversely affect the relationships between us and our customers, suppliers, distributors, business partners, vendors, landlords, service providers and other employees, whether or not the Merger is completed.
Since the announcement of the Merger, employees on our vascular intervention products direct sales and research and development teams, as well as on our financial reporting team, have terminated their employment with us, and reported to us that they did so in
22
part due to uncertainty related to the merger. The loss of employees from our direct sales team may prevent us from achieving our commercial objectives for our vascular intervention products in fiscal 2025 and beyond. Under the Merger Agreement, we may not hire employees, including replacement employees, above certain compensation levels without the consent of Parent. The replacement of several of the employees that have terminated their employment with us since the Merger requires the consent of Parent. In certain cases, Parent has declined to provide such consent, and it may deny future consent requests to replace employees.
The loss of employees from our vascular intervention research and development team may delay, or prevent us from completing, efficiently, or at all, products under development for our vascular intervention portfolio. The loss of certain employees may impair our ability to conduct our operations efficiently and effectively. Further, the loss of employees may have a cascading effect on our ability to retain other employees. Ongoing uncertainties related to the merger may continue to impair our ability to retain, recruit or motivate key management and technical, manufacturing, and other personnel.
In response to the announcement of the Merger, existing or prospective customers, suppliers, distributors, business partners, vendors, landlords, service providers and other of our third party relationships may delay, defer or cease providing goods or services or continuing work on strategic programs, delay or defer other decisions concerning our business, refuse to extend credit to us or extend the terms of material contracts, or otherwise seek to change the terms on which they do business with us. Any such delays or changes to terms could materially adversely harm our business.
If the Merger is not consummated by February 28, 2025 (which date may be extended one or more times, for up to nine additional months in total, under specified circumstances), either we or Parent may terminate the Merger Agreement, subject to certain exceptions. In the event the Merger Agreement is terminated by either party, we will have incurred significant costs and will have diverted significant management focus and resources from other strategic opportunities and ongoing business activities without realizing the anticipated benefits of the Merger, which could be materially adverse to us.
Actions of activist shareholders or other parties may impair our ability to consummate the Merger or otherwise negatively impact our business.
Actions taken by activist shareholders could impair our ability to satisfy conditions to the consummation of the Merger or otherwise preclude us from consummating the Merger. Activist shareholders could also take actions that disrupt our business, divert the time and attention of management and our employees away from our business operations, cause us to incur substantial additional expense, create perceived uncertainties among current and potential customers, clients, suppliers, employees and other constituencies as to our future direction as a consequence thereof, which may result in lost sales, impaired supplier relationships or other business arrangements and the loss of potential business opportunities, and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners.
The occurrence of any of these Merger-related events individually or in combination could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and the market price of our common stock.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS, STRATEGY AND INDUSTRY
We had a net loss for our 20234 fiscal year, expect to incur net losses in the future, and may not be able return to or sustain profitability.
We incurred a net loss of $(11.5) million in our fiscal year ended September 30, 20234 and expect to continue to have net losses in the future. We expect to continue to incur significant sales and marketing, research and development, regulatory and other expenses as we continue our commercialization efforts to increase adoption of our products, expand existing relationships with our customers, pursue regulatory clearances or approvals for our planned or future products, conduct clinical trials and registry studies on our existing and planned or future products, and develop new products or add new features to our existing products. We expect to continue to incur losses in the future, which may fluctuate significantly from period to period. If our revenue declines or fails to grow at a rate faster than increases in our cost of goods sold and operating expenses, we will not be able to return to and maintain profitability in future periods. We cannot ensure that we will return to profitability or that, if we do become profitable, we will be able to sustain profitability.
Failure of our SurVeil DCB products to obtain a meaningful market share may limit our revenue and adversely impact our operating results, balance sheet, cash flows and liquidity.
In June 2023, our SurVeil DCB products received premarket approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowing the products to be marketed and sold in the U.S. by Abbott under our exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with them. In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, we completed shipment of Abbotts initial stocking order of commercial units of the SurVeil DCB products. Following the completion of the stocking order, we have continued to manufacture and ship commercial units of the products to Abbott. Upon our shipments of commercial units of the SurVeil DCB products, we recognized product sales revenue, which included both (i) the contractual transfer price, and (ii) an estimate of Surmodics share of net profits resulting from product sales by Abbott to third parties.
23
As of September 30, 2024, contract asset balances associated with estimated SurVeil DCB profit-sharing expected to be collected from Abbott totaled $2.0 million, which was reported in contract assets, current and other assets, noncurrent on the consolidated balance sheets. Based on profit sharing reports provided by Abbott, we estimate that less than 10% of the commercial units of the SurVeil DCB products that we shipped to Abbott in our fiscal 2024 were sold by Abbott prior to September 30, 2024. We will not collect any profit-sharing revenue on units of the SurVeil DCB product that Abbott does not sell prior to the expiration of the product, which is currently two years following production. If a substantial portion of the SurVeil DCB units that we have shipped to Abbott expire before Abbott sells them to third parties, it would result in a reduction of the contract asset that was previously recognized upon the shipment of those units sold to Abbott, which may have an adverse impact on our operating results, balance sheet, cash flows and liquidity.
DCBs are used to treat peripheral artery disease in the upper leg. The loss of, or significant reduction in business from, one or more of our mU.S. DCB market in which the SurVeil DCB product competes, is dominated by three companies. We estimate that those three companies have more than 90% of the market share. Further, we believe that products compatible with a 0.018 guidewire represent over 40% of that market, and that this segment of the market is growing at a substantially higher rate than products compatible with larger diameter guidewires. Our SurVeil DCB product is not compatible with a 0.018 guidewire. Based on forecasts for the SurVeil DCB product, received from Abbott, we expect to ship less than one-third of the SurVeil DCB units to Abbott in fiscal 2025 compared to the number of units that were shipped to Abbott in fiscal 2024. In the periods following the shipment of the initial SurVeil DCB product stocking order to Abbott, several factors including, low production volume, associated under-absorption and production inefficiencies, and the expiration of raw material inventory, have resulted in an unfavorable impact on the product gross profit margins of our medical device segment. If our SurVeil DCB product does not capture a meaningful share of the market in which it competes, and demand for the product is insufficient to permit us to produce it at an efficient scale, our revenue may be limited and our operating results, balance sheet, cash flows and liquidity may be adversely affected.
The loss of, or significant reduction in business from, one or more of our major customers could significantly reduce our revenue, earnings or other operating results.
A significant portion of our revenue is derived from a relatively small number of customers. Two of our customers combined provided more than 37approximately 28% of our revenue in fiscal 20234. Revenue from Abbott and Medtronic represented approximately 2716% and 102%, respectively, of our total revenue for fiscal 20234 and was generated from multiple products and fields of use. The loss of Abbott, Medtronic, or any of our other large customers, or reductions in business from them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow. There can be no assurance that revenue from any customer will continue at their historical levels. If we cannot broaden our customer base, we will continue to depend on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue.
The long-term success of our business may suffer if we are unable to maintain and expand our licensing base, including with customers who may perceive our vascular intervention products as competing with their products.
We intend to continue pursuing a strategy of licensing our performance coating technologies that impart lubricity, pro-healing and biocompatibility characteristics, as well as drug-delivery capabilities (together, performance coatings or performance coating technologies) to a diverse array of medical device companies, thereby expanding the commercialization opportunities for our technologies. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from customer devices used in connection with procedures in neurovascular, peripheral vascular, cardiovascular, and structural heart and other applications. As a result, our business is susceptible to adverse trends in procedures. We may also be subject to adverse trends in specific markets such as the cardiovascular industry, including declines in procedures using our customers products as well as declines in average selling prices from which we earn royalties. Further, some of our performance coating technology customers may consider the vascular intervention products that we sell directly to healthcare providers to be competitive with their products.
Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to retain existing performance coating technology customers and to attract new licensees, to enter into agreements for additional applications with existing licensees, and to develop technologies for use in new applications. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify, develop and adapt our technologies for new applications in a timely and cost-effective manner; that new license agreements will be executed on terms favorable to us; that new applications will be accepted by customers in our target markets; or that products incorporating newly licensed technology, including new applications, will gain regulatory approval, be commercialized or gain market acceptance. Delays or failures in these efforts could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, we cannot be sure that existing or potential customers will not avoid using our performance coating technologies because they perceive our vascular intervention products to be a competitive threat, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our success depends on our ability to effectively develop and market our products against those of our competitors.
We operate in highly competitive and quickly evolving fields, and new developments are expected to continue at a rapid pace. Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to maintain competitive positions in the development of technologies and products in the fields of surface modification, device drug delivery, medical device products and diagnostics. Our performance coating technologies compete with technologies developed by a number of other companies. In addition, many medical device manufacturers have developed, are engaged in efforts to develop, or through common ownership are or may become affiliates of companies that have
24
developed, performance coating technologies for use on their own or affiliates products, particularly in the area of drug delivery. With respect to commercialization of our vascular intervention medical device products, we have faced, and expect to continue to face, competitive pressures, including pricing pressure, from larger OEM suppliers, as well as larger medical device companies that produce similar products. Some of our existing and potential competitors (especially medical device manufacturers pursuing coating solutions through their own RD efforts) have greater financial and technical resources, as well as production and marketing
20
capabilities, than us. Further, even if we are successful in our plans to develop new medical device products, the commercialization of these products may be dependent upon a commercial partner to effectively market and sell our products to end users. Competitors may succeed in developing competing technologies or obtaining governmental approval for products before us. Products incorporating our competitors technologies may gain market acceptance more rapidly than products using our technologies. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that new products or technologies developed by others, or the emergence of new industry standards, will not render our products or technologies or licensees products incorporating our technologies noncompetitive or obsolete. Any new technologies that make our performance coatings, medical device platforms or In Vitro Diagnostics technologies less competitive or obsolete would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Competition in the diagnostics market is highly fragmented, and in the product lines in which we compete, we face an array of competitors ranging from large manufacturers with multiple business lines to small manufacturers that offer a limited selection of products. Some of our competitors have substantially more capital resources, marketing experience, sales and RD resources, and production facilities than we do.
We may not be successful in implementing our vascular intervention product development and commercialization strategy.
Since fiscal 2013, we have been focused on a key growth strategy to develop and commercialize vascular intervention products. Our aim is to provide customers with highly differentiated products that address unmet clinical needs. To date, we have commercialized our vascular intervention products through collaborations with other medical device companies and through our own direct sales channel in the U.S. We may seek to expand the commercialization of these products through existing customers, third-party distributors, or other distribution channels.
Successfully implementing our vascular intervention product strategy places substantial demands on our resources and requires, among other things:
maintenance and enhancement of our medical device RD capabilities, including those needed to support the clinical evaluation and regulatory approval for our vascular intervention products;
successful hiring, training, and retention of personnel;
effective management of a business geographically located both in the U.S. and Ireland;
effective commercialization of our products, including through strategic partnerships with our medical device customers, third-party distributors, and direct sales;
efficient manufacture and procurement of complex products with demanding specifications;
effective management of inventory levels to be able to meet anticipated customer demand, while mitigating the risk of excess or obsolete inventory;
commitment from our medical device customers to market our products effectively or to devote resources necessary to provide effective sales;
sufficient liquidity to support substantial investments in working capital, RD, and selling, general and administrative (SGA) resources required to make our strategy successful; and
successful sales, marketing, field clinical support, and sales-related activities.
There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement our vascular intervention product strategy, which could lead to losses on the investments we are making in connection with this strategy, stranded assets, or asset write-downs, and may result in an adverse impact on our business, financial results and financial condition.
We anticipate that operating expenses related to the development and direct-sale commercialization of medical device products will have an adverse impact on our near-term operating results and financial position, and they may not be effective.
In fiscal 2022, we established a field sales team to sell our radial access and thrombectomy medical device products directly to healthcare providers in the U.S. Our SGA expenses increased by 11% in fiscal 2023 and 53% from $30.7 million in fiscal 2022, compared to the respective prior-year periods, primarily21, the year before we established our medical device direct sales team, to $56.8 million in fiscal 2024, with much of the increase due to personnel and other investments in our direct sales initiatives. We currently expect SGA expenses to increase furremain at ther in ir fiscal 2024, reflecting continued investment in direct-sales and support personnel levels or higher.
Because we expect operating expenses related to our medical device products that we offer through direct sales to exceed the revenue from those products in fiscal 20245, we anticipate that such expenses will adversely impact our operating results and cash flow during the year, which is likely to have an adverse effect on our financial position. Accordingly, we may seek additional sources of funds,
25
including additional borrowing against our credit facility, to fund our continuing investment in the development and direct sale of our medical device products. Such funds may not be available on favorable terms, if at all.
21
In addition to the operating expenses associated with product development and direct-sale commercialization activities, such activities are subject to risks of failure that are inherent in the development and commercialization of new medical technologies or products and establishment of a new sales force. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in developing new technologies or products, or in commercializing any such technologies or products through direct sales, or otherwise. Even if we are successful in developing and commercializing new technologies or products, there can be no assurance that gross profits from their sales will exceed our operating expenses related to their development and commercialization.
Our credit agreement contains covenants that restrict our business and financing activities. All of our assets secure our obligations under the credit agreement and may be subject to foreclosure.
On October 14, 2022, we entered into a secured revolving credit facility and secured term loan facilities pursuant to a Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (the MidCap Credit Agreement) with Mid Cap Funding IV Trust, as agent, and MidCap Financial Trust, as term loan servicer and the lenders from time to time party thereto (together MidCap). The MidCap Credit Agreement contains covenants that limit our ability to engage in certain transactions. Subject to limited exceptions, these covenants limit our ability to, among other things:
create, incur, assume or permit to exist any additional indebtedness, or create, incur, allow or permit to exist any additional liens;
enter into any amendment or other modification of certain agreements;
effect certain changes in our business, fiscal year, management, entity name or business locations;
liquidate or dissolve, merge with or into, or consolidate with, any other company;
pay cash dividends on, make any other distributions in respect of, or redeem, retire or repurchase, any shares of our capital stock;
make certain investments, other than limited permitted acquisitions; and
enter into transactions with our affiliates.
These provisions impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to compete effectively, take advantage of new business opportunities, or take other actions that may be in our, or our shareholders, best interests.
In addition to the other covenants under the MidCap Credit Agreement, we must maintain minimum core net revenue levels tested quarterly if term loans exceed $25.0 million.
The MidCap Credit Agreement contains customary indemnification obligations and customary events of default, including, among other things:
non-payment; breach of warranty; non-performance of covenants and obligations; default on other indebtedness; certain judgments; | change of control; bankruptcy and insolvency; impairment of security; regulatory matters; and material adverse effect. |
Our obligations under the MidCap Credit Agreement are secured by all our existing and future acquired assets, including intellectual property and real estate.
Our inability to comply with any of the provisions of the MidCap Credit Agreement could result in a default under it. If such a default occurs, the lenders may elect to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable, and it would have the right to terminate any commitments to provide further funds. If we are unable to repay outstanding borrowings when due, the lender also has the right under the MidCap Credit Agreement to proceed against the collateral granted to it to secure the indebtedness under the MidCap Credit Agreement. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We may draw on our term loan availability solely to preserve our access to capital, which may adversely impact our financial results.
As of September 30, 2023, we had outstanding debt of $5 million on our revolving credit line with MidCap and $25 million of term loans with MidCap. Under the MidCap Credit Agreement, we may borrow up to an additional $75 million ($25 million of which is at the sole discretion of MidCap) in term loans, which may be drawn upon in increments of at least $10 million prior to December 31, 2024. Since we cannot draw upon the term loans between December 31, 2024 and when they mature on October 1, 2027, we may, in order to preserve our access to this source of capital, elect to draw upon the term loans prior to when we would need the proceeds to fund our operations. Such borrowing may cause our interest expense to increase and adversely impact our financial results and cash flow after such borrowing.
22
We may seeseek to prepay our borrowings under the MidCap Credit Agreement before its maturity, which would subject us to early termination fees and may lead us to raise capital on unfavorable terms.
Subject to certain limitations, the term loans under our MidCap Credit Agreement have a prepayment fee for payments made prior to the maturity date equal to 2.0% of the prepaid principal amount for the second year following the closing date and 1.0% of the prepaid principal amount for the third year following the closing date and thereafter. In addition, if the revolving credit facility under the MidCap Credit Agreement is terminated in whole or in part prior to the maturity date, we must pay a prepayment fee equal to 2.0% of the terminated commitment amount for the second year following the closing date and 1.0% of the terminated
26
commitment amount for the third year following the closing date and thereafter. We also are required to pay a full exit fee at the time of maturity or full prepayment equal to 2.5% of the aggregate principal amount of the term loans made pursuant to the MidCap Credit Agreement and a partial exit fee at the time of any partial prepayment event equal to 2.5% of the amount prepaid.
To obtain more favorable interest rates or credit terms, or for other financial or strategic reasons, we may seek to prepay our borrowings under the MidCap Credit Agreement. To do so, we may seek to raise additional capital through equity offerings or debt financings, and such additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Further, any additional equity or debt financing transaction may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our shareholders. For example, if we raise funds by issuing equity or equity-linked securities, the issuance of such securities could result in dilution to our shareholders. Any equity securities issued also may provide for rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. Further, the issuance of additional equity securities by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
In addition, the terms of debt securities issued or borrowings could impose significant restrictions on our operations including restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to, among other things, dispose of assets, effect certain mergers, incur debt, grant liens, pay dividends and distributions on capital stock, make investments and acquisitions, and enter into transactions with affiliates, and other operating restrictions that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.
If we enter into asset transactions, collaborations or licensing arrangements to raise capital, we may be required to accept unfavorable terms, such as the relinquishment or licensing of certain technologies or products that we otherwise might seek to develop or commercialize ourselves, or reserve for future potential arrangements when we might otherwise be able to achieve more favorable terms.
Failure to successfully and profitably commercialize the Pounce venous thrombectomy product may limit our growth and adversely impact our operating results, balance sheet, cash flows and liquidity.
On July 2, 2021, we completed the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Vetex Medical Limited (Vetex). Vetex holds a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) 510(k) clearance, E.U. CE Mark, and portfolio of patents related to the Pounce venous mechanical thrombectomy catheter product (the Pounce Venous Thrombectomy System). However, Vetex had not initiated commercial production or established commercialization of the product prior to the acquisition. We acquired Vetex with an upfront cash payment of $39.9 million and are obligated to pay two e, a $1.8 million cash payment made in the fourth qual installments totaling $3.5rter of fiscal 2024, and a $1.8 million i cash payment that is due in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2027. An additional $3.5 million in payments are contingent upon the achievement of certain product development and regulatory milestones within a contingency period ending in fiscal 2027. As of the acquisition date, we recognized $28 million in intangible assets, $3 million in deferred tax liabilities and $19 million in goodwill related to the acquisition.
We began limited market evaluations of the Pounce Venous Thrombectomy System in June of 2022, but have not commee commercially launched the product as of September 30, 2023. For us to realize the anticipated benefits of the Vetex acquisition, we must successfully establish commercial manufacturing for the Pounce Venous Thrombectomy System and successfully develop and execute a commercialization strategy for tin the product. If we are unsuccessful, or encounter additional delays or cost overruns, in establishing commercial manufacturing for the Pounce Venous Thrombectomy System and ancillary products, or isecond quarter of fiscal 2024. If potential customers do not adopt the Pounce Venous Thrombectomy System at sufficient levels to make it a commercial success, our operating results, cash flows and liquidity may be adversely impacted. Further, the goodwill and intangible assets that we recognized related to the acquisition may become impaired if the financial performance of the Pounce Venous Thrombectomy System does not meet our expectations, which could negatively affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.
Failure to effectively utilize our limited ability to make acquisitions, to accurately financially model the impact of acquisitions, or to integrate acquired businesses or technologies into our operations successfully may limit Our failure to enhance our growth and adversely impact operating results, cash flows and liquidity.
The MidCap Credit Agremanagement defines acquisitions broadly and limits our ability to pay for acquisitions to (i) an aggregate of $10 million in cash consideration over the five-year term of the MidCap Credit Agreement, and (ii) systems and consideration consisting of noncash equity interests. Acquisitions of complementary businesses or technologies can be important potential catalysts for our revenue growth. Our limited ability to make cash acquisitions may prevent us from making acquisitions that would enhance our business and revenues. It also may cause us to use equity interests as consideration for larger acquisitions, which would dilute the equity interest of our existing shareholders.
23
Our identification of suitable acquisition candidates involves risks inherent in assessing the technology, value, strengths, weaknesses, overall risks and trols to support our exprofitability, if any, of acquisition candidates. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, or we may be unable to execute acquisitianded operations due to competition from buyers with more resources.
Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of a potential acquisition depends, in part, on the accuracy of our financial model of the timing and magnitude of cash flows, expenses and revenues related to the acquired business. If the expectations reflected in our financial models for acquisitions are not realized, our ocould seriously harm our operating results, cash flows a and liquidity may be materially adversely affected.
The process of integrating acquired bubusinesses into our operations could pose numerous and significant risks. In addition, future acquisitions may cause large one-time expenses or create goodwill or other intangible assets that could result in future significant asset impairm.
Implement charges. In addiation, if we acquire entities that have not yet commercialized products, but rather are developing technologies for future commercialization, o of our earnings per share may fluctuate as we expend significant funds for continued RD efforts necessary to commercialize such acquired technology.
Our failure business strategy to expand our management systems and controls to support anticipated growth or integrate acquisitioperations could seriously harm our operating results and business.
Our operations are expanding, and we expect this trend to continue as we execute our business strategy. Executing our business strategy has phas placed significant demands on management and our administrative, development, operational, information technology, manufacturing, financial and personnel resources. Accordingly, our future operating results will depend on the ability of our officers and other key employees to continue to implement and improve our operational, development, customer support and financial control systems, and effectively expand, train and manage our employee base. Otherwise, we may not be able to manage our growthexpanded operations successfully.
Goodwill or other assets on our balance sheet may become impaired or require valuation reserves, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
As of September 30, 20234, we had $698.2 million of goodwill and intangible assets on our consolidated balance sheet. As required by the accounting guidance, we evaluate at least annually the potential impairment of our goodwill. Testing for impairment of goodwill involves the determination of the fair value of our reporting units. The estimation of fair values involves a high degree of judgment and subjectivity in the assumptions used. We also evaluate other assets on our balance sheet, including definite-lived intangible assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. Our estimate of the fair value of the assets may be based on fair value appraisals or discounted cash flow models using various inputs. Future impairment charges could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
In the fourth quarter of our fiscal 2022, we recognized $10.2 million of non-cash income tax expense related to the establishment of a full valuation reserve against our U.S. deferred tax assets. While we do not have any unreserved U.S. deferred tax assets remaining on our balance sheet as of September 30, 2023, we do have significant amounts of goodwill and other intangible assets on our balance sheet, which could be subject to future impairment charges.
The COVID-19 pandemic had adverse effects on oOur business and results of operations, and it or other global health concerns cocould seriously harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. healthcare providbe advers limited non-emergent elective medical procedures other than high acuity treatments in order to conserve personal protective equipment and limit exposure to COVID-19. The reduction in elective medical procedures resulted in reductions in the use of certain medical devices, which in turn reduced the licensing revenue that we recognized from impacted devices that incorporate our technologies. Throughout the pandemic, we incurred additional operating expenses to facilitate our employees working from home when possible, provide personal protective equipment, enhance cleaning and sanitation procedures, and modify workspaces to reduce the potential for disease transmission. We also suspended operations for limited periods in limited production work areas when employees were identified as having COVID-19.
We cannot predict whether there will be a resurgence of COVID-19 or whether or when other gloely affected by global health econcerns may emerge. In response to COVID-19 resurgences or other global health concerns, we, governments, businesses, and healthcare providers may take actions that could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition, and capital investments.
Our business could be adversely affected by global economic conditions.
omic conditions.
Prolonged economic uncertainties or downturns could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Negative conditions in the general economy in either the U.S. or abroad, including conditions resulting from financial and credit market
27
fluctuations, increased inflation and interest rates, changes in economic policy, trade uncertainty, including changes in tariffs, sanctions, international treaties, and other trade restrictions, the occurrence of a natural disaster or global public health crisis, or armed conflicts, such as between Russia and Ukraine or between Israel and Hamas, impact corporate spending in general and negatively affect the growth of our business.
24
These conditions could make it difficult for us and our customers to forecast and plan future business activities accurately and could cause our customers to reevaluate or delay their decisions to license our technologies, purchase our products, or enter into RD arrangements with us. A substantial downturn affecting our customers may cause them to react to worsening conditions by reducing their capital expenditures in general or by specifically reducing their spending on medical devices and technologies. We cannot predict the timing, strength, or duration of any economic slowdown, downturn, instability, or recovery, generally or within any particular industry or geography. Any downturn of the general economy or industries in which we operate would adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We recognize revenue in accordance with complex accounting standards, and changes in estimates, circumstances, or interpretations of standards may lead to accounting adjustments. Failure to implement these standards properly might impact the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting or impact the reliability of our financial reporting.
Our revenue recognition policies involve application of complex accounting standards, including the determination of when control is transferred to the customer, identification of performance obligations and determination of when they are satisfied, and estimates of variable consideration. Our compliance with such accounting standards often involves managements judgment regarding whether the criteria set forth in the standards have been met such that we can recognize as revenue the amounts that we expect to receive as payment for our products or services. We base our judgments on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. However, these judgments, or the assumptions underlying them, may change over time. In addition, the SEC or the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) may issue new positions or revised guidance on the treatment of complex accounting matters. Changes in circumstances or third-party guidance could cause our judgments to change with respect to our interpretations of these complex standards, and transactions recorded, including revenue recognized, for one or more prior reporting periods, could be adversely affected. Further, failure to implement these standards properly could impact the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting or impact the reliability of our financial reporting, which could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.
In addition, based on the net profit-sharing provisions of the Abbott Agreement, the amount of revenue that we recognize on our sales of SurVeil DCB products to Abbott represents variable consideration and requires us to estimate Abbotts future net sales of those products during the period in which those products are shipped to Abbott. Abbott has discretion over setting its pricing structure for the products and has nolimited history of selling them. We, therefore, have limited information upon which to base our estimates of Abbotts net sales of SurVeil DCB products. We will bare required to refine our estimates of variable consideration for profit-sharing each quarter based on available information, which willmay result in adjustments to product revenue that may have been recognized in prior periods, which may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
The transfer price to Abbott of our SurVeil DCB products is denominated in Euros, which, together with our foreign operations, exposes us to certain risks related to fluctuations in U.S. dollar and foreign currency exchange rates.
The transfer price to Abbott for our SurVeil DCB products is denominated in Euros, while profit-sharing with Abbott on its sales of those products in the U.S. is denominated in U.S. dollars. In addition, our operations in Ireland conduct business in Euros. We report our consolidated financial statements in U.S. dollars. In a period where the U.S. dollar is strengthening or weakening relative to the Euro, our revenue and expenses denominated in the Euro are translated into U.S. dollars at a lower or higher value, respectively, than they would be in an otherwise constant currency exchange rate environment. We are also exposed to foreign exchange gains and losses on the Euro-denominated accounts receivable from Abbott and Euro-denominated cash balances held in the U.S. As our sales of SurVeil DCB products to Abbott and our foreign operations expand, the effects may become material to our consolidated financial statements.
Changes in product mix, increased manufacturing costs, and other factors could cause our product gross margin percentage to fluctuate or decline in the future.
Changes in our product mix and increased manufacturing costs could cause our product gross margin percentage (defined as product gross profit, or product sales less product costs, as a percentage of product sales) to fluctuate or decline in the future. These factors, together with the scale-up of our vascular intervention manufacturing operations with low and intermittent production volumes relative to manufacturing capacity, finite shelf life products, difficulty in forecasting demand for newly launched products, as well as related inefficiencies, adversely affected our product gross margin percentage for the last fiscal year, and these factors will likely continue to affect our product gross margin percentage in fiscal 20245 and beyond.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR OPERATIONS AND RELIANCE ON THIRD PARTIES
We rely on third parties to market, distribute and sell most products incorporating our coating and device technologies, as well as certain of our vascular intervention products.
s.
28
A principal element of our business strategy is to enter into licensing arrangements with medical device and other companies that manufacture products incorporating our technologies. We derived 4734%, 3647%, and 4536% of our revenue from royalties and license fees (including related to our SurVeil DCB) under such licensing arrangements in fiscal 20234, 202223 and 202122, respectively. The revenue that
25
we derive from such arrangements depends upon our ability, or our licensees ability, to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, manufacture (if applicable), market, and sell products incorporating our technologies. Many of these factors are outside of our control. Our failure, or the failure of our licensees, to meet these requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, a licensee could modify theirits product in such a way that it no longer incorporates our technology. Moreover, under our standard license agreements, licensees can terminate the license for any reason upon 90 days prior written notice. Existing and potential licensees have no obligation to deal exclusively with us and may pursue parallel development or licensing of competing technologies on their own or with third parties. A decision by a licensee to terminate its relationship with us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In fiscal 2018, we entered into an agreement with Abbott under which Abbott has exclusive worldwide commercialization rights for the SurVeil DCB. Abbott has the right to purchase commercial units from us and we will realize revenue from product sales to Abbott at an agreed-upon transfer price, as well as a share of net profits resulting from third-party product sales by Abbott. We began sales of the SurVeil DCB to Abbott in fiscal 2024. We will rely on Abbott to effectively market and sell the SurVeil DCB. If Abbott is unable or unwilling to effectively market and sell the SurVeil DCB, it could have a have material adverse effect on our
A portion of our IVD business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have not produced our SurVeil DCB on a commercial scale, and we may encounter challenges in scaling up our production of it, which could have an adverse impact on our operating results.
We expect Abbott to launch commercializa relies on distribution of the SurVeil DCB product in the U.S. in the first half of calendar 2024. We will be responsible for manufacturing commercial quantities of the product. The SurVeil DCB is a highly complicated drug/device combination product that we have never manufactured on a commercial scale. It is not uncommon for there to be low yields, inefficiencies, or production issues when the manufacturing processes for a complicated product are ramped up to commercial scale. Any producagreements and relation issues related to our SurVeil DCB could have material adverse effects on our revenues and operating results.
A portion of our IVD business relies on distribution agreements and relationships ships with various third parties, and any adverse change in those relationships could result in a loss of revenue and harm that business.
We sell many of our IVD products outside of the U.S. through distributors. Some of our distributors also sell our competitors products. If they favor our competitors products for any reason, they may fail to market our products as effectively or to devote resources necessary to provide significant sales, which would cause our results to suffer. Additionally, we serve as the exclusive distributor in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico for DIARECT GmbH (Part of BBI Solutions) for its recombinant and native antigens. The success of these arrangements with these third parties depends, in part, on the continued adherence to the terms of our agreements with them. Any disruption in these arrangements willcould adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on our customers and business partners to accurately report and make payments under our agreements with them.
We rely on our performance coating technology customers to determine whether the products that they sell are royalty-bearing and, if so, to report and pay the amount of royalties owed to us under our agreements with them. The majority of our performance coatings technology license agreements with our customers give us the right to audit their records to verify the accuracy of their reports to us. However, these audits can be expensive, time-consuming and possibly detrimental to our ongoing business relationships with our customers. Inaccuracies in customer royalty reports have resulted in, and could result in, additional overpayments or underpayments of royalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the net profit-sharing provisions of the Abbott Agreement require Abbott to calculate, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, and report to us its net profits on its sales of our SurVeil DCB. Abbott is further obligated to make payments to us based on such net profits. The Abbott Agreement gives us the right to designate and pay for an independent auditor to audit the books and records of Abbott to verify the accuracy of its profit-sharing reports to us. However, such audits can be expensive and time-consuming. Inaccuracies in profit-sharing reports from Abbott could result in underpayments of profit-sharing by Abbott, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We currently have limited or no redundancy for the production of many of our products and their components, and we may lose revenue and be unable to maintain our customer relationships if we lose our production capacity.
We manufacture all of our performance coating reagents (and provide coating manufacturing services for certain customers) and our IVD products at one of our Eden Prairie, Minnesota facilities. We manufacture balloon catheter products and certain radial access device products at our facility in Ballinasloe, Ireland. We manufacture the SurVeil DCB and arterial tthrombectomy devices in one of our facilities in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. In addition, we rely upon sole-source suppliers for certain components and finished medical device products. In the longer term, we plan to manufacturef our SurVeil DCB both in our Ireland facility and in our manufacturing facility in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. However, we are required to meet certain additional regulatory requirements to manufacture the product in our Ireland facility. If our e existing production facilities or sole-source suppliers become incapable of manufacturing products for any reason, we may be unable to meet production requirements, we may lose revenue and we may not be able to maintain our
26
relationships with our customers, including certain of our licensees. In addition, because most of our customers use our performance coating reagents to manufacture their own products that generate royalties and license fee revenue for us, failure by us to supply these reagents could result in decreased royalties and license fee revenue, as well as decreased revenue from our performance coating product sales. Without our existing production facilities, we would have no other means of manufacturing products until we were able to restore the manufacturing capability at these facilities or develop one or more alternative manufacturing facilities. Although we carry business interruption insurance to cover lost revenue and profits in an amount we consider adequate, this insurance does not cover all possible situations. In addition, our business interruption insurance would not compensate us for the loss of opportunity and potential adverse impact on relations with our existing customers resulting from our inability to produce products for them.
We may face product liability claims related to participation in clinical trials or the use or misuse of our products.
The development and sale of medical devices and component products involves inherent risks of product liability claims. For medical device products that incorporate our performance coating technologies, most of the licenses provide us with indemnification against such claims. However, there can be no assurance that product liability claims will not be filed against us for such products, or for
29
medical device products that we manufacture as part of our vascular intervention product strategy, that parties indemnifying us will have the financial ability to honor their indemnification obligations, or that such manufacturers will not seek indemnification or other relief from us for any such claims. Any product liability claims, with or without merit, could result in costly litigation, reduced sales, significant liabilities and diversion of our managements time, attention and resources. We have obtained a level of liability insurance coverage that we believe is appropriate to our activities, however, we cannot be sure that our product liability insurance coverage is adequate or that it will continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. Furthermore, we do not expect to be able to obtain insurance covering our costs and losses as a result of any recall of products or devices incorporating our technologies because of alleged defects, whether such recall is instituted by us, by a customer, or is required by a regulatory agency. A product liability claim, recall or other claim with respect to uninsured liabilities, or for amounts in excess of insured liabilities, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our revenue will be harmed if we experience disruptions in our supply chain.
Supply chains across many industries have experienced delays and disruptions due to a wide variety of factors including labor and materials shortages and a lack of transportation capacity. A disruption in the supply of even a minor competent of a product can have a major impact on the production and delivery of that product. If any of our suppliers becomes unwilling to supply components to us, experiences an interruption in its production, or is otherwise unable to provide us, on a timely basis or at all, with sufficient material to manufacture our reagents and other products, we will experience production interruptions. Further, we currently purchase some of the components we use to manufacture reagents from sole suppliers. If we lose our sole supplier of any particular reagent component or are otherwise unable to procure all components required for our reagent manufacturing for an extended period of time, we may lose the ability to manufacture the reagents our customers require to commercialize products incorporating our technology. This could result in lost royalties and license fees and product sales, which would harm our financial results. Adding suppliers to our approved vendor list may require significant time and resources. We routinely attempt to maintain multiple suppliers of each of our significant materials, so we will have alternative suppliers, if necessary. However, if the number of suppliers of a material is reduced, or if we are otherwise unable to obtain our material requirements on a timely basis and on favorable terms, our operations may be harmed.
We depend upon key personnel and may not be able to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future.
Our success depends upon our ability to retain and attract highly qualified management and technical personnel. We face intense competition for such qualified personnel. We do not maintain key person insurance, and we generally do not enter into employment agreements, except with certain executive officers. Although we have non-compete agreements with most employees, there can be no assurance that such agreements will be enforceable. The loss of the services of one or more key employees or the failure to attract and retain additional qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.
We collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, on our networks. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy, and our customers expect that we will securely maintain their information. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers resulting from employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any information technology breach could compromise our networks and the information stored on them could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under personal privacy laws and regulatory penalties, disrupt our operations and the services that we provide to our customers, damage our reputation and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, any of which could adversely affect our business and competitive position.
27
Our information systems, and those of third-party suppliers with whom we contract, require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information technology, evolving systems and regulatory standards, and changing threats. These systems could be vulnerable to service interruptions or to security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, third-party vendors and/or business partners, or from cyber-attacks by malicious third parties. We also are subject to other cyber-attacks, including state-sponsored cyber-attacks, industrial espionage, insider threats, computer denial-of-service attacks, computer viruses, ransomware and other malware, payment fraud or other cyber incidents. Any significant breakdown, intrusion, breach, interruption, corruption or destruction of these systems could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation and could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We may not be able to obtain, maintain or protect proprietary rights necessary for the commercialization of our technologies.
Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to obtain and maintain patents and trade secrets. We have been granted U.S. and foreign patents and have U.S. and foreign patent applications pending related to our proprietary technologies. There can be no
30
assurance that any pending patent application will be approved, that we will develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable, that any patents issued will provide us with competitive advantages or will not be challenged or invalidated by third parties, that the patents of others will not prevent the commercialization of products incorporating our technologies, or that others will not independently develop similar technologies or design around our patents. Furthermore, because we generate a significant amount of our revenue through licensing arrangements, the loss or expiration of patent protection for our licensed technologies will result in a reduction of the revenue derived from these arrangements, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, results of operations, financial position and prospects.
We may become involved in expensive and unpredictable patent litigation or other intellectual property proceedings which could result in liability for damages or impair our development and commercialization efforts.
Our commercial success also depends, in part, on our ability to avoid infringing patent or other intellectual property rights of third parties. There has been substantial litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, and intellectual property litigation may be used against us as a means of gaining a competitive advantage. Intellectual property litigation is complex, time consuming and expensive, and the outcome of such litigation is difficult to predict. If we were found to be infringing any third-party patent or other intellectual property right, we could be required to pay significant damages, alter our products or processes, obtain licenses from others, which we may not be able to do on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, or cease commercialization of our products and processes. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Patent litigation or certain other administrative proceedings may also be necessary to enforce our patents or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights. These activities could result in substantial cost to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us. An adverse outcome from any such litigation or interference proceeding could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties or require us to cease using our technology. Any action to defend or prosecute intellectual property would be costly and result in significant diversion of the efforts of our management and technical personnel, regardless of outcome, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to keep our trade secrets confidential, our technology and proprietary information may be used by others to compete against us.
We rely significantly upon proprietary technology, information, processes and know-how that are not subject to patent protection. We seek to protect this information through trade secret or confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, potential licensees, or other parties as well as through other security measures. There can be no assurance that these agreements or any security measure will provide meaningful protection for our un-patented proprietary information. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by competitors. If we determine that our proprietary rights have been misappropriated, we may seek to enforce our rights which would draw upon our financial resources and divert the time and efforts of our management, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to convince our customers to adopt our advanced generation of hydrophilic coating technologies, our royalties and license fee revenue may decrease, and the expiration of the patent family protecting this technology has and will continue to result in a reduction of the royalties and license fee revenue associated with existing license agreements.
In our Medical Device segment, we have licensed our PhotoLink hydrophilic technology to a number of our customers for use in a variety of medical device surface applications. We have several U.S. and international issued patents and pending U.S. and international patent applications protecting various aspects of these technologies, including compositions, methods of manufacture, and methods of coating devices. The anticipated expiration dates of the patents range from fiscal 2025 to 2042. These patents and
28
patent applications represent distinct families, with each family generally covering a successive generation of the technology, including improvements that enhance coating performance, manufacturability, or other important features desired by our customers.
Our fourth-generation PhotoLink technology was protected by a family of patents that expired in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 in all countries where patent coverage existed for the technology, except in Japan, where the relevant patent expired in the first quarter of fiscal 2021. Of the license agreements using our fourth-generation technologies, most continue to generate royalties and license fee revenue beyond patent expiration, but at a reduced royalty rate.
While we are actively working to encourage and support our customers adoption of our advanced generations of our hydrophilic coating technology, there can be no assurance that they will do so, or that those customers that have adopted, or will adopt, our hydrophilic coating technology will sell products utilizing our technology which will generate earned royalties and license fee revenue for us.
31
If we or any of our licensees breach any of the agreements under which we have in-licensed intellectual property from others, we could be deprived of important intellectual property rights and future revenue.
We are a party to various agreements through which we have in-licensed or otherwise acquired rights to certain technologies that are important to our business. In exchange for the rights granted to us under these agreements, we have agreed to meet certain research, development, commercialization, sublicensing, royalty, indemnification, insurance or other obligations. If we or one of our licensees fails to comply with these obligations set forth in the relevant agreement through which we have acquired rights, we may be unable to effectively use, license, or otherwise exploit the relevant intellectual property rights and may be deprived of current or future revenue that is associated with such intellectual property.
RISKS RELATING TO CLINICAL AND REGULATORY MATTERS
The development of new products and enhancement of existing products requires significant research and development and regulatory approvals, which may require clinical trials, all of which may be very expensive and time-consuming and may not result in commercially viable products.
The development of new products and enhancement of existing products requires significant investment in research and development and regulatory approvals. Regulators may require successful clinical trials prior to granting approvals for new or enhanced products. All of these requirements can be very expensive and time-consuming.
There can be no assurance that any products now in development, or that we may seek to develop or refine in the future, will achieve technological feasibility, obtain regulatory approval or gain market acceptance. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for new products or enhanced products, our ability to successfully compete in the markets in which we participate may be materially adversely impacted. A delay in the development or approval of new products and technologies may also adversely impact the timing of when these products contribute to our future revenue and earnings growth.
Delays in clinical studies are common and have many causes, and any significant delay in clinical studies being conducted by us could result in delays in obtaining regulatory approvals and jeopardize the ability to proceed to commercialization of our products.
We have conducted clinical studies on DCB products, some of which are ongoing. We may conduct additional clinical studies on our DCB or other products. There are risks involved in such clinical studies, including that they may fail to enroll a sufficient number of patients for a variety of reasons or fail to be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical studies for any of our products could be delayed or terminated for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:
delays in reaching agreement with applicable regulatory authorities on a clinicannot be sure that clinical study design;
issuance of publicationies or communications relating to the safety of certain medical devices;
suspension or termination of a clinical study by us, the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities due to adverse events or safety concerns relating to our f our product; and
delays in recruiting suitable patients s willing to participate in a study, or delays in having patients complete participation or return for post-treatment follow-up.
If the initiation or completion of any of the ongoing or planned clinical studies for our products is delayed for any of the above or other reasons, the regulatory approval process would be delayed and the ability to commercialize and commence sales of our products could be materially harmed. Additionally, clinical study delays may allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and res be successful, or that their results of operations.
29
We cannot be sure that clinical studies of our products will be successful, or that their results will be aadequate to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals.
We cannot be sure that the endpoints or safety profile of any clinical trialstudy will be met. In addition, we cannot be sure that any clinical trialstudy that is successful will support any regulatory approval of the product subjectobjective related to the trialstudy. We may expend significant financial and human capital resources on clinical trialstudies. If they fail to achieve their endpoints, or support regulatory approvalobjectives, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Healthcare policy changes may have a material adverse effect on us.
Healthcare costs have risen significantly during the past decade. There have been and continue to be proposals by legislators, regulators and third-party payers to reduce healthcare expenditures. Certain proposals, if implemented, would impose limitations on the prices our customers will be able to charge for our products, or the amounts of reimbursement available for their products from governmental agencies or third-party payers, or otherwise negatively impact pricing and reimbursement. Because a significant portion of our revenue is currently derived from royalties on products that constitute a percentage of our customers products selling price, these limitations could have an adverse effect on our revenue.
Healthcare reform continues to be a prominent political topic. We cannot predict what healthcare programs and regulations may ultimately be implemented at the federal or state level or the effect of any future legislation or regulation in the U.S. or internationally may have on our business.
Vascular intervention medical devices and other products incorporating our technologies are subject to increasing scrutiny and regulations, including extensive approval/clearance processes and manufacturing requirements. Any adverse regulatory and/or enforcement action (for us or our licensees) may materially affect our financial condition and business operations.
Our products and our business activities are subject to complex regulatory regimes both in the U.S. and internationally. Additionally, certain state governments and the federal government have enacted legislation aimed at increasing transparency of industry interactions with healthcare providers. Any failure to comply with these legal and regulatory requirements could impact our business. In addition, we will continue to devote substantial human capital and financial resources to further developing and implementing policies, systems and processes to comply with enhanced legal and regulatory requirements, which may impact our business and results of operations. We anticipate that governmental authorities will continue to scrutinize our industry closely, and that additional regulation may increase compliance and legal costs, exposure to litigation, and other adverse effects to our operations.
To varying degrees, the FDA and comparable agencies outside the U.S. require us to comply with laws and regulations governing the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, marketing and distribution of our products. Our compliance with these laws and regulations takes significant human capital and financial resources; involves stringent testing and surveillance; involves attention to any needed product improvements (such as modifications, repairs, or replacements); and may include significant limitations of the uses of our products.
32
Changes in existing regulations or adoption of new governmental regulations or policies could prevent or delay regulatory approval of products incorporating our technologies or subject us to additional regulation. Failure or delay by us or our licensees in obtaining FDA, E.U., and other necessary regulatory approval or clearance, or the loss of previously obtained approvals, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR SECURITIES
Our stock price has been volatile and may continue to be volatile.
The trading price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, highly volatile, in large part attributable to developments and circumstances related to factors identified in Forward-looking Statements and Risk Factors. Our common stock price may rise or fall sharply at any time based on announcement regarding regulatory actions, our operations or our financial performance; as a result of sales executed by significant holders of our stock; because of short positions taken by investors from time to time in our stock; or due to factors unrelated to our performance, including industry-specific or general economic conditions. In addition, in the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business and harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation. These factors may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
30