ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Before you invest in our securities, you should be aware that our business faces numerous risks, including those described below, as well as general economic and business risks. The following discussion provides information concerning the material risks and uncertainties that we have identified and believe may adversely affect our business, our financial condition and our results of operations. Before you decide whether to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties, together with all of the other information included in this report and in our other public filings, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. If any of the risks described below actually occurs, our business, financial results, financial condition and stock price could be materially and adversely affected.
Summary of Risk Factors
The section provides a summary of many of the risks we are exposed to in the normal course of our business activities. The summary does not contain all of the information that may be important to you, and you should read the summary together with the more detailed discussion of risks set forth following this section as well as elsewhere in this report.
• Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
• We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may not achieve or sustain profitability.
• We operate in a highly competitive industry and we may not compete successfully.
• We must successfully educate and train surgeons and their staff on the proper use of our products.
• Changes in third-party payment systems and in the healthcare industry may adversely impact our business.
• Industry trends have resulted in increased downward pricing pressure on medical services and products, which may affect our ability to sell our products at prices necessary to support our current business strategy.
• We may not develop new products in a timely and consistent manner.
• We may not maintain or grow our revenue if we are unable to maintain and expand our network of independent sales agents and stocking distributors.
• The failure to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our products in clinical studies will adversely affect our sales.
• Our business could be harmed if any of our manufacturing, development or research facilities are damaged and/or our manufacturing processes are interrupted.
• We depend on a limited number of third-party suppliers for processing activities, components and raw materials.
• Security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business.
• Our success depends on the services of key members of our senior management and other key employees.
• We may have significant product liability exposure and our insurance may not cover all potential claims.
• We are exposed to significant uninsured liabilities.
• We are exposed to a variety of risks relating to our international sales and operations.
• We may be subject to continuing contingent liabilities of Integra.
• Our sales volumes and our operating results may fluctuate.
• We must maintain high levels of inventory, which could consume a significant amount of our resources and reduce our cash flows.
• Our future financial results could be adversely affected by impairments or other charges.
• Our future capital needs are uncertain and we may need to raise additional funds in the future, and such funds may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.
• We are subject to stringent medical device regulation and any adverse regulatory action may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and business operations.
• There is no guarantee that the FDA will grant 510(k) clearance or premarket approval, or that equivalent foreign regulatory authorities will grant the foreign equivalent, of our future products.
• Certain of our products are derived from human tissue or contain materials derived from animal sources and are or could be subject to additional regulations.
• Clinical studies are expensive and their results may not support our product candidate claims.
• If the third parties on which we rely to conduct our clinical studies do not perform as contractually required or expected, we may not commercialize our products.
• Oversight of the medical device industry might affect the way we sell medical devices and compete in the marketplace.
• Unfavorable negative publicity concerning both alleged improper methods of tissue recovery from donors and disease transmission from donated tissue could limit widespread acceptance of some of our products.
• We are subject to a wide range of requirements, regulations and laws due to our international operations.
• Regulations related to “conflict minerals” may force us to incur additional expenses, may make our supply chain more complex and may result in damage to our reputation with customers.
• We are subject to requirements relating to hazardous materials which may impose significant compliance costs on us.
• Our intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful commercial protection for our products.
• Intellectual property in our industry has been the source of litigation and other disputes, which is inherently costly and unpredictable.
• We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that we have misappropriated their intellectual property.
• Our stock price has been and may continue to be volatile.
• Your ownership percentage may be diluted, including by our issuance of preferred stock with terms that could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.
• We do not anticipate paying cash dividends.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Our business, financial condition and results of operations will continue to be materially and adversely impacted in the near-term, and could be materially and adversely impacted in the long-term, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic materially and adversely impacted our business and we expect the impact to continue through at least the duration of the pandemic as regions respond to local conditions. To date, the impacts include: the cancellation or postponement of procedures in which our products otherwise could be used; personnel and other resource shortages at hospitals and other centers at which spine surgery procedures in which our products otherwise could be used; disruptions or restrictions on the ability of many of our employees and of third parties on which we rely to work effectively, including because of adherence to governmental orders or recommendations or to internal policies intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19; and temporary closures of our facilities and of the facilities of our customers and suppliers. For example, throughout the third quarter of 2021, and most acutely starting in August, spine surgery procedure volumes were negatively impacted in many areas of the United States, including in Florida and Texas, where we derive a meaningful portion of our revenue, due to cancellations and/or of procedures as a result of the increased cases and transmissibility of COVID-19 and because hospitals and other surgical centers were experiencing staffing . As jurisdictions throughout the world continue to deal with and respond to the pandemic, the degree of the impact of the pandemic may increase in scope or magnitude or we may experience additional material impacts in one or more regions. Any other variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 that causes more infections, spreads faster or causes more illness than current or previous variants, other outbreaks of contagious diseases or other public health developments in countries where we operate or where our customers or suppliers are located could also have a material and effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because of the pandemic, surgeons and their patients were required, and in certain regions continue to be required, or are choosing, particularly in areas with a high or increasing number of cases of COVID-19, to cancel or postpone procedures in which our products otherwise could be used, and many facilities that specialize in the procedures in which our products otherwise could be used temporarily closed or continue to be temporarily closed or operating at reduced hours or are experiencing personnel and other resource constraints and shortages. In addition, even after the pandemic subsides and/or governmental orders no longer prohibit or recommend against performing such procedures, patients may continue to defer such procedures out of concern of being exposed to COVID-19 or for other reasons. Deferrals of elective surgeries could result in delayed product launches if it takes longer than anticipated to collect feedback following an alpha launch. Further, facilities at
which our products typically are used may not reopen or, even if they reopen, patients may elect to have procedures performed at facilities that are, or are perceived to be, lower-risk, such as ambulatory surgery centers, and our products may not be approved at such facilities, and we may be unable to have our products approved for use at such facilities on a timely basis, or at all.
The effect of the pandemic on the broader economy could also negatively affect demand for procedures using our products, both in the near- and long-term. For example, as a result of the impact of the pandemic, individuals have lost, and others may lose, access to their private health insurance plan if they have lost or lose their job. Any prolonged economic downturn or recession as a result of the pandemic could result in layoffs of employees and a significant increase in unemployment in the United States and elsewhere, which may continue even after the pandemic is contained. An impact to job status may extend for a prolonged period of time, beyond possible coverage periods through COBRA, or where the cost to maintain coverage may not be affordable to an individual. As most of the patients who use our products rely on third-party payors, including government programs and private health insurance plans, to cover the cost of our products, patients may coverage to our products, which may our business and results of operations.
Workforce shortages and limitations and travel restrictions resulting from the impacts of COVID-19, including actions taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, have and will continue to adversely affect almost every aspect of our business. As noted above, spine surgery procedure volumes have recently been negatively impacted in many areas of the United States, including in states where we derive a meaningful portion of our revenue, because of hospitals and other surgical centers experiencing staffing shortages. If a significant percentage of the workforce of third parties on which we rely cannot work or cannot dedicate their time and resources to our business matters, including because of personnel and other resource constraints and shortages, illness, or travel, government or internal policies or restrictions, our operations and financial results may continue to be negatively impacted or the impact thereon may increase in scope or magnitude. Similarly, if a significant percentage of our workforce cannot work effectively due to the effects of the pandemic, our operations may be negatively affected. Because of government recommendations or orders, policies of third parties on which we rely, and social distancing recommendations or guidelines in many countries around the world, there is an increased reliance on working from home for the workforce of third parties on which we rely. It may also cause us not to timely submit required filings, including with the SEC,FDA, or other regulatory bodies, both in the U.S. and outside the U.S., any of which by itself may have a effect on our business, such as by making us to conduct an offering under a Form S-3 registration statement, which generally takes less time and is less expensive than other means, such as conducting an offering under a Form S-1 registration statement. In addition, changes impacting workforce function at the FDA and other regulatory bodies, as well as changes impacting workforce function at the facilities at which we seek to have new products approved for use, could impact the timing of when our new products are cleared for marketing and approved for use, either of which could impact the timing of our ability to sell these new products and could have a material and effect on our revenue growth. Conversely, we may face several or upon a return to the workplace if and when the pandemic subsides, including re-integration by our employees and to management related to such transition.
Further, disruptions in the manufacture and/or distribution of our products or in our supply chain may occur as a result of the pandemic, including for the reasons above, or other events that result in staffing shortages, production slowdowns, stoppages, or disruptions in delivery systems, any of which could materially and adversely affect our ability to manufacture and/or distribute our products, or to obtain the raw materials and supplies necessary to manufacture and/or distribute our products, in a timely manner, or at all.
We may also experience other unknown adverse impacts from the pandemic that cannot be predicted. For example, hospitals and other facilities at which we sell our products may renegotiate their purchase prices, including as a result of, or the perception they may be suffering, financial difficulty as a result of the pandemic. Similarly, facilities at which we seek to sell our products in the future may require price reductions relative to the price at which we previously expected to sell our products. Reduction in the prices at which we sell products to existing customers may have a material and adverse effect on our future financial results and reductions in the prices at which we expected to sell products to anticipated customers may have a material and adverse effect on our expectations for revenue growth.
Further, the global capital markets experienced, and we expect will continue to experience, disruption and volatility due to the pandemic, adversely impacting access to capital not only for us, but also for our customers and suppliers who need access to capital. Their inability to access capital in a timely manner, or at all, could adversely impact demand for our products and/or adversely impact our ability to manufacture and/or supply our products, any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business.
The full extent to which the pandemic will, directly or indirectly, impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, including our sales, expenses, supply chain integrity, manufacturing capability, research and development activities, and employee-related compensation, is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with reasonable accuracy at this time and will depend on future developments that are also highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with reasonable accuracy at this time, including, without limitation: (a) new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19, its contagiousness and/or virulence; (b) new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 that cause more infections, spread faster or cause more severe illness than current or previous variants; (c) resurgences in COVID-19 transmission and infection following the easing or lifting of “stay-at-home” or other restrictions or following resumption of surgical procedures, whether as a result thereof, as a result of reinfection, as a result of a delay in the emergence of symptoms following infection (or reinfection) by COVID-19, or as a result of its ability to lay dormant following infection (or reinfection), and the adverse impact the foregoing may have on our business and financial condition, including because of the impact on patients’ willingness to undergo procedures in which our products could be used; (d) actions required or recommended to contain or treat COVID-19, in light of any or all of the foregoing or other as-yet developments, whether related to COVID-19 directly or indirectly; and (e) the direct and indirect economic impact, both domestically and abroad, of COVID-19 as a result of any or all of the foregoing, including actions taken by local, state, national and international governmental agencies, whether such impact affects customers, suppliers, or markets generally.
The pandemic also heightens the risks in certain of the other risk factors we face described in this report.
Risks Related to Product Development
We may not develop new products in a timely and consistent manner, and failure to do so may adversely affect the attractiveness of our overall product portfolio to our surgeon customers and negatively impact our sales and market share.
To be and remain competitive, we need to sunset legacy systems while introducing new products and enhancements or modifications to our existing products on a regular basis and successfully respond to technological advances. Doing so is technologically challenging and involves significant risks and uncertainty. Despite substantial investments of time and resources, our research and development efforts may not result in technically feasible new products. Even if technically feasible, the anticipated time and cost of obtaining regulatory clearance and/or approval and/or commercializing a new product may be too great to justify continued development. In addition, competitors could develop products that are more effective, are less expensive to manufacture, are priced more competitively or are ready for commercial introduction before our products. The introduction of new products by our competitors may lead us to reduce the prices of our products, may lead to reduced margins or loss of market share, and may render our products obsolete or noncompetitive. The of any of our new product offerings or or modification to our existing products will depend on several factors, including our ability to:
• properly identify and anticipate surgeon and patient needs;
• develop new products or enhancements or modifications in a timely manner;
• obtain regulatory clearance and/or approvals for new products or product enhancements or modifications in a timely manner;
• achieve timely alpha and/or full commercial launches of new products;
• provide adequate training to potential users of new products and product enhancements or modifications;
• receive adequate reimbursement approval of third-party payors such as Medicaid, Medicare and private insurers; and
• develop an effective marketing and distribution network.
If we cannot develop technically and commercially viable new products and enhancements or modifications to our existing products on a consistent basis and before our competitors, our prospects could be materially and adversely affected. Our ability to develop and launch new products and enhancements in a timely and consistent manner may be adversely impacted due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in light of the reduced access to our hands-on cadaveric training facilities in Carlsbad, California and Wayne, Pennsylvania, or if we are required to or elect to temporarily close them, the change in the manner in which our workforce is functioning and the changes impacting workforce function at the FDA and other regulatory bodies, as well as changes impacting workforce function at the facilities at which we seek to have new products approved for use.
It is also important that we carefully manage our introduction of new products and enhancements or modifications to our existing products. If potential customers delay purchases until new or enhanced or modified products are available, it could
negatively impact our sales. In addition, to the extent we have excess or obsolete inventory as we transition to new or enhanced or modified products, it would result in margin reducing write-offs for obsolete inventory, and our results of operations may suffer.
There is no guarantee that the FDA will grant 510(k) clearance or premarket approval, or that equivalent foreign regulatory authorities will grant the foreign equivalent, of our future products, and failure to obtain necessary clearances or approvals for our future products would adversely affect our ability to grow our business.
In general, unless an exemption applies, a medical device and modifications to the device or its indications must receive either premarket approval or premarket clearance from the FDA before it can be marketed in the U.S. While in the past we have received such clearances, we may not succeed in the future in receiving approvals and clearances in a timely manner, or at all. The process of obtaining approval or clearance from the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory agencies for new products, or for enhancements or modifications to existing products, could:
• take significant time;
• require the expenditure of substantial resources;
• involve rigorous and expensive pre-clinical and clinical testing, as well as post-market surveillance;
• involve modifications, repairs or replacements of our products; and
• result in limitations on the indicated uses of our products.
Some of our new products will require FDA 510(k) clearance or approval of a premarket approval application, or PMA, prior to being marketed. Any modification to a 510(k)-cleared device that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, including significant design and manufacturing changes, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, design or manufacture, requires a new 510(k) clearance or, possibly, approval of a PMA. Similarly, modifications to PMA-approved products may require submission and approval of a PMA supplement. The FDA requires every manufacturer to determine whether a new 510(k) or PMA is needed in the first instance, and the FDA has issued guidance on assessing modifications to 510(k)-cleared and PMA-approved devices to assist manufacturers with making these determinations. However, the FDA may review any such determination and the FDA may not agree with our determinations regarding whether new clearances or approvals are necessary. We have modified some of our 510(k)-cleared products and have determined, based on our understanding of FDA guidance, that certain changes did not require new 510(k) clearances. If the FDA disagrees with our determination and requires us to seek new 510(k) clearances, or PMA approval, for modifications to our cleared products, we may have to stop marketing or distributing our products, we may need to recall the modified product until we obtain clearance or approval, and we may be subject to significant regulatory fines or . Significant in receiving clearance or approval, or to receive clearance or approval for our new products would have a material and effect on our ability to expand our business.
Outside the U.S., clearance or approval procedures can vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain clearance or approval in other countries might differ from that required to obtain FDA clearance or approval. The regulatory process in other countries may include all of the risks to which we are exposed in the U.S., as well as other risks. Favorable regulatory action in one country does not ensure favorable regulatory action in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory clearance or approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in others. Failure to obtain clearance or approval in other countries or any delay or setback in obtaining such clearance or approval have a material and adverse effect on our business, including that our products may not be cleared or approved for all indications requested, which could limit the uses of our products and have an effect on product sales.
In the EEA, we must inform the Notified Body that carried out the conformity assessment of the medical devices we market or sell in the EEA of any planned substantial change to our quality system or any significant change to our devices. The Notified Body will then assess the change and verify whether it affects the products’ conformity with the Essential Requirements or the conditions for the use of the device. If the assessment is favorable, the Notified Body may issue a new CE Certificate of Conformity or an addendum to the existing CE Certificate of Conformity. If it is not, we may not be able to continue to market and sell the applicable product in the EEA, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We cannot be certain that we will receive required approval or clearance from the FDA and foreign regulatory agencies for new products, including modifications to existing products, on a timely basis, or at all. Failing to receive approval or
clearance for new products on a timely basis would have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Clinical studies are expensive and subject to extensive regulation and their results may not support our product candidate claims or may result in the discovery of adverse effects.
In developing new products or new indications for, or modifications to, existing products, we may conduct or sponsor pre-clinical testing, clinical studies or other clinical research. We are conducting post-market clinical studies of some of our products to gather information about their performance or optimal use. The data collected from these clinical studies may ultimately be used to support additional market clearance or approval for these products or future products. If any of our new products require premarket clinical studies, these studies are expensive, the outcomes are inherently uncertain and they are subject to extensive regulation and review by numerous governmental authorities both in the U.S. and abroad, including by the FDA and, if federal funds are involved or if an investigator or site has signed a federal assurance, are subject to further regulation by the Office for Human Research Protections and the National Institutes of Health. For example, clinical studies must be conducted in compliance with FDA regulations, local regulations, and according to principles and standards collectively called “Good Clinical Practices.” Failure to comply with applicable regulations could result in regulatory and legal enforcement action, including fines, penalties, suspension of studies, and also could invalidate the data and make it to support an FDA submission.
Even if any of our future premarket clinical studies are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their results will support our product candidates and/or proposed claims or that the FDA or foreign authorities and Notified Bodies will agree with our interpretation and conclusions regarding the data they generate. Success in pre-clinical studies and early clinical studies does not ensure that later clinical studies will succeed, and we cannot be sure that the results of later studies will replicate those of earlier or prior studies. The clinical study process may fail to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses, which could cause us to abandon a product candidate and may delay development of others. Any delay or termination of our clinical studies will delay the filing of our product submissions and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate revenues. It is also possible that patient subjects enrolled in our clinical studies of our marketed products will experience side effects that are not currently part of the product candidate’s profile and, if so, these findings may result in lower market acceptance, which could have a material and effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Further, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated shelter-in-place orders could limit or restrict our ability or the ability of others on which we rely to initiate, conduct or continue our clinical studies of some of our products. Delays and disruption in such studies could result in delays for expanded FDA and other regulatory clearance or approval of our products.
If the third parties on which we rely to conduct our clinical studies and to assist us with pre-clinical development do not perform as contractually required or expected, we may not obtain regulatory clearance, approval or a CE Certificate of Conformity for or commercialize our products.
We often must rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories, to assist in conducting our clinical studies and other development activities. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with applicable regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines, or if these third parties need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to failing to adhere to clinical protocols, to applicable regulatory requirements or otherwise, our pre-clinical development activities and clinical studies may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated. Under these circumstances, we may not be able to obtain regulatory clearance/approval or a CE Certificate of Conformity for, or successfully commercialize, our products on a timely basis, if at all, and our business, operating results and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
Risks Related to Manufacturing, Commercial Operations and Commercialization
We operate in an industry and in market segments that are highly competitive and we may not compete successfully.
There is intense competition among medical device companies that serve the spinal surgery market. We compete with established medical technology companies, as well as earlier-stage companies that often have differentiated technology and potentially superior solutions for the challenges facing our neurosurgeon and orthopedic spine surgeon customers and their patients. Our primary competitors include Alphatec Spine, Baxter, Bioventus, Cerapedics, DePuy Synthes Spine (a Johnson &
Johnson company), Globus Medical, Medtronic, NuVasive, Orthofix, Stryker, Surgalign, XTANT Medical, ZimVie and many smaller, biologically-focused companies.
Many of our competitors may have access to greater financial, technical, research and development, marketing, manufacturing, sales, distribution, administrative, consulting and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be more effective at developing products, at differentiating their products from our and other competitor products and at designing, executing, analyzing the results of and publishing data from clinical studies. Our competitors may also have: stronger intellectual property portfolios; broader spine surgery product offerings and products supported by more extensive clinical data; more established distribution networks; entrenched relationships with surgeons; significantly greater name recognition and more recognizable trademarks for products similar to the products we sell; more established relationships with healthcare providers and payors; greater experience in obtaining and maintaining FDA and other regulatory clearances or approvals for products and product enhancement; and greater experience in launching, marketing and selling products than we do. Many of our competitors specialize in a specific product or focus on a particular market segment, making it more difficult for us to increase our overall market position. The frequent introduction by competitors of products that are, or claim to be, to our products, or that are alternatives to our existing or planned products may also create market that may make it to differentiate the benefits of our products over competing products. In addition, the entry of multiple new products and competitors may lead some of our competitors to employ pricing strategies that could affect the pricing of our products and pricing in the spine market generally.
Our competitive position depends on our ability to achieve market acceptance for our current and future products. Market acceptance for any of our products requires, among other things, that we timely secure regulatory clearance and/or approval; demonstrate the value of our products, both to our surgeon customers and payors, which may require that we collect clinical data and/or conduct clinical studies; effectively educate and train our surgeon customers and their staff on the proper use of our products; obtain and maintain coverage and adequate reimbursement for our products, both within and outside the U.S., including under Medicare and Medicaid and from private payors; attract and retain a network of independent sales agents and stocking distributors focused on neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons; develop and execute an effective marketing strategy; protect the proprietary positions of our products, including through patent protection; and consistently produce quality products in sufficient quantities to meet demand. Significant risks are associated with each of these activities and other activities required to achieve market acceptance of both our current and future products, including risks inherent in collaborations, such as with restor3d, Inc., or use of nascent manufacturing or imaging techniques, such as additive processing (more commonly known as 3D printing) or advanced optical technologies and machine version-based registration algorithms. Some of these risks are more fully described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section.
In addition, at any time our competitors or other companies may develop alternative treatments, products or procedures for the treatment of spine disorders that compete directly or indirectly with our products, including ones that prove to be superior to our products.
For these reasons, we may not compete successfully against our existing or potential competitors. Any such failure could lead us to modify our strategy, to lower our prices, or to increase the commissions we pay on sales of our products and could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we cannot compete effectively, our sales and operating results may suffer.
To be commercially successful, we must effectively demonstrate to neurosurgeon and orthopedic spine surgeons the merits of our products compared to those of our competitors.
Neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons play a significant role in determining the course of treatment and, ultimately, the product used to treat a patient. As a result, our success depends, in large part, on demonstrating to these surgeons the value of our products in the treatment of their patients. To do so requires that we continue to invest in medical education and training and, along with our independent sales agents and stocking distributors, demonstrate the merits of our products and underlying technology compared to those of our competitors. The primary manner in which we offer to educate and train surgeons and their staff on the proper use of our products is at our hands-on cadaveric training facilities in Carlsbad, California and Wayne, Pennsylvania. During 2020, those facilities were temporarily closed due to the pandemic. Access to those facilities continues to be reduced due to the pandemic and in the future we may be required to or elect to temporarily close one or both of
them due to the pandemic. Any limits on our ability to use either or both of those facilities will adversely affect our ability to effectively demonstrate the merits of our products compared to those of our competitors.
Surgeons who do not use our products may be hesitant to do so for the following or other reasons:
• lack of experience with our products, techniques, or technologies, or with the equipment necessary to use any of the foregoing;
• existing relationships with those who sell competitive products;
• the time required for surgeon and medical staff education and training on new products, techniques and equipment and technologies;
• lack or perceived lack of clinical evidence supporting patient benefit relative to competing products;
• our products not being included on hospital formularies, in integrated delivery networks or on group purchasing organization preferred vendor lists;
• less attractive coverage and/or reimbursement within healthcare payment systems for our products and procedures compared to other products and procedures;
• other costs associated with introducing new products and the equipment necessary to use new products; and
• perceived risk of liability that could be associated with the use of new products, techniques or technologies.
In addition, we believe recommendations and support of our products by influential neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons are essential for market acceptance and adoption. If we do not receive support from such surgeons or long-term data does not show the benefits of using our products, surgeons may not use our products.
If we are not successful in convincing surgeons of the merits of our products, we may not maintain or grow our sales or achieve or sustain profitability.
We must successfully educate and train surgeons and their staff on the proper use of our products.
Although most neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons may have adequate knowledge on how to use most of our products based on their clinical training and experience, we believe that the most effective way to introduce and build market demand for our products is by directly training such surgeons in the use of our products. Convincing surgeons to dedicate the time and energy necessary for adequate training is challenging, and we cannot assure you we will succeed in these efforts. If surgeons are not properly trained, they may not use our products, and, as a result, we may not maintain or grow our sales or achieve or sustain profitability. If surgeons are not properly trained they may also misuse or ineffectively use our products, which may result in unsatisfactory patient outcomes, patient injury, negative publicity or lawsuits against us, any of which could have a significant effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Although we believe our training methods for surgeons are conducted in compliance with FDA and other applicable regulations developed both nationally and in third countries, if the FDA or other regulatory agency determines that our training constitutes promotion of an unapproved use or promotion of an intended purpose not covered by the CE mark affixed to our products or FDA approved labeling, they could request that we modify our training or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions, including the issuance of a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and criminal penalty. See also “Risks Related to Non-Compliance with Laws and Regulations - Oversight of the medical device industry might affect the way we sell medical devices and compete in the marketplace" below.
If we are unable to maintain and expand our network of independent sales agents and stocking distributors, we may not maintain or grow our revenue.
Our ability to generate revenue depends on the sales and marketing efforts of independent sales agents and stocking distributors. Some of our independent sales agents account for a significant portion of our sales volume. If our independent sales agents and stocking distributors fail to adequately promote, market and sell our products, our sales could significantly decrease. Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our independent sales agents currently are working largely using virtual and online engagement tools and tactics, which may be less effective than our ordinary, in-person sales and marketing programs.
Further, we face significant challenges and risks in managing our geographically dispersed distribution network and retaining the independent sales agents and stocking distributors who make up that network, and as we launch new products and
increase our marketing efforts with respect to existing products, we plan to expand the reach of our marketing and sales efforts and may need to hire new independent sales agents and stocking distributors. Independent sales agents and stocking distributors require significant technical expertise in various areas such as spinal care practices, spine injuries and disease, and spinal health and they require training and time to achieve full productivity. We may not attract or retain qualified independent sales agents or stocking distributors or enter into agreements with them on favorable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all. This could be due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, perceived deficiencies, or gaps, in our existing product portfolio, intense competition for independent sales agents’ services, or because of the disruption associated with restrictive covenants to which distributors may be subject and potential litigation and expense associated therewith. We may also experience unforeseen disengagement from independent sales agents who have worked with us for many years. Even if we enter into agreements with additional qualified independent sales agents or stocking distributors, it often takes 6 to 12 months for new sales agents or stocking distributors to reach full operational effectiveness and they may not generate revenue as quickly as we expect them to, commit the necessary resources to effectively market and sell our products, or ultimately in selling our products. Our will depend largely on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain and motivate qualified independent sales agents and stocking distributors. If we cannot expand our sales and marketing capabilities domestically and internationally, if we to train new independent sales agents and stocking distributors , or if we experience high turnover in our sales network, we may not commercialize our products , or at all, which would affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Moreover, our independent sales agents and stocking distributors are not our employees, we have limited control over their activities and, generally, we do not enter into exclusive relationships with them. If one or more of them were to be retained by a competitor, whether or an exclusive or non-exclusive basis, they may divert business from us to our competitor, which could materially and adversely affect our sales.
Sales of, or the price at which we sell, our products may be adversely affected unless the safety and efficacy of our products, alone and relative to competitive products, is demonstrated in clinical studies.
Generally, we have obtained 510(k) clearance to manufacture, market and sell the products we market in the U.S. and the right to affix the CE mark to the products we market in the European Economic Area, or EEA. To date, we have not been required to generate new clinical data to support our 510(k) clearances, CE marks, or product registrations in other countries. However, the EU Medical Device Regulations, which replaced the prior medical device directives in May 2021, require submission of certain pre- and post-market data to maintain our CE marks, which we do not intent to pursue. Additionally, we recently completed an analysis of which of our product systems will require submission of clinical data pursuant to MEDDEV 2.7.1 rev 4, which sets forth the European Commission’s guidance on the clinical evaluation of medical devices. Accordingly, and in line with our vision to deliver clinical value, we have commenced clinical data collection activities for certain of our marketed products as more fully described elsewhere in this "Risk Factors" section.
In part due to the increased emphasis on the delivery of more cost-effective treatments, purchasing decisions of our customers increasingly will be based on clinical data that demonstrates the value of our products or the effectiveness of our products relative to others. Conducting clinical studies is expensive and time-consuming and outcomes are uncertain. See “ Risks Related to Product Development - Clinical studies are expensive and subject to extensive regulation and their results may not support our product candidate claims or may result in the discovery of adverse effects ,” above. We may elect not to, or may be unable to, fund the clinical studies necessary to generate the data required for all of our products to compete effectively, in part due to the breadth of our product portfolio. Currently, we do not expect to undertake such clinical studies for all of our products and only expect to do so where we anticipate the benefits will outweigh the costs on a risk-adjusted basis. However, even when we elect and are able to fund such clinical studies on one or more of our products, such studies may not succeed. Data we generate may not be consistent with our existing data and may demonstrate less safety or efficacy, which could reduce demand for our products and impact future sales. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons may be less likely to use our products if more robust, or any, clinical data supporting the safety and efficacy of competing products is available. If we are to or to generate clinical data supporting the safety and effectiveness of our products, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and affected.
Further, future patient studies or clinical experience may indicate that treatment with our products does not improve patient outcomes.
With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, funds have been appropriated for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct comparative effectiveness research to determine the effectiveness of different drugs, medical devices, and procedures in treating certain conditions and diseases.
Some of our products or procedures performed with our products could become the subject of such research. It is unknown what effect, if any, this research may have on our business. Further, future research or experience may indicate that treatment with our products does not improve patient outcomes or improves patient outcomes less than we initially expected. Such results would reduce demand for our products, affect sustainable reimbursement from third-party payers, significantly reduce our ability to achieve expected revenue, and could cause us to withdraw our products from the market and could prevent us from sustaining or increasing profitability. Moreover, if future results and experience indicate that our products cause unexpected or serious complications or other unforeseen negative effects, we could be subject to significant legal liability, negative publicity, and damage to our reputation, and we could experience a dramatic reduction in sales of our products, all of which would have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The spine medical device market has been particularly to potential product liability that are inherent in the testing, manufacture and sale of medical devices and products for spine surgery procedures.
If any of our manufacturing, development or research facilities are damaged and/or our manufacturing processes are interrupted, we could experience supply disruptions, lost revenues and our business could be seriously harmed.
Damage to our manufacturing, development or research facilities or disruption to our business operations for any reason, including due to natural disaster (such as earthquake, wildfires and other fires or extreme weather), power loss, communications failure, unauthorized entry or other events, such as a flu or other health epidemic (such as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic), could cause us to discontinue development and/or manufacturing of some or all of our products for an undetermined period of time. The property damage and business interruption insurance coverage on these facilities that we maintain might not cover all losses under such circumstances, and we may not be able to renew or obtain such insurance in the future on acceptable terms with adequate coverage or at reasonable costs. If our facilities were damaged, they could be to replace and could require substantial lead time to repair or replace. In particular, we manufacture our orthobiologics products in one facility in Irvine, California and any to that facility could affect our ability to timely demand for those products. Out of an of in October 2020, we relocated part of our orthobiologics finished goods inventory from our Irvine facility to our Carlsbad office due to the of the Silverado Fire that was causing evacuations throughout Orange County, California. to our business operations may result from to the facilities of, or to the business operations of, our suppliers. For example, if we are to obtain disposables or other materials required to maintain “clean room” sterility in our Irvine facility, we may be to continue to manufacture products at that facility, which products account for approximately 50% of our total revenue. Any significant to our manufacturing operations and to our ability to meet market demand likely would have an impact on our sales and revenues as key stakeholders, including our independent sales agents and stocking distributors and surgeon customers, transition to what they perceive as more reliable sources of products.
We depend on a limited number of third-party suppliers for processing activities, components and raw materials and losing any of these suppliers, or their inability to provide us with an adequate supply of materials that meet our quality and other requirements, could harm our business.
Outside suppliers, some of whom are sole-source suppliers, provide us with products and raw materials and components used in manufacturing our orthobiologics and spinal implant products. We strive to maintain sufficient inventory of products, raw materials and components so that our production will not be significantly disrupted if a particular product, raw material or component is not available to us for a period of time, including as a result of a supplier's loss of its ISO or other certification or as a result of any of the disruptions described above under the risk factor titled “If any of our manufacturing, development or research facilities are damaged and/or our manufacturing processes are interrupted, we could experience supply disruptions, lost revenues and our business could be seriously harmed.” For example, a certain number of our products require titanium, which is sourced from third party suppliers. While the titanium required for such products is not directly sourced from Russia, the current geopolitical events involving Russia and Ukraine is impacting the wider titanium supply chain and such geopolitical events and factors relating thereto or resulting therefrom, including the imposition of sanctions, may impact the ability of our local supply sources to timely supply titanium to us.In addition, some of our suppliers may choose to making their products available in the EU rather than follow MDR, which would require us to identify alternate supply sources for those products. Any such in our production could our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Although we believe there are alternative supply sources replacing our suppliers may be impractical or difficult in many instances. For example, we could have difficulty obtaining similar services or products from other suppliers that are acceptable to the FDA or other foreign regulatory authorities and who are able to provide the appropriate supply volumes at an acceptable cost. In addition, if we are required to transition to new suppliers for certain services or components of our products, the use of services, components or materials furnished by these alternative suppliers could require us to alter our operations, and if we are
required to change the manufacturer of a critical component of our products, we will have to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities, procedures and operations that comply with our quality and applicable regulatory requirements, which could further impede our ability to manufacture our products in a timely manner. Transitioning to a new supplier could be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our operations and product delivery, could affect the performance specifications of our products or could require that we modify the design of those systems.
If we are unable to obtain sufficient quantities of spinal implant products, raw materials or components that meet our quality and other requirements on a timely basis for any reason, we may not produce sufficient quantities of our products to meet market demand until a new or alternative supply source is identified and qualified and, as a result, we could lose customers, our reputation could be harmed and our business could suffer. In 2013, we experienced supply shortages in collagen ceramic matrix bone void fillers, which adversely affected sales of our orthobiologics products, even after the supply shortage was resolved. Furthermore, an uncorrected defect or supplier’s variation in a component or raw material that is incompatible with our manufacturing, unknown to us, could harm our ability to manufacture products.
Further, under the FDASIA, which includes the Medical Device User Fee Amendments of 2012, as well as other medical device provisions, all U.S. and foreign manufacturers must have a FDA Establishment Registration and complete Medical Device listings for sales in the U.S. While we believe that our facilities materially comply with these requirements, we also source products from foreign contract manufacturers. It is possible that some of our foreign contract manufacturers will not comply with applicable requirements and choose not to register with the FDA. In such an event, we will need to determine if there are alternative foreign contract manufacturers who comply with the applicable requirements. If such a foreign contract manufacturer is a sole supplier of one of our products, there is a risk that we may not be able to source another supplier.
Furthermore, we rely on a small number of tissue banks accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks for the supply of human tissue, a crucial component of our orthobiologics products that serve as bone graft substitutes. Any failure to obtain tissue from these sources or to have the tissue processed by these sources for us in a timely manner will interfere with our ability to meet demand for our orthobiologics products effectively. The processing of human tissue into orthobiologics products is labor intensive and maintaining a steady supply stream is challenging. In addition, due to seasonal changes in mortality rates, some scarce tissues used for our orthobiologics products are at times in particularly short supply. If governments require additional donor testing due to COVID-19, this could also strain the supply of tissue. We cannot be certain that our supply of human tissue from our suppliers will be available at current levels or will meet our needs or that we will be able to successfully negotiate commercially reasonable terms with other accredited tissue banks.
Unfavorable media reports or other negative publicity concerning both alleged improper methods of tissue recovery from donors and disease transmission from donated tissue could limit widespread acceptance of some of our products.
Unfavorable reports of improper or illegal tissue recovery practices, both in the U.S. and internationally, as well as incidents of improperly processed tissue leading to the transmission of disease, may affect the rate of future tissue donation and market acceptance of technologies incorporating human tissue. In addition, negative publicity could cause the families of potential donors to become reluctant to donate tissue to for-profit tissue processors. For example, the media has reported examples of alleged illegal harvesting of body parts from cadavers and resulting recalls conducted by certain companies selling human tissue-based products affected by the alleged illegal harvesting. These reports and others could have a negative effect on our tissue regeneration business.
Risks Related to Pricing and Reimbursement and Industry Trends
Changes in third-party payment systems and in the healthcare industry may require us to decrease the selling price for our products, may reduce the size of the market for our products, or may eliminate a market, any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our financial performance.
Our operations may be substantially affected by fundamental changes in the political, economic and regulatory landscape of the healthcare industry. Government and private sector initiatives to limit the growth of healthcare costs are continuing in the U.S., and in many other countries where we do business, causing the marketplace to put increased emphasis on the delivery of more cost-effective treatments. These initiatives include price regulation, competitive pricing, coverage and payment policies, comparative effectiveness of therapies, technology assessments and managed-care arrangements.
Maintaining and growing sales of our products depends on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors, both within and outside the U.S., including government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private insurance plans and managed care organizations. Hospitals and other healthcare providers that purchase our products generally
rely on third-party payors to cover all or part of the costs associated with the procedures performed with our products, including the cost to purchase our product. Both the patients’ and our customers’ access to adequate coverage and reimbursement for the procedures performed with our products by government and private insurance plans is central to the acceptance of our current and future products. We may be unable to sell our products on a profitable basis, or at all, if third-party payors deny coverage or reduce their levels of payment. In addition, if our cost of production increases at a rate greater than increases in reimbursement levels for our products, our profitability may be adversely affected.
The healthcare industry, both within and outside the U.S., has experienced a trend toward cost containment as government and private insurers seek to control rising healthcare costs by imposing lower payment and negotiating reduced contract rates with service providers. Third-party payors continually review their coverage and reimbursement policies for procedures involving the use of our products and can, without notice, eliminate or reduce coverage or reimbursement for our products. For example, in the past, a major national third-party insurer in the U.S. reduced coverage (from all or most cases to limited indications) for biomechanical devices (e.g., spine cages) used in cervical fusion procedures, stating that the devices had not been shown to be more effective than bone graft. In addition, certain insurers have limited coverage for vertebral fusions in the lumbar spine and other insurers may adopt similar coverage decisions in the future. Patients covered by these insurers may be unwilling or unable to afford lumbar fusion surgeries to treat their conditions, which could materially harm or limit our ability to sell our products designed for such surgeries. Further, third-party payors of hospital services and hospital outpatient services annually revise their payment methodologies, which could result in stricter standards for or the elimination or reduction of reimbursement of hospital charges for certain medical procedures.
Further, in the U.S., several provisions of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the Affordable Care Act) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 address access to health care products and services and establish certain fees for the medical device industry. These provisions may be modified, repealed, or otherwise invalidated, in whole or in part. Future rulemaking could affect rebates, prices or the rate of price increases for health care products and services, or required reporting and disclosure. We cannot predict the timing or impact of any future rulemaking or changes in the law.
To the extent we sell our products internationally, market acceptance may depend, in part, upon the availability of coverage and reimbursement within prevailing healthcare payment systems. Reimbursement and healthcare payment systems in international markets vary significantly by country. As in the U.S., our products may not obtain coverage and reimbursement approvals in a timely manner, if at all, in a particular international market. In addition, even if we obtain country-specific coverage and reimbursement approvals, we could incur considerable expense to do so. Our failure to obtain such coverage and approvals would negatively affect market acceptance of our products in the international markets in which such failure occurs and the expenses incurred in connection with obtaining such coverage and approvals could outweigh the benefits of obtaining them.
If the trend by governmental agencies and other third-party payors to reduce coverage of and/or reimbursement for procedures using our products continues, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. Further, we cannot be certain that, under current and future payment systems, the cost of our products will be adequately incorporated into the overall cost of the procedure and, accordingly, we cannot be certain that the procedures performed with our products will be reimbursed at a cost-effective level, or at all.
Industry trends have resulted in increased downward pricing pressure on medical services and products, which may affect our ability to sell our products at prices necessary to support our current business strategy.
The trend toward healthcare cost containment through aggregating purchasing decisions and industry consolidation, along with the growth of managed care organizations, has placed increased emphasis on the delivery of more cost-effective medical therapies. For example:
• There has been consolidation among healthcare facilities and purchasers of medical devices, particularly in the U.S. One of the results of such consolidation is that group purchasing organizations, integrated delivery networks and large single accounts use their market power to consolidate purchasing decisions, which intensifies competition to provide products and services to healthcare providers and other industry participants, resulting in greater pricing pressures and the exclusion of certain suppliers from important market segments. For example, some group purchasing organizations negotiate pricing for its member hospitals and require us to discount, or limit our ability to increase, prices for certain of our products. In particular, certain of our DBM products are priced at a premium to competitors' DBM products and a significant price reduction could result in a material adverse effect on our profitability.
• Surgeons increasingly have moved from independent, out-patient practice settings toward employment by hospitals and other larger healthcare organizations, which align surgeons’ product choices with their employers’ price sensitivities and adds to pricing pressures. Hospitals have introduced and may continue to introduce new pricing structures into their contracts to contain healthcare costs, including fixed price formulas and capitated and construct pricing.
• Certain hospitals provide financial incentives to doctors for reducing hospital costs (known as gainsharing), rewarding physician efficiency (known as physician profiling) and encouraging partnerships with healthcare service and goods providers to reduce prices.
• Existing and proposed laws, regulations and industry policies, in both domestic and international markets, regulate or seek to increase regulation of sales and marketing practices and the pricing and profitability of companies in the healthcare industry.
More broadly, other provisions of the Affordable Care Act could meaningfully change the way healthcare is developed and delivered in the U.S., and may adversely affect our business and results of operations. For example, the Affordable Care Act encourages hospitals and physicians to work collaboratively through shared savings programs, such as accountable care organizations, as well as other bundled payment initiatives, which may ultimately result in the reduction of medical device purchases and the consolidation of medical device suppliers used by hospitals. It is unclear what the full impact of the legislation will be. Some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act have yet to be fully implemented, and certain provisions have been subject to legal and Congressional challenges. Persisting uncertainty with respect to the scope and effect of certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act have made compliance costly. A case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate is currently before the Supreme Court of the United States. We cannot predict whether the Affordable Care Act will be repealed, replaced, or modified, or how such repeal, replacement or modification may be timed or structured. The change in Presidential Administration may also result in new agency priorities, rulemakings, and legislation, the scope and effect of which cannot be predicted. As a result, we cannot predict accurately what healthcare programs and regulations will ultimately be implemented at the U.S. federal or state level, or the effect of any future legislation or regulation in the U.S. or elsewhere. However, any changes that have the effect of reducing reimbursements for our products or reducing medical procedure volumes could have a material and effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Further, the proliferation of medical device sales agents that are owned, directly or indirectly, by physicians (commonly called physician-owned distributorships, or PODs) could result in increased pricing pressure on our products or harm our ability to sell our products to physicians who own or are affiliated with these sales agents. These physicians derive a proportion of their revenue from selling or arranging for the sale of medical devices for use in procedures they perform on their own patients at hospitals that agree to purchase from or through the POD, or that otherwise furnish ordering physicians with income based, directly or indirectly, on those orders of medical devices. The number of PODs in the spine industry may continue to grow as economic pressures increase throughout the industry and as hospitals, insurers and physicians search for ways to reduce costs and, in the case of the physicians, search for ways to increase their incomes. PODs and the physicians who own, or partially own, them have significant market knowledge and access to the surgeons who use our products and the hospitals that purchase our products. Growth in the number of PODs may reduce our ability to compete effectively for business from physicians who own, or partially own, them, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, the largest device companies with multiple product franchises have increased their effort to leverage and contract broadly with customers across franchises by providing volume discounts and multi-year arrangements that could prevent our access to these customers or make it difficult (or impossible) to compete on price.
Risks Related to our Financial Results and Need for Financing
We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future and cannot assure you that we will be able to generate sufficient sales to achieve or sustain profitability.
We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future as we dedicate significant resources to our marketing and product development strategy, including as we continue to: (i) develop new and next generation products and product line extensions (all of which we call “new products”); (ii) develop new medical techniques designed to enhance the utility of our products; (iii) collect clinical data and conduct clinical studies to differentiate our products from those of our competitors and to demonstrate the value of our products to current and prospective customers and payors; (iv) add independent sales agents and stocking distributors to increase our geographic sales coverage and penetration; (v) increase product inventory to raise the likelihood of
success of new product launches; and (vi) invest in our Irvine manufacturing facility; (vii) expand our marketing campaigns and surgeon education and training programs. We cannot assure you that we will ever generate sufficient revenues from our operations to achieve profitability and, even if we achieve profitability, we cannot assure you that we will remain profitable. Our failure to achieve or maintain profitability could negatively affect the value of our securities and our ability to attract and retain personnel, raise capital, execute our business strategy or continue operations.
Our sales volumes and our operating results may fluctuate.
Our sales volumes and our operating results, including components of operating results, such as gross margin and cost of goods sold, have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate from time to time in the future, including over the course of a fiscal year, and such fluctuations could affect our stock price. Some factors that may cause these fluctuations include:
• economic conditions worldwide, including arising from or relating to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could affect the ability of hospitals and other customers to purchase our products and could result in a reduction in elective and non-reimbursed operative procedures;
• increased competition;
• market acceptance of our existing products, as well as products in development, and the demand for, and pricing of, our products and the products of our competitors;
• costs, benefits and timing of new product introductions;
• the timing of or failure to obtain regulatory clearances or approvals for new products;
• lost sales and other expenses resulting from stoppages in our or third parties’ production, including as a result of product recalls or field corrective actions;
• the availability and cost of components and materials, including raw materials such as human tissue;
• accurate predictions of product demand and production capabilities sufficient to meet that demand;
• our ability to realize expected yield improvements and scrap reduction initiatives that we have undertaken at our Irvine facility;
• higher than anticipated independent sales agent commissions;
• our ability to purchase or manufacture and ship our products efficiently and in sufficient quantities to meet sales demands;
• the timing of our research and development expenditures;
• expenditures for major initiatives;
• reimbursement, changes in reimbursement or denials in coverage for our products by third-party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid, private and public health insurers and foreign governmental health systems;
• the ability of our independent sales agents and stocking distributors to achieve expected sales targets and for new agents and stocking distributors to become familiar with our products in a timely manner;
• peer-reviewed publications discussing the clinical effectiveness of our products;
• inspections of our manufacturing facilities for compliance with the FDA's Quality System Regulations (Good Manufacturing Practices), which could result in Form 483 observations, warning letters, injunctions or other adverse findings from the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory bodies, and corrective actions, procedural changes and other actions, including product recalls, that we determine are necessary or appropriate to address the results of those inspections, any of which may affect production and our ability to supply our customers with our products;
• the costs to comply with new regulations from the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory bodies, such as the requirements to establish a unique device identification system to adequately identify medical devices through their distribution and use;
• the increased regulatory scrutiny of certain of our products, including products we manufacture for others, which could result in their being removed from the market;
• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and
• the impact of acquisitions, including the impact of goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, if future operating results of the acquired businesses are significantly less than the results anticipated at the time of the acquisitions.
In addition, we may experience meaningful variability in our sales and gross profit among quarters, as well as within each quarter, as a result of several factors, including but not limited to (and in addition to those listed above):
• the number of products sold in the quarter;
• the unpredictability of sales of full sets of spinal implants and instruments to our international stocking distributors; and
• the number of selling days in the quarter.
We must maintain high levels of inventory, which could consume a significant amount of our resources and reduce our cash flows.
Because we maintain substantial inventory levels to meet the needs of our customers, we are subject to the risk of inventory excess, obsolescence and shelf-life expiration. Many of our spinal implant products come in sets. Each set includes a significant number of components in various sizes so that the surgeon may select the appropriate spinal implant based on the patient’s needs. In a typical surgery, not all of the implants in the set are used, and therefore certain sizes of implants placed in the set or that we purchase for replenishment inventory may become obsolete before they can be used. In addition, to market our products effectively, we often must provide hospitals and independent sales agents with consigned sets that typically consist of spinal implants and instruments, including products to ensure redundancy and products of different sizes. Further, our orthobiologics products have expiration dates, which range from one to five years, and these products may expire before they can be used. If a substantial portion of our inventory is deemed excess, becomes obsolete or expires, it could have a material adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows due to the resulting costs associated with the inventory impairment charges and costs required to replace such inventory. Further, as we increasingly launch new products and product systems, we may cannibalize older products and product systems, which could excess and charges.
Our future financial results could be adversely affected by impairments or other charges.
We assess periodically impairment of our long-lived assets, including finite-lived intangible assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. As of December 31, 2021, we had $42.1 million of net finite-lived intangible assets, consisting of technology, customer relationships, trademarks/brand names, and other intangibles. In addition, we continually assess the profitability of our product lines and, after such assessment, may discontinue certain products or product lines in the future. As a result, we may record impairment charges or accelerate amortization on certain technology-related intangible assets in the future. Impairment charges as a result of any of the foregoing could be significant and could have a material and adverse effect on our reported financial results for the period in which the charge is taken, which could have a material and adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Continuing economic instability, including challenges faced by European countries, may adversely affect the ability of hospitals and other customers to access funds or otherwise have available liquidity, which could reduce orders for our products or impede our ability to obtain new customers, particularly in European markets.
Continuing economic instability, including challenges faced by European countries and challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely affect the ability of hospitals and other customers to access funds to enable them to fund their operating budgets. As a result, hospitals and other customers may reduce budgets or put all or part of their budgets on hold or close their operations, which could have a negative effect on our sales and could impede our ability to obtain new customers, particularly in European markets. Governmental austerity policies in Europe and other markets have reduced and could continue to reduce the amount of money available to purchase medical products, including our products. If such conditions persist, they could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our future capital needs are uncertain and we may need to raise additional funds in the future, and such funds may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.
We believe that our cash and cash equivalents and the amount currently available to us under our amended and restated credit agreement with Wells Fargo, N.A. will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements over the next 12 months. That said, continued expansion of our business will be expensive, and we likely will seek additional capital. Our capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
• the revenue generated by sales of our products;
• the costs associated with expanding our sales and marketing efforts;
• the expenses we incur in procuring, manufacturing and selling our products;
• the scope, rate of progress and cost of our clinical studies;
• the cost of obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval or clearance of our products and products in development;
• the costs associated with complying with state, federal and international laws and regulations, including increased costs associated with the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union and the European Union's new Medical Device Regulations;
• the cost of filing and prosecuting patent applications and defending and enforcing our patent and other intellectual property rights;
• the cost of defending, in litigation or otherwise, any claims that we infringe third-party patent or other intellectual property rights;
• the cost of enforcing or defending against non-competition claims;
• the number and timing of acquisitions and other strategic transactions;
• the costs associated with increased capital expenditures, including fixed asset purchases of instrument sets which we consign to hospitals and independent sales agents to support surgeries; and
• anticipated and unanticipated general and administrative expenses, including insurance expenses.
We may seek to raise additional capital to:
• maintain, and, where necessary, increase appropriate product inventory and spinal instruments levels;
• fund our operations and clinical studies;
• continue, and, where appropriate, increase our research and development activities;
• file, prosecute and defend our intellectual property rights, and defend, in litigation or otherwise, any claims that we infringe third-party patents or other intellectual property rights;
• address the FDA or other governmental, legal or enforcement actions and remediate underlying problems and address investigations or inquiries into sales and marketing practices from governmental agencies worldwide;
• commercialize our new products, if any such products receive regulatory clearance or approval for sale; and
• acquire companies' new products, technology or intellectual property.
Such capital, which we may seek to raise through public or private equity offerings, issuing debt or existing, expanded or new credit facilities, or other sources, may not be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. For example, LIBOR is one of the reference rates under our credit agreement and is the subject of recent proposals for reform that could impact the interest rate we pay under the credit agreement. To the extent we have outstanding borrowings under the credit agreement at the time a LIBOR alternative becomes applicable, our borrowing costs under the credit agreement may increase. In addition, our credit agreement prohibits us from incurring indebtedness without the lender’s consent. If we issue equity securities to raise additional capital, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. See “ Risks Related to Owning Our Common Stock-Your percentage of ownership in us may be diluted in the future and issuances of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the perception that such issuances may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline significantly, even if our business is performing well. ,” and “ Risks Related to Owning Our Common Stock-We may issue preferred stock with terms that could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock ,” below. If we raise additional capital through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to rights to our products, potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not to us. If we cannot raise capital on acceptable terms, we may not be to develop or our products, execute our business plan, take of future or respond to competitive pressures, changes in our supplier relationships or customer requirements. Any of these events could affect our ability to our business and financial goals or to or maintain , and could have a material and effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our PPP loan may subject us to challenges and investigations regarding qualifications for the loan.
In April 2020, due to the economic uncertainty resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and to support our ongoing operations and retain all employees, we applied for, and received, a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) administered by the U.S.
Small Business Administration (SBA). The original principal amount of the loan was $7.2 million; we subsequently repaid $1.0 million. In October 2020, we applied for forgiveness of the entire loan, which was granted in June 2021. The PPP loan application required us to certify that the current economic uncertainty made the loan request necessary to support our ongoing operations. We made this certification in good faith after carefully considering the facts and circumstances, and although we believe we satisfied all eligibility criteria for the PPP loan and our receipt of the PPP loan is consistent with the objectives of the PPP, the certification described above does not contain objective criteria and is subject to interpretation. Further, following the date we applied for the PPP Loan, the SBA issued updated guidance regarding the PPP, including regarding required borrower certifications and requirements for loan forgiveness. The SBA stated that it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required certification in good faith, and that all PPP loans in excess of $2 million will be subject to review by the SBA for compliance with program requirements. The lack of clarity regarding loan eligibility under the PPP resulted in significant media coverage and regarding public companies applying for and receiving PPP loans. When we applied for forgiveness of the loan we were required to make certain certifications that will be subject to audit and review by governmental entities and could subject us to significant and liabilities if found to be . In addition, if our faith belief that we all eligibility requirements for the PPP loan, we are found to have been to receive it or in of any of the laws or regulations that apply to us in connection with the PPP loan, including the Act, we may be subject to , including significant civil, and administrative , and could have to repay the PPP loan upon demand. If we are audited or reviewed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the SBA, such audit or review could result in the of management's time and attention, generate publicity and cause us to incur legal and reputational costs. In addition, our receipt of the PPP loan may result in publicity and to our reputation. Any of these events could our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Related to our International Operations
We are exposed to a variety of risks relating to our international sales and operations.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately 10% of our net revenue was attributable to our international sales and operations. We are seeking to increase our international sales over the foreseeable future. Our international business operations are subject to a variety of risks, including:
• difficulties in staffing and managing foreign and geographically dispersed operations;
• having to comply with various U.S. and international laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and anti-money laundering laws (see also, “Our international operations subject us to laws regarding sanctioned countries, entities and persons, customs and import-export practices, laws regarding transactions in foreign countries, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and local anti-bribery and other laws regarding interactions with healthcare professionals, and product registration requirements” below);
• having to comply with export control laws, including, but not limited to, the Export Administration Regulations and trade sanctions against embargoed countries, which are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control within the Department of the Treasury, as well as the laws and regulations administered by the Department of Commerce;
• complex data privacy requirements, including, but not limited to, the EU General Data Protection Regulation;
• differing regulatory requirements for obtaining clearances or approvals to market our products;
• changes in, or uncertainties relating to, foreign rules and regulations that may impact our ability to sell our products, perform services or repatriate profits to the United States;
• tariffs, trade barriers and export regulations that adversely impact, and other regulatory and contractual limitations on, our ability to sell our products in certain foreign markets, the scope and consequences of which are subject to changing agendas of political, business and environmental groups;
• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
• limitations on or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by foreign subsidiaries or joint ventures;
• differing multiple payer reimbursement regimes, government payers or patient self-pay systems;
• differing labor laws and standards;
• economic, political or social instability in foreign countries and regions;
• an inability, or reduced ability, to protect our intellectual property, including any effect of compulsory licensing imposed by government action; and
• availability of government subsidies or other incentives that benefit competitors in their local markets that are not available to us.
Any reduction in international sales, or our failure to further develop our international markets, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our international operations subject us to laws regarding sanctioned countries, entities and persons, customs and import-export practices, laws regarding transactions in foreign countries, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and local anti-bribery and other laws regarding interactions with healthcare professionals, and product registration requirements.
Foreign governmental regulations have become increasingly stringent and more common, and we may become subject to even more rigorous regulation by foreign governmental authorities. Numerous laws restrict, and in some cases prohibit, U.S. companies from directly or indirectly selling goods, technology or services to people or entities in certain countries. In addition, these laws require that we exercise care in structuring our sales and marketing practices and effecting product registrations in foreign countries. Compliance with these regulations is costly.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, or FCPA, and similar anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also imposes accounting standards and requirements on publicly traded U.S. corporations and their foreign affiliates, which are intended to prevent the diversion of corporate funds to the payment of bribes and other improper payments. Because of the predominance of government-sponsored healthcare systems around the world, many of our customer relationships outside of the United States are with governmental entities and are therefore subject to such anti-bribery laws. Our internal control policies and procedures may not always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employee shareowners, or agents. In recent years, both the United States and foreign government regulators have increased regulation, enforcement, inspections and governmental investigations of the medical device industry, including increased United States government oversight and enforcement of the FCPA. implementation of a comprehensive global healthcare compliance program, we may be subject to more regulation, enforcement, inspections and by governmental authorities in the future.
Any failure to comply with applicable foreign legal and regulatory obligations could adversely affect us in a variety of ways, that include, but are not limited to: the suspension or withdrawal of our CE Certificates of Conformity; the imposition of significant criminal, civil and administrative fines and penalties, including revocation or suspension of a business license and imprisonment of individuals; denial of export privileges; seizure of shipments and restrictions on certain business activities; disgorgement and other remedial measures; disruptions of our operations; and significant management distraction.
Our results may be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
As a result of our international sales and operations, we generate revenues in various foreign currencies including euros, British pounds, and Swiss francs, and in U.S. dollar-denominated transactions conducted with customers who generate revenue in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We also incur operating expenses in euros. We cannot predict accurately the consolidated effects of exchange rate fluctuations upon our future operating results because of the variability of currency exposure in our revenues and operating expenses and the potential volatility of currency exchange rates, which is subject to increased volatility in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we address currency risk management through regular operating and financing activities, those actions may not prove to be fully effective. In addition, for those foreign customers who purchase our products in U.S. dollars, currency exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which those customers do business may have a negative effect on the demand for our products in foreign countries where the U.S. dollar has increased in value compared to the local currency. Converting our earnings from international operations to U.S. dollars for use in the U.S. can also raise challenges, including problems moving funds out of the countries in which the funds were earned and in collecting accounts receivable in foreign countries where the usual accounts receivable payment cycle is longer. To date, we have not used risk management techniques to hedge the risks associated with foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Even if we implemented hedging strategies, not every exposure can be hedged and, where hedges are put in place based on expected foreign currency exchange exposure, they are based on forecasts that may vary or that may later prove to have been . As a result, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates or our to hedge these fluctuations could have a material effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Risks Related to Privacy and Security
We depend on information technology and if our information technology fails to operate adequately or fails to properly maintain the integrity of our data, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
We depend significantly on sophisticated information technology, or IT, for our infrastructure and to support business decisions. Our IT needs require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance existing systems and to develop new systems to keep pace with new technology, evolving regulatory standards, the increasing need to protect patient and customer information and changing customer patterns. We do not have a comprehensive IT disaster recovery plan. Any significant breakdown, intrusion, interruption, corruption or destruction of any component of our IT systems could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business, prevent us from accessing critical information or expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including legally protected patient health information, credit card information, personally identifiable information about our employees, intellectual property, and proprietary business information. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing on-site systems. These applications and data encompass a wide variety of business critical information including research and development information, commercial information and business and financial information.
Although our computer and information systems are protected through physical and software safeguards, they are still vulnerable to system malfunction, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, breaches or interruptions due to employee error or malfeasance, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, fire, flood (and other natural disasters), power loss, computer systems failure, data network failure, Internet failure, or lapses in compliance with privacy and security mandates. If any of our systems were to become subject to any of the foregoing, our networks could be compromised, and the information stored there could be accessed by unauthorized parties, publicly disclosed, lost or . These events could lead to the access and result in the or disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our employees, partners, customers or suppliers. We have measures in place designed to detect and respond to security and of privacy and security mandates. The techniques used by elements to attack computer systems are sophisticated, change frequently and may originate from less regulated and remote areas of the world. As a result, we may not be to address these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have modified our business practices and implemented telework policies wherever possible for appropriate categories of "nonessential" employees to minimize the disruption to our operations, to the extent possible. The continuation of these telework policies for "nonessential employees" also introduces additional operational risk, including increased cybersecurity risk. These cyber risks may include, among other risks, greater phishing, malware, and other cyber-attacks, vulnerability to or disruptions of our information technology infrastructure and systems to support remote operations, increased risk of unauthorized access, use or dissemination of confidential information, limited ability to restore the systems in the event of a systems failure or interruption, greater risk of a security breach resulting in destruction, alteration or misuse of valuable information, including proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of individuals, all of which could us to risks of data or financial , and liability.
The regulatory environment governing information, security and privacy laws is increasingly demanding and continues to evolve. A number of states have adopted laws and regulations that may affect our privacy and data security practices regarding the use, disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information. For example, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which applies to any company established in the EU as well as any company outside the EU that processes personal data in connection with the offering of goods or services to individuals in the EU, imposes strict obligations on the processing of personal data, including personal health data, and the free movement of such data. The GDPR imposes substantial fines for breaches of data protection requirements, which can be up to four percent of global revenue or 20 million euros, whichever is greater, and it also confers a private right of action on data subjects for breaches of data protection requirements. We are also subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (the CCPA), which went into effect on January 1, 2020. On November 3, 2020, California passed the California Privacy Rights Act (the CPRA), which builds on the CCPA and expands consumer privacy rights to more closely align with the EU’s GDPR. The CPRA will go into effect on January 1, 2023 and will apply to information collected on or after January 1, 2022. The CCPA and CPRA, among other things, create new data privacy obligations for covered companies and provides new privacy rights to California residents, including the right to opt out of
certain disclosures of their information. The CCPA also created a private right of action with statutory damages for certain data breaches, thereby potentially increasing risks associated with a data breach. It remains unclear what, if any, additional modifications will be made to the CPRA by the California legislature or how it will be interpreted. Therefore the effects of the CCPA and CPRA are significant and will likely require us to modify our data processing practices, and may cause us to incur substantial costs and expenses to comply.
If our IT systems are compromised, due to a data breach or otherwise, we could be subject to legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information (such as the CCPA, GDPR and CPRA) government enforcement actions and regulatory penalties, fines, damages, and enforcement actions, and we could lose trade secrets or other confidential information, the occurrence of any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Unauthorized access, loss or dissemination could also interrupt our operations, including our ability to bill our customers, provide customer support services, conduct research and development activities, process and prepare company financial information, manage various general and administrative aspects of our business, and could damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Non-Compliance with Laws and Regulations
We are subject to stringent domestic and foreign medical device regulation and any adverse regulatory action may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and business operations.
Our products, development activities and manufacturing processes are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by numerous federal and state government agencies, including the FDA and comparable foreign agencies. To varying degrees, each agency monitors and enforces our compliance with laws and regulations governing the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, marketing and distribution of our products. For example, we must comply with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, which mandates that manufacturers of medical devices adhere to certain quality assurance standards pertaining to, among other things, validation of manufacturing processes, controls for purchasing product components and documentation practices.
In addition, we must engage in extensive recordkeeping and reporting. For example, the Federal Medical Device Reporting regulation requires us to provide information to the FDA whenever there is evidence that reasonably suggests that a device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or that a malfunction occurred that would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury upon recurrence.
Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements is subject to continual review and we must make our manufacturing facilities and records available for periodic unscheduled inspections by governmental agencies, including the FDA, state authorities and comparable agencies in other countries. If we fail to pass an FDA Quality System Regulation inspection or to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, we may receive a notice of a violation in the form of inspectional observations on Form FDA 483, a warning letter, or could otherwise be required to take corrective action and, in severe cases, we could suffer a disruption of our operations and manufacturing delays. If we fail to take adequate corrective actions, we could be subject to enforcement actions, including significant fines, suspension of approvals, seizures or recalls of products, operating restrictions and .
The FDA has increased its scrutiny of the medical device industry in recent years and the government is expected to continue to scrutinize the industry closely. Moreover, allegations may be made against us or against our suppliers, including donor recovery groups or tissue banks, claiming that the acquisition or processing of biomaterials products does not comply with applicable FDA regulations or other relevant statutes and regulations. Allegations like these could cause regulators or other authorities to investigate or take other action against us or our suppliers, or could cause negative publicity for us or our industry generally. If the FDA were to investigate us, because of an allegation or otherwise, and if the FDA were to conclude that we are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, or that any of our medical devices are or pose an health risk, the FDA could ban such medical devices, or such medical devices, order a , repair, replacement or refund of such devices, require us to notify health professionals and others that the devices present risks of substantial to the public health, restrict manufacturing and impose other operating restrictions, and restrain certain of applicable law pertaining to medical devices and assess civil or our officers, employees or us. The FDA may also recommend to the U.S. Department of Justice. Any notice or communication from the FDA regarding a to comply with applicable requirements, or publicity or product liability resulting from any regulatory action, could materially and affect our product sales and overall business.
The European Union adopted the MDR in 2017, which will replace the existing medical device directives in May 2021.
Devices with valid CE certificates issued under the directive before May 2021 may remain on the market until their certificates expire (but no later than May 2024). The MDR will change many aspects of the existing regulatory framework, imposing stricter pre-market and post-market requirements for medical devices such as ours. Penalties may be severe, including fines and criminal sanctions. Compliance with the new regulations may require us to incur significant costs, and failure to meet the requirements could limit our ability to distribute products in the European Union. In addition, until a completed mutual recognition agreement exists between Switzerland and the EU, Switzerland will be considered a Third Country. This may lead to additional import/export requirements or unavailability of product in Switzerland if that product is made available in the EU under the MDR.
Further, our suppliers also are subject to a wide array of regulatory and other requirements, including quality control, quality assurance, the maintenance of records and documentation, and unscheduled inspections by governmental agencies, including the FDA, state authorities and comparable agencies in other countries. Our suppliers may be unable to comply with these requirements and with other FDA, state and foreign regulatory requirements. We have little control over their ongoing compliance with these regulations. Their failure to comply may expose us to regulatory action and other liability, including fines and civil penalties, suspension of production, suspension or delay in new product approval or clearance, product seizure or recall, or withdrawal of product approval or clearance.
Certain of our products are derived from human tissue and are or could be subject to additional regulations and requirements.
Some of our orthobiologics products are derived from human bone tissue, and as a result are also subject to FDA and certain state regulations regarding human cells, tissues and cellular or tissue-based products, or HCT/Ps. An HCT/P is a product containing or consisting of human cells or tissue intended for transplantation into a human patient. Examples include bone, ligament, skin and cornea.
Some HCT/Ps also meet the definition of a biological product, medical device or drug regulated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the FDA to issue regulations to prevent the introduction, transmission or spread of communicable disease. HCT/Ps regulated as “361 HCT/Ps” are subject to requirements relating to registering facilities and listing products with the FDA, screening and testing for tissue donor eligibility, Good Tissue Practice when processing, storing, labeling and distributing HCT/Ps, including required labeling information, stringent record keeping and adverse event reporting. These biologic, device or drug HCT/Ps must comply both with the requirements exclusively applicable to 361 HCT/Ps and, in addition, with requirements applicable to biologics, devices or drugs, including premarket clearance or approval. We have received required approvals for our products regulated as 361 HCT/Ps. However, there have been occasions in the past, and there could be occasions in the future, when the FDA requires us to obtain a 510(k) clearance for our products regulated as 361 HCT/Ps. The process of obtaining a 510(k) clearance could take time and consume resources, and failing to receive such a clearance would render us unable to market and sell such products, which could have a material and effect on our business.
The American Association of Tissue Banks has issued operating standards for tissue banking. Accreditation is voluntary, but compliance with these standards is a requirement to become a licensed tissue bank. In addition, some states have their own tissue banking regulations. In addition, procurement of certain human organs and tissue for transplantation is subject to the National Organ Transplant Act, or NOTA, which prohibits the transfer of certain human organs, including skin and related tissue, for valuable consideration, but permits the reasonable payment associated with the removal, transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control and storage of human tissue and skin. We reimburse tissue banks for their expenses associated with the recovery, storage and transportation of donated human tissue they provide to us for processing. We include in our pricing structure amounts paid to tissue banks to reimburse them for their expenses associated with the recovery and transportation of the tissue, in addition to certain costs associated with processing, preservation, quality control and storage of the tissue, marketing and medical education expenses and costs associated with development of tissue processing technologies. NOTA payment allowances may be interpreted to limit the amount of costs and expenses we can recover in our pricing for our products, thereby reducing our future revenue and profitability. If we were to be found to have violated NOTA’s prohibition on the sale or transfer of human tissue for consideration, we would potentially be subject to enforcement sanctions, which could materially and affect our results of operations.
Because of the absence of a harmonized regulatory framework and the proposed regulation for advanced therapy medicinal products in the European Union, or EU, as well as for other countries, the approval process in the EU for human-derived cell or tissue-based medical products could be extensive, lengthy, expensive and unpredictable. Among others, some of our orthobiologics products are subject to EU member states’ regulations that govern the donation, procurement, testing,
coding, traceability, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of HCT/Ps. These EU member states’ regulations include requirements for registration, listing, labeling, adverse-event reporting and inspection and enforcement. Some EU member states have their own tissue banking regulations, including new requirements related to COVID-19 and donor screening. Non-compliance with various regulations governing our products in any EU member state could result in the banning of our products in such member state or enforcement actions being brought against us, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Certain of our products contain materials derived from animal sources and may become subject to additional regulation.
Certain of our products contain material derived from bovine tissue. Products that contain materials derived from animal sources, including food, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, are subject to scrutiny in the media and by regulatory authorities. Regulatory authorities are concerned about the potential for the transmission of disease from animals to humans via those materials. In past years, public scrutiny was particularly acute in Western Europe with respect to products derived from animal sources, largely due to concern that materials infected with the agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, otherwise known as mad cow disease, may, if ingested or implanted, cause a variant of the human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an ultimately fatal disease with no known cure. Cases of BSE in cattle discovered in Canada and the U.S. increased awareness in North America.
We take steps designed to minimize the risk that our products contain agents that can cause disease, such as obtaining our collagen from countries considered BSE-free. Nevertheless, products that contain materials derived from animals, including our products, could become subject to additional regulation, or even be banned in certain countries, because of concern over the potential for the transmission of infectious or other agents. Significant new regulation, or a ban of our products, could have a material and adverse effect on our business or our ability to expand our business.
Certain countries, such as Japan, China, Taiwan and Argentina, have issued regulations that require our collagen products be processed from bovine tendon sourced from countries where no cases of BSE have occurred. The collagen raw material we use in our products is sourced from New Zealand. Our supplier has obtained approval from certain countries, including the U.S., the European Union, Japan, Taiwan, China and Argentina, for the use of such collagen raw material in products sold in those countries. If we cannot continue to obtain collagen raw material from a qualified source of tendon from a country that has never had a case of BSE, we will not be permitted to sell our collagen products in certain countries, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Oversight of the medical device industry might affect the way we sell medical devices and compete in the marketplace.
The FDA, the U.S. Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Justice and other regulatory agencies actively enforce regulations prohibiting the promotion of a medical device for a use that has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. Use of a device outside its cleared or approved indications is known as “off-label” use. Physicians may prescribe our products for off-label uses, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician’s choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. However, if a regulatory agency determines that our promotional materials, training or activities constitute improper promotion of an off-label use, the regulatory agency could request that we modify our promotional materials, training or activities, or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions, including the issuance of a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and/or criminal penalties. Although our policy is to refrain from statements and activities that could be considered off-label promotion of our products, any regulatory agency could disagree and conclude that we have engaged in off-label promotion and, potentially, caused the submission of false . In addition, the off-label use of our products may increase the risk of to patients, and, in turn, the risk of product liability . See “Other Risks Related to our Business and Financial Condition-We may have significant product liability exposure and our insurance may not cover all potential ,” below.
There are also multiple other laws and regulations that govern how companies in the healthcare industry may market their products to healthcare professionals and may compete by discounting the prices of their products, including, for example, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal False Claims Act, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, state law equivalents to these federal laws that are meant to protect against fraud and abuse, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and analogous laws in foreign countries. Violations of these laws are punishable by criminal and civil sanctions, including, but not limited to, penalties, fines and exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and imprisonment. Federal and state government agencies, as well as private whistleblowers, have significantly increased and enforcement activity under these laws. Although we exercise care in structuring our sales and marketing practices, customer discount arrangements and interactions with healthcare professionals to comply
with these laws and regulations, we cannot provide assurance that government officials will not assert that our practices are in compliance or that government regulators or courts will interpret those laws or regulations in a manner consistent with our interpretation. Even if an investigation is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued, we may spend considerable time and resources defending ourselves and the adverse publicity surrounding any assertion that we may have engaged in violative conduct could have a material and adverse effect on our reputation with existing and potential customers and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Federal and state laws are also sometimes open to interpretation, and from time to time we may find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage if our interpretation differs from that of our competitors. AdvaMed (U.S.), EucoMed (Europe), MEDEC (Canada) and MTAA (Australia), some of the principal trade associations for the medical device industry, have promulgated model codes of ethics that set forth standards by which its members should (and non-member companies may) abide in the promotion of their products in various regions. We have implemented policies and procedures for compliance consistent with those promulgated by these associations, and we train our sales and marketing personnel on our policies regarding sales and marketing practices. Nevertheless, the sales and marketing practices of our industry have been the subject of increased scrutiny from federal and state government agencies, we believe this trend will continue and that it could affect our ability to retain customers and other relationships important to our business.
For example, prosecutorial scrutiny and governmental oversight, at both the state and federal levels, over some major device companies regarding the retention of healthcare professionals have limited how medical device companies may retain healthcare professionals as consultants. Various hospital organizations, medical societies and trade associations are establishing their own practices that may require detailed disclosures of relationships between healthcare professionals and medical device companies or ban or restrict certain marketing and sales practices, such as gifts and business meals. In addition, the Affordable Care Act, as well as certain state laws, require detailed disclosure of certain financial relationships, gifts and other remuneration made to certain healthcare professionals and teaching hospitals, the publicity surrounding which could have a negative impact on our relationships with our customers and ability to seek input on product design or involvement in research. As a result of laws, rules and regulations or our own or third-party policies that prohibit or restrict interactions, or the growing perception that any interaction between healthcare professionals and industry are tainted, we may be unable to engage with our healthcare professional customers in the same manner or to the same degree, or at all, as would otherwise be the case, which may adversely affect our ability to understand our customer’s needs and to incorporate into our development programs feedback that addresses these needs. If we are to develop and commercialize new products that address the needs of our surgeon customers and their patients, our products may not be broadly accepted in the marketplace, or at all, which would have a effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to requirements relating to hazardous materials which may impose significant compliance or other costs on us.
Our research, development and manufacturing processes involve the controlled use of certain hazardous materials. For example, our allograft bone tissue processing may generate waste materials that in the U.S. are classified as medical waste. In addition, we lease facilities at which hazardous materials could have been used. Because of the foregoing, we are subject to federal, state, foreign and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling, treatment, remediation and disposal of hazardous materials and certain waste products.
Although we believe that our procedures for handling and disposing of hazardous materials comply with applicable laws as currently in effect, we cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In addition, under some environmental laws and regulations, we could also be held responsible for all of the costs relating to any contamination at our past or present facilities and at third-party waste disposal sites, even if such contamination was not caused by us. If an accident occurs, state or federal or other applicable authorities may curtail our use of these materials and interrupt our business operations. In addition, if an accident or environmental discharge occurs, or if we discover contamination caused by prior operations, including by prior owners and operators of properties we acquire, we could be liable for cleanup obligations, damages and fines any related liability could exceed our resources. If such unexpected costs are substantial, this could significantly our financial condition and results of operations. We carry no insurance specifically covering environmental relating to the use of materials.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property Protection and Use
Our intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful commercial protection for our products, potentially enabling third parties to use our technology or very similar technology in ways that could reduce our ability to compete in the marketplace.
Our success will depend in part on our ability to, both in the U.S. and in foreign countries, obtain and maintain patent and other exclusivity with respect to our products; prevent third parties from infringing upon our proprietary rights; and maintain proprietary know-how and trade secrets. However, these legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage.
We own or have licensed patents that cover aspects of some of our product lines. Our patents, however, may not provide us with any significant competitive advantage. Others may challenge our patents and, as a result, our patents could be narrowed, invalidated or rendered unenforceable. Competitors may develop products similar to ours that our patents do not cover. In addition, our current and future patent applications may not result in the issuance of patents in the U.S. or foreign countries. Further, there is a substantial backlog of patent applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the approval or rejection of patent applications may take several years.
In an effort to protect our trade secrets and intellectual property rights, we require our employees, consultants and advisors to execute confidentiality and invention assignment agreements upon commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that, except in specified circumstances, all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during their relationship with us must be kept confidential. We cannot assure you, however, that these agreements will meaningfully protect our trade secrets or other proprietary information in the event of the unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information. In addition, we cannot assure you that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and procedures or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets, that our trade secrets will not be disclosed or that we can otherwise protect our rights to unpatented trade secrets.
In addition to contractual measures, we try to protect the confidential nature of our proprietary information using physical and technological security measures. Such measures may not, for example, in the case of misappropriation of a trade secret by an employee or third party with authorized access, adequately protect our proprietary information. Our security measures may not prevent an employee or consultant from misappropriating our trade secrets and providing them to a competitor, and recourse we take against such misconduct may not provide an adequate remedy to protect our interests fully. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to copy or reverse engineer certain aspects of our products that we consider proprietary. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable.
In addition, we may face claims by third parties that our agreements with employees, consultants or advisors obligating them to assign intellectual property to us are ineffective or in conflict with prior or competing contractual obligations of assignment, which could result in ownership disputes regarding intellectual property we have developed or will develop and interfere with our ability to capture the commercial value of such intellectual property. Litigation may be necessary to resolve an ownership dispute, and if we are unsuccessful, we may be precluded from using certain intellectual property or may lose our exclusive rights in that intellectual property. Either outcome could harm our business and competitive position. See “ If we seek to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights through or other proceedings, it could require us to spend significant time and money, the results of which are uncertain ,” below.
Furthermore, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S., if at all. Since most of our issued patents and pending patent applications are for the U.S. only, we lack a corresponding scope of patent protection in other countries. Thus, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products in other countries that are similar to some of our products.
If we are unable to obtain, protect and enforce patents on our technology and to protect our trade secrets, such inability could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our success will depend partly on our ability to operate without infringing or misappropriating the proprietary rights of others.
Our success will depend in part on our ability, both in the U.S. and in foreign countries, to operate without infringing upon the patents and proprietary rights of others, and to obtain appropriate licenses to patents or proprietary rights held by third parties if infringement would otherwise occur.
Significant litigation regarding patent rights occurs in our industry. Our competitors in both the U.S. and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in patent portfolios and competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use and sell our products. Generally, we do not conduct independent reviews of patents issued to third parties. In addition, patent applications in the U.S. and elsewhere can be pending for many years before issuance, so there may be applications of others now pending of which we are unaware that may later result in issued patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use or sell our products. The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent applications and issuances, the complexities of the technology involved, and the uncertainty of litigation increase the risk of assets and resources including management’s attention, being diverted to patent litigation. We have received, and expect to receive, communications from various industry participants our of their patents, trade secrets or other intellectual property rights and/or offering licenses to such intellectual property. Any lawsuits resulting from such could subject us to significant liability for and our proprietary rights. Any potential intellectual property also could us to do one or more of the following:
• stop making, selling or using products or technologies that allegedly infringe the asserted intellectual property;
• lose the opportunity to license our technology to others or to collect royalty payments based upon successful protection and assertion of our intellectual property rights against others;
• incur significant legal expenses;
• pay substantial damages or royalties to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing;
• pay the attorney fees and costs of litigation to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing;
• redesign those products that contain the allegedly infringing intellectual property, which could be costly, disruptive and/or infeasible; or
• attempt to obtain a license to the relevant intellectual property from third parties, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all.
See “ If we seek to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights through litigation or other proceedings, it could require us to spend significant time and money, the results of which are uncertain ,” below.
Further, as the number of participants in the spine industry grows, the possibility of intellectual property infringement claims against us increases. If we are found to infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, we could have to pay substantial damages (which may be increased up to three times of awarded damages) and/or substantial royalties and could be prevented from selling our products unless we obtain a license or are able to redesign our products to avoid infringement. Any such license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all, and there can be no assurance that we would be able to redesign our products in a way that would not infringe the intellectual property rights of others. If we fail to obtain any required licenses or make any necessary changes to our products or technologies, we may have to withdraw existing products from the market or may be to commercialize one or more of our products, all of which could have a material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, we generally indemnify our customers and sales agents with respect to infringement by our products of the proprietary rights of third parties. Third parties may assert infringement claims against our customers or sales agents. These claims may require us to initiate or defend protracted and costly litigation on behalf of our customers or sales agents, regardless of the merits of these claims. If any of these claims succeed, we may be forced to indemnify, or pay damages on behalf of, our customers or sales agents or may have to obtain licenses for the products they use. If we cannot obtain all necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, our customers may be to stop using our products.
If we seek to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights through litigation or other proceedings, it could require us to spend significant time and money, the results of which are uncertain.
To protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, we may have to initiate or defend litigation against or by third parties, such as infringement suits, opposition proceedings or seeking a court declaration that we do not infringe the proprietary rights of others or that their rights are invalid or unenforceable. Litigation, including defending against claims without merit is expensive and time-consuming, and could divert management attention and resources away from our business and could harm our reputation. We may not have sufficient resources to enforce our intellectual property rights or to defend our intellectual property rights against a . Even if we prevail, the cost of , including the of management and other resources, could affect our and could place a significant on our financial resources.
Our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights depends on our ability to detect infringement. It may be difficult to detect infringers who do not advertise the components used in their products. Moreover, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain evidence of infringement in a competitor’s or potential competitor’s product. The medical device industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent litigation based on allegations of patent infringement. It is not unusual for parties to exchange letters surrounding allegations of intellectual property infringement and licensing arrangements. In addition, the patent positions of medical device companies, including our patent position, may involve complex legal and factual questions, and, therefore, the scope, validity and enforceability of any patent claims we have or may obtain cannot be predicted with certainty.
Risks Related to Our Public Company Status and Growth Through Acquisition
The acquisition of 7D Surgical may present many risks and we may not realize the strategic and financial goals that were contemplated at the time we entered into the arrangement agreement to acquire 7D Surgical in March 2021.
We acquired 7D Surgical in May 2021. Certain risks we may face in connection with the integration of 7D Surgical include:
• We may not realize the benefits we expect to receive from the acquisition, such as a best-in-class enabling technology that provides surgeons a radiation-free navigational system that integrates seamlessly into the surgical workflow; gaining access to new accounts and/or increasing our presence in existing accounts by providing access to the 7D Surgical technology and/or placing systems at little or no upfront cost to the hospital through product earn-outs; expanding applications for the 7D Surgical offering, such as in minimally invasive procedures; and the ability of the 7D Surgical technology to position us to address the full patient continuum of care, from pre-operative imaging and surgical planning to post-operative plan confirmation and predictive analytics.
• The acquisition may not further our business strategy as we expect, we may not successfully integrate 7D Surgical as planned, there could be unanticipated adverse impacts on our or 7D Surgical’s business, and/or we may otherwise not realize the expected return on our investment, which could potentially cause impairment to assets that we record as a part of the acquisition, including intangible assets and goodwill.
• Our operating results or financial condition may be adversely impacted by (i) claims or liabilities related to 7D Surgical’s business arising after closing; (ii) unfavorable accounting treatment as a result of 7D Surgical’s practices; and/or (iii) intellectual property claims or disputes.
• 7D Surgical was not required to maintain an internal control infrastructure that would meet the standards of a U.S. public company, including the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The costs that we may incur to implement such controls and procedures may be substantial and we could encounter unexpected delays and challenges in this implementation. In addition, we may discover significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the quality of 7D Surgical’s financial and disclosure controls and procedures.
• We may have failed to identify or assess the magnitude of certain liabilities, shortcomings or other circumstances prior to acquiring 7D Surgical, which could result in unexpected litigation or regulatory exposure, unfavorable accounting treatment, a diversion of management’s attention and resources, and other adverse effects on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
The occurrence of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
We expend substantial resources to comply with laws and regulations relating to public companies, and any failure to maintain compliance could subject us to regulatory scrutiny and cause investors to lose confidence in our company, which could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our stock price.
Laws and regulations affecting public companies, including provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), and the related rules and regulations adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and by the Nasdaq Stock Market increase our accounting, legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly. We cannot predict or estimate with any reasonable accuracy the total amount or timing of the costs we may incur to comply with these laws and regulations. In addition, we expect that our management and other personnel will need to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these matters. For example, compliance with Section 404 of SOX, including performing the system and process documentation and evaluation necessary to issue our annual report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and obtaining the required attestation report from our independent registered public accounting firm, requires us to incur substantial expense and expend significant management time. Further, we have in the past discovered, and in the future may discover, areas of internal controls that need improvement. If we identify deficiencies in our internal controls deemed to be material weaknesses, we could become subject to by regulatory authorities and we could investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our SEC filings, including the financial statements included therein, which could have a material effect on our stock price. Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of financial reporting objectives because of its inherent , including the possibility of human and by or overriding of controls. Accordingly, even an internal control system may not prevent or detect material on a timely basis, or at all. Also, previously controls may become over time because of changes in our business or operating structure, and we may to take measures to evaluate the adequacy of and update these controls, as necessary, which could lead to a material .
In addition, new laws and regulations could make it costlier or more difficult for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the coverage that is the same or similar to our current coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve as our executive officers or on our board of directors or on its committees.
Regulations related to “conflict minerals” may force us to incur additional expenses, may make our supply chain more complex and may result in damage to our reputation with customers.
We are subject to SEC regulations that require us to determine whether our products contain certain specified minerals, referred to under the regulations as “conflict minerals,” and, if so, to perform an extensive inquiry into our supply chain, to determine whether such conflict minerals originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo or an adjoining country. We have determined that certain of our products contain such specified minerals. We are continuing to conduct inquiries into our supply chain in connection with the preparation of our conflict minerals report for 2020. Compliance with these regulations has increased our costs and has been time-consuming for our management and our supply chain personnel (and time-consuming for our suppliers), and we expect that continued compliance will continue to require significant money and time. In addition, to the extent any of our disclosures are perceived by the market to be “negative,” it may cause customers to refuse to purchase our products. Further, if we determine to make any changes to products, processes, or sources of supply, it may result in additional costs, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our growth strategy could involve growth through acquisitions, which would require us to incur substantial costs and potential liabilities for which we may never realize the anticipated benefits.
We may grow our business through acquisitions, a strategy which ultimately could prove unsuccessful. Any new acquisition could result in material transaction expenses, increased interest and amortization expense, increased depreciation expense, increased operating expense and possible in-process research and development charges for acquisitions that do not meet the definition of a “business,” any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our operating results.
In addition, businesses we acquire may not have adequate financial, disclosure, regulatory, quality or other compliance controls in place when we acquire them, which may create uncertainty regarding the actual condition and financial results of the
acquired business and our assumptions regarding synergies and future results. Following any acquisition, we must integrate the new business, which includes incorporating it into our financial, compliance, regulatory and quality systems. Failure to timely and successfully integrate acquired businesses may result in non-compliance with regulatory or other requirements and may result in unexpected costs, including as a result of inadequate cost containment and unrealized economies of scale. In addition, acquisitions divert management and other resources, and involve other risks, including, risks associated with entering markets in which our marketing and sales personnel may have limited experience and with disruption to existing relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and sales agents, both with respect to us and the acquired company. As a result of any of the foregoing, we may not realize the expected benefit from any acquisition. If we cannot integrate acquired businesses, products or technologies, our business, financial conditions and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, as a result of acquisitions of other healthcare businesses, we may be subject to the risk of unanticipated business uncertainties, regulatory and other compliance matters or legal liabilities relating to those acquired businesses for which the sellers of the acquired businesses may not indemnify us, for which we may not be able to obtain insurance (or adequate insurance) or for which the indemnification may not be sufficient to cover the ultimate liabilities.
Risks Related to Owning our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock has been and likely will continue to be volatile.
The market price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. In addition to the factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, these factors include:
• actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial condition and operating performance;
• introduction of new products by us or our competitors;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions or dispositions;
• our ability to obtain financing as needed;
• a shift in our investor base, including sales of our shares by existing stockholders;
• any major change in our board of directors or management;
• threatened or actual litigation or governmental investigations;
• the number of shares of our common stock publicly owned and available for trading;
• the operating and stock price performance of similar companies;
• changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet earnings guidance;
• publication of research reports about us or our industry or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts;
• changes in laws or regulations affecting our business, including tax legislation;
• the success or failure of our business strategy;
• investor perception of us and our industry;
• changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;
• the overall performance of the equity markets;
• general political and economic conditions, and other external factors.
In addition, the stock market in general, and the stocks of medical device companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. This could limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources, and harm our business, financial condition and results of operation.
Your percentage of ownership in us may be diluted and issuances of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the perception that such issuances may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline significantly, even if our business is performing well.
As with any public company, your percentage ownership in us may be diluted because of equity issuances for acquisitions and investments, capital-raising transactions or otherwise, including equity awards that we have granted and we expect to grant in the future to our directors, officers and employees. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 0.8 million shares of our common stock were subject to unvested restricted stock units and approximately 2.6 million shares of our common stock were subject to exercisable stock options with a weighted average exercise price of $14.55.
Since July 1, 2015, we have issued an aggregate of 22.1 million shares of our common stock for capital-raising purposes. Most recently, we issued an aggregate of 5,175,000 shares of our common stock (including 675,000 shares sold to the underwriter upon exercise of an underwriter option) in an underwritten offering completed in April 2021 at price to the public of $19.50 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions. In May 2021, in connection with our acquisition of 7D Surgical, we issued to the former stockholders of 7D Surgical, 2,991,054 shares of our common stock and 1,298,648 exchangeable shares, which are exchangeable for shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis.
Further, the market price of our common stock could decline as a result of the issuance, including sale, of a large number of shares of our common stock, and the perception that these sales could occur may also depress the market price of our common stock. A decline in the price of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity or equity-linked securities.
We may issue preferred stock with terms that could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.
While we have no specific plan to issue preferred stock, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue, without stockholder approval, one or more series of preferred stock having such designation, powers, privileges, preferences, including preferences over our common stock respecting dividends and distributions, terms of redemption and relative participation, optional, or other rights, if any, of the shares of each such series of preferred stock and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as our board of directors may determine. The terms of one or more series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we could assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of the common stock.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If current or future analysts who cover us were to downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts were to stop covering us or were to stop regularly publishing reports on us, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
We do not anticipate paying cash dividends, and accordingly, stockholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not currently expect to declare or pay any such cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Instead, we intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. Payment of cash dividends, if any, will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors and will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Furthermore, we are subject to various laws and regulations that may restrict our ability to pay dividends and are subject to contractual restrictions on, or prohibitions against, the payment of dividends. Due to the foregoing, the return on your investment in our common stock will likely depend entirely upon any future appreciation and our common stock may not appreciate. Investors seeking cash dividends should not invest in our common stock.
Certain provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law could discourage takeover attempts and lead to management entrenchment and, therefore, may depress the market price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in our management without the consent of our board of
directors, including, among other things:
• a classified board of directors with three-year staggered terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our board of directors;
• no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
• the ability of our board of directors to determine to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer;
• the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of our board of directors or by the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from filling vacancies on our board of directors;
• limitations on the removal of directors;
• a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders;
• the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders be called only by the chairman of our board of directors, our chief executive officer, our president (in absence of a chief executive officer) or our board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;
• advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us;
• the requirement for the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2⁄3% of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of our voting stock, voting together as a single class, to amend or repeal the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and of our amended and restated bylaws that relate to the matters described above, which may inhibit the ability of an acquirer from amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws to facilitate a hostile acquisition; and
• the ability of our board of directors, by majority vote, to amend our amended and restated bylaws, which may allow our board of directors to take additional actions to prevent a hostile acquisition and inhibit the ability of an acquirer from amending our amended and restated bylaws to facilitate a hostile acquisition.
We believe that these provisions protect our stockholders from coercive or harmful takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors and by providing our board of directors with adequate time to assess any acquisition proposal.
We are also subject to certain anti-takeover provisions under the DGCL. Under the DGCL, a corporation may not, in general, engage in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other things, our board of directors has approved the transaction.
The provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and the anti-takeover provisions under the DGCL, may discourage, delay, prevent or make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current board of directors, including a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our board of directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Even absent a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates certain courts as the sole and exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (A) the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have, or declines to accept, jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located within the
State of Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by, or other wrongdoing by, any of our directors, officers or employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (v) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine; and (B) the federal district courts of the United States shall be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation further provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions described above. These provisions may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a judicial forum for with us.
We are subject to certain disclosure and compliance requirements that did not previously apply to us due to the recent change in our filer status and ceasing to qualify as a smaller reporting company.
Our public float as of June 30, 2021 exceeded $250.0 million but was less than $700.0 million. As a result, we became an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as a smaller reporting company. As a result of such changes, we are subject to certain disclosure and compliance requirements that did not previously apply to us, including accelerated deadlines for filing are periodic reports. Compliance with such requirements will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and may require our management and other personnel to devote more time to public company reporting requirements. In addition, if we are not able to comply with such requirements in a timely or complete manner, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our common stock is listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which would divert additional financial and management resources away from our business.
Other Risks Related to our Business and Financial Condition
Our business could suffer if we lose the services of key members of our senior management or fail to hire and retain other personnel on whom our business relies.
Our ability to execute our business strategy and compete in the highly competitive medical device industry depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Companies in the medical device industry in general have experienced a high rate of personnel turnover. Loss of key employees, including any of our scientific, technical and managerial personnel, could adversely affect our ability to successfully execute our business strategy, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We would be adversely affected if we fail to adequately prepare for future turnover of our senior management team. Moreover, replacing key employees may be a difficult, costly and protracted process, and we may not have other personnel with the capacity to assume all of the responsibilities of a departing employee. Competition for qualified personnel, particularly for key positions, is intense among companies in our industry, particularly in the San Diego, California area, and many of the organizations which we compete for qualified personnel have financial and other resources and different risk profiles than our company, which may make them more employers. All of our employees, including our management personnel, may their employment with us at any time without notice. If we cannot attract and retain highly qualified personnel, as needed, we may not our financial and other goals.
Moreover, future internal growth could impose significant added responsibilities on our management, and we will need to identify, recruit, maintain, motivate and integrate additional employees to manage growth effectively. If we do not effectively manage such growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, we may not achieve our goals, and our ability to generate and/or grow revenue could be diminished.
We may have significant product liability exposure and our insurance may not cover all potential claims.
We are exposed to product liability and other claims. Spine surgery involves significant risk of serious complications, including bleeding, nerve injury, paralysis and even death. In addition, if neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons are not sufficiently trained in the use of our products, they may misuse or ineffectively use our products, which may result in unsatisfactory patient outcomes or patient injury. We could become the subject of product liability lawsuits alleging that component failures, malfunctions, manufacturing flaws, design defects, or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks or product-related information resulted in an unsafe condition or to patients. In addition, the development of allograft
implants and technologies for human tissue repair and treatment may entail particular risk of transmitting diseases to human recipients, and any such transmission could result in the assertion of product liability claims against us.
Product liability claims are expensive to defend, divert our management’s attention and, if we are not successful in defending the claim, can result in substantial monetary awards against us or costly settlements. Further, successful product liability claims made against one or more of our competitors could cause claims to be made against us or expose us to a perception that we are vulnerable to similar claims. Any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit and regardless of the outcome or whether it is fully pursued, may result in: decreased demand for our products; to our reputation; significant costs; product ; of revenue; the to commercialize new products or product candidates; and publicity regarding our products. Any of these may have a material and effect on our reputation with existing and potential customers and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our existing product liability insurance coverage may be inadequate to protect us from any liabilities we might incur. If a product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or more than our insurance coverage, our business could suffer. In addition, a recall of some of our products, whether or not the result of a product liability claim, could result in significant costs and loss of customers.
Our insurance policies are expensive and protect us only from some risks, which will leave us exposed to significant uninsured liabilities.
We do not carry insurance for all categories of risk to which our business is or may be exposed. Some of the policies we maintain include general liability, foreign liability, employee benefits liability, property, umbrella, employment practices, workers’ compensation, products liability, cyber, and directors’ and officers’ insurance. We do not know, however, if we will be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts or scope to protect us against losses. Even if we obtain insurance, a claim could exceed the amount of our insurance coverage or it may be excluded from coverage under the terms of the policy. Further, insurance coverage may not be available or successfully secured for loss profits or business interruption relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts. Any significant uninsured liability may require us to pay substantial amounts, which would adversely affect our cash position and results of operations.
We may be subject to claims that we, our employees, or our independent sales agents or stocking distributors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors.
Many of our employees were employed at other medical device companies, including our competitors or potential competitors, in some cases immediately prior to joining us. In addition, many of our independent sales agents and stocking distributors sell, or in the past have sold, products of our competitors. We may be subject to claims that we, our employees or our independent sales agents or stocking distributors have intentionally, inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of former employers or competitors. In addition, we have been and may in the future be subject to claims that we caused an employee, or encouraged/assisted an independent sales agent, to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation agreement. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Litigation is expensive, time-consuming and could divert management attention and resources away from our business. Even if we prevail, the cost of could affect our . If we do not prevail, in addition to any we might have to pay, we may intellectual property rights or employees, independent sales agents or stocking distributors. There can be no assurance that this type of or the thereof will not affect our ability to engage and retain key employees, sales agents or stocking distributors. See also the risk factors titled, “Risks Related to Manufacturing, Commercial Operations and Commercialization - If we are to maintain and expand our network of independent sales agents and stocking distributors, we may not be to maintain or grow our revenue,” and “Our business could if we the services of key members of our senior management or to hire and retain other personnel on whom our business relies” above.
We have overlapping board membership with Integra, which may lead to conflicting interests, and one of our directors continues to own a substantial amount of Integra common stock and equity awards covering Integra stock.
Two of our board members also serve as board members of Integra. Our directors who are members of Integra’s board of directors have fiduciary duties to Integra’s stockholders, as well as fiduciary duties to our stockholders. In addition, several of our directors own or have rights to acquire Integra common stock (in at least one case, a substantial amount).
As a result of the foregoing, there may be the appearance of a conflict of interest and there is the potential for a conflict of interest with respect to matters involving or affecting both companies, such as when we or Integra consider acquisitions and other corporate opportunities that may be suitable for each company. In addition, potential conflicts of interest could arise in connection with the resolution of any dispute that may arise between Integra and us regarding the terms of the agreements governing our separation from Integra, the Tax Matters Agreement or under other agreements between Integra and us, including with respect to indemnification matters. From time to time, we may enter into transactions with Integra and/or its subsidiaries or other affiliates. There can be no assurance that the terms of any such transactions will be as favorable to us, Integra or any of our or their subsidiaries or affiliates as would be the case were there no overlapping board membership or ownership interest.
We may be subject to continuing contingent liabilities of Integra.
Even after our separation from Integra, there are several significant areas where Integra’s liabilities may become our obligations. For example, under the Code and the related rules and regulations, each corporation that was a member of the Integra consolidated U.S. federal income tax reporting group during any taxable period or portion of any taxable period ending on or before the effective time of the distribution is jointly and severally liable for the U.S. federal income tax liability of the entire Integra consolidated tax reporting group for that taxable period. In addition, the Tax Matters Agreement allocates the responsibility for prior period taxes of the Integra consolidated tax reporting group between us and Integra. Under this allocation, we may be responsible for taxes that we would not have otherwise incurred, or that we would have incurred but in different amounts and/or at different times, on a standalone basis outside of the Integra consolidated group, and the amount of such taxes could be significant. If Integra is unable to pay any prior period taxes for which it is responsible, we could have to pay the entire amount of such taxes.
General Risk Factors
Changes in financial accounting standards or practices or existing taxation rules or practices may cause adverse unexpected revenue and/or expense fluctuations and affect our reported results of operations.
A change in accounting standards or practices or a change in existing taxation rules or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective. New accounting pronouncements and taxation rules and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements and taxation practice have occurred and may occur in the future. The method in which we market and sell our products may have an impact on the manner in which we recognize revenue. In addition, changes to existing rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business. Additionally, changes to existing accounting rules or standards, such as the potential requirement that U.S. registrants prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, may adversely impact our reported financial results and business, and may further require us to incur greater accounting fees.
Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) regulations, policies and provisions may make our supply chain more complex and may adversely affect our relationships with customers.
There is an increasing focus on the governance of environmental and social risks. A number of our customers who are payors or distributors have adopted, or may adopt, procurement policies that include ESG provisions that their suppliers or manufacturers must comply with, or they may seek to include such provisions in their terms and conditions. An increasing number of participants in the medical device industry are also joining voluntary ESG groups or organizations, such as the Responsible Business Alliance. These ESG provisions and initiatives are subject to change, can be unpredictable, and may be difficult and expensive for us to comply with, given the complexity of our supply chain and the outsourced manufacturing of certain components of our products. If we are unable to comply, or are unable to cause our suppliers to comply, with such policies or provisions, a customer may stop purchasing products from us, and may take legal action against us, which could harm our reputation, revenue and results of operations.
Our business could be negatively impacted by corporate citizenship and ESG matters and/or our reporting of such matters.
There is an increasing focus from certain investors, customers, consumers, and other stakeholders concerning corporate citizenship and sustainability matters. We could be perceived as not acting responsibly in connection with these matters. Our business could be negatively impacted by such matters. Any such matters, or related corporate citizenship and sustainability matters, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
