ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be important to understanding other statements in this report. The following information should be carefully considered in addition to the other information set forth in this report, including the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations section and Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. If any of the risks or uncertainties described below actually occur or continue to occur, our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, future prospects and stock price could be materially and adversely affected. The risks below are not the only risks we face and additional risks not currently known to us or that we presently deem immaterial may emerge or become material at any time and may negatively impact our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, future prospects or stock price. The order in which these factors appear should not be construed to indicate their relative importance or priority.
Risk Factors Summary
The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, operations, financial results and stock price.
Commercial Execution and Product Performance Risks
•Failure to achieve widespread market acceptance domestically may harm operating results.
•Competition from existing and new products and procedures may decrease our market share.
•Clinical data may be negative, or our trials may not satisfy requirements of regulatory authorities, slowing or reversing the rate of adoption or reducing use of our products by the medical community.
•Reliance on independent distributors to sell our products in some international markets could adversely impact our sales.
Industry Condition Risks
•A prolonged downturn in macroeconomic conditions may materially adversely affect our business.
•Rising healthcare costs may result in efforts by government and private payors to contain or reduce healthcare spending, including reimbursement for procedures that utilize our products.
•Adverse changes in governmental and third-party payors’ policies toward coverage and reimbursement for surgical procedures would harm our ability to promote and sell our products.
Operational Risks
•Unfavorable publicity relating to our business or industry could negatively impact our operations.
•Reliance upon single and limited source third-party suppliers and service providers could harm our business if such third parties cannot provide materials or products or perform services for us in a timely manner.
•Our manufacturing operations are highly centralized and disruption could harm our business.
•If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth, our business could suffer.
•If we cannot retain our skilled and experienced officers and other employees, or recruit, hire, train and integrate sufficient additional qualified personnel, our business may suffer.
•Disruptions of critical information systems or material breaches in the security of our systems could harm our business, customer relations and financial condition.
•Our insurance may not cover our indemnification obligations and other liabilities associated with our operations.
Legal & Compliance Risks
•We could face substantial penalties if we do not fully comply with federal, state and foreign regulations.
•We may be subject to fines, injunctions and penalties if we fail to comply with extensive FDA regulations.
•Unless and until we obtain additional FDA approval for our products, we will not be able to promote them for treatment of Afib and/or to prevent stroke, and our inability to maintain or grow our business could be harmed. We may be subject to fines, injunctions and penalties if we are found to be promoting our products for unapproved or off-label uses.
•Modifications to our products may require new clearances or approvals by FDA; failure to obtain such clearances or approvals where required could result in a recall of the modified products and limitation on future sales until cleared or approved.
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•If we or our third-party vendors fail to comply with extensive FDA regulations relating to the manufacturing of our products we may be subject to fines, injunctions and penalties.
•Any adverse finding, judgement, settlement or enforcement action against us as a result of the current qui tam lawsuit could negatively affect our business.
•The use of products we sell may result in injuries or other adverse events that lead to product liability claims.
•Our ability to compete in the marketplace could be affected if our intellectual property rights fail to provide meaningful commercial protection for our products.
•Litigation and administrative proceedings over patent and other intellectual property rights are common in our industry, and any litigation or claim against us may cause us to incur substantial costs.
•We are subject to various regulatory and other risks related to selling our products internationally which could harm our revenue.
•Any allegation or determination of wrongdoing under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other anti-corruption laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.
•Compliance with European Union medical device regulation may limit our ability to sell our products in European markets.
Financial Risks
•Our quarterly financial results are likely to fluctuate significantly.
•We have a history of net losses, and we may never become profitable.
•Governmental authorities may question our intercompany transfer pricing policies or change their laws in a manner that could increase our effective tax rate.
•Our goodwill may become impaired which could adversely affect our financial performance.
•We may take inventory-related charges as a result of inaccurate forecasting or estimates of product life cycles which would negatively affect our gross margins and results of operations.
•We are subject to credit risk from our accounts receivable related to our sales.
•We may be unable to comply with the covenants of our Loan Agreement.
Common Stock Risks
•We may fail to achieve our publicly announced guidance about our business which could cause a decline in our stock price.
•Securities analysts may discontinue coverage for our common stock or issue reports which could have a negative impact on the market price of our common stock.
•Our common stock may experience extreme fluctuations in the price and trading volume causing our stockholders to lose some or all of their investment.
•The sale of material amounts of common stock could encourage short sales by third parties and depress the price of our common stock causing our stockholders to lose part or all of their investment.
•Stockholder ownership of our common stock may be diluted if we sell common stock in a capital raising transaction or issue shares in a future acquisition.
•Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and under Delaware law could inhibit a change in control or a change in management that stockholders consider favorable.
•Our stockholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on investment as we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
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Commercial Execution and Product Performance Risks
If our products do not achieve widespread market acceptance in the United States, our operating results will be harmed, and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
Our success depends in large part on the medical community’s acceptance of our products in the United States, which is the largest revenue market in the world for medical devices. Our ablation and LAAM product sales in the United States generate the majority of our revenue. We expect that sales of these products will continue to account for a majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future and that our future revenue will depend on the increasing acceptance by the medical community of our products as standard of care for treating Afib, managing the LAA and managing pain with Cryo Nerve Block therapy. The U.S. medical community’s acceptance of our products will depend upon our ability to demonstrate the safety and efficacy, advantages, long-term clinical performance and cost-effectiveness of our products. In addition, acceptance of products for the treatment of Afib is dependent upon, among other factors, the level of awareness and education of the medical community about the surgical treatment of Afib and the existence, effectiveness and safety of our products. Market acceptance and adoption of our products for the treatment of Afib also depends on the level of health insurer (including Medicare) reimbursement to physicians and hospitals for procedures using our products. Negative publicity resulting from incidents involving our products, or similar products could have a significant adverse effect on the overall acceptance of our products. If we encounter difficulties growing the market for our products in the U.S., we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to achieve or sustain profitability, and our business and operating results will be seriously harmed.
Competition from existing and new products and procedures may decrease our market share and may cause our revenue to decline, and could adversely affect our operating results.
The medical device industry, including the market for the treatment of Afib, is highly competitive, is subject to rapid technological change and can be significantly affected by new product introductions and promotional activities. There is no assurance that our products will compete effectively against drugs, catheter-based ablation, implantable devices, other surgical ablation devices, other products or techniques to occlude the left atrial appendage or other products and techniques to manage post-operative pain. Our products may become obsolete prior to the end of their anticipated useful lives, or we may introduce new products or next-generation products prior to the end of the useful life of our current products, either of which may require us to dispose of existing inventory and related capital equipment and/or write off their value or accelerate their depreciation. In addition, other products may be sold at lower prices. Due to the size of our markets, we anticipate that new or existing competitors may develop competing products, procedures and/or clinical solutions. There are few barriers to prevent new entrants or existing competitors from developing products to compete directly with ours. Companies also compete with us to attract qualified scientific, technical and commercial personnel as well as funding. Most of our competitors and potential competitors have greater financial, manufacturing, marketing and research and development capabilities than we have, and may obtain FDA approval or clearance for their products. In 2023, Medtronic announced the FDA clearance of the PenditureTM Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion System. The introduction of new products, procedures or clinical solutions, or our competitors obtaining FDA approvals or clearances, such as Medtronic's Penditure device, may result in price reductions, reduced margins, loss of market share, or may render our products obsolete, which could adversely affect our revenue and future profitability.
Any clinical data that is generated regarding our products may not be positive, and our current and planned clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA or other regulatory authorities.
Our clinical trials are expensive to conduct, typically taking many years to complete and have uncertain outcomes. Delays in patient enrollment or failure of patients to consent or continue to participate in a clinical trial may cause an increase in costs and delays in the approval and attempted commercialization of our products or result in the failure of the clinical trial. Conducting successful clinical studies may require the enrollment of large numbers of clinical sites and patients, and suitable patients may be difficult to identify and recruit. Patient enrollment in clinical trials and completion of patient participation and follow-up depends on many factors, including the size of the patient population; the nature of the trial protocol; the attractiveness of, or the discomforts and risks associated with, the treatments received by enrolled subjects; the availability of appropriate clinical trial investigators, support staff, and proximity of patients to clinical sites; and the ability to comply with the eligibility and exclusion criteria for participation in the clinical trial and patient compliance.
Our products will be measured on their efficacy. We cannot provide any assurance that the data collected during our clinical trials will be compelling to the medical community because it may not be scientifically meaningful, may identify unexpected safety concerns, and may not demonstrate that procedures utilizing our products are an attractive option when
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compared against data from alternative procedures and products. Negative data could affect the use of our products and harm our business and prospects.
Conversely, positive results from clinical trial experience should not be relied upon as evidence that any of our products will gain market acceptance or that they will satisfy regulatory requirements for product approval. There can be no assurance that the results of studies conducted by collaborators or other third parties will be viewed favorably or are indicative of our own future study results. We may be required to demonstrate with substantial evidence through well-controlled clinical trials that our product candidates are either (i) safe and effective for use in a diverse population for their intended uses or (ii) are substantially equivalent to predicate devices under section 510(k) of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Success in early clinical trials does not mean that future clinical trials will be successful because product candidates in later-stage clinical trials may fail to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of the FDA and other regulatory authorities despite having progressed through initial clinical trials.
Our devices and products may not be approved or cleared even though clinical or other data, in our view, are adequate to support an approval or clearance. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may:
•disagree with our trial design and our interpretation of data from preclinical studies and clinical trials;
•change requirements for the approval or clearance of a product candidate even after reviewing and providing comment on a protocol for a pivotal clinical trial;
•approve or clear a product candidate for fewer or more limited indications or uses than we request;
•grant approval or clearance contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials; or
•not approve the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates.
These factors would affect the rate and extent to which our products are adopted in the medical community.
We rely on independent distributors to market and sell our products in certain markets outside of the United States, and a failure of our independent distributors to successfully market our products or any disruption in their ability to do so may adversely impact our sales.
We depend on independent third-party distributors to sell our products in certain markets outside of the United States, and if these distributors do not perform, we may be unable to maintain or increase international revenue. We intend to grow our business outside of the United States, and to do so, we will need to attract additional distributors or hire direct sales personnel to expand the territories in which we sell our products. Independent distributors may terminate their relationship with us or devote insufficient sales efforts to our products. We are not able to control our independent distributors, and they may not be successful in marketing our products. In addition, many of our independent distributors outside of the United States initially obtain and maintain foreign regulatory approval for sale of our products in their respective countries. Our failure to maintain our relationships with our independent distributors outside of the United States, or our failure to recruit and retain additional skilled independent distributors in these locations, could have an adverse effect on our operations. Turnover among our independent distributors, even if replaced, may adversely affect our short-term financial results while we transition to new independent distributors or direct sales personnel. The ability of these independent distributors to market and sell our products could also be adversely affected by unexpected events, including, but not limited to, power failures, nuclear events, local economic and political conditions, natural or other disasters and war or terrorist activities. In addition, the ability of our independent distributors to borrow money from their existing lenders or to obtain credit from other sources to purchase our products may be impaired or our independent distributors could experience a significant change in their liquidity or financial condition, all of which could impair their ability to distribute our products and eventually lead to distributor turnover, and may adversely impact our sales.
Industry Conditions Risks
A prolonged downturn in macroeconomic conditions in which we operate may materially adversely affect our business.
A prolonged economic downturn as a result of the collateral effects of inflationary pressures, increases in interest rates, slower economic activity, a future outbreak of COVID-19 or a similar infectious disease, among other factors, may adversely impact our business. Specifically, impacts to procedure volumes and hospital staffing may result in reductions of our revenue and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. Geopolitical issues around the world have impacted the global supply chain and could materially adversely affect global economic growth, disrupt discretionary spending habits and generally decrease demand for our products and services. Our customers’ ability to borrow money from their existing lenders or to obtain credit from other sources to purchase our products may be impaired,
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resulting in a decrease in sales. We may experience diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials, including the diversion of hospitals serving as our clinical trial sites. We may also encounter interruption or delays in the operations of FDA or other regulatory authorities, which may impact review and approval timelines. We are unable to predict the extent to which current or future worldwide economic conditions may impact our business.
Healthcare costs have risen significantly over the past decade. There have been and may continue to be proposals by legislators, regulators and third-party payors to keep, contain or reduce healthcare costs.
The continuing efforts of governments, insurance companies and other payors of healthcare costs to contain or reduce these costs, combined with closer scrutiny of such costs, could lead to patients being unable to obtain approval for payment from these third-party payors. The cost containment measures that healthcare providers are instituting both in the U.S. and internationally could harm our business. Some healthcare providers in the U.S. have adopted or are considering a managed care system in which the providers contract to provide comprehensive healthcare for a fixed cost per person. Healthcare providers may attempt to control costs by authorizing fewer elective surgical procedures, eliminating incremental procedure costs or by requiring the use of the least expensive devices possible, which could adversely affect the demand for our products or the price at which we can sell our products. Some healthcare providers have sought to consolidate and create new companies with greater market power, including hospitals. As the healthcare industry consolidates, competition to provide products and services has become and will continue to become more intense. This has resulted and likely will continue to result in greater pricing pressures and the exclusion of certain suppliers from important marketing segments.
Adverse changes in governmental and third-party payors’ policies toward coverage and reimbursement for surgical procedures would harm our ability to promote and sell our products.
Third-party payors are increasingly exerting pressure on medical device companies to reduce their prices. Even to the extent that the use of our products is reimbursed by private payors and governmental payors, adverse changes in payors’ policies toward coverage and reimbursement for surgical procedures would also harm our ability to promote and sell our products. Payors continue to review their policies and can, without notice, deny coverage for treatments that include the use of our products. Because each third-party payor individually approves coverage and reimbursement, obtaining these approvals may be time-consuming and costly. In addition, third-party payors may require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products. Adverse changes in coverage and reimbursement for surgical procedures could harm our business and reduce our revenue.
FDA does not regulate the practice of medicine. Physicians may use our products in circumstances where they deem it medically appropriate, such as for the treatment of Afib or the reduction in stroke risk, even though FDA may not have approved or cleared our products to be marketed specifically for those indications. Some payors may deny coverage or payment for the use of our products for indications not specifically approved or cleared by FDA. Often, these denials can be overcome through an appeals process, but there is no guarantee of success in these cases.
Our revenue generated from sales outside of the United States is also dependent upon coverage and reimbursement within prevailing foreign healthcare payment systems. Foreign healthcare payors generally do not provide the same level of reimbursement for sole-therapy minimally invasive procedures utilizing ablation devices and related products as payors in the United States. In addition, healthcare cost containment efforts similar to those we face in the United States are prevalent in many of the other countries in which we sell our products, and these efforts are expected to continue. To the extent that the use of our devices has historically received reimbursement under a foreign healthcare payment system, such reimbursement, if any, has typically been significantly less than the reimbursement provided in the United States. If coverage and adequate levels of reimbursement from governmental and third-party payors outside of the United States are not obtained and maintained, sales of our products outside of the United States may decrease, and we may fail to achieve or maintain significant sales outside of the United States.
Operational Risks
We may experience unfavorable publicity relating to our business or our industry. This publicity could have a negative impact on our sales, our ability to attract and retain customers, clinical studies involving our products, our reputation and our stock price.
We may experience a negative impact on our business from newspaper articles or other media reports relating to, among other things, our compliance with FDA regulations for medical device reporting, adverse patient and clinical outcomes, potential impact to our business from competitors or emerging technology and concerns over disclosure of financial relationships between us and our consultants. We believe that such publicity would potentially have a negative
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impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our clinical studies, or cause other adverse effects, including a decline in the price of our stock.
We rely upon single and limited source third-party suppliers and third-party service providers, making us vulnerable to supply problems and price fluctuations which could harm our business.
We rely on single and limited source third-party vendors for the manufacture and sterilization of components used in our products. For example, we rely on one vendor to manufacture our RF generator, as well as separate vendors to manufacture our EPi-Sense System and related RF generator. It would be a time consuming and lengthy process to secure these products from an alternative supplier. We have significant concentrations with a limited number of vendors. Additionally, our devices are sterilized prior to use using ethylene oxide at third-party sterilizers. Recently, certain sterilization facilities have experienced mandated temporary closures due to concerns over the impact of emissions of ethylene oxide from such facilities, and the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed regulations aimed at reducing hazardous air pollutants. We also rely on third parties to handle our warehousing and logistics functions for European and several other international markets on our behalf.
Our reliance on outside manufacturers, sterilizers and suppliers also subjects us to risks that could harm our business, including:
•we may not be able to obtain adequate supply in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms;
•we may have difficulty timely locating and qualifying alternative suppliers or sterilizers;
•switching components may require product redesign and new submissions to FDA which would increase our costs and could significantly delay production or, if FDA refuses to approve the changes, completely eliminate our ability to sell our products;
•future regulatory actions to modify sterilization processes may cause sterilizers to close, even on a temporary basis, or require new regulatory approvals for us to use, creating lost sterilization capacity and delays;
•our suppliers manufacture products for a range of customers, and fluctuations in demand for the products those suppliers manufacture for others may affect their ability to deliver components to us in a timely manner; and
•our suppliers may encounter financial hardships unrelated to our demand for components, which could inhibit their ability to fulfill our orders and meet our requirements.
Identifying and qualifying additional or replacement suppliers or sterilizers for any of the components used in our products or replacement of warehousing and logistics providers, if required, may not be accomplished quickly and could involve significant additional costs. Any interruption or delay in the supply of components, materials, sterilization or warehousing and logistics, or our inability to obtain components or materials from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders or switch to competitive products and could therefore have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our manufacturing operations are highly centralized, and disruption at our manufacturing facilities could increase our expenses and decrease our revenue.
Our manufacturing operations are highly centralized to our corporate headquarters. While we take precautions, such as qualifying a second building for manufacturing, we do not maintain a backup manufacturing facility outside of our Ohio campus, making us dependent on the current facilities and production workers for the continued operation of our business. A natural or other disaster could damage or destroy our manufacturing equipment and cause substantial delays in our manufacturing operations, which could lead to additional expense and decreased revenue due to lack of supply. The insurance we maintain may not be adequate to cover our losses. With or without insurance, damage to our facilities or our other property due to a natural disaster or casualty event could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth, our business could suffer.
We may experience periods of rapid growth and expansion, which could place a significant strain on our personnel, information technology systems and other resources. In particular, the increase in our direct sales force requires significant management and other supporting resources. Any failure by us to manage our growth effectively could have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our development and commercialization goals.
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To achieve our revenue goals, we must successfully increase production output as required by customer demand. In the future, we may experience difficulties in increasing production, including problems with production yields and quality control, component supply and shortages of qualified personnel. These problems could result in delays in product availability and increases in expenses. Any such delay or increased expense could adversely affect our ability to generate revenues and adversely impact our operating results.
Future growth will also impose significant added responsibilities on management, including the need to identify, recruit, train and integrate additional employees. In addition, rapid and significant growth will place a strain on our administrative and operational infrastructure. In order to manage our operations and growth, we will need to continue to improve our operational and management controls, reporting and information technology systems and financial internal control procedures. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, it may be difficult for us to execute our business strategy and our operating results and business could suffer.
We depend on our officers and other skilled and experienced personnel to operate our business effectively. If we are not able to retain our current employees or recruit, hire, train and integrate additional qualified personnel, our business will suffer and our future revenue and profitability will be impaired.
We are highly dependent on the skills and experience of our President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael H. Carrel, and certain other officers and key employees. We do not have any insurance in the event of the death or disability of key personnel. Our officers and key employees, with the exception of our President and Chief Executive Officer, do not have employment agreements, and they may terminate their employment and work elsewhere without notice and without cause or good reason. Currently we have non-compete agreements with our officers and other employees. Due to the specialized knowledge of each of our officers with respect to our products and our operations and the limited pool of people with relevant experience in the medical device field, the loss of service of one or more of these individuals could significantly affect our ability to operate and manage our business. The announcement of the loss of one or more of our key personnel could negatively affect our stock price.
We depend on our scientific and technical personnel for successful product development and innovation, which are critical to the success of our business. In addition, to succeed in the implementation of our business strategy, our management team must rapidly execute our sales strategy, obtain expanded FDA clearances and approvals, achieve market acceptance for our products and further develop products, while managing anticipated growth by implementing effective planning, manufacturing and operating processes. Managing this growth will require us to attract and retain additional management and technical personnel. We rely primarily on direct sales employees to sell our products in the United States and in Europe, and failure to adequately train them in the use and benefits of our products will prevent us from achieving our market share and revenue growth goals. We have key relationships with physicians that involve procedure, product, market and clinical development and training. Our business could be negatively impacted if any of these physicians end their relationship with us. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract and retain the personnel and physician relationships necessary to grow and expand our business and operations. If we fail to identify, attract, retain and motivate these highly skilled personnel and physicians, we may be unable to continue our development and sales activities.
Disruptions of critical information systems or material breaches in the security of our systems could harm our business, customer relations and financial condition.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees in our data centers and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Like many other companies, we experience attempts to gain unauthorized access to our systems and information on a regular basis, and a number of our employees work remotely, which may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Despite our security measures, including employee training, our information technology and infrastructure are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, malicious intrusions, breakdowns, destruction, loss of data privacy, breaches due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and frequent, and our systems could be the target of malware, ransomware and other cyber-attacks. We have invested in our systems and the protection of our data to reduce the risk of an intrusion or interruption, and we monitor our systems on an ongoing basis for any current or potential threats. We can give no assurances that these measures and efforts will prevent interruptions or breakdowns. If we are unable to detect or prevent a security breach or cyber-attack or other disruption from occurring, then we could incur losses or damage to our data, or inappropriate disclosure of our confidential information or that of others. We have cyber-insurance coverage that may not cover all possible events, and this insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations. We could sustain damage to our reputation and customer and employee relationships, suffer disruptions to our business and incur increased operating costs including costs to mitigate any damage caused and protect against future damage, and be exposed to
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additional regulatory scrutiny or penalties and to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating margins, revenues and competitive position.
We also rely in part on information technology to store information, interface with customers, maintain financial accuracy, secure our data and accurately produce our financial statements. In addition, some of our software systems are cloud-based data management applications, hosted by third-party service providers whose security and information technology systems are subject to similar risks. The failure to protect either our or our service providers’ information technology infrastructure could disrupt our operations. If our information technology systems do not effectively and securely collect, store, process and report relevant data for the operation of our business, whether due to equipment malfunction or constraints, software deficiencies, human error or cyber incident, our ability to effectively plan, forecast and execute our business plan and comply with applicable laws and regulations could be materially impaired. Any such impairment could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and the timeliness with which we report our operating results.
Our insurance may not cover our indemnification obligations and other liabilities associated with our operations.
We maintain insurance designed to provide coverage for ordinary risks associated with our operations and our ordinary indemnification obligations, which we believe to be customary for our industry. The coverage provided by such insurance may not be adequate for claims we may make or may be contested by our insurance carriers. If our insurance is not adequate or available to pay liabilities associated with our operations, or if we are unable to purchase adequate insurance at reasonable rates in the future, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows may be materially adversely impacted.
Legal & Compliance Risks
We spend considerable time and money complying with federal, state and foreign regulations in addition to FDA regulations, and, if we do not fully comply with such regulations, we could face substantial penalties.
We are subject to extensive regulation by the federal government and foreign countries in which we conduct business. The laws that affect our ability to operate our business in addition to the FDCA and FDA regulations include, but are not limited to, the following:
•the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce either the referral of an individual, or furnishing or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid Programs;
•the Federal False Claims Act, which prohibits submitting a false claim or causing the submission of a false claim to the government;
•Medicare laws and regulations that prescribe the requirements for coverage and payment, including the amount of such payment, and laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement under Medicare and Medicaid;
•state consumer protection, fraud and business practice laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which among other things, requires disclosures to California consumers and provides consumers new abilities to opt out of certain sales of personal information;
•state laws that prohibit the practice of medicine by non-doctors and by doctors not licensed in a particular state, and fee-splitting arrangements between doctors and non-doctors, as well as state law equivalents to the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, which may not be limited to government-reimbursed items;
•federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws or laws protecting the privacy of patient medical information, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which protects medical records and other personal health information by limiting their use and disclosure, giving individuals the right to access, amend and seek accounting reasonably necessary to accomplish the intended purpose;
•laws and regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, that govern collection, use, disclosure, transfer and storage of personal data that we may collect from our employees, consultants or in conjunction with clinical trials;
•the Federal Trade Commission Act and similar laws regulating advertising and consumer protection; and
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•similar and other regulations outside the United States.
Healthcare fraud and abuse regulations are complex, and even minor, inadvertent irregularities can potentially give rise to claims that a law has been violated. Any violations of these laws could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If there is a change in law, regulation or administrative or judicial interpretations, we may have to change our business practices or our existing business practices could be challenged as unlawful, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our manufacturing operations and research and development activities involve the use of biological materials and hazardous substances and are subject to a variety of federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations relating to the storage, use, discharge, disposal, remediation of and human exposure to hazardous substances. Our research and development and manufacturing operations may produce biological waste materials, such as animal tissues and certain chemical waste. These operations are permitted by regulatory authorities, and the resultant waste materials are disposed of in compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations may be expensive, and non-compliance could result in substantial liabilities. In addition, we cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury to third parties from the use, storage, handling or disposal of these materials. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed any applicable insurance coverage we may have. Our manufacturing operations may result in the release, discharge, emission or disposal of hazardous substances that could cause us to incur substantial liabilities, including costs for investigation and remediation.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or the other governmental regulations to which we, our distributors or our customers are subject, we may be subject to the applicable penalty associated with the violation, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If we are required to obtain permits or licensure under these laws that we do not already possess, we may become subject to substantial additional regulation or incur significant expense. Any penalties, damages, fines, curtailment or restructuring of our operations would adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. The risk of our being found in violation of these laws is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully or clearly interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are subject to a variety of interpretations and additional legal or regulatory change. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses, divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business and damage our reputation.
If we fail to comply with the extensive FDA regulations relating to our business, we may be subject to fines, injunctions and penalties, and our ability to commercially distribute and promote our products may be hurt.
Our products are classified by FDA as medical devices and, as such, are subject to extensive regulation by FDA and numerous other federal, state and foreign governmental authorities. FDA regulations, guidance, notices and other issuances specific to medical devices are broad and regulate numerous aspects of our business. Compliance with FDA, state and other regulations can be complex, expensive and time-consuming. FDA and other authorities have broad enforcement powers. Furthermore, changes in the applicable governmental regulations could prevent further commercialization of our products and technologies and could materially harm our business.
If a serious failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements was determined, it could result in enforcement action by FDA or other state or federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), which may include any of the following sanctions, among others:
•warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;
•repair, replacement, refunds, recall or seizure of our products;
•operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
•suspension or termination of our clinical trials;
•refusing or delaying our pending requests for 510(k) clearance or PMAs, new intended uses or modifications to existing products;
•withdrawing 510(k) clearance or PMAs that have already been granted; and
•criminal prosecution.
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If any of these events were to occur, we could lose customers and our production, product sales, business, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed.
We are also subject to medical device reporting regulations that require us to file reports with FDA if our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or, in the event of product malfunction, that if such malfunction were to recur, would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury. There have been incidents, including patient deaths, which have occurred during or following procedures using our products that we have not reported to FDA because we determined that our products did not malfunction and did not cause or contribute to the outcomes in these incidents. If FDA disagrees with us, however, and determines that we should have submitted reports for these adverse events, we could be subject to significant regulatory fines or other penalties. In addition, the number of medical device reports we make, or the magnitude of the problems reported, could cause us or FDA to terminate or modify our clinical trials or recall or cease the sale of our products, and could hurt commercial acceptance of our products and harm our reputation with customers.
Unless and until we obtain additional FDA approval for our products, we will not be able to promote them for the treatment of Afib and/or to prevent stroke, and our ability to maintain and grow our business could be harmed. We may be subject to fines, penalties, injunctions and other sanctions if we are deemed to be promoting the use of our products for unapproved, or off-label, uses.
Our business and future growth depend on the continued use of our products for the treatment of Afib. Unless the products are approved or cleared by FDA specifically for the treatment of Afib or prevention of stroke, we may not make claims about the safety or effectiveness of our products for such uses. In order to obtain additional FDA approvals to promote our products for the treatment of Afib or reduction in stroke risk, we will need to demonstrate in clinical trials that our products are safe and effective for such use. Development of sufficient and appropriate clinical protocols to demonstrate quality, safety and efficacy may be required and we may not adequately develop such protocols to support approval. We cannot assure you that any of our clinical trials will be completed in a timely manner or successfully or that the results obtained will be acceptable to FDA. We, FDA or the IRB may suspend a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the anticipated benefits.
These limitations present a material risk that FDA or other federal or state law enforcement authorities could determine that the nature and scope of our sales, marketing and/or support activities, though designed to comply with all FDA requirements, constitute the promotion of our products for an unapproved use in violation of the FDCA. We also face the risk that FDA or other governmental authorities might pursue enforcement based on past activities that we have discontinued or changed, including sales activities, arrangements with institutions and doctors, educational and training programs and other activities. Investigations concerning the promotion of unapproved uses and related issues, are typically expensive, disruptive and burdensome and generate negative publicity. If our promotional activities are found to be in violation of the law, we may face significant fines and penalties and may be required to substantially change our sales, promotion, grant and educational activities. There is also a possibility that we could be enjoined from selling some or all of our products for any unapproved use.
Although our Isolator Synergy System and EPi-Sense System have received FDA approval for the treatment of some forms of Afib in certain procedures, we have not received FDA clearance or approval to promote our other products for the treatment of Afib or the prevention of stroke. Unless and until we obtain FDA clearance or approval for the use of our other products to treat Afib or prevent stroke, we, and others acting on our behalf, may not claim in the U.S. that such products are safe and effective for such uses or otherwise promote them for such uses. Similar restrictions also exist outside of the U.S. There is no assurance that future clearances or approvals of our products will be granted or that current or future clearances or approvals will not be withdrawn. Failure to obtain a clearance or approval or loss of an existing clearance or approval, could hurt our ability to maintain and grow our business.
Modifications to our products may require new clearances or approvals or may require us to cease promoting or to recall the modified products until such clearances or approvals are obtained and FDA may not agree with our conclusions regarding whether new clearances or approvals were required.
Any modification to a 510(k)-cleared device or PMA-approved device that would constitute a change in its intended use, design or manufacture could require a new or supplemental 510(k) clearance or, possibly, submission and FDA approval of a PMA application or PMA supplement. FDA requires every medical device company to make the determination as to whether a 510(k) must be filed, but FDA may review any medical device company’s decision. We have made modifications to our products and concluded that such modifications did not require us to submit a new or supplemental 510(k). FDA may not agree with our decisions regarding whether submissions were required.
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If FDA were to disagree with us and require us to submit a 510(k), PMA or a PMA supplement for then-existing modifications, we could be required to cease promoting or to recall the modified product until we obtain clearance or approval. In addition, we could be subject to significant regulatory fines or other penalties. Furthermore, our products could be subject to recall if FDA determines, for any reason, that our products are not safe or effective or that appropriate regulatory submissions were not made. Delays in receipt or failure to receive clearances or approvals, the loss of previously received clearances or approvals or the failure to comply with existing or future regulatory requirements could reduce our sales, profitability and future growth prospects.
If we or our third-party vendors fail to comply with extensive FDA regulations relating to the manufacturing of our products or component parts, we may be subject to fines, injunctions and penalties, and our ability to commercially distribute and sell our products may be hurt.
Our manufacturing facilities and the manufacturing facilities of any of our third-party component manufacturers, critical suppliers or third-party sterilization facilities are required to comply with FDA’s QSR, which sets forth minimum standards for the procedures, execution and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of the products we sell. FDA may evaluate our compliance with the QSR, among other ways, through periodic announced or unannounced inspections which could disrupt our operations and interrupt our manufacturing. If in conducting an inspection of our manufacturing facilities or the manufacturing facilities of any of our third-party component manufacturers, critical suppliers or third-party sterilization facilities, an FDA investigator observes conditions or practices believed to violate the QSR, the investigator may document their observations on a Form FDA-483 that is issued at the conclusion of the inspection. A manufacturer that receives an FDA-483 may respond in writing and explain any corrective actions taken in response to the inspection observations. FDA will typically review the facility’s written response and may re-inspect to determine the facility’s compliance with the QSR and other applicable regulatory requirements. Failure to take adequate and timely corrective actions to remedy objectionable conditions listed on an FDA-483 could result in FDA taking administrative or enforcement actions. Among these may be FDA’s issuance of a Warning Letter to a manufacturer, which informs the manufacturer that FDA considers the observed violations to be of “regulatory significance” that, if not corrected, could result in further enforcement action. FDA enforcement actions, which include seizure, injunction and criminal prosecution, could result in total or partial suspension of a facility’s production and/or distribution, product recalls, fines, suspension of FDA’s review of product applications and FDA’s issuance of adverse publicity. Thus, an adverse inspection could force a shutdown of our manufacturing operations or a recall of our products. Adverse inspections could also delay FDA approval of our products and could have an adverse effect on our production, sales and financial condition.
We and any of our third-party vendors may also encounter other problems during manufacturing including failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, equipment malfunction and environmental factors, any of which could delay or impede our ability to meet demand. The manufacture of our product also subjects us to risks that could harm our business, including problems relating to the sterilization of our products or facilities and errors in manufacturing components that could negatively affect the efficacy or safety of our products or cause delays in shipment of our products. Interruption or delay in the manufacture of the product or any of its components could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders or switch to competitive products and could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are currently defending against a lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act, and any adverse finding, judgement, or enforcement action could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
As previously disclosed, on December 11, 2017, the Company received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) stating that it was investigating the Company to determine whether the Company has violated the False Claims Act, relating to the promotion of certain medical devices related to the treatment of atrial fibrillation for off-label use and submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to certain federal and state health care programs for medically unnecessary healthcare services related to the treatment of Afib. The Company provided the USDOJ with documents and answers to the written interrogatories, and cooperated with the investigation. In 2021, USDOJ informed the Company that the investigation resulted from a lawsuit by a private individual, or "relator", brought on behalf of the United States and various state and local governments under the qui tam provisions of the federal and similar state and local laws. Although the USDOJ and all of the state and local governments declined to intervene, the relator continues to pursue the lawsuit. During the third quarter of 2022, the relator filed a Fourth Amended Complaint, which dropped allegations of off-label promotion and now alleges that the Company paid illegal kickbacks to healthcare providers in exchange for using or referring the Company’s products, in violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and various comparable state and local laws. While the Company is contesting the case, it is not possible to predict when the lawsuit
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will be resolved, the outcome of the lawsuit or its potential impact on the Company. While the Company believes its practices are lawful, there can be no assurance that the lawsuit will not result in findings of violations of federal laws that could lead to the imposition of damages, fines, penalties, restitution, other monetary liabilities, sanctions, settlements or changes to the Company’s business practices or operations that could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations, or eliminate altogether the Company’s ability to operate its business.
The use of products we sell may result in injuries or other adverse events that lead to product liability suits, which could be costly to our business or our customers’ businesses.
The use of our products may result in a variety of serious complications, including damage to the heart, nerves, internal bleeding, death, paralysis or other adverse events. Serious complications are commonly encountered in connection with surgical procedures. If products we sell are defectively designed, manufactured or labeled, contain inadequate warnings, contain defective components, are misused or are associated with serious injuries or deaths, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or their patients. We carry product liability insurance that is limited in scope and amount and may not be adequate to fully protect us against product liability claims. We could be required to pay damages that exceed our insurance coverage, and such amounts could be significant. Any product liability claim, with or without merit, could also result in an increase in our insurance rates or our inability to secure coverage on reasonable terms, if at all. Even in the absence of a claim, our insurance rates may rise in the future. Any product liability claim, even a meritless or unsuccessful one, would be time-consuming and expensive to defend and could result in the diversion of our management’s attention from our business and result in adverse publicity, withdrawal of clinical trial participants, injury to our reputation and loss of revenue. Any of these events could negatively affect our financial condition.
Our intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful commercial protection for our products, which could enable third parties to use our technology or methods, or very similar technology or methods, and could reduce our ability to compete.
Our success depends significantly on our ability to protect our proprietary rights to the technologies used in our products. We rely on patent protection, as well as a combination of copyright, trade secret and trademark laws and nondisclosure, confidentiality and other contractual restrictions to protect our proprietary technology. 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. Our patent applications may not issue as patents at all or in a form that will be advantageous to us. Our issued patents and those that may be issued in the future may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing related products.
Although we have taken steps to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology, we cannot assure you that third parties will not be able to design around our patents or, if they do infringe upon our technology, that we will be successful in or will have sufficient resources to pursue a claim of infringement against those third parties. We believe that third parties may have developed or are developing products that could infringe upon our patent rights. Any pursuit of an infringement claim by us may involve substantial expense or diversion of management attention. In addition, although we have generally entered into confidentiality agreements and intellectual property assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, investigators and advisors, such agreements may be breached, may not be enforceable or may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets or other proprietary information in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure or other breaches of the agreements. Additionally, as is common in the medical device industry, some of these individuals were previously employed at other medical equipment or biotechnology companies, including our competitors. Although no claims are currently pending against us, we may be subject to claims that these individuals have used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers.
The laws of foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Foreign countries generally do not allow patents to cover methods for performing surgical procedures. If our intellectual property does not provide significant protection against foreign or domestic competition, any current or future competitors could compete more directly with us, which could result in a decrease in our revenue and market share. All of these factors may harm our competitive position.
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The medical device industry is characterized by extensive litigation and administrative proceedings over patent and other intellectual property rights and any litigation or claim against us may cause us to incur substantial costs, could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our business and harm our reputation.
Despite measures taken to protect our intellectual property, unauthorized parties might copy aspects of our products or obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues, the determination of which is often uncertain. Any patent dispute, even one without merit or an unsuccessful one, would be time-consuming and expensive to defend and could result in the diversion of our management’s attention from our business and result in adverse publicity, the disruption of development and marketing efforts, injury to our reputation and loss of revenue. Litigation also puts our patent applications at risk of being rejected and our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and may provoke third parties to assert claims against us. Any of these events could negatively affect our financial condition.
In the event of a patent dispute, if a third-party’s patents were upheld as valid and enforceable, and we were found to be infringing, or found to be inducing infringement by others, we could be prevented from selling our products unless we were able to obtain a license to use technology or ideas covered by such patent or are able to redesign our system to avoid infringement, or we may be ordered to pay substantial damages to the patent holders. A license may not be available at all or on terms acceptable to us, and we may not be able to redesign our products to avoid any infringement. Modification of our products or development of new products could require us to conduct additional clinical trials and to revise our filings with FDA and other regulatory bodies, which would be time-consuming and expensive. If we are not successful in obtaining a license or redesigning our products, we may be unable to sell our products and our business could suffer.
We sell our products outside of the United States, and we are subject to various regulatory and other risks relating to international operations, which could harm our revenue and profitability.
Doing business outside of the United States exposes us to risks distinct from those we face in our domestic operations. For example, our operations outside of the United States are subject to different regulatory requirements in each jurisdiction where we operate or have sales. Our failure, or the failure of our distributors, to comply with current or future foreign regulatory requirements, or the assertion by foreign authorities that we or our distributors have failed to comply, could result in adverse consequences, including enforcement actions, fines and penalties, recalls, cessation of sales, civil and criminal prosecution, and the consequences could be disproportionate to the relative contribution of our international operations to our results of operations. Moreover, if political or economic conditions deteriorate in these countries, or if any of these countries are affected by a natural disaster or other catastrophe, our ability to conduct our international operations or collect on international accounts receivable could be limited and our costs could be increased, which could negatively affect our operating results. Engaging in business outside of the United States inherently involves a number of other difficulties and risks, including, but not limited to:
•export restrictions and controls relating to technology;
•pricing pressure that we may experience internationally;
•difficulties in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through certain foreign legal systems;
•political and economic instability;
•consequences arising from natural disasters and other similar catastrophes, such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods and tsunamis;
•potentially adverse tax consequences, tariffs and other trade barriers;
•the need to hire additional personnel to promote our products outside of the United States;
•international terrorism and anti-American sentiment;
•fluctuations in exchange rates for future sales denominated in foreign currency, which represent a portion of our sales outside of the United States; and
•difficulty in obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights.
Our exposure to each of these risks may increase our costs and require significant management attention. We cannot assure you that one or more of these factors will not harm our business.
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Due to the global nature of our business, we may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and various other anti-corruption laws, and any allegation or determination that we violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business practices in foreign countries must comply with anti-corruption laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the UK Anti-Bribery Act of 2010 and other U.S. and foreign anti-corruption laws, which prohibit companies from engaging in bribery including corruptly or improperly offering, promising, or providing money or anything else of value to foreign officials and certain other recipients. In addition, the FCPA imposes certain books, records and accounting control obligations on public companies and other issuers. We operate in parts of the world in which corruption can be common and compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Our global operations face the risk of unauthorized payments or offers being made by employees, consultants, sales agents and other business partners outside of our control or without our authorization.
We have a compliance program in place designed to reduce the likelihood of potential violations of the FCPA and other U.S. and foreign anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. It is our policy to implement safeguards (including mandatory training) to prohibit these practices by our employees and business partners with respect to our operations. However, irrespective of these safeguards, or as a result of monitoring compliance with such safeguards, it is possible that we or certain other parties may discover or receive information at some point that certain employees, consultants, sales agents, or other business partners may have engaged in corrupt conduct for which we might be held responsible.
Violations of the FCPA or other foreign anti-corruption laws may result in restatements of, or irregularities in, our financial statements as well as severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In some cases, companies that violate the FCPA may be debarred by the U.S. government and/or lose their U.S. export privileges. Changes in anti-corruption laws or enforcement priorities could also result in increased compliance requirements and related costs which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the U.S. or other governments may seek to hold us liable for successor liability FCPA violations or violations of other anti-corruption laws committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquired or will acquire.
Compliance with developing European Union medical device regulations may limit our ability to maintain sales of our products in European markets or to introduce new products into European markets.
Many foreign countries where we market or may market our products have regulatory bodies and restrictions similar to those of FDA. International sales are subject to foreign government regulation, the requirements of which vary substantially from country to country. The time required to obtain approval by a foreign country may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA clearance and the requirements may differ. In particular, marketing of medical devices in the EU is subject to compliance with the Medical Device Directive 93/92/EEC (MDD). A medical device may be placed on the market within the EU only if it conforms to certain “essential requirements” and bears the CE Mark. The most fundamental and essential requirement is that a medical device must be designed and manufactured in such a way that it will not compromise the clinical condition or safety of patients, or the safety and health of users and others. In addition, the device must achieve the essential performance intended by the manufacturer and be designed, manufactured and packaged in a suitable manner.
In May 2017, the EU adopted a new Medical Device Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR), which repealed and replaced the MDD effective May 26, 2021. The MDR clearly envisages, among other things, stricter controls of medical devices, including strengthening of the conformity assessment procedures, increased expectations with respect to clinical data for devices and pre-market regulatory review of high-risk devices. The MDR also envisages greater control over notified bodies and their standards, increased transparency, more robust device vigilance requirements and clarification of the rules for clinical investigations. Under transitional provisions, medical devices with notified body certificates issued under the MDD prior to May 26, 2021, may continue to be placed on the market until 2027 or 2028, depending on device classification, as long as those devices meet the requirements of 2017/745 as amended by EU 2023/607. After the expiry of any applicable transitional period, only devices that have been CE marked under the MDR may be placed on the market in the EU. If we fail to comply with the new MDR, we may not be able to continue to sell existing products in the EU or introduce new products for sale in the EU, either of which could materially harm our results of operations and financial condition.
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Financial Risks
Our quarterly financial results are likely to fluctuate significantly because the pace of adoption of our products by clinicians are uncertain.
Due to differing rates of adoption of our devices, our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly. Current worldwide economic conditions, natural disasters and other factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section also may impact our sales results, causing our quarterly operating results to be difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter or from prior year to current year periods. These fluctuations may also affect our annual operating results and may cause those results to fluctuate unexpectedly from year to year.
We have a history of net losses, and we may never become profitable.
Even though we reported net income of $50,199 in 2021, we have a history of net losses, including net losses of $30,438 in 2023, and $46,466 in 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $357,057.
Our net losses have resulted principally from costs and expenses relating to sales, training and promotional efforts, research and development, clinical trials, seeking regulatory clearances and approvals and general operating expenses. We expect to continue to incur substantial expenditures and to potentially incur additional operating losses in the future as we further develop and commercialize our products. If sales of our products do not continue to grow as we anticipate, we may not be able to achieve profitability. Our expansion efforts may prove to be more expensive than we currently anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue sufficiently to offset these higher expenses. Our losses have had, and are expected to continue to have, an adverse impact on our working capital, total assets and accumulated deficit.
Governmental authorities may question our intercompany transfer pricing policies or change their laws in a manner that could increase our effective tax rate or otherwise harm our business.
As a U.S. company doing business in international markets through subsidiaries, we are subject to foreign tax and intercompany transfer pricing laws, including those relating to the flow of funds between the parent and subsidiaries. If tax authorities challenge our intercompany transfer pricing, our operations may be negatively impacted and our effective tax rate may increase. Tax rates vary from country to country and if regulators determine that our profits in one jurisdiction should be increased, we might not be able to fully offset any associated increase in tax expense in the other jurisdiction, which would increase our effective tax rate. Additionally, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, has issued certain proposed guidelines regarding base erosion and profit sharing including minimum taxation. As these guidelines are formally adopted by the OECD, it is possible that separate taxing jurisdictions in which we operate may also adopt some form of these guidelines. In such case, we may need to change our approach to intercompany transfer pricing in order to maintain compliance under the new rules. Our effective tax rate may increase or decrease, including changes in minimum taxation, depending on the current location of global operations at the time of the change. Finally, we might not always be in compliance with all applicable customs, exchange control, value added tax and transfer pricing laws despite our efforts to be aware of and to comply with such laws. In such case, we may need to adjust our operating procedures and our business could be adversely affected.
If our goodwill becomes impaired, it could materially reduce the value of our assets and reduce our net income or increase our net loss for the year in which the impairment occurs.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $234,781 in goodwill, which represents purchase price we paid in excess of the fair value of the net assets we acquired. The Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 350, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” requires that goodwill be tested for impairment at least annually (absent any impairment indicators). We may have future impairment adjustments to our recorded goodwill. Any finding that the value of our goodwill has been impaired would require us to record an impairment charge which could materially reduce the value of our assets and reduce our net income or increase our net loss for the year in which the impairment charge occurs and increase our accumulated deficit.
An inability to forecast future revenue or estimate life cycles of products may result in inventory-related charges that would negatively affect our gross margins and results of operations.
To mitigate the risk of supply interruptions, we may choose to maintain additional inventory of our products or component parts. Managing our inventory levels is important to our cash position and results of operations and is challenging in the current economic environment. As we grow and expand our product offerings, managing our inventory levels becomes more difficult, particularly as we expand into new product areas and bring product enhancements to market. While we rely on our personnel and information technology systems for inventory management, our personnel and
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information technology systems may fail to adequately perform these functions or may experience an interruption. An excessive amount of inventory reduces our cash available for operations and may result in excess or obsolete materials. Conversely, inadequate inventory levels may make it difficult for us to meet customer product demand, resulting in decreased revenue. An inability to forecast future revenue or estimated life cycles of products may result in inventory-related charges that would negatively affect our gross margins and results of operations and increase our accumulated deficit.
We are subject to credit risk from our accounts receivable related to our sales, which include sales into countries outside the United States that may experience economic turmoil.
The majority of our accounts receivable arise from sales in the United States. However, we also have significant receivable balances from customers within the European Union and Asia. Our accounts receivable in the United States are primarily due from public and private hospitals. Our accounts receivable outside the United States are primarily due from public and private hospitals and from independent distributors. Our historical write-offs of accounts receivable have not been significant. We monitor the financial performance and credit worthiness of our customers so that we can properly assess and respond to changes in their credit profile. Our independent distributors operate in certain countries where economic conditions continue to present challenges to their businesses, and, thus, could place the amounts due to us at risk. These distributors are owed amounts from public hospitals that are funded by their governments. Adverse financial conditions in these countries may negatively affect the length of time that it will take us to collect associated accounts receivable or impact the likelihood of ultimate collection.
We may be unable to comply with the covenants of our Credit Agreement.
The Credit Agreement entered into on January 5, 2024, contains specific financial covenants and a minimum liquidity requirement, along with other terms restricting indebtedness, liens, investments and acquisitions, asset dispositions, certain payments and other customary representations and warranties. The Credit Agreement contains mandatory prepayment provisions which require prepayment of amounts outstanding (i) upon the receipt of proceeds from the issuance of any non-permitted indebtedness and (ii) when there is an Availability shortfall, as defined. The occurrence of an event of default could result in an obligation to repay all obligations in full and a right by our lenders to exercise all remedies available to them. If we are unable to pay those amounts, our lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to it pursuant to the Credit Agreement, and we may in turn lose access to both our collateral and our current source of borrowing availability.
Common Stock Risks
We may fail to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations about our business and future operating results, which could cause a decline in our stock price.
We provide financial guidance about our business and future operating results. In developing this guidance, our management makes certain assumptions and judgments about our future operating performance, including rate of adoption of our products, projected hiring to support our growth, continued increase of our market share, potential impact from competitive devices and therapies, and stability of the macro-economic environment in our key markets. Furthermore, analysts and investors may develop and publish their own projections of our business, which may form a consensus about our future performance. Our business results may vary significantly from such guidance or that consensus due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control and could adversely affect our operations and operating results. Furthermore, if we make downward revisions of our previously announced guidance, or if our publicly announced guidance of future operating results fails to meet expectations of securities analysts, investors, or other interested parties, the market price of our common stock could decline.
Securities analysts may not continue, or additional securities analysts may not initiate, coverage for our common stock or may issue negative reports. This may have a negative impact on the market price of our common stock.
Several securities analysts provide research coverage of our common stock. Some analysts have already published statements that do not portray our technology, products or procedures using our products in a positive light and others may do so in the future. If we are unable to educate those who publicize such reports about the benefits we believe our business provides, or if one or more of the analysts who elects to cover us downgrades our stock, our stock price would likely decline rapidly. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline. The trading market for our common stock may be affected in part by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us, our business or our markets. If sufficient securities analysts do not cover our common stock, the lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. It may be difficult for companies such as ours, with a smaller market capitalization, to attract and
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maintain sufficient independent financial analysts that will cover our common stock. This could have a negative effect on the market price of our stock.
The price and trading volume of our common stock may experience extreme fluctuations and our stockholders could lose some or all of their investment.
Because we operate within the medical device segment of the healthcare industry, our stock price is likely to be volatile. The market price of our common stock has had and may continue to have substantial fluctuation due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to those risk factors described in the “Risk Factors” section herein. These factors, some of which are not within our control, may cause the price of our stock to fluctuate substantially. We believe the quarterly and annual comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
The market prices of the securities of medical device companies, particularly companies like ours without consistent revenue and earnings, have been highly volatile and are likely to remain highly volatile in the future. This volatility has often been unrelated to the operating performance of these particular companies. In the past, companies that experience volatility in the market price of their securities have often faced securities class action litigation. Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought against us could result in substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources and harm our ability to grow our business.
The sale of material amounts of common stock could encourage short sales by third parties and depress the price of our common stock. As a result, our stockholders may lose all or part of their investment.
The downward pressure on our stock price caused by the sale of a significant number of shares of our common stock or the perception that such sales could occur by any of our significant stockholders could cause our stock price to decline, thus allowing short sellers of our stock an opportunity to take advantage of any decrease in the value of our stock. The presence of short sellers in our common stock may further depress the price of our common stock. Some of our directors and executive officers have entered into, or may enter into, Rule 10b5-1 trading plans pursuant to which they may sell shares of our stock from time to time in the future. Actual or potential sales by these insiders, including those under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, could be interpreted by the market as an indication that the insider has lost confidence in our stock and adversely impact the market price of our stock.
Sales of common stock by us in a capital raising transaction or our issuances of shares in an acquisition may dilute stockholder ownership of common stock and cause a decline in the market price of our common stock.
We may need to raise capital in the future to fund our operations or new initiatives or reduce or pay in full our indebtedness. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, our stock price may decline and our existing stockholders may experience significant dilution. Furthermore, we may enter into capital raising transactions or issue shares in acquisitions at prices that represent a substantial discount to market price. A negative reaction by investors and securities analysts to any sale of our equity securities could result in a decline in the trading price of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and under Delaware law could inhibit a change in control or a change in management that stockholders consider favorable.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could delay or prevent a change of control or change in management that would provide a premium to the market price of common stock. These provisions include those:
•authorizing the issuance without further approval of “blank check” preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt;
•prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors, which would otherwise allow less than a majority of stockholders to elect director candidates;
•limiting the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;
•prohibiting stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of stockholders; and
•establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.
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In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law limits business combination transactions with 15% stockholders that have not been approved by our board of directors. These provisions and others could make it difficult for a third party to acquire us, or for members of our board of directors to be replaced, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders. Because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could, in turn, affect any attempt to replace the current management team. If a change of control or change in management is delayed or prevented, stockholders may lose an opportunity to realize a premium on shares of common stock or the market price of our common stock could decline.
We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, stockholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on investment.
We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends will also depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors and will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Accordingly, stockholders will have to rely on capital appreciation, if any, to earn a return on investment in our common stock. Furthermore, pursuant to our credit facility, we are currently subject to restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and we may in the future become subject to other contractual restrictions on, or prohibitions against, the payment of dividends.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Risk Management and Strategy
We are committed to preserving the trust and confidence of our stakeholders by taking appropriate technical and organizational measures for maintaining information security and data privacy. Our cybersecurity program allows us to assess, identify and manage information security and cybersecurity threats through robust risk assessment and prevention measures to facilitate communication, training, awareness and incident response procedures. We have established policies and procedures to ensure timely and appropriate notifications to relevant parties and regulators as required for cybersecurity threats and data breaches.
We have continued to expand investments in information security, including additional end-user training, using layered defenses, identifying and protecting critical assets, strengthening monitoring and alerting mechanisms, and engaging experts. Information security awareness trainings are a compliance requirement for employees. We regularly test defenses by performing simulations and drills at both a technical level (including through penetration tests) and by reviewing our operational policies and procedures with third-party experts.
Our data breach response plan designates an incident response team comprised of senior leaders within information technology, finance, legal and compliance functions to ensure timely diagnosis and mitigation of cyber events. The incident response team is responsible for determining whether a cybersecurity incident is material and requires current reporting pursuant to SEC Form 8-K Item 1.05 (Material Cybersecurity Incidents). In conducting the assessment, the team considers factors including, but not limited to: the probability of an adverse outcome; the potential significance of loss; the nature and extent of harm to individuals, customers, and vendors; the nature and extent of harm to our competitive position or reputation; and the possibility of litigation or regulatory investigations.
To ensure our cybersecurity programs adhere to industry best practices, we have adopted the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and subscribed to the principles of Zero Trust. Both models represent recognized best practices for security and the capabilities needed to identify, protect, detect and respond to cybersecurity risks and challenges. We evaluate our physical, electronic and administrative safeguards on a continuous basis to ensure they are effectively deployed across the business.
We also work with trusted and recognized third parties to help us assess, strengthen and monitor the operations of our information security program. We engage third-party services to conduct evaluations of our security controls, whether through penetration testing, independent audits or consulting on best practices to address new challenges. These evaluations include testing both the design and operational effectiveness of security controls. We also share and receive threat intelligence with information sharing and analysis centers and cybersecurity associations.
Assessing, identifying and managing cybersecurity related risks are integrated into our overall enterprise risk management (ERM) process, which, evaluates and assesses top risks to the enterprise on a periodic basis. To the extent the ERM process identifies a heightened cybersecurity related risk, risk owners are assigned to develop risk mitigation plans, which are then tracked to completion. The ERM process's risk assessment is presented to the Board of Directors. In
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addition to assessing our own cybersecurity preparedness, we also consider cybersecurity risks associated with the use of third-party software and service providers. Such providers are subject to security risk assessments at time of onboarding, contract renewal and upon detection of an increase in risk profile. On an annual basis we review System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1 or SOC 2 reports for third-party service providers deemed significant to our environment.
Despite the Company’s security measures and programs, our information technology and infrastructure are vulnerable to cybersecurity incidents, intrusions and attacks, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial results, revenues and competitive position. See “Part I—Item 1A. Risk Factors” for further discussion of these risks.
Governance
Our Board of Directors is responsible for the oversight of cybersecurity risks and threats. The Board has delegated certain information security and data privacy oversight to the Audit Committee and the Compliance, Quality and Risk Committee (CQRC) of the Board. The CQRC oversees compliance with information security and data privacy laws, while the Audit Committee has oversight responsibility for cybersecurity risks related to accounting, audit and financial matters. The CQRC, Audit Committee and management report to the Board on a periodic basis regarding our information security and data privacy functions, including any cybersecurity threats.
The CQRC is responsible for oversight of our cybersecurity policy, procedures and risk mitigation. Our information technology (IT) leadership briefs the CQRC on a periodic basis on information security matters, including the current cybersecurity landscape, progress on information security initiatives and accomplishments, and reports on material cybersecurity incidents, as needed. Our enterprise risk management team reports address the Company’s cybersecurity risk management processes. Our Chief Legal Officer oversees the management of our ERM program and has over a decade of experience in risk management. The Chair of the CQRC is an expert in enterprise risk assessment and mitigation and holds a CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight.
The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing our disclosures on cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Audit Committee assists in determining materiality for timely reporting of cybersecurity incidents and is notified immediately if the incident response team has assessed that a material event may have occurred that may require filing an SEC Current Report on Form 8-K.
The Vice President of Information Technology, assisted by our broader IT team, is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for information security, coordination of enterprise-wide compliance with information security policies and procedures, as well as day-to-day information security management. Our Vice President of IT has served in various roles in information technology and information security for over 20 years. Our information security team has an aggregate of more than 60 years of experience in information technology roles across several industries.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
The Company operates in the following principal locations:
•AtriCure Corporate Headquarters Campus; Mason, Ohio – This campus encompasses three locations in Mason, Ohio, including our global headquarters facility that contains the Company's administrative, clinical, regulatory, engineering, product development, quality and manufacturing functions. The headquarters facility is approximately 106,000 square feet. The Mason Distribution Warehouse is primarily used for warehousing and distribution activities and is approximately 40,000 square feet. The Mason Manufacturing Building is approximately 37,000 square feet and is used for manufacturing, quality and engineering activities.
•Minnetonka, Minnesota – This location includes administrative, clinical, regulatory and product development space. The office is approximately 32,000 square feet.
•Pleasanton, California – This location is used for product development activities and is approximately 6,000 square feet.
•Amsterdam, Netherlands – This location houses administrative functions for our international operations. The space is approximately 9,000 square feet.
•Hertogenbosch, Netherlands – This location is used for service activities and is approximately 19,000 square feet.
The Company believes that its existing facilities are adequate to meet its immediate needs and that suitable additional space will be available in the future on commercially reasonable terms as needed.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We may from time to time become a party to additional legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. See Note 10 – Commitments and Contingencies to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Common Stock Market Price
Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “ATRC.” As of February 13, 2024, the closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market was $31.71 per share, and the number of stockholders of record was 67.
Performance Graph
The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total return of the NASDAQ Composite Index (“NASDAQ Composite”) and the NASDAQ Health Care Index (“NASDAQ Health Care”) for the period beginning on December 31, 2018, and ending on December 31, 2023.
COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among AtriCure, Inc., the NASDAQ Composite Index
and the NASDAQ Health Care Index
*$100 invested on 12/31/18 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends. Fiscal year ending December 31.
This graph assumes that $100.00 was invested on December 31, 2018, in our common stock, the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Health Care Index, and that all dividends are reinvested. No dividends have been declared or paid on our common stock. Stock performance shown in the above chart for our common stock is historical and should not be considered indicative of future price performance.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(Dollar and share amounts referenced in this Item 7 are in thousands, except per share amounts.)
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The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” to provide an understanding of our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses 2023 and 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The actual results may differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including but not limited to those set forth under Item 1A “Risk Factors,” the cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements at the beginning of Part I and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
Year Ended December 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021
For a comparison of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, see “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2023.
Overview
We are a leading innovator in treatments for atrial fibrillation (Afib), left atrial appendage (LAA) management and post-operative pain management. Our ablation and left atrial appendage management (LAAM) products are used by physicians during both open-heart and minimally invasive procedures. In open-heart procedures, the physician is performing heart surgery for other conditions, and our products are used in conjunction with (or “concomitant” to) such a procedure. Minimally invasive procedures are performed on a standalone basis, and often include multi-disciplinary or “hybrid” approaches, combining surgical procedures using AtriCure ablation and LAAM products with catheter ablation procedures performed by electrophysiologists. Our pain management devices are used by physicians to freeze nerves during cardiothoracic or thoracic surgical procedures. We anticipate that substantially all of our revenue for the foreseeable future will relate to products we currently sell or are in the process of developing.
We sell our products to medical centers through our direct sales force in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Benelux region, Australia and Canada. We also sell our products to distributors who in turn sell our products to medical centers in other markets. Our business is primarily transacted in U.S. Dollars; direct international sales transactions are transacted in Euros, British Pounds, Australian Dollars or Canadian Dollars.
In 2023, we realized significant global revenue growth and continued our strategic initiatives of product innovation, clinical science and expanding physician awareness and adoption through superior training and education. Our worldwide revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 of $399,245 was an increase of 20.8% over the prior year driven by growing adoption across key product lines. Historically there have been limited competitors in our key markets, but we have begun to see more entrants that may cause variability in 2024 results. Highlights of the strategic and operational advancements in 2023 include:
PRODUCT INNOVATION. We received final labeling approval for the next generation EPi-Sense ST device and began a limited launch evaluation in the fourth quarter of 2022, followed by full product launch in the second quarter of 2023. In October 2023, we received clearance for our next generation cryoSPHERE probe for pain management and expect to launch in the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, we completed several 510k submissions to FDA for new products in development. We also continue to make significant progress on European Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) clearance submissions for our products. As of the second quarter of 2023, all of our products have been submitted to our notified body under EU MDR. These activities are in addition to several research and development programs currently underway.
CLINICAL SCIENCE. We continue to invest in studies to expand labeling claims, support various indications for our products and gather clinical data regarding our products.
LeAAPS. The Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion for Prophylactic Stroke Reduction (LeAAPS) IDE clinical trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of prophylactic LAA exclusion using the AtriClip LAA Exclusion System for the prevention of ischemic stroke or systemic arterial embolism in cardiac surgery patients without pre-operative AF diagnosis who are at risk for these events. This prospective, multicenter, randomized trial evaluates safety at 30 days post-procedure to demonstrate no increased risk with LAA exclusion during cardiac surgery, and efficacy over a minimum follow-up of five years post procedure. The trial provides for enrollment of up to 6,500 subjects at up to 250 sites worldwide. In January 2023, the first patient was enrolled in the trial, and we ended 2023 with nearly 1,400 patients enrolled. Site initiation and enrollment is ongoing.
ICE-AFIB. Trial enrollment was completed in the second quarter of 2023 for the ICE-AFIB clinical trial, which is designed to study the safety and efficacy of our cryoICE® system for persistent and long-standing persistent Afib treatment during concomitant on-pump cardiac surgery. The trial provided for enrollment of up to 150 patients at up to 20 sites in the United States. Patient follow-up for twelve months post ablation required by the study protocol remains ongoing.
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CEASE-AF. During the second quarter of 2023, results from our CEASE-AF trial were presented at the European Heart Rhythm Association meeting. CEASE-AF is a prospective, multi-center randomized control trial for persistent and long-standing persistent Afib treatment that demonstrated superior freedom from atrial arrhythmias for staged hybrid ablation compared to endocardial catheter ablation.
DEEP AF. During the fourth quarter of 2023, 12-month follow-up results of enrolled patients from our DEEP AF IDE trial were presented at the American Heart Association meeting. The DEEP AF IDE pivotal trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of the AtriCure Bipolar System when used in a staged approach where a minimally invasive surgical ablation procedure is first performed. The patient undergoes the endocardial catheter procedure approximately 91-120 days later. The results from this single arm study for persistent and long-standing persistent Afib treatment demonstrated superior freedom from atrial arrhythmias for staged hybrid ablation compared to a pre-specified performance goal.
TRAINING. Our professional education and marketing teams conduct virtual and in-person training programs for physicians and healthcare professionals. These training methods ensure invaluable access to continuing education and awareness of our products and related procedures. During 2023, we launched new training courses for Advanced Practice Providers, pain management in pectus procedures, as well as a best practice course for developing arrhythmia programs, with a primary focus on Hybrid therapies. These trainings allow for collaborative, hands-on engagement with our physician partners and other healthcare professionals. Additionally, our professional education courses continue to benefit from use of inanimate models or synthetic cadavers, known as CADets. These reusable CADets provide a sustainable alternative to the use of animals or cadavers, in addition to reducing spend on training programs.
SOCIETY GUIDELINES. In 2023, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and HRS released Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation, and they upgraded Left Atrial Appendage Management to the highest recommendation of Class 1 and now include Hybrid AFTM Therapy as a Class 2 recommendation. These societal guidelines are reflective of the scientific evidence suggesting that surgical and hybrid ablation is safe and effective for patients who have Afib.
Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our results of operations expressed as dollar amounts and as percentages of total revenue:
Year Ended December 31,
% of % of
Amount Revenue Amount Revenue
Operating expense (benefit):
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Revenue. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our revenue by product type and geography expressed as dollar amounts and the corresponding change in such revenues between periods, in both dollars and percentages:
Year Ended December 31, Change
Worldwide revenue increased 20.8% (20.6% on a constant currency basis). In the United States, we experienced growth in all key product lines as a result of deepening market penetration and expanding physician adoption. Key products contributing to the increase in revenue in the United States were:
•the ENCOMPASS® clamp in open ablation,
•Hybrid AFTM Therapy procedures using the EPi-Sense System in minimally invasive ablation,
•the cryoSPHERE® probe for post-operative pain management and
•the AtriClip® Flex⋅V® for appendage management.
International revenue increased 23.5% (22.1% on a constant currency basis), across all franchises and major geographic regions.
Revenue reported on a constant currency basis is a non-GAAP measure calculated by applying previous period foreign currency exchange rates, which are determined by the average daily exchange rate, to each of the comparable periods. Revenue is analyzed on a constant currency basis to better measure the comparability of results between periods. Because changes in foreign currency exchange rates have a non-operating impact on revenue, we believe that evaluating growth in revenue on a constant currency basis provides an additional and meaningful assessment of revenue to both management and investors.
Cost of revenue and gross margin. Cost of revenue increased $14,436 primarily reflecting higher sales volumes. The gross margin increase of 80 basis points was driven by favorable production efficiencies, partially offset by less favorable geographic and product mix.
Research and development expenses. Research and development expenses increased $16,578, or 28.9%. Expansion of product development, regulatory and clinical teams resulted in $7,413 of additional personnel costs, including variable compensation and share-based compensation. Clinical trial expenses increased $6,667 due to strong enrollment activity in the LeAAPS clinical trial throughout the year. Additionally, our expanding product pipeline and domestic and international regulatory submissions drove a $2,389 increase in spending.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $21,866, or 9.5%. Personnel costs increased $26,971 as a result of growth in headcount, variable compensation and share-based compensation. Trade shows and marketing activities increased $1,538 and other administrative and operating expenses increased $2,274 as compared to the prior year. This increase was offset by a $4,019 decrease in training costs as a result of growing efficiencies and enhancements to our global training programs and a net gain of $4,412 from non-recurring legal settlements during the first half of 2023. Legal settlement activity included a $7,500 gain from proceeds on a legal matter settled during the first quarter of 2023, partially offset by a $3,088 charge for settlement of an intellectual property matter during the second quarter of 2023. See Note 10 – Commitments and Contingencies for further information.
Other income and expense. Other income and expense consists primarily of net interest expense and net foreign currency transaction losses. Net interest expense was $3,133 for 2023 and $2,992 for 2022.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $137,285 and borrowing capacity of approximately $28,750 under the SVB Credit Facility. As a result of the new asset-based credit agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. entered into on January 5, 2024, unused borrowing availability increased to approximately $61,885 (see Note 8 – Indebtedness for related discussion). All cash equivalents and investments and most of our operating cash are held in United States financial institutions. A minor portion of our cash is held in foreign banks to support our international operations. We had net working capital of $191,677 and an accumulated deficit of $357,057 as of December 31, 2023.
Uses of liquidity and capital resources. Our executive officers and Board of Directors review our funding sources and future capital requirements in connection with our annual operating plan and periodic updates to the plan. Our principal cash requirements include costs of operations, capital expenditures, debt service costs and other contractual obligations. Our future capital requirements depend on a number of factors, including, without limitation: market acceptance of our current and future products; investments in working capital; costs to develop and support our products, including professional training; costs to expand and support our sales and marketing efforts; operating and filing costs relating to changes in regulatory policies or laws; costs for clinical trials and to secure regulatory approval for new products; costs to prosecute, defend and enforce our intellectual property rights; maintenance and enhancements to our information systems and security; and possible acquisitions and joint ventures, including potential business integration costs. We continue to evaluate additional measures to maintain financial flexibility, and we will continue to closely monitor macroeconomic conditions including, but not limited to, inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, and fluctuations in currency exchange rates that may impact our liquidity and access to capital resources.
Credit facility. As of December 31, 2023, we had a Loan and Security Agreement with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), (SVB Loan Agreement). The SVB Loan Agreement provides for a $60,000 term loan, with an option to make available an additional $30,000 in term loan borrowings, and a $30,000 revolving line of credit. The Loan Agreement has a five-year term and expires November 2026. The term loan accrues interest at the Prime Rate plus 1.25% and is subject to an additional 3.00% fee on the term loan principal amount at maturity. We had unused borrowing capacity of approximately $28,750 under our revolving credit facility.
As of January 5, 2024, we entered into an asset-based credit agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First-Citizen Bank and Trust Company, as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners (Credit Agreement) that provides for a $125,000 asset-based revolving credit facility (ABL Facility), with an option to increase the revolving commitment by an additional $40,000. A portion of the ABL facility, limited to $5,000, is available for the issuance of letters of credit. The Credit Agreement has a three-year term and expires January 5, 2027. Amounts available to be drawn from time to time under the ABL Facility are determined by calculating the applicable borrowing base, which is based upon applicable percentages of the values of eligible accounts receivable, eligible inventory, eligible liquid assets, less reserves as determined by the Administrative Agent, all as specified in the Credit Agreement. The borrowings bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at the Company's election: (i) an alternate base rate (ABR) plus an applicable margin or (ii) an adjusted term secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) plus an applicable margin. At the time of closing, the Company borrowed $61,865 and had unused borrowing availability of approximately $61,885. The proceeds of the ABL Facility were used to terminate the Company’s indebtedness under the SVB Loan Agreement. As a result of the new Credit Agreement, the $60,000 borrowings outstanding under the SVB Loan Agreement as of December 31, 2023 are classified as noncurrent in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Our corporate headquarters lease agreement requires a $1,250 letter of credit which renews annually and remains outstanding as of December 31, 2023.
For additional information on the terms and conditions, as well as applicable interest and fee payments, see Note 8 – Indebtedness.
Capital Expenditures. We incur capital expenditures on an ongoing basis to continue investment in our growth and our ability to better serve our customers. Throughout 2021 through 2023, we continued expansion and renovation of our manufacturing and engineering facilities in our Mason, Ohio campus.
Other Contractual Obligations. Our future obligations include both current and long-term obligations. In 2022, the Company entered into a clinical trial management agreement for the LeAAPS clinical trial. The terms of the agreement require we make milestone payments upon achievement of various enrollment and project milestones over the estimated ten-year term, yet the agreement may be terminated early for any reason. Furthermore, we incur additional variable costs, including pass through costs from clinical trial sites. We expect to disburse between $14,000 and $17,000 of fixed and
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variable costs based on estimated achievement of milestone payments, site initiation and trial enrollment within the next twelve months.
We have operating and finance leases primarily for our corporate offices, manufacturing and warehouse facilities and automobiles. Our finance leases consist primarily of principal and interest payments related to our Mason, Ohio headquarters building. As of December 31, 2023, we have current finance lease obligations of $1,086 and long-term obligations of $8,061. Our operating leases for office and warehouse space includes current obligations of $1,447 and long-term obligations of $3,307. For additional information, see Note 9 – Leases.
We have contractual obligations for contingent consideration payments related to the SentreHEART acquisition. Subject to the terms and conditions of the SentreHEART merger agreement, such contingent consideration would be paid in AtriCure common stock and cash, up to a specified maximum number of shares. As of December 31, 2023, we believe the likelihood of payment is remote, and the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration is $0. See Note 2 – Fair Value.
Sources of liquidity. We believe that our current cash, cash equivalents and investments, along with the cash we expect to generate or use for operations or access via our Credit Agreement, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures for at least the next twelve months. However, we have on file with the SEC a shelf registration statement which allows us to sell any combination of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants, depository shares and units in one or more offerings should we choose to do so in the future. We expect to maintain the effectiveness of the shelf registration statement for the foreseeable future.
If our sources of cash are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a revised or additional credit facility. The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities could result in dilution to our stockholders. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of debt securities, these securities would have rights senior to those associated with our common stock and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations. Finally, our Credit Agreement requires compliance with certain financial and other covenants. If we are unable to maintain these financing arrangements, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned research and development, clinical activities and selling, training, education and marketing efforts.
Historical Cash Flow Activity.The following table summarizes our consolidated cash flow activities:
Years Ended December 31,
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities $ 4,484 $ (22,141) $ 26,625
Net cash used in financing activities (32) (7,059) 7,027
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities increased $26,625 in 2023 as compared to 2022, largely reflecting the improvement in operating results of $16,028 driven by higher sales, improvements to gross and operating margin and a net gain from legal settlements. Cash used for working capital remained relatively flat year over year, with increased investment in inventories largely offset by increased accruals for annual variable compensation payments due to improved operating performance.
Cash flows provided by investing activities. Net cash provided by investing activities decreased by $22,189 in 2023 compared to 2022, reflecting the $30,000 acquisition of intellectual property, partially offset by a $4,883 decrease in purchases of property and equipment following our 2022 manufacturing facilities expansion and $2,928 increase in net maturities of available-for-sale securities.
Cash flows used in financing activities. Net cash from financing activities increased by $7,027 in 2023 compared to 2022, reflecting savings of $5,644 due to fewer shares repurchased at a lower value for payment of taxes on stock awards and an increase of $1,536 of proceeds from the employee stock purchase plan and stock option exercise activity.
Inflation
Inflationary pressures may have an adverse impact on our results of operations or financial condition in the foreseeable future. Inflation has impacted our operating costs throughout 2023 and 2022. Continued increases in our cost of revenue may affect our ability to maintain our gross margin if the selling prices of our products do not increase commensurately, while continued increases in our operating expenses may adversely affect our operating results and the
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ability to make discretionary investments. We will continue to monitor the impact of inflation on our cost of revenue and operating expenses.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. On a periodic basis, we evaluate our estimates, using authoritative pronouncements, historical experience and other assumptions as the basis for making estimates. We have described our significant accounting policies in Note 1 – Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K.
We believe the following critical accounting policies involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and judgments that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. We base our judgments and estimates on historical experience, current conditions and other reasonable factors. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Revenue Recognition—Revenue is generated from the sale of medical devices. We recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those devices when control of promised devices is transferred to customers. We account for revenue in accordance with FASB ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. Significant judgments and estimates involved in the Company’s recognition of revenue include the estimation of a provision for returns. We estimate the provision for sales returns and allowances using the expected value method based on historical experience and other factors that we believe could impact our expected returns, including defective or damaged products and invoice adjustments. In the normal course of business, we are not obligated to accept product returns unless a product is defective as manufactured, and we do not provide customers with the right to a refund.
Inventories—Our inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value based on the first-in, first-out cost method (FIFO) and consist of raw materials, work in process and finished goods. Our industry is characterized by rapid product development and frequent new product introductions. Uncertain timing of product approvals, variability in product launch strategies and variation in product sales all impact inventory reserves for excess, obsolete and expired products. An increase to inventory reserves results in a corresponding increase in cost of revenue. Inventories are written off against the reserve when they are physically disposed.
Share-Based Employee Compensation—We estimate the fair value of performance share awards with a performance condition initially based on the closing stock price on the date of grant assuming the performance goal will be achieved. Such performance share awards have specified performance targets based on the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of our revenue over a three-year performance period. With respect to these performance share awards, the number of shares that vest and are issued to the recipient is based upon revenue performance over the performance period. We may adjust the expense over the performance period based on changes to estimates of performance target achievement. If such goals are not met or service is not rendered for the requisite service period, no compensation cost is recognized, and any recognized compensation cost from prior periods will be reversed.
Income Taxes—Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred income tax assets and liabilities from changes in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the enactment date.
Our estimate of the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets requires significant estimates and judgments about our future operating results. Deferred income tax assets are reduced by valuation allowances if, based on the consideration of all available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Significant weight is given to evidence that can be objectively verified. We evaluate deferred income tax assets on an annual basis to determine if valuation allowances are required by considering all available evidence. Deferred income tax assets are realized by having sufficient future taxable income to allow the related tax benefits to reduce taxes otherwise payable. The sources of taxable income that may be available to realize the benefit of deferred tax assets are future taxable income, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, taxable income in prior carryforward years and tax planning strategies that are both prudent and feasible. In evaluating the need for a valuation allowance, the existence of cumulative losses in recent years is
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significant objectively verifiable negative evidence that must be overcome by objectively-verifiable positive evidence to avoid the need for a valuation allowance. Our valuation allowance offsets substantially all net deferred income tax assets as it is more-likely-than-not that the benefit of such deferred income tax assets will not be recognized in future periods.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 – Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of Part II for more information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
(Amounts referenced in this Item 7A are in thousands, except per share amounts.)
The Company is exposed to various market risks, which include potential losses arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as foreign exchange fluctuations and changes in interest rates.
Credit and Interest Rate Risk
The Company invests its cash primarily in money market accounts, U.S. government and agency obligations, corporate bonds, and asset-backed securities. Although the Company believes it has invested in a conservative manner, with preservation being the primary investment objective, the value of the securities held will fluctuate with changes in financial markets including, among other things, changes in interest rates, credit quality and general volatility. This risk is managed by investing in high quality investment grade securities to maintain liquidity and preserve principal without significantly increasing risk.
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist of cash equivalents and investments in corporate bonds. The Company maintains deposit accounts in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits. Cash held in financial institutions in foreign countries is not significant. Although these depository accounts may exceed government insured depository limits, we have evaluated the credit worthiness of these applicable financial institutions and determined the risk of material financial loss due to the exposure of such credit risk to be minimal. The Company also maintains investments in money market funds that are not federally insured.
We are subject to interest rate risk as rate fluctuations impact cash payments for outstanding borrowings. Outstanding amounts under the Credit Agreement bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at the Company's election: (i) an alternate base rate (ABR) plus an applicable margin or (ii) an adjusted term secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) plus an applicable margin. Alternate base rate is equal to the greatest of Prime, the NYFRB Rate plus 0.50% and Adjusted Term SOFR Rate plus 1.00%. The applicable margin spread is 1.50% to 2.75%, as determined by the average excess availability of the aggregate revolving commitment. All swingline loans bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the ABR plus the applicable margin under the Credit Agreement. Interest periods for SOFR Term Benchmark borrowings range from one month, three months or six months, at the Company's election. Interest rate risk is highly sensitive due to many factors, including United States monetary and tax policies and United states and international economic factors beyond our control.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We sell our products to medical centers through our direct sales force in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. We also sell our products to distributors who in turn sell our products to medical centers in Japan, China and other international markets. Our business is primarily transacted in U.S. Dollars; direct international sales transactions are transacted in Euros, British Pounds, Australian Dollars or Canadian Dollars. Sales to international distributors outside of Europe are under agreements primarily denominated in U.S. Dollars. If products are priced in U.S. Dollars and competitors price their products in the local currency, an increase in the relative strength of the U.S. Dollar could result in the Company’s price not being competitive in a market where business is not transacted in U.S. Dollars.
Products sold by AtriCure Europe, B.V. and its subsidiaries are primarily denominated in Euros or British Pounds. European product sales accounted for 9.4% and 9.0% of the Company’s total revenue for 2023 and 2022. Accordingly, the Company is exposed to exchange rate fluctuations between the Euro and the U.S. Dollar and between the British Pound and the Euro. To a lesser extent, the Company is also exposed to exchange rate fluctuations between the Australian and Canadian Dollars to the U.S. Dollar. For 2023 and 2022, foreign currency transaction losses of $(101) and $(559) were recorded primarily in connection with settlements of the intercompany balances and invoices transacted in British Pounds. For revenue denominated in Euros, if there is an increase in the rate at which Euros are exchanged for U.S. Dollars, it will
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require more Euros to equal a specified amount of U.S. Dollars than before the rate increase. In such cases, the Company will receive less in U.S. Dollars than was received before the rate increase went into effect. The Euro to U.S. Dollar conversion rate fluctuations may impact our reported revenue and expenses.
In 2022, we entered into a clinical trial management agreement for the LeAAPS clinical trial. The terms of the agreement require we make fixed milestone payments upon achievement of various enrollment and project milestones over the estimated ten-year term. Additional variable costs, including pass through costs incurred at clinical trial sites, will be billed to us by the contracted party. Fixed milestone payments are denominated in Canadian Dollars, while variable pass-through fees incurred at clinical trial sites outside the United States may be billed in U.S. Dollars or other local currencies. Fluctuations in the conversation rates of the U.S. Dollar to the Canadian Dollar and local currencies of international trial sites may impact the cash outlay required for future milestone payments and variable pass-through costs under the clinical trial management agreement.
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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Financial Statements:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 34) 45
Consolidated Balance Sheets 47
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income 48
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity 49
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 50
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 51
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of
AtriCure, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of AtriCure, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 16, 2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
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Valuation of Performance Share Awards with a Market Condition - Refer to Note 14 to the financial statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
Performance share awards (PSAs) granted in 2023 have two performance targets measured at the end of the three-year performance period: (i) the Company's revenue compound annual growth rate, a performance condition; and (ii) relative total shareholder return (TSR), a market condition. The performance and market condition payouts are determined independently.
The number of PSAs with a market condition that vest and are issued to the recipient is based upon the Company's TSR relative to the TSR of the selected market index at the end of the three-year performance period. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to estimate the fair value on the grant date, with associated share-based compensation expense recognized over the requisite service period as the employee renders service.
The determination of the fair value on the date of grant is affected by the stock price of the Company and the market index, as defined by the award agreement, at the beginning of the service period and grant date, the expected stock price volatility of the Company and the market index over the performance period, the risk-free interest rate, and the correlation coefficient of the daily returns for the Company and the market index over the performance period.
Given the level of judgment involved by management, including the use of a specialist, to determine the grant date fair value of the PSAs with a market condition, audit procedures required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to the Company's determination of the grant date fair value of the PSAs with a market condition included the following, among others:
•We inquired with management regarding the key valuation assumptions and the Monte Carlo simulation methodology used in the determination of the grant date fair value of the PSAs.
•We tested the design and operating effectiveness of the Company's internal controls over the determination of the grant date fair value of the PSAs.
•We tested the accuracy of the data used in measuring the awards by agreeing the underlying inputs, such as grant date, share price, and vesting conditions, among others, back to source documents, such as compensation committee minutes or PSA agreements.
•With the assistance of our fair value specialists, we evaluated management's valuation of PSAs with a market condition by:
▪Evaluating the Monte Carlo simulation methodology and the reasonableness of the valuation assumptions, including the risk-free interest rate, expected volatility, and the correlation coefficients.
▪Independently calculating a fair value estimate for the market condition PSAs using the underlying PSA agreement and independently calculated valuation inputs.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
February 16, 2024
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2002.
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ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
DECEMBER 31, 2023 and 2022
(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
Assets
Current assets:
Prepaid and other current assets 8,563 5,477
Long-term investments — 51,509
Operating lease right-of-use assets 4,324 3,787
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of debt and leases 2,533 5,472
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)
Stockholders’ Equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (993) (4,096)
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity $ 613,932 $ 585,448
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021
(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
Operating expenses (benefit):
Change in fair value of contingent consideration (Note 2) — — (184,800)
Intangible asset impairment (Note 4) — — 82,300
Other income (expense):
Net (loss) income per share:
Basic net (loss) income per share $ (0.66) $ (1.02) $ 1.11
Diluted net (loss) income per share $ (0.66) $ (1.02) $ 1.09
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Comprehensive (loss) income:
Unrealized gain (loss) on investments $ 2,898 $ (2,811) $ (941)
Foreign currency translation adjustment 205 (337) (319)
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021
(In Thousands)
Shares Amount
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans 589 1 (9,837) — — (9,836)
Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan 81 — 4,181 — — 4,181
Share-based employee compensation expense — — 28,078 — — 28,078
Other comprehensive loss — — — — (1,260) (1,260)
Share-based employee compensation expense — — 28,771 — — 28,771
Other comprehensive loss — — — — (3,148) (3,148)
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans 811 1 (4,241) — — (4,240)
Share-based employee compensation expense — — 35,728 — — 35,728
Other comprehensive income — — — — 3,103 3,103
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021
(In Thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities:
Amortization of deferred financing costs 486 507 759
Change in fair value of contingent consideration — — (184,800)
Intangible asset impairment — — 82,300
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Other noncurrent assets and liabilities (1,193) (1,782) (2,766)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 4,484 (22,141) (13,780)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of available-for-sale securities — (24,637) (173,105)
Acquisition of intellectual property (30,000) — —
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from debt borrowings — — 5,000
Payments on debt and finance leases (992) (899) (5,816)
Payment of debt fees (60) — (1,171)
Net cash used in financing activities (32) (7,059) (7,642)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (58) (361) (372)
Supplemental cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds 395 192 190
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Accrued purchases of property and equipment 1,427 272 1,552
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
CAK
1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Nature of the Business—The “Company” or “AtriCure” consists of AtriCure, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company is a leading innovator in surgical treatments and therapies for atrial fibrillation (Afib), left atrial appendage (LAA) management and post-operative pain management, and sells its products to medical centers globally through its direct sales force and distributors.
Principles of Consolidation—The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of AtriCure, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Cash and Cash Equivalents—The Company considers highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase as cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include demand deposits and money market funds with financial institutions.
Investments—The Company invests primarily in government and agency obligations, corporate bonds, commercial paper and asset-backed securities and classifies all investments as available-for-sale. Investments maturing in less than one year are classified as short-term investments. Investments are recorded at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recorded as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses are recognized using the specific identification method when securities are sold and are included in interest income.
Revenue Recognition—Revenue is generated primarily from the sale of medical devices. Sales of devices are categorized based on the type of product as follows: open ablation, minimally invasive ablation, pain management and appendage management. The Company recognizes revenue when control of promised devices is transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those devices. Revenue is recognized at a point in time upon shipment or delivery of products. Shipping and handling activities performed after control transfers to customers are considered activities to fulfill the promise to transfer the products. Revenue includes shipping and handling revenue of $1,860, $1,496 and $1,354 in the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Products are sold primarily through a direct sales force and through distributors in certain international markets. Terms of sale are generally consistent for both end-users and distributors, except that payment terms are generally net 30 days for end-users and net 60 days for distributors, with some exceptions. The Company does not maintain any post-shipping obligations to customers; no installation, calibration or testing of products is performed subsequent to shipment in order to render products operational. The Company expects to be entitled to the total consideration for the products ordered as product pricing is fixed, and there are no adjustments for a significant financing component as payment terms fall within one year. The Company excludes taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions from the measurement of the transaction price.
Costs associated with product sales include commission expense for product sales and royalties paid for sales of certain products. As revenue from product sales are satisfied at a point in time, commission expense and royalties are incurred at that point in time rather than over time. Commissions are included in selling, general and administrative expenses, while royalties are included in cost of revenue.
Significant judgments and estimates involved in the Company’s recognition of revenue include the estimation of a provision for returns. In the normal course of business, the Company is not obligated to accept product returns unless a product is defective as manufactured. The Company does not provide customers with the right to a refund.
Sales Returns and Allowances—The Company maintains a provision for potential returns of defective or damaged products, and invoice adjustments. The Company adjusts the provision using the expected value method based on historical experience. Increases to the provision reduce revenue, and the provision is included in accrued liabilities.
Allowance for Credit Losses on Accounts Receivable—The Company evaluates expected credit losses on accounts receivable, considering historical credit losses, current customer-specific information and other relevant factors when determining the allowance. An increase to the allowance for credit losses results in a corresponding increase in selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company charges off uncollectible receivables against the allowance when all attempts to collect the receivable have failed. The Company’s history of write-offs has not been significant. Recoveries are recognized when received as a reduction to the allowance for credit losses by decreasing bad debt expense. The following
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ATRICURE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
table provides a reconciliation of the changes in the allowance for estimated accounts receivable credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
Year Ended December 31,
Provision for expected credit losses 270 190 65