10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)e

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

Commission File Number 001-39927

SEASTAR MEDICAL HOLDING CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (844) 427-8100

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class TradingSymbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.0001 par value ICU The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act ). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of common stock on Nasdaq Capital Market on January 5, 2024 was approximately $24,232,239.

The number of shares of Registrant's Common Stock outstanding as of March 31, 2024, was 75,419,458.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant's definitive proxy statement relating to its 2024 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated herein by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We anticipate that we will file the 2024 proxy statement on or before April 29, 2024.

Table of Contents

Page

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 1

PART I

Item 1. Business 3

Item 1A. Risk Factors 30

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 63

Item 1C. Cybersecurity 63

Item 2. Properties 63

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 63

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 63

PART II

Item 6. [Reserved] 66

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 81

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 86

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 141

Item 9B. Other Information 142

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 142

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 143

Item 11. Executive Compensation 143

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 143

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 144

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management. Although the Company believes that its plans, intentions, and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or realize these plans, intentions, or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Generally, statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning the Company’s possible or assumed future actions, business strategies, events, or results of operations, are forward-looking statements. In some instances, these statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “plans,” “scheduled,” “anticipates” or “intends” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements which speak only as of the date hereof. You should understand that the following important factors, among others, could affect the Company’s future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the Company’s forward-looking statements:

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our plans to conduct further clinical trials and anticipated enrollment, clinical sites, completion, results, and timing thereof;

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our plans and expected timeline related to our products, including timing of commercial launch, or developing new products, to address additional indications or to obtain regulatory approvals or clearances or otherwise;

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the expected use of our products by clinicians, including market awareness, acceptance and adoption of our products, and anticipated utilization of our products;

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our expectations regarding the number of procedures that will be performed with our products, the number of clinicians we expect to train, and the number of our sales territories;

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our ability to obtain, maintain, and expand regulatory clearances for our current products and any new products we create;

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the expected growth of our business and our organization;

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our expectations regarding government and third-party payer coverage and reimbursement;

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our ability to retain and recruit key personnel;

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our ability to obtain an adequate supply of materials and components for our products from our third-party suppliers, most of whom are single-source suppliers;

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our ability to manufacture sufficient quantities of our products with sufficient quality and the sufficiency of our current manufacturing capabilities;

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our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our products and our business;

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our ability to expand our business into new geographic markets and the anticipated timing thereof;

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our compliance with extensive Nasdaq and SEC requirements and government laws, rules and regulations both in the United States and internationally;

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our expectations regarding operating trends, future financial performance and expense management and our estimates of our future expenses, ongoing losses, future revenue, capital requirements and our need for, or ability to obtain, additional financing;

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our ability to identify and develop new and planned products and/or acquire new products;

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our experience with inflationary and price pressures and increased labor costs and labor and staffing shortages as a result of general macroeconomic factors;

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developments and projections relating to our market opportunity and penetration, competitors, or our industry; and

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our intended use of net proceeds from our public offerings.

You should understand that the following important factors, among others, could affect the Company’s future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the Company’s forward-looking statements:

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the Company’s future capital requirements and sources and uses of cash;

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the Company’s ability to obtain funding or raise capital for its operations and future growth;

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any delays or challenges in obtaining FDA approval of the Company’s SCD product candidates;

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economic downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which the Company operates;

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the ability to develop and commercialize its products or services following regulatory approval of the Company’s product candidates;

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the failure of third-party suppliers and manufacturers to fully and timely meet their obligations;

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product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to the Company’s products and services;

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inability to secure or protect its intellectual property;

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dispute or deterioration of relationship with the Company’s major partners and collaborators;

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the ability to maintain the listing of its Common Stock on Nasdaq;

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the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, and the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably; and

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other risks and uncertainties indicated in this Annual Report, including those under “Risk Factors” herein, and other filings that have been made or will be made with the SEC.

These and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report are more fully described in the “Risk Factors” section. The risks described in “Risk Factors” are not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all such risk factors on its business or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. The Company undertakes no obligations to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Restatement of Consolidated Financial Results for the fiscal year-ended December 31, 2022, and interim periods for the fiscal year-ended December 31, 2023.

As previously disclosed in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2024, certain of the Company’s previously filed interim unaudited and annual audited consolidated financial statements should no longer be relied upon and a restatement is required for these previously issued consolidated financial statements. The Company has restated herein its consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022 (see Notes 3 and 19). In addition, the Company has restated its unaudited quarterly financial data for the first three quarters of the year ended December 31, 2023 as presented in Note 19, Restatement of Unaudited Quarterly Results.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this section to "SeaStar Medical," the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries following the Business Combination (as defined herein), other than certain historical information that refers to the business of SeaStar Medical, Inc. (the “Predecessor”) prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.

Overview

We are a clinical stage medical technology company developing a proprietary platform therapy, our Selective Cytopheretic Device (“SCD”), to reduce the consequences of hyperinflammation on vital organs. The inflammatory response is critical to fend off infections and repair damaged tissue in the body. Central to inflammation are the cells within blood and lymph circulatory systems, called white blood cells (primarily neutrophils and monocytes), also referred to commonly as “pus” cells.

In a normal inflammatory response, neutrophils are the first immune cells to arrive at the site and are key to the entire immune response that kills pathogens and promotes tissue repair. These inflammatory cells release chemicals (cytokines) that trigger the immune system to eliminate the foreign pathogens or damaged tissue, enhancing the immune response.

If the inflammatory response becomes excessive and dysregulated (referred as proinflammatory), normal neutrophil cells die off (“apoptosis”), allowing the inflammatory cells to continue to produce cytokines, further enhancing the dysregulated immune response, and altering feedback mechanisms that regulate the immune system. This results in damaging hyperinflammation spreading uncontrollably to other parts of the body, often leading to acute chronic solid organ dysfunction or failure, including heart, lung, kidney and liver diseases. This hyperinflammatory response is also known as the “cytokine storm,” referring to the body’s reaction to the category of small-secreted proteins released by hyperinflammatory cells that affect communication between cells. The cytokine storm, when left uncontrolled, can lead to organ damage and even death.

Based on clinical and preclinical studies conducted over the last 15 years, the Company’s technology has shown promise in modulating the degree of activity of proinflammatory cells to help reduce tissue damage and speed the repair and recovery of organ function. We believe this approach, if successful, will transform the ability of clinicians to treat acute organ failure in the intensive care unit (“ICU”) and to improve organ function in hospitalized patients.

Currently, few therapeutics are available to clinicians to address hyperinflammation and for those options that do exist, such options are either immunosuppressive or only target one cytokine. We believe our technology has the potential to overcome limitations in existing anti-inflammatory treatments and address the challenge of selectively targeting activated neutrophils and monocytes.

We are leveraging our patent protected and scalable SCD technology platform to develop proprietary therapies that are organ agnostic and target both acute and chronic indications. Preclinically, our SCD was tested in various animal models, which include acute myocardial infarction, intracranial hemorrhage, chronic heart failure, sepsis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The animal models demonstrated the inflammatory response and how it was modified by our SCD. We will continue to explore the application of our SCD technology across a broad range of markets and indications whereproinflammatory activated neutrophils and monocytes may contribute to disease progression or severity in both acute and chronic indications.

We are using our SCD initially to clinically validate several acute organ injury indications, including kidneys and lungs. Our investigational SCD is an extracorporeal synthetic membrane device designed to be easily integrated into existing continuous renal replacement therapy ("CRRT") systems that are commonly installed in hospitals, including in ICUs throughout the United States. Once approved and commercialized, our SCD would initially target acute kidney injury in both the pediatric CRRT population as well as adults on CRRT. In addition, we are developing our SCD to address inflammation associated with chronic dialysis and chronic heart failure.

There is substantial clinical demand for safe and effective control of hyperinflammation. The use of our SCD to reverse the cytokine storm in pediatric and adult patients with acute kidney injury on CRRT in clinical studies with more than 140 patients reduced mortality rates by 50%, and, of those patients who survive 60 days, none have required dialysis.

Pediatrics

In June 2022, we submitted a humanitarian device exemption ("HDE") application with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration ("FDA") for pediatric patients with acute kidney injury ("AKI") on CRRT. On February 22, 2024, we received the FDA HDE Approval Order, which allows sales to qualified healthcare facilities.

We intend to continue to shape our commercial and distribution strategy by expanding indications and pursue collaborations with partners in markets where such partners provide strategic capabilities in commercializing our product candidates and enabling access to specific patient populations. On December 27, 2022, we entered into a license and distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with Nuwellis, Inc. (“Nuwellis”), pursuant to which we appointed Nuwellis as our exclusive distributor for the sale and distribution of our pediatric SCD product throughout the United States once we receive from the FDA a written authorization to market such product for pediatric use pursuant to our HDE application. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, we received an upfront payment, and will receive milestone payments upon achievement of certain milestones and royalties on gross sales of the SCD product. The Distribution Agreement has an initial term commencing on December 27, 2022 and shall end on the three (3) year anniversary from the date that is the earlier of (a) ninety (90) days after we receive FDA authorization to market such SCD product for pediatric use and (b) the first commercial sale of the SCD product. The term of the Distribution Agreement may be automatically extended for additional terms of one (1) year and for a total of two (2) consecutive extensions. Each party has the right to terminate the Distribution Agreement for material breach if such breach is not cured within ninety (90) days after written notice and we have additional rights to terminate the Distribution Agreement in accordance with other terms set forth in the Distribution Agreement. On December 29, 2023, the Distribution Agreement was amended and the Distributor shall pay Supplier the following milestone payments set forth below on the later to occur of (i) 30 days after achievement of the corresponding milestone events or April 1, 2024, and the Distributor has waived the repayment of the upfront payment from Supplier.

Adults

In addition, on February 9, 2023, we received approval from the FDA of our investigational device exemption ("IDE") application to conduct a pivotal study evaluating the effectiveness of SCD in reducing hyperinflammation in adults with AKI requiring CRRT. The Company began enrollment in Q2 2023 and expect to generate interim study results during the second half of 2024 and topline study results and submission of a Pre-market Approval ("PMA") application in the first half of 2025. There is no guarantee that we will complete the AKI adult trial in a timely manner, or at all, nor will there be any assurance that positive data will be generated from such trial. Even if we are able to generate positive results from these trials, the FDA may require us to conduct additional trials to support the study, or disagree with the design of the trials and request changes or improvements to such design.

We have received two additional Breakthrough Device Designations ("BDD") in 2023, totaling three. On April 29, 2022, we received a Breakthrough Device Designation ("BDD") for the use of our SCD in the treatment of immunomodulatory dysregulation in adult patients (18 and older) with AKI, which is expected to accelerate the regulatory approval process for such trial.

On September 28, 2023, we received Breakthrough Device Designation for our patented and cell-directed SCD for use with patients in the hospital ICU with acute or chronic systolic heart failure and worsening renal function due to cardiorenal syndrome or right ventricular dysfunction awaiting implantation of a left ventricular assist device.

On October 18, 2023, we received Breakthrough Device Designation for our patented and cell-directed SCD for use with patients in the hospital ICU with AKI and acute on chronic liver failure. We have been granted three

Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA for the SCD device, each of which is expected to expedite the clinical development and regulatory review of the SCD for use in the designated patient population.

We believe that our novel therapeutic device is readily applicable for use in other indications, which will require additional clinical studies and FDA approval and increase the addressable market for our SCD technology. As we continue our work to expand indications, we believe we will have the ability to take advantage of economies of scale to reduce costs of production. We believe our scalable manufacturing process demonstrates a significant competitive advantage in the hyperinflammatory market.

We have pursued patent protection for our SCD technology as well as other technologies. Our patent portfolio consists of 40 patents and 8 pending patent applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Of these patents and patent applications 33 are owned exclusively by us, and 15 are co-owned with the University of Michigan ("UOM"). UOM has granted to us an exclusive worldwide, royalty bearing license to UOM’s interest in all of the co-owned patents and applications. This license permits the Company to commercialize our SCD in all human therapeutic indications. For more information, see “ — Intellectual Property” below.

Our senior management team and Board have an average of more than 19 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including expertise in medical affairs, commercialization and distribution in our initial therapeutic priority areas. We are also supported by a group of well-respected scientific advisors who are experts in the development of our technology and products.

Our Approach

The acute inflammatory response occurs in a well-defined coordinated sequential response. Neutrophils are the first responders followed by monocytes. The monocytes, as they egress into tissue also follow another sequence of differentiation into tissue macrophages. The first are proinflammatory macrophages, followed by patrolling, reparative macrophages.

This complex tightly coordinated process is critical for host defense and tissue repair but needs to be tightly regulated by the body’s inflammatory signaling and cellular apoptosis. If not, further tissue destruction may occur when uncontrolled hyperinflammation leads to degradative reparative processes with worsening tissue or organ function. If this excessive systemic inflammation is severe and prolonged, multi-organ failure, including cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney, liver and neurologic dysfunction may occur, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. Prior therapeutic approaches to block soluble mediator targets, such as a cytokines or free radicals have not proven successful. We believe that our SCD approach, which targets activated cells, is a potentially transformative, if not disruptive, therapeutic approach to a range of acute and chronic inflammatory disorders.

Our SCD is an extracorporeal synthetic membrane device designed to bind activated leukocytes (neutrophils and monocytes) as part of a CRRT extracorporeal circuit. When added to the circuit and release of a standard CRRT system (using regional citrate anticoagulation) immediately following a standard hemofilter cartridge, blood within

the standard hemofilter cartridge enters our SCD and disperses among the fibers of the device. Upon exiting our SCD under a low calcium environment, the blood is returned to the patient’s body.

Our SCD delivers its therapeutic benefit by attenuating the excessive inflammatory response of activated neutrophils and monocytes. Uninterrupted, the excessive inflammatory response progresses to multi-organ failure (“MOF”), with documented increases in both morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Our initial lead product is focused on critically ill AKI pediatric and adult patients on CRRT. Our SCD leverages the existing footprint of CRRT pump systems in ICUs today, as well as the growing use and adoption of regional citrate as an anticoagulant. Citrate is used to bind the free ionized calcium within the extracorporeal circuit which is needed to impact the neutrophils and monocytes. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2020 demonstrated that while the use of regional citrate anticoagulation has the same mortality profile as heparin, regional citrate anticoagulation now showed to be more effective in preserving filter life as used to create the low calcium environment for our SCD, which impacts the white cells interaction with the SCD membrane leading to the reduction in inflammation.

Mechanism of Action

The mechanism of action of our SCD consists of two steps: 1) binding activated neutrophils and monocytes on our SCD biomimetic membrane and 2) deactivating the activated neutrophils by maintaining a specified ionized calcium level within our SCD. Our SCD utilizes clinically approved regional citrate anticoagulation protocols to lower the ionized calcium level, which prevents blood clogging within the circuit and immuno-modulates the activated

neutrophils, which are then returned to the patient. Calcium is then infused into the blood returning to the patient from the SCD, thereby maintaining normal calcium levels in the patient throughout the process.

Our SCD and Neutrophils

Calcium plays a critical role in many biological processes. In the case of neutrophils, calcium can have a profound effect on their activity. It has been shown that lowering calcium levels in neutrophils can lead to higher levels of neutrophil apoptosis (deactivation). Our SCD is designed to selectively bind the most highly activated neutrophils (associated with hyperinflammation) and in a low iCa environment, the activated neutrophils are deactivated, which has the effect of reducing hyperinflammation. When neutrophils are in homeostasis, the normal half-life is six to eight hours, but in a hyperinflammatory state, neutrophil apoptosis is delayed leading to increased numbers of activated neutrophils in circulation. Through clinical and preclinical studies, our SCD has been shown to selectively sequester and deactivate the most highly activated neutrophils, allowing the body to restore neutrophil homeostasis.

Our SCD and Monocytes

We believe the role of circulating monocytes in systemic inflammation and organ specific injury is becoming more appreciated by healthcare professionals. Calcium also has an important influence on monocyte activity. A high percentage of the circulating monocyte subtypes (M1 proinflammatory versus M2 patrolling, reparative) has been shown to influence the degree of acute organ injury and chronic organ dysfunction. In vitro, our SCD membranes in a low iCa perfusion circuit binds the proinflammatory monocytes within the blood more selectively. This selective binding has been shown in clinical trials and results in less proinflammatory circulating monocytes in inflammatory disorders. It is important to note that our SCD does not sequester 100% of these monocytes as they are important to maintaining immune homeostasis.

Histological evaluation of our SCD

Microscopy of our SCD after being used for patient treatment demonstrated the binding of leukocytes on the outer surface of the membranes of the cartridge along the blood flow path within the extracorporeal circuit. The bound leukocytes were dominated by neutrophils and monocytes (see Figure 1 below).

The ability of neutrophils and monocytes to bind to the outer walls of the hollow fiber membranes (figure below) rather than the inner walls, which is the conventional blood flow path, is due to the difference in shear forces of blood flow. The sheer force of our SCD is similar to capillary flow providing a microenvironment for the neutrophils and monocytes, enabling the cells to catch and release.

Our Market Opportunity

We are a therapeutic medical device company. Our clinical data was used to support an HDE submission to the FDA to request approval to market our SCD to hospitals and clinicians with pediatric patients suffering from AKI. Our clinical data has also been used to support the initiation of a pivotal PMA study in adult AKI. In the long term, we intend to pursue the application of our SCD technology to additional indications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic dialysis, cardiorenal syndrome and hepatorenal syndrome and others.

Our Initial Market Opportunity in Acute Kidney Injury

We believe AKI has increasingly received the attention of healthcare professionals and academic publications that reveal the devastating clinical and financial impact of what is most-often a multi-organ syndrome. A 2017 study by Samuel A. Silver and Glenn M Chertow titled “The Economic Consequences of Acute Kidney Injury” stated hospital costs associated with AKI in the U.S. are between $5.4 billion and $20 billion per year.

The kidneys are a silent killer within medical triage. They do not present clear symptoms or tell the body they are suffering like other major organs such as the heart or lungs. For example, one does not feel pain with a “kidney attack” and symptoms are delayed until irreversible damage may have already occurred. Kidneys also refrain from revealing the impact to the rest of body and organs (and vice-versa) and often are not considered systemically for co-treatment.

Globally consistent criteria for diagnosing AKI have recently emerged with Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of kidney function, and End-stage kidney disease ("RIFLE"), an international consensus classification for AKI staging and diagnosing guidelines introduced in 2004, the Acute Kidney Injury Network ("AKIN") staging system in 2007, and finally the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes, AKI Staging and Diagnosing Guidelines published in 2012. These sources have helped clinicians to both improve recognition, staging, diagnosing and subsequent documentation of less obvious cases of AKI secondary diagnoses. While our initial market is focused on AKI patients on CRRT, future indications will likely benefit from improved characterization and diagnosis of patients.

As a result, demand for ICU renal replacement therapy is growing. CRRT is the newest of AKI dialysis modality in the market, first becoming available in 1997, and according to Fortune Business Insights, it is estimated that it has grown to a $986 million global market ($354 million market in the U.S.) as of 2019. The two largest operators in the CRRT market by revenue are Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. and Baxter International, which represent over 80% of the market today in the U.S.

Since 2010, a significant amount of data has been published to quantify the clinical and financial impact of AKI, resulting in a broadening AKI treatment “boom” beyond dialysis to areas of diagnostics, complimentary therapies, and pharmacologics. As hospital administrators and government officials gain understanding of the impact and burden of AKI increases, we believe that attention will continue to grow. According to Hobson in his article titled “Cost and Mortality Associated with Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury,” a 2015 study of 50,314 patients (over 11 years) found that upon greater scrutiny, AKI was found in 39% of post-surgical patients, and 19% of patients had stage 2 or 3 AKI with an average incremental cost of $29,800 per patient. Additionally, with historical mortality rates approximately 50%, treating AKI is increasingly of interest to clinicians, hospitals, and product manufacturers alike.

The AKI patient population is growing on average 6.9% per year according to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a U.S. federal agency. According to Massicotte and Azarniouch in their 2015 work titled “Acute Kidney Injury in the Intensive Care Unit: Risk Factors and Outcomes of Physician Recognition Compared with KDIGO Classification,” around 80% of moderate or severe cases of AKI are not diagnosed and documented, suggesting the U.S. AKI patient population is higher than the estimated 6 million patients annually. The pediatric population for AKI patients in the U.S. on CRRT

is estimated to be less than 8,000 patients per year, which is a substantially small sub-set of the 6 million AKI patient population.

The AKI market needs new and effective solutions, and hospitals continue to search for and evaluate new products. For a product to succeed in the AKI space, it must demonstrate and achieve clear and significant clinical benefit to patients, while providing positive financial incentives for hospitals to generate revenue and profitability.

Our Growth Strategies

Key elements of our growth strategy include innovating and expand our applications through clinical trials; differentiation through medical education; business development and out-licensing activities and scaling production with manufacturing partners. We expect to employ several core growth strategies:

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Execute on clinical plan through key relationships: Our initial focus on the treatment of AKI in adults and pediatrics is supported by our long and established relationship with UOM, which licenses to us certain key technology underpinning our novel immunomodulatory therapy, as well as other leading academic hospitals and institutions throughout the U.S. Such relationships enable us to expand and refine the design and execution of our clinical plans with a more targeted outcome and objectives. In addition, we have submitted the HDE for the pediatric AKI indication in June 2022. On February 22, 2024, we received the FDA HDE Approval Order, which allows sales to qualified healthcare facilities. In February 2023, the Company received FDA IDE approval for the adult AKI indication. This indication has received the FDA BDD for our SCD therapy targeting AKI adult patients, is expected to accelerate and streamline the regulatory approval process prior to the commercial launch of our product candidates. On September 28, 2023, we received Breakthrough Device Designation for our patented and cell-directed SCD for use with patients in the hospital ICU with acute or chronic systolic heart failure and worsening renal function due to cardiorenal syndrome or right ventricular dysfunction awaiting implantation of a left ventricular assist device. On October 18, 2023, we received Breakthrough Device Designation for our patented and cell-directed SCD for use with patients in the hospital ICU with AKI and acute on chronic liver failure. We have been granted three Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA for the SCD device, each of which is expected to expedite the clinical development and regulatory review of the SCD for use in the designated patient population.

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Differentiation through medical education: We intend to dedicate resources to educate physicians, hospital clinicians and other decision makers in the medical communities on the role of neutrophils and monocytes in both acute and chronic indications, and therapeutic benefit of controlling and modulating excessive inflammatory response. We intend to focus our marketing strategies not only on the therapeutic capabilities of our technology, but also the economic consequences of hyper-inflammation in the current standard of care and treatment infrastructure and highlight the differentiating factors of our SCD product candidates that can provide a cost-effective solution.

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Business development and out-licensing activities: We intend to explore and pursue business development opportunities with major medical and pharmaceutical companies to establish partnerships, including outbound licensing arrangements. We believe that our clinical experience and depth, combined with our understanding of the scientific mechanism of our SCD and our regulatory submissions around the world, can drive value for our partners and reduce their market risk. We believe our partners will benefit from insight in other SCD trials around the world as well as data generation that is being conducted by our trials. We believe that our SCD therapy has the potential to apply to multiple indications. By pursuing and establishing business relationships with partners who may have strong capabilities beyond AKI, such as the markets for respiratory distress syndrome, we may be able to expand our solutions to the chronic disease setting.

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Scaling production with manufacturing partners: As we progress through our planned clinical trials and anticipate the potential commercial launch of our SCD product candidates if FDA approval is received, we are focused on identifying and securing various suppliers and manufacturing partners to scale production in response to the expected demand for our solutions. We continue to negotiate with suppliers of raw materials, including filters, tubing and other components, to establish redundancies and alternative sources to mitigate interruptions in the supply chain in the future. In addition, we may also explore strategic relationships with partners who can provide sources of raw materials while collaborating with us on the marketing and distribution of our product candidates.

Our Clinical Stage Product Candidates

The following disclosure summarizes the key clinical studies in which our SCD product candidates (Quelimmune for pediatrics) have been evaluated. All trials and studies below are conducted under IDEs approved by the FDA.

We submitted an HDE application for our SCD for the treatment of pediatric patients with acute kidney injury undergoing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) to the FDA in June 2022. We obtained an Approvable Letter for the HDE in October 2023. On February 23, 2024, we announced a final Approval Order for the HDE.

Clinical Progression

SCD 006 Pivotal Study (“SCD 006”) Design

We are actively enrolling and treating patients in a pivotal clinical trial of the SCD for the treatment of AKI in adults under a granted Breakthrough Device Designation (BDD) (April 2022) by the FDA. This trial ("SCD-006"; NCT05758077) is a 200 subject, prospective, multi-center, open label, randomized, two-arm comparative pivotal study conducted in the United States. SCD-006 is designed to assess a composite endpoint of both mortality or dialysis dependency at Day 90 (see schematic figure below). The control arm will consist of adults with AKI who undergo CRRT in hospital ICUs who typically have estimated mortality of nearly 50%. Among those with AKI who undergo CRRT and survive hospitalization, nearly one in four (25%) usually require long term dialysis. The study design was recently published in the journal Nephron (Yessayan et al., Nephron. 2023 Jul 13. doi: 10.1159/000531880). The study title is also being referred to as NEUTRALIZE-AKI (NEUTRophil and monocyte deactivation via seLective cytopheretIc device – a randomiZEd clinical trial in Acute Kidney Injury).

Current Trial Status

We submitted the SCD-006 IDE Protocol to the FDA on January 6, 2023 and attained approval in March 2023. We began enrollment in the second quarter of 2023 and we anticipate the enrollment period to last 15 to 18 months. On April 29, 2022, we received a BDD for the use of our SCD in the treatment of immunomodulatory dysregulation in adult patients (18 and older) with AKI, which is expected to aide our discussions related to the regulatory review and approval process for SCD-006.

We currently anticipate generating interim results from this trial in late 2024 and topline study results and submission of a PMA application by early 2026. Additional clinical studies under IDEs include cardiorenal syndrome and hepatorenal syndrome. We are also conducting exploratory clinical research at the University of Michigan to define the patient population for potential treatment with SCD product candidates, and any future studies will be based upon initial clinical data collected in these studies.

Other Clinical Studies

The table below lists the major studies conducted in AKI to date with our SCD. Except for SCD-003 and SCD-006, our clinical studies have not included a randomized control arm.

SCD-003: Additional Details

SCD-003 was a controlled, randomized, and multicenter clinical trial that was initiated in September 2011 and terminated in September 2013 under an FDA approved IDE. For this trial, the control group received standard CRRT with RCA and the SCD-treated group received up to seven days of SCD therapy. The study was sponsored by the Predecessor with the support of a third-party contract research organization.

The primary objective of the study was to determine if the SCD, when used in conjunction with CRRT, results in clinical and statistical improvement in mortality rate based on all causes through Day 60. Secondary objectives included an assessment of renal replacement therapy dependency at Day 60, mortality at Day 28, the number of ventilator free days at Day 28, and the mortality of the subset of patients with severe sepsis at Day 60.

A total of 134 patients were enrolled in 21 United States medical centers. Patients receiving care in the ICU of each participating hospital were randomized to intensive care treatment for patients undergoing CRRT or CRRT + SCD. Each participating clinical site used their established RCA protocol for the CRRT + SCD circuits (treatment group) and for the CRRT only (control group). The recommended calcium (iCal) level (measured post SCD) in the CRRT and SCD blood circuit was specified to be between 0.25 and 0.4 mmol/L. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were similar to the previous IDE multicenter pilot clinical study except for an age range of 8-80 years and body weight of over 135 kilograms. Once the patient met all eligibility criteria, including being on CRRT for a minimum of four hours, but no longer than 24 hours, and had signed an informed consent, the subject was randomized in a 1:1 allocation utilizing a random permuted block design into either the control or treatment group, stratified by study center and the presence of severe sepsis. An overall two-sided 0.05 level of significance at 80% power was used to calculate a sample size of 344 patients, assuming a mortality rate of 50% for the control group and 35% for the treatment group. Adaptive design and interim analysis were planned at the mid-point of enrollment (i.e., 172 patients). Several exploratory biomarkers were also compared between the control and treatment groups, including urine output, serum levels of elastase, cytokines, and total absolute white blood cell, neutrophil and platelet counts throughout treatment.

During the second quarter of the enrollment period, a national calcium shortage occurred in the United States due to certain FDA-related quality manufacturing issues at major U.S. suppliers. Due to the reliance of the SCD on a narrow intra-circuit iCal range for functional efficacy and the concern that patients randomized to the SCD were not receiving effective therapy due to insufficient iCal levels, the interim analysis was performed early, after enrollment of 134 patients. Enrollment was paused on May 24, 2013, to assess the clinical impact of the calcium shortage on study endpoints. The shortage of calcium infusion solutions resulted in a tendency to minimize citrate infusion rates. Accordingly, the iCal levels within the blood circuit tended to be above the recommended range of 0.25 to 0.40 mmol/L. No significant differences were noted between the control and treatment groups in terms of baseline characteristics. Of the 134 patients in the analysis, 69 received CRRT alone and 65 received CRRT + SCD therapy. No statistically significant difference was found between the treated and control patients with a 60-day mortality of 39% (27/69) and 36% (21/59), respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between the SAEs of the control and treatment groups. Furthermore, none of the SAEs were considered ‘definitely’ device related per the principal investigator. The amount of time patients in both the control and treatment group were maintained in the recommended iCal range (0.23 - 0.40 mmol/L), as specified in the study protocol, was substantially lower than expected. Of the 134 patients enrolled in the SCD-003 protocol at the time of the interim analysis, 19 SCD patients

(CRRT + SCD) and 31 control patients (CRRT alone) were maintained in the protocol’s recommended range for greater or equal to 90% of the therapy time. The study was subsequently terminated.

No statistically significant difference was found between the SAEs of the control and treatment groups. The study reported 71 SAEs in the control group (40 of the 63 patients) and 80 SAEs in the SCD treatment group (45 of the 69 patients). The most frequent categories of SAEs were infections and infestations as well as cardiac, respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders. Furthermore, none of the SAEs were considered “definitely” related to the SCD device per the principal investigator. Overall adverse events did not differ between the treatment and control groups in the intent to treat analysis.

Among the per-protocol (PP) cohort of patients who achieved the recommended iCal range, the composite of death or dialysis dependency at 60 days was observed in 16% of SCD treated subjects versus 58% of control subjects. The incidence of serious adverse events did not differ between the treated and control groups.

SCD-PED-01 and 02 Studies – Additional Details

A multi-center, prospective pilot study SCD-PED-01 was undertaken to assess the safety and efficacy of our SCD in pediatric patients with AKI (weighing at least 20 kg) being treated with continuous kidney replacement therapy with RCA. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the safety of up to seven consecutive 24-hour treatments of our SCD. The secondary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of up to seven consecutive 24-hour SCD treatments on all-cause mortality and dialysis dependency at Day 28 and Day 60. This study was sponsored by the Predecessor with the support of a third-party contract research organization.

Sixteen patients (eight male and eight female) were enrolled in the study at four United States pediatric medical centers, which ran from December 2016 through February 2020. The most common diagnosis leading to ICU admission was septic shock followed by, in diminishing order, pneumonia, rhabdomyolysis, pulmonary hypertension, hemolytic uremic syndrome, encephalomyelitis, disseminated adenoviral infection, cardiac arrest, acute respiratory failure and acute liver failure.

Twelve of the 16 patients survived (75%) to hospital discharge (versus historical control of 50%) and none of the 12 patients required dialysis at 60 days (versus historical control of 15% to 20%). There were 14 SAEs that occurred in fourteen patients in the study. None of the SAEs were device related.

A similar study known as SCD-PED-02 was undertaken in pediatric patients weighing between 10 and 20 kg. The study enrolled 6 patients (proposed maximum of up to 10 patients). 5/6 (83%) patients survived to ICU discharge and all surviving patients were dialysis-independent by Day 60.

A combined pooled analysis of both the PED-01 and PED-02 studies (N=22 total) demonstrated a survival rate of ~77% at Day 60 in pediatric patients weighing at least 10 kg. This data was published in the journal Kidney Medicine in February 2024.

Chronic Applications in Inflammatory Disorders and Corresponding Studies at the University of Michigan (“UoM”)

We are evaluating the safety and efficacy of our SCD in preliminary clinical trials that may lead to applications for our SCD in additional patient populations. The following are examples of our ongoing efforts to identify additional patient populations that may benefit from treatment with our SCD.

Pilot Feasibility Trial of SCD Therapy in ESRD Patients

The SCD therapy was evaluated in a cohort of 15 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on chronic hemodialysis. The therapy promoted a shift in monocytes from a predominantly proinflammatory to a reparative phenotype. Adverse events or serious adverse events (SAEs) were minimal during SCD treatment and RCA, with four of the 13 patients experiencing adverse events. None of these adverse events were definitively linked to SCD therapy.

Cardiorenal Syndrome

Cardiorenal syndrome (“CRS”) is a clinical disorder in which therapy to relieve the congestive symptoms of chronic heart failure is limited by a decline in renal function. Up to one-third of patients with acute decompensated chronic heart failure present with this disorder; this condition is increasing in incidence with an estimated one million hospital admissions annually in the United States. Once hospitalized, these patients are treated with a high dose of

intravenous diuretics to relieve persistent congestion. The use of diuretics, however, frequently results in worsening renal function, progression of heart failure and death. Immune dysregulation plays a key role in cardiorenal syndrome.

The CRS clinical trial at the UoM is a safety and efficacy dose escalation study in 10 patients that was designed to evaluate whether ultrafiltration therapy in CRS, a disease with a dismal prognosis and currently ineffective therapy, with SCD therapy will improve cardiac and renal (production of urine) functions. In the study, an improvement of cardiac function is measured by the rate of ejection fraction, which is the percentage of blood leaving the heart each time it contracts. An improvement of renal function is measured by serum creatinine and blood urine nitrogen (two common biomarkers to assess renal function) levels. In addition, a variety of other biomarkers will also be measured. One patient has been successfully treated with the SCD thus far in this study. The effect of the SCD on cardiac function was recently demonstrated in a first-in-human case report of a 71-year-old male patient with cardiorenal syndrome including severe heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and was deemed ineligible for cardiac transplantation or LVAD due to worsening renal function (WRF) and right ventricular dysfunction. The patient was treated with the SCD and effectively bridged to LVAD and demonstrated proof-of-concept for an innovative approach to the treatment of CRS using our device. These initial results now provide important feasibility data for a follow-on study to undertake a controlled randomized clinical trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy of our SCD in CRS patients that have failed ultrafiltration therapy. Based on this data, our SCD recently received BDD for CRS in October 2023. These results were recently published in the journal PLoS One in April 2023 and an additional perspective article was published in the journal European Journal of Heart Failure in February 2024.

Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS)

Hepatorenal syndrome is characterized by an abrupt deterioration of kidney function, driven by a hyperinflammatory process in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis, and is associated with an unacceptably high mortality. Without treatment, the prognosis for patients with hepatorenal syndrome is poor with most dying within weeks of the onset of renal failure. In fact, the mortality rate for patients with severe acute or chronic liver failure with four or more organ failures at 28 days is 100%. Approximately 700,000 cases of hepatorenal syndrome are reported in the U.S. annually. In 2019 the economic burden for hepatorenal syndrome hospitalization was estimated at $4.2 billion.

The NCT04898010 study is an investigator-initiated pilot study to assess the safety and efficacy of the SCD in treating up to 10 ICU patients with AKI and HRS Type I. The study aims to understand the effect of 7 days of treatment with the SCD on white blood cells in the bloodstream of patients with hepatorenal syndrome and its impact on blood circulation and kidney function. Two patients with type 1 hepatorenal syndrome have been treated to date in this study. Positive clinical outcomes were seen in both cases - one patient with hepatorenal syndrome due to acute alcoholic hepatitis was alive at day 90 after seven days of SCD treatment and undergoing liver transplantation evaluation, and the other patient with hepatorenal syndrome due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH had a successful liver transplantation 6 days after SCD therapy ended. This suggested a role of SCD immunomodulation to treat acute or chronic liver failure, regardless of the etiology, as a bridge to evaluation or successful intervention for liver transplantation. Both of these cases were recently published in the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs Journal in August of this year (Yessayan et al., ASAIO J. 2023., doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000002033). This led to the FDA granting the SCD a BDD for HRS in October 2023.

Myocardial Ischemia in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis

A major cause of death in patients on chronic dialysis is due to cardiovascular disease. Novel interventions need to be identified and tested to ameliorate the high morbidity and mortality of myocardial disease in these patients. Multiple hemodynamic and inflammatory factors contribute to the elevated risk of cardiac disease in chronic hemodialysis patient populations. Hemodialysis treatment is associated with repetitive ischemic events, or myocardial stunning, and is identified with regional wall motion abnormalities on echocardiograms. This repetitive ischemic stress results in progressive damage resulting in declines in left ventricular ejection fraction and risk for sudden cardiac death. Both acute and chronic inflammation and its cellular immunologic effector, the activated monocyte, are central to the accelerated cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic end-stage renal disease.

A pilot safety and efficacy study in 10 patients to evaluate the reduction in myocardial stunning events in hemodialysis patients is planned at the UoM. The primary outcome is expected to measure the change in regional wall abnormalities identified on an echocardiogram. Initial results are expected to provide important feasibility data for a

follow-on study to undertake a controlled randomized clinical trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy of our SCD in myocardial stunning hemodialysis patients.

Suppliers

We source critical components from vendors that have been approved and qualified through our vendor management program. Fresenius Medical Care North America (“FMCNA”) is the current supplier of the filter used in our pediatric acute kidney injury indication. In March 2022, we entered into a supply agreement (the “Supply Agreement”) with an FMCNA affiliate, Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. (“FUSA”), to supply certain filters at an agreed amount per case for use in our SCD product in our upcoming clinical trial and any additional clinical trials. We may resell the filters as part of the SCD system in both an Emergency Use Authorization application as well as a future PMA-approved product. The initial term of the Supply Agreement is for three years commencing on March 31, 2022. Either party may terminate the Supply Agreement for uncured material breach or for the insolvency of the other party. In addition, either party may terminate the Supply Agreement if in the reasonable opinion of legal counsel for either party, any future changes in federal or state law or regulations make any portion of the Supply Agreement invalid or illegal and the parties are not able to agree on mutually acceptable addendum to the Supply Agreement. We have agreed to indemnify FUSA against certain third-party claims.

We are in the process of developing a second source for the adult and pediatric filters, which will enable us to better manage any supply disruptions. In addition, we have secured a supplier to provide the tubing set required to assemble the SCD device, although we are able to identify and secure additional sources of supplies for the tubing set as it is readily available in the market.

Distribution

The Supply Agreement contains a provision granting FUSA a right of first refusal for the first three years after regulatory approval of our SCD product candidate to distribute the pediatric and adult products in the United States. If during such period, SeaStar Medical elects to promote and sell the SCD through distributors, SeaStar Medical will be required to provide FUSA with a right of first refusal to be SeaStar Medical’s exclusive distributor of the SCD in the United States and its territories, provided that the SCD is not promoted or sold in a manner that is incompatible with any devices manufactured and/or sold by FUSA or its affiliates. On December 27, 2022, we entered into a license and distribution agreement with Nuwellis. We appointed Nuwellis as our exclusive distributor for the sale and distribution of SCD product throughout the United States once we receive written authorization from the FDA to market our SCD for pediatric use pursuant to our HDE application. On December 29, 2023, the Distribution Agreement was amended and the Distributor shall pay Supplier the following milestone payments set forth below on the later to occur of (i) 30 days after achievement of the corresponding milestone events or April 1, 2024, and the Distributor has waived the repayment of the upfront payment from Supplier.

Third-Party Reimbursement

We anticipate that coverage and reimbursement by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") and private payors will be essential for most patients and health care providers to pay for our treatments, particularly in the applications of continuous renal replacement therapy for dialysis access and the treatment of hyperinflammatory conditions, including AKI. Accordingly, future sales of our products will depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, on reimbursement by government authorities, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payors. Our strategy around reimbursement focuses on achieving alignment and agreement from CMS on coding and payment pathways; both are critical to influencing and achieving optimal reimbursement payment from private payor sources. Therefore, we continue to develop a comprehensive reimbursement strategy including CMS, private payors and other key stakeholders to ensure a clear and sustainable reimbursement path for all SCD product opportunities.

We are pursuing a regulatory reimbursement strategy to ensure separate Medicare payment for our SCD at an appropriate price. The regulatory strategy includes engaging CMS political and career staff directly on coverage, payment and coding followed by submission of formal applications in these areas once FDA approval is obtained. It is difficult to predict what CMS will decide with respect to coverage and reimbursement for fundamentally novel products. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to the Company’s Business Operations — Should the Company’s

products be approved for commercialization, lack of third-party coverage and reimbursement for the Company’s devices could delay or limit their adoption.”

Intellectual Property

We strive to protect the proprietary technologies that we believe are important to our business. We have and will continue to seek patent protection for our SCD product and related technologies, as well for any future products. In addition to seeking patent protection, we also rely on trade secrets to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection. We also rely on know-how, confidentiality agreements, license agreements and other agreements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Our success depends in large part on our ability to protect our proprietary technology, including our SCD technologies, and to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties.

The term of individual patents depends on the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, a patent’s term may be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in granting a patent. A U.S. patent term may be shortened, if a patent is terminally disclaimed by its owner, over another patent.

The Company currently has 18 issued U.S. patents and 3 pending U.S. patent applications. The Company also has 22 issued foreign patents and has 3 pending foreign patent applications. The Company’s issued patents begin to expire in 2028, with the last of these patents expiring in 2034, although terminal disclaimers, patent term extension or patent term adjustment can shorten or lengthen the patent term.

The following table summarizes the number of our patents and patent applications as of December 31, 2023:

US Foreign US Foreign

SCD Technology (Patent Families 1-5) 16 22 2 3

Other Technology (Patent Families 6-10) 2 — 3 —

With respect to our SCD technologies, we own patents and patent applications in five patent families. The patents and applications in Patent Family 1 are co-owned by the Company and UOM. The patents and applications in Patent Families 2-5 are solely owned by the Company. The inventions disclosed in Patent Families 1-4 were developed with U.S. government funding and are subject to the obligations under the Bayh-Dole Act.

Patent Family 1 contains nine U.S. patents and one pending U.S. patent application directed to systems and methods for processing leukocytes and for treating subjects with various inflammatory conditions using a SCD cartridge, and to a SCD cartridge. These patents will expire from 2028-2031, and the pending application, if granted, will expire in 2028, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. We also co-own with UOM counterpart patents granted in Canada, Japan and New Zealand. These counterpart patents will expire in 2028, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. The patents and applications in Patent Family 1 are as follows:

Patent Family 1†

Jurisdiction Status Expiration Subject Matter

Date

United States Granted 2029 Methods for treating subject with sepsis

United States Granted 2029 Systems for treating activated platelets

United States Granted 2028 Systems for treating activated leukocytes

Canada Granted 2028 Systems and methods for processing leukocytes and

platelets and systems for treating inflammatory conditions

Canada Granted 2028 A device for processing activated leukocytes and platelets

Japan Granted 2028 A device and methods for treating leukocytes

Japan Granted 2028 A device for processing activated leukocytes

* Expiration date if application is granted.

Pursuant to a license agreement with UOM (as amended, the “UOM License Agreement”), UOM has granted us a worldwide, royalty bearing, exclusive license to their interest in the co-owned patents and applications in Patent Family 1 in the field of medical devices for human therapeutics for certain technologies used in the SCD technology platform, including composition of matter and methods of use patents. In consideration for such exclusive license, during the term of the UOM License Agreement, we agreed to pay UOM a royalty fee equal to 1% of net sales and reimbursement of patent costs. To date, we have not paid and do not owe any royalty payments under the UOM License Agreement. We have paid approximately $124 thousand in patent costs reimbursement since January 1, 2020. The UOM License Agreement also imposes certain diligence obligations on us and requires us to achieve specified milestone events by a certain date. Under the UOM License Agreement, UOM’s liability is limited and we agreed to indemnify and hold UOM harmless in connection with the use of the licensed technology and activities related to the products created using such licensed patents and/or technology.

The UOM License Agreement will remain in effect, unless earlier terminated, until all licensed patents have expired. If we materially breach the terms of the UOM License Agreement, UOM has a right to terminate the

agreement. In some cases, we may have an opportunity to cure a material breach within 30 days or 90 days, but in some cases UOM may terminate the agreement immediately upon our breach. We may also terminate the agreement by giving UOM 90-day advanced notice provided certain conditions are met.

In addition to the co-owned patents and patent applications in Family 1, we also solely own four additional patent families (Families 2-5) directed to the SCD technology. Patent Family 2 includes one U.S. patent and one pending U.S. patent application directed to a second generation of the SCD cartridge and methods for using our SCD cartridge to process leukocytes. The patent will expire in 2031, and the application, if granted, will expire in 2031, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. Counterpart patents have been granted in Australia, Europe, and Japan with the European patent having been validated in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and a patent application is pending in Canada. These patents, and the application, if granted, will expire in 2031, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. The patents and the application in Patent Family 2 are as follows:

Patent Family 2†

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

United States Granted 2031 Cartridge for treating leukocytes or platelets

Canada Pending 2031* Cartridge for processing leukocytes or platelets

Japan Granted 2031 Cartridge for treating leukocytes or platelets

* Expiration date if application is granted.

Patent Family 3 includes one U.S. patent directed to methods of treating chronic heart failure using a SCD cartridge, which will expire in 2032, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. A counterpart patent has been granted in Japan, that will expire in 2032, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. The patents and applications in Patent Family 3 are as follows:

Patent Family 3†

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

United States Granted 2032 Methods for treating chronic heart failure

Japan Granted 2032 Device for use in treating chronic heart failure

Patent Family 4 includes two U.S. patents directed to methods of treating chronic heart failure and acute decompensated heart failure using a SCD cartridge. These patents will expire in 2032, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. Counterpart patents have been granted in Australia, and patent applications are pending in Canada and Europe. These patents, and patent applications, if granted, will expire in 2032, assuming that the required maintenance fees are paid. The patents and applications in Patent Family 4 are as follows:

Patent Family 4†

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

* Expiration date if application is granted.

Patent Family 5 includes three U.S. design patents, three European Community design patents, and three United Kingdom design patents directed to a medical device connector as follows:

Patent Family 5

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

United States Granted 2025 Design patent directed to a medical device connector

United States Granted 2024 Design patent directed to a medical device connector

United States Granted 2025 Design patent directed to a medical device connector

United Kingdom Granted 2034 Design patent directed to a medical device connector

With respect to our other technologies, we solely own patents and patent applications in five additional patent families (Patent Families 6-10) which are summarized as follows:

Patent Family 6

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

* Expiration date if application is granted.

Patent Family 7

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

* Expiration date if application is granted.

Patent Family 8

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

* Expiration date if application is granted.

Patent Family 9

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

Patent Family 10

Jurisdiction Status ExpirationDate Subject Matter

United States Granted 2031 Methods for enhanced propagation of renal cells

In addition to seeking patent protection, we also rely on trade secrets and other confidential information to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection.

Competition

The industry for treating inflammation is extremely competitive, and companies developing new treatment procedures face significant capital and regulatory challenges. As our SCD product is a clinical-stage device, we have the additional challenge of establishing medical industry support, which will be driven by treatment data resulting from human clinical studies. Should our device become market cleared by the FDA or the regulatory body of another country, we may face significant competition from well-funded pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Additionally, we would likely need to establish large-scale production of our device in order to be competitive. We believe that our SCD is able to compete effectively in the market and we are not aware of any similar device that has completed regulatory approval in any country for the treatment of adults or children with acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy.

Sales and Marketing

While currently we do not have a significant sales and marketing capability, we are actively pursuing resources and support for commercialization efforts in light of obtaining FDA HDE approval for pediatrics with AKI on February. On December 27, 2022, we entered into a U.S. License and Distribution Agreement with Nuwellis, for the pediatric SCD that received approval on February 23, 2024. On December 29, 2023, we amended the distribution and license agreement with Nuwellis. We will leverage their existing sales team that has similar call points to those needed for the pediatric SCD. We intend to build or contract for medical education as well as clinical training and support.

Government Regulation

Our SCD product is subject to regulation by numerous regulatory bodies, primarily the FDA, and comparable international regulatory agencies. These agencies require manufacturers of medical devices to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, marketing, storage, distribution, advertising and promotion, and post-marketing surveillance reporting of medical devices. The SCD includes a system of cartridges to interact with the patient’s hyperinflammatory cells to allow them to become deactivated prior to their return to the patient. As the primary therapeutic mode of action of our SCD is attributable to the device’s impact on these autologous cells and their timely return to patients, FDA’s Center for Biological Evaluation and Research has primary jurisdiction over its premarket development, review and approval of our SCD as a medical device. Failure to comply with applicable requirements may subject a device and/or its manufacturer to a variety of administrative sanctions, such as issuance of warning letters, import detentions, mandatory safety notifications, repair/replace/refund actions, or recalls, civil monetary penalties and/or judicial sanctions, such as product seizures, injunctions and criminal prosecution.

FDA’s Pre-market Clearance and Approval Requirements

Each medical device we seek to commercially distribute in the United States will require either a prior 510(k) clearance, unless it is exempt, a de novo request or a PMA from the FDA. Generally, if a new device has a predicate that is already on the market under a 510(k) clearance, the FDA will allow that new device to be marketed under a 510(k) clearance; otherwise, a de novo or PMA is required. Medical devices are classified into one of three classes—Class I, Class II or Class III—depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of control needed to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Class I devices are deemed to be low risk and are subject to the general controls of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ("FD&C Act"), such as provisions that relate to: adulteration; misbranding; registration and listing; notification, including repair, replacement, or refund; records and reports; and good manufacturing practices. Most Class I devices are classified as exempt from pre-market notification under section 510(k) of the FD&C Act, and therefore may be commercially distributed without obtaining 510(k) clearance from the FDA. Class II devices are subject to both general controls and special controls to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Special controls may include performance standards, post market surveillance, patient registries, and/or guidance documents. Most Class II devices require the manufacturer to submit to the FDA a pre-market notification requesting permission to commercially distribute the devices. Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices, are placed in Class III. In addition, novel devices that have not been previously classified by the FDA or that have deemed not substantially equivalent to a previously cleared 510(k) device are considered Class III by default, unless and until they are down-classified by the FDA (e.g., via the de novo request process). High risk devices formally classified as Class III by regulation or administrative order cannot be marketed in the U.S. unless the FDA approves the device after submission of a PMA. Novel devices that are Class III by default may be eligible for down-classification through the de novo request process, if the device manufacturer can demonstrate that the device is lower risk and should therefore be classified as Class I or Class II. The FDA can also impose post-market sales, marketing, or other restrictions on devices in order to assure that they are used in a safe and effective manner. We believe that SCD will be classified as a Class III device and as such will be subject to PMA submission and approval.

In accordance with the Orphan Drug Act of 1984, a rare disease is defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Currently, in the U.S., only a portion of the 7,000 known rare diseases have approved treatments. By definition, rare diseases or conditions occur in a small number of patients. As a result, it has been difficult to gather enough clinical evidence to meet the FDA standard of reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.

In order to address this challenge, Congress included a provision in the Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990 to create a new regulatory pathway for products intended for diseases or conditions that affect small (i.e., rare) populations, which is the Human Device Exemption program.

A Humanitarian Use Device ("HUD") is a medical device intended to benefit patients in the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that affects or is manifested in not more than 8,000 individuals in the U.S. per year.

The HDE is a marketing application for an HUD under Section 520(m) of the FD&C Act. An HDE is exempt from the effectiveness requirements of Sections 514 and 515 of the FD&C Act and is subject to certain profit and use restrictions.

Under section 520(m)(6)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act, an HUD is only eligible to be sold for profit after receiving an HDE approval if the device is intended for the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that either:

•

occurs in pediatric patients or in a pediatric subpopulation, and such device is labeled for use in pediatric patients or in a pediatric subpopulation in which the disease or condition occurs, or

•

occurs in adult patients and does not occur in pediatric patients or occurs in pediatric patients in such numbers that the development of the device for such patients is impossible, highly impracticable, or unsafe.

HDE applicants whose devices meet one of the eligibility criteria and wish to sell their HUD for profit should provide adequate supporting documentation to FDA in the original HDE application. HDE holders who wish to sell their devices for profit and who did not submit the request in the original HDE application may submit a supplement and provide adequate supporting documentation to demonstrate that the HUD meets the eligibility criteria.

The number of HDE devices that may be sold for profit is limited to a quantity known as the Annual Distribution Number (“ADN”). If the FDA determines that an HDE holder is eligible to sell the device for profit, the FDA will determine the ADN and notify the HDE holder.

The ADN is calculated by taking the number of devices reasonably necessary to treat or diagnose an individual per year and multiplying it by 8000. For example, if the typical course of treatment using an HDE device, in accordance with its intended use, requires the use of seven devices per patient per year, then the ADN for that HDE device would be 56,000 (i.e., 7 x 8000).

If the number of devices distributed in a year exceeds the ADN, the sponsor can continue to sell the device but cannot earn a profit for the remainder of the year.

The SCD (Quelimmune pediatrics) is eligible to sell for a profit as per the Final Approval Order issued to Company on February 23, 2024.

Pre-market Approval Pathway

A pre-market approval application must be submitted to the FDA for Class III devices for which the FDA has required a PMA. The pre-market approval application process is more extensive than the 510(k)-pre-market notification and de novo request processes. A PMA application must be supported by extensive data, including but not limited to technical, preclinical, clinical trials, manufacturing and labeling to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction reasonable evidence of safety and effectiveness of the device.

After a pre-market approval application is submitted, the FDA has 45 days to determine whether the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review and thus whether the FDA will file the application for review. The FDA has 180 days of FDA review time to review a filed pre-market approval application, although the review of an application generally occurs over a significantly longer period of time due to hold periods during which the submitting sponsor (the company) gathers information to address FDA requests for additional information. The total review process is highly variable and can take up to several years. During this review period, the FDA may request additional information or clarification of the information already provided. Also, an advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA as to the approvability of the device.

Although the FDA is not bound by the advisory panel decision, the panel’s recommendations are important to the FDA’s overall decision-making process. In addition, the FDA generally conducts a preapproval inspection of the manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with the Quality System Regulation (“QSR”). The agency also may inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with FDA’s regulations.

Upon completion of the PMA review, the FDA may: (i) approve the PMA that authorizes commercial marketing with specific prescribing information for one or more indications, which can be more limited than those originally sought; (ii) issue an approvable letter that indicates the FDA’s belief that the PMA is approvable and states what additional information the FDA requires, or the post-approval commitments that must be agreed to prior to approval; (iii) issue a not approvable letter that outlines steps required for approval, but which are typically more onerous than those in an approvable letter, and may require additional clinical trials that are often expensive and time consuming and can delay approval for months or even years; or (iv) deny the application. If the FDA issues an approvable or not approvable letter, the applicant has 180 days to respond, after which the FDA’s review clock is reset.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are almost always required to support pre-market approval and are sometimes required for 510(k) clearance. In the U.S., for significant risk devices, these trials require submission of an application for an IDE to the FDA. The IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory testing results, showing it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE must be approved in advance by the FDA for a specific number of patients at specified study sites. During the trial, the sponsor must comply with the FDA’s IDE requirements for investigator selection, trial monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping. The investigators must obtain patient informed consent, rigorously follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of investigational devices and comply with all reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Clinical trials for significant risk devices may not begin until the IDE application is approved by the FDA and the appropriate institutional review boards (“IRBs”) at the clinical trial sites. An IRB is an appropriately constituted group that has been formally designated to review and monitor medical research involving subjects and which has the authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove research to protect the rights, safety and welfare of human research subjects. The FDA or the IRB at each site at which a clinical trial is being performed may withdraw approval of a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the benefits or a failure to comply with FDA or IRB requirements. Even if a trial is completed, the results of clinical testing may not demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device, may be equivocal or may otherwise not be sufficient to obtain approval or clearance of the product.

Ongoing Regulation by the FDA

Even after a device receives clearance or approval and is placed on the market, numerous regulatory requirements apply. These include:

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establishment registration and device listing;

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the QSR, which requires manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during all aspects of the manufacturing process;

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labeling regulations and the FDA prohibitions against the promotion of products for uncleared, unapproved or “off-label” uses and other requirements related to promotional activities;

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medical device reporting regulations, which require that manufactures report to the FDA if their device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or if their device malfunctioned and the device or a similar device marketed by the manufacturer would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur; and

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corrections and removal reporting regulations, which require that manufactures report to the FDA field corrections or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by a device or to remedy a violation of the FD&C Act that may present a risk to health.

Some changes to an approved PMA device, including changes in indications, labeling or manufacturing processes or facilities, require submission and FDA approval of a new PMA or PMA supplement, as appropriate, before the change can be implemented. Supplements to a PMA often require the submission of the same type of information required for an original PMA, except that the supplement is generally limited to that information needed to support the proposed change from the device covered by the original PMA. The FDA uses the same procedures and

actions in reviewing PMA supplements as it does in reviewing original PMAs. PMA supplements also require the submission of a user fee, which varies depending on the type of supplement.

Failure by us or by our suppliers to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA or state authorities, which may include any of the following sanctions:

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warning or untitled letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;

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customer notifications, voluntary or mandatory recall or seizure of our products;

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operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production;

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delay in processing submissions or applications for new products or modifications to existing products;

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withdrawing approvals that have already been granted; and

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criminal prosecution.

In addition, the FDA imposes requirements on labeling and promotion, including requirements that all statements be truthful, accurate, not misleading, adequately substantiated, and fairly balanced and prohibits an approved device from being marketed for off-label use. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability, including substantial monetary penalties and criminal prosecution.

Newly discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and also may require the implementation of other risk management measures. Also, new government requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, may be established, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory clearance or approval of our products under development.

Healthcare Regulation

In addition to the FDA’s restrictions on marketing of pharmaceutical products, the United States healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to operate include: the federal fraud and abuse laws, including the federal anti-kickback and false claims laws, federal data privacy and security laws, and federal transparency laws related to payments and/or other transfers of value made to physicians and other healthcare professionals and teaching hospitals. Many states have similar laws and regulations that may differ from each other and federal law in significant ways, thus complicating compliance efforts. For example, states have anti-kickback and false claims laws that may be broader in scope than analogous federal laws and may apply regardless of payer. In addition, state data privacy laws that protect the security of health information may differ from each other and may not be preempted by federal law. Moreover, several states have enacted legislation requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to, among other things, establish marketing compliance programs, file periodic reports with the state, make periodic public disclosures on sales and marketing activities, report information related to drug pricing, require the registration of sales representatives, and prohibit certain other sales and marketing practices. These laws may adversely affect our sales, marketing, and other activities with respect to any product candidate for which we receive approval to market in the United States by imposing administrative and compliance burdens on us.

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of available statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors, it is possible that some of our business activities, particularly any sales and marketing activities after a product candidate has been approved for marketing in the United States, could be subject to legal challenge and enforcement actions. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal and state laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal, and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the regulatory approval, manufacture and marketing of regulated products or the reimbursement thereof. For example, in the U.S., the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, among other things, reduced and/or limited Medicare reimbursement to certain providers and imposed an annual excise tax of 2.3% on any entity that manufactures or imports medical devices offered for sale in the United States, with limited exceptions. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law on December 20, 2019, has now permanently repealed the medical device excise tax. In addition, the Budget Control Act of 2011, as amended by subsequent legislation, further reduces Medicare’s payments to providers by two percent through fiscal year 2027. These reductions may reduce providers’ revenues or profits, which could affect their ability to purchase new technologies. Furthermore, the healthcare industry in the United States has experienced a trend toward cost containment as government and private insurers seek to control healthcare costs by imposing lower payment rates and negotiating reduced contract rates with service providers. Legislation could be adopted in the future that limits payments for our products from governmental payors.

Coverage and Reimbursement

In both the United States and international markets, the use of medical devices is dependent in part on the availability of reimbursement from third-party payors, such as government and private insurance plans. Healthcare providers that use medical devices generally rely on third-party payors to pay for all or part of the costs and fees associated with the medical procedures being performed or to compensate them for their patient care services. Should our products under development be approved for commercialization by the FDA, any such products may not be considered cost-effective, reimbursement may not be available in the United States or other countries, if approved, and reimbursement may not be sufficient to allow sales of our future products on a profitable basis. The coverage decisions of third-party payors will be significantly influenced by the assessment of our future products by health technology assessment bodies. If approved for use in the United States, we expect that any products that we develop will be purchased primarily by medical institutions, which will in turn bill various third-party payors for the health care services provided to patients at their facility. Payors may include CMS, which administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, other government programs and private insurance plans. The process involved in applying for coverage and reimbursement from CMS is lengthy and expensive. Further, Medicare coverage is based on our ability to demonstrate that the treatment is “reasonable and necessary” for Medicare beneficiaries. Even if products utilizing our technology receive FDA and other regulatory clearance or approval, they may not be granted coverage and reimbursement by any payor, including by CMS. Many private payors use coverage decisions and payment amounts determined by CMS as guidelines in setting their coverage and reimbursement policies and amounts. However, no uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for medical devices exists among third-party payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor.

Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had 12 full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Corporate History

The Company was initially incorporated as the Predecessor under the name Nephrion, Inc. on June 6, 2007. On August 3, 2007, we amended our corporate name to CytoPherx, Inc. On June 19, 2019, we amended our corporate name to SeaStar Medical, Inc., herein the Predecessor as previously defined above.

On October 28, 2022, LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc. ( as defined above “LMF”), a Delaware special purpose acquisition company, consummated a series of transactions that resulted in the combination of LMF Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of LMF (“Merger Sub”), and the Predecessor, a Delaware corporation, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated April 21, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among LMF, Merger Sub and the Predecessor (the "Transaction"). Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into the Predecessor, with the Predecessor surviving the merger as a

wholly-owned subsidiary of LMF (the “Business Combination”). Following the consummation of the Business Combination, LMF was renamed “SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation” (the “Company”).

Available Information

We make available free of charge on or through our website, https://seastarmedical.com, our Annual Reports, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and all amendments to those filings as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Information contained on, or that may be accessed through our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into this Annual Report.

In addition, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements, and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically within the SEC. The address of the website is www.sec.gov.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our securities involves risks. Before you make a decision to buy our securities, in addition to the risks and uncertainties discussed above under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” you should carefully consider the specific risks set forth herein. If any of these risks actually occur, it may materially harm our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. As a result, the market price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additionally, the risks and uncertainties described herein in any document incorporated by reference herein are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may become material and adversely affect our business.

Risk Factor Summary

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The Company has incurred significant losses since its inception and may continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.

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The Company has not generated any significant revenue and may never be profitable.

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The Company has a limited operating history.

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If the Company fails to obtain additional financing, it would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate its product development program.

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The Company may not use its net operating losses to offset future taxable income Risks Related to the Company’s Business Operations.

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The Company may not receive approval from the FDA to market its product.

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The Company is subject to certain risks relating to pursuing an FDA approval process.

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The Company may not be able to manage its growth effectively.

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The Company will initially depend on revenue generated from a single product.

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The Company may fail to comply with extensive regulations of United States and foreign regulatory agencies.

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Delays in successfully completing the Company’s planned clinical trials could jeopardize its ability to obtain regulatory approval.

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The Company has limited experience in identifying and working with large-scale contracts with medical device manufacturers.

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Difficulties in manufacturing the Company’s SCD could have an adverse effect upon its revenue and expenses.

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The Company faces intense competition in the medical device industry.

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The Company outsources many of its operational and development activities for which it may not have full control.

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The Company may be subject to enforcement action if it engages in improper marketing or promotion of its products.

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The Company is subject to stringent and changing privacy laws, regulations and standards

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The Company depends on key personnel and its inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could impede its ability to achieve its business objectives.

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The Company’s products may in the future be subject to product recalls.

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The Company’s business is subject to risks arising from future pandemics.

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The Company’s forecasted operating and financial results may not be accurate

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The Company’s estimates of market opportunity, industry projections and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate.

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The Company relies upon exclusively licensed patent rights from third parties which are subject to termination or expiration.

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If the Company is unable to obtain and maintain sufficient patent protection for its products, the Company’s ability to commercialize such products successfully may be adversely affected.

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The Company may not be able to obtain protection under the Hatch-Waxman Act and similar non-United States legislation for extending the term of patents covering its products

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The Company could become involved in intellectual property litigation that could be costly, result in the diversion of management’s time and efforts.

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Issued patents covering one or more of the Company’s products could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in patent office proceedings, or in court.

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If the Company is unable to protect the confidentiality of its trade secrets, the value of its technology could be adversely and materially affected, and its business could be harmed.

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Competitors may develop superior products based on new technologies.

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Changes to the patent law in the United States and other jurisdictions could diminish the value of the Company’s patents in general, thereby impairing the Company’s ability to protect its products.

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Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to the Company’s competitive advantage.

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The Company may obtain only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patent rights,

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The Company does not have long-term experience operating as a United States public company.

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The Company’s Common Stock may be delisted from Nasdaq if we do not maintain compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements. If our Common Stock is delisted, it could negatively impact the Company.

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The Company identified a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting, which may result in restatements of financial statements.

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The Company may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

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The trading price of our Common Stock has been volatile and is likely to be volatile in the future.

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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

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Future sales, or the possibility of future sales, of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stock could adversely affect the price of the shares and dilute stockholders.

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We have not paid cash dividends in the past and do not expect to pay dividends in the future

Risks Relating to the Company’s Financial Condition

The Company has incurred significant losses since its inception and anticipates that it will continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.

The Company is a medical technology company focused primarily on developing and commercializing its lead product candidate, the SCD, for pediatric and adult AKI indications. The Company applied for a HDE for SCD in June 2022 for the treatment of pediatric patients with AKI on CRRT. On September 29, 2023, the Company received

a correspondence from the FDA indicating that this HDE is approvable for use in children weighing 10 kilograms or more with AKI and sepsis or a septic condition requiring CRRT in the hospital ICU. On October 30, 2023, the Company announced that it received the approvable letter from the FDA, which outlined remaining administrative steps that must be finalized before the HDE can be approved and active for commercialization. On February 22, 2024, the Company announced the receipt of the approval order from the FDA. The Company believes the approval of its HDE will confirm SCD and its technology as an effective tool to treat hyperinflammation related diseases, which will enable us to successfully execute our business and growth strategies.

In addition, on February 9, 2023, the Company received approval from the FDA of its IDE application to conduct a pivotal study evaluating the effectiveness of its SCD in reducing hyperinflammation in adults with AKI requiring CRRT. The Company began enrollment in June 2023 and expects to generate interim study results by mid-2024 and topline study results and submission of a PMA application by the end of 2024, and the Company is targeting FDA approval by the end of 2025. However, there is no guarantee that the Company will complete any planned clinical trial in a timely manner, or at all, nor will there be any assurance that positive data will be generated from such a trial. Even if the Company is able to generate positive results from this trial, the FDA and other regulatory agencies may require the Company to conduct additional trials to support the study or disagree with the design of the trial and request changes or improvements to such design.

To date, the Company has not obtained regulatory approval to commercialize or sell any of its SCD product candidates, and it does not expect to generate any significant revenue for the foreseeable future. The Company has incurred significant net losses since its inception and had an accumulated deficit of $106.1 million and $69. million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The Company has devoted most of its financial resources to research and development, including clinical trials and non-clinical development activities, and to obtain regulatory approval of its SCD product candidates. Since the completion of the Business Combination, the Company relied primarily on the sales of securities to fund its operations and are limited as the Company needs to meet certain conditions before such funding becomes available. The size of its future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future expenditures and its ability to generate revenues. To date, none of its product candidates have generated revenue, and if its product candidates are not successfully developed or commercialized, or if revenues are insufficient following marketing approval, it will not achieve profitability and its business may fail. Even if the Company successfully obtains regulatory approval to market its product candidates in the United States, its revenues are also dependent upon the size of the markets outside of the United States, regulatory approval outside of the United States, and its ability to obtain market approval and achieve commercial success.

The Company expects to continue to incur substantial and increased expenses as it expands research and development activities and advances clinical programs through the regulatory approval process. The Company also expects an increase in its expenses associated with preparing for the potential commercialization of its products and creating additional infrastructure to support operations as a public company. As a result of the foregoing, it expects to continue to incur significant and increasing losses and negative cash flows for the foreseeable future.

The Company has not generated any significant revenue and may never be profitable.

The Company’s ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability depends on its ability, alone or with collaborators, to successfully complete the development, obtain the necessary regulatory approvals of and commercialize its lead product candidate, the SCD. It does not anticipate generating revenues from its product candidates’ sales for the foreseeable future. Its ability to generate future revenues from product sales depends heavily on its success with the following items:

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completing the clinical development of its SCD, initially for the treatment of adult AKI in the hospital setting;

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obtaining regulatory approval for its SCD for the designated indication, including the HDE in pediatrics and PMA for adults;

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launching and commercializing its SCD, including building a hospital-directed sales force and collaborating with third parties;

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obtaining third party reimbursement status from government agencies and insurance carriers; and

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entering into collaboration agreement and partnerships to commercialize its products.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with medical device product development, the Company is unable to predict the timing or amount of increased expenses, when, or if, it will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. In addition, its expenses could increase beyond expectations if it is required by the FDA to perform additional, unanticipated studies.

Even if its product candidates are approved for commercial sale, the Company anticipates incurring significant costs associated with commercializing any approved product candidate. In the case of its SCD product candidate for the treatment of pediatric AKI, even if the Company receives approval from the FDA for its HDE application, the Company will be limited in its ability to sell and distribute its SCD units due to certain restrictions under the HDE requirements that limit the number of units that can be sold on an annual basis, which will further limit the amount of revenue that could be generated by the Company. Even if it is able to generate revenues from the sale of its products, the Company may not become profitable and may need to obtain additional funding to continue operations.

The Company has a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to forecast its future results of operations.

The Company has not received approval from the FDA and other regulatory authorities to sell its SCD product candidates and therefore it has a limited commercial operating history. According, the Company’s ability to accurately forecast future results of its operations is limited and subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, including its ability to plan for and model future growth. If the Company receives regulatory approval to market and sell its SCD product candidates, its revenue growth could slow in the future, or its revenue could decline or fluctuate for a number of reasons, including slowing demand for its products, increasing competition, changing demand in the markets, new scientific or technological developments, a decrease in the growth of its overall market, its failure to attract more customers, the inability to obtain reimbursement for its products by government agencies and insurers, or its failure, for any reason, to continue to take advantage of growth opportunities. If its assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties and its future revenue growth are incorrect or change, or if it does not address these risks successfully or forecast its results accurately, the Company’s operating and financial results could differ materially from its expectations, and its business could suffer.

If the Company fails to obtain additional financing, it would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate its product development program, which may result in the cessation of its operations.

Developing medical device products, including conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, is expensive. The Company expects its research and development expenses to substantially increase in connection with its ongoing activities, particularly as it advances its clinical programs. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, SeaStar Medical had negative working capital of $4.2 million and $3.8 million, respectively. The Company currently does not have sufficient capital to support its operations and complete its planned regulatory approval process. The Company will need to secure additional capital to continue its operation, and such funding may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, the Company incurred a significant amount of debt in connection with the Closing, including the issuance of unsecured and secured promissory notes to LM Funding America, Inc. (“LMFA”), LMFAO Sponsor (the "Sponsor") and Maxim ("Maxim"), and convertible notes to 3i LP (“3i”), an affiliate of Tumim Stone Capital (“Tumim”), and the Company may not have sufficient funds to repay these loans. Even if the Company obtains additional funding, the Company will be required to make certain mandatory payments under such promissory notes, which will reduce the amount of proceeds available for the Company to operate its business.

On August 23, 2022, LMF and the Predecessor entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Tumim for the purchase of up to $100.0 million in shares of the common stock (“Common Stock") after the consummation of the Business Combination. There were certain conditions and limitations on the Company’s ability to utilize the $100.0 million equity line with Tumim. The Company was required to satisfy various conditions, which include, among others: (1) delivery of a compliance certificate; (2) filing of an initial registration statement; and (3) customary bring-down opinions and negative assurances, in order to commence the selling of Common Stock to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement. Once such conditions were satisfied, Tumim’s purchases were subject to various restrictions and other limitations, including a cap on the number of shares of

Common Stock that we could sell based on the trading volume of our Common Stock, as well as certain beneficial ownership restrictions of Tumim. The Company has received a total of $1.9 million from the Purchase Agreement through February 15, 2024, when the Purchase Agreement was terminated by mutual consent of the parties thereto pursuant to its terms.

In March 2023, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with an 3i (as amended from time to time, the “March 2023 SPA”) for the purchase and sale of convertible notes and warrants (together with the March 2023 SPA, the “Note Documents”). The Note Documents include various restrictions and covenants, including an optional redemption provision that provides such investor the right to require the Company to use up to 20% of the proceeds of any subsequent financing, including this offering, to repay outstanding balance of the notes (the “Optional Redemption Rights”). In connection with this offering, the institutional investor agreed to waive its Optional Redemption Rights and any event of default that may arise thereunder with respect to this offering and suspend the Optional Redemption Rights for a period of sixty (60) days following the closing of this offering (the “Suspension Period”), and the Company granted the institutional investor a right to redeem all or a portion of the then outstanding Conversion Amount (as defined in the Note Documents) within three (3) trading days after the Suspension Period at an amount equal to 200% of the Conversion Amount. As of the date of this Form 10-K, the aggregate Conversion Amount under the Note Documents is approximately $1.0 million. Failure to meet the restrictions, obligations, and limitations under the Notes Documents or the securities issued thereunder may result in an event of default in accordance with the terms of the convertible notes issued thereunder. An event of default would, among other things, provide the noteholder with the right to increase the outstanding balance by 15%. Additionally, upon an event of default, the noteholder may consider the convertible note immediately due and payable. Furthermore, upon an event of default, the interest rate may also be increased to 12% per annum

Even if the Company receives sufficient capital in the future, the Company will be required to raise additional funds to support its own operations and complete its planned regulatory approval process, and such funding may not be available in sufficient amounts or on acceptable terms to the Company, or at all. If it is unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, the Company may be required to:

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significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of its product candidates;

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seek corporate partners on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available;

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relinquish or license on unfavorable terms, its rights to technologies or product candidates that it otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize itself;

If it is unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on acceptable terms, the Company will be prevented from pursuing development and commercialization efforts, including completing the clinical trials and regulatory approval process for its SCD product candidates, which would have a material adverse impact on its business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Company’s ability to use its net operating losses to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards for federal and state (Colorado, California, and Florida) income tax purposes of $106.2 million and $2.0 million, respectively, which may be available to offset taxable income in the future. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, federal NOLs incurred in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal net operating losses in tax years beginning after December 31, 2020, is limited to 80 percent of taxable income. Federal NOLs incurred before 2018 may be carried forward 20 years but are not subject to the taxable income limitation. Under current law, California NOLs generally may be carried forward 20 years (with a limited extension for California NOLs incurred in 2020-2021) without a taxable income limitation. The Company’s federal NOLs include $53.4 million that can also be carried forward indefinitely, and the remaining $52.8 million of federal NOLs expire in various years beginning in 2027 for federal purposes. The California NOLs expire beginning in 2039 if not utilized. A lack of future taxable income would adversely affect the Company’s ability to utilize these NOLs before they expire.

In general, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” (as defined in Section 382 of the Code and applicable Treasury Regulations) is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change NOLs to offset future taxable income. The Company may experience a future ownership change under Section 382 of the Code that could affect its ability to utilize the NOLs to offset its income. The Company has not completed an ownership change analysis pursuant to IRC Section 382. If ownership changes within the meaning of IRC Section 382 are identified as having occurred, the amount of NOL and research tax credit carryforwards available to offset future taxable income and income tax liabilities in future years may be significantly restricted or eliminated. Further, deferred tax assets associated with such NOLs, and research tax credits could be significantly reduced upon realization of an ownership change within the meaning of IRC Section 382. Furthermore, the Company’s ability to utilize NOLs of companies that it may acquire in the future may be subject to limitations. There is also a risk that due to legislative or regulatory changes, such as suspensions on the use of NOLs or other unforeseen reasons, the Company’s existing NOLs could expire or otherwise be unavailable to reduce future income tax liabilities, including for state tax purposes. For these reasons, the Company may not be able to utilize a material portion of the NOLs reflected on its balance sheet, even if it attains profitability, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to the Company and could adversely affect its business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may suffer from lack of availability of additional funds.

We expect to have ongoing needs for working capital in order to fund operations, continue to expand our operations and recruit experienced personnel. To that end, we will be required to raise additional funds through equity or debt financing. However, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in securing additional capital on favorable terms, if at all. If we are successful, whether the terms are favorable or unfavorable, there is a potential that we will fail to comply with the terms of such financing, which could result in severe liability for us. If we are unsuccessful, we may need to (a) initiate cost reductions; (b) forego business development opportunities; (c) seek extensions of time to fund liabilities, or (d) seek protection from creditors. In addition, any future sale of our equity securities would dilute the ownership and control of your shares and could be at prices substantially below prices at which our shares currently trade. Our inability to raise capital could require us to significantly curtail or terminate our operations altogether. We may seek to increase our cash reserves through the sale of additional equity or debt securities. The sale of convertible debt securities or additional equity securities could result in additional and potentially substantial dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations and liquidity. In addition, our ability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of uncertainties.

In addition, if we are unable to generate adequate cash from operations, and if we are unable to find sources of funding, it may be necessary for us to sell all or a portion of our assets, enter into a business combination, or reduce or eliminate operations. These possibilities, to the extent available, may be on terms that result in significant dilution to our shareholders or that result in our shareholders losing all of their investment in our Company.

The Company has a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to forecast its future results of operations.

Risks Related to the Company’s Business Operations

The Company has not received, and may never receive, approval from the FDA to market its product in the United States or abroad.

The Company may encounter various challenges and difficulties in its application to seek approval from the FDA to sell and market its SCD product candidates, including the application for HDE for pediatric AKI indication and the pivotal trial for adult AKI indication.

The Company is required to submit a substantial amount of supporting documentation for its HDE application to demonstrate the eligibility of the SCD to treat pediatric patients. The Company submitted an application for a HDE for SCD in June 2022 for the treatment of pediatric patients with AKI on CRRT. On September 29, 2023, the Company received correspondence from the FDA indicating that this HDE is approvable for use in children weighing 10 kilograms or more with AKI and sepsis or a septic condition requiring CRRT in the hospital ICU. On October 30, 2023, the Company announced that it received the approvable letter from the FDA. On February 22, 2024, the Company announced the receipt of the approval order from the FDA. The Company believes the approval of its HDE will confirm SCD and its technology as an effective tool to treat hyperinflammation related diseases, which will enable us to successfully execute our business and growth strategies.

The Company believes that its novel therapeutic device is readily applicable for use in other indications, which will require additional clinical studies and FDA approval. For example, on September 28, 2023, the Company received Breakthrough Device Designation for our patented and cell-directed SCD for use with patients in the hospital ICU with acute or chronic systolic heart failure and worsening renal function due to cardiorenal syndrome or right ventricular dysfunction awaiting implantation of a left ventricular assist device, and on October 18, 2023, the Company received Breakthrough Device Designation for our patented and cell-directed SCD for use with patients in the hospital ICU with AKI and acute on chronic liver failure. While the Company expects the Breakthrough Device Designation to expedite the clinical development and regulatory review of the SCD program for use in this patient population, there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to expedite the clinical development or obtain regulatory approval.

While the Company recently obtained approval from the FDA to conduct the AKI adult pivotal trial for SCE, there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to complete such trial in a timely manner, or at all, nor will there be any assurance that positive data will be generated from such trials. Even if the Company is able to generate positive results from this trial, the FDA and other regulatory agencies may require the Company to conduct additional trials to support the study or disagree with the design of the trial and request changes or improvements to such design. The Company is also subject to numerous other risks relating to the regulatory approval process, which include but are not limited to:

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an inability to secure and obtain support and references from collaborators and suppliers required by the FDA;

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a disagreement with the FDA regarding the design of the trial, including the number of clinical study subjects and other data, which may require SeaStar Medical to conduct additional testing or increase the size and complexity of its pivotal study;

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a failure to obtain a sufficient supply of filters to conduct its trial;

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an inability to enroll a sufficient number of subjects;

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a shortage of necessary raw materials, such as calcium; and

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delays and failures to train qualified personnel to operate the SCD therapy.

Even if the Company obtains approval, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may require expensive or burdensome post-market testing or controls. Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, clearance or approval for its future products could prevent the Company from generating revenue from these products or achieving profitability. Additionally, the FDA and other regulatory authorities have broad enforcement powers. Regulatory enforcement or inquiries, or other increased scrutiny on the Company, could dissuade some physicians from using its products and adversely affect its reputation and the perceived safety and efficacy of its products.

Delays or rejections may occur based on changes in governmental policies for medical devices during the period of product development. The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of a PMA application for many reasons, including:

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the Company’s inability to demonstrate the safety or effectiveness of the SCD or any other product it develops to the FDA’s satisfaction;

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insufficient data from its preclinical studies and clinical trials, including for its SCD, to support approval;

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failure of the facilities of its third-party manufacturers or suppliers to meet applicable requirements;

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inadequate compliance with preclinical, clinical or other regulations;

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its failure to meet the FDA’s statistical requirements for approval; and

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changes in the FDA’s approval policies, or the adoption of new regulations that require additional data or additional clinical studies.

If the Company is not able to obtain regulatory approval of its SCD in a timely manner or at all, it may not be able to continue to operate its business and may be forced to shut down its operations.

The Company is subject to certain risks relating to pursuing an FDA approval via the HDE pathway, including limitations on the ability to profit from sales of the product.

Except in certain circumstances, products approved under an HDE cannot be sold for an amount that exceeds the costs of the research and development, fabrication, and distribution of the device (i.e., for profit). Currently, under section 520(m)(6)(A)(i) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended (the “FD&C Act”) by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, a Humanitarian Use Device (“HUD”) is only eligible to be sold for profit after receiving HDE approval if the device (1) is intended for the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that occurs in pediatric patients or in a pediatric subpopulation, and such device is labeled for use in pediatric patients or in a pediatric subpopulation in which the disease or condition occurs; or (2) is intended for the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that does not occur in pediatric patients or that occurs in pediatric patients in such numbers that the development of the device for such patients is impossible, highly impracticable, or unsafe. If an HDE-approved device does not meet this eligibility criteria, the device cannot be sold for profit. With enactment of the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017, Congress provided that the exemption for the HUD/HDE profitability is available as long as the request for an exemption is submitted on or before October 1, 2022. Not receiving an exemption for the HUD/HDE profitability would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, if the FDA subsequently approves a PMA or clears a 510(k) for the HUD or another comparable device with the same indication, the FDA may withdraw the HDE. Once a comparable device becomes legally marketed through PMA approval or 510(k) clearance to treat or diagnose the disease or condition in question, there may no longer be a need for the HUD and so the HUD may no longer meet the requirements of section 520(m)(2)(B) of the FD&C Act.

The Company plans to expand its operations and it may not be able to manage its growth effectively, which could strain its resources and delay or derail implementation of its business objectives.

The Company will need to significantly expand its operations to implement its longer-term business plan and growth strategies, including building and expanding its internal organizational infrastructure to complete the regulatory approval process with the FDA. The Company will also be required to manage and form new relationships with various strategic partners, technology licensors, customers, manufacturers and suppliers, consultants and other third parties. This expansion and these new relationships will require the Company to significantly improve or replace its existing managerial, operational and financial systems, and procedures and controls; to improve the coordination between its various corporate functions; and to manage, train, motivate and maintain a growing employee base. The time and costs to effectuate these steps may place a significant strain on its management personnel, systems and resources, particularly if there are limited financial resources and skilled employees available at the time. The Company cannot assure that it will institute, in a timely manner or at all, the improvements to its managerial, operational and financial systems, procedures and controls necessary to support its anticipated increased levels of

operations and to coordinate its various corporate functions, or that it will be able to properly manage, train, motivate and retain its anticipated increased employee base. If it cannot manage its growth initiatives, the Company will be unable to commercialize its products on a large-scale in a timely manner, if at all, and its business could fail.

The Company will initially depend on revenue generated from a single product and in the foreseeable future will be significantly dependent on a limited number of products.

If the Company receives approval from the FDA and other regulatory authorities, the Company will initially depend on revenue generated from its SCD product candidate for pediatric and adult patients with AKI and in the foreseeable future will be significantly dependent on a single or limited number of products. Given that, for the foreseeable future, the Company’s business will depend on a single or limited number of products, to the extent a particular product is not well-received by the market, the Company’s sales volume, prospects, business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

If the Company fails to comply with extensive regulations of United States and foreign regulatory agencies, the commercialization of its products could be delayed or prevented entirely.

The Company’s SCD product candidate and research and development activities are subject to extensive government regulations related to its development, testing, manufacturing and commercialization in the United States and other countries. The determination of when and whether a product is ready for large-scale purchase and potential use in the United States will be made by the United States government through consultation with a number of governmental agencies, including the FDA, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Company’s SCD has not received regulatory approval from the FDA, or any foreign regulatory agencies, to be commercially marketed and sold. The process of obtaining and complying with FDA and other governmental regulatory approvals and regulations in the United States and in foreign countries is costly, time consuming, uncertain and subject to unanticipated delays. Obtaining such regulatory approvals, if any, can take several years. Despite the time and expense exerted, regulatory approval is never guaranteed. The Company is also subject to the following risks and obligations, among others:

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the FDA may refuse to approve an application if it believes that applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied;

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the FDA may require additional testing for safety and effectiveness;

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the FDA may interpret data from pre-clinical testing and clinical trials in different ways than the Company interprets them;

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if regulatory approval of a product is granted, the approval may be limited to specific indications or limited with respect to its distribution; and

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the FDA may change its approval policies and/or adopt new regulations.

Failure to comply with these or other regulatory requirements of the FDA may subject the Company to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions, including:

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warning letters, untitled letters or other written notice of violations;

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ICU US Equity

ICU · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

Item 1. Business.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

ICU US Equity☆

ICU · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

Item 1. Business.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

ICU US Equity