Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our business is subject to numerous risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and all other information contained in this Annual Report, as well as general economic and business risks, together with any other documents we file with the SEC. If any of the following events actually occur or risks actually materialize, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

Summary of Risks Affecting Our Business

Our business is subject to numerous risks. The following summary highlights some of the risks you should consider with respect to our business and prospects. This summary is not complete, and the risks summarized below are not the only risks we face. You should review and consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which includes a more complete discussion of the risks summarized below as well as a discussion of other risks related to our business and an investment in our common stock, as well as our other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.

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Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline:

● Our operating results are subject to significant fluctuations.

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Risks Relating to our Business and our Industry

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and cannot assure you that we will ever achieve or sustain profitability.

Since our inception, we have incurred significant net losses, including net losses of $175.2 million, $115.5 million, and $94.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $648.5 million. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through sales of our equity securities and debt financings. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to the research and development of our products, including conducting clinical trials, and the commercial launch of Eversense in the United States and Eversense and Eversense XL in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

To implement our business strategy we need to, among other things, gain regulatory approval in other regions where we intend to sell our products, expand our commercial launch in the United States and Europe, and develop future generations of Eversense. We have never been profitable and do not expect to be profitable for at least the next several years. We expect our expenses to increase significantly as we pursue these objectives. The extent of our future operating losses and the timing of profitability are highly uncertain, and we expect to continue incurring expenses and operating losses over the next several years. Any additional operating losses may have an adverse effect on our stockholders' equity, and we cannot assure you that we will ever be able to achieve profitability. Even if we achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our development efforts, obtain regulatory approvals, diversify our product offerings or continue our operations.

Our collaboration and commercialization agreement with Ascensia to market Eversense may not be successful.

We have entered into a collaboration and commercialization agreement with Ascensia, pursuant to which we have granted Ascensia the exclusive right to distribute Eversense worldwide, subject to initial exceptions based on our other current exclusive distribution agreements. Pursuant to this agreement, our future success will be dependent on Ascensia effectively marketing and selling Eversense. We expect that the substantial majority of our future revenue will come pursuant to this agreement in future years. If Ascensia fails to perform satisfactorily under this agreement, including among other things if they are delayed or unsuccessful in growing the adoption of our product, our commercialization efforts and financial results would be directly and adversely affected.

The agreement is terminable by Ascensia under a number of circumstances, including if Eversense 180-day product is not approved in the United States by August 31, 2021 or if we undergo a change of control. The agreement is terminable by either party if the other party materially breaches its obligations under the agreement; provided, however, that if Ascensia is unable to achieve the specified minimum spending or revenue targets described above, then we will only have the right to covert Ascensia’s exclusive rights to nonexclusive rights, which may make it difficult for us to successfully engage with another commercial partner. The agreement is also terminable by either party if the other party undergoes bankruptcy, dissolution or winding up.

We cannot guarantee this agreement with Ascensia will be successful, that it will continue, or that we will be able to achieve or maintain any particular volume of sales under the agreement or increase the volume of sales at a satisfactory pace or at all from this relationship in the future.

Our collaboration and commercialization agreement with Ascensia and the terms of our recent debt and preferred stock transactions may discourage a change of control of our company.

The terms of our agreements with Ascensia and PHC may discourage a third party from acquiring, or attempting to acquire, control of our company, even if a change of control was considered favorable by some or all of our stockholders. For example, because of the exclusivity of the distribution arrangements with Ascensia and the minimum five-year term of that exclusivity (which may be extended under certain circumstances), prospective strategic acquirors may be unwilling to undertake an acquisition of our company. In addition, under the terms of the PHC Notes

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and our convertible preferred stock, we may be required to make significant payments to redeem these notes and to satisfy liquidation preference of our convertible preferred stock upon a change of control.

Our business, product sales and results of operations could be adversely affected by the effects of health epidemics, including the recent COVID-19 outbreak, in regions where we or third parties distribute our products or where we or third parties on which we rely have significant manufacturing facilities, concentrations, clinical trial sites or other business operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has and may continue to, materially affect our operations, including at our headquarters in Maryland and at our clinical trial sites, as well as the business or operations of our manufacturers, distributors or other third parties with whom we conduct business.

Our business could be adversely affected by health epidemics in regions where we sell products, where we have concentrations of clinical trial sites or other business operations, and could cause significant disruption in the operations of third-party manufacturers and distributors upon whom we rely.

For example, in December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, causing a disease referred to as COVID-19, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to multiple countries, including the United States and several European countries. Our headquarters is located in Maryland, and our contract manufacturers are located in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our distributors are located in the United States and various countries in Europe.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, and the U.S. government imposed travel restrictions on travel between the United States, Europe and certain other countries. Further, the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, invoking powers under the Stafford Act, the legislation that directs federal emergency disaster response. Similarly, the Governor of Maryland has issued an order closing all non-essential businesses, which took effect on March 23, 2020. Substantially all of our workforce is now working from home either all or substantially all of the time. The effects of the Maryland order and our work-from-home policies may negatively impact productivity, disrupt our business and delay our clinical programs, regulatory and commercialization timelines, the magnitude of which will depend, in part, on the length and severity of the restrictions and other limitations on our ability to conduct our business in the ordinary course. These and similar, and perhaps more severe, disruptions in our operations could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

Quarantines, shelter-in-place and similar government orders, or the perception that such orders, shutdowns or other restrictions on the conduct of business operations could occur, related to COVID-19 or other infectious diseases could impact personnel at third-party manufacturing facilities in the United States and other countries, or the availability or cost of materials, which would disrupt our supply chain. In particular, some of our suppliers of certain materials used in the production of our sensors and transmitters are located in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and the United States. For example, any manufacturing supply interruption of Eversense or future generation products, could adversely affect our ability to conduct planned clinical trials and commercialization activities.

Sales and demand for Eversense have been and may be adversely affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions in the distributions of Eversense could result if patients are physically quarantined, if physicians restrict access to their facilities for a material period of time, if we are unable to train new physicians, if patients are unable or unwilling to visit health care providers, or if health care providers prioritize treatment of acute or communicable illnesses over diabetes management. At various times during the COVID-19 pandemic, (i) our or our partners’ ability to visit physician offices have been restricted, and (ii) insertions of Eversense have been adversely impacted. During the pandemic, these and other risks could recur or continue. In addition, in the spring of 2020 we announced changes in our ability to market Eversense in the U.S., substantially reduced our sales and marketing capabilities, and limited or ceased our efforts to secure new Eversense patients in the U.S. The impact of these actions on patients and health care providers could delay or negatively impact our ability to stabilize and grow sales of Eversense in the U.S.

In addition, our clinical trials may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical site initiation and patient enrollment may be delayed due to prioritization of hospital resources toward the COVID-19 pandemic. Some patients may not be able to comply with clinical trial protocols if quarantines impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare

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services. Similarly, our ability to recruit and retain patients and principal investigators and site staff who, as healthcare providers, may have heightened exposure to COVID-19 and adversely impact our clinical trial operations.

The spread of COVID-19, which has caused a broad impact globally, may materially affect us economically. While the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, COVID-19 may be difficult to assess or predict, a widespread pandemic could result in significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could negatively affect our liquidity. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our common stock.

The review of our products by the FDA and other regulators has been and may continue to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 30, 2020 we submitted a PMA supplement application to extend the wearable life of the Eversense CGM System to 180 days to the FDA. Following the submission of the PMA, we have received communication from the FDA advising us that the reallocation of agency resources to address Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) applications for products related to the COVID-19 public health emergency is affecting marketing application reviews, including the Eversense 180-day product. Based on a February 19, 2021 communication, we understand that the FDA expects to assign a reviewer, and that our PMA will be placed under review, no later than April 15, 2021. Based on the passage of time and this new information from the FDA, we are anticipating approval no earlier than the second half of 2021. The timing to completion and outcome of such a review is uncertain, as is the impact of COVID-19 on agency review timelines or possible delays. A delay in the approval of our 180-day product in the U.S. could delay Ascensia from being able to market a product with longer duration and other additional patient benefits to the U.S. market and could adversely affect our net revenues and financial results.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to rapidly evolve. The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or a similar health epidemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical trials, commercialization efforts, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole. However, these effects could have a material impact on our operations, and we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely.

We have limited commercialization experience in the United States and Europe. If we are unable to successfully expand our commercialization of Eversense in the United States and Europe, or if Ascensia experiences difficulties is establishing support for Eversense, our business will be harmed.

We have limited commercialization experience in both the United States and Europe. We have invested substantially all of our efforts and financial resources to the development and commercialization of Eversense. Our ability to generate revenue from our products will depend heavily on successful commercialization of products in the United States and Europe, including through our new collaboration with Ascensia, and on continuing development of future generations of our Eversense system. The success of any products that we develop will depend on several factors, including:

● receipt of timely marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;

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Our revenue is dependent, in part, upon the size of the markets in the territories for which we have regulatory approval, the accepted price for the product, the ability to obtain coverage and reimbursement, and whether we own the commercial rights for that territory. If the number of people with diabetes we target is not as significant as we estimate or the treatment population is narrowed by competition, physician choice or treatment guidelines, we may not generate significant revenue from sales of such products.

Our revenue is also dependent on the success of Ascensia in commercializing our product. Our product is a new product for Ascensia globally and they must additionally establish certain functions of their U.S. commercial organization to successfully market and sell our CGM system. If Ascensia experiences difficulties or delays in establishing sales and other functions that are required to support the product or adjusting to the requirements of supporting our product, there could be a materially negative impact on our net revenues from Eversense.

Approval in the United States by the FDA or by a regulatory agency in another country does not guarantee approval by the regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or ensure approval for the same conditions of use. In addition, clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries. Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional administrative review periods. If we do not achieve one or more of these approvals in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to fully commercialize Eversense and achieve profitability.

Both before and after a product is commercially released, we will have ongoing responsibilities under U.S. and EU regulations. We will also be subject to periodic inspections by the FDA, the corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and EEA and comparable foreign authorities to determine compliance with regulatory requirements, such as the Quality System Regulation, or QSR, of the FDA, medical device reporting regulations, vigilance in reporting of adverse events and regulations regarding notification, corrections, and recalls. These inspections can result in observations or reports, warning letters or other similar notices or forms of enforcement action. If the FDA, the corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and EEA or any comparable foreign authority concludes that we are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, or that any of our products are ineffective or pose an unreasonable health risk, such authority could ban these products, suspend or cancel our marketing authorizations, impose "stop-sale" and "stop-import" orders, refuse to issue export certificates, detain or seize adulterated or misbranded products, order a recall, repair, replacement, correction or refund of such products, or require us to notify health providers and others that the products present unreasonable risks of substantial harm to the public health. Discovery of previously unknown problems with our product's design or manufacture may result in restrictions on the use of Eversense, restrictions placed on us or our suppliers, or withdrawal of an existing regulatory clearance for Eversense. The FDA, the corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and EEA or comparable foreign authorities may also impose operating restrictions, enjoin and restrain certain violations of applicable law pertaining to medical devices, assess civil or criminal penalties against our officers, employees or us, or recommend criminal prosecution of our company. Adverse regulatory action may restrict us from effectively marketing and selling our products. In addition, negative publicity and product liability claims resulting from any adverse regulatory action could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Foreign governmental regulations have become increasingly stringent and more extensive, and we may become subject to even more rigorous regulation by foreign governmental authorities in the future. Penalties for a company's noncompliance with foreign governmental regulation could be severe, including revocation or suspension of a company's business license and civil or criminal sanctions. In some jurisdictions, such as Germany, any violation of a law related to medical devices is also considered to be a violation of unfair competition law. In such cases, governmental authorities, our competitors and business or consumer associations may then file lawsuits to prohibit us from commercializing Eversense in such jurisdictions. Our competitors may also sue us for damages. Any domestic or foreign governmental law or regulation imposed in the future may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

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We are dependent on one product, Eversense. Our success depends on our ability to continue to develop, commercialize and gain market acceptance for our products.

Our current business strategy is highly dependent on the successful commercialization of Eversense and achieving and maintaining market acceptance. In order to sell Eversense to people with diabetes, we or our commercialization partners must educate them, their caregivers and healthcare providers that Eversense is an attractive alternative to competitive products for the monitoring of glucose levels, including SMBG, as well as other competitive CGM systems and alternatives to CGM methodologies. Market acceptance and adoption of Eversense depends on educating people with diabetes, as well as their caregivers and healthcare providers, as to the distinct features, ease-of-use, positive lifestyle impact, and other perceived benefits of Eversense as compared to competitive products.

Achieving and maintaining market acceptance of Eversense could be negatively impacted by many factors, including:

In addition, Eversense may be perceived by people with diabetes, their caregivers or healthcare providers to be more complicated or less effective than traditional monitoring methodologies, including SMBG or CGM systems which require less calibration, and people may be unwilling to change their current regimens.

Moreover, healthcare providers tend to be slow to change their medical treatment practices because of perceived liability risks arising from the use of new products and the uncertainty of third-party payor reimbursement. Accordingly, healthcare providers may not recommend Eversense unless and until there is sufficient evidence to convince them to alter the treatment methods they typically recommend, such as receiving recommendations from prominent healthcare providers or other key opinion leaders in the diabetes treatment community.

If we are not successful in educating people with diabetes of the benefits of Eversense, or if we are unable to achieve the support of caregivers and healthcare providers or widespread market acceptance for Eversense, then our sales potential, strategic objectives and profitability could be negatively impacted, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

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If we do not enhance our product offerings through our research and development efforts, we may fail to effectively compete or become profitable.

In order to capture and grow market share in the intensively managed diabetes market, we will need to enhance and broaden our product offerings in response to the evolving demands of people with diabetes and healthcare providers, as well as competitive pressures and technologies. These development needs include additional features, extended product life and other attributes we believe may be desired by patients. We may not be successful in developing, obtaining regulatory approval for, or marketing future versions of Eversense. In addition, notwithstanding our market research efforts, our future products may not be accepted by people with diabetes, their caregivers, healthcare providers or third-party payors who reimburse people with diabetes for Eversense and healthcare providers for their services. The success of Eversense or future versions of Eversense will depend on numerous factors, including our ability, and the ability of our commercial partners, to:

● develop and introduce future generations of Eversense in a timely manner;

If we fail to generate demand by developing products that incorporate features requested by people with diabetes, their caregivers or healthcare providers, or if we do not obtain regulatory clearance or approval for future versions of Eversense in time to meet market demand, we may fail to generate sales sufficient to achieve or maintain profitability. We have in the past experienced, and we may in the future experience, delays in various phases of product development, approval and commercial launch, including during research and development, regulatory submission and approval, manufacturing, limited release testing, marketing and customer education efforts. Any delays in our anticipated product launches may significantly impede our ability to successfully compete in our markets. In particular, such delays could cause customers to delay or forego purchases of our products, or to purchase our competitors' products. Even if we are able to successfully develop future versions of Eversense when anticipated, these products may not produce sales in excess of the costs of development, and they may be quickly rendered obsolete by the changing preferences of people with diabetes or the introduction by our competitors of products embodying new technologies or features.

Failure to secure or retain coverage or adequate reimbursement for Eversense or future versions of Eversense systems, including the related insertion and removal procedures, by third-party payors, and an inability of patients to be able to access the product, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We plan to derive nearly all of our revenue from sales of Eversense in the United States and Europe and expect to do so for the next several years. Patients who receive treatment for their medical conditions and their healthcare providers generally rely on third party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their medical treatment, including healthcare providers' services. As a result, access to coverage and adequate reimbursement for Eversense by third-party payors is essential to the acceptance of our products by people with diabetes. Similarly, healthcare providers may choose not to order a product unless third-party payors cover and reimburse a substantial portion of the product. Coverage determinations and reimbursement levels of both our products and the healthcare provider's performance of the insertion and removal procedures are critical to the commercial success of our product, and if we or our commercial partners are not able to secure positive coverage determinations and reimbursement levels for our products or the insertion and removal procedures, our business would be materially adversely affected.

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Within and outside the United States, reimbursement is obtained from a variety of sources, including government sponsored and private health insurance plans. These third-party payors determine whether to provide reimbursement for specific products and procedures. A third-party payor's decision to provide coverage for our products does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be obtained. Further, one third-party payor's decision to cover our products does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the products or will provide coverage at an adequate reimbursement rate. In addition, there may be significant delays in obtaining a reimbursement determination, and coverage, if granted, may be more limited than the purposes for which the product is cleared by the FDA, the corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and EEA or other foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers its associated costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. For example, payment rates may vary according to the use of the product and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost products that are already reimbursed, and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for products may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or third-party payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of products from countries where they may be sold at lower prices.

Private insurance companies and other private, third-party payors set payor-specific reimbursement policies. The extent of coverage and the rate of reimbursement varies on a payor-by-payor basis. Most of the largest private third-party payors, in terms of the number of covered lives, have issued coverage policies for the category of CGM devices. These policies include varied coverage requirements regarding patient condition and characteristics. Many of these coverage policies reimburse for CGM systems under durable medical equipment benefits, which are restrictive in nature and require the healthcare provider or supplier to comply with extensive documentation and other requirements. In addition, those third-party payors that cover CGM products may and have included limitations as to the patient conditions and characteristics eligible for coverage and may adopt different coverage and reimbursement policies for our products, which could also diminish payments for Eversense. It is possible that some third-party payors will not offer any coverage for our products.

Eversense is an implantable medical device in the clinic setting and thus follows a different reimbursement path when compared to the current CGM class. Some payors will adopt a payment methodology that will bundle payment of device and procedure back to the implanting clinic. Other payors may choose to reimburse device and procedure separately. Without a Category 1 code to define the payment process, there will be some heterogeneity in this process. Given this heterogeneity, we will have to work closely with certified clinics to keep abreast of which process to follow and what to expect. This will be disruptive to some clinics and could delay product uptake until the process of payment becomes more homogenous and well defined for clinics to follow. Until a steady state is reached, delays in processing and clinic operating coordination could result in the loss of sales, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Third-party payors, whether foreign or domestic, or governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs by imposing lower payment rates and negotiating reduced contract rates, among others. As such, we believe that future coverage and reimbursement may be subject to increased restrictions, such as additional preauthorization requirements, both in the United States and in international markets. Our dependence on the commercial success of our Eversense products makes us particularly susceptible to any cost containment or reduction efforts. If third-party coverage and reimbursement of products for which we may receive regulatory approval is not available or adequate in either the United States or international markets, or if our production costs increase faster than increases in reimbursement levels, we or our commercial partners may be unable to sell Eversense or future versions of Eversense profitably and our business would be adversely impacted.

In March 2019, we launched a patient access program, the Eversense Bridge Program, to assist those patients who do not have insurance coverage for Eversense, or whose insurance is denied or insufficient. Pursuant to this program, we provided financial assistance to eligible patients purchasing Eversense, which may have been substantial depending on a patient’s insurance coverage. We also assisted patients in their appeal of adverse coverage decisions made by insurance providers. In December 2020, we terminated the Eversense Bridge Program. We expect our partner Ascensia to implement a patient assistance program and related programs as part of its commercialization efforts. The lack of a patient assistance program, or a program’s design being ineffective, could adversely impact the sales of

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Eversense and, consequently our net revenues. In addition, we may not be able to recognize a substantial portion of the revenue related to Eversense insertions for the patients participating in these access programs. The amount of time required to obtain favorable coverage and reimbursement decisions, including navigating the appeals process with third-party payors, is uncertain, and we may see increased product utilization without corresponding recognized revenue. Our operating results may be adversely impacted if we are unable to obtain successful appeals or favorable coverage decisions by insurance providers, or if there are not effective patient access programs in place.

If important assumptions we have made about what people with intensively managed diabetes are seeking in a CGM system are inaccurate, our business and operating results may be adversely affected.

Our business strategy was developed based on a number of important assumptions about the diabetes industry in general, and the intensively managed diabetes market in particular, any one or more of which may prove to be inaccurate. For example, we believe that the benefits of CGM will continue to drive increased rates of market acceptance for products in this space. However, this trend is uncertain and limited sources exist to obtain reliable market data.

Another key element of our business strategy is utilizing market research to understand how people with diabetes are seeking to improve their diabetes therapy management. This strategy underlies our entire product design, marketing and customer support approach and is the basis on which we developed Eversense. However, our market research is based on interviews, focus groups and online surveys involving people with intensively managed diabetes, their caregivers and healthcare providers that represent only a small percentage of the overall intensively managed diabetes market. As a result, the attributes we incorporated into the Eversense system may not be reflective of what is desired by the various constituents in the diabetes market. Consequently, our estimates of our future market share and penetration may not be accurate and our sales may be less than estimated.

We operate in a very competitive industry and if we fail to compete successfully against our existing or potential competitors, many of whom have greater resources than we have, our sales and operating results may be negatively affected.

The market for CGM systems is developing and competitive, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions. We compete with well-capitalized companies, some of which are publicly traded, that manufacture CGM systems including Dexcom, Medtronic and Abbott. Each of these companies has received approval from the FDA to market their respective CGM system. Dexcom’s CGM system was the first CGM system to be approved by the FDA for marketing as a non-adjunctive device, and Abbott’s Freestyle Libre was also approved for non-adjunctive use. Both Dexcom (G6) and Abbott (Freestyle Libre) systems have factory calibration, and do not require user calibration.

Dexcom has also received the first FDA iCGM indication allowing its Dexcom G6 to be interoperable with other diabetes tech devices such as insulin pumps. As the industry evolves, we anticipate encountering increasing competition from companies that integrate CGM with insulin pumps. Abbott also received an iCGM indication for their Freestyle Libre 2 product and we expect all other CGM companies to pursue an iCGM indication including Medtronic.

In addition to CGM providers, we also compete with providers of SMBG systems. Three companies currently account for a substantial share of the worldwide sales of SMBG systems: Roche Diabetes Care, a division of Roche Diagnostics; Abbott; and Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG.

In addition to CGM providers, we also compete with providers of traditional SMBG systems, including Roche Diabetes Care, a division of Roche Diagnostics; Abbott; and Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG. There are also a number of academic and other institutions involved in various phases of our industry's technology development.

Many of these competitors enjoy several advantages over us, including:

● established relationships with healthcare providers and third-party payors;

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● in some cases, an established base of long-time customers;

● products supported by long-term clinical data;

● larger and more established sales, marketing and distribution networks;

In addition, mergers and acquisitions in the diabetes industry may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and subject registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or that may be necessary for, our programs.

If we are unable to effectively compete with our competitors, we may fail to meet our strategic objectives, and our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

Competitive products or other technological innovations for the monitoring, treatment or prevention of diabetes may render our products less competitive or obsolete.

Our ability to achieve our strategic objectives will depend, among other things, on our ability to develop and commercialize products for the monitoring and management of diabetes that offer distinct features, have a longer duration than available alternatives, are easy-to-use, receive adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors, include essential safety features and are more appealing than available alternatives. Our primary competitors, as well as a number of other companies, medical researchers and existing medical device companies are pursuing new delivery devices, delivery technologies, sensing technologies, procedures, drugs and other therapies for the monitoring, treatment and prevention of diabetes. For example, the National Institutes of Health and other supporters of diabetes research are continually seeking ways to prevent, cure or improve treatment of diabetes, which if successful could render glucose monitoring devices, like Eversense, obsolete. Any technological breakthroughs in diabetes monitoring, treatment or prevention could reduce the potential market for Eversense or render Eversense less competitive or obsolete altogether, which would significantly reduce our potential sales.

Because of the size of the diabetes market, we anticipate that companies will continue to dedicate significant resources to developing competitive products. The frequent introduction by competitors of products that are, or claim to be, superior to our products may create market confusion that may make it difficult to differentiate the benefits of our products over competitive products. In addition, the entry of multiple new products may lead some of our competitors to employ pricing strategies that could adversely affect the pricing of our products. If a competitor develops a product that competes with or is perceived to be superior to Eversense, or if a competitor employs strategies that place downward pressure on pricing within our industry, our sales may decline significantly or may not increase in line with our expectations, either of which would harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

The size and future growth in the market for CGM systems and CGM-related products has not been established with precision and may be smaller than we estimate, possibly materially. If our estimates and projections overestimate the size of this market, our sales growth may be adversely affected.

Our estimates of the size and future growth in the market for CGM systems and CGM-related products, including the number of people currently managing their diabetes with insulin who may benefit from and be amenable to using Eversense, is based on a number of internal and third-party studies, reports and estimates. In addition, our internal estimates are based in large part on current treatment patterns by healthcare providers using CGM systems and our belief that the incidence of diabetes in the United States and worldwide is increasing. While we believe these factors have historically provided and may continue to provide us with effective tools in estimating the total market for CGM systems and CGM related products and our products, these estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our

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estimates may change at any time, thereby reducing the predictive accuracy of these underlying factors. The actual incidence of diabetes, and the actual demand for our products or competitive products, could differ materially from our projections if our assumptions are incorrect. As a result, our estimates of the size and future growth in the market for our CGM systems may prove to be incorrect. If the actual number of people with diabetes who would benefit from Eversense and the size and future growth in the market for Eversense is smaller than we have estimated, it may impair our projected sales growth and have an adverse impact on our business.

Our ability to maintain and grow our revenue will depend on establishing a customer base and retaining a high percentage of our customer base.

A key to maintaining and growing our revenue will be establishing a customer base and retaining a high percentage of our customers due to the potentially significant revenue generated from ongoing purchases of disposable sensors. Ascensia intends to continue developing customer loyalty programs to help with retention aimed at patients, their caregivers and healthcare providers, which include patient ambassadors, training specific to Eversense, ongoing support by sales and clinical employees and 24/7 technical support and customer service. If demand for our products fluctuates as a result of the introduction of competitive products, changes in reimbursement policies, manufacturing problems, perceived safety issues with our or our competitors' products, the failure to secure regulatory clearance or approvals, or for other reasons, our ability to attract and retain customers could be harmed. The failure to retain a high percentage of our customers would negatively impact our business, financial condition and operating results.

We have limited operating history as a commercial-stage company and may face difficulties encountered by companies early in their commercialization in competitive and rapidly evolving markets.

Our experience as a commercial-stage company upon which to evaluate our business, future sales expectations and operating results is limited. In assessing our business prospects, you should consider the various risks and difficulties frequently encountered by companies early in their commercialization in competitive and rapidly evolving markets, particularly companies that develop and sell medical devices. These risks include our ability to:

● obtain regulatory clearance or approval to commercialize our products;

● implement and execute our business strategy;

● manage expanding operations;

● respond effectively to competitive pressures and developments;

● enhance Eversense and develop future versions of Eversense; and

Due to our limited operating history as a commercial-stage company, we may not have the institutional knowledge or experience to be able to effectively address these and other risks that may face our business. In addition, we may not be able to develop insights into trends that could emerge and negatively affect our business and may fail to respond effectively to those trends. As a result of these or other risks, we may not be able to execute key components of our business strategy, and our business, financial condition and operating results may suffer.

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We contract with third parties for the manufacture of Eversense. Risks associated with the manufacturing of our products could reduce our gross margins and negatively affect our operating results.

We do not have any manufacturing facilities or direct manufacturing personnel. We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of Eversense for commercial sale and development of future CGM products. Our business strategy depends on our third-party manufacturers' ability to manufacture Eversense in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis so as to meet consumer demand, while adhering to product quality standards, complying with regulatory requirements and managing manufacturing costs. We are subject to numerous risks relating to our reliance on the manufacturing capabilities of our third-party manufacturers, including:

● quality or reliability defects in Eversense;

● failure to increase production of Eversense to meet demand;

These risks are likely to be exacerbated by our limited experience with Eversense and its manufacturing process. As demand for our products increases, our third-party suppliers will need to invest additional resources to purchase components, hire and train employees, and enhance their manufacturing processes. If our manufacturers fail to increase production capacity efficiently, our sales may not increase in line with our expectations and our operating margins could fluctuate or decline. Further, we may be required to fund capital investments at our third-party suppliers to support increased production capacity. In addition, although we expect some of our future versions of Eversense to share product features and components with our current Eversense and Eversense XL versions, manufacturing these future versions of Eversense may require the modification of production lines, the identification of new manufacturers for specific components, or the development of new manufacturing technologies. It may not be possible for us to manufacture these products at a cost or in quantities sufficient to make these future versions of Eversense commercially viable.

We depend on a limited number of third-party suppliers for the components of Eversense and the loss of any of these suppliers, or their inability to provide us with an adequate supply of materials, could harm our business.

We rely on third-party suppliers to supply and manufacture the components of our Eversense system. For our business strategy to be successful, our suppliers must be able to provide us with components and Eversense systems in sufficient quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements and quality control standards, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable costs and on a timely basis. Future increases in sales of Eversense, whether expected or unanticipated, could strain the ability of our suppliers to deliver an increasingly large supply of components and Eversense systems in a manner that meets these various requirements.

We generally use a small number of suppliers of components for our products. Depending on a limited number of suppliers exposes us to risks, including limited control over pricing, availability, quality and delivery schedules. Generally, we do not have long-term supply agreements with our suppliers, and, in many cases, we make our purchases on a purchase order basis. Under most of our supply and manufacturing agreements, we have no obligation to buy any given quantity of products, and our suppliers have no obligation to sell us or to manufacture for us any given quantity of components or products. As a result, our ability to purchase adequate quantities of components or our products may be limited, and we may not be able to convince suppliers to make components and products available to us. Additionally, our suppliers may encounter problems that limit their ability to supply components or manufacture products for us, including financial difficulties, damage to their manufacturing equipment or facilities, or product discontinuations. As a result, there is a risk that certain components could be discontinued and no longer available to us. We may be required to make significant "last time" purchases of component inventory that is being discontinued by the supplier to ensure

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supply continuity. If we fail to obtain sufficient quantities of high-quality components to meet demand for our products in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, we would have to seek alternative sources of supply. Because of factors such as the proprietary nature of our products, our quality control standards and regulatory requirements, we may not be able to quickly engage additional or replacement suppliers for some of our critical components. Failure of any of our suppliers to deliver components at the level our business requires could disrupt the manufacturing of our products and limit our ability to meet our sales commitments, which could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business.

We may also have difficulty obtaining similar components from other suppliers that are acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory agencies, and the failure of our suppliers to comply with strictly enforced regulatory requirements could expose us to regulatory action including warning letters, product recalls, and termination of distribution, product seizures or civil penalties. It could also require us to cease using the components, seek alternative components or technologies and modify our products to incorporate alternative components or technologies, which could result in a requirement to seek additional regulatory approvals. Any disruption of this nature or increased expenses could harm our commercialization efforts and adversely affect our operating results.

Our third-party suppliers operate primarily at facilities in a single location, and any disruption to these facilities could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Each of our third-party suppliers operates at a facility in a single location and substantially all of our inventory of component supplies and finished goods is held at these locations. We, and our suppliers, take precautions to safeguard facilities, including acquiring insurance, employing back-up generators, adopting health and safety protocols and utilizing off-site storage of computer data. However, vandalism, terrorism or a natural or other disaster, such as an earthquake, health epidemic, such as the coronavirus, fire or flood, could damage or destroy equipment or our inventory of component supplies or finished products, cause substantial delays in our operations, result in the loss of key information, or cause us to incur additional expenses. Our insurance may not cover our losses in any particular case. In addition, regardless of the level of insurance coverage, damage to our or our suppliers' facilities could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Various factors outside our direct control may adversely affect manufacturing, sterilization and distribution of our products.

The manufacture, sterilization and distribution of our products is challenging. Changes that our suppliers may make outside the purview of our direct control can have an impact on our processes, quality of our products and the successful delivery of products to our customers. Mistakes and mishandling are not uncommon and can affect supply and delivery. Some of these risks include:

If any of these risks were to materialize, our ability to provide our products to customers on a timely basis would be adversely impacted.

Potential complications from Eversense or future versions of Eversense may not be revealed by our clinical experience.

Based on our experience, complications from use of Eversense may include sensor errors, sensor failures or skin irritation under the adhesive dressing of the transmitter. Inflammation or redness, swelling, minor infection, and minor

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bleeding at the sensor insertion site are also possible risks with an individual's use of the device. However, if unanticipated side-effects result from the use of Eversense or future versions of Eversense, we could be subject to liability and our systems would not be widely adopted. Additionally, we have limited clinical experience with repeated use of our CGM system in the same patient or the same insertion site. We cannot assure you that long-term use would not result in unanticipated complications, even after the device is removed.

Undetected errors or defects in Eversense or future versions of Eversense could harm our reputation, decrease the market acceptance of Eversense or expose us to product liability claims.

Eversense or future versions of Eversense may contain undetected errors or defects. Disruptions or other performance problems with Eversense or future versions of Eversense, including our sensors not lasting for the full approved duration of use, may harm our reputation. If that occurs, we may incur significant costs, the attention of our key personnel could be diverted, or other significant customer relations problems may arise. We may also be subject to increased warranty and liability claims for damages related to errors or defects in Eversense or future versions of Eversense. A material liability claim or other occurrence that harms our reputation or decreases market acceptance of Eversense could harm our business and operating results. This risk exists even if a device is cleared or approved for commercial sale and manufactured in facilities licensed and regulated by the FDA or an applicable foreign regulatory authority. Any side effects, manufacturing defects, misuse or abuse associated with Eversense or future versions of Eversense systems could result in patient injury or death. The medical device industry has historically been subject to extensive litigation over product liability claims, and we cannot offer any assurance that we will not face product liability lawsuits.

The sale and use of Eversense or future versions of Eversense could lead to the filing of product liability claims if someone were to allege that Eversense or one of our products contained a design or manufacturing defect. A product liability claim could result in substantial damages and be costly and time consuming to defend, either of which could materially harm our business or financial condition. Product liability claims may be brought against us by people with diabetes, healthcare providers or others selling or otherwise coming into contact with our products, among others. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we will incur substantial liabilities and reputational harm. In addition, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:

● costs of litigation;

● distraction of management's attention from our primary business;

● the inability to commercialize Eversense or future versions of Eversense;

● decreased demand for Eversense;

● damage to our business reputation;

● product recalls or withdrawals from the market;

● withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

● substantial monetary awards to patients or other claimants; or

● loss of revenue.

While we currently maintain product liability insurance covering claims up to $10.0 million per incident, we cannot assure you that such insurance would adequately protect our assets from the financial impact of defending a product liability claim. Any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could increase our product liability insurance rates or prevent us from securing such insurance coverage in the future.

If there are significant disruptions in our information technology systems, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

The efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage patient requisitions and data, customer service cases and replacement obligations, marketing data, accounting and financial functions, inventory and order management, product quality records, research and development data, and technical support functions. Despite our security measures, our information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters, terrorist attacks, attacks by computer viruses or hackers, power losses, and computer system or data

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network failures. In addition, our data management application and a variety of our software systems, including the software in our smart transmitter, are hosted by third-party service providers whose security and information technology systems are subject to similar risks, which could be subject to computer viruses or hacker attacks or other failures. If our or our third-party service provider's security systems are breached or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to obtain access to sensitive data. If we or our third-party service providers were to experience a breach compromising sensitive data, our brand and reputation could be adversely affected, and the use of our products could decrease.

The failure of our or our service providers' information technology systems or our transmitter's software to perform as we anticipate or our failure to effectively implement new information technology systems could disrupt our entire operation or adversely affect our products and could result in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, and product shortages, all of which could negatively affect our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

We may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships with third parties that may not result in the development of commercially viable products or the generation of significant future revenues.

In the ordinary course of our business, we may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnerships or other arrangements to develop products and to pursue new markets. Proposing, negotiating and implementing collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships may be a lengthy and complex process. Other companies, including those with substantially greater financial, marketing, sales, technology or other business resources, may compete with us for these opportunities or arrangements. We may not identify, secure, or complete any such transactions or arrangements in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, on acceptable terms or at all. We have limited institutional knowledge and experience with respect to these business development activities, and we may also not realize the anticipated benefits of any such transaction or arrangement. In particular, these collaborations may not result in the development of products that achieve commercial success or result in significant revenues and could be terminated prior to developing any products.

Additionally, we may not be in a position to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the transaction or arrangement, which could create the potential risk of creating impasses on decisions, and our future collaborators may have economic or business interests or goals that are, or that may become, inconsistent with our business interests or goals. It is possible that conflicts may arise with our collaborators, such as conflicts concerning the achievement of performance milestones, or the interpretation of significant terms under any agreement, such as those related to financial obligations or the ownership or control of intellectual property developed during the collaboration. If any conflicts arise with any future collaborators, they may act in their self-interest, which may be adverse to our best interest, and they may breach their obligations to us. For example, one of our vendors who provides a component to the Eversense sensor has communicated to us its belief that one of its employees should be named as a co-inventor on a related patent application. We have communicated to the third party that its employee should not be named as a co-inventor and its employee has not been named as a co-inventor to date. In addition, we may have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that any future collaborators devote to our or their future products. Disputes between us and our collaborators may result in litigation or arbitration which would increase our expenses and divert the attention of our management. Further, these transactions and arrangements will be contractual in nature and will generally be terminable under the terms of the applicable agreements and, in such event, we may not continue to have rights to the products relating to such transaction or arrangement or may need to purchase such rights at a premium.

If we enter into in-bound intellectual property license agreements, we may not be able to fully protect the licensed intellectual property rights or maintain those licenses. Future licensors could retain the right to prosecute and defend the intellectual property rights licensed to us, in which case we would depend on the ability of our licensors to obtain, maintain and enforce intellectual property protection for the licensed intellectual property. These licensors may determine not to pursue litigation against other companies or may pursue such litigation less aggressively than we would. Further, entering into such license agreements could impose various diligence, commercialization, royalty or other obligations on us. Future licensors may allege that we have breached our license agreement with them, and accordingly seek to terminate our license, which could adversely affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects.

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We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of complementary products or technologies, and the failure to manage acquisitions, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

From time to time, we may consider opportunities to acquire other companies, products or technologies that may enhance our product platform or technology, expand the breadth of our markets or customer base, or advance our business strategies. Potential acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:

● problems assimilating the acquired products or technologies;

● issues maintaining uniform standards, procedures, controls and policies;

● unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions;

● diversion of management's attention from our existing business;

● unanticipated or undisclosed liabilities of any target.

We have no current commitments with respect to any acquisition. We do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such acquisitions on favorable terms or at all, or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired products or technologies. Our potential inability to integrate any acquired products or technologies effectively may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Risks Related to our Financial Results and Need for Financing

We will need to generate significant sales to achieve profitable operations.

We intend to increase our operating expenses in connection with the commercialization of Eversense with our collaboration partner Ascensia, our ongoing research and development activities including the development of next generation products and the clinical trials for those products, and the commensurate development of our management and administrative functions. We will need to generate significant sales to achieve profitability, and we might not be able to do so. Even if we do generate significant sales, we might not be able to achieve, sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future. If our sales grow more slowly than we expect, or if our operating expenses exceed our expectations, our financial performance and operating results will be adversely affected.

Our operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter or year to year.

We have limited operating history as a commercial-stage company and we anticipate that there will be meaningful variability in our operating results among years and quarters, as well as within each year and quarter. Our operating results, and the variability of these operating results, will be affected by numerous factors, including:

● interruption in the manufacturing or distribution of our products;

● seasonality and other factors affecting the timing of purchases of Eversense;

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● results of clinical research and trials on our products in development;

As a result of our lack of operating history as a commercial-stage company and Ascensia’s lack of experience selling CGM systems, and Eversense in particular, and due to the complexities of the industry and regulatory framework in which we operate, it will be difficult for us to forecast demand for our future products and to forecast our sales with any degree of certainty. For example, many of the products we will seek to develop and introduce in the future will require regulatory approval or clearance and import licenses before we can sell such products and given that the timing of such approvals, clearances or licenses may be uncertain, it will be difficult for us to predict sales projections for these products with any degree of certainty before such approvals, clearances or licenses are obtained. In addition, we will be increasing our operating expenses as we expand our business. Accordingly, we may experience substantial variability in our operating results from year to year and quarter to quarter. If our quarterly or annual operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Furthermore, any quarterly or annual fluctuations in our operating results may, in turn, cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. We believe that quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.

Covenants under the PHC Note Purchase Agreement and the indentures related to the 2023 Notes and the 2025 Notes may result in the acceleration of outstanding indebtedness and limit the manner in which we operate.

The PHC Note Purchase Agreement contains customary terms and covenants, including financial covenants, such as operating within an approved budget and achieving minimum revenue and liquidity targets, and negative covenants, such as limitations on indebtedness, liens, mergers, asset transfers, certain investing activities and other matters customarily restricted in such agreements. Most of these restrictions are subject to certain minimum thresholds and exceptions. The Note Purchase Agreement also contains customary events of default, after which the PHC Notes be due and payable immediately, including defaults related to payment compliance, material inaccuracy of representations and warranties, covenant compliance, material adverse changes, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, cross defaults to certain other agreements, judgments against the Company, change of control or delisting events, termination of any guaranty, governmental approvals, and lien priority.

In addition, the indentures related to the 2023 Notes and the 2025 Notes contain, and any future indebtedness we incur may contain, various negative covenants that restrict, among other things, our ability to:

● make investments or acquisitions;

● create liens;

● enter into transactions with affiliates;

● sell, transfer or otherwise convey certain assets; and

● prepay certain types of indebtedness.

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As a result, we are limited in the manner in which we conduct our business and we may be unable to engage in favorable business activities, repurchase shares of our common stock or finance future operations or capital needs.

Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our substantial debt.

Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

Despite our current debt levels, subject to certain conditions and limitations, we may still incur substantially more debt or take other actions which would intensify the risks discussed above.

Despite our current consolidated debt levels, subject to certain conditions and limitations in the indentures related to the 2023 Notes and the 2025 Notes and PHC Notes, we may be able to incur substantial additional debt in the future, some of which may be secured debt. We may not be subject to any restrictions on incurrence of additional indebtedness under the terms of any future indebtedness. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we and they now face could intensify.

Prolonged negative economic conditions could adversely affect us, our customers and third-party suppliers, which could harm our financial condition.

We are subject to the risks arising from adverse changes in general economic and market conditions. Uncertainty about future economic conditions could negatively impact our existing and potential customers, adversely affect the financial ability of health insurers to pay claims, adversely impact our expenses and ability to obtain financing of our operations, and cause delays or other problems with key suppliers.

Healthcare spending in the United States and Europe has been, and is expected to continue to be, under significant pressure and there are many initiatives to reduce healthcare costs. As a result, we believe that some insurers are scrutinizing insurance claims more rigorously and delaying or denying coverage and reimbursement more often. Because the sale of Eversense will generally depend on the availability of third-party coverage and reimbursement, any delay or decline in coverage and reimbursement will adversely affect our sales.

Our business may be exposed to foreign exchange risks.

We incur some of our expenses and derive revenues from Eversense XL in currencies other than the U.S dollar. As a result, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange risk as our results of operations and cash flows are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We currently do not engage in hedging transactions to protect against uncertainty in future exchange rates between particular foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. Therefore, for example, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro or the British pound could have a negative impact on our revenue and earnings growth as euro and British pound revenue and earnings, if any, are translated into U.S. dollars at a reduced value. We cannot predict the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, and foreign currency fluctuations in the future may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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Risks Related to Development of our Products

If we modify our approved product, we may need to seek additional approvals, which, if not granted, would prevent us from selling our modified products.

A component of our strategy is to continue to modify and upgrade our Eversense system, which requires approval by the FDA and analogous regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions. We may not be able to obtain additional regulatory approvals for new products or for modifications to, or additional indications for, our existing products in a timely fashion, or at all. Delays in obtaining future approvals, including potential delays in obtaining approval of our currently pending applications, would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn would harm our revenue and potential future profitability.

Any modifications to the Eversense that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, including significant design and manufacturing changes, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, manufacture, design, components, or technology requires approval of a new premarket approval application, or PMA, or PMA supplement or similar modifications in other jurisdictions. However, certain changes to a PMA-approved device do not require submission and approval of a new PMA or PMA supplement, or appropriate modifications in other jurisdictions, and may only require notice to FDA in a PMA Annual Report, or similar notifications. In the U.S., the FDA requires every manufacturer to make this determination in the first instance, but the FDA may review any such decision. The FDA may not agree with our decisions regarding whether new approvals are necessary. Our products could be subject to recall if the FDA determines, for any reason, that our products are not safe or effective or that appropriate regulatory submissions were not made. Similar regulatory considerations apply outside the U.S. If new regulatory approvals are required, this could delay or preclude our ability to market the modified system.

Medical device development involves a lengthy and expensive process, with an uncertain outcome. We may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, ongoing development for lifecycle management of our products.

While we have completed pivotal trials in Europe and the United States, we are and may need to conduct future clinical trials in order to develop new versions of our system or to comply with requirements for post-approval studies. For example, subject to regulatory clearance of our IDE, we are planning to initiate a pivotal trial to support a future PMA supplement for 365-day sensor. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is inherently uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Further, the outcomes of our earlier clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. Moreover, clinical data is often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their products performed satisfactorily in clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval.

If we are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of Eversense or other testing, if the results of these trials or tests are not favorable or if there are safety concerns, we may:

● not obtain marketing approval for such modifications;

● be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for such modifications;

● be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements; or

● have Eversense removed from the market after obtaining marketing approval.

Our development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or marketing approvals. Significant clinical trial delays also could allow our competitors to bring innovative products to market before we do and impair our ability to successfully commercialize our products.

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Risks Related to Employee Matters and Managing our Growth

Our future success depends on our ability to retain key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on the management, research and development, clinical, financial and business development expertise of Tim Goodnow, our Chief Executive Officer, Nick Tressler, our Chief Financial Officer, Mukul Jain, our Chief Operating Officer, Fran Kaufman, our Chief Medical Officer, and Mirasol Panlilio, our Vice President and General Manager, Global Commercial Operations, as well as the other members of our scientific and clinical teams. Although we have employment agreements with our executive officers, each of them may terminate their employment with us at any time and will continue to be able to do so. We do not maintain "key person" insurance for any of our executives or employees.

Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and clinical personnel and, as we progress the development of our product pipeline toward scaling up for commercialization, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel, will also be critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize our products. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous medical device companies for similar personnel, many of which have greater financial and other resources dedicated to attracting and retaining personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.

Although it will be subject to restrictions on trading, a portion of the equity of our management team will not contain other contractual transfer restrictions. This liquidity may represent material wealth to such individuals and impact retention and focus of existing key members of management.

We expect to expand our development and regulatory capabilities and our marketing and distribution capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

As of December 31, 2020, we had 82 employees. As our commercialization progresses, we expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of research, product development, clinical sciences, regulatory affairs, supply chain, and marketing. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.

Additionally, we have and may undertake cost reduction plans, which may include reorganization of our workforce. These actions could disrupt the employee base, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, or cause other operational and administrative inefficiencies.

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Our employees, independent contractors, consultants, manufacturers and distributors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, manufacturers and distributors may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates FDA regulations, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to the FDA, manufacturing standards, federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, and laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Misconduct by these parties could also involve the improper use of individually identifiable information, including, without limitation, information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, disgorgement of profits, individual imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, integrity oversight and reporting obligations, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.

We may incur product liability losses, and insurance coverage may be inadequate or unavailable to cover these losses.

Our business exposes us to potential product liability claims that are inherent in the design, manufacture, testing and sale of medical devices. We could become the subject of product liability lawsuits alleging that component failures, manufacturing flaws, design defects or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks or product-related information resulted in an unsafe condition, injury or death to customers. In addition, the misuse of our products or the failure of customers to adhere to operating guidelines could cause significant harm to customers, including death, which could result in product liability claims. Product liability lawsuits and claims, safety alerts or product recalls, with or without merit, could cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business, harm our reputation and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers, any of which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Although we maintain third-party product liability insurance coverage, it is possible that claims against us may exceed the coverage limits of our insurance policies. Even if any product liability loss is covered by an insurance policy, these policies typically have substantial deductibles for which we are responsible. Product liability claims in excess of applicable insurance coverage would negatively impact our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could result in an increase of our product liability insurance premiums. Insurance coverage varies in cost and can be difficult to obtain, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain insurance coverage in the future on terms acceptable to us or at all.

Risks Related to our Intellectual Property

Our ability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology is uncertain.

We rely primarily on patent, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, to protect our proprietary technologies. As of December 31, 2020, we held a total of approximately 519 issued patents and pending patent applications that relate to our CGM system. Our intellectual property portfolio includes 90 issued United States patents, 254 patents issued in countries outside the United States, and 175 pending patent applications worldwide. Our patents expire between 2021 and 2043, subject to any patent extensions that may be available for such patents. If patents are issued on our pending patent applications, the resulting patents are projected to expire on dates ranging from 2021 to 2043. We are also seeking patent protection for our proprietary technology in

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Europe, Japan, China, Canada, India, Australia and other countries and regions throughout the world. We have no pending U.S. trademark applications and 20 pending foreign trademark applications, as well as 14 U.S. trademark registrations and 116 foreign trademark registrations.

We have applied for patent protection relating to certain existing and proposed products and processes. Currently, several of our issued U.S. patents as well as various pending U.S. and foreign patent applications relate to the structure and operation of our CGM sensor and CGM systems, which are important to the functionality of our products. If we fail to timely file a patent application in any jurisdiction, we may be precluded from doing so at a later date. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that any of our patent applications will be approved in a timely manner or at all. The rights granted to us under our patents, and the rights we are seeking to have granted in our pending patent applications, may not provide us with any meaningful commercial advantage. In addition, those rights could be opposed, contested or circumvented by our competitors, or be declared invalid or unenforceable in judicial or administrative proceedings. The failure of our patents to adequately protect our technology might make it easier for our competitors to offer the same or similar products or technologies. Even if we are successful in receiving patent protection for certain products and processes, our competitors may be able to design around our patents or develop products that provide outcomes which are comparable to ours without infringing on our intellectual property rights. Due to differences between foreign and U.S. patent laws, our patented intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the United States. Even if patents are granted outside the United States, effective enforcement in those countries may not be available.

We rely on our trademarks and trade names to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors and have registered or applied to register many of these trademarks. For example, we have two pending applications in the United States for the "Eversense" trademark. We cannot assure you that our trademark applications will be approved in a timely manner or at all. Third parties also may oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require us to devote additional resources to marketing new brands. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe upon our trademarks, or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.

We also rely on trade secrets, know-how and technology, which are not protectable by patents, to maintain our competitive position. We try to protect this information by entering into confidentiality agreements and intellectual property assignment agreements with our officers, employees, temporary employees and consultants regarding our intellectual property and proprietary technology. In the event of unauthorized use or disclosure or other breaches of those agreements, we may not have an adequate remedy to compensate us for our trade secrets or other proprietary information. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our commercial partners, collaborators, employees and consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in the related or resulting know-how and inventions. If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other technologies not protected by a patent were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

If a competitor infringes upon one of our patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights, enforcing those patents, trademarks and other rights may be difficult and time consuming. Patent law relating to the scope of claims in the industry in which we operate is subject to rapid change and constant evolution and, consequently, patent positions in our industry can be uncertain. Even if successful, litigation to defend our patents and trademarks against challenges or to enforce our intellectual property rights could be expensive and time consuming and could divert management's attention from managing our business. Moreover, we may not have sufficient resources or desire to defend our patents or trademarks against challenges or to enforce our intellectual property rights. Litigation also puts our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Additionally, we may provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially material. The occurrence of any of these events may harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

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Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by government patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees, and various other government fees on patents and applications will be due to be paid to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, the European Patent Office, or EPO, and other foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of our owned patents and applications. The USPTO, the EPO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with several procedural, documentary, fee payment, and other similar provisions during the patent application process. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we or our licensors or collaboration partners fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our proprietary technologies, our competitors might be able to enter the market earlier with similar products or technology, which would have an adverse effect on our business.

The medical device industry is characterized by patent litigation, and we could become subject to litigation that could be costly, result in the diversion of management's time and efforts, stop our development and commercialization measures, harm our reputation or require us to pay damages.

Our success will depend in part on not infringing the patents or violating the other proprietary rights of third parties. Significant litigation regarding patent rights exists in our industry. Our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make and sell our products. The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent issuances, and the complexities of the technology involved increase the risk of patent litigation.

The medical device industry in general, and the glucose testing sector of this industry in particular, are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent litigation based on assertions of patent infringement. We are aware of numerous patents issued to third parties that may relate to the technology used in our business, including the design and manufacture of CGM sensors and CGM systems, as well as methods for continuous glucose monitoring. Each of these patents contains multiple claims, any one of which may be independently asserted against us. The owners of these patents may assert that the manufacture, use, sale or offer for sale of our CGM sensors or CGM systems infringes one or more claims of their patents. Furthermore, there may be additional patents issued to third parties of which we are presently unaware that may relate to aspects of our technology that such third parties could assert against us and materially and adversely affect our business. In addition, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be patent applications that are currently pending and unknown to us, which may later result in issued patents that third parties could assert against us and harm our business.

In preparation for commercializing our Eversense products, we are performing an analysis, the purpose of which is to review and assess publicly available information to determine whether third parties hold any valid patent rights that a well-informed court would more likely than not find that we would infringe by commercializing our products, understanding that there are risks and uncertainties associated with any litigation and no predictions or assurances can be made regarding the outcome of any such litigation. Although our review and analysis are not complete and subject to the express limitations in the preceding sentence, we are not aware of any such valid patent rights. Moreover, we have not previously performed an exhaustive review of this type, and we cannot be certain that it will not result in our locating patent rights relating to our products of which we were not previously aware.

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In the future, we could receive communications from various industry participants alleging our infringement of their intellectual property rights. Any potential intellectual property litigation could force us to do one or more of the following:

● incur significant legal expenses;

Patent litigation can involve complex factual and legal questions, and its outcome is uncertain. Any litigation or claim against us, even those without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business, stop our development and commercialization measures and harm our reputation. Further, as the number of participants in the diabetes market increases, the possibility of intellectual property infringement claims against us increases.

We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we, or our employees, have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors.

Many of our employees were previously employed at other medical device companies, including those that are our direct competitors or could potentially be our direct competitors. In some cases, those employees joined our company recently. We may be subject to claims that we, or our employees, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of these former employers or competitors. In addition, we may in the future be subject to allegations that we caused an employee to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation agreement. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we successfully defend against these claims, litigation could cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. If our defense to those claims fails, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. There can be no assurance that this type of litigation will not occur, and any future litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire additional direct sales representatives. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize Eversense or future versions of Eversense, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our patents and other intellectual property.

We may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in our owned patent rights, trade secrets, or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, inventorship disputes may arise from conflicting obligations of employees, consultants or others who are involved in developing our medical devices or other technologies. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship or our patent rights, trade secrets or other intellectual property. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, intellectual property that is important to our medical devices and other technologies. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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We are subject to the patent laws of countries other than the United States, which may not offer the same level of patent protection and whose rules could seriously affect how we draft, file, prosecute and maintain patents, trademarks and patent and trademark applications.

Many countries, including certain countries in Europe, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties (for example, the patent owner has failed to "work" the invention in that country, or the third party has patented improvements). In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of the patent. Moreover, the legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the aggressive enforcement of patent and other intellectual property protection which makes it difficult to stop infringement.

We cannot be certain that the patent or trademark offices of countries outside the United States will not implement new rules that increase costs for drafting, filing, prosecuting and maintaining patents, trademarks and patent and trademark applications or that any such new rules will not restrict our ability to file for patent protection. For example, we may elect not to seek patent protection in some jurisdictions in order to save costs. We may be forced to abandon specific patents due to a lack of financial resources.

Our intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential competitive threats or confer meaningful competitive benefits.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business, or permit us to maintain any competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:

● we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable.

Risks Related to our Legal and Regulatory Environment

Our products and operations are subject to extensive governmental regulation, and failure to comply with applicable requirements could cause our business to suffer.

The medical device industry is regulated extensively by governmental authorities, principally the FDA and corresponding state regulatory agencies in the United States and the European Commission and corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and the EEA. The regulations are very complex and are subject to rapid change and varying interpretations. Regulatory restrictions or changes could limit our ability to carry on or expand our operations or result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. These governmental authorities enforce laws and regulations that are meant to assure product safety and effectiveness, including the regulation of, among other things:

● product design and development;

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● preclinical studies and clinical trials;

● product safety;

● establishment registration and product listing;

● labeling and storage;

● marketing, manufacturing, sales and distribution;

● pre-market clearance or approval;

● servicing and post-market surveillance;

● advertising and promotion; and

● recalls and field safety corrective actions.

The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated revenues. Failure to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions such as fines, civil penalties, injunctions, warning letters, recalls of products, delays in the introduction of products into the market, refusal of the regulatory agency or other regulators to grant future clearances or approvals, and the suspension or withdrawal of existing approvals by such regulatory agencies. For example, in September 2019 we voluntarily initiated a recall of Eversense sensors that had not yet been implanted, due to premature loss of function due to inadequate hydration of the sensor’s glucose-sensing surface. This recall, as well as any of the above sanctions, could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and harm our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

The FDA regulatory clearance process and regulatory processes in other countries is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain, and the failure to obtain and maintain required regulatory clearances and approvals could prevent us from commercializing Eversense and future versions of Eversense.

Products that are approved through a PMA application generally need FDA approval before they can be modified, and similar approval processes are required in other jurisdictions where we may want to market our products. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time-consuming, and we may not be able to obtain these approvals on a timely basis, or at all for our products.

If the FDA requires us to go through a more rigorous examination for future products or modifications to existing products than we had expected, our product introductions or modifications could be delayed or canceled, which could cause our sales to decline or to not increase in line with our expectations.

The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of a device for many reasons, including:

● the data from our clinical trials may be insufficient to support approval; and

In addition, the FDA may change approval policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take other actions which may prevent or delay approval of our product modifications under development.

Following the submission of the PMA for our 180-day product, we received communication from the FDA advising us that the reallocation of agency resources to address Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) applications for products related to the COVID-19 public health emergency is affecting marketing application reviews, including the Eversense 180-day product. Based on a February 19, 2021 communication, we understand that the FDA expects to assign a reviewer, and that our PMA will be placed under review, no later than April 15, 2021. Based on the passage of time and this new information from the FDA, we are anticipating approval no earlier than the second half of the year and note that the timing to completion and outcome of such a review is uncertain. Further reallocation of agency resources, shelter-in-place orders and other impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic are difficult to predict and could alter or delay the timing of response by the FDA regarding our submission.

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Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, approval for our products could prevent us 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 us, could dissuade some people with diabetes from using our products and adversely affect our reputation and the perceived accuracy and safety of our products.

If we or our third-party suppliers fail to comply with the FDA's good manufacturing practice regulations, this could impair our ability to market our products in a cost-effective and timely manner.

We and our third-party suppliers are required to comply with the FDA's QSR, which covers the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of our products. The FDA audits compliance with the QSR through periodic announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing and other facilities. The FDA may impose inspections or audits at any time. If we or our suppliers have significant non-compliance issues or if any corrective action plan that we or our suppliers propose in response to observed deficiencies is not sufficient, the FDA could take enforcement action against us. Any of the foregoing actions could impair our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

A recall of our products, or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products, could have a significant negative impact on us.

The FDA has the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture or in the event that a product poses an unacceptable risk to health. Our third-party suppliers may, under their own initiative, recall a product if any material deficiency in a device is found. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us or one of our third-party distributors could occur as a result of an unacceptable risk to health, component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues. For example, in September 2019 we voluntarily initiated a recall of Eversense sensors that had not yet been implanted, due to premature loss of function due to inadequate hydration of the sensor’s glucose-sensing surface. Recalls of any of our products would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and operating results, which could impair our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Further, under the FDA's medical device reporting regulations, we are required to report to the FDA any incident in which our product may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or in which our product malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur, would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury. Repeated product malfunctions may result in a voluntary or involuntary product recall, which could divert managerial and financial resources, impair our ability to manufacture our products in a cost-effective and timely manner and have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and operating results.

Any adverse event involving our products could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls or customer notifications, or regulatory agency action, which could include inspection, mandatory recall or other enforcement action. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business and may harm our reputation and financial results.

We are subject to the U.K. Bribery Act, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering laws, as well as export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our future global operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures and legal expenses, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our current and future global operations will expose us to trade and economic sanctions and other restrictions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other governments and organizations. The U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, State and Treasury and other federal agencies and authorities have a broad range of civil and criminal penalties they may seek to impose against corporations and individuals for violations of economic sanctions laws, export control laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, and other federal statutes and regulations,

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including those established by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. In addition, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, or the Bribery Act, prohibits both domestic and international bribery, as well as bribery across both private and public sectors. An organization that "fails to prevent bribery" by anyone associated with the organization can be charged under the Bribery Act unless the organization can establish the defense of having implemented "adequate procedures" to prevent bribery. Under these laws and regulations, as well as other anti-corruption laws, anti-money-laundering laws, export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations, various government agencies may require export licenses, may seek to impose modifications to business practices, including cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries or with sanctioned persons or entities and modifications to compliance programs, which may increase compliance costs, and may subject us to fines, penalties and other sanctions. A violation of these laws or regulations could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We will implement and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by us, and our directors, officers, employees, representatives, third-party distributors, consultants and agents with the FCPA, OFAC restrictions, the Bribery Act and other export control, anticorruption, anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism laws and regulations. We cannot assure you, however, that our policies and procedures will be sufficient or that directors, officers, employees, representatives, third-party distributors, consultants and agents have not engaged and will not engage in conduct for which we may be held responsible, nor can we assure you that our business partners have not engaged and will not engage in conduct that could materially affect their ability to perform their contractual obligations to us or even result in our being held liable for such conduct. Violations of the FCPA, OFAC restrictions, the Bribery Act or other export control, anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism laws or regulations may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We are subject to additional federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to our healthcare business; our failure to comply with those laws could have an adverse impact on our business.

Although we will not provide healthcare services, submit claims for third-party payor reimbursement, or receive payments directly from government health insurance programs or other third-party payors for Eversense, we are subject to broadly applicable federal, state, and foreign healthcare laws, including health care fraud and abuse and health information privacy and security laws, which could adversely impact our business. Such healthcare laws potentially applicable to our operations include:

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The risk of our being found in violation of these laws and regulations is increased by the fact that the scope and enforcement of these laws is uncertain, many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations, or they vary country by country. We are unable to predict what additional federal, state or foreign legislation or regulatory initiatives may be enacted in the future regarding our business or the healthcare industry in general, or what effect such legislation or regulations may have on us. Federal, state or foreign governments may (i) impose additional restrictions or adopt interpretations of existing laws that could have a material adverse effect on us or (ii) challenge our current or future activities under these laws. Any of these challenges could impact our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

In February 2021, in conjunction with a communication to users regarding our distribution changes and securing customer and technical support, we made an unintended disclosure of certain user e-mail addresses to other users in Italy. To remedy this error, we communicated with affected parties and self-reported the disclosure to the appropriate authorities in Italy for GDPR. This disclosure could cause adverse reaction by users of our product and negative regulatory implications under GDPR. We are unable to predict at this time if there are any further impacts to this unintended disclosure.

Our activities, including our research, sales and marketing, and patient reimbursement support activities, may be subject to scrutiny under these laws. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us now or in the future, we may be subject to penalties, including significant civil, criminal, and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement of profits, imprisonment, exclusion from governmental health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any federal, state or foreign regulatory review to which we may become subject, regardless of the outcome, would be costly and time-consuming.

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For example, to enforce compliance with the federal laws, the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, has recently increased its scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Dealing with investigations can be time and resource consuming and can divert management's attention from our core business. Additionally, if we settle an investigation with law enforcement or other regulatory agencies, we may be forced to agree to additional onerous compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree or corporate integrity agreement. Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.

We may be liable if the FDA or another regulatory agency concludes that we have engaged in the off-label promotion of our products.

Our promotional materials and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the promotion of the off-label use of our products. Healthcare providers may use our products off-label, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician's choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. However, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials or training constitute promotion of an off-label use, it could request that we modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including the issuance of an untitled letter, a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our promotional or training materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties. Although we intend to train our marketing and direct sales force to not promote our products for uses outside of their cleared uses and our policy will be to refrain from statements that could be considered off-label promotion of our products, the FDA or another regulatory agency could disagree and conclude that we have engaged in off-label promotion. In addition, the off-label use of our products may increase the risk of product liability claims. Product liability claims are expensive to defend and could result in substantial damage awards against us and harm our reputation.

International sales of medical devices are subject to foreign government regulations, which vary substantially from country to country. In order to market our products in other countries, we must obtain regulatory approvals and comply with extensive safety and quality regulations in other countries.

In the EEA, our devices are required to comply with the essential requirements set out in Annex I of the EU Active Implantable Medical Device Directive (Council Directive 90/385/EEC) in order to be placed on the market. Provided that our devices successfully complete a conformity assessment under Council Directive 90/385/EEC demonstrating compliance with these essential requirements, we may affix the CE conformity mark to our devices, without which they cannot be commercialized in the EEA.

The advertising and promotion of our products is subject to the laws of EEA Member States implementing Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising, Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, as well as other EEA Member State laws or codes of practice governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. These laws may limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of our products to the general public and may impose limitations on our promotional activities with healthcare providers, which could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

Off-label use of our product by patients could lead to product liability claims and regulatory action.

Eversense is currently labeled as non-adjunctive; however twice daily fingerstick calibrations are still required. We have no control over whether patients adhere to labeling instructions and confirm blood glucose levels to ensure calibration with Eversense. If a patient fails to do so and has an adverse reaction to self-medication, the patient might make a claim against us. While we do not believe that, as a general matter, such a claim would have merit, the possibility of an adverse result to the manufacturer cannot be dismissed, and in any event we could incur significant defense costs. Also, if there should be widespread off-label use of our system by patients, and resulting adverse medical events, the FDA or other regulatory bodies might require us, to implement additional measures to reduce off-label use, which could be costly or reduce adoption of Eversense.

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Legislative or regulatory healthcare reforms may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory clearance or approval of our products.

Recent political, economic and regulatory influences are subjecting the healthcare industry to fundamental changes. The sales of our products depend in part on the availability of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors such as government health administration authorities, private health insurers, health maintenance organizations and other healthcare-related organizations. Both the federal and state governments in the United States continue to propose and pass new legislation and regulations designed to contain or reduce the cost of healthcare. This legislation and regulation may result in decreased reimbursement for medical devices, which may further exacerbate industry-wide pressure to reduce the prices charged for medical devices. This could harm our ability to market our products and generate sales.

On a global level, the regulatory environment is increasingly stringent and unpredictable. Many countries have introduced or expanded their existing regulation of medical devices or are planning to expand their existing regulation in the future. Regulatory requirements continue to differ significantly among countries. We expect this global regulatory environment will continue to evolve, which could impact the cost, the time needed to approve, and ultimately, our ability to maintain existing approvals or obtain future approvals for our products. For example, in the EU, the EU Medical Device Regulation will repeal and replace both Directive 93/42/EEC concerning medical devices and Directive 90/385/EEC concerning active implantable medical devices, and therefore will materially change the regulatory environment in which we operate in Europe. The majority of the provisions in the EU Medical Device Regulation apply from spring 2020. The Company will need to ensure compliance with the EU Medical Device Regulation in the future if it is to place a medical device on the EU market after this regulation comes into force and this may take time and require additional resources to ensure compliance.

Regulations of the FDA and other regulatory agencies in and outside the U.S. impose extensive compliance and monitoring obligations on our business. These agencies review our design and manufacturing practices, labeling, record keeping, manufacturers’ required reports of adverse experiences and other information to identify potential problems with marketed medical devices. We are subject to unannounced device inspections by European Notified Bodies, as well as other regulatory agencies overseeing the implementation and adherence of applicable regulations. These inspections may include our suppliers’ facilities. In addition, EU member states have powers to suspend the marketing and use, or demand the recall, of unsafe or non-compliant devices. They also have the power to bring enforcement action against companies or individuals for breaches of the device rules. Non-compliance may also result in Notified Bodies revoking any certificate of conformity that they have issued for a device or the manufacturer’s quality system.

In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the FDA in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new regulations or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of our products. Delays in receipt of or failure to receive regulatory clearances or approvals for our products would harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

While a goal of healthcare reform is to expand coverage to more individuals, it also involves increased government price controls, additional regulatory mandates and other measures designed to constrain medical costs. For example, the PPACA was enacted in March 2010. The PPACA substantially changes the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, encourages improvements in the quality of healthcare items and services and significantly impacts the medical device industries. Among other things, the PPACA:

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There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the PPACA. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, it has enacted laws that modify certain provisions of the PPACA such as removing penalties, starting January 1, 2019, for not complying with the PPACA’s individual mandate to carry health insurance and delaying the implementation of certain PPACA-mandated fees. Additionally, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminated, effective January 1, 2020, the PPACA-mandated medical device tax and “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminated the health insurer tax. On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the PPACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the PPACA are invalid as well. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing the case, although it is unknown when a decision will be made. Further, although the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of the PPACA, on January 28, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order to initiate a special enrollment period from February 15, 2021 through May 15, 2021 for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the PPACA marketplace. The executive order also instructs certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the PPACA. It is unclear how the Supreme Court ruling, other such litigation, and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will impact the PPACA and our business.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the PPACA was enacted. On August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was signed into law, which, among other things, includes reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2030 with the exception of a temporary suspension from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 unless additional Congressional action is taken. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

At this time, we cannot predict which, if any, additional healthcare reform proposals will be adopted, when they may be adopted or what impact they, or the PPACA, may have on our business and operations, and any of these impacts may be adverse on our operating results and financial condition.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

Because our stock price has and will likely continue to be highly volatile, the market price of our common stock may be lower or more volatile than expected.

Our stock price has been highly volatile. The stock market in general and the market for innovative, emerging medtech and biotechnology companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. From December 23, 2020 through March 3, 2021, the trading price of our common stock has been as low as $0.43 per share and as high as $5.56 per share. This recent extreme stock price volatility has been accompanied by extremely high trading volume in our common stock in comparison to historical experience. During this period, the average daily trading volume of our common stock has been approximately 65 million shares and on January 19, 2021, our trading volume exceeded 409 million shares, whereas the average daily trading volume from January 1, 2020 to December 22, 2020 was 2.4 million shares.

The extreme recent increase in trading volume and volatility has not necessarily correlated to the company’s announcement of material developments and appears unrelated to changes in actual or expected operating performance. Purchases or sales of large quantities of our stock, including the establishment and/or closing of significant short positions in our stock could have an unusual or adverse effect on our market price. Market fluctuations may also cause short sellers to periodically enter the market in the belief that we will have poor results in the future. Abnormal trading

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activity, including activity that is considered market manipulation, can lead to irrational and/or temporary movements in the price of our common stock, which, in turn, may increase its risk and volatility. We cannot predict the actions of market participants and, therefore, can offer no assurances that the market for our common stock will be stable or appreciate over time.

The market price of our common stock may also be influenced by many additional factors, including:

● clinical trial and topline data results;

● depletion of our cash reserves;

● sale of equity securities or issuance of additional debt;

● changes in government regulations;

● impact of competitor successes;

● developments in our relationships with our collaboration partners;

● regulatory approvals, timelines or other actions;

● litigation;

● public concern as to the safety of our products or recalls; and

● the other factors described in this Risk Factors section.

The issuance of additional stock in connection with financings, acquisitions, investments, our equity incentive plans, or otherwise will dilute our existing stockholders.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue up to 900,000,000 shares of common stock and up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such rights and preferences as may be determined by our board of directors. Subject to compliance with applicable rules and regulations, we may issue our shares of common stock, including securities convertible into common stock, in connection with a financing, acquisition, investment, our equity incentive plans or otherwise. Any such issuance could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

The holders of the convertible preferred stock rank senior to our common stock upon a liquidation of our company.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, our Series A convertible preferred stock, along with any convertible preferred stock that we may issue to PHC or Energy Capital, will rank senior to our common stock. Each share of preferred stock will be entitled to receive an amount per share equal to the greater of the purchase price paid and the amount that the holder would have been entitled to receive at such time if the convertible preferred stock were converted into common stock.

Until the holders of the convertible preferred stock have been paid their liquidation amount in full, no payment will be made to any holder of common stock. If our assets, or the proceeds from their sale, distributable among the holders of the convertible preferred stock are not sufficient to pay the liquidation amount in full, then those assets or proceeds will be distributed among the holders of the convertible preferred stock. In that case, there would be no assets or proceeds remaining to be distributed to holders of our common stock, which could impact the trading price of our common stock.

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Shares of our convertible preferred stock, including shares issuable under our Equity Line Agreement with Energy Capital, and the PHC Notes are convertible into shares of our common stock and, upon conversion, will dilute your percentage of ownership.

Each share of our convertible preferred stock is convertible at any time at the option of the holder into approximately 2,100 shares of our common stock (subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments, including in the event of any stock split). Under the Equity Line Agreement, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including that we have less than $8 million of cash, cash equivalents and other available credit (aside from availability under the Equity Line Agreement), we also have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Energy Capital with a purchase notice directing Energy Capital (as principal) to purchase shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share (not to exceed $4.0 million worth of shares) once per month, up to an aggregate of $12.0 million of our Series B Preferred Stock, with such shares convertible into common stock at a price of $0.3951 per share. Also, under the Equity Line Agreement, beginning January 1, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, Energy Capital has the option to purchase any Series B Preferred Stock that we have not already sold to it under the agreement at a price of $1,000 per share.

The PHC Notes are also convertible into our common stock at the option of the holder. Accordingly, any conversion of convertible preferred stock or the PHC Notes would dilute the ownership of our holders of common stock. The potential dilutive effect of the conversion of shares of convertible preferred stock or convertible notes may also adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all.

Holders of the convertible preferred stock and convertible notes have the ability exert substantial influence over us in a manner adverse to your interests.

Subject to maintaining specified ownership thresholds, the holders of convertible preferred stock and the PHC Notes have the ability to designate, in the aggregate, up to three members of our board of directors.

The holders of convertible preferred stock generally are entitled to vote with the holders of the shares of common stock on all matters submitted for a vote of holders of shares of common stock (voting together with the holders of shares of common stock as one class) on an as-converted basis. Additionally, certain matters require the approval of the majority of the outstanding convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, including (i) altering or changing adversely the powers, privileges, preferences or rights of the convertible preferred stock, or (ii) amendments, modifications, repeal or waiver of any provision of our certificate of incorporation or of the certificate of designations that would adversely affect the rights, preferences, privileges or powers of the convertible preferred stock.

As a result, the holders of our convertible preferred stock and the PHC Notes are able to influence our decisions, including the election and removal of directors, any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other significant corporate transactions. Some of these persons or entities may have interests different the interests of the holders of our common stock.

The future funding pursuant to agreements to sell convertible preferred stock to PHC and Energy Capital is not guaranteed.

We have entered into agreements with PHC and Energy Capital that, collectively, provide for our receipt of up to $27 million of aggregate funding pursuant to the sale of convertible preferred stock to PHC and Energy Capital. Pursuant to our agreement with PHC, we have the option to sell and issue to PHC up to $15.0 million of convertible preferred stock on or before December 31, 2022, contingent upon our obtaining FDA approval for the 180-day Eversense product for marketing in the United States before such date. On November 9, 2020, we entered into the Equity Line Agreement with Energy Capital. Under the Equity Line Agreement, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including that we have less than $8 million of cash, cash equivalents and other available credit (aside from availability under the Equity Line Agreement), we have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Energy Capital with a purchase notice directing Energy Capital (as principal) to purchase shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share (not to exceed $4.0 million worth of shares) once per month, up to an aggregate of $12.0 million of our Series B Preferred Stock, with such shares convertible into common stock at a price of $0.3951 per share. Also, under the Equity Line Agreement, beginning January 1, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, Energy Capital has the

SENS US Equity

SENS · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

Item 1A. Risk Factors

SENS US Equity☆

SENS · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

Item 1A. Risk Factors

SENS US Equity