TELA Bio, Inc._December 31, 2025
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission file number: 001-39130
TELA Bio, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(484) 320-2930
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share TELA The Nasdaq Global Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ◻ Yes ⌧No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ◻ Yes ⌧No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ⌧Yes◻ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ⌧Yes◻ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ◻ Accelerated filer ◻
Smaller reporting company ⌧
Non-accelerated filer ⌧ Emerging growth company ◻
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ◻
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ◻ No ⌧
As of June 30, 2025 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $76.8 million based on the closing price of the common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market on June 30, 2025.
As of March 16, 2026, the registrant had 44,740,371 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the definitive proxy statement to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for TELA Bio’s 2026 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item No. Page No.
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS 7
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 40
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 83
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY 83
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES 84
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 85
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 85
PART II
ITEM 6. [RESERVED] 85
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 97
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 98
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 99
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 100
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS 100
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 100
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 100
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 101
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 101
EXHIBIT INDEX 103
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, we may, through our officers and other authorized representatives, make certain forward-looking statements in publicly released materials, both written and oral, including statements contained in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases, and our communications with our stockholders.
Forward-looking statements are neither statements of historical facts nor assurances of future performance, but instead discuss the future of our business, operations, future financial performance, future financial condition, plans, anticipated growth strategies, anticipated or perceived trends in our business, the industry in which we operate or the broader economy, and other objectives of management. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “predict,” “positioned,” “potential,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” the negative of such terms, and other similar expressions although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.
You should understand that the following important factors could affect our future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements:
● the commercial success and degree of market acceptance of our products;
● the size of the markets for our current and future products;
● our ability to obtain additional capital to finance our planned operations;
● our ability to maintain regulatory approval for our products;
● decreasing selling prices and pricing pressures;
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staffing shortages, supply chain disruptions to critical surgical and hospital supplies, and any applicable adverse healthcare economic factors;
These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate, and management’s beliefs and assumptions are not guarantees of future performance or development and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur at all.
You should refer to the section titled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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SUMMARY RISK FACTORS
We are providing the following summary of the risk factors contained in our Form 10-K to enhance the readability and accessibility of our risk factor disclosures. Additional discussion of the risks and uncertainties summarized in this risk factor summary, as well as other risks and uncertainties that we face, can be found under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report. The below summary is qualified in its entirety by those more complete discussions of such risks and uncertainties.
Risks Related to Achieving or Sustaining Profitability, Financial Position and Capital Requirements
Risks Related to the Commercialization of our Products
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
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Risks Related to Intellectual Property Matters
Risks Related to Government Regulation
Risks Related to Our Business and Products
Risks Related to Our Securities
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PART I
ITEM 1.BUSINESS
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on providing innovative soft-tissue reconstruction solutions that optimize clinical outcomes by prioritizing the preservation and restoration of the patient’s own anatomy. Our growing product portfolio is purposefully designed to leverage the patient’s natural healing response while minimizing long-term exposure to permanent synthetic materials. We are committed to delivering our advanced technologies with a strong economic value proposition to assist surgeons and institutions in providing next-generation soft-tissue repair solutions to more patients worldwide.
We are dedicated to building true partnerships with surgeons and healthcare providers to deliver solutions that provide both clinical and economic improvements. We believe that genuine collaboration with surgeons and healthcare providers results in the development of new solutions that empower patient care and addresses unmet needs within the soft tissue reconstruction market.
Our first portfolio of products, the OviTex Reinforced Tissue Matrix (“OviTex”) which we first commercialized in the U.S. in July 2016 and in Europe in February 2019, addresses unmet needs in hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction by combining the benefits of biologic matrices and polymer materials while minimizing their shortcomings, at a cost-effective price.
Hernia repair is one of the most common surgeries performed in the U.S., representing approximately 1.2 million procedures annually. Based on the volume weighted average selling price of our OviTex products, we estimate the annual U.S. total addressable market opportunity for our OviTex products to be approximately $1.8 billion.
Our OviTex portfolio consists of multiple product configurations intended to address various surgical procedures within hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction, including ventral, inguinal, and hiatal hernia repair. In addition, we have also designed an OviTex product specifically for use in laparoscopic and robotic-assisted hernia repair, which we market as OviTex LPR and began commercializing in November 2018. In February 2023, we launched two larger configurations of OviTex LPR, designed for ventral and incisional hernias. In April 2024, we launched OviTex IHR Reinforced Tissue Matrix, a new OviTex configuration specifically designed to address inguinal hernia procedures performed robotically and laparoscopically in the U.S., followed by a launch in the European markets in June 2025.
We have also focused on evaluating and publishing clinical data on the effectiveness and safety of our OviTex products. To date, there have been over sixty-five published or presented works relating to these clinical findings, either by us or a third-party evaluating one or more product configurations in our OviTex portfolio. In October 2022, the 24-month results of our single arm, multicenter post-market clinical study, which we refer to as our BRAVO study, were published in the Annals of Medicine and Surgery. The BRAVO study was designed to evaluate the clinical performance of OviTex for primary or recurrent ventral hernias using open, laparoscopic, or robotic techniques in 92 enrolled patients. The recurrence rate at the 24-month time point was 2.6%, and surgical site occurrences (“SSOs”), were observed in 38% of the study population. Of the enrolled patients, 78% were characterized as high risk for experiencing an SSO based on at least one known risk factor, which included obesity, active smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”), diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, or advanced age (≥75 years). The results also indicated that BRAVO patients experienced statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in their quality of life and perceived health based on patient responses to the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) health assessment and the validated 12-question Hernia-Related Quality of Life survey (HerQLes). In addition to the BRAVO study, we have also initiated other clinical data collection initiatives evaluating the use of OviTex across a variety of hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction procedures. Among these other initiatives, we continue to enroll patients for our BRAVO II study, a prospective study evaluating the use of OviTex in robot-assisted ventral and inguinal hernia repairs.
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Our second portfolio of products, the OviTex PRS Reinforced Tissue Matrix, (“OviTex PRS”) which we first commercialized in the U.S. in May 2019, addresses unmet needs in plastic and reconstructive surgery. OviTex PRS is indicated for use in implantation to reinforce soft-tissue where weakness exists in patients requiring soft-tissue repair or reinforcement in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Our OviTex PRS portfolio consists of three product configurations with two or three layers of high-quality tissue derived from ovine rumen, which is reinforced with either permanent or resorbable polymer for added strength, stabilization, and controlled stretch. These products are designed to improve outcomes by facilitating functional tissue remodeling while controlling the degree and direction of stretch. OviTex PRS Long-Term Resorbable, our most recent product configuration, launched in August 2023, and was designed to enhance the OviTex PRS portfolio with specific design features including bi-directional stretch and a fully resorbable, long-term polymer for reinforcement. In March 2025, we announced the U.S. launch of larger sizes of OviTex PRS, which we believe may reduce the need for multiple smaller pieces and have the potential to simplify more complex plastic and reconstructive procedures.
Our OviTex PRS portfolio is supported by non-human primate data that demonstrated more rapid tissue integration and tissue remodeling compared to the market leading biologic matrix used in this indication. In addition, there have been a growing number of published or presented works evaluating the use of OviTex PRS in plastic and reconstruction applications. We also continue to collect patient data in our OPERA study, a retrospective-prospective trial evaluating the safety profile of OviTex PRS in previous pre-pectoral and sub-pectoral implant-based breast reconstructions. Based on the current sales of biologic matrices in the U.S., we estimate the annual U.S. current addressable market opportunity for our OviTex PRS products to be approximately $800 million.
Our OviTex products have received 510(k) clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), which clearances were obtained and are currently held by our exclusive contract manufacturer of these products, Aroa. In April 2019, our first OviTex PRS products received 510(k) clearance from the FDA, which clearance was initially obtained by Aroa and is currently held by us. In March 2023, we received an additional 510(k) clearance for our OviTex PRS Long-Term Resorbable device, which is currently held by us. In May 2024, we received clearance of a Special 510(k) related to minor changes to our OviTex PRS Permanent and Short-Term Resorbable devices. In October 2024, we received approval from the FDA for our investigational device exemption application relating to the study of the safety and effectiveness of our OviTex PRS product in implant-based breast reconstruction. We continue to evaluate and finalize the clinical study protocol and anticipate additional FDA interactions related to such to support a pre-market application to obtain approval for an indication for OviTex PRS for use in breast reconstruction. In December 2024, we received clearance of a Special 510(k) related to two new additional large size product offerings in our OviTex PRS portfolio.
Historically, we have sought to expand our service offerings beyond our OviTex and OviTex PRS products through commercial partnerships to distribute complimentary soft tissue preservation and restoration solutions. Some additional product offerings include or have included atraumatic mesh fixation devices or surgical wound management and infection control solutions. In September 2023, we entered into a distribution agreement with Advanced Medical Solutions Limited, a company registered in England, to distribute their LIQUIFIX Hernia Mesh Fixation Devices (LIQUIFIX FIX8TM and LIQUIFIX PrecisionTM). In March 2024, we announced the full commercial launch of LIQUIFIX in the U.S. We previously co-developed and commercialized the NIVIS Fibrillar Collagen Pack, (“NIVIS”) an absorbent matrix of Type I and Type III bovine collagen designed to manage moderately to heavily exudating wounds and to control minor bleeding, in partnership with Regenity Biosciences. In March 2024, we sold our distribution rights to MiMedx Group, Inc. in exchange for an initial $5.0 million payment and additional future payments aggregating between a minimum of $3.0 million and a maximum of $7.0 million based on net sales of NIVIS (now marketed as HELIOGEN) during the first two years following its launch by MiMedx Group, Inc. We may assess additional strategic partnerships with medical device companies whereby we may enter into distribution, product development and/or licensing agreements for additional products complimentary to, or related to, existing and future products in our distribution channel, which could result in the payment by us of single digit percentage royalties or other product acquisition costs.
We have a broad portfolio of intellectual property protecting our products that we believe, when combined with the proprietary manufacturing processes associated with our products and our know-how, provides significant barriers to entry. Our intellectual property applies to our differentiated product construction and materials. In addition, we believe our exclusive manufacturing and long-term supply and license agreement with Aroa (the “Aroa License”) creates a
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competitive advantage by allowing us to secure an exclusive supply of ovine rumen at a low cost. Ovine rumen, the forestomach of a sheep, is the source of the biologic material used in both of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products. We use biologic material from ovine rumen because of its plentiful supply, optimal biomechanical profile and open collagen architecture that allows for rapid cellular infiltration. Our OviTex and OviTex PRS products are manufactured by Aroa at their FDA registered and ISO 13485 compliant facility in Auckland, New Zealand. We purchase product from Aroa at a fixed transfer cost as a percentage of Aroa’s cost of goods sold, and subject to a true-up adjustment, resulting in an amount equal to 27% of our net sales of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products, with the exception of OviTex IHR product configurations, for which we pay the greater of the initial fixed transfer cost or 27% of our net sales of OviTex IHR. This revenue sharing arrangement allows us to competitively price our products and pass along cost-savings to our customers.
We primarily market our products through a single direct sales force, predominantly in the U.S., with a small number of sales representatives in the United Kingdom and European Union, and also utilize a smaller number of independent contractors and distributors in the United States and certain European countries. We have invested in our direct sales and marketing infrastructure to expand our presence and to promote awareness and adoption of our products. We believe we can enhance the productivity of our sales force by improving customer segmentation and targeting, implementing and further refining our proprietary training programs, leveraging support from our medical education and medical affairs functions to drive physician awareness, education and clinical understanding of our products, and utilizing engagement analytics to support further product development and enhancement opportunities. Additionally, we have contracted with three national group purchasing organizations (“GPOs”) in the United States covering our OviTex and OviTex PRS products and plan to continue to contract with additional GPOs and other integrated delivery networks (“IDNs”) to increase access to and penetration of hospital accounts for all products we commercialize.
We are currently devoting research and development resources to develop additional variations of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products, including the development of OviTex configurations with longer-acting resorbable polymers and other potential product and packaging enhancements to extend the shelf life of our products. In addition, we also continue to explore the development of lower-cost, higher-margin resorbable polymer-based devices targeting our current indications. We are also exploring additional technologies that may complement our existing products, or expand the number of our products, in each case within the hernia, plastic and reconstruction, and broader soft-tissue reconstruction market. We intend to continue to make investments in research and development efforts to develop improvements and enhancements to our product portfolio.
Our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 was $80.3 million and $69.3 million, respectively, which represents an increase of $11.0 million, or 16% for the year ended December 31, 2025. Our net loss for the same time periods was $38.8 million and $37.8 million, respectively, which represents an increase of $1.0 million, or 3% for the year ended December 31, 2025. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $397.6 million. The vast majority of our revenue to date has been generated from sales of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products in the U.S., with the remainder generated from sales of our OviTex products in Europe and the sale of other products.
Market Opportunity
OviTex
Hernia repair is one of the most common surgeries performed in the U.S. There are an estimated 1.2 million hernia repairs annually in the U.S. including recurrences, which we categorize as approximately (i) 105,000 complex/moderate ventral hernia repairs and abdominal wall reconstructions, (ii) 395,000 simple ventral hernia repairs and (iii) 645,000 inguinal hernia repairs, and (iv) 42,000 hiatal hernia repairs.
The healthcare burden of hernia disease to patients, insurers and employers is significant. For the patient, a hernia may cause an increasing level of pain when lifting, straining during urination or a bowel movement, or sitting or standing for long periods of time. Increased pain from the hernia is the most common reason that a patient who is deferring surgical hernia repair will ultimately elect repair surgery. Following surgical hernia repair, convalescence has a significant socioeconomic impact. Absence from work during this period can range from approximately five to 14 days according to one study. Pain is the most common cause of delay in returning to work, followed by wound problems. Long-term pain
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or discomfort at the hernia repair site is one of the most serious complications of hernia surgery and may, in some cases, persist for years.
Given the limitations of and lack of innovation in existing hernia repair products, we believe a significant market opportunity exists for our portfolio of OviTex products. Based on the volume weighted average selling price of our OviTex products, we estimate the annual U.S. total addressable market opportunity for our OviTex products to be approximately $1.8 billion.
Approximate
Number of
Annual
U.S. Hernia Estimated
Procedures Annual
Using U.S. Total
Tissue Addressable Traditional
Reinforcement Market Products
Material Opportunity Utilized
Simple Ventral Hernia Repair 395,000 $ 590 million Permanent Synthetic Mesh
Inguinal Hernia Repair 645,000 $ 540 million Permanent Synthetic Mesh
OviTex PRS
Modern advances in tissue engineering have transformed the plastic and reconstructive surgeon’s management strategies across a wide variety of applications. Because biologic matrices incorporate into host tissues and enable revascularization and functional tissue remodeling, surgeons have realized multiple applications for their use, with techniques tailored to the specific requirements of the surgery. There is growing clinical literature validating the use of biologic matrices in head and neck surgery and reconstructions of the chest wall, pelvic region, extremities and breast.
In head and neck surgery, biologic matrices are used for both aesthetic and reconstructive purposes that include: surgery of the nose to change its shape or improve its function, referred to as rhinoplasty; lip augmentation; repair of perforations of the cartilage and thin bone separating the nostrils referred to as the nasal septum; complex reconstruction of the oral and oropharynx cavities after oncologic resection; cleft palate repair; upper and lower eyelid reconstruction; scalp defects and defects of the fibrous membrane covering the brain and spinal cord referred to as dura. In chest wall reconstruction, biologic matrices are used to repair defects from oncologic resections. In pelvic reconstruction, biologic matrices are utilized as an adjunct in the reconstruction of acquired pelvic defects caused by resections for colorectal, gynecologic and urologic malignancies. In extremities reconstruction, biologic matrices are used in the upper extremity for repair of the donor site following the harvest of a radial forearm free flap, a procedure used to harvest tissue and replace it in the head and neck after cancer has been resected. In breast reconstruction, biologic matrices are utilized for prosthetic based reconstruction following the removal of cancerous breast tissue.
Based on the current sales of biologic matrices in the U.S., we estimate the annual U.S. current addressable market opportunity for our OviTex PRS products to be approximately $800 million. Given the limitations of and lack of innovation in existing biologic matrices for plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures, we believe a significant market opportunity exists for our OviTex PRS products.
Current Materials Used in Hernia Repair and Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and Their Limitations
Hernia Repair and Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
The vast majority of hernias are treated with surgical repair. Surgical hernia repair is performed either through open repair, which uses a single incision to open the abdomen or groin across the hernia, or minimally invasive repair, which
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involves laparoscopic or robotic-assisted techniques. Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique performed in the abdomen or groin through small incisions. Surgical instruments and devices, such as mesh products, are then delivered to the surgical site through a trocar, which is an access port to the patient’s abdomen or groin. Robotic-assisted surgery is also performed using small incisions in the patient’s abdomen or groin and a trocar, but the surgeon sits at a console in the operating room and operates the robotic instruments remotely.
At the advent of hernia repair, all procedures were performed using an open surgical technique in which an incision is made through the body to access and repair the hernia. Due to the amount of healthy soft-tissue disruption required for an open procedure, there is a high risk of wound-related complications and seroma formation. In the early 1990s, surgeons began using a laparoscopic approach for hernia repair because it provided the benefits of lower wound complication rates, lower patient morbidity and decreased length of stay for patients. Despite these benefits, laparoscopic surgery presents surgeons with challenges, primarily due to restricted instrument dexterity that makes it difficult to achieve primary closure of the hernia defect, in which the connective tissue layer is sutured closed, and leads to a bridged repair. In a bridged repair, the tissue reinforcement material spans a portion of the hernia defect without any connective tissue layer above it to provide additional reinforcement. This leads to increased risk of bulging of the material or hernia recurrence. Robotic-assisted hernia repair addresses this issue while still providing the benefits of a laparoscopic repair. In robotic-assisted repair, the surgeon enjoys greater instrument dexterity and precision, and is able to achieve primary closure of the hernia defect. This has contributed to a significant increase in the number of robotic-assisted hernia repairs over the last several years.
It is estimated that about 90% of hernia repairs today use a form of reconstruction material to provide long-term support at the repair site. Reconstruction materials include synthetic mesh, which can be either permanent or resorbable, and biologic matrices made from tissue material.
In October 2020, we surveyed a group of 71 surgeons to better understand their receptivity to natural repair solutions, their technique preferences across their hernia practice and their views on the risks associated with plastic mesh. Feedback was gathered across inguinal hernia, simple ventral, moderate-to-complex ventral and hiatal hernia repair. Included in the group were 43 general surgeons (61%), 19 plastic reconstructive surgeons (27%) and the remainder were colorectal and trauma surgeons. These surgeons indicated they believe there is a role for natural repair products across all hernia segments and they expect to increase their usage of those products in the next 24 months. Almost 60% of surgeons stated that they are aware of the risks associated with plastic mesh and reported approximately 20% of their hernia patients have voiced concern about the use of plastic mesh within the past 12 months.
In May 2023, we commissioned a consumer survey of 1,152 consumers on consumer awareness, preferences and doctor expectations regarding hernia repair options. The results of this survey indicated a preference for more natural hernia repair options (57%), particularly among those who have previously had a repair using permanent synthetic mesh (77%). The majority of respondents also expressed a reliance on primary care physicians and healthcare professionals for guidance, emphasizing the importance of shared decision-making.
Permanent Synthetic Mesh
Permanent synthetic mesh, the oldest category of hernia repair materials, is made of plastic materials that are also used in industrial and consumer products. These products have gained popularity with surgeons because they are relatively inert, can be readily sterilized, exhibit biomechanical strength and durability and are available at relatively low upfront cost. Limitations of permanent synthetic mesh products may include:
● chronic post-operative pain;
● scar tissue formation and lack of regeneration of soft-tissue;
● permanent susceptibility to mesh infection;
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Many of these complications caused by permanent synthetic mesh require additional surgical intervention, including, explantation of the mesh or repair of hernia recurrence or of the abdominal wall. Based on longitudinal data from the Danish Hernia Database, in an analysis of approximately 2,900 patients who received a hernia repair using a permanent synthetic mesh, the observed rate of surgical intervention due to either recurrence or mesh-related complications at five years post operatively was approximately 17%. As a result of these complications and litigation involving these complications, the number of adverse events reported to the FDA for synthetic mesh hernia repairs has climbed from over 2,400 reported events in 2016, to over 21,000 in 2019, while remaining in excess of 8,000 reported events per year in each of 2023 and 2024. Synthetic mesh products have been the subject of a significant number of lawsuits over this time period, with approximately 15,000 cases outstanding in federal and state courts across the U.S. as of November 2024, and not inclusive of more than 40,000 cases that have been settled or dismissed in the prior three-year period.
Biologic Matrices
The complications associated with permanent synthetic mesh prompted the development of biologic matrices as a second category of hernia repair materials. Biologic matrices are derived from human or animal dermis, pericardium or intestinal submucosa, which allows them to become replaced entirely by the patient’s own tissue over time, a process known as remodeling. The goal behind these biologic materials was to lower the foreign body inflammatory response and biomechanical requirements of the repair, while providing a matrix upon which tissue remodeling could occur. Compared to permanent synthetic mesh, biologic matrices are less likely to induce this inflammatory response and become infected; however, they may have the following limitations:
● lack strength or durability as compared to synthetic mesh products;
● prone to laxity and stretching;
Though hernia recurrence occurs with the use of all types of soft-tissue reconstruction, biologic matrices have the highest rates of recurrence, partly due to common use in complex hernia repairs or abdominal wall reconstructions. The RICH study, a multicenter, prospective study sponsored by LifeCell Corporation (“LifeCell”) that evaluated the performance of Strattice, the industry leader for biological tissue matrices in complex abdominal wall reconstruction, in open ventral incisional hernia repair in contaminated abdominal wall defects, demonstrated post-operative hernia recurrence rates of 19% and 28% at 12-months and 24-months follow-up, respectively.
Resorbable Synthetic Mesh
Resorbable synthetic mesh, including biologically-derived synthetic mesh, was introduced as a third category of hernia repair materials and as an alternative to permanent synthetic mesh and biologic matrices. Resorbable synthetic mesh was designed with the intended benefits of full degradation over several months, a moderately lower cost than biologic matrices and gradual transfer of strength from synthetic mesh to native tissue over time. Resorbable synthetic mesh is polymer-based and does not include biologic material to promote tissue remodeling and healing. Despite improvements
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compared to the use of permanent synthetic mesh or biologic matrices, current limitations of resorbable synthetic mesh may include:
● scar tissue formation and lack of remodeling of soft-tissue;
● mesh infection until resorbed;
Many of these complications can require additional surgical intervention including explantation of the resorbable synthetic mesh or repair of hernia recurrence or the abdominal wall. Data from a published, multicenter, prospective study sponsored by C.R. Bard, Inc. (now a subsidiary of Becton, Dickinson and Company) that evaluated the performance of Phasix, the current market-leading resorbable synthetic mesh, in CDC Class I, high risk ventral and incisional hernia repair, showed a post-operative hernia recurrence rate of 9% at 18-months follow-up and 18% at 36-month follow-up.
Current Materials Used in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Their Limitations
Biologic matrices are most commonly used in plastic and reconstructive surgery, including surgery of the nose to change its shape or improve its function, referred to as rhinoplasty, lip augmentation, repair of perforations of cartilage and thin bone separating the nostrils, complex reconstruction of the oral and oropharynx cavities after oncologic resection, cleft palate repair, upper and lower eyelid reconstruction, scalp defects, and defects of the fibrous membrane covering the brain and spinal cord, called the dura, because of their ability to define shape and position, improve tissue quality, reinforce existing soft-tissue and reduce the rate of complications associated with a foreign body inflammatory response, however they are prone to excessive stretching over time and difficult for surgeons to handle. These limitations may lead to undesirable results requiring additional surgical intervention. Additionally, biologic matrices are typically expensive to source.
Our Solution
We have created a new category of reinforced tissue matrices that were purposefully designed in close collaboration with more than 100 surgeons to address the unmet clinical needs in soft-tissue reconstruction. Our portfolio of products, generally designed with over approximately 95% biologic material, combines the benefits of both biologic and polymer materials while addressing their limitations by interweaving polymer fibers through layers of a minimally-processed biologic material. These products are priced competitively and designed for use with a range of surgical techniques, allowing the benefits of an advanced biologic repair to be available to more patients for use in accordance with the products’ 510(k) clearances and instructions for use.
The biologic material serves as the natural building block from which we can fabricate devices that meet specific clinical and surgical handling requirements. This material consists of an intact, minimally-processed extracellular matrix derived from ovine rumen, which is the forestomach of a sheep. Polymer fibers are interwoven through the layers of biologic material in unique embroidered patterns and contribute to approximately 5% of the overall device by mass. The interwoven polymer utilized can be either permanent, made from polypropylene, or resorbable, made from polyglycolic acid (“PGA”) or polylactic-co-glycolic acid (“PLGA”). The embroidering pattern varies between our OviTex and OviTex PRS products to impart different biomechanical properties tailored for their respective intended clinical applications. Our OviTex products are designed with a lockstitch embroidery pattern that is sewn in a grid pattern to minimize unraveling (when cut). Our OviTex PRS products are designed with a patented corner-lock stitch pattern designed to resist deformation and to control the degree and direction of stretching of the product.
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Our capabilities in polymer science, biologics, textile engineering and analytical testing enable us to quickly design innovative products for development and manufacture. These competencies also allow our technical team to tailor the degree of stretch, direction of stretch, overall strength, handling properties, permeability, thickness, texture, size and shape of each reinforced tissue matrix to suit the needs of particular clinical applications and surgical techniques. This expertise has been utilized in the development of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products, including our OviTex LPR and OviTex IHR configurations and is currently being leveraged in the development of our additional configurations within product pipelines seeking to enhance product features for various applications within our indications.
Our reinforced tissue matrices are designed to improve the outcomes of soft-tissue reconstructions by reinforcing tissue while allowing rapid tissue integration, revascularization and biomechanical control. In addition to overall strength, a key property that we engineer into our products is the degree to which they stretch, which we refer to as compliance. Each of our products is designed to exhibit a degree of compliance appropriate for its intended clinical application.
The graphics below illustrate the key features of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products:
OviTex
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OviTex PRS
We believe the principal benefits of our reinforced tissue matrices are:
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Our Strengths
We are focused on developing and commercializing a new category of reinforced tissue matrix for surgeons and patients that aim to address the shortcomings of existing products. We believe the following strengths will allow us to build our business and potentially increase our market penetration:
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Our Growth Strategy
Our goal is to become the leading provider of soft-tissue reconstruction products. The key elements of our strategy include:
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Our Products
Our Technology Platform
Our advanced reinforced tissue matrix technology consists of multiple layers of minimally-processed, decellularized extracellular matrix derived from ovine rumen with interwoven polymer fibers in a unique embroidered pattern. The extracellular matrix is the collagen component of the rumen that is retained following removal of the epithelium, muscle and cellular content, and has an optimal biomechanical profile and open collagen architecture that allows for rapid cellular infiltration. These thin, strong layers of ovine rumen are plentiful in supply and serve as building blocks from which we can construct multilayered devices to customize products to adapt to clinical needs and surgeon preferences. The layers of extracellular matrix provide a high degree of surface area for tissue remodeling. We strengthen these reinforced tissue matrix layers with interwoven polymers, that are either permanent (polypropylene), or resorbable (PGA or PLGA). These polymers were selected because they are well characterized suture materials with a history of significant clinical use and recognized safety profiles. Polypropylene has a high tensile strength and a low inflammatory response in small quantities. PGA is the fastest resorbing polymer and within three months it tends to be fully absorbed into the body, whereas using PLGA in our products provides a slower absorption option of approximately six months.
Our highly specialized and customizable textile engineering capability allows us to tailor the degree and direction of stretch, overall strength, handling properties, permeability, thickness, texture, size and shape of each reinforced tissue matrix to suit the needs of particular clinical applications and surgical techniques. Our textile engineering utilizes a computer-controlled fabrication method that is scalable, reproducible, efficient and customizable. This embroidery process creates hundreds of micro-channels to allow the multi-directional passage of the patients’ native cells and fluids
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throughout the product. The interwoven polymers are embroidered using a lockstitch pattern, which allows for the device to be trimmed while minimizing unraveling (when cut), and we use a patented corner-lock pattern, which creates a stable polymer fabric within the biologic material. We manipulate the polymer thread patterns to control the degree and stretch of our products. Denser grid patterns increase the amount of reinforcement and less dense patterns of different geometry allow for greater stretch. We are also able to manufacture products with smooth external layers that minimize the amount of exposed polymer such that the product can be placed in contact with the viscera.
OviTex Reinforced Tissue Matrix
Our OviTex Reinforced Tissue Matrix has received multiple 510(k) clearances from the FDA, which were obtained and are currently held by Aroa. OviTex is intended for use as a surgical mesh to reinforce and/or repair soft-tissue where weakness exists. Indications for use include the repair of hernias and/or abdominal wall defects that require the use of reinforcing material to obtain the desired surgical outcome. Our OviTex products can be used in a variety of hernia repairs, including simple and complex ventral, inguinal and hiatal hernias, as well as abdominal wall reconstructions.
Our OviTex products are sterile reinforced tissue matrices derived from ovine rumen with either polypropylene, PGA or PLGA. The product is provided in a dry, hydratable form and packaged in a double pouched configuration. The product can be stored at room temperature and only needs five minutes of rehydration for use. To be used in surgery our OviTex product is trimmed to fit the site, if needed, rehydrated with sterile saline for five minutes and then positioned to achieve maximum contact between the device and the surrounding tissue. The device may be sutured, stapled or tacked into place.
All of our OviTex products were designed to minimize the amount of polymer material implanted in patients. The synthetic material in our OviTex products comprise approximately 5% of our final Core, 1S and 2S products and approximately 13% in our OviTex LPR devices and IHR devices. Depending on the configuration selected, the amount of polymer is approximately 75% less than the polymer content of the most widely implanted permanent synthetic mesh, thereby reducing the patient’s foreign body inflammatory response to the polymer.
We market a variety of OviTex products in a range of sizes, thicknesses and degrees of reinforcement in order to suit surgeon preference and desired surgical technique. Our OviTex portfolio is designed to allow surgeons to select a device appropriate for any abdominal tissue plane. Generally, surgeons may place the reinforced tissue matrix in direct contact with internal organs, known as intraperitoneal placement, or away from these internal organs in a variety of tissue planes, known as pre-peritoneal placement. When selecting a product for intraperitoneal placement, surgeons require a surface that minimizes the risk of tissue attachment, whereas when selecting a product for pre-peritoneal placement, surgeons are able to use a product with polymer exposure on both sides. Surgeons may select the most appropriate product from our OviTex portfolio based on the size of the defect, necessity or surgeon preference for internal organ contact, use of a minimally invasive or open surgical technique and risk of infection.
OviTex Configurations for Laparoscopic and Robotic Procedures
Our OviTex LPR product was specifically designed for use in laparoscopic and robotic-assisted hernia surgical repairs. OviTex LPR was designed for use with a trocar and requires the same rehydration and fixation as our other OviTex products. This product includes design elements to improve surgical handling, including two extra embroidered lines of blue colored polypropylene fibers (ellipse shapes) to enhance endoscopic orientation and alignment. This product can be introduced into the patient’s body through various sized trocar ports. Based on surgeon feedback, OviTex LPR was designed in an elliptical or circular shape to minimize trimming.
Our OviTex IHR product was specifically designed for use in laparoscopic and robotic-assisted inguinal hernia repair and is available in anatomical and rectangle shapes.
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OviTex Portfolio
OviTex OviTex 1S OviTex 2S OviTex LPR OviTex IHR
Strength + ++ +++ + +
*25 x 30 cm and 25 x 40 cm sizes currently only available with permanent (polypropylene) polymer.
**OviTex LPR 6 cm circle currently only available with resorbable (PLGA) polymer.
***Resorbable PLGA variants of OviTex currently only available in the U.S.
+Denotes relative level of strength.
OviTex Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery — OviTex PRS
OviTex PRS, has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA, which clearance was obtained by Aroa and is held by us, and is indicated for use in implantation to reinforce soft-tissue where weakness exists in patients requiring soft-tissue repair or reinforcement in plastic and reconstructive surgery. In March 2023, we received an additional 510(k) clearance, which expands the OviTex PRS portfolio to include OviTex PRS Long-Term Resorbable and in March 2025, we announced the U.S. launch of larger sizes of OviTex PRS.Our OviTex PRS portfolio can be stored at room temperature and comes in the same packaging and requires the same rehydration and fixation as our OviTex products.
Our OviTex PRS portfolio is a sterile reconstructive reinforced tissue matrix that comes in three different options. The short-term resorbable and permanent PRS options are composed of two or three layers of ovine rumen joined by a patented corner-lock embroidered diamond patterned polymer (PGA or polypropylene) that allows the product to stretch uni-directionally while also maintaining its shape. Machine punched regularly spaced fenestrations, or holes and die-cut slits in the product facilitate fluid management, allow for rapid cellular infiltration and create a directional bias to the stretch. The third option, the long-term resorbable PRS, provides bi-directional stretch and longer resorption profile
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utilizing PLGA. Our OviTex PRS product is available in arced rectangle, contour and oval and circular shapes in a range of sizes (4.5 × 16 cm through 25 × 30 cm, 25 cm diameter circle) to suit surgeon preference and nature of the soft-tissue repair in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The device may be trimmed to a desired shape to further accommodate individual anatomy. The current shelf life of permanent OviTex PRS is 36 months, the current shelf life of short-term resorbable OviTex PRS is 12 months and the current shelf life of the long-term resorbable OviTex PRS is 18 months.
OviTex PRS
Product Pipeline and Research and Development
We continue to advance our product pipeline to broaden our treatment capabilities for soft-tissue reinforcement. As we innovate and develop our products, the new features and improved surgical techniques expand the clinical applications for soft-tissue reinforcement. Areas of focus include enhanced surgical handling, larger product configurations, increased permeability, and longer-acting resorbable polymers. Improving the surgical handling and implementation of our devices benefits both the clinician and patient. We believe that increasing the size of our product configurations will support utilization in new surgical applications or with certain patient populations. Increasing product permeability encourages a more-natural healing response. Longer-acting polymers can provide additional support for patients that need more time to heal. In addition, we continue to explore the development of lower-cost, higher margin resorbable polymer-based devices targeting our current indications. We believe these technology enhancements and new product alternatives will continue to bolster our portfolio and expand the successful use of our products across a variety of soft-tissue surgical applications.
Scientific Evidence
Overview of Preclinical and Clinical Programs
One of our key strategies is to continuously obtain evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of our products, which we believe will differentiate us from our competitors. As part of our strategy to gather and analyze high-quality data, we seek to ensure rigorous and reliable data collection and reporting. The data from our preclinical and clinical studies strengthens our ability to raise surgeon awareness and drive adoption of our products as a new category of soft-tissue reconstruction products. We expect our clinical evidence will provide surgeons with safety and efficacy data on
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the appropriate use of our products and we plan to obtain further clinical evidence to support additional regulatory clearances or approvals of our reinforced tissue matrices for additional indications for use in the future.
Preclinical Programs
Our pre-clinical program is paramount in the design of our products. Our program starts with bench performance characterization to ensure proper strength and compliance for the indication, followed by in-vitro and in-vivo studies to ensure proper biological performance to help promote remodeling of the repair site. We have developed an extensive pre-clinical research library on our devices, as well as on competitor devices. We continue to evaluate new and existing technologies for safety and biocompatibility as part of our product development process.
We believe we have completed the largest collection of non-human primate preclinical studies conducted in soft-tissue reconstruction surgery. In these studies, we compared our OviTex and OviTex PRS products to market leading competitive materials. The results showed our reinforced tissue matrices exhibited a minimal inflammatory response, rapid cellular infiltration and revascularization and demonstrated early and complete remodeling into functional tissue. The OviTex results have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Hernia (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-019-02119-z). The OviTex PRS results have been published in the peer-reviewed journal ePlasty (ePlasty 2022;22:e43).
Clinical Programs
We are committed to obtaining evidence to support the safety and efficacy of our products across their indications. Clinical data has been published on over 1,300 patients treated with OviTex in ventral hernia, inguinal hernia, hiatal hernia, and abdominal wall reconstruction. As part of our clinical research program, we have developed two post-market studies, BRAVO and BRAVO II. This commitment to generating clinical data through controlled prospective studies with 24-month follow-up will allow us to understand the short- and long-term benefits of using OviTex in hernia repair.
In October 2022, the 24-month results of our BRAVO study were published in the Annals of Medicine and Surgery. The BRAVO study was designed to evaluate the clinical performance of OviTex for primary or recurrent ventral hernias using open, laparoscopic, or robotic techniques in 92 enrolled patients. The recurrence rate at the 24-month time point was 2.6%, and SSOs were observed in 38% of the study population. 78% of all enrolled patients were characterized as high risk for experiencing an SSO based on at least one known risk factor, which included obesity, active smoking, COPD, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, or advanced age (≥75 years). The results also indicated that BRAVO patients experienced statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in their quality of life and perceived health.
Surgeons continue to use our OviTex PRS reinforced tissue matrices in their surgeries and, in addition to a potential IDE study, we have also commenced our OPERA study, a retrospective-prospective trial evaluating the safety profile of OviTex PRS in previous pre-pectoral and sub-pectoral implant-based breast reconstructions.
Lastly, we have initiated the collection of real-world quality improvement data on 1,100 patients across the entire OviTex and OviTex PRS portfolio of products and will be evaluating these patients over a 24 month follow-up period.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our proprietary technology and intellectual property rights, in particular, our patent and trademark rights, preserving the confidentiality of our trade secrets, and operating without infringing the valid and enforceable patents and other proprietary rights of third parties. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property rights and measures to protect the intellectual property rights that we consider important to our business. We also rely on know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position.
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Aroa License
In August 2012, we entered into the Aroa License, which was amended and restated in July 2015, pursuant to which we obtained an exclusive license to certain patents and know-how to develop, commercialize and sell bovine and ovine extracellular matrix products for hernia repair, abdominal wall and breast reconstruction in North America and Europe, which we refer to as the Licensed Territory. In addition, under the Aroa License, Aroa is our exclusive manufacturer and supplier for the development of our bovine and ovine extracellular matrix products.
Pursuant to the terms of the Aroa License, we made upfront payments to Aroa totaling $2.3 million and granted Aroa 74,316 newly issued shares of our restricted common stock. We have made additional payments in the aggregate of $2.0 million to Aroa following the achievement of certain regulatory and operational milestones, including FDA 510(k) clearance of our OviTex products, which clearance was obtained and is currently held by Aroa, for use in surgical soft-tissue reinforcement and the receipt of the first CE mark for sale of our products in the European Economic Area for use in abdominal wall reconstruction and hernia repair and our acceptance of certain supply quantities manufactured by Aroa for our commercial launch in Europe. In addition, we paid Aroa $4.0 million in revenue-based milestone payments upon our achievement of certain net sales thresholds for sales of our products within the Licensed Territory. We have satisfied all milestone payment obligations under the Aroa License.
We are responsible for commercializing the products manufactured for us by Aroa. We pay Aroa for the supply and manufacturing of our products through a revenue sharing agreement. Pursuant to the Aroa License, we purchase product from Aroa at a fixed transfer cost as a percentage of Aroa’s cost of goods, and subject to a true-up adjustment, resulting in an amount equal to 27% of our net sales of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products, with the exception of OviTex IHR product configurations, for which we pay the greater of the initial fixed transfer cost or 27% of our net sales of OviTex IHR. If at any point during the term of the Aroa License we and Aroa determine that our anticipated product needs exceed Aroa’s manufacturing capabilities, we and Aroa will mutually approve an expansion and equally share the cost of such expansion. Our share of such expansion costs may be offset by us against future revenue share payments.
The initial term of the Aroa License terminates on the expiration of the last patent covering the OviTex and OviTex PRS products, currently March 9, 2031, with an option to extend for an additional ten-year period. Either party may terminate the Aroa License upon the other party’s material breach, subject to a ninety-day notice and cure period or upon thirty-days written notice in the event of bankruptcy. We may terminate manufacture and production of a specific product upon thirty-days prior written notice upon (i) a reasonable determination that such product infringes the intellectual property rights of a third party, (ii) an uncured supply failure by Aroa or (iii) such product proves unfeasible, and immediately upon written notice from a regulatory authority that such product must be withdrawn from the market. If we materially breach the Aroa License in one of the Licensed Territories, Aroa may terminate the Aroa License solely with respect to the Licensed Territory in which the breach occurred. Upon termination of the Aroa License, we have the right to purchase all or any part of the unsold portion of any completed products from Aroa and the right to continue to sell all products remaining in our inventory.
The Aroa License also contains customary representations and warranties, confidentiality, insurance, audit, indemnification and non-competition provisions.
Patents
As of December 31, 2025, we exclusively license two issued U.S. patents that will expire in 2029 and 2031. We own twenty-six U.S. issued patents which will expire between 2035 and 2041 and ten pending U.S. patent applications, which subject to issuance, are projected to expire between 2035 and 2045, without taking into account potential patent term extensions or adjustments. In addition to our U.S. intellectual property, we also own eleven issued non-U.S. patents and fourteen pending non-U.S. patent applications, including seven applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”), which, subject to issuance, would be projected to expire between 2036 and 2044 and have exclusively licensed issued patents in Europe and Canada that will expire in 2029.
Our patents and patent applications cover, among other things, our corner-lock embroidery pattern, the use of adhesion barriers sewn into soft-tissue and compliance associated with stretching.
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Although the term of individual patents varies depending upon the country in which they were granted, in most countries, including the U.S., the patent term is 20 years from the earliest claimed filing date of a non-provisional patent application in the applicable country. In the U.S., a patent’s term may, in certain cases, be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in examining and granting a patent, or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over a commonly owned patent or a patent naming a common inventor and having an earlier expiration date.
We cannot be sure that our pending patent applications that we have filed or may file in the future will result in issued patents, and we can give no assurance that any patents that have been issued or might issue in the future will protect our current or future products, will provide us with any competitive advantage, and will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented.
Trade Secrets
We seek to protect our proprietary rights through a variety of methods, including confidentiality agreements and proprietary information agreements with suppliers, employees, consultants and others who may have access to our proprietary information. However, trade secrets and proprietary information can be difficult to protect. While we have confidence in the measures we take to protect and preserve our trade secrets and proprietary information, such measures can be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. In addition, our trade secrets and proprietary information may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors.
Trademarks
We also rely on trademarks and trade designs to develop and maintain our competitive position. TELA Bio®, OviTex®, the TELA Bio logo OviTex®, Minimize the Foreign Body Footprint®, and A More Natural Hernia Repair® are registered trademarks of ours in the U.S. and TELA Bio® and OviTex® are registered trademarks in the foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business.
For more information regarding the risks related to our intellectual property, please see the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Intellectual Property Matters.”
Research and Development
We invest in research and development to advance our reinforced tissue matrix products and to develop complimentary soft tissue preservation and restoration products, with the goal of improving upon and supplementing our existing product offerings. We believe our ability to rapidly develop new products and product configurations is attributable to the dynamic product innovation process that we have implemented, the versatility and leveragability of our core technology and the management philosophy behind that process. We have recruited and retained engineers and scientists with significant experience in the development of polymer science, biologics, textile engineering and analytical testing. We have a number of design improvements for our reinforced tissue matrices in various stages of development that are expected to enhance our current products and increase surgeon adoption of our products. In October 2024, we received approval from the FDA for our investigational device exemption application relating to the study of the safety and effectiveness of our OviTex PRS product in implant-based breast reconstruction. We continue to evaluate and finalize the clinical study protocol and anticipate additional FDA interactions related to such to support a pre-market application to obtain approval for an indication for OviTex PRS for use in breast reconstruction. Our research and development efforts are based at our facility in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
Commercial Strategy
Our commercial efforts are predominantly focused on the U.S. market where we have established strong relationships with key constituencies, including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, GPOs, IDN, third-party payors and other key clinical and economic decision makers by offering a unique high quality, cost-effective product. As part of our overall commercial strategy, we intend to contract with GPOs and IDNs to increase access and penetration with hospital accounts. To date, we have contracted with three national GPOs for coverage of our OviTex and OviTex PRS products.
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We have invested in our direct sales and marketing infrastructure in order to expand our presence to promote awareness and adoption of our products.
We market our products to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, surgeons, GPOs, IDNs and medical device supply chain participants primarily through our direct sales force. Our sales representatives and sales managers have substantial medical device experience. As of December 31, 2025, we had 150 employees in our U.S. based commercial organization, which includes sales management, territory managers, marketing and administrative and field-based support staff. We plan to hire additional territory managers and field-based support employees to support and service new accounts for soft-tissue reconstruction procedures.
Manufacturing
The majority of our raw materials are sourced through and manufactured by Aroa in their Auckland, New Zealand facility under the terms of the Aroa License. Aroa’s facility is approximately 40,000 square feet of which approximately 25,000 square feet is dedicated to manufacturing, including an additional 15,000 square feet of additional manufacturing space in a neighboring facility. The Auckland facility is FDA registered and ISO 13485 certified. We believe that Aroa will be capable of providing sufficient quantities of our products to meet anticipated customer demands. In the event of an uncured supply failure by Aroa, we have the right to, directly or through a third-party, step in and operate the Aroa Auckland facility to manufacture our products on behalf of Aroa.
The proprietary ovine rumen used in the manufacturing of our products is obtained from sheep raised for human consumption in New Zealand and is currently sourced by Aroa from a New Zealand abattoir, or slaughterhouse. Although only one abattoir is currently qualified, there are more than 30 additional abattoirs in New Zealand that could be used to source the ovine rumen. New Zealand cattle and sheep are considered by the USDA to be free of prion disease (progressive neurodegenerative disorders, including scrapie). The sheep receive veterinary inspection prior to slaughter and then each carcass is inspected post-mortem for the presence of disease according to USDA approved standards. Only sheep which pass full inspection can be used as a raw tissue source for our products and all the ovine rumen is processed in compliance with the FDA’s regulations for Medical Devices Containing Materials Derived from Animal Sources. Once the ovine rumen is procured, our reinforced tissue matrix products are then manufactured by Aroa at its facility in Auckland, New Zealand.
Distribution
The majority of our products are shipped directly from Auckland, New Zealand to our headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania. We sell our products directly to our customers, which are hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Outside of Europe, we do not use stocking distributors to sell our products.
Competition
The medical device industry is intensely competitive, subject to change and significantly affected by new product introductions and other market activities of industry participants.
In the hernia repair market, our primary competitors are Bard, a subsidiary of Becton, Dickinson and Company, which produces Phasix and Ventralight ST, and Allergan, a subsidiary of AbbVie, which produces Strattice. In the plastic and reconstructive surgery market, our primary competitors are Allergan, a subsidiary of AbbVie, which produces AlloDerm, MTF Biologics, which produces FlexHD, Novadaq, which produces DermACell, RTI Surgical, which produces Cortiva, Bard, which produces GalaFLEX, and Integra Lifesciences, which produces SurgiMend and DuraSorb.
Many of these competitors are large, well-capitalized companies with significantly greater market share and resources than we have, selling products that have been on the market prior to the commercialization of our products. As a consequence, they are able to spend more on product development, marketing, sales and other product initiatives than we
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can, while also benefiting from greater brand awareness. We also compete with smaller medical device companies that have single products or a limited range of products. Some of our competitors have:
● significantly greater name recognition;
● more established distribution networks;
We believe that our continued ability to compete favorably depends on:
● successfully deploying our commercial operations;
● continuing to innovate and maintain scientifically-advanced technology;
● attracting and retaining skilled personnel;
Government Regulation
Our products and operations are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the FDA and other federal, state and local authorities, as well as foreign regulatory authorities. The FDA regulates, among other things, the research, development, testing, design, manufacturing, approval, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, advertising, promotion and marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting and import and export of medical devices in the U.S. to assure the safety and effectiveness of medical products for their intended use. The Federal Trade Commission also regulates the advertising of our products in the U.S. Further, we are subject to laws directed at preventing fraud and abuse, which subject our sales and marketing, training and other practices to government scrutiny.
Regulatory System for Medical Devices in the U.S.
All of our medical devices sold in the U.S. are subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) as implemented and enforced by the FDA.
Unless an exemption applies, each new or significantly modified medical device we seek to commercially distribute in the U.S. will require either a premarket notification to the FDA requesting permission for commercial distribution under Section 510(k) of the FDCA also referred to as a 510(k) clearance, or approval from the FDA of a PMA application. Both the 510(k) clearance and PMA processes can be resource intensive, expensive, and lengthy, and require payment of significant user fees, unless an exemption is available.
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Device Classification
Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes — Class I, Class II or Class III — depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of control needed to provide reasonable assurances with respect to safety and effectiveness.
Class I includes devices with the lowest risk to the patient and are those for which safety and effectiveness can be reasonably assured by adherence to a set of FDA regulations, referred to as the General Controls for Medical Devices, which require compliance with the applicable portions of the Quality Management System Regulation, or QMSR, facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse events and malfunctions, and appropriate, truthful and non-misleading labeling and promotional materials. Some Class I devices, also called Class I reserved devices, also require premarket clearance by the FDA through the 510(k) premarket notification process described below. Most Class I products are exempt from the premarket notification requirements.
Class II devices are those that are subject to the General Controls, and special controls as deemed necessary by the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. These special controls can include performance standards, patient registries, FDA guidance documents and post-market surveillance. Most Class II devices are subject to premarket review and clearance by the FDA. Premarket review and clearance by the FDA for Class II devices is accomplished through the 510(k) premarket notification process.
Class III devices include devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risk such as life-supporting or life-sustaining devices, or implantable devices, in addition to those deemed novel and not substantially equivalent to a medical device cleared through the 510(k) process. The safety and effectiveness of Class III devices cannot be reasonably assured solely by the General Controls and special controls described above. Therefore, these devices are subject to the PMA application process, which is generally more costly and time consuming than the 510(k) process. Through the PMA application process, the applicant must submit data and information demonstrating reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the device for its intended use to the FDA’s satisfaction. Accordingly, a PMA application typically includes, but is not limited to, extensive technical information regarding device design and development, preclinical and clinical trial data, manufacturing information, labeling and financial disclosure information for the clinical investigators in device studies. The PMA application must provide valid scientific evidence that demonstrates to the FDA’s satisfaction a reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the device for its intended use.
510(k) Clearance Pathway
Our current products are subject to premarket notification and clearance under section 510(k) of the FDCA.
When a 510(k) clearance is required, we must submit a premarket notification to the FDA demonstrating that our proposed device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device, which is a previously cleared and legally marketed 510(k) device or a device that was in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 (pre-amendments device) and for which a PMA is not required, a device that has been reclassified from Class III to Class II or I, or a device that was found substantially equivalent through the 510(k) process. By regulation, a premarket notification must be submitted to the FDA at least 90 days before we intend to distribute a device. As a practical matter, clearance often takes nine to twelve months, but may take significantly longer. To demonstrate substantial equivalence, the manufacturer must show that the proposed device has the same intended use as the predicate device, and it either has the same technological characteristics, or different technological characteristics and the information in the premarket notification demonstrates that the device is as safe and effective as the predicate device and does not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness. The FDA may require further information, including clinical data, to make a determination regarding substantial equivalence.
If the FDA agrees that the device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device currently on the market, it will grant 510(k) clearance to commercially market the device. If the FDA determines that the device is “not substantially equivalent” to a previously cleared device, the device is automatically designated as a Class III device. The device sponsor must then fulfill more rigorous PMA requirements, or can request a risk-based classification determination for
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the device in accordance with the de novo classification procedure, which is a route to market for novel medical devices that are low to moderate risk and are not substantially equivalent to a predicate device.
After a device receives 510(k) marketing clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change or modification in its intended use, will require a new 510(k) marketing clearance or, depending on the modification, a de novo classification or PMA approval. The FDA requires each manufacturer to determine whether the proposed change requires a premarket submission in the first instance, but the FDA can review any such decision and disagree with a manufacturer’s determination.
Many minor modifications today are accomplished by a manufacturer documenting the change in an internal letter-to-file. The letter-to-file is in lieu of submitting a new 510(k) to obtain clearance for every change. The FDA can always review these letters-to-file in an inspection. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s determination, the FDA can require the manufacturer to cease marketing and/or request the recall of the modified device until marketing authorization is obtained. Also, in these circumstances, we may be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties.
De Novo Classification
Medical device types that the FDA has not previously classified as Class I, II or III are automatically classified into Class III regardless of the level of risk they pose. The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997, or FDAMA, established a new route to market for low to moderate risk medical devices that are automatically placed into Class III due to the absence of a predicate device, called the “Request for Evaluation of Automatic Class III Designation,” or the de novo classification procedure.
This procedure allows a manufacturer whose novel device is automatically classified into Class III to request down-classification of its medical device into Class I or Class II on the basis that the device presents low or moderate risk, rather than requiring the submission and approval of a PMA application. Prior to the enactment of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012, or FDASIA, a medical device could only be eligible for de novo classification if the manufacturer first submitted a 510(k) premarket notification and received a determination from the FDA that the device was not substantially equivalent to a predicate device. FDASIA streamlined the de novo classification pathway by permitting manufacturers to request de novo classification directly without first submitting a 510(k) premarket notification to the FDA and receiving a not substantially equivalent determination. Under FDASIA, the FDA is required to classify the device within 120 days following receipt of the de novo application, although the review of an application can occur over a significantly longer period of time. If the manufacturer seeks reclassification into Class II, the manufacturer must include a draft proposal for special controls that are necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the medical device. In addition, the FDA may reject the reclassification petition if it identifies a legally marketed predicate device that would support a 510(k) or determines that the device is not low to moderate risk or that general controls would be inadequate to control the risks and special controls cannot be developed.
The PMA Approval Process
Class III devices require PMA approval before they can be marketed although some pre-amendment Class III devices for which the FDA has not yet required a PMA are cleared through the 510(k) process. The PMA process is more demanding than the 510(k) premarket notification process. In a PMA, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the device is safe and effective, and the PMA must be supported by extensive data, including data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. The PMA must also contain a full description of the device and its components, a full description of the methods, facilities and controls used for manufacturing, and proposed labeling. While our current products are subject to the 510(k) clearance pathway, any future products or modifications to our existing products that we plan to develop for a breast reconstruction indication would be subject to the PMA approval process.
Following receipt of a PMA application, the FDA determines whether the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If it is not, the agency will refuse to file the PMA. If it is, the FDA will accept the application for filing and begin the review. The FDA has 180 days to review a filed PMA application, although the review of an application can occur over a significantly longer period of time, and can take up to several years. During this review
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period, the FDA may request additional information or clarification of information already provided, or the FDA may issue a major deficiency letter to the applicant, requesting the applicant’s response to deficiencies communicated by the FDA. The FDA considers a PMA or PMA supplement to have been voluntarily withdrawn if an applicant fails to respond to an FDA request for information (e.g., a major deficiency letter) within 360 days. Before approving or denying a PMA, an FDA advisory committee may review the PMA at a public meeting and provide the FDA with the committee’s recommendation on whether the FDA should approve the submission, approve it with specific conditions, or not approve it. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.
Prior to approval of a PMA, the FDA may conduct inspections of the clinical trial data and clinical trial sites, as well as inspections of the manufacturing facility and processes. Beginning in February 2026, FDA will evaluate PMA submissions against the harmonized QMSR. Overall, the FDA review of a PMA application generally takes between one and three years, but may take significantly longer.
The FDA will approve the new device for commercial distribution if it determines that the data and information in the PMA constitute valid scientific evidence and that there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use(s).
If the FDA evaluation of a PMA is favorable, the FDA will issue either an approval letter, or an approvable letter, the latter of which usually contains a number of conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the PMA. When and if those conditions have been fulfilled to the satisfaction of the FDA, the agency will issue a PMA approval letter authorizing commercial marketing of the device, subject to the conditions of approval and the limitations established in the approval letter. If the FDA’s evaluation of a PMA application or manufacturing facilities is not favorable, the FDA will deny approval of the PMA or issue a not approvable letter. The FDA also may determine that additional tests or clinical trials are necessary, in which case the PMA approval may be delayed for several months or years while the trials are conducted and data is submitted in an amendment to the PMA, or the PMA is withdrawn and resubmitted when the data are available. The FDA may condition PMA approval on some form of post-market surveillance when deemed necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and efficacy data for the device in a larger population or for a longer period of use. In such cases, the manufacturer might be required to follow certain patient groups for a number of years and to make periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval.
New PMA applications or PMA supplements are required for changes to an approved device, such as modifications to the manufacturing process, equipment or facility, quality control procedures, sterilization, packaging, expiration date, labeling, device specifications, ingredients, materials or design. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as an initial PMA application, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the approved PMA application and may or may not require extensive technical or clinical data or the convening of an advisory committee, depending on the nature of the proposed change.
In approving a PMA application, as a condition of approval, the FDA may also require some form of post-approval study or post-market surveillance, whereby the applicant conducts a follow-up study or follows certain patient groups for a number of years and makes periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients when necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional or longer term safety and effectiveness data for the device. The FDA may also require post-market surveillance for certain devices cleared under a 510(k) notification, such as implants or life-supporting or life-sustaining devices. The FDA may also approve a PMA application with other post-approval conditions intended to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, such as, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale, distribution and use.
The Investigational Device Process
Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA and are sometimes required to support a 510(k) submission. All clinical investigations of investigational devices to determine safety and effectiveness must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s IDE regulations which govern investigational device labeling, prohibit promotion of the
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investigational device, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. Some types of studies deemed to present a “non-significant risk” are deemed to have an approved IDE once certain requirements are addressed and Institutional Review Board, or IRB approval is obtained. If the device presents a “significant risk” to human health, as defined by the FDA, the sponsor must submit an IDE application to the FDA and obtain IDE approval prior to commencing the human clinical trials. The IDE will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless the FDA notifies the company that the investigation may not begin. If the FDA determines that there are deficiencies or other concerns with an IDE for which it requires modification, the FDA may permit a clinical trial to proceed under an approval with conditions. The IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory testing results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. Generally, clinical trials for a significant risk device may begin once the IDE application is approved by the FDA and the study protocol and informed consent are approved by an appropriate IRB. There can be no assurance that submission of an IDE will result in the ability to commence clinical trials, and although the FDA’s approval of an IDE allows clinical testing to go forward for a specified number of subjects, it does not bind the FDA to accept the results of the trial as sufficient to prove the product’s safety and efficacy, even if the trial meets its intended success criteria.
During a study, the sponsor is required to comply with the applicable FDA requirements, including, for example, trial monitoring, selecting clinical investigators and providing them with the investigational plan, ensuring IRB review, adverse event reporting, record keeping and prohibitions on the promotion of investigational devices or on making safety or effectiveness claims for them. The clinical investigators in the clinical study are also subject to FDA good clinical practice regulations and must obtain patient informed consent, rigorously follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of the investigational device, and comply with all reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Additionally, after a trial begins, we, the FDA or the IRB could suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the anticipated benefits. The results of clinical testing may be unfavorable, or, even if the intended safety and efficacy success criteria are achieved, may not be considered sufficient for the FDA to grant marketing approval or clearance of a product.
Pervasive and Continuing FDA Regulation
After the FDA permits a device to enter commercial distribution, numerous and pervasive regulatory requirements continue to apply to our business operations, products and technologies. These include:
● restrictions on sale, distribution or use of a device;
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● an order of repair, replacement or refund;
● device tracking requirements; and
The FDA has broad post-market and regulatory enforcement powers. Medical device manufacturers are subject to unannounced inspections by the FDA and other state, local and foreign regulatory authorities to assess compliance with the QMSR and other applicable regulations, and these inspections may include the manufacturing facilities of any suppliers.
Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may include any of the following sanctions:
● recall or seizure of products;
● operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
● criminal prosecution.
Regulatory System for Medical Devices in Europe
The European Union (“EU”) and the European Economic Area (“EEA”) (which is comprised of the 27 Member States of the EU plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) has a coordinated system for the authorization of medical devices. Until May 25, 2021, medical devices were regulated by the Council Directive 93/42/EEC, or the Medical Devices Directive (“MDD”), which has been repealed and replaced by Regulation (EU) No 2017/745, or the Medical Devices Regulation (“MDR”). There is a transition period during which certificates issued under the MDD remain valid, subject to compliance with certain requirements under the MDR (e.g. having put in place a quality management system in accordance with the MDR by May 26, 2024).
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The MDR went into effect on May 26, 2021, and it:
Under the MDR, the system of regulating medical devices operates by way of a certification for each medical device, which confirms that the device meets the relevant general safety and performance requirements laid down in Annex I of the MDR. Each certificated device is marked with a CE mark which shows that the device has a certificat de conformité, also referred to as a certificate of conformity. The means for achieving the requirements for a CE mark varies according to the nature of the device. Devices are classified in accordance with their perceived risks, similarly to the U.S. system. The class of a product determines the requirements to be fulfilled in accordance with the MDR before a CE mark can be placed on a product. The procedure by which a device is assessed to confirm if it complies with the applicable safety and performance requirements is known as a conformity assessment. Conformity assessment procedures require an assessment of available clinical evidence, literature data for the product, and post-market experience in respect of similar products already marketed. Specifically, a manufacturer must demonstrate that the device achieves its intended performance during normal conditions of use, that the known and foreseeable risks, and any adverse events, are minimized and acceptable when weighed against the benefits of its intended performance, and that any claims made about the performance and safety of the device are supported by suitable evidence. Except for low-risk medical devices (Class I non-sterile, non-measuring devices), where the manufacturer can self-certify compliance with the MDR based on a self-assessment of the conformity of its products with the applicable requirements of the MDR, a conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of an independent organization accredited by a member state of the EEA to conduct conformity assessments, known as a notified body. If satisfied that the relevant product conforms to the relevant general safety and performance requirements, the notified body issues a certificate of conformity, which the manufacturer uses as a basis for its own declaration of conformity. The manufacturer may then apply the CE mark to the device, which allows the device to be placed on the market throughout the EEA.
The MDR requires that before placing a device, other than a custom-made device, on the market, manufacturers (as well as other economic operators such as authorized representatives and importers) must register by submitting identification information to the electronic system (Eudamed), unless they have already registered, and manufacturers must assign a unique identifier to the device and provide it along with other core data to the unique device identifier, or UDI, database. These new requirements aim at ensuring better identification and traceability of the devices. Manufacturers are responsible for entering the necessary data on Eudamed, which includes the UDI database, and for keeping it up to date. Eudamed is not yet fully functional and will be gradually rolled out. Use of a particular module of Eudamed (e.g. the UDI/device registration module) will become mandatory six months after the publication in the OJEU of the notice confirming the functionality of such module. In November 2025, the European Commission published a notice declaring the functionality of the first four Eudamed modules, which triggers mandatory use of those modules from 28 May 2026 under the MDR transitional provisions.
In Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), in respect of medical devices, since the end of the Brexit transitional period on January 1, 2021, medical devices must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) (the UK medicines and medical devices regulator) before they are placed on the market. If a manufacturer is based outside the United Kingdom, it must appoint a single UK Responsible Person established in the United Kingdom to act on its behalf in relation to specified obligations, including device registration. Under current
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transitional measures, certain CE-marked devices may continue to be placed on the Great Britain market for limited periods depending on the EU legislation the device complies with, including generally up to the sooner of certificate expiry or June 30, 2028 for devices compliant with the EU MDD, and up to June 30, 2030 for devices compliant with EU MDR. After the applicable transition period, a UK Conformity Assessed (“UKCA”) mark will be required to place a device on the Great Britain market. Manufacturers may choose to use the UKCA mark on a voluntary basis prior to such dates. The UKCA mark is not recognized for placing devices on in the EU market. EU medical device rules continue. For Northern Ireland, devices generally require CE marking and where a UK notified body is used for mandatory third-party conformity assessment, the device must bear the combined CE and UKNI mark (“CE UKNI”), although devices bearing CE UKNI mark are not accepted on the EU market.
Following a public consultation, the UK government is implementing changes to the medical devices legislation. The first piece of legislation became law in December 2024 and took effect on June 16, 2025, implementing changes to the post-market surveillance requirements for medical devices in Great Britain, with the aim of facilitating greater traceability of incidents. Further legislation will be put in place in 2026 to introduce new pre-market requirements, including an international reliance procedure for approval of certain medical devices for the Great Britain market.
Privacy and Security Laws
There are numerous U.S. federal and state laws and regulations related to the privacy and security of personal information, including health information. Among others, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and their implementing regulations (collectively referred to as “HIPAA”) establish privacy and security standards that limit the use and disclosure of protected health information (“PHI”) and require covered entities and business associates to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of individually identifiable health information in electronic form, among other requirements.
Violations of HIPAA may result in civil and criminal penalties. Companies subject to HIPAA must also comply with HIPAA’s breach notification rule which requires notification of affected patients and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and in certain cases of media outlets, in the case of a breach of unsecured PHI. The regulations also require business associates of covered entities to notify the covered entity of breaches by the business associate. State attorneys general also have the right to prosecute HIPAA violations committed against residents of their states, and HIPAA standards have been used as the basis for the duty of care in state civil suits, such as those for negligence or recklessness in misusing personal information. In addition, HIPAA mandates that HHS conduct periodic compliance audits of HIPAA covered entities and their business associates for compliance.
Many states have laws that protect the privacy and security of sensitive and personal information, including health information, to which we are subject. These laws may be similar to or even more protective than HIPAA and other federal privacy laws. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) is a comprehensive privacy law that created individual privacy rights for California residents and increased the privacy and security obligations of entities handling certain personal data, including sensitive personal information. Certain states have also passed laws regulating specific aspects of privacy. For example, the State of Washington recently passed a law regulating health and medical information that is not subject to HIPAA.
We may be subject to other state and federal privacy laws, including laws that prohibit unfair privacy and security practices and deceptive statements about privacy and security, laws that place specific requirements on certain types of activities, such as data security and texting, and laws requiring holders of personal information to maintain safeguards and to take certain actions in response to a data breach.
Foreign data protection laws may also apply to health-related and other personal information belonging to individuals who reside outside of the U.S. whose personal information we process. For example, the collection, use, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal information regarding individuals in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK), including personal health information, is subject to the strict requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “EU GDPR”), the UK General Data Protection Regulation (the “UK GDPR”) (collectively referred to as the “GDPR”), as well as other national data protection legislation in force in the relevant EEA
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Member States and the UK (including the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and UK (Data Use and Access) Act) 2025. Companies that must comply with the GDPR face increased compliance obligations and risk, including more robust regulatory enforcement of data protection requirements and potential fines for noncompliance of up to €20 million (£17.5 million for the UK GDPR) or 4% of the annual global revenues of the corporate group of the noncompliant company, whichever is greater. The GDPR also confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR. Among other requirements, the GDPR regulates cross-border transfers of personal data and requires transferee countries to have protections equivalent to protections available in the EEA and UK. In July 2023, the EU adopted the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (“DPF”) to facilitate cross-border transfers of data from the EU to the U.S. A company may participate under the DPF by self-certifying and publicly committing to comply with the applicable DPF principles.
Currently, the EU and UK data protection regimes remain largely aligned, but there is a possibility of further divergence in the future.
EU member states have introduced national laws implementing the GDPR which impose additional requirements; this adds to the complexity of processing personal data in or from the EEA or United Kingdom. Guidance on implementation and compliance practices are often updated or otherwise revised.
Anti-Kickback Statutes
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from (among other things) knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce the referral of an individual, or the recommending, furnishing or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare or Medicaid.
Courts have interpreted the Anti-Kickback Statute quite broadly, holding that the statute will be violated if even one purpose of a payment — though not its sole or primary purpose — is to induce an act prohibited by the statute with a willful intent to act improperly. The statute prohibits many arrangements and practices that are otherwise lawful in businesses outside of the healthcare industry. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. Prosecutors may infer intent from the surrounding circumstances and, because courts have interpreted the statute to be violated if even one purpose of a payment is to induce the purchase of items or services paid for by federal healthcare programs, prosecutors have broad discretion in choosing arrangements to prosecute under the statute. There are statutory exceptions and regulatory “safe harbors” available to protect certain appropriately structured arrangements that otherwise would implicate the Anti-Kickback Statute and those who structure their business arrangements to satisfy all of the criteria of a safe harbor are protected from liability under the statute. Our business is subject to these laws.
Many states have adopted anti-kickback and self-referral laws similar to the Anti-Kickback Statute; however, some of these state prohibitions are broader in scope and apply to arrangements involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any source, and not only by Medicare, Medicaid or another federal healthcare program. These state laws do not always have the same exceptions or safe harbors as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
False Claims Laws
The federal False Claims Act imposes liability on any individual or entity that, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment by a federal healthcare program. The qui tam or “whistleblower” provisions of the False Claims Act allow a private individual to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging that the defendant has violated the False Claims Act and to share in any monetary recovery. In recent years, the number of lawsuits brought against healthcare industry participants by private individuals has increased dramatically.
There are many potential bases for liability under the False Claims Act. Liability arises, primarily, when an entity knowingly submits, or causes another to submit, a false claim for reimbursement to the federal government, but also may
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arise when an entity knowingly makes a false statement material to an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government or knowingly conceals or knowingly and improperly avoids or decreases an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government. Various states have also enacted false claims and insurance fraud laws that are analogous to the federal False Claims Act. Many of these state laws apply to claims submitted to any third-party payor and are not limited to claims submitted to a federal healthcare program. The scope of these laws and the interpretations of them vary from state to state and are enforced by state courts and regulatory authorities, each with broad discretion. A determination of liability under such laws could result in fines and penalties and restrictions on a company’s ability to operate in these jurisdictions.
Transparency Laws
The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act (“Sunshine Act”) which was enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) generally requires certain manufacturers of a drug, device, biologic or other medical supply that is covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and applicable GPOs to report on an annual basis: (i) certain payments and other transfers of value given to certain healthcare professionals and teaching hospitals and (ii) any ownership or investment interest that U.S. physicians, or their immediate family members, have in their company. The payments required to be reported include the cost of meals provided to a healthcare professional, travel reimbursements and other transfers of value, including those provided as part of contracted services such as speaker programs, advisory boards, consultation services and clinical trial services. Under the statute, the federal government makes reported information available to the public. Failure to comply with the reporting requirements can result in significant civil monetary penalties or criminal penalties if an entity intentionally makes false statements in the reports.
There has been a recent trend of separate state regulation of payments and transfers of value by manufacturers of medical devices to healthcare professionals and entities, however, and some state transparency laws apply more broadly than the federal Sunshine Act. There are also an increasing number of analogous state laws that require manufacturers to file reports with states on pricing and marketing information. Many of these laws contain ambiguities as to what is required to comply with the laws. For example, several states have enacted legislation requiring manufacturers to, among other things, establish and implement commercial compliance programs, file periodic reports with the state, make periodic public disclosures on sales, marketing, pricing, clinical trials and other activities and/or register their sales representatives. Certain state laws also regulate manufacturers’ use of physician and patient identifiable data. These laws may affect our sales, marketing and other promotional activities by imposing administrative and compliance burdens. In addition, given the lack of clarity with respect to these laws and their implementation, our reporting actions could be subject to the penalty provisions of the pertinent state and federal authorities. All of our activities are also potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition.
Other Federal Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Laws
We may also be subject to other federal healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including provisions of HIPAA, which imposes criminal liability and amends provisions on the reporting, investigation, enforcement, and penalizing of civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and recklessly executing a scheme or artifice to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private payors, as well as knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact by any trick, scheme or device or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. A violation of this statute is a felony and may result in fines, imprisonment or exclusion from government-sponsored programs. As with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits U.S. businesses and their representatives from offering to pay, paying, promising to pay or authorizing the payment of money or anything of value to a foreign official in order to influence any act or decision of the foreign official in his or her official capacity or to secure any other improper advantage in order to obtain or retain business. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the
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U.S. to comply with accounting provisions requiring us to maintain books and records, which in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, if any, and to devise and maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements. Our industry is heavily regulated and therefore involves significant interaction with public officials, including officials of non-U.S. governments. Additionally, in many other countries, the health care providers who prescribe pharmaceuticals are employed by their government, and the purchasers of pharmaceuticals are government entities; therefore, our dealings with these prescribers and purchasers are subject to regulation under the FCPA. Recently, the SEC and Department of Justice have increased their FCPA enforcement activities with respect to pharmaceutical companies. Violations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers, or our employees, the closing down of our facilities, requirements to obtain export licenses, cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries, implementation of compliance programs, and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Enforcement actions may be brought by the Department of Justice or the SEC, and recent enacted legislation has expanded the SEC’s power to seek disgorgement in all FCPA cases filed in federal court and extended the statute of limitations in SEC enforcement actions in intent-based claims such as those under the FCPA from five years to ten years.
International Laws
In Europe, and throughout the world, other countries have enacted anti-bribery laws and/or regulations similar to the FCPA. Violations of any of these anti-bribery laws, or allegations of such violations, could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and reputation.
There are also international privacy laws that impose restrictions on the access, use, and disclosure of health information. All of these laws may impact our business. Our failure to comply with these privacy laws or significant changes in the laws restricting our ability to obtain required patient information could significantly impact our business and our future business plans.
U.S. Healthcare Reform
The U.S. and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system. The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments also have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid healthcare costs, including price controls and restrictions on reimbursement.
In the U.S., the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, or collectively the “Affordable Care Act”, substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers and significantly impacts the healthcare industry. The Affordable Care Act was intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against healthcare fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new fees on pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and impose additional health policy reforms.
There have been significant ongoing judicial, administrative, executive and legislative efforts to modify or eliminate the Affordable Care Act.
Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since passage of the Affordable Care Act. The Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to healthcare providers of up to 2.0% per fiscal year, and will last through 2031 unless additional Congressional action is taken. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. Due to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, estimated budget deficit increases resulting from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and subsequent legislation, Medicare payments to providers were further reduced starting on January 1, 2025; however, legislation has been introduced (but not passed) in the U.S. Congress that would, if enacted, reverse these payment reductions.
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The Affordable Care Act has also been subject to challenges in the courts since it was enacted. On June 17, 2021, for example, the Supreme Court dismissed the most recent challenge to the Affordable Care Act, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the law as they had not alleged personal injury traceable to the allegedly unlawful conduct. As a result, the Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act or any of its provisions.
Further changes to and under the Affordable Care Act remain possible, but it is unknown what form any such changes or any law proposed to replace or revise the Affordable Care Act would take, and how or whether it may affect our business in the future.
At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control healthcare costs, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.
We expect that additional federal, state and foreign healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in limited coverage and reimbursement and reduced demand for our products, once approved, or additional pricing pressures.
Coverage and Reimbursement
In the U.S. and markets in other countries, sales of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend in part on the availability of reimbursement from third party payors. Third party payors include government health administrative authorities, managed care providers, private health insurers, and other organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the cost-effectiveness of medical products and services. In addition, significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved healthcare products, and there are continuing legislative and regulatory efforts by the federal government and the states to reduce the cost of medical products and services overall. We may need to conduct expensive studies in order to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of our products. Our product candidates may not be considered cost-effective. Decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided are made on a plan-by-plan basis. One third-party payor’s decision to cover a particular product or procedure using the product does not ensure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize appropriate revenue levels. Future legislation could limit payments for medical devices, including our products and our future products.
The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid health care costs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of less costly products. Adoption of government controls and measures, and tightening of restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could limit payments for our products. The marketability of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if the government and third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. In addition, an increasing emphasis on managed care in the U.S. has increased and will continue to increase the pressure on medical product and service pricing.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had 218 employees worldwide. None of our employees are represented by a collective bargaining agreement and we have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe we have good relationships with our employees.
The success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our employees. Accordingly, we are committed to their health, safety and wellness. We provide our employees and their families with access to a variety of flexible and convenient health and wellness programs, including benefits that provide protection and security so they can
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have peace of mind concerning events that may require time away from work or that impact their financial well-being; that support their physical and mental health by providing tools and resources to help them improve or maintain their health status and encourage engagement in healthy behaviors; and that offer choice where possible so they can customize their benefits to meet their needs and the needs of their families.
We strive to provide a competitive mix of pay, benefits and services that help meet the needs of our employees. In addition to salaries, these programs include variable incentive compensation plans, potential annual discretionary bonuses, stock awards, a 401(k) Plan, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, paid time off, family leave, and flexible work schedules, among others. In addition to our broad-based equity award programs, we have used targeted equity-based grants with vesting conditions to enhance retention of personnel.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated on April 17, 2012.
Our primary executive offices are located at 1 Great Valley Parkway, Suite 24, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355 and our telephone number is (484) 320-2930. Our website address is www.telabio.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this Annual Report. We make available, free of charge and through our website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to any such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.
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ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the following risks described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. While we believe that the risks and uncertainties described below are the material risks facing our business, additional risks that we do not know of or that we currently think are immaterial may also arise and materially affect our business. The realization of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and our ability to accomplish our strategic objectives.
Risks Related to Achieving or Sustaining Profitability, Financial Position and Capital Requirements
We have incurred significant operating losses since inception, we expect to incur operating losses in the future, and we may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability.
We have incurred net losses since our incorporation on April 17, 2012. For the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, we had net losses of $38.8 million, $37.8 million and $46.7 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $397.6 million.
We expect to continue to incur significant sales and marketing, research and clinical development, regulatory and other expenses as we expand our sales and marketing efforts to increase adoption of our products, expand existing relationships with our customers, obtain regulatory clearances or approvals for our planned or future products, conduct clinical trials on our existing and planned or future products, develop, acquire or license complimentary products for our product portfolio, or add new features to our existing products. As a result, we expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on an ongoing basis. If we do not achieve or sustain profitability, it will be more difficult for us to finance our business and accomplish our strategic objectives, either of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Our indebtedness may limit our flexibility in operating our business and adversely affect our financial health and competitive position.
As of December 31, 2025, we had $60.0 million of indebtedness outstanding under our credit facility with Perceptive Credit Holdings V, LP (“Perceptive”) that matures in November 2030.
To service this indebtedness and any additional indebtedness we may incur in the future, we need to generate cash from our operating activities. Our ability to generate cash is subject, in part, to our ability to successfully execute our business strategy, as well as general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory, and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will be able to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings or other financings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness and fund our other liquidity needs. To the extent we are required to use cash from operations or the proceeds of any future financing to service our indebtedness, our ability to plan for, or react to, changes in our business, industry and the economy generally will be limited.
In addition, the Perceptive credit facility contains certain covenants that limit our ability to engage in certain transactions that may be in our long-term best interests, including the incurrence of additional indebtedness, effecting certain corporate changes, making certain investments, acquisitions or dispositions and paying dividends.
We have not previously breached and are not currently in breach of these or any of the other covenants; however, there can be no guarantee that we will not breach these covenants in the future. In the event that we breach one or more covenants, our lender may choose to declare an event of default and require that we immediately repay all amounts outstanding, terminate any commitment to extend further credit and foreclose on the collateral granted to it to collateralize such indebtedness. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We may require substantial additional capital to finance our planned operations, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.
If needed, any future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● surgeon and market acceptance of our products;
● the cost of our research and development activities;
● the cost and timing of obtaining regulatory clearances or approvals;
● costs associated with any product recall that may occur;
● the effect of competing products in our markets or competing technologies;
Any additional equity or debt financing that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. In addition, any future debt financing into which we enter may impose upon us additional covenants that restrict our operations, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, repurchase our common stock, make certain investments or engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third-parties, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or our products, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.
Furthermore, we cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. If we do not have, or are not able to obtain, sufficient funds, we may have to delay development or commercialization of our products or license to third-parties the rights to commercialize products or technologies that we would otherwise seek to commercialize. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support or other resources devoted to our products or cease operations. Any of these factors could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to expand, manage and maintain our direct sales and marketing organizations, we may not be able to generate anticipated revenue.
Building the requisite sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to successfully market and sell our products continues to be expensive and time-consuming and requires significant attention from our leadership team to manage. Any failure or delay in the expansion of our sales, marketing or distribution capabilities would adversely impact the commercialization of our products. Additionally, we may choose to collaborate, either globally or on a territory-by-territory basis, with third parties on the commercialization of our products. If we are unable to enter into such arrangements on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our products.
As of December 31, 2025, our commercial organization consisted of 150 employees in the U.S. and 19 employees in Europe. To generate future revenue growth, we plan to continue to expand the size and geographic scope of our direct
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sales organization. This growth may require us to split or adjust existing sales territories, which may adversely affect our ability to retain customers in those territories. Additionally, our future success will depend largely on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain and motivate skilled sales and marketing personnel with significant industry experience and technical knowledge of medical devices and related products. The competition for talented individuals experienced in selling and marketing medical device products is intense, and we cannot assure you that we can assemble or maintain an effective team. We cannot assure you that we will be able to hire and retain additional personnel on favorable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Our operating results are directly dependent upon the sales and marketing efforts of our employees. Failure to hire or retain qualified sales and marketing personnel would prevent us from expanding our business and generating revenue. If we are unable to expand our sales and marketing capabilities, we may not be able to effectively commercialize our products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Macroeconomic conditions, including those placing financial strain on hospital systems and their ability to perform the procedures in which our products are used, may negatively impact certain aspects of our business, our prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
Macroeconomic conditions, including those placing financial strain on hospital systems and their ability to perform the procedures in which our products are used, or those stemming from external cybersecurity events, supply chain disruptions of critical surgical supplies, inflationary pressures, tariffs, geopolitical conflict or other macroeconomic events, may adversely impact our business, financial condition and prospects. These financial and resource strains on the healthcare system, may further impair labor and staffing in the hospital sector, and in turn hospital capacity for elective procedures. Any prolonged delays in normalized levels of elective surgeries by governmental, hospital or payor actions would continue to impair net sales of our products.
General supply chain disruptions, have in the wake of severe weather events and geopolitical turmoil, such as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, recent events in Venezuela and the current conflicts in the Middle East (including any escalation or expansion) continue to threaten trade globally and weaken supply systems. We currently rely on Aroa, which is headquartered in New Zealand, for supply of our products. While there have been minimal disruptions to our supply chain to date, there is a risk that in the future supplies of our products could be disrupted or delayed based on competition within the supply chain or otherwise affected by substantial inflationary pressures from other underlying macroeconomic conditions. There can be no assurance that we would be able to timely implement any mitigation plans relating to our supply chain.
Continued concerns about the systemic impact of potential economic slowdown or recession, liquidity constraints, failures and instability in the U.S. and international financial banking systems, and geopolitical turmoil, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, recent events in Venezuela and the current conflicts in the Middle East (including any escalation or expansion), have contributed to increased market volatility and diminished expectations for economic growth in the world. These conditions may lead to continued volatility in the future, which could result in a decline in our stock price, high inflation, increase our cost of capital and adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets in the future even after local conditions improve.
Market acceptance of our medical products in the U.S. and other countries is dependent upon the procurement practices of our customers, patient need for our products and procedures and the reimbursement of patients’ medical expenses by government healthcare programs and third-party payors. The continuing uncertainty surrounding global economic conditions and financial markets may adversely affect demand for our products and procedures and result in lower reimbursement rates or coverage for our products, resulting in lower sales volume and downward pricing pressure on our products and slower adoption of new products.
In addition, the sale of our medical products is correlated to the frequency of surgical procedural volumes at current and prospective hospital accounts. During the second quarter of 2024, we became aware of multiple cybersecurity events that impacted our customers, including ransomware attacks and other similar system disruptions and outages, in the U.S. and Europe that adversely impacted the procedural volumes at current customer accounts, including those affiliated across one of our GPOs. To the extent current or future cybersecurity events continue to impact the hospital systems we serve, or otherwise affect third-party payors or other vendors within the healthcare industry critical to the patient care, we may
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experience additional reductions in procedural volumes that lead to lower sales volume for our products or could have lasting impact resulting in slower rates of adoption for our products in these accounts.
The full extent to which these macroeconomic factors, will further, directly or indirectly, impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, including our sales, expenses, manufacturing capability, supply chain integrity, research and development activities, and employee-related matters, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain.
Information pertaining to the impact of these macroeconomic pressures on our operations to date can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Position and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Rising inflation rates could negatively impact our revenues and profitability if increases in the prices of our product or a decrease in consumer spending results in lower volumes of elective surgeries. In addition, if our costs increase and we are not able to pass along these price increases, our profitability would be adversely affected, and the adverse impact may be material.
Inflation rates, particularly in the U.S., have increased recently to levels not seen in years. Increased inflation may result in decreased demand for our products, increased operating costs (including our labor costs), reduced liquidity, and limitations on our ability to access credit or otherwise raise debt and equity capital. In addition, the United States Federal Reserve has in the past raised, and may again raise, interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks. In an inflationary environment, we may be unable to raise the prices of our products at or above the rate at which our costs increase, which could/would reduce our profit margins and have a material adverse effect on our financial results. We also may experience lower than expected sales and potential adverse impacts on our competitive position if there is a decrease in consumer spending or a negative reaction to our pricing or the pricing of those who do or will collaborate with. A reduction in our revenue would be detrimental to our profitability and financial condition and could also have an adverse impact on our future growth.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and financial condition and results of operations.
Events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, in early 2023, several financial institutions closed and were taken into receivership by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Even though we assess our banking and customer relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill our other obligations, result in breaches of our contractual obligations or result in violations of federal or state wage and hour laws. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors
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not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Risks Related to the Commercialization of our Products
To date, the vast majority of our revenue has been generated from sales of our OviTex products, and we therefore are highly dependent on the commercial success of the OviTex product line.
Sales of our OviTex products accounted for 64%, 66% and 67% of total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We first commercialized OviTex products in the U.S. in 2016 and have subsequently launched our OviTex products in Europe, introduced our larger sized OviTex products, as well as OviTex LPR and OviTex IHR product configurations for deeper penetration into laparoscopic and robotic-assisted hernia surgical repairs. In addition to our OviTex products, we have also commercialized our OviTex PRS products for use in surgery for soft-tissue repair or reinforcement in plastic and reconstructive procedures, introduced our larger sized OviTex PRS products and continue to distribute the LIQUIFIX Hernia Mesh Fixation Devices (LIQUIFIX FIX8TM and LIQUIFIX PrecisionTM) pursuant to our distribution agreement with Advanced Medical Solutions Limited. While we continue to diversify our portfolio and revenue sources, we expect that sales of our OviTex products will account for the majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future while we continue to grow market share for our OviTex PRS products, LIQUIFIX and any complementary products that we may develop or distribute from time to time. Our failure to successfully increase sales of these products or any other event impeding our ability to sell these products would result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The commercial success of our products will largely depend upon attaining significant market acceptance.
Our ability to execute our growth strategy, achieve commercial success and become profitable will depend upon the adoption by inpatient and outpatient hospitals, surgeons, and medical device supply chain participants of our reinforced tissue matrix products. We cannot predict how quickly, if at all, surgeons will accept our products or, if accepted, how frequently they will be used. Our products and planned or future products we may develop or market may never gain broad market acceptance among surgeons and the medical community for some or all of our indications. Some surgeons may have prior history with or a preference for other soft-tissue reinforcement products, such as permanent synthetic mesh, resorbable synthetic mesh, or other biologic matrices, or may be reluctant to alter their practice patterns to treat patients with our reinforced tissue matrix products. The degree of market acceptance of any of our products will depend on a number of factors, including:
● the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts for our products;
● product labeling or product insert requirements by regulatory authorities;
● the competitive pricing of our products;
● the quality of our products meeting patient and surgeon expectations;
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● pricing pressure, including from GPOs and government payors;
Additionally, even if our products achieve market acceptance, they may not maintain that market acceptance over time if competing products or technologies, which are more cost effective or received more favorably, are introduced. Failure to achieve or maintain market acceptance and/or market share would limit our ability to generate revenue and would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Even if we are able to attain significant market acceptance of our products, the commercial success of our products is not guaranteed.
Our future financial success will depend substantially on our ability to effectively and profitably market and sell our products. Even if we are able to attain significant market acceptance of our products, the commercial success of our products and any of our planned or future products is dependent on a number of additional factors, including the results of clinical trials relating to the use of our products and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval or clearance to market our products and maintain compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Successful growth of our sales and marketing efforts will depend on the strength of our marketing and distribution infrastructure and the effectiveness of our marketing and sales efforts, including our efforts to expand our direct sales force, while our ability to satisfy demand for our products driven by our sales and marketing efforts will be largely dependent on the ability of Aroa to maintain a commercially viable manufacturing process that is compliant with regulatory standards. If we fail to successfully market and sell our products, we will not be able to achieve profitability, which will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our ability to grow our revenue in future periods will depend on our ability to increase sales of our OviTex in hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction and OviTex PRS products in plastic and reconstructive procedures and any new product or product indications that we introduce, which will, in turn, depend in part on our success in expanding our customer base and driving increased use of our products. New products or product indications may also need to be approved or cleared by the FDA and comparable non-U.S. regulatory agencies to drive revenue growth. If we cannot achieve revenue growth, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The misuse or off-label use of our products may harm our reputation in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits or result in costly investigations, fines or sanctions by regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in the promotion of our products for these uses.
Surgeons and other medical professionals may misuse our reinforced tissue matrix products or use improper techniques if they are not adequately trained, potentially leading to injury and an increased risk of product liability. If our products are misused or used with improper technique, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or their patients. Product liability claims could divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizeable damage awards against us that may not be covered by insurance. In addition, any of the events described above could harm our business.
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The products we commercialize have been cleared by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for specific indications. Our OviTex products are reinforced tissue matrices designed for use as a surgical mesh to reinforce and/or repair soft-tissue where weakness exists and indications for use of our OviTex products include the repair of hernia and/or abdominal wall defects which require the use of reinforcing or bridging material to obtain the desired surgical outcome. Our OviTex PRS products are reconstructive reinforced tissue matrices designed for implantation to reinforce soft-tissue where weakness exists in patients requiring soft tissue repair or reinforcement in plastic and reconstructive surgery. In connection with the March 2019 meeting of the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, the FDA stated that no surgical mesh device has been cleared or approved for use in breast surgery, and that to obtain such indication, the product sponsor must obtain an approved PMA. This statement applies to our OviTex PRS products as they are not cleared or approved for use in breast surgery and thus, we are prohibited from marketing them for that use. OviTex PRS or any other product we may develop for use in breast surgery will need to be approved specifically for that indication and there can be no guarantee that it will be approved. In October 2024, we received approval from the FDA for our investigational device exemption application relating to the study of the safety and effectiveness of our OviTex PRS product in implant-based breast reconstruction. In October 2025, we completed the required IDE annual Report filing and anticipate additional FDA interactions related to identification of an adequate clinical protocol that would be sufficient to support a pre-market application to obtain approval for an indication for OviTex PRS for use in breast reconstruction. There can be no assurance that we will be able to secure a PMA approval in a timely manner, or at all. Any marketing for OviTex PRS or any other product for a use in breast reconstruction surgery would be deemed off-label promotion of that product if it has been cleared for a general indication of use to reinforce or repair soft-tissue and has not received an approval specifically for use in breast surgery. We train our marketing personnel and direct sales force to not promote our OviTex or OviTex PRS products for uses outside of the FDA-cleared indications for use, known as “off-label uses.” We cannot, however, prevent a surgeon or medical professional from using our OviTex or OviTex PRS products or other products we may commercialize in the future for off-label uses.
Although we train our direct sales force not to promote our products for off-label uses, and our instructions for use in all markets specify that our products are not intended for use outside of those indications cleared or approved for use, the FDA or another regulatory authority could conclude that we have engaged in off-label promotion. If the FDA determines that our promotional or training materials constitute promotion of an off-label use, or make claims that are not supported by the available clinical data, it could request that we modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions. It is also possible that other federal, state or non-U.S. enforcement authorities might take action under other regulatory authorities if they consider our business activities to constitute promotion of an off-label use, or are otherwise objectionable, which could result in significant penalties, including, but not limited to, criminal, civil and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs and the curtailment of our operations.