vtak_10k.htm
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
__________________________
FORM 10-K
__________________________
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
OR
For the Transition Period From to
Commission file number: 001-38677
__________________________
Catheter Precision, Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
__________________________
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(973) 691-2000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of the exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value VTAK NYSE American
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 emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of a share of common stock on June 30, 2023 as reported by the NYSE American on such date was approximately $4.0 million. Shares of the registrant’s common stock held by each executive officer, director and other persons who may be deemed an affiliate of the registrant have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This calculation does not reflect a determination that certain persons are affiliates of the registrant for any other purpose.
As of March 12, 2024, the registrant had 7,573,403 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, outstanding.
CATHETER PRECISION, INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I Page
Item 1. Business 4
Item 1A. Risk Factors 23
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 54
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 54
Item 2. Properties 55
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 55
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 55
Part II
Item 6. [Reserved] 56
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 69
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 69
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 69
Item 9B. Other Information 71
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 71
Part III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 71
Item 11. Executive Compensation 73
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 81
Part IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules 82
Signatures 87
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CATHETER PRECISION, INC.
PART I
Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available. This section should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and related notes included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. The statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “may,” “might,” “can,” “could,” “continue,” “depends,” “expect,” “expand,” “forecast,” “intend,” “predict,” “plan,” “rely,” “should,” “will,” “may,” “seek,” or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should read these statements carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition, or state other “forward-looking” information. These statements relate to our future plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and financial performance and the assumptions that underlie these statements.
These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to, those described in “Risk Factors.” These forward-looking statements reflect our beliefs and views with respect to future events and are based on estimates and assumptions as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are subject to risks and uncertainties. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A and elsewhere in this report. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market, and other data from reports, research surveys, studies, and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data, and similar sources.
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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
The registrant (together with our consolidated operating subsidiary, the “Company” or “Catheter”) was incorporated under the name “Ra Medical Systems, Inc.” as a Delaware corporation in July 2018. A predecessor had been incorporated in California in September of 2002, but was reincorporated in 2018 in connection with our initial public offering. The Company was initially formed to develop, commercialize and market an excimer laser-based platform for use in the treatment of vascular and dermatological immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including the DABRA product line.
On January 9, 2023, the Company merged with Catheter Precision, Inc., or “Old Catheter”, a privately-held Delaware corporation (the “Merger”), and the business of Old Catheter became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, which today is our only operating subsidiary. Following the Merger, we discontinued the Company’s legacy lines of business and the use of any of its DABRA-related assets. For further information about these historical lines of business, see “Item 1. Business” of the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Since the Merger, we have shifted the focus of our operations to Old Catheter’s product lines. Accordingly, our current activities primarily relate to Old Catheter’s historical business which comprises the design, manufacture and sale of new and innovative medical technologies focused in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, or “EP.”
Our primary product is the VIVO System which is an anacronym for View into Ventricular Onset System(“VIVO” or “VIVO System”) which is a non-invasive imaging system that offers 3D cardiac mapping to help with localizing the sites of origin of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structurally normal hearts prior to EP procedures.
Our newest product, LockeT, is a suture retention device indicated for wound healing by distributing suture tension over a larger area in the patient in conjunction with a figure of eight suture closure. LockeT is intended to temporarily secure sutures and aid clinicians in locating and removing sutures efficiently.
Our product portfolio also includes the Amigo® Remote Catheter System, or Amigo, a robotic arm that serves as a catheter control device. Prior to 2018, Old Catheter marketed Amigo. We own the intellectual property related to Amigo, and this product is under consideration for future research and development of a generation 2 product.
Electrophysiology Market Overview
EP is one of healthcare’s largest sectors and rapidly growing. The EP market includes well known medical devices such as pacemakers, electrocardiogram, or ECG, systems and cardiac catheters, but also laboratory equipment such as intracardiac mapping systems and fluoroscopy systems (similar to x-ray in real time). The EP market includes large medical device companies such as Medtronic, Plc., Abbott Laboratories, Biosense-Webster (J&J) and Boston Scientific Corp. and is estimated to be $15.1 billion by 2028 (CAGR of 13.0%). Population growth, increasing rates of heart disease and the rising cost of healthcare are driving growth in the EP markets.
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Within the EP market, we focus our products on the catheter ablation market. The catheter ablation market was $3.2 billion in 2020 and estimated to grow to $6.4 billion in 2026. The catheter ablation market is growing at a faster rate (12.4% CAGR) than the EP market as a whole.
Within the last 10 years, ventricular ablation has become a fast-growing treatment option. Currently, there are about 80,000 ventricular ablations annually and VT ablations represent approximately 16% of ablations in the U.S. Currently, the market is underserved, and this number is expected to increase to over 250,000 procedures by 2026. The ventricular ablation market is expected to grow at a 21% CAGR through 2026, which is a faster rate than the global EP market and the catheter ablation market as a whole. The growth in the ventricular ablation market is driven by an aging population, advances in EP technology as well as updated physician guidelines. The Heart Rhythm Society, or HRS, Expert Consensus Statement on Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Arrhythmias, published in May 2019 recommends catheter ablation in preference to anti arrhythmic drugs or in the situation where anti arrhythmic therapy has failed or is not tolerated. The guidelines also recommend ablation for reducing recurrent VT and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks.
Existing Treatments and Methods for Catheter Ablations
Traditionally, the first line of treatment for cardiac arrhythmias is medication. Unfortunately, this is not a permanent fix and most patients eventually need a catheter ablation.
Catheter Ablation Procedure Overview
An electrophysiologist stands next to the patient’s bed near the patient’s groin. A catheter or catheters are inserted into the femoral vein (located at the groin) and navigated into the right side of the heart. Depending on the type of arrhythmia, the catheter is inserted into the atrium or the ventricle. Once inserted, a diagnostic catheter is used in conjunction with an invasive (traditional) mapping system to create a map of the patient’s heart. This allows the physician to see the individual patient’s cardiac structures and size. Once the map is created, the physician begins to “pace map.” This process requires the physician to move the catheter from spot to spot to determine the electrical conduction at different areas to determine if the tissue in that area is responsible for the arrhythmia. Once the area is located, the physician will provide a form of energy (radiofrequency, cryo, etc.) to ablate the tissue in that spot.
Treatment Challenges for Ventricular Arrhythmias
Treatment of ventricular ablations with cardiac ablations is a relatively new treatment option. As a result, we believe that the patient population is underserved and is not as well understood, and the available techniques and technologies are limited when compared to the atrial ablation options.
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Ablation locations within the ventricle are very difficult to identify. Often, patients are highly symptomatic (dizzy, breathing difficulties, etc.) but the arrhythmia is infrequent. When this happens, it is hard to predict when the patient will be having an “active” arrhythmia. Because of this, the physician may not be able to identify the location even when using medication to induce the arrhythmia. Without confirmation during invasive mapping, the patient is removed from the electrophysiology lab without the ablation procedure being performed and the patient is required to return at a later date and try again for a successful outcome.
Even when a patient has frequent ventricular arrhythmias, the process of pace-mapping often takes 4 – 5 hours to identify the location for ablation, which can increase the likelihood of patient complications due to the extended time under anesthesia.
Lastly, many patients with untreated ventricular arrhythmias cannot tolerate anesthesia well, thus invasive mapping that takes a long time is not an option for them.
Treatment Challenges for Atrial Arrhythmias
Catheter ablation for atrial arrhythmias is more standardized and “advanced” than for ventricular ablations, thus less pace mapping is required. Instead, a procedure called Pulmonary Vein Isolation (“PVI”) is performed for atrial fibrillation, and a single line is ablated for atrial flutter. In pulmonary vein isolation, tiny scars are created in the left upper chamber of the heart in the area where the four lung (pulmonary) veins connect.
Despite steady improvement in the tools available to perform effective procedures, there is clear study evidence that catheter based atrial fibrillation treatment technology can become more effective. According to a study entitled “Long Term Outcomes of Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis” published in the Journal of American Heart Association on March 18, 2013,which looked at multiple individual studies covering over 6,000 patients, “single procedure freedom from atrial fibrillation at long term follow up was 53.1%.” The same study found “with multiple procedures performed, the long-term success rate was 79.8%.” Ineffective treatment may result in patients undergoing two or more EP procedures to achieve relief from atrial fibrillation at an estimated cost in the range of $20,000 or more per procedure.
Specific reasons have not been proven for the lower success rate of initial ablation procedures. However, there is growing evidence that better results occur if the treating EP physician is able to make better lesions by maintaining stable contact force of the catheter against the heart wall, thereby reliably delivering the energy required to eliminate the abnormal rhythms. Variation in catheter contact force occurs as the physician attempts to manually position and hold the catheter tip in a stable position during cases lasting 2 to 3 hours in order to perform typically over 100 ablations of the cardiac anatomy.
Large multi-national medical device companies, such as Medtronic, Inc., Boston Scientific Corp., Abbott Laboratories, St. Jude Medical, Inc. and the Biosense Webster division of Johnson & Johnson, among others, continue to invest heavily to develop and introduce new devices and technologies to improve patient outcomes. Included among these are force-sensing catheters, including the Biosense SmartTouchTMcatheter, which provide a continuous readout of the contact force between the catheter and the heart wall. Our Vivo System is focused on the controlled delivery of these catheter technologies to enhance both the performance of ablation procedures and the ease and safety for the physicians who perform them.
A recent peer-reviewed multicenter study sponsored by Biosense Webster, entitled “Paroxysmal AF Catheter Ablation with a Contact Force Sensing Catheter” published in 2014 found that catheter ablation success rates can be as high as 80% when the physician is able to maintain stable contact force within investigator selected working ranges. “When the CF (contact force) employed was between investigator selected working ranges > 80% of the time during therapy, outcomes were 4.25 times more likely to be successful.” Further, “stable CF during radiofrequency application increases the likelihood of twelve-month success.” However, it should be noted that, using manually controlled methods, the physicians in the study could only maintain optimal tissue contact in less than 30% of the patients studied.
In addition, another study, sponsored by St. Jude Medical, Inc. and published in 2015 showed similar findings using their recently FDA-approved contact-force sensing catheter, TOCCASTAR. In the TOCCASTAR study, 85.5% of ablation procedure patients were free of atrial fibrillation at one year after the procedure when optimal catheter tip contact force was maintained, versus only 67.7% when non-optimal contact force was achieved.
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VIVO Clinical Use and Studies
To date, VIVO has been used in more than 1,000 procedures, by more than 30 physicians in 10 countries. Initial clinical work was completed with the first-generation software, which resulted in FDA 510(k) Clearance in June 2019.
The U.S. multi-center study enrolled 51 patients from 5 centers. Of note, the Principal Investigator and center to have the highest enrollment was Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of VIVO as compared to invasive mapping systems (current prevailing method for determining arrhythmia origins). VIVO met all study endpoints and correctly matched the predicted arrhythmia origin in 44/44 patients (100%; primary endpoint) and correctly matched paced sites in 225/226 locations (99.56%; secondary endpoint). In some instances, this study showed that VIVO has better predictability for arrhythmia origin than a physician’s manual review of a 12 lead ECG.
While conducting the initial clinical study for FDA submission, we developed generation 2 in parallel with a goal to have this version complete and ready to submit upon 510(k) clearance of generation 1. We successfully achieved this goal and received CE Mark and FDA 510(k) Clearance for generation 2 in 2020.
Additional clinical work has occurred with generation 2. Until recently, this data has been single center, physician-initiated research and has resulted in peer reviewed clinical science at electrophysiology conferences and in journals.
Three physicians, at different centers, in the UK conducted a feasibility study for Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy, or SABR, and published their data on nine patients. SABR is an ablation technique utilizing non-invasive methods akin to proton therapy for cancer treatment. To do a complete non-invasive ablation, accurately predicting the ablation location non-invasively is key to procedural success, and VIVO was utilized for this purpose. Non-invasive ablation is a new technique and requires additional data, but it is showing promise and has generated excitement within the EP community. If accepted for wide-spread treatment, this would allow for previously un-ablatable patients to receive lifesaving treatments.
In February 2023, a study from the Royal Brompton Hospital was published. This study enrolled 15 patients with 24 VTs (ventricular contractions) and PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). VIVO accurately identified VT and PVC origin in 23/24 (96%) and sub-localized in 100% of subjects. Acute success was achieved in 100% of cases. Standard ECG algorithms, conducted by 3 physicians in blind trials, only identified the correct chamber in 50-88% of the patients and sub-localized within the right ventricular outflow tract (septum v free wall) in 37 – 58% of subjects. Of note, six patients had previously attended for nine attempted ablations collectively, which were either unsuccessful or aborted owing to lack of spontaneously occurring clinical PVCs. One patient had previously reported for four separate attempts without PVCs and ablations were aborted, but collection of a single beat allowed VIVO to create an analysis map and provide the physician with information to complete the ablation for all these patients. In addition, this study showed a 27% reduction in procedure time when using VIVO as compared to a historical cohort. This study concluded that VIVO can accurately identify arrhythmia origin with an accuracy that is superior to that of established ECG algorithms.
In April 2022, one physician from the Netherlands presented an abstract at EHRA (European Heart Rhythm Association), focused on using VIVO as a way to screen patients prior to the ablation procedure. This study of 15 patients concludes that using VIVO pre-procedurally may enable the physician to determine procedure success rates and prevent unnecessary ablation procedures. This data will need to be further studied in larger numbers but determining success in advance of the procedure would improve ablation therapy, which has a high failure rate and thus requires additional ablation procedures.
In October 2021 the first patient was enrolled in the VIVO EU Registry. This registry aims to gather data about how VIVO is used in real-world settings, outside of a rigorous clinical study. The registry will enroll 125 patients across Europe and the UK and collect information about different workflows and applications for VIVO. Enrollment of 125 patients was completed in June 2023. The study requires 12 month follow-up and data collection is planned for completion in Q3 2024.This data serves multiple purposes including fulfilling European regulatory requirements for on-going data collection, publication of multi-center data, and future development of studies and improvements to the VIVO technology.
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Currently, there is an ongoing physician initiated study at Coventry hospital in the UK. This study will enroll 50 patients with Re-entrant Ventricular Tachycardia. These patients have hearts that are not structurally normal and scarred tissue is present in the ventricle. This data will be used for publication and to support an FDA submission to expand the current labeling of the existing product.
Our Products
VIVOTM System
Our lead product, VIVO, is an FDA-cleared and CE marked product that utilizes non-invasive inputs to locate the origin of ventricular arrhythmias. VIVO has been used in more than 1,000 procedures in leading U.S. and European hospitals under a limited commercial launch that commenced in the third quarter of 2021. A full scale commercial launch commenced in Q1 2023 in conjunction with the expansion of a direct sales force in the US.
VIVO is a non-invasive imaging system that offers 3D cardiac mapping to help with localizing the sites of origin of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structurally normal hearts prior to electrophysiology procedures. The VIVO system has achieved a CE Mark allowing it to be commercialized in the European Union and has been placed at several hospitals in Europe. FDA 510(k) Clearance in the United States was received in June 2019.
The VIVO software is provided on an off the shelf laptop, and the system includes a 3D camera. In addition, the system can only be used with a disposable component, the VIVO Positioning Patches, which are required for each procedure.
The VIVO software contains proprietary algorithms that are based on standard EP principles. However, the accuracy of the algorithms is improved because it does not use generalized assumptions and instead, uses patient specific information. VIVO uses standard clinical inputs such as a CT or MRI and a 12 lead ECG, both of which are routinely gathered for most EP procedures, allowing VIVO to seamlessly integrate into the workflow. A 3D photograph is obtained of the patient’s torso after the ECG leads are in place and all of these clinical inputs are combined to generate a 3D map of the patient’s heart with a location of the earliest onset of the ventricular arrhythmia.
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VIVO Workflow
LockeT
LockeT, a suture retention device, is a sterile, Class I product that was registered with the FDA in February 2023, at which time we began initial shipments to distributors. In May 2023, Catheter submitted LockeT for CE Mark approval. CE Mark approval is expected in the second half of 2024, at which time initial international shipments to distributors will begin. LockeT is indicated for wound healing by distributing suture tension over a larger area in the patient in conjunction with a figure of eight suture closure and is intended to temporarily secure sutures and aid clinicians in locating and removing sutures efficiently.
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Clinical studies for LockeT began during 2023. The three phases of the current studies are planned to show the product’s effectiveness and benefits, including faster wound closure, earlier ambulation, potentially leading to early hospital discharge, and lower costs for the healthcare provider and/or insurance payor. This data is intended to provide crucial data for marketing and to expand our indications for use with the FDA. See License and Other Agreements below.
The Phase I - First in Man Feasibility Study was completed in 2023 and showed the device works for its intended purpose, that there were no safety events and gathered initial data to support Phase II submission to Institutional Review Board (IRB). The results were submitted to the Journal of American Academy of Cardiologists in January 2024.
Phase II received IRB approval in late 2023 and is anticipated to be completed by June 2024. This phase will compare manual compression (standard of care) to LockeT in a one-to-one randomized study of 100 patients and assess improved time to hemostasis and ambulation when using LockeT versus manual compression.
Phase III IRB approval is in process and will compare LockeT to one or more competitive products in a one-to-one randomized study of 100 patients and will include cost comparisons and assess risk of hematoma when using LockeT versus those competitive products. We anticipate this phase to be completed in early 2025.
Our Previously Marketed DABRA Product
Prior to the Merger, we manufactured and marketed DABRA, a portable excimer laser console with proprietary, single-use catheters for the minimally invasive endovascular treatment of vascular blockages resulting from lower extremity vascular disease in both above and below the knee lesions.
The DABRA catheter transmitted energy from the laser to the vascular blockage. The laser energy traveled through the catheter and ablated the blockage, reducing it to chemicals that were found naturally in the bloodstream. The catheters were specifically designed for use with our excimer laser. The DABRA catheter used a liquid-filled plastic tubing allowing for the efficient and precise delivery of the laser energy.
Subsequent to the Merger, we no longer manufactured or marketed DABRA.
Our Solutions
Adoption of our VIVO System by electrophysiologists is expected to enhance their ability to diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias.
Non-invasive mapping prior to the ablation procedure provides a solution for patients that could not be ablated previously. First, many patients with VT do not tolerate anesthesia well. By providing a non-invasive solution to determine the ablation location, physicians are better able to understand where the arrhythmia originates and how easily one can access the ablation location, minimizing the amount of time that the patient may need to be anesthetized, and allowing many patients the ability to have an ablation that otherwise could not. Second, many patients are highly symptomatic, but do not have PVCs often. In these situations, the patients are often brought in for ablation procedures only to have no arrhythmia and sent home time and time again. In these instances, the physicians can monitor the patient prior to hospitalization and obtain information about the arrythmia. In this way, the patient can still proceed to an ablation procedure without having PVCs on the day of surgery.
Non-invasive mapping also enables planning prior to the start of the procedure. This enables the physicians to better understand where they are targeting, which enables them to make advanced decisions about where they are navigating the catheter and which catheter(s) they are using, reducing both procedure time and cost.
Surgery patients who are offered the LockeT device are expected to benefit from faster wound closure, more comfort than manual compression and earlier ambulation, potentially leading to early hospital discharge and lower costs for the healthcare provider and/or insurance payor.
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Our Strategy
Our goal is to become a leading medical imaging company in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, and we are dedicated to developing and delivering electrophysiology products to provide patients, hospitals, and physicians with novel technologies and solutions to improve the lives of patients with cardiac arrhythmias. We aim to establish VIVO as an integral tool used by cardiac electrophysiologists during ablation treatment of ventricular arrhythmias by reducing procedure time and patient complications and increasing procedural success.
Customers
Our primary customers are hospitals providing cardiac electrophysiology lab procedures. We believe there are 2,000 to 3,000 EP labs in the U.S. and a similar number of labs outside of the U.S. performing approximately 600,000 ablation procedures annually. During fiscal 2023, we had two individual customers that represented approximately 32% and 20% of our total revenues, respectively, and four customers (including the two just described) that in the aggregate represented approximately 72% of our total revenues.
Sales and Marketing
Today, we use a mix of distribution partners (Europe), independent sales agents (U.S.) specializing in EP products, and direct employees providing clinical support and product specialization. In the U.S., the VIVO System and patches are currently sold by direct employees and independent sales agents who call on electrophysiologists, lab staff and hospital administrators. This sales team qualifies appropriate prospective customers, and with support from our direct clinical specialists they conduct product demonstrations, and support customer training and case usage. In Europe, our products are sold through distributors, supported by three full time contracted employees.
In addition, in both the U.S. and Europe, we have entered into a co-marketing agreement with Stereotaxis, or STX. The goal is to leverage the compatibility of VIVO with their robotic system. STX customers are the same customers for VIVO, and VIVO provides their customers with an added tool to reduce procedure time. Pursuant to the agreement, STX can perform promotional activity at any hospital globally that has a Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation System, referred to herein as a robotic hospital, and where VIVO has appropriate regulatory clearances. In addition, STX will act as a spot distributor for us at mutually agreed upon hospitals where the VIVO System is included as a line item within an STX quote. In exchange for its marketing, distribution and support activity, Stereotaxis receives a payment equal to 45% of the revenue generated from VIVO at robotic hospitals. After the initial sale of VIVO products to customers by Stereotaxis, we will be responsible for selling additional VIVO-related products to the customers but will continue to owe the 45% payment to Stereotaxis with respect to any such sales. The agreement has a term that runs through December 31, 2025, provided however, that the agreement will automatically extend for successive two-year terms unless either party provides the other written notice of termination at least one year prior to the next-scheduled termination date. Stereotaxis will continue to be entitled to receive the 45% payments described above for a period of six months following termination of the agreement.
We continue to hire additional clinical support and direct sales representation as we continue the full VIVO product launch that began in 2023. They are experienced in the electrophysiology field and will identify and target prospective customers to educate, and demonstrate our products, leading to adoption and purchase of our technology. We will continue to use direct clinical specialists to provide training and ongoing clinical support.
In the future, we intend to market our products in the U.S. and certain international markets using a combination of a direct sales force and independent distributors. This may require us to make a significant investment building our U.S. commercial infrastructure and sales force and in recruiting and training our sales representatives and clinical specialists for U.S. commercialization of VIVO. This is a lengthy process that requires recruiting appropriate sales representatives, establishing a commercial infrastructure in the United States, and training our sales representatives, and will require significant ongoing investment by us. Following initial training, our sales representatives typically require lead time in the field to grow their network of accounts, coordinate their sales efforts with each hospital’s capital budgeting and acquisition cycle and produce sales results. Successfully recruiting and training a sufficient number of productive sales representatives is required to achieve growth at the rate we desire.
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Marketing and market development activities will target increasing our product usage and expanding the applications of VIVO into the physician clinic and not just hospitals by employing a reimbursement specialist to provide reimbursement for VIVO in different settings.
Outside the U.S., we will continue to foster additional key partner relationships with distributors who will market, sell and support its products.
In addition, we believe there are opportunities to offer additional complementary products through our sales and marketing channels that would enhance the productivity of our sales force and provide additional scale to revenue, better covering fixed operating costs.
Manufacturing and Availability of Raw Materials
VIVO manufacturing, inventory and product fulfillment is housed in our approximate 2,000 square feet facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina. This facility currently has one full-time employee who oversees manufacturing, quality objectives, and order fulfillment. The VIVO system includes VIVO software, loaded onto an off-the-shelf laptop, which we equip with a 3D camera. We purchase laptops and cameras that have been manufactured by third parties. Disposable VIVO Positioning Patches are also required for use of the system, and the manufacture of the patches is outsourced. We also outsource updating and troubleshooting of the software, as needed, to a third party software engineering company from time to time.LockeT manufacturing, inventory and product fulfillment has been subcontracted to the company who is also providing research and development of the product.
Competition
The medical device industry is highly competitive, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions and other activities of industry participants. We face potential competition from major medical device companies worldwide, many of which have longer, more established operating histories, and significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, sales, distribution, and other resources. Our overall competitive position is dependent upon a number of factors, including product performance and reliability, manufacturing cost, and customer support. Our primary competitors in the cardiac electrophysiology space include known medical devices such as pacemakers, electrocardiogram, or ECG, systems and cardiac catheters, but also laboratory equipment such as intracardiac mapping systems and fluoroscopy systems (similar to x-ray in real time). The EP market includes large medical device companies such as Medtronic, Plc., Abbott Laboratories, Biosense-Webster (J&J) and Boston Scientific Corp. LockeT’s direct competitors include Abbott’s Perclose device, Haemonetic’s VASCADE device and Inari Medical’s FlowStasis device.
Reimbursement
At this time, there is no reimbursement for VIVO. Ablation procedures are reimbursed using one current procedural technology, or CPT, code, which varies depending on the type and complexity of the procedure. The range of reimbursement for ablations varies within regions but can be as much as $20,000 or more.
We currently intend, in the future, to hire a reimbursement specialist to guide us through the process of obtaining a CPT code specifically for VIVO. Although a new Category III CPT codes is approved and available starting July 1, 2024, Category III codes, which are temporary, do not have a payment rate established, and payment is at the discretion of payors; further, payors generally require a high level of clinical data through long-term patient studies to demonstrate that a treatment produces favorable results in a cost-effective manner relative to other treatments, in order to be willing to provide reimbursement based on Category III codes. Successful execution of our current commercialization and build out for VIVO will be needed in order to move Category III codes to permanent Category I codes.
Research and Development
The major focus of our research and development team is to leverage our existing technology platform for new applications and improvements to our existing applications, including multiple engineering efforts to improve our current products. Future research and development efforts will involve continued enhancements to and cost reductions for VIVO and LockeT. We will also explore the development of other products that can be derived from our core technology platform and intellectual property. Our research and development team works together with our commercial team to set development priorities based on communicated customer needs. The feedback received from our customers is reviewed and evaluated for incorporation into new products.
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In the future we intend to develop a generation 3 of VIVO. This version would have expanded indications to include ischemic heart disease and improve usability by the hospital staff. It would also contain more automaticity, potentially reducing our need for clinical support.
Resources Material to Our Business
Patents and Proprietary Technology
Patents
We have a number of patents covering our intellectual property, both in the U.S., as well in a number of international countries. We consider the U.S. to be the most important market for our products, and hence, the most important country for the filing of patents. Any foreign filings are merely replicates of the U.S. filings. For the U.S., we have the following patent positions for the different product areas:
License and Other Agreements
PEACS, NV Software and Technology License Agreement
On May 1, 2016, we entered into a certain Software and Technology License Agreement with PEACS, NV, a Netherlands company, or the License Agreement, for the exclusive worldwide license of the underlying technology to its VIVO product, including intellectual property rights and patent applications pertaining thereto. The license was for use of the technology for the field of use defined as “the localization of the origin of cardiac activation for the electrophysiology treatment and/or detection of cardiac arrhythmias.” The License Agreement called for us to pay for the prosecution and maintenance of patents to protect the technology.
In May 2021, the License Agreement was modified to modify the field of use to specifically exclude the use of clinical applications for the implanting of atrial or ventricular pacemakers, including bi-ventricular pacemakers.
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LockeT Royalty Agreement
In February 2022, we agreed to an assignment and royalty agreement, or the Royalty Agreement, for the LockeT device. Pursuant to the Royalty Agreement, we agreed to pay a royalty fee of 5% on net sales up to $1 million. Thereafter, if a patent for the LockeT device is obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, we will pay a royalty fee of 2% of net sales up to a total of $10 million in royalties. In addition, at the time of the Merger, additional royalty rights with respect to LockeT device were granted to certain holders, or the Noteholders, of Old Catheter’s outstanding convertible promissory notes in exchange for forgiveness of the interest that had accrued under those notes but remained unpaid, pursuant to the terms of certain Debt Settlement Agreements. The Debt Settlement Agreements provided for the Noteholders to receive, in the aggregate, approximately 12% of the net sales, if any, of the LockeT device, commencing upon the first commercial sale through December 31, 2035.
Trademarks
We own or have rights to trademarks that we use in connection with the operation of our business. We own or have rights to trademarks for Ra Medical Systems and Catheter Precision and their logos, as well as other trademarks such as AMIGO. In February 2024 we filed a trademark for LockeT.
Trade Secrets
We also have relied upon trade secrets, know-how and technological innovation, and may in the future rely upon licensing opportunities, to develop and maintain its competitive position. We have protected 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 proprietary information.
Government Regulations
Governmental authorities in the U.S. (at the federal, state, and local levels) and abroad extensively regulate, among other things, the research and development, testing, manufacture, quality control, clinical research, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing, and export and import of products such as those we market and are developing. See Item 1.A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Government Regulation.
United States Medical Device Regulation
In the U.S., medical devices are subject to extensive regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), pursuant to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and its implementing regulations, and certain other federal and state statutes and regulations. The laws and regulations govern, among other things, the design, manufacture, storage, recordkeeping, approval, labeling, promotion, post-approval monitoring and reporting, distribution and import and export of medical devices. Failure to comply with applicable requirements may subject a device and/or its manufacturer to a variety of administrative sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending pre-market approval (“PMA”), applications or premarket notification submissions (commonly referred to as “510(k)s),” issuance of warning letters or untitled letters, product recalls, import detentions, civil monetary penalties, and/or judicial sanctions, such as product seizures, injunctions, and criminal prosecution.
The FDCA classifies medical devices into one of three categories based on the risks associated with the device and the level of control necessary to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Class I devices are deemed to be low risk and are subject to the fewest regulatory controls. Class II devices provide intermediate levels of risk. They are subject to general controls and must also comply with special controls. Class III devices are generally the highest risk devices and are subject to the highest level of regulatory control to provide reasonable assurance of the device’s safety and effectiveness. Class III devices must typically be approved by the FDA before they are marketed. LockeT is a sterile, Class I product and was registered with the FDA in February of 2023. It does not require FDA marketing authorization. VIVO is an FDA-cleared Class II product.
Establishments that manufacture devices are required to register their establishments with the FDA and provide the FDA a list of the devices that they handle at their facilities.
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The FDA conducts market surveillance and periodic visits, both announced and unannounced, to inspect or re-inspect equipment, facilities, laboratories and processes to confirm regulatory compliance. These inspections may include the manufacturing facilities of subcontractors. Following an inspection, the FDA may issue a report, known as a Form 483, listing instances where the manufacturer has failed to comply with applicable regulations and/or procedures or, if observed violations are severe and urgent, a warning letter. If the manufacturer does not adequately respond to a Form 483 or warning letter, the FDA (with assistance from the Justice Department in certain cases) make take enforcement action against the manufacturer or impose other sanctions or consequences, which may include:
· injunctions or consent decrees;
· civil monetary penalties;
· recall, detention or seizure of our products;
· operating restrictions, partial or total shutdown of production facilities;
· refusal to grant export approval or export certificates or devices; and
· criminal prosecution.
Pre-Market Authorization and Notification
While most Class I and some Class II devices can be marketed without prior FDA authorization, most medical devices can be legally sold within the U.S. only if the FDA has: (i) approved a PMA application prior to marketing, generally applicable to most Class III devices; (ii) cleared the device in response to a premarket notification, or 510(k) submission, generally applicable to Class I and II devices; or (iii) authorized the device to be marketed through the de novo process, generally applicable for novel Class I or II devices. Some devices that have been classified as Class III are regulated pursuant to the 510(k) requirements because the FDA has not yet called for PMAs for these devices.
510(k) Notification
Product marketing in the U.S. for most Class II and limited Class I devices typically follows a 510(k) pathway. To obtain 510(k) clearance, a manufacturer must submit a premarket notification demonstrating that the proposed device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed device, referred to as the predicate device. A predicate device may be a previously 510(k) cleared device or a device that was in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 for which the FDA has not yet called for submission of PMA applications, or a product previously granted de novo authorization. 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 it is shown to be equally safe and effective and does not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness as compared to the predicate device.
There are three types of 510(k)s: traditional; special, for certain device modifications; and abbreviated, for devices that conform to a recognized standard. The special and abbreviated 510(k)s are intended to streamline review. The FDA intends to process special 510(k)s within 30 days of receipt and abbreviated 510(k)s within 90 days of receipt. Though the FDA has a goal to clear a traditional 510(k) within 90 days of receipt, the clearance pathway for traditional 510(k)s can take substantially longer.
After a device receives 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance or could require a PMA. The FDA requires each manufacturer to make this determination in the first instance, but the FDA can review any such decision. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s decision not to seek a new 510(k) clearance for the modified device, the agency may retroactively require the manufacturer to seek 510(k) clearance or PMA. The FDA also can require the manufacturer to cease marketing and/or recall the modified device until 510(k) clearance or PMA is obtained.
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VIVO was cleared by the FDA via a traditional 510(k) with supporting clinical data. This data was collected via a clinical study enrolling 51 subjects and took approximately 12 months to gather. In order to expand the indications for use of the current VIVO product with the FDA to include ischemic hearts, data collection via the Coventry study to support a new 510(k) submission will be required. It is expected that future generations of VIVO will require similar data collection and 510(k) submission to receive separate FDA clearance.
Because the LockeT device is a Class I product, it did not require clinical data or a formal submission process. After completing validation testing and compiling a Device History File, LockeT was added to our listing of registered devices. The regulatory pathway for future LockeT devices will depend on the intended use and desired labeling claims and the requirements for clinical data.
De Novo Classification
Devices of a new type that the FDA has not previously classified based on risk are automatically classified into Class III by operation of section 513(f) (1) of the FDCA, regardless of the level of risk they pose. To avoid requiring PMA review of low- to moderate-risk devices classified in Class III by operation of law, Congress enacted section 513(f)(2) of the FDCA. This provision allows the FDA to classify a low- to moderate-risk device not previously classified into Class I or II through the de novo classification pathway. The FDA evaluates the safety and effectiveness of devices submitted for review under the de novo classification pathway and devices determined to be Class II through this pathway can serve as predicate devices for future 510(k) applicants. The de novo classification pathway can require clinical data and is generally more burdensome than the 510(k) pathway and less burdensome than the PMA pathway.
Pre-Market Approval
A product not eligible for 510(k) clearance or de novo classification must follow the PMA pathway, which requires proof of the safety and effectiveness of the device to the FDA’s satisfaction.
Results from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials are required to establish the safety and effectiveness of a Class III PMA device for each indication for which FDA approval is sought. After completion of the required clinical testing, a PMA including the results of all preclinical, clinical, and other testing, and information relating to the product’s marketing history, design, labeling, manufacture, and controls, is prepared and submitted to the FDA.
The PMA process is generally more expensive, rigorous, lengthy, and uncertain than the 510(k) premarket notification process and de novo classification process and requires proof of the safety and effectiveness of the device to the FDA’s satisfaction. As part of the PMA review, the FDA will typically inspect the manufacturer’s facilities for compliance with Quality System Regulations, or QSR, requirements, which impose elaborate testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures. The FDA’s review of a PMA application typically takes one to three years but may last longer. The FDA will often convene an independent advisory panel to review the submission. If the FDA’s evaluation of the PMA application is favorable, the FDA will issue a PMA for the approved indications, which can be more limited than those originally sought by the manufacturer. The PMA can include post-approval conditions that the FDA believes necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including the loss or withdrawal of the approval and/or placement of restrictions on the sale of the device until the conditions are satisfied.
Even after approval of a PMA, a new PMA or PMA supplement may be required in the event of a modification to the device, its labeling or its manufacturing process. Supplements to a PMA often require the submission of the same type of information required for an original PMA, except that the supplement is generally limited to that information needed to support the proposed change from the product covered by the original PMA.
Clinical Trials
A clinical trial is almost always required to support a PMA application and de novo classification and is sometimes required for a premarket notification. For significant risk devices, the FDA regulations require that human clinical investigations conducted in the U.S. be approved under an Investigational Device Exemption (“IDE”), which must become effective before clinical testing may commence. A nonsignificant risk device does not require FDA approval of an IDE. In some cases, one or more smaller IDE studies may precede a pivotal clinical trial intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the investigational device. A 30-day waiting period after the submission of each IDE is required prior to the commencement of clinical testing in humans. If the FDA disapproves the IDE within this 30-day period, the clinical trial proposed in the IDE may not begin. In addition, even if the 30-day waiting period expires without objection by the FDA, the FDA can impose a clinical hold if safety issues arise.
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An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory test results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE application must also include a description of product manufacturing and controls, and a proposed clinical trial protocol. The FDA typically grants IDE approval for a specified number of patients to be treated at specified study centers. During the study, the sponsor must comply with the FDA’s IDE requirements for investigator selection, trial monitoring, reporting, and record keeping. The investigators must obtain patient informed consent, follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of investigational devices, and comply with reporting and record keeping requirements. Prior to granting PMA, the FDA typically inspects the records relating to the conduct of the study and the clinical data supporting the PMA application for compliance with IDE requirements.
Clinical trials must be conducted: (i) in compliance with federal regulations; (ii) in compliance with good clinical practice, or GCP, an international standard intended to protect the rights and health of patients and to define the roles of clinical trial sponsors, investigators, and monitors; and (iii) under protocols detailing the objectives of the trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Pivotal clinical trials supporting premarket applications for devices are typically conducted at geographically diverse clinical trial sites and are designed to permit the FDA to evaluate the overall benefit-risk relationship of the device and to provide adequate information for the labeling of the device when considering whether a device satisfies the statutory standard for commercialization. Clinical trials, for significant and nonsignificant risk devices, must be approved by an institutional review board, or IRB—an appropriately constituted group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects and which has the authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove research to protect the rights, safety, and welfare of the human research subject.
The FDA may order the temporary, or permanent, discontinuation of a clinical trial at any time, or impose other sanctions, if it believes that the clinical trial either is not being conducted in accordance with the FDA requirements or presents an unacceptable risk to the clinical trial patients. An IRB may also require the clinical trial it has approved to be halted, either temporarily or permanently, for failure to comply with the IRB’s requirements, or may impose other conditions or sanctions.
Although the QSR does not fully apply to investigational devices, the requirement for controls on design and development does apply. The sponsor also must manufacture the investigational device in conformity with the quality controls described in the IDE application and any conditions of IDE approval that the FDA may impose with respect to manufacturing. Investigational devices may only be distributed for use in an investigation and must bear a label with the statement: “CAUTION-Investigational device. Limited by Federal law to investigational use.”
Post-Market Requirements
After a device is placed on the market, numerous regulatory requirements apply. These include: the QSR requirements, labeling regulations, the medical device reporting regulations (which require that manufacturers report to the FDA if their device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur), and reports of corrections and removals regulations (which require manufacturers to report recalls or removals and field corrections to the FDA if initiated to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA). Failure to properly identify reportable events or to file timely reports, as well as failure to address observations to FDA’s satisfaction, can subject us to warning letters, recalls, or other sanctions and penalties.
Advertising, marketing and promotional activities for devices are also subject to FDA oversight and must comply with the statutory standards of the FDCA, and the FDA’s implementing regulations. The FDA’s oversight authority review of marketing and promotional activities encompasses, but is not limited to, direct-to-consumer advertising, healthcare provider-directed advertising and promotion, sales representative communications to healthcare professionals, promotional programming and promotional activities involving electronic media. The FDA also regulates industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities that make representations regarding product safety or efficacy in a promotional context.
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Manufacturers of medical devices are permitted to promote products solely for the uses and indications set forth in the approved or cleared product labeling. A number of enforcement actions have been taken against manufacturers that promote products for “off-label” uses (i.e., uses that are not described in the approved or cleared labeling), including actions alleging that claims submitted to government healthcare programs for reimbursement of products that were promoted for “off-label” uses are fraudulent in violation of the Federal False Claims Act or other federal and state statutes and that the submission of those claims was caused by off-label promotion. The failure to comply with prohibitions on “off-label” promotion can result in significant monetary penalties, revocation or suspension of a company’s business license, suspension of sales of certain products, product recalls, civil or criminal sanctions, exclusion from participating in federal healthcare programs, or other enforcement actions. In the United States, allegations of such wrongful conduct could also result in a corporate integrity agreement with the U.S. government that imposes significant administrative obligations and costs, as has occurred in the past with respect to our legacy products that we no longer market.
The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, also oversees the advertising and promotion of our products (other than labeling) pursuant to its broad authority to police deceptive advertising for goods or services within the U.S. The FDA and FTC work together to regulate different aspects of activities by medical product manufacturers, consistent with the inter-agency Memorandum of Understanding. Under the Federal Trade Commission Act, or FTCA, the FTC is empowered, among other things, to (a) prevent unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce; (b) seek monetary redress and other relief for conduct injurious to consumers; and (c) gather and compile information and conduct investigations relating to the organization, business, practices, and management of entities engaged in commerce. In the context of performance claims for products such as our devices and services, compliance with the FTC Act includes ensuring that there is scientific data to substantiate the claims being made, that the advertising is neither false nor misleading, and that any user testimonials or endorsements we or our agents disseminate related to the devices or services comply with disclosure and other regulatory requirements.
Violations of the FDCA or FTCA relating to the inappropriate promotion of approved products may lead to investigations alleging violations of federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse and other laws, including state consumer protection laws.
For a PMA or Class II 510(k) or de novo devices, the FDA also may require post-marketing testing, surveillance, or other measures to monitor the effects of an approved or cleared product. The FDA may place conditions on a PMA-approved device that could restrict the distribution or use of the product. In addition, quality-control, manufacture, packaging, and labeling procedures must continue to conform to QSRs and other applicable regulatory requirements after approval and clearance, and manufacturers are subject to periodic inspections by the FDA. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the areas of production and quality-control to maintain compliance with QSRs. If the FDA believes we or any of our contract manufacturers or regulated suppliers are not in compliance with these requirements and patients are being subjected to serious risks, the agency can shut down our manufacturing operations, require recalls of our medical device products, refuse to approve new marketing applications, initiate legal proceedings to detain or seize products, enjoin future violations, or assess civil and criminal penalties against us or our officers or other employees.
European Economic Area (EEA) Regulation
The EEA recognizes a single medical device approval (the CE Mark) which allows for distribution of an approved product throughout the EEA without additional general applications in each country. Individual EEA members, however, reserve the right to require additional labeling or information to address particular patient safety issues prior to allowing marketing. Third parties called “Notified Bodies” award the CE Mark. These Notified Bodies are approved and subject to review by the “Competent Authorities” of their respective countries. Our Notified Bodies perform periodic on-site inspections to independently review our compliance with systems and regulatory requirements. A number of countries outside of the EEA accept the CE Mark in lieu of marketing submissions as an addendum to that country’s application process. We have a CE Mark for the VIVO System. Beginning July 1, 2023, the United Kingdom requires its own medical device approval (UKCA). VIVO is currently registered with UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to market the VIVO system in the UK. Since July 1, 2023, VIVO bears the UKCA symbol as required by the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 No 618, as amended) (“MDR”) to continue UK distributions. MDR requirements now include on-going collection of clinical data to include in annual reports to ensure state of the art technology and safety requirements are met. We are currently collecting data via a multi-center (and country) European Registry. This registry concluded enrollment in June 2023 and is anticipated to complete data collection and study activities in September 2024.
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LockeT is currently undergoing MDR review and approval via the Notified Body. CE Mark is anticipated in August 2024.
Other Healthcare Laws
Our business operations and current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, consultants, customers and patients, expose us to broadly applicable state, federal, and foreign fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations. These laws constrain the business and financial arrangements and relationships through which we conduct our operations, including how we research, market, sell and distribute our products. Such laws include, but are not limited to:
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In particular, activities and arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, waste and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of activities or other arrangements related to the development, marketing or promotion of products, including pricing and discounting of products, provision of customer incentives, provision of reimbursement support, other customer support services, provision of sales commissions or other incentives to employees and independent contractors and other interactions with healthcare practitioners, other healthcare providers and patients.
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrow scope of the statutory or regulatory exceptions and safe harbors available, our business activities could be challenged under one or more of these laws. Relationships between medical product manufacturers and health care providers are an area of heightened scrutiny by the government.
Government expectations and industry best practices for compliance continue to evolve and past activities may not always be consistent with current industry best practices. Further, there is a lack of government guidance as to whether various industry practices comply with these laws, and government interpretations of these laws continue to evolve, all of which creates compliance uncertainties. Any non-compliance could result in regulatory sanctions, criminal or civil liability and serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in preventing such conduct, mitigating risks, or reducing the chance of governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations.
If a government entity opens an investigation into possible violations of any of these laws (which may include the issuance of subpoenas), we would have to expend significant resources to defend ourselves against the allegations. Defending against any such actions can be costly, time-consuming and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired. If any of the above occur, it could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
Allegations that we, our officers, or our employees violated any one of these laws can be made by individuals called “whistleblowers” who may be our employees, customers, competitors or other parties. Government policy is to encourage individuals to become whistleblowers and file a complaint in federal court alleging wrongful conduct. The government is required to investigate all of these complaints and decide whether to intervene. If the government intervenes and we are required to pay money back to the government as a result of a settlement or judgement, the whistleblower, as a reward, is awarded a percentage. If the government declines to intervene, the whistleblower may proceed on his or her own and, if successful, he or she will receive a percentage of any judgment or settlement amount the company is required to pay. The government may also initiate an investigation on its own. If any such actions are instituted against us, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant fines, and other sanctions that may materially impair our ability to run a profitable business. In particular, if our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or if we agree to settle with the government without admitting to any wrongful conduct or if we are found to be in violation of any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we, our officers and employees may be subject to sanctions, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from participation in government health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, imprisonment, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations and the imposition of a corporate integrity agreement, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, generally prohibit 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 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. The scope of the FCPA includes interactions with certain healthcare professionals in many countries.
There is no assurance that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for FCPA or other violations (either due to our own acts or our inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others), we could suffer from civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions, including contract cancellations or debarment, and loss of reputation, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Privacy and Data Protection Laws
HIPAA, as amended by the HITECH Act, and the regulations that have been issued under it, impose certain obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of protected health information. In the U.S., certain states have additional privacy laws that also work towards the safeguarding of personal information.
HIPAA requirements and restrictions apply to “covered entities” (which include health care providers and insurers) as well as to their business associates that receive protected health information from them in order to provide services to or perform certain activities on their behalf. The statute and regulations also impose notification obligations on covered entities and their business associates in the event of a breach of the privacy or security of protected health information. We occasionally receive protected health information from our customers in the course of our business. As such, we believe that we are business associates and therefore subject to HIPAA’s requirements and restrictions with respect to handling such protected health information and have executed business associate agreements with certain customers.
It is possible the data protection laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices. If so, this could result in government-imposed fines or orders requiring that we change our practices, which could adversely affect our business. In addition, these privacy regulations may differ from country to country and state to state and may vary based on whether testing is performed in the U.S. or in the local country. Complying with these various laws and regulations could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices and compliance procedures in a manner adverse to our business. Further, compliance with data protection laws and regulations could require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, restrict our ability to collect, use and disclose data, or in some cases, impact our ability to operate in certain jurisdictions. We can provide no assurance that we are or will remain in compliance with diverse privacy and security requirements in all of the jurisdictions in which we do business. If we fail to comply or are deemed to have failed to comply with applicable privacy protection laws and regulations such failure could result in government enforcement actions and create liability for us, which could include substantial civil and/or criminal penalties, as well as private litigation and/or adverse publicity that could negatively affect our operating results and business.
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Environmental Regulation
We are subject to federal, state and local regulations governing the storage, use and disposal of waste materials and products. Although we believe that our safety procedures for storing, handling and disposing of these materials and products comply with the standards prescribed by law and regulation, we cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from those hazardous materials. Federal regulations promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration impose additional requirements on us, including those protecting employees from exposure to elements such as blood-borne pathogens. We cannot predict the frequency of compliance, monitoring, or enforcement actions to which we may be subject as those regulations are being implemented, which could adversely affect our operations.
Segment Information
We operate our business as one segment which includes all activities related to the marketing, sales and development of medical technologies focused in the field of cardiac EP. The chief operating decision-maker reviews the operating results on an aggregate basis and manages the operations as a single operating segment.
Employees
As of March 12, 2024, we had a total of 14 employees, including 14 full-time employees, which includes finance and administrative, sales and marketing and clinical professionals. We also have retained a total of 5 persons as independent contractors. We are planning to increase our sales force in support of product launches but currently have no other plans to increase our staff.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 1670 Highway 160 West, Suite 205, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29708. Our telephone number is (973) 691-2000. Our corporate website address is www.catheterprecision.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this document, and you should not consider information on our website to be part of this document.
You may find on our website at www.catheterprecision.com electronic copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, or Exchange Act. Such filings are placed on our website as soon as reasonably possible after they are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties described below may not be the only ones we face. If any of the risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, cash flows and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Risk Factor Summary (This Summary is not intended to and does not describe all of the risk factors discussed below that may impact the Company. We urge investors to review the detailed descriptions of risk factors that follow.)
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
Risks Related to Our Internal Controls
Risks Related to Our Business and Products
· Litigation and other legal proceedings may adversely affect our business.
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· Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards may be limited.
Risks Related to Government Regulation and our Industry
· Product clearances and approvals can often be denied or significantly delayed.
Risks Related to our Intellectual Property
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Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock Including Volatility and Highly Concentrated Ownership
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
We will be required to raise additional funds to finance our operations and continue as a going concern; We may not be able to do so when necessary, and/or the terms of any financings may not be advantageous to us.
Our operations to date have consumed substantial amounts of cash and our business, including the business of Old Catheter conducted prior to its being acquired by the Company, sustained negative cash flows from operations for the last several years. In addition, our auditors’ report on our financial statements included in this Form 10-K contains an explanatory paragraph about the substantial doubt to continue as a going concern. As of March 7, 2024, we have approximately $1.86 million in cash and cash equivalents, which, together with our anticipated cash from operations, is not adequate to meet our working capital needs through May of 2024,and our business is currently not profitable. During the first quarter of 2023 we raised approximately $9.3 million in proceeds from securities transactions, but Merger costs and other negative cash flows have substantially depleted our cash. As a result, we will require future additional capital infusions including public or private financing, strategic partnerships or other arrangements with organizations that have capabilities and/or products that are complementary to our own capabilities and/or products, in order to execute our strategic vision. However, there can be no assurances that we can complete any financings, strategic alliances or collaborative development agreements, and the terms of such arrangements may not be advantageous to us. In addition, any additional equity financing will be dilutive to our current stockholders, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. If we raise funds through collaborative or licensing arrangements, we may be required to relinquish, on terms that are not favorable to us, rights to some of our technologies or product candidates that we would otherwise seek to develop or commercialize. Our failure to raise capital when needed could materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. See “—We have entered into joint marketing agreements with respect to our products, and may enter into additional join marketing agreements, that will reduce our revenues from product sales,” and “—Royalty agreements with respect to LockeT, the surgical vessel closing pressure device, will reduce any future revenues from this product.”
Our business has a history of losses and will incur additional losses, and we may never achieve profitability.
Our current business primarily derives revenues from the View into Ventricular Onset System or VIVOTM System (“VIVO” or “VIVO System”). VIVO is FDA cleared and CE marked, having received FDA 510(k) clearance in June 2019. Old Catheter began a limited commercial launch of VIVO in the third quarter of 2021, and we began a full-scale launch in 2023 in conjunction with the expansion of a direct sales force in the U.S. Our current business strategies include a plan to expand uses for VIVO, which will require additional clearances. While we do generate revenue, we are currently operating at a loss, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to grow revenues enough to offset our costs and realize profitability. To date, we have not been profitable, and our accumulated deficit was approximately $275.7 million at December 31, 2023. Historically, aside from Merger costs, our losses have resulted principally from costs incurred in research and development, and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. During the first quarter 2023 we raised approximately $9.3 million in proceeds from securities transactions, but Merger costs and other negative cash flows have substantially depleted our cash. However, in order to continue the commercialization of our assets consistent with our vision, we will need to conduct substantial additional research, development and clinical trials. Our business strategy also includes expanding uses for our products which will require us to seek additional regulatory clearances in the United States, and we also must continue to expand our patents in order to obtain meaningful patent protection for and establish freedom to commercialize our product candidates. We must also complete further clinical trials and seek regulatory approvals for any new product candidates we discover, license or acquire. We cannot be sure whether and when we will obtain required regulatory approvals, or successfully research, develop, commercialize, manufacture and market any other product candidates. We expect that these activities, together with future general and administrative activities, will result in significant expenses for the foreseeable future. We may never achieve profitability.
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Risks Related to Our Internal Controls
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. These material weaknesses could adversely affect our ability to report our results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). Our management is likewise required, on a quarterly basis, to evaluate the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and to disclose any material changes to our internal controls identified through such evaluation. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. As described elsewhere in this Form 10-K and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed during 2023, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting related to (1) the lack of segregation of duties, (2) the lack of designed and operating review controls with respect to oversight of the financial reporting process, (3) errors with respect to the review of work performed by service providers, (4) errors in connection with accounting for the royalty obligation acquired in the merger with Old Catheter, (5) use of an incorrect discount rate in calculating the fair value of the royalty obligation and (6) timing of revenue recognition. As a result of these material weaknesses, our management has concluded that our disclosure controls were not effective as of March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2023. For a discussion of management’s consideration of the material weaknesses described above, see below “Part II, Item 9A. Controls and Procedures: of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and “Part I, Item 4. Controls and Procedures” included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023.
As described below at “Part II, Item 9A. Controls and Procedures” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and “Part I, Item 4. Controls and Procedures” included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023, we have concluded that our disclosure controls were not effective as of March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2023 because material weaknesses existed in our internal control over financial reporting. We are in the process of formulating a plan to remediate the material weaknesses described therein; however, if we are unable to remediate our material weaknesses in a timely manner or we identify additional material weaknesses, we may be unable to provide required financial information in a timely or reliable manner and we may incorrectly report financial information. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our common stock is listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In such a case, there could be a material adverse effect on our business. The existence of material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of us, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock. In addition, we may incur additional costs to remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.
We can give no assurance that the measures we have taken and plan to take in the future will remediate the material weaknesses identified or that any additional material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls or otherwise.
There may be additional undetected material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, as a result of which we may not detect financial statement errors on a timely basis. Further, to the extent we identify additional material weaknesses, we will not be able to fully assess whether corrective measures will remediate the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting until we have completed our implementation efforts and sufficient time passes in order to evaluate their effectiveness. In addition, if we identify additional errors that result in material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we may not detect errors on a timely basis and our financial statements may be materially misstated. Moreover, in the future we may engage in additional business transactions, such as acquisitions, reorganizations or implementation of new information systems, any of which could negatively affect our internal control over financial reporting and result in material weaknesses.
If we identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or if we continue to be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, we may again be late with the filing of our periodic reports, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected. As a result of any internal control failures, we could also become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, and become subject to litigation from investors and stockholders, which could harm our reputation or divert financial and management resources from our core business, and which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse impact on our business.
We are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. As a “smaller reporting company” that is a non-accelerated filer, we will avail ourselves of the exemption from the requirement that our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404. However, we may no longer avail ourselves of this exemption when we cease to be a non-accelerated filer. When our independent registered public accounting firm is required to undertake an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, the cost of our compliance with Section 404 will correspondingly increase. Our compliance with applicable provisions of Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management time on compliance-related issues as we implement additional corporate governance practices and comply with reporting requirements. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 to us in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies additional deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
Risks Related to Our Business and Products
We will not be able to reach profitability unless we are able to achieve our product expansion and growth goals.
Our goal to achieve profitability is dependent upon establishing VIVO as an integral tool used by cardiac electrophysiologists during ablation treatment of ventricular arrhythmias, as well as upon developing and marketing new products, such as LockeT, the wound closure device, and the successful build out of our U.S. commercial infrastructure and sales force. During fiscal 2023, over 70% of our revenues were derived from four customers, two of whom represented over half of our revenues. In today’s healthcare environment, the process for new technologies to be adopted and penetrate market share has become more complex, with the need to win over multiple stakeholders within clinical, administrative and support teams in hospitals, and increasingly we must target the administrators in integrated delivery networks. To accomplish this, we will need to:
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In addition, our sales and marketing strategy for VIVO requires us to hire additional clinical support and sales representatives who are experienced in the EP field. In addition, we must make a significant investment building our U.S. commercial infrastructure and sales force, a lengthy process requiring ongoing investment and a certain amount of lead time to produce the growth rate we desire.
If we are unable to accomplish one or more of the foregoing, we may be unable to achieve our product expansion and growth goals, and may be unable to achieve profitability.
Our research and development and commercialization efforts may depend on entering into agreements with corporate collaborators.
We may need to seek out additional collaborations in order to commercialize our products. We will continue to seek research collaborations, co-development and marketing agreements, and licensing deals for our products in development; however, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in our efforts. Any collaborator with whom we may enter into such collaboration agreements may not support fully our research and commercial interests since our programs may compete for time, attention and resources with such collaborator’s internal programs. Therefore, these future collaborators may not commit sufficient resources to our programs to move them forward effectively, or the programs may not advance as rapidly as they might if we had retained complete control of all research, development, regulatory and commercialization decisions.
We have entered into joint marketing agreements with respect to our products, and may enter into additional joint marketing agreements, that will reduce our revenues from product sales.
Old Catheter entered into a Joint Marketing Agreement with Stereotaxis, Inc. in January 2021, as subsequently amended in January 2022 and May 2022, pursuant to which Stereotaxis agrees to promote our VIVO System to customers who may benefit from the use of VIVO in robotic or non-robotic electrophysiology procedures. Pursuant to the agreement, Stereotaxis can perform promotional activity at any hospital globally that has a Stereotaxis Robotic Magnetic Navigation System, referred to herein as a robotic hospital, and where VIVO has appropriate regulatory clearances. In addition, Stereotaxis will act as a spot distributor for us at mutually agreed upon hospitals where the VIVO System is included as a line item within a Stereotaxis quote. In exchange for its marketing, distribution and support activity, Stereotaxis receives a payment equal to 45% of the revenue generated from VIVO at robotic hospitals. After the initial sale of VIVO products to customers by Stereotaxis, Catheter will be responsible for selling additional VIVO-related products to the customers but will continue to owe the 45% payment to Stereotaxis with respect to any such sales. The agreement has a term that runs through December 31, 2025, provided however, that the agreement will automatically extend for successive two-year terms unless either party provides the other written notice of termination at least one year prior to the next-scheduled termination date. Stereotaxis will continue to be entitled to receive the 45% payments described above for a period of six months following termination of the agreement. Although we believe that this agreement is in the best interest of our business and our stockholders, it will materially reduce the revenues that we receive from VIVO products that are sold by Stereotaxis, and any similar agreements entered into in the future may have the same impact.
Royalty agreements with respect to LockeT, our surgical vessel closing pressure device, will reduce any future profits from this product.
In February 2022, Old Catheter agreed to an assignment and royalty agreement for the Surgical Vessel Closing Pressure Device (“LockeT”). Pursuant to the agreement, Old Catheter agreed to pay a royalty fee of 5% on net sales up to $1 million. Thereafter, if a patent for the Surgical Vessel Closing Pressure Device is obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Old Catheter will pay a royalty fee of 2% of net sales up to a total of $10 million in royalties. In addition, at the time of our merger with Old Catheter, additional royalty rights with respect to LockeT were granted to certain holders (the “Noteholders”) of Old Catheter’s outstanding convertible promissory notes in exchange for forgiveness of the interest that had accrued under those notes but remained unpaid, pursuant to the terms of certain Debt Settlement Agreements. The agreements provide for the Noteholders to receive, in the aggregate, approximately 12% of the net sales, if any, of the Surgical Vessel Closing Pressure Device, commencing upon the first commercial sale through December 31, 2035. As a result, even if the Surgical Vessel Closing Pressure Device is successfully developed and marketed, our revenues from this device will be reduced by the amount of these royalties.
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If we experience significant disruptions in our information technology systems, our business may be adversely affected.
We depend on our information technology systems for the efficient functioning of our business, as well as for accounting, financial reporting, data storage, compliance, purchasing and inventory management. We do not have redundant information technology systems at this time. Our information technology systems may be subject to computer viruses, ransomware or other malware, attacks by computer hackers, failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication failures and user errors, among other malfunctions. In addition, a variety of our software systems are cloud-based data management applications hosted by third-party service providers whose security and information technology systems are subject to similar risks. Technological interruptions could disrupt our operations, including our ability to timely ship and track product orders, project inventory requirements, manage our supply chain and otherwise adequately service our customers, or could disrupt our customers’ ability use our products for treatments. In the event we experience significant disruptions, we may be unable to repair our systems in an efficient and timely manner. Accordingly, such events may disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our entire operation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Currently, we carry business interruption coverage to mitigate certain potential losses, but this insurance is limited in amount, subject to deductibles, and we cannot be certain that such potential losses will not exceed our policy limits. We are increasingly dependent on complex information technology to manage our infrastructure. Our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance our existing systems. Failure to maintain or protect our information systems and data integrity effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Litigation and other legal proceedings may adversely affect our business.
From time to time we are involved in and may become involved in legal proceedings relating to patent and other intellectual property matters, product liability claims, employee claims, tort or contract claims, federal regulatory investigations, securities class actions, and other legal proceedings or investigations, which could have an adverse impact on our reputation, business and financial condition and divert the attention of our management from the operation of our business. For example, we have previously been a party to securities class action and shareholder derivative litigation and other litigation. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and can result in excessive or unanticipated verdicts and/or injunctive relief that affect how we operate our business. We could incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages or for agreements to change the way we operate our business, or both. There may be an increase in the scope of these matters or there may be additional lawsuits, claims, proceedings or investigations in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Adverse publicity about regulatory or legal action against us could damage our reputation and brand image, undermine our customers’ confidence and reduce long-term demand for our products, even if the regulatory or legal action is unfounded or not material to our operations.
We must indemnify or advance reasonable legal expenses for officers and directors, including, in certain circumstances, former employees and directors, in their defense against legal proceedings, unless certain conditions apply. A prolonged uninsured expense and indemnification obligation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we make acquisitions or divestitures, we could encounter difficulties that harm our business.
We may acquire companies, products or technologies that we believe to be complementary to the present or future direction of our business, or that may be of a strategic nature with a focus on a new direction. If we engage in such acquisitions, we may have difficulty integrating the acquired personnel, financials, operations, products or technologies. Acquisitions may dilute our earnings per share, disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and employees, increase our expenses, subject us to liabilities, and increase our risk of litigation, all of which could harm our business. If we use cash to acquire companies, products or technologies, it may divert resources otherwise available for other purposes. If we use our common stock to acquire companies, products or technologies, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution.
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Failure to attract and retain sufficient qualified personnel could also impede our growth.
Our current Interim Chief Financial Officer, Margrit Thomassen, is currently only working for us on an interim basis. As a result, we will need to hire a new, full-time Chief Financial Officer soon. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on the lives of any of our employees, including our Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, David A. Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins is critical to our current business development, and we would not be able to easily replace him. Our success also depends on our ability to retain our other current key employees and continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level and senior managers as well as junior, mid-level and senior scientific and medical personnel. If we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We face intense competition for executive-level talent from a variety of sources, including from current and potential competitors in the medical device and healthcare industries, and there is no guarantee that we can locate suitable replacements when they are needed.
Our revenues may depend on our customers’ receipt of adequate reimbursement from private insurers and government sponsored healthcare programs.
Political, economic, and regulatory influences continue to change the healthcare industry in the United States. The ability of hospitals to pay fees for our products will partially depend on the extent to which reimbursement for the costs of such materials and related treatments will continue to be available from private health coverage insurers and other similar organizations. We may have difficulty gaining market acceptance for the products we sell if third-party payers do not provide adequate coverage and reimbursement to hospitals and/or other relevant healthcare providers.
Major third-party payers of hospitals, such as private healthcare insurers, periodically revise their payment methodologies based, in part, upon changes in government sponsored healthcare programs. We cannot predict these periodic revisions with certainty, and such revisions may result in stricter standards for reimbursement of hospital charges for certain specified products, potentially adversely impacting our business, results of operations, and financial condition when we start receiving reimbursement from third party payers.
The sales of our products and services will depend in part on the availability of reimbursement by third-party payers, such as government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Third-party payers often challenge the price and cost-effectiveness of medical treatments and services. Governmental approval of health care products does not guarantee that these third-party payers will pay for the products. Even if third-party payers do accept our products and services, the amounts they pay may not be adequate to enable us to realize a profit. Legislation and regulations affecting the pricing of therapies may change before our products and services are approved for marketing, and any such changes could further limit reimbursement, if any.
We may be unable to compete successfully with companies in our highly competitive industry, many of whom have substantially greater resources than we do.
The healthcare industry is highly competitive. There are numerous approved products for treating the indications for which we have received clearance or approval and those that we may pursue in the future. Many of these cleared or approved products are well-established and are widely accepted by physicians, patients and third-party payors. Insurers and other third-party payors may encourage the use of competitors’ products. In addition, many companies are developing products, and we cannot predict what the standard of care will be in the future.
Our primary competitors in the cardiac electrophysiology, or EP, space include known medical devices such as pacemakers, electrocardiogram, or ECG, systems and cardiac catheters, but also laboratory equipment such as intracardiac mapping systems and fluoroscopy systems (similar to x-ray in real time). The EP market includes large medical device companies such as Medtronic, Plc., Abbott Laboratories, Biosense-Webster (J&J) and Boston Scientific Corp.
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Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, manufacturing, commercial, and technical resources than we do. There has been consolidation in the industry, and we expect that to continue. Larger competitors may have substantially larger sales and marketing operations than we do. This may allow those competitors to spend more time with current and potential customers and to focus on a larger number of current and potential customers, which gives them a significant advantage over our sales and marketing team and our international distributors in making sales. In addition, we are often selling to customers who already utilize our competitors’ products and who have established relationships with our competitors’ sales representatives and familiarity with our competitors’ products.
Larger competitors may also have broader product lines, which enables them to offer customers bundled purchase contracts and quantity discounts. These competitors may have more experience than we have in research and development, marketing, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining FDA and non-U.S. regulatory clearances or approvals and marketing cleared or approved products. Our competitors may discover technologies and techniques, or enter into partnerships and collaborations, to develop competing products that are more effective or less costly than our products or the products we may develop. This may render our technology or products obsolete or noncompetitive. Our competitors may also be better equipped than we are to respond to competitive pressures. If we are unable to compete successfully in our industry, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our future operating results depend upon our ability to obtain components in sufficient quantities on commercially reasonable terms or according to schedules, prices, quality and volumes that are acceptable to us, and suppliers may fail to deliver components, or we may be unable to manage these components effectively or obtain these components on such terms.
We have historically obtained certain components globally, some of which were uniquely customized, from limited sources. This subjected us to significant supply and pricing risks and exposed us to multiple potential sources of component shortages. Many components, including those that are available from multiple sources, are at times subject to industry-wide shortages and significant commodity pricing fluctuations that could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. We may source alternative parts to mitigate the challenges caused by these shortages, but there is no guarantee we may be able to continually do so as we scale production to meet our growth targets. The unavailability of any component or supplier could result in production delays, idle manufacturing facilities, product design changes and loss of access to important technology and tools for producing and supporting our products, as well as impact our capacity production. Our suppliers may not be willing or able to sustainably meet our timelines or our cost, quality and volume needs, or to do so may cost us more, which may require us to replace them with other sources. If our supply of components for a new or existing product continues to be delayed or constrained for any reason, including if an outsourcing partner delayed shipments of completed products to us or additional time is required to obtain sufficient quantities from the original source, or if we have to identify and obtain sufficient quantities from an alternative source, then our financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected. In addition, the continued availability of these components at acceptable prices, or at all, can be affected for any number of reasons, including if suppliers decide to concentrate on the production of common components or components for other customers instead of components customized to meet our requirements. While we have entered into agreements for the supply of certain components, there can be no assurance that we will be able to extend or renew these agreements on similar terms, or at all. Some of our components are purchased off the shelf and therefore we have no contractual certainties regarding their availability or pricing. Component suppliers may suffer from poor financial conditions, which can lead to business failure for the supplier or consolidation within a particular industry, further limiting our ability to obtain sufficient quantities of components on commercially reasonable terms. While we believe that we will be able to secure components as needed, and where necessary locate additional or alternate sources or develop our own replacements for relevant components, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so quickly or at all.
Additionally, we may be unable to obtain components on attractive terms and where applicable to achieve through negotiations with relevant suppliers cost reductions and/or avoid unfavorable changes to terms, source less expensive suppliers for certain parts and redesign certain parts to make them less expensive to produce. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
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If hospitals, physicians and patients do not accept our current and future products or if the market for indications for which any product candidate is approved is smaller than expected, we may be unable to generate significant revenue, if any.
Even when any of our product candidates obtain regulatory approval, they may not gain market acceptance among hospitals, physicians, patients, and third-party payers. Physicians may decide not to use our products for a variety of reasons including:
· timing of market introduction of competitive products;
· demonstration of clinical safety and efficacy compared to other products;
· cost-effectiveness;
· limited or no coverage by third-party payers;
· convenience and ease of administration;
· prevalence and severity of adverse side effects;
· restrictions in the label of the device;
· other potential advantages of alternative treatment methods; and
· ineffective marketing and distribution support of our products.
If any of our product candidates are approved but fail to achieve market acceptance or such market is smaller than anticipated, we may not be able to generate significant revenue and our business would suffer.
The recent coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak adversely affected our financial condition and results of operations and we cannot provide any certainty as to whether there will be future impacts from COVID-19 or another pandemic.
The COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected our financial condition and results of operations. The impact of the outbreak of COVID-19 on the businesses and the economy in the United States and the rest of the world was significant. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak will continue to impact business and the economy is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, and there can be no guarantee that a future pandemic will not have similar or worse impacts. Accordingly, we cannot predict the extent to which our financial condition and results of operation will be affected.
A variety of risks associated with marketing our products internationally could materially adversely affect our business.
In addition to selling our products in the U.S., we sell products outside of the U.S. We are subject to additional risks related to operating in foreign countries, including:
· differing regulatory requirements in foreign countries;
· foreign taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
· difficulties staffing and managing foreign operations;
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· potential liability under the FCPA or comparable foreign regulations;
· the impact of public health epidemics on the global economy; and
These and other risks associated with international operations may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or maintain profitable operations, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza military conflicts, and other actions that have been and could be taken by other countries, including new and stricter sanctions and actions taken in response to such sanctions, have affected, and may continue to affect, our business and results of operations, including our supply chain.
On February 24, 2022, Russian forces launched significant military action against Ukraine, and sustained conflict and disruption in the region has occurred. The impact to Ukraine, as well as actions taken by other countries, including new and stricter sanctions imposed by Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the U.S. and other countries and companies and organizations against officials, individuals, regions and industries in Russia and Ukraine, and actions taken by Russia in response to such sanctions, and each country’s potential response to such sanctions, tensions and military actions could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Any such material adverse effect from the conflict and enhanced sanctions activity may disrupt our supply chains and affect the delivery of our products and services or impair our ability to complete financial or banking transactions. We may suffer similar adverse effects from the Israel-Gaza conflict which has been ongoing since October 2023.
We also cannot predict the impact of any heightened geopolitical instability or the results that may follow, including reductions in consumer confidence, heightened inflation, cyber disruptions or attacks, higher natural gas costs, higher manufacturing costs and higher supply chain costs. The impact of armed conflicts such as those described above could cause our results to differ materially from the outlook presented in this Annual Report.
If the third parties on which we rely for the conduct of our clinical trials and results do not perform our clinical trial activities in accordance with good clinical practices and related regulatory requirements, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our product candidates.
We may use independent clinical investigators and other third-party service providers to conduct and/or oversee the clinical trials of our product candidates.
FDA requires us and our clinical investigators to comply with regulations and standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, for conducting, recording, and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate, and that the trial participants are adequately protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. Third parties may not complete activities on schedule or may not conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or the respective trial plans and protocols. The failure of these third parties to carry out their obligations could delay or prevent the development, approval, and commercialization of our product candidates or result in enforcement actions against us.
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We may be adversely affected by product liability claims, unfavorable court decisions or legal settlements.
We are exposed to potential product liability risks inherent in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of our products. These matters are subject to many uncertainties, and outcomes are not predictable. In addition, we may incur significant legal expenses regardless of whether we are found to be liable.
While we maintain product liability insurance, there can be no assurance that such coverage is sufficient to cover all product liabilities that we may incur. We are not currently subject to any product liability proceedings, and we have no reserves for product liability disbursements. However, we may incur material liabilities relating to product liability claims in the future, including product liability claims arising out of the usage and delivery of our products. Should we incur product-related liabilities exceeding our insurance coverage, we would be required to use available cash or raise additional cash to cover such liabilities.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards may be limited.
As of December 31, 2023, we had net operating loss carryforwards, or NOLs, available of approximately $147 million for federal income tax purposes and $111.7 million for state income tax purposes. Utilization of these NOLs depends on many factors, including our future income, which cannot be assured. These NOLs could expire unused and be unavailable to offset our future income tax liabilities. In addition, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or IRC, and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership by 5% stockholders over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOLs and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. We completed an IRC Section 382 analysis regarding the limitation of net operating losses through December 31, 2020 and determined that ownership changes occurred in May 2020. Management believes further ownership changes occurred during each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Accordingly, utilization of our NOLs is subject to an annual limitation for federal tax purposes under IRC Section 382. Due to the changes in control, we estimated that $51.9 million of the $147 million federal NOLs are effectively eliminated, according to IRC Section 382. In addition, $40.8 million of our $111.7 million in state NOLs were also eliminated. As a result of these eliminations, our federal and state NOLs were reduced to $95.1 million and $70.9 million, respectively, before taking into consideration the valuation allowance.
We may have to make milestone payments under the Settlement Agreement we entered into with the DOJ.
We have entered into a Settlement Agreement with the Department of Justice, or DOJ, and agreements with the participating states, resolving a DOJ civil investigation concerning certain Covered Conduct (as defined in the Settlement Agreement), and the Office of Inspector General, or OIG, has agreed, in consideration of our full payment of amounts owed in the Settlement Agreement and our obligations under a Corporate Integrity Agreement, to release our permissive exclusion rights and refrain from instituting any administrative action seeking to exclude us from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal health care programs as a result of specified covered conduct. The Corporate Integrity Agreement has a five-year term expiring in December 2025 and imposes monitoring, reporting, certification, documentation, oversight, screening, and training obligations on us, including the hiring of a compliance officer and independent review organization; however, the OIG has agreed that we are not subject to the terms of the Corporate Integrity Agreement for so long as we do not carry on the legacy Ra Medical business or use the related business assets.
Pursuant to our Settlement Agreement with the DOJ, if during fiscal 2024 our revenues exceed $10 million, we have agreed to pay the United States and certain Medicaid participating states, $1.25 million. Payment must be made within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year.
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Risks Related to Governmental Regulation and our Industry
We are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA and other regulatory agencies.
Our medical device operations are subject to pervasive and continuing FDA regulatory requirements.
Medical devices regulated by the FDA are subject to “general controls” which include:
· complying with applicable cGMPs under the Quality System Regulations, or QSR;
· assuring that device labeling complies with device labeling requirements;
Some devices known as “510(k)-exempt” devices can be marketed without prior marketing clearance or approval from the FDA. In addition to the “general controls,” Class II medical devices are also subject to “special controls,” including, in many cases, adherence to a particular guidance document and compliance with the performance standard. As a Class II, 510(k)-cleared device, our VIVO product is subject to both general and special controls. Instead of obtaining 510(k) clearance, most Class III devices are subject to premarket approval, or PMA. We do not believe any of our current products are Class III devices, but future products could be, which would subject them to the PMA process.
Many medical devices are also regulated by the FDA as “electronic products.” In general, manufacturers and marketers of “electronic products” are subject to certain FDA regulatory requirements intended to ensure the radiological safety of the products. These requirements include, but are not limited to, filing certain reports with the FDA about the products and defects/safety issues related to the products as well as complying with radiological performance standards.
In addition, we may be required to conduct costly post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or effectiveness of our products, and we must comply with medical device reporting, or MDR, requirements, including the reporting of adverse events and malfunctions related to our products. We are required to file MDRs if our products may have caused or contributed to a serious injury or death or malfunctioned in a way that could likely cause or contribute to a serious injury or death if it were to recur. Any such MDR that reports a significant adverse event could result in negative publicity, which could harm our reputation and future sales. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, manufacturing problems, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements may result in changes to labeling, restrictions on such products or manufacturing processes, withdrawal of the products from the market, voluntary or mandatory recalls, a requirement to repair, replace or refund the cost of any medical device we manufacture or distribute, fines, suspension of regulatory clearances or approvals, product seizures, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The medical device industry is now experiencing greater scrutiny and regulation by federal, state and foreign governmental authorities. Companies in our industry are subject to more frequent and more intensive reviews and investigations, often involving marketing, business practices, and product quality management. For example, as discussed above, on December 28, 2020, we entered into a Settlement Agreement with the DOJ to resolve a civil False Claims Act investigation and related civil action, and in connection with the Settlement Agreement, we also have reached agreements that resolve previously disclosed related investigations conducted by certain state attorneys general. Under the Settlement Agreement, and the agreements with the participating states, we were required to make an initial payment of $2.5 million, of which we paid $2.4 million in December 2020 and $0.1 million in April 2021. We also were required to make a payment of $5.0 million as a result of the January 2023 merger with Old Catheter in January 2023, which we made in February 2023. We may be required to make additional payments in the future upon the achievement of revenue targets.
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Additionally, federal, state and foreign governments and entities have enacted laws and issued regulations and other standards requiring increased visibility and transparency of our interactions with healthcare providers. For example, the U.S. Physician Payment Sunshine Act, now known as Open Payments, requires us to report to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, payments and other transfers of value to all U.S. physicians and U.S. teaching hospitals, with the reported information made publicly available on a searchable website. On December 28, 2020, we entered into the Settlement Agreement with the DOJ relating to claims under the civil False Claims Act investigation concerning, among other things, whether we marketed and promoted DABRA devices, which we are no longer marketing, for unapproved uses that were not covered by federal healthcare programs, and whether we paid improper remuneration to physicians and other healthcare providers in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Effective January 2022, we are also required to collect and report information on payments or transfers of value to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse-midwives. Failure to comply with these legal and regulatory requirements could impact our business, and we have spent and will continue to spend substantial time and financial resources to develop and implement enhanced structures, policies, systems and processes to comply with these legal and regulatory requirements, which may also impact our business and which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations for years after any resolution of these investigations and any resulting claims are resolved.
Product clearances and approvals can often be denied or significantly delayed.
Under FDA regulations, unless exempt, a new medical device may only be commercially distributed after it has received 510(k) clearance, is authorized through the de novo classification process, or is the subject of an approved PMA. The FDA will clear marketing of a medical device through the 510(k) process if it is demonstrated that the new product is substantially equivalent to another legally marketed product not subject to a PMA. Sometimes, a 510(k) clearance must be supported by preclinical and clinical data. Our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials could be impacted by a resurgence of the COVID-19 outbreak or another pandemic, as many patients would be likely to elect or would likely be asked to delay procedures at such a time.
The PMA process typically is more costly, lengthy and stringent than the 510(k) process. Unlike a 510(k) review which determines “substantial equivalence,” a PMA requires that the applicant demonstrate reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective by producing valid scientific evidence, including data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. Therefore, to obtain regulatory clearance or approvals, we typically must, among other requirements, provide the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities with preclinical and clinical data that demonstrate to their satisfaction that our products satisfy the criteria for approval. Preclinical testing and clinical trials must comply with the regulations of the FDA and other government authorities in the U.S. and similar agencies in other countries.
We may be required to obtain PMAs, PMA supplements or additional 510(k) premarket clearances to market modifications to our existing products, and our current business strategy contemplates expanding uses of our products to include uses that will require additional clearances. The FDA requires device manufacturers to make and document a determination of whether a device modification requires approval or clearance; however, the FDA can review a manufacturer’s decision. The FDA may not agree with our decisions not to seek approvals or clearances for particular device modifications. If the FDA requires us to obtain PMAs, PMA supplements or premarket clearances for any modification to a previously cleared or approved device, we may be required to cease manufacturing and marketing the modified device and perhaps also to recall such modified device until we obtain FDA clearance or approval. We may also be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties.
The FDA may not approve future PMA applications or supplements or clear our 510(k) applications on a timely basis or at all. For example, the a new pandemic outbreak could affect the FDA’s ability to review applications or supplements. Such delays or refusals could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The FDA may also change its clearance and approval policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take other actions which may prevent or delay approval or clearance of our products under development or impact our ability to modify our currently approved or cleared products on a timely basis. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
International regulatory approval processes may take more or less time than the FDA clearance or approval process. If we fail to comply with applicable FDA and comparable non-U.S. regulatory requirements, we may not receive regulatory clearances or approvals or may be subject to FDA or comparable non-U.S. enforcement actions. We may be unable to obtain future regulatory clearance or approval in a timely manner, or at all, especially if existing regulations are changed or new regulations are adopted. For example, the FDA clearance or approval process can take longer than anticipated due to requests for additional clinical data and changes in regulatory requirements. A failure or delay in obtaining necessary regulatory clearances or approvals would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Although we have obtained regulatory clearance for our VIVO and LockeT products in the U.S. and certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, our business plans include expanding uses for our products, which will require additional clearances; and even after clearance is obtained, our products will remain subject to extensive regulatory scrutiny.
Although our VIVO and LockeT products have received regulatory clearance in the U.S. and certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, they are subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping, conduct of post-marketing studies, and submission of safety, effectiveness, and other post-market information, including both federal and state requirements in the U.S. and requirements of comparable non-U.S. regulatory authorities. In addition, our business plans include expanding uses for our products, which will require additional clearances.
Any regulatory clearances or approvals that we have received for our products will be subject to limitations on the cleared or approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed and promoted or to the conditions of approval or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing. We are required to report certain adverse events and production problems, if any, to the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Any new legislation addressing product safety issues could result in increased costs to assure compliance. The FDA and other agencies, including the DOJ, closely regulate and monitor the post-clearance or post-approval marketing and promotion of products to ensure that they are marketed and distributed only for the cleared or approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the cleared or approved labeling.
Promotional communications with respect to devices are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the product’s cleared or approved labeling. As such, we may not promote our products for indications or uses for which they do not have clearance or approval. However, physicians can use their independent and professional judgment and use our products for off-label purposes, as FDA regulations do not restrict a physician’s choice of treatment with the practice of medicine. Prior to making certain changes to a cleared product, including certain changes to product labeling, the holder of a cleared 510(k) application may be required to submit a new premarket application and obtain clearance or approval.
If a regulatory agency discovers previously unknown problems with our products, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with our facility where the product is manufactured, or disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of our products, such regulatory agency or enforcement authority may impose restrictions on that product or us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. In addition to this type of penalty for failing to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency or enforcement authority may, among other things:
· impose civil or criminal penalties;
· suspend or withdraw regulatory clearances or approvals;
· seize or detain products; or
· require a product recall.
In addition, violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, relating to the promotion of approved products may lead to investigations alleging violations of federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse and other laws, as well as state consumer protection laws. As disclosed previously, we settled a DOJ civil False Claims Act investigation concerning, among other things, whether we marketed and promoted our DABRA devices for unapproved uses that were not covered by federal healthcare programs. We are no longer marketing DABRA devices.
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Any government adverse finding, regulatory sanction or investigation of alleged violations of law could require us to expend significant time and resources in response and could generate negative publicity. Any failure to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements may significantly and adversely affect our ability to commercialize and generate revenue from our products. If regulatory sanctions are applied or if regulatory clearance or approval is withdrawn, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our products may be subject to additional recalls, revocations or suspensions after receiving FDA or foreign approval or clearance, which could divert managerial and financial resources, harm our reputation, and adversely affect our business.
The FDA and similar foreign governmental authorities have the authority to order the recall of our products because of any failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or defects in design or manufacture. A government mandated or voluntary product recall by us could occur because of, for example, component failures, device malfunctions, or other adverse events, such as serious injuries or deaths, or quality-related issues such as manufacturing errors or design or labeling defects.
For example, prior to our acquisition of Old Catheter and switch in focus to developing and marketing its products, we conducted four recalls related to our previously marketed DABRA product. We no longer market DABRA, but any government-mandated recall or additional voluntary recall by us of VIVO, LockeT or another product we market in the future could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other issues. These voluntary recalls and any future recalls of our products could divert managerial and financial resources, harm our reputation and adversely affect our business.
In addition, the FDA conducted an unannounced facility inspection in December 2019 in connection with our previously marketed DABRA product. The FDA issued to us a Form 483 that included observations, related to our previously marketed DABRA product, that schedules for the adjustment, cleaning, and other maintenance of equipment have not been adequately established, a device master record index was not current, and document control procedures have not been fully established. We responded to the FDA with the corrective measures we are taking and to address the issues identified in the Form 483 and based on this information, the FDA issued to us an Establishment Inspection Report, or EIR, closing out the inspection. All actions were completed, and the final Form 483 report was sent to the FDA on September 25, 2020. We are no longer operating this facility, but the FDA could conduct inspections of our current facilities.
Depending on the corrective action we take to address a product’s deficiencies or defects, the FDA may require, or we may voluntarily decide, that we will need to seek and obtain new approvals or clearances for a device before we may market or distribute the corrected device. Seeking such approvals or clearances may delay our ability to replace the recalled devices in a timely manner. Moreover, if we do not adequately address problems associated with our devices, we may face additional regulatory enforcement action, including adverse inspection findings, FDA warning letters, product seizure, injunctions, administrative penalties, or civil or criminal fines. We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may have a negative impact on our sales as well as face significant adverse publicity or regulatory consequences, which could harm our business, including our ability to market our products in the future.
In addition, we are subject to medical device reporting regulations that require us to report to the FDA or similar foreign governmental authorities if one of our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or if we become aware that it has malfunctioned in a way that would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction recurred. After a May 2018 inspection related to our previously marketed DABRA product, the FDA issued to us a Form 483 that included observations for failure to properly evaluate whether certain complaints related to our previously marketed DABRA product that we received rose to a level required to be reported to the FDA. At that time, in response, we informed the FDA that we had modified our complaint review procedures and we completed a retrospective evaluation and did not find any complaints which required a submission to the FDA. We have not requested, and the FDA has not issued, an EIR related to this inspection. We no longer market DABRA.
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The failure by us to properly identify reportable events or to file timely reports with the FDA can subject us to sanctions and penalties, including warning letters and recalls. Physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers may make similar reports to regulatory authorities. Any such reports may trigger an investigation by the FDA or similar foreign regulatory bodies, which could divert managerial and financial resources, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we or our suppliers fail to comply with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, or QSR, or any applicable state equivalent, our operations could be interrupted, and our potential product sales and operating results could suffer.
We and our suppliers are required to comply with the FDA’s QSR, which delineates, among other things, the design controls, document controls, purchasing controls, identification and traceability, production and process controls, acceptance activities, nonconforming product requirements, corrective and preventive action requirements, labeling and packaging controls, handling, storage, distribution and installation requirements, complaint handling, records requirements, servicing requirements, and statistical techniques potentially applicable to the production of our medical devices. We and our suppliers are also subject to the regulations of foreign jurisdictions regarding the manufacturing process if we market products overseas. The FDA enforces the QSR through periodic and announced or unannounced inspections of manufacturing facilities. We anticipate that we and certain of our third-party component suppliers will be subject to future inspections. If our facility or manufacturing processes or our suppliers’ facilities or manufacturing processes are found to be in non-compliance or fail to take satisfactory corrective action in response to adverse QSR inspectional findings, the FDA could take legal or regulatory enforcement actions against us and/or our products, including but not limited to the cessation of sales or the initiation of a recall of distributed products, which could impair our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet our customers’ demands. We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may have a negative impact on our future sales and our ability to generate profits.
Current regulations depend heavily on administrative interpretation. If the FDA does not believe that we are in compliance with applicable FDA regulations, the agency could take legal or regulatory enforcement actions against us and/or our products. We are also subject to periodic inspections by the FDA, other governmental regulatory agencies, as well as certain third-party regulatory groups. Future interpretations made by the FDA or other regulatory bodies made during the course of these inspections may vary from current interpretations and may adversely affect our business and prospects. The FDA’s and other comparable non-U.S. regulatory agencies’ statutes, regulations, or policies may change, and additional government regulation or statutes may be enacted, which could increase post-approval regulatory requirements, or delay, suspend, or prevent marketing of any cleared or approved products or necessitate the recall of distributed products. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of adverse governmental regulation that might arise from future legislative or administrative action, either in the U.S. or abroad.
The medical device industry has been under heightened FDA scrutiny as the subject of government investigations and enforcement actions. If our operations and activities are found to be in violation of any FDA laws or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and other legal and/or agency enforcement actions. Any penalties, damages, fines, or curtailment or restructuring of our operations or activities could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. The risk of us being found in violation of FDA laws is increased by the fact that many of these laws are broad and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend ourselves against that action and its underlying allegations, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert management’s attention from the operation of our business. Where there is a dispute with a federal or state governmental agency that cannot be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all relevant parties, we may determine that the costs, both real and contingent, are not justified by the commercial returns to us from maintaining the dispute or the product.
Various claims, design features or performance characteristics of our medical devices, that we regarded as permitted by the FDA without new marketing clearance or approval, may be challenged by the FDA or state or foreign regulators. The FDA or state or foreign regulatory authorities may find that certain claims, design features or performance characteristics, in order to be made or included in the products, are required to be supported by further clinical studies and marketing clearances or approvals, which could be lengthy, costly and possibly unobtainable.
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If any of our products cause or contribute to a death or a serious injury, or malfunction in certain ways, we will be required to report under applicable medical device reporting regulations, which can result in voluntary corrective actions or agency enforcement actions.
Under the FDA medical device reporting regulations, or MDR regulations, medical device manufacturers are required to report to the FDA information that a device has or may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or has malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction of the device or one of our similar devices were to recur.