LEASES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

LEASES

LEASES

8. LEASES:

The Company leases its operating facilities in both the United States and Germany under operating lease agreements. In March 2021, CytoSorbents Medical Inc. entered into a lease agreement for a new operating facility at 305 College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey, which contains office, laboratory, manufacturing and warehouse space. The lease commenced on June 1, 2021. The Early Term commenced on June 1, 2021 and lasted until September 30, 2021. The lease also contains two five-year renewal options; however, the Company has determined that it is not likely that they will exercise these options. Commencing on September 30, 2021, the remaining lease term will last for 15.5 years. The lease requires monthly rental payments of $25,208 for the Initial Early Term, $88,254 for the Early Term and initial monthly payments of approximately $111,171 in the first year of the remaining term. Following the first year of the remaining term, the annual base rent will increase by approximately 2.75% annually over the remaining term. The lease also contains six months of rent abatement (months 1, 2, 3, 25, 26 and 27 of the remaining lease term). In addition to the base rent, payments of operating expenses and real estate taxes will be required. These payments are to be based on actual amounts incurred during 2021 multiplied by the Company’s share of the total building space (92.3%). The landlord will also provide an allowance of approximately $1,455,000 related to certain building improvements as outlined in the lease. In April 2021, the Company provided the landlord with a letter of credit in the amount of approximately $1,467,000 as security. The Company has determined that this lease should be treated as an operating lease in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 842. On April 1, 2021, the Company recorded a Right-of-Use asset and related lease liability of approximately $11.6 million, which represents the estimated present value of the lease payments at the commencement date discounted at the Company’s incremental borrowing rate of 9.8%. In addition, due to the six months of rent abatement and annual base rent escalations during the remaining lease term that commenced on September 30, 2021, the Company will recognize rent expense on this lease on a straight-line basis over the remaining term of the lease for the difference between the rent expense recognized and the required payments under the lease.

In September 2021, the Company extended its two operating leases for its office facility in Germany. These leases require combined base rent payments amounting to approximately $12,100 per month. The initial lease term of both leases ends August 31, 2026. In addition, the Company is obligated to monthly operating expenses of approximately $3,000 per month. Both leases have a five-year option to renew that would extend the lease term to August 31, 2031. There are no provisions in the leases to increase the base rent during the renewal period. There were no lease incentives and no initial direct costs were incurred related to these leases.

In January 2021, CytoSorbents Europe GmbH entered into a lease for 1,068 square meters of additional warehouse space. The lease commenced on April 1, 2021 and requires monthly payments of base rent of $7,784 and other costs of approximately $239 and has a term of five years. The lease also has an option to extend the lease term for an additional five-year period through March 31, 2031. The Company has determined that this lease should be treated as an operating lease in accordance with the provisions of ASC 842. On April 1, 2020, the Company recorded a Right-of-Use asset and related lease liability at the estimated present value of the lease payments at the commencement date of approximately $594,000.

Right-of-Use Asset and Lease Liability

The Company’s consolidated balance sheets reflect the value of the right-of-use asset and related lease liability. This value was calculated based on the present value of the remaining base rent lease payments. The remaining lease payments include all expected renewals for all periods as the Company has determined that it is probable that the renewal options will be exercised under each of the lease agreements. The discount rate used was the Company’s incremental borrowing rate, which is 9.8%, as the Company could not determine the rate implicit in the lease. As a result, the value of the right-of-use asset and related lease liability is as follows:

	December 31,
	2023		2022
Right-of-use asset	$	12,058,896	$	12,603,901
Total lease liability	$	13,270,295	$	13,250,944
Less current portion		(373,636)		(108,939)
Lease liability, net of current portion	$	12,896,659	$	13,142,005

The maturities of the lease liabilities are as follows as of December 31, 2023:

2024	$	1,656,678
2025		1,695,677
2026		1,735,747
2027		1,776,920
2028		1,819,224
Thereafter		15,413,075
Total lease payments		24,097,321
Present value discount		(10,827,026)
Total	$	13,270,295

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, operating cash flows paid in connection with operating leases amounted to approximately $2,403,000, $2,935,000 and $1,968,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the weighted average remaining lease term was 12.7 years and 12.4 years, respectively.