UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For the quarterly period ended
Or
Commission file number:
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of registrant’s principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
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.
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).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of ‘‘large accelerated filer,’’ ‘‘accelerated filer,’’ ‘‘smaller reporting company’’ and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
☒ | ☐ Accelerated filer | ☐ Non-accelerated filer |
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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
As of May 5, 2020, there were
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
Form 10-Q
For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2020
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 31 | ||
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We use Glaukos, our logo, iStent, iStent inject, iStent Infinite, iStent SA, iPrism, iDose, iLink, MIGS, Avedro, Photrexa, KXL, Mosaic and other marks as trademarks. This report contains references to our trademarks and service marks and to those belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this report, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other entities’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other entity.
References throughout this document to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” or “Glaukos” refer to Glaukos Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.
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PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except par values)
March 31, | December 31, | ||||||
2020 | 2019 | ||||||
| (unaudited) |
|
| ||||
Assets | |||||||
Current assets: | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | | $ | | |||
Short-term investments | | | |||||
Accounts receivable, net | | | |||||
Inventory, net | | | |||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | | | |||||
Total current assets | | | |||||
Restricted cash | | | |||||
Property and equipment, net | | | |||||
Operating lease right-of-use asset | | | |||||
Finance lease right-of-use asset | | | |||||
Intangible assets, net | | | |||||
Goodwill | | | |||||
Deposits and other assets | | | |||||
Total assets | $ | | $ | | |||
Liabilities and stockholders' equity | |||||||
Current liabilities: | |||||||
Accounts payable | $ | | $ | | |||
Accrued liabilities | | | |||||
Total current liabilities | | | |||||
Operating lease liability | | | |||||
Finance lease liability | | | |||||
Deferred tax liability, net | | | |||||
Other liabilities | | | |||||
Total liabilities | | | |||||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11) | |||||||
Stockholders' equity: | |||||||
Preferred stock, $ | |||||||
Common stock, $ | | | |||||
Additional paid-in capital | | | |||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | | | |||||
Accumulated deficit | ( | ( | |||||
Less treasury stock ( | ( | ( | |||||
Total stockholders' equity | | | |||||
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ | | $ | |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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GLAUKOS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Three Months Ended | |||||||
March 31, | |||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| |||
Net sales | $ | | $ | | |||
Cost of sales | | | |||||
Gross profit | | | |||||
Operating expenses: | |||||||
Selling, general and administrative | | | |||||
Research and development | | | |||||
Total operating expenses | | | |||||
Loss from operations | ( | ( | |||||
Non-operating income (expense): | |||||||
Interest income | | | |||||
Interest expense | ( | - | |||||
Other expense, net | ( | ( | |||||
Total non-operating (expense) income | ( | | |||||
Loss before taxes | ( | ( | |||||
Income tax (benefit) provision | ( | | |||||
Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||
Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||
Weighted average shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share | | |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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GLAUKOS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(unaudited)
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended | |||||||
March 31, | |||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| |||
Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||
Other comprehensive income: | |||||||
Foreign currency translation gain | | | |||||
Unrealized (loss) gain on short-term investments | ( | | |||||
Other comprehensive income | | | |||||
Total comprehensive loss | $ | ( | $ | ( |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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GLAUKOS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(unaudited)
(in thousands)
Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional | other | |||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | paid-in | comprehensive | Accumulated | Treasury stock | Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Shares |
| Amount |
| capital |
| income |
| deficit |
| Shares |
| Amount |
| equity | |||||||
Balance at December 31, 2019 | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( |
| ( | $ | ( | $ | | |||||||
Common stock issued under stock plans | | — | | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | — | — | | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Other comprehensive income | — | — | — | | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | ( | — | — | ( | ||||||||||||||
Balance at March 31, 2020 | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( |
| ( | $ | ( | $ | |
Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional | other | |||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | paid-in | comprehensive | Accumulated | Treasury stock | Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Shares |
| Amount |
| capital |
| income |
| deficit |
| Shares |
| Amount |
| equity | |||||||
Balance at December 31, 2018 | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( |
| ( | $ | ( | $ | | |||||||
Common stock issued under stock plans | | — | | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | — | — | | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Other comprehensive income | — | — | — | | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | ( | — | — | ( | ||||||||||||||
Balance at March 31, 2019 | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( |
| ( | $ | ( | $ | |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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GLAUKOS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(unaudited)
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| |||
Operating Activities | |||||||
Net loss | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities: | |||||||
Depreciation and amortization | | | |||||
Amortization of lease right-of-use assets | | | |||||
Deferred income tax benefit | ( | - | |||||
Stock-based compensation | | | |||||
Change in fair value of cash settled stock options | ( | - | |||||
Unrealized foreign currency losses | | | |||||
Amortization of discount on short-term investments | ( | ( | |||||
Other liabilities | | | |||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||
Accounts receivable, net | | ( | |||||
Inventory, net | | ( | |||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | ( | ( | |||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | ( | ( | |||||
Other assets | | ( | |||||
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities | ( | | |||||
Investing activities | |||||||
Purchases of short-term investments | ( | ( | |||||
Proceeds from sales and maturities of short-term investments | | | |||||
Purchases of property and equipment | ( | ( | |||||
Investment in company-owned life insurance | | ( | |||||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | | ( | |||||
Financing activities | |||||||
Proceeds from exercise of stock options | | | |||||
Proceeds from share purchases under Employee Stock Purchase Plan | | | |||||
Payment of employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units | ( | ( | |||||
Net cash provided by financing activities | | | |||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | ( | ( | |||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | ( | | |||||
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period | | | |||||
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period | $ | | $ | | |||
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information | |||||||
Taxes paid | $ | | $ | |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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GLAUKOS CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(unaudited)
Note 1. Organization and Basis of Presentation
Organization and business
Glaukos Corporation (Glaukos or the Company), incorporated in Delaware on July 14, 1998, is an ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal disease. The Company developed Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) to serve as an alternative to the traditional glaucoma treatment paradigm and launched its first MIGS device commercially in 2012. The Company also offers commercially a proprietary bio-activated pharmaceutical therapy for the treatment of a corneal disorder, keratoconus, that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2016 and is developing a pipeline of surgical devices, sustained pharmaceutical therapies, and implantable biosensors intended to treat glaucoma progression, corneal disorders such as keratoconus, dry eye and refractive vision correction, and retinal diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Glaukos and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions among the consolidated entities have been eliminated in consolidation.
Basis of presentation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information and pursuant to the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X.
The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on a basis consistent with the audited financial statements. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes and other financial information that are normally required by GAAP have been condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial information contained herein. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 has been derived from audited financial statements at that date, but excludes disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These interim financial statements do not include all disclosures required by GAAP and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which are contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 2, 2020. The results for the period ended March 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020 or for any other interim period.
Recent Developments
Acquisition of Avedro, Inc.
On August 7, 2019, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (Merger Agreement) with Atlantic Merger Sub, Inc. (Merger Sub) and Avedro, Inc. (Avedro), pursuant to which Merger Sub would merge with and into Avedro, with Avedro continuing as the surviving corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the Avedro Merger). Avedro is a hybrid ophthalmic pharmaceutical and medical technology company focused on developing therapies designed to treat corneal diseases and disorders and correct refractive conditions.
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Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, each share of Avedro common stock and certain vested Avedro warrants that were issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Avedro Merger were automatically cancelled and converted into the right to receive
On November 21, 2019, the Avedro Merger was consummated in a stock-for-stock transaction for total consideration of $
Immediately following the Avedro Merger closing, the Company used approximately $
See Note 4, Fair Value Measurements, Note 6, Business Combinations, Note 7, Intangible Assets and Goodwill and Note 9, Stock-Based Compensation and Note 10, Income Taxes for additional details regarding the impact of the Avedro Merger on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
There have been no significant changes in the Company’s significant accounting policies during the three months ended March 31, 2020, as compared with those disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020, including the Company’s adoption of the accounting pronouncements noted below in the sub-heading “Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements”.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates and assumptions. Management considers many factors in selecting appropriate financial accounting policies and controls and in developing the estimates and assumptions that are used in the preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements. Management must apply significant judgment in this process. In addition, other factors may affect estimates, including expected business and operational changes, sensitivity and volatility associated with the assumptions used in developing estimates, and whether historical trends are expected to be representative of future trends. The estimation process often may yield a range of reasonable estimates of the ultimate future outcomes, and management must select an amount that falls within that range of reasonable estimates. The most significant estimates in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements relate to revenue recognition, the incremental borrowing rate related to the Company’s leased assets, stock-based compensation expense and the valuation of certain intangible assets related to the Company’s acquisition of Avedro. Although these estimates are based on the Company’s knowledge of current events and actions it may undertake in the future, this process may result in actual results differing materially from those estimated amounts used in the preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak caused by the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) to be a global pandemic. While COVID-19 continues to evolve daily and its ultimate outcome is uncertain, it has caused significant disruption to individuals, governments, businesses, and financial markets. The Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2020 reflect the Company’s estimates of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, including sales, expenses, reserves and allowances, manufacturing, clinical trials, research and development costs and employee-related amounts, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain, including the duration and severity of the COVID-19 outbreak and the actions taken to contain it or treat COVID-19, as well as the economic impact on local, regional, national and
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international customers and markets. As a result, there may be changes to the Company’s estimates regarding the impact of COVID-19 in future periods.
Segments
The Company has
Foreign Currency Translation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are presented in United States (U.S.) dollars. The Company considers the local currency to be the functional currency for its international subsidiaries. Accordingly, their assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates prevailing throughout the periods presented. As a result, currency translation adjustments arising from period to period are charged or credited to accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholders’ equity. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company reported foreign currency translation gains of approximately $
Unrealized gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency, primarily gains and losses on intercompany loans, are included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as a component of other expense, net. For the three months ended March 31, 2020 the Company reported net unrealized foreign currency transaction losses of $
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments
The Company invests its excess cash in marketable securities, including money market funds, money market securities, bank certificates of deposits, corporate bonds, corporate commercial paper, U.S. government bonds and U.S. government agency bonds. For financial reporting purposes, liquid investment instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less are considered to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents are recorded at face value or cost, which approximates fair market value. The Company maintains cash balances in excess of amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission. Investments are stated at fair value as determined by quoted market prices. Investments are considered available-for-sale and, accordingly, unrealized gains and losses are included in accumulated other comprehensive income within stockholders’ equity.
The Company’s entire investment portfolio, except for restricted cash, is considered to be available for use in current operations and, accordingly, all such investments are stated at fair value using quoted market prices and classified as current assets, although the stated maturity of individual investments may be one year or more beyond the balance sheet date. The Company did
Realized gains and losses and declines in value, if any, judged to be other-than-temporary on available-for-sale securities are reported in other expense, net. When securities are sold, any associated unrealized gain or loss previously reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity is reclassified out of stockholders’ equity and recorded in the statements of operations in the period sold using the specific identification method. Accrued interest and dividends from investments are included in other expense, net. The Company periodically reviews its available-for-sale securities for other-than-temporary declines in fair value below the cost basis, and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.
Restricted Cash
The Company had a bank issue a letter of credit related to its Aliso Viejo, California office building lease, which commenced on April 1, 2019. The letter of credit is secured with an amount of cash held in a restricted account of $
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lease term, and on each
As a result of the Avedro Merger, the Company has
See Note 11, Commitments and Contingencies for additional information related to these commitments.
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets that equate to the amount reported in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows as of the beginning and end of the three month period ended March 31, 2020 (in thousands):
March 31, | December 31, | ||||||
2020 | 2019 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | | $ | | |||
Restricted cash | | | |||||
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows | $ | | $ | |
Concentration of Credit Risk and Significant Customers
Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to significant concentration of credit risk, consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and accounts receivable. The Company maintains deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits and management believes that the Company is not exposed to significant credit risk due to the financial position of the depository institutions in which those deposits are held. Additionally, the Company has established guidelines regarding investment instruments and their maturities which are designed to maintain preservation of principal and liquidity. The Company believes that the concentration of credit risk in its accounts receivable is mitigated by its credit evaluation process, relatively short collection terms and the level of credit worthiness of its customers. During the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, none of the Company’s customers accounted for more than 10% of revenues.
Accounts Receivable
The Company sells its products directly to ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals, and physician private practices, with distributors being used in certain international locations where the Company does not have a direct commercial presence and the Company is exposed to credit losses primarily through sales of its products.
The Company’s expected loss allowance methodology for accounts receivable is developed using historical collection experience, current and future economic and market conditions and periodic evaluation of customers’ receivables balances. Management estimates the adequacy of the allowance by using relevant available information, from internal and external sources, relating to past events, current conditions and forecasts. Historical credit loss experience provides the basis for estimation of expected credit losses and are adjusted as necessary using the relevant information available. The allowance for credit losses is measured on a collective basis when similar risk characteristic exists. The Company has identified one portfolio segment based on evaluation of the following risk characteristics: geographic regions, product lines, default rates and customer specific factors.
Additionally, specific allowance amounts may be established to record the appropriate provision for customers that have a higher probability of non-payment. The Company charges off uncollectible receivables against the allowance when all attempts to collect the receivable have failed. The allowance for credit losses represents management’s best estimate of the amount of current expected credit losses and totaled approximately $
As of March 31, 2020, the Company evaluated the current and expected future economic and market conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to collectability of its accounts receivable and determined the estimate of expected credit losses was not materially impacted. The Company will continue to re-evaluate the estimate of credit losses related to COVID-19 in conjunction with its assessment of expected credit losses in subsequent quarters.
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Additionally, no customers accounted for more than 10% of net accounts receivable as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
Inventory
Except for inventory acquired in connection with the Avedro Merger, further described in Note 6, Business Combinations, inventory is valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value with cost being determined by the first-in, first-out method.
Management evaluates inventory for excess quantities and obsolescence and records an allowance to reduce the carrying value of inventory as determined necessary. As of March 31, 2020, the Company recorded inventory write-off charges and COVID-19 related excess and obsolete reserves, a portion of which included the associated fair-value step up of acquired Avedro inventory, totaling $
Property and Equipment, Net
Property and equipment is recorded at cost. Depreciation of property and equipment is generally provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from
All long lived assets are reviewed for impairment in value when changes in circumstances dictate, based upon undiscounted future operating cash flows, and appropriate losses are recognized and reflected in current earnings to the extent the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated fair value, determined by the use of appraisals, discounted cash flow analyses or comparable fair values of similar assets. The Company did
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets primarily consist of developed technology, customer relationships, and in-process research and development (IPR&D) assets related to the Avedro Merger, as well as the buyout of a royalty payment obligation.
Intangible assets with finite-lives include developed technology, customer relationships and the buyout of a royalty payment obligation, which are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which range from
Indefinite-lived intangible assets are comprised of IPR&D assets and are not amortized, but instead tested for impairment until the successful completion and commercialization, or abandonment, of the associated research and development efforts, at which point the IPR&D assets are either amortized over their estimated useful lives, or written-off immediately, as the case may be.
Refer to Note 7, Intangible Assets and Goodwill for more information on the Company’s intangible assets.
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition consideration for an acquired business over the fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment annually in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate the carrying value may no longer be recoverable and that an impairment loss may have occurred. The Company operates as
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During the goodwill impairment review, management assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Company’s reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative factors include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic conditions and industry and market considerations. If, after assessing the totality of these qualitative factors, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, then no additional assessment is deemed necessary. Otherwise, management proceeds to perform the test for goodwill impairment. The first step involves comparing the estimated fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, the Company will record an impairment charge based on the excess of the reporting unit’s carrying amount over fair value. The Company may also elect to bypass the qualitative assessment in a period and elect to proceed to perform the first step of the goodwill impairment test.
Refer to Note 6, Business Combinations and Note 7, Intangible Assets and Goodwill for more information on the Company’s goodwill.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities are considered to be representative of their respective fair values because of the short-term nature of those instruments.
The valuation of assets and liabilities is subject to fair value measurements using a three-tiered approach and fair value measurements are classified and disclosed by the Company in one of the following three categories:
Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;
Level 2: Quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and
Level 3: Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e., supported by little or no market activity).
Leases
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which amends the existing accounting standards for leases. In September 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-13, which provides additional clarification and implementation guidance on the previously issued ASU No. 2016-02 (collectively, Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 842). Under the new guidance, a lessee is required to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset for all leases with terms in excess of 12 months.
The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. As a lessee, right-of-use assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As the Company does not have any outstanding debt or committed credit facilities, the Company estimates the incremental borrowing rate based on prevailing financial market conditions, peer company credit analyses, and management judgment. Operating lease right-of-use assets also include any lease payments made at or before lease commencement and exclude any lease incentives received. The lease terms used to calculate the right-of-use asset and related lease liability include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term as an operating expense while the expense for finance leases is recognized as amortization expense and interest expense using the accelerated interest method of recognition.
Revenue Recognition
The Company accounts for revenue in accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606) and applies the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration it
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is entitled to in exchange for the goods it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company assesses the goods promised within each contract and determines those that are performance obligations, and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.
The Company elects to use the following practical expedients: (i) to exclude disclosures of transaction prices allocated to remaining
obligations when the Company expects to recognize such revenue within one year; (ii) to expense costs as incurred for costs to obtain a contract when the amortization period would have been one year or less, which includes certain of the Company’s internal sales force compensation programs; (iii) to account for shipping and handling costs as fulfillment costs (i.e., as an expense) rather than promised service (i.e., a revenue element); and (iv) to exclude from revenue the taxes collected from customers relating to product sales which are remitted to governmental authorities.The Company derives its revenue from sales of its products in the United States and internationally. Customers are primarily comprised of ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices, with distributors being used in certain international locations where the Company does not have a direct commercial presence.
The Company concluded that
The Company offers volume-based rebate agreements to certain customers and, in these instances, the Company provides a rebate (in the form of a credit memo) at the contract’s conclusion, if earned by the customer. In such cases, the transaction price is allocated between the Company’s delivery of product and the issuance of a rebate at the contract’s conclusion for the customer to utilize on prospective purchases. The performance obligation to issue a customer’s rebate, if earned, is transferred over time and the Company’s method of measuring progress is the output method, whereby the progress is measured by the estimated rebate earned to date over the total rebate estimated to be earned over the contract period. The provision for volume-based rebates is estimated based on customers’ contracted rebate programs and the customers’ projected sales levels. The Company periodically monitors its customer rebate programs to ensure the rebate allowance is fairly stated. The Company’s rebate allowance is included in accrued liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and estimated rebates accrued were not material during the periods presented.
Additionally, the Company has a performance obligation related to certain customers’ right to a future discount on single dose pharmaceutical purchases in the U.S., and that performance obligation is expected to be recognized when the customer elects to utilize the discount, which is generally within one year from the date earned. Additionally, the Company has a performance obligation related to its extended warranty agreements with customers related to its KXL systems.
Customers are not granted specific rights of return; however, the Company may permit returns of certain products from customers if such product is returned in a timely manner and in good condition. The Company generally provides a warranty on its products for
14
Shipping and Handling Costs
All shipping and handling costs are expensed as incurred and are charged to general and administrative expense. Charges to customers for shipping and handling are credited to general and administrative expense.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for using an asset and liability approach that requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities at the applicable tax rates, along with net operating loss (NOL) and tax credit carryovers. The Company records a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets to reduce the net carrying value to an amount that it believes is more likely than not to be realized. Management has considered estimated taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the amount of the valuation allowance. Based upon the weight of available evidence, which includes the Company’s historical operating performance and limited potential to utilize tax credit carryforwards, the Company has determined that a substantial portion of its deferred tax assets should be offset by a valuation allowance. When the Company establishes or reduces the valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, its provision for income taxes increases or decreases, respectively, in the period such determination is made.
The Company is required to file federal and state income tax returns in the United States and various other state jurisdictions. The Company also files income tax returns in the foreign countries in which its subsidiaries operate. The preparation of these income tax returns requires the Company to interpret the applicable tax laws and regulations in effect in such jurisdictions, which could affect the amount of tax paid.
Additionally, the Company follows an accounting standard addressing the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes that prescribes rules for recognition, measurement, and classification in the condensed consolidated financial statements of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.
Research and Development Expenses
Major components of research and development expense include personnel costs, preclinical studies, clinical trials and related clinical product manufacturing, materials and supplies, and fees paid to consultants. Research and development costs are expensed as goods are received or services are rendered. Costs to acquire technologies to be used in research and development that have not reached technological feasibility and have no alternative future use are also expensed as incurred.
At each financial reporting date, the Company accrues the estimated unpaid costs of clinical study activities performed during a period by third party clinical sites with whom the Company has agreements that provide for fees based upon the quantities of subjects enrolled and clinical evaluation visits that occur over the life of the study. The cost estimates are determined based upon a review of the agreements and data collected by internal and external clinical personnel as to the status of enrollment and subject visits, and are based upon the facts and circumstances known to the Company at each financial reporting date. If the actual performance of activities varies from the assumptions used in the cost estimates, the accruals are adjusted accordingly. There have been no material adjustments to the Company’s prior period accrued estimates for clinical trial activities during the three months ended March 31, 2020.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes compensation expense for all stock-based awards granted to employees and nonemployees, including members of its board of directors.
The fair value of stock option awards is estimated at the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and the portion that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as compensation cost over the requisite service period using the straight-line method. The determination of the fair value-based measurement of stock options on the date of grant using an option pricing model is affected by the determination of the fair value of the underlying stock as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, the Company’s stock price volatility over the expected term of the grants, and actual and projected stock option exercise behaviors. In the future, as additional empirical evidence regarding these estimates becomes available, the Company may change or refine its approach of deriving them, and these changes could impact the fair value-based
15
measurement of stock options granted in the future. Changes in the fair value-based measurement of stock awards could materially impact the Company’s operating results.
As further described in Note 9, Stock-Based Compensation, certain cash-settled stock option awards were granted to certain Avedro executives as part of the Avedro Merger. These cash-settled stock options are recorded at fair value each reporting period with changes in fair value reflected in earnings.
The fair value of restricted stock unit (RSU) awards made to employees and nonemployees is equal to the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date.
Software Costs
Capitalized implementation costs related to a hosting arrangement that is a service contract are recorded in prepaid expenses and other current assets and then are amortized over the term of the hosting arrangement, beginning when the module or component of the hosting arrangement is ready for its intended use. The Company currently expenses software service costs along with certain implementation costs that cannot be capitalized.
Comprehensive Loss
All components of comprehensive loss, including net loss, are reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements in the period in which they are recognized. Comprehensive loss is defined as the change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources, including unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities and foreign currency translation adjustments.
Net Loss per Share
Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares that were outstanding for the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. For periods when the Company realizes a net loss, no common stock equivalents are included in the calculation of weighted average number of dilutive common stock equivalents as the effect of applying the treasury stock method is considered anti-dilutive. For periods when the Company realizes net income, diluted net income per share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of common shares plus the sum of the weighted average number of dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury stock method. Common stock equivalents are comprised of stock options outstanding and unvested RSUs under the Company’s incentive compensation plans, and shares issuable under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
Potentially dilutive securities not included in the calculation of diluted net loss per share because to do so would be anti-dilutive were as follows (in common stock equivalent shares, in thousands):
Three Months Ended | |||||
March 31, | |||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| |
Stock options outstanding | | | |||
Unvested restricted stock units | | | |||
Employee stock purchase plan | | | |||
| |
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans (ASU 2018-14), which amends current guidance to add, remove, and clarify disclosure requirements related to defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. ASU 2018-14 is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is assessing the potential impacts of the standard; however, it does not believe there will be a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASU 2016-13), which amends the impairment model by
16
requiring entities to use a forward-looking approach based on expected losses rather than incurred losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables that may result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, which provided additional implementation guidance on the previously issued guidance. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 as of January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective approach which replaces the incurred loss impairment model with an expected credit loss impairment model for financial instruments, including trade receivables. Upon adoption, there were
Additionally, for available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, ASU 2016-13 now requires allowances to be recorded instead of reducing the amortized cost of the investment. ASU 2016-13 limits the amount of credit losses to be recognized for available-for-sale debt securities to the amount by which carrying value exceeds fair value and requires the reversal of previously recognized credit losses if fair value increases. Given the composition of the Company’s available-for-sale securities, this does not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2020.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (ASU 2017-04), which removes the second step of the impairment test. An entity will apply a one-step quantitative test and record the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of the reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. This updated guidance does not amend the optional qualitative assessment of goodwill impairment. The Company adopted ASU 2017-04 as of January 1, 2020 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) (ASU 2018-13), which modifies the disclosures on fair value measurements by removing the requirement to disclose the amount and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy and the policy for timing of such transfers. The guidance expands the disclosure requirements for Level 3 fair value measurements, primarily focused on changes in unrealized gains and losses included in other comprehensive income. The Company adopted ASU 2018-13 as of January 1, 2020. Upon adoption and for the three months ended March 31, 2020, given the Company does not currently, and has not historically had transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 instruments, and the Company does not have any Level 3 fair value measurements, the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statement disclosures.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (ASU 2018-15) which clarifies the accounting for implementation costs in cloud computing arrangements, and requires a customer in a cloud computing arrangement to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as fixed assets or expense as incurred. Capitalized implementation costs related to a hosting arrangement that is a service contract are amortized over the term of the hosting arrangement, beginning when the module or component of the hosting arrangement is ready for its intended use. The Company adopted ASU 2018-15 on a prospective basis as of January 1, 2020 and as a result, capitalized certain costs related to its global enterprise systems implementation of approximately $
In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction Between Topic 808 and Topic 606 (ASU 2018-18). ASU 2018-18 clarifies that certain transactions between participants in a collaborative arrangement should be accounted for under ASC 606 when the counterparty is a customer and precludes an entity from presenting consideration from a transaction in a collaborative arrangement as revenue from contracts with customers if the counterparty is not a customer for that transaction. The Company adopted ASU 2018-18 as of January 1, 2020 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions to the guidance in ASC 740 related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating incomes taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. ASU 2019-12 is effective in 2021 and interim periods within that year, and permits for early adoption. The Company elected to early
17
adopt ASU 2019-12 effective December 31, 2019 and the adoption did not have a material impact to the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
Note 3. Balance Sheet Details
Short-term Investments
Short-term investments consisted of the following (in thousands):
At March 31, 2020 |
| ||||||||||||||
Maturity | Amortized cost | Unrealized | Unrealized | Estimated |
| ||||||||||
| (in years) |
| or cost |
| gains |
| losses |
| fair value |
| |||||
U.S. government agency bonds | less than | | | — | | ||||||||||
Bank certificates of deposit | less than | | | ( | | ||||||||||
Commercial paper | less than |
| |
| |
| ( |
| | ||||||
Corporate notes | less than |
| |
| |
| ( |
| | ||||||
Asset-backed securities | less than |
| |
| |
| ( |
| | ||||||
Total | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | |||||||
At December 31, 2019 |
| ||||||||||||||
Maturity | Amortized cost | Unrealized | Unrealized | Estimated |
| ||||||||||
| (in years) |
| or cost |
| gains |
| losses |
| fair value |
| |||||
U.S. government bonds | less than | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
U.S. government agency bonds | less than | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Bank certificates of deposit | less than | | | — | | ||||||||||
Commercial paper | less than |
| |
| |
| — |
| | ||||||
Corporate notes | less than |
| |
| |
| ( |
| | ||||||
Asset-backed securities | less than |
| |
| |
| ( |
| | ||||||
Total | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | |
Accounts Receivable, Net
Accounts receivable consisted of the following (in thousands):
March 31, | December 31, | ||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| |||
Accounts receivable | $ | | $ | | |||
Allowance for credit losses | ( | ( | |||||
$ | | $ | |
Inventory, Net
Inventory, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
March 31, | December 31, | ||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| |||
Finished goods | $ | | $ | | |||
Work in process | | | |||||
Raw material | | | |||||
$ | | $ | |
Accrued Liabilities
Accrued liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):
March 31, | December 31, | |||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 | |||
Accrued bonuses | $ | | $ | | ||
Accrued vacation benefits | | | ||||
Accrued legal expenses | | | ||||
Other accrued liabilities | | | ||||
$ | | $ | |
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Note 4. Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.
The following tables present information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 and indicate the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques utilized by the Company to determine such fair value (in thousands):
At March 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||
Quoted prices | Significant | |||||||||||
in active | other | Significant | ||||||||||
markets for | observable | unobservable | ||||||||||
March 31, | identical assets | inputs | inputs | |||||||||
| 2020 |
| (Level 1) |
| (Level 2) |
| (Level 3) | |||||
Assets | ||||||||||||
Money market funds (i) | $ | | $ | | $ | - | $ | - | ||||
U.S. government agency bonds (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Bank certificates of deposit (ii) (iii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Commercial paper (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Corporate notes (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Asset-backed securities (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Total Assets | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | - | ||||
Liabilities | ||||||||||||
Cash-settled stock options | $ | | $ | - | $ | | $ | - | ||||
Total liabilities | $ | | $ | - | $ | | $ | - |
At December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||
Quoted prices | Significant | |||||||||||
in active | other | Significant | ||||||||||
markets for | observable | unobservable | ||||||||||
December 31, | identical assets | inputs | inputs | |||||||||
| 2019 |
| (Level 1) |
| (Level 2) |
| (Level 3) | |||||
Assets | ||||||||||||
Money market funds (i) | $ | | $ | | $ | - | $ | - | ||||
Bank certificates of deposit (ii) (iv) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Commercial paper (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Corporate notes (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Asset-backed securities (ii) | | - | | - | ||||||||
Total Assets | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | - | ||||
Liabilities | ||||||||||||
Cash-settled stock options | $ | | - | | - | |||||||
Total liabilities | $ | | $ | - | $ | | $ | - |
(i) | Included in cash and cash equivalents with a maturity of three months or less from date of purchase on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. |
(ii) | Included in short-term investments on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. |
(iii) | As of March 31, 2020, a bank certificate of deposit investment totaling $ |
(iv) | As of December 31, 2019, a bank certificate of deposit totaling $ |
Money market funds and currency are highly liquid investments and are actively traded. The pricing information on these investment instruments is readily available and can be independently validated as of the measurement date. This approach results in the classification of these securities as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
U.S. government agency bonds, U.S. government bonds, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, corporate notes and asset-backed securities are measured at fair value using Level 2 inputs. The Company reviews
19
trading activity and pricing for these investments as of each measurement date. When sufficient quoted pricing for identical securities is not available, the Company uses market pricing and other observable market inputs for similar securities obtained from third party data providers. These inputs represent quoted prices for similar assets in active markets or these inputs have been derived from observable market data. This approach results in the classification of these securities as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
The fair value of cash-settled stock options is based on the Black-Scholes option valuation model utilizing the Company’s stock price, the cash-settled options’ remaining term, expected stock price volatility, and the risk-free interest rate as of the measurement date. The changes in the fair value are reflected in compensation expense within selling, general and administrative expense on the consolidated income statement. See Note 9, Stock-Based Compensation for further details regarding these cash-settled stock options.
There were
Note 5. Leases
The Company has operating and finance leases for facilities and certain equipment. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Lease expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For lease agreements entered into or reassessed after the adoption of ASC 842, the Company combines lease and non-lease components. See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for additional information.
The Company’s leases have remaining non-cancelable lease terms of approximately
The Company leases
On November 14, 2018, the Company entered into an office building lease pursuant to which the Company will lease
The Company currently intends to maintain its manufacturing facilities at its San Clemente location for the foreseeable future.
As a result of the Avedro Merger, the Company leases approximately
20
The Company’s remaining U.S.-based and foreign subsidiaries’ leased office space totals less than
The following table presents the lease balances within the condensed consolidated balance sheets:
Leases |
|
| March 31, |
| December 31, | |||
(in thousands) | Classification | 2020 |
| 2019 | ||||
Assets |
|
|
| |||||
Operating | Operating lease right-of-use asset | $ | | $ | | |||
Finance | Finance lease right-of-use asset | | | |||||
Total lease assets | $ | | $ | | ||||
Liabilities |
|
|
| |||||
Current | ||||||||
Operating | Accrued liabilities | $ | | $ | | |||
Finance | Accrued liabilities | — | — | |||||
Noncurrent | ||||||||
Operating | Operating lease liability | | | |||||
Finance | Finance lease liability | | | |||||
Total lease liabilities |
| $ | | $ | |
Note: As the implicit rates in the Company’s leases are not readily available, the incremental borrowing rate was determined based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments.
For the three month periods ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, the components of operating and finance lease expenses were as follows:
|
| Three Months Ended | Three Months Ended | ||||||
Lease Cost | March 31, | March 31, | |||||||
(in thousands) | Classification | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||
Fixed operating lease cost | Selling, general and administrative expenses | $ | | (a) | $ | | (a) | ||
Finance lease cost | Amortization of right-of-use asset included in Selling, General and Administrative Expenses | $ | | $ | | ||||
Finance lease cost | Interest on lease liability | $ | | $ | |
(a) | Includes short-term leases, which are immaterial. |
The following table presents the maturity of the Company’s operating and finance lease liabilities as of March 31, 2020:
Maturity of Lease Liabilities | Operating | Finance | ||||
(in thousands) |
| Leases (a) | Leases (b) | |||
Remainder of 2020 | $ | | $ | — | ||
2021 | | — | ||||
2022 | | — | ||||
2023 | | | ||||
2024 | | | ||||
2025 | | | ||||
2026 | | | ||||
Thereafter | | | ||||
Total lease payments | $ | | $ | | ||
Less: imputed interest | | | ||||
Total lease liabilities | $ | | $ | |
(a) | Operating lease payments include $ |
(b) | Finance lease payments include $ |
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The weighted-average remaining lease term and weighted-average discount rate related to the Company’s operating and finance leases as of March 31, 2020 were:
Lease Term and Discount Rate |
| 2020 | |
Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) |
| ||
Operating leases | |||
Finance leases | |||
Weighted-average discount rate |
| ||
Operating leases | | % | |
Finance leases | | % |
Supplemental cash flow information related to the Company’s operating and finance leases was as follows:
| Three Months Ended |
| Three Months Ended | |||
Other Information | March 31, |
| March 31, | |||
(in thousands) | 2020 |
| 2020 | |||
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: | ||||||
Operating cash flows from operating leases | $ | | $ | | ||
Right-of-use asset obtained in exchange for lease obligations: | ||||||
Operating lease | $ | | $ | |
Note 6. Business Combinations
As a result of the Avedro Merger previously discussed in Note 1, Organization and Basis of Presentation, effective November 21, 2019, Avedro is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and the Avedro Merger is intended to expand the Company’s portfolio of pipeline products beyond the treatment of glaucoma to include pharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of corneal disorders as part of the Company’s strategic objective to build a portfolio of micro-scale surgical and pharmaceutical therapies in corneal health and retinal disease.
The fair value of consideration transferred at closing was $
| |||
Avedro shares of common stock outstanding at closing | | ||
Exchange Ratio | | ||
Right to receive shares of Glaukos | | ||
Glaukos closing stock price on November 21, 2019 | $ | | |
Fair value of Glaukos common stock issued in the Avedro Merger, plus an immaterial amount of cash paid for fractional shares | $ | | |
Fair value of Glaukos common stock issued to replace certain vested Avedro warrants | $ | | |
Fair value of Replacement Awards attributable to pre-combination services | $ | | |
Total Merger Consideration | $ | |
22
The Company performed a valuation analysis of the fair market value of Avedro’s assets and liabilities as of closing. The following table sets forth a preliminary allocation of the Merger Consideration to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the excess recorded to goodwill. This allocation of the Merger Consideration as of November 21, 2019 may be subject to revision if new facts and circumstances arise over the measurement period, which may extend up to one year from closing (in thousands):
| |||
Assets Acquired: | |||
Cash | $ | | |
Accounts receivable | | ||
Inventory | | ||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | | ||
Restricted cash | | ||
Property and equipment | | ||
Intangible assets | | ||
Goodwill | | ||
Liabilities Assumed: | |||
Accounts payable | | ||
Accrued liabilities | | ||
Deferred revenue | | ||
Debt | | ||
Deferred revenue, non-current | | ||
Deferred tax liability | | ||
Fair value of net assets acquired | $ | |
Goodwill represents the excess of the Merger Consideration over the preliminary fair value of the underlying assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is attributable to the assembled workforce of experienced personnel at Avedro and expected synergies, and is not deductible for tax purposes.
Additionally, the fair market value inventory adjustment totaled approximately $
The fair value and estimated useful lives of the Avedro intangible assets are as follows (in thousands, except where noted):
Estimated | |||||
Fair | Useful Life | ||||
| Value |
| (in years) | ||
Intangible assets subject to amortization: | |||||
Developed technology | $ | | |||
Customer relationships | | ||||
Total | $ | | |||
Intangible assets not subject to amortization: | |||||
In-process research and development (IPR&D) | $ | | Indefinite | ||
Total intangible assets | $ | |
Note 7. Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Avedro intangible assets
As part of the Avedro Merger on November 21, 2019, the Company acquired identifiable intangible assets for (1) developed technology related to Photrexa, a bio-activated pharmaceutical therapy for the corneal cross-linking treatment of keratoconus, which will be amortized to cost of sales over a weighted-average estimated useful life of approximately
23
Avedro’s corneal remodeling platform, which will not be amortized until technological feasibility is met, but will be assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently if indicators of impairment become present.
The fair value of developed technology and IPR&D assets were determined using an excess earnings methodology. Significant assumptions used in the valuation include: (i) the period in which material net cash inflows are expected to commence, which was estimated to be 2021 for developed technology and 2023 for IPR&D assets, and (ii) the risk-adjusted discount rate of
For the three months ended March 31, 2020, amortization expense related to the above finite-lived intangible assets was approximately $
The Company evaluated its indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic utilizing the methodology pursuant to the adoption of ASU 2017-04 and concluded these intangible assets were not impaired as of March 31, 2020.
Goodwill
As a result of the Avedro Merger, $
The following table presents the composition of our intangible assets and goodwill (in thousands):
Estimated | As of March 31, 2020 | As of December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
Useful | Gross | Gross | ||||||||||||||||||
Life | Carrying | Accumulated | Net | Carrying | Accumulated | Net | ||||||||||||||
| (in years) |
| Amount |
| Amortization |
| Amount |
| Amount |
| Amortization |
| Amount | |||||||
Developed technology | $ | |
| ( |
| |
| |
| ( |
| | ||||||||
Customer relationships | | ( | | | ( | | ||||||||||||||
Intangible assets subject to amortization | | ( | | | ( | | ||||||||||||||
In-process research and development | Indefinite | $ | | — | | | — | | ||||||||||||
Goodwill | Indefinite | $ | | — | | | — | | ||||||||||||
Total | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | |
As of March 31, 2020, expected amortization expense for unamortized finite-lived intangible assets for the next five years and thereafter is as follows (in thousands):
| Amortization Expense | ||
2020 | $ | | |
2021 | | ||
2022 | | ||
2023 | | ||
2024 | | ||
Thereafter | | ||
Total amortization | $ | |
24
Actual amortization expense to be reported in future periods could differ from these estimates as a result of asset impairments, acquisitions, or other facts and circumstances.
Note 8. Revenue from Contracts with Customers
The Company’s net sales are generated primarily from sales of iStent products to customers, and following the Avedro Merger on November 21, 2019, sales of Photrexa and associated drug formulations as well as KXL and Mosaic systems. Customers are primarily comprised of ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices, with distributors being used in certain international locations where the Company currently does not have a direct commercial presence.
Revenue is recognized in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for goods or services, and all of the Company’s net sales are considered revenue from contracts with customers.
Disaggregation of Revenue
The Company’s revenues disaggregated by product category, for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 was as follows (in thousands):
Three months ended | ||||||
March 31, | ||||||
2020 | 2019 | |||||
| ||||||
Glaucoma |
| $ | | $ | | |
Corneal Health | |
| — | |||
Total |
| $ | | $ | |
The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by geography for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 (in thousands):
Three months ended | ||||||
March 31, | ||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 | |||
United States | $ | | $ | | ||
International | | | ||||
Total net sales | $ | | $ | |
Contract Balances
Contract Assets
Amounts are recorded as accounts receivable when the Company’s right to consideration becomes unconditional. Payment terms on invoiced amounts are typically
Sales commissions earned on U.S. sales of KXL systems are capitalized as the commissions represent costs to obtain a contract and the amortization period is deemed greater than one year. These costs are deferred in other assets on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet, net of the short term portion included in prepaid assets and other current assets, and are amortized as a sales and marketing expense on a straight-line basis over the expected period of
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benefit. Capitalized sales commissions and the related amortization expense included in the condensed consolidated financial statements were immaterial as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
Aside from the aforementioned contract assets, the Company does not have any contract assets given that the Company does not have any unbilled receivables and sales commissions on other products are expensed within selling, general and administrative expenses within the condensed consolidated statement of operations when incurred as any incremental cost of obtaining contracts with customers would have an amortization period of less than
Contract Liabilities
Contract liabilities reflect consideration received from customers’ purchases allocated to the Company’s future performance obligations.
The Company has a performance obligation to issue a rebate to customers who may be eligible for a rebate at the conclusion of their contract term. This performance obligation is transferred over time and the Company’s method of measuring progress is the output method, whereby the progress is measured by the estimated rebate earned to date over the total rebate estimated to be earned over the contract period. The Company’s rebate allowance is included in accrued liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and estimated rebates accrued were not material during the periods presented.
Additionally, in the U.S. the Company has a performance obligation related to its customers’ right to a future discount on single dose pharmaceutical purchases, and, to a lesser extent, extended warranty service contracts. The amount allocated to the customers’ right to a future discount and is expected to be recognized when the customer elects to utilize the discount, which is generally within one year. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, this amount was immaterial as was the amount allocated to extended warranty service contracts.
During the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, the Company did not recognize any revenue related to material changes in transaction prices regarding its contracts with customers and did not recognize any material changes in revenue related to amounts included in contract liabilities at the beginning of the period.
The Company’s net sales within a fiscal year may be impacted seasonally, as demand for U.S. ophthalmic procedures is typically softer in the first quarter and stronger in the fourth quarter of a given year.
Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation
The Company has
The purpose of these Stock Plans is to provide incentives to employees, directors and nonemployee consultants. The Company no longer grants any awards under the 2001 Stock Plan and the 2011 Stock Plan. The maximum term of any stock options granted under the Stock Plans is
The Compensation Committee has approved the grant of performance-based equity awards (PBEAs) to the Company’s named executive officers and certain other employees pursuant to the 2015 Stock Plan. These PBEAs will only vest upon the Compensation Committee’s determination that a pre-defined Company operational goals were satisfied.
The ESPP permits eligible employees to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, using contributions via payroll deductions of up to
On November 21, 2019, in connection with the Avedro Merger, the Company granted the following Replacement Awards to employees of Avedro: (i) approximately
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approximately
All share-based compensation arrangements
The following table summarizes the allocation of stock-based compensation related to stock options and RSUs and includes Replacement Awards, as well as cash-settled stock options in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | ||||||
March 31, | ||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 | |||
Cost of sales | $ | | $ | | ||
Selling, general and administrative | | | ||||
Research and development | | | ||||
Total | $ | | $ | |
At March 31, 2020, the total unamortized stock-based compensation expense was approximately $
The total stock-based compensation cost capitalized in inventory was not material for the three month periods ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019.
Note 10. Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes is determined using an effective tax rate. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company’s estimated effective tax rate of
The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of its assets and liabilities, along with NOL and tax credit carryforwards. The Company records a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets to reduce the net carrying value to an amount it believes is more likely than not to be realized. When the Company establishes or reduces the valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, the provision for income taxes will increase or decrease, respectively, in the period such determination is made. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company has established a valuation allowance for a significant portion of its deferred tax assets.
Additionally, the Company follows an accounting standard addressing the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes that prescribes rules for recognition, measurement and classification in the financial statements of tax positions
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taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. As of March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, the Company had gross unrecognized tax benefits of $
On March 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act is an emergency economic stimulus package that includes spending and tax relief measures to strengthen the United States economy and fund a nationwide effort to curtail the effects of COVID-19. Some of the more significant provisions which are expected to impact the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements include increasing the NOL carryback period for certain losses to
Note 11. Commitments and Contingencies
Patent Litigation
On April 14, 2018, the Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Ivantis, Inc. (Ivantis) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division (the Court), alleging that Ivantis’ Hydrus® Microstent device infringes the Company’s U.S. Patent Nos. 6,626,858 and 9,827,143. In August 2018, Ivantis filed counterclaims alleging that the Company’s iStent inject infringes
Securities Litigation
On January 8, 2020, following Avedro’s filing of additional disclosures which rendered the plaintiffs’ disclosure claims moot, Glaukos entered into a Confidential Fee Agreement (Confidential Fee Agreement) with each of the plaintiffs listed above, and the Confidential Fee Agreement settlement amounts were immaterial. Pursuant to the terms of the Confidential Fee Agreement, the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss the respective actions with prejudice as to each of the named plaintiffs and without prejudice as to the claims of the putative class of Avedro stockholders. Avedro and the other named defendants maintain that they committed no breach of fiduciary duty and that there is no merit with respect to any allegation asserted in connection with the Avedro Merger or any public disclosures, but wished to settle the actions to eliminate the burden, expense, and uncertainties of further litigation.
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With respect to the matters described above under Patent Litigation, the Company is currently unable to predict the ultimate outcome of the matters or reasonably estimate a possible loss or range of loss, and thus,
Secured Letters of Credit
The Company had a bank issue a letter of credit in the amount of $
As a result of the Avedro Merger, the Company has
Corporate Restructuring Costs
Following the Avedro Merger, the Company initiated a restructuring plan that includes an estimated headcount reduction of
As of March 31, 2020 the Company has accrued $
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the restructuring reserve, included in accrued liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet, is as follows (in thousands):
Three months ended | |||
| March 31, 2020 | ||
Balance at beginning of period | $ | | |
Total restructuring accrual charges | | ||
Employee separation payments | ( | ||
Balance at end of period | $ | |
Regents of the University of California
On December 30, 2014, the Company executed an agreement (the UC Agreement) with the Regents of the University of California (the University) to correct inventorship in connection with a group of the Company’s U.S. patents (the Patent Rights) and to obtain from the University a covenant that it did not and would not claim any right or title to the Patent Rights and will not challenge or assist any others in challenging the Patent Rights. In connection with the UC Agreement, Glaukos agreed to pay to the University a low single-digit percentage of worldwide net sales of certain current and future products, including the Company’s iStent products, with a required minimum annual payment of $
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GMP Visions Solutions, Inc.
In November 2013, the Company entered into an amended agreement (the Buyout Agreement) with GMP Vision Solutions, Inc. (GMP) in which, in the event of a Company sale as defined in the amendment, the Company would be required to pay GMP a percentage of the sale consideration above a certain threshold, with such payment not to exceed $
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan
Pursuant to the Company’s deferred compensation plan (the Deferred Compensation Plan), eligible senior level employees are permitted to make elective deferrals of compensation to which he or she will become entitled in the future. The Company has also established a rabbi trust that serves as an investment to shadow the Deferred Compensation Plan liability. The investments of the rabbi trust consist of company-owned life insurance policies (COLIs). The fair value of the Deferred Compensation Plan liability, included in other liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, was approximately $
Global enterprise systems implementation
In the first quarter of 2019, the Company began implementing new enterprise systems and other technology optimizations and facilities infrastructure globally. As of March 31, 2020, the Company has firm purchase commitments related to software costs and these systems implementations of approximately $
Note 12. Business Segment Information
The Company has
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 2, 2020.
This report contains forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this report, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain. You should refer to the "Risk Factors" section of this report for a discussion of important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this report will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if the forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Overview
We are an ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal disease. We developed Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) to serve as an alternative to the traditional glaucoma treatment paradigm and launched our first MIGS device commercially in 2012. We have also developed a proprietary bio-activated pharmaceutical therapy for the treatment of a corneal disorder, keratoconus, that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016 and we are developing a pipeline of surgical devices, sustained pharmaceutical therapies, and implantable biosensors intended to treat glaucoma progression, corneal disorders such as keratoconus, dry eye and refractive vision correction, and retinal diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Current Economic Environment
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 to be a “pandemic,” spreading across the globe and impacting worldwide economic activity. In the U.S., certain federal, state and local governmental authorities have issued stay-at-home orders, proclamations and/or directives, including restrictions on elective procedures and therapies, aimed at minimizing the spread of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic slowdown has materially impacted global demand for our products, which are used in procedures and therapies that are considered elective. This decrease in demand was primarily felt in the latter part of the quarter and this trend has continued through April 2020. We currently expect a gradual return to increasingly more normalized levels for cataract and keratoconus procedures beginning slowly in the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and continuing into later 2020, subject to lessening restrictions on elective procedures and therapies.
We are also actively assessing the impact of COVID-19 on our clinical trials and other pipeline products. The closure of ophthalmic practices and deferral of elective procedures caused by COVID-19 has disrupted new patient enrollment in our ongoing clinical trials. This disruption may continue beyond the current shut down as doctors prioritize clearing their patient backlog over clinical trial enrollment. In particular, we anticipate patient enrollment completion for our iDose clinical trials will be delayed.
We have taken a number of steps aimed at minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting our employees, including shifting the majority of our workforce to remote operations. We have maintained streamlined manufacturing and assembly processes in order to consistently provide product to our customers who depend on us. In addition to other
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health and safety protocols that follow applicable guidance and regulations, employees involved in such operation-critical processes have been organized into a number of small shifts designed to minimize the time any one individual is required to be onsite. We have also sought to preserve our cash position by instituting a number of cost saving initiatives, including temporary reductions in discretionary spending and capital expenditures, as well as a temporary salary reduction for our executive team, senior leadership, and many others throughout the company. These actions were designed to preserve jobs and core research and development programs. We are temporarily deferring a significant portion of our planned 2020 capital expenditures, particularly those related to facilities expansion and consolidation plans. As of March 31, 2020, we had cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and restricted cash of approximately $173.0 million, compared to $183.3 million as of December 31, 2019. In addition, we do not carry any outstanding debt obligations.
While we currently expect that the impact of COVID-19 on our sales and operations will be the most severe in the second quarter, followed by a gradual recovery later in the year, the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and financial results will depend on future developments, including the duration and extent of the severity and spread of the pandemic, the status of health and safety actions taken to contain its spread, any possible resurgence of COVID-19 that may occur after the initial outbreak subsides and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume within the markets in which we operate, each of which are highly uncertain at this time and outside of our control. For additional information, see the section titled Risks Related to Our Business within Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Financial Overview
Our net sales increased to $55.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 from $54.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. We incurred net losses of $54.1 million and $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 respectively. We believe the COVID-19 slowdown had a material impact on our net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2020.
As of March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $243.8 million.
Material Changes and Transactions
Acquisition of Avedro, Inc.
On November 21, 2019, we acquired Avedro, Inc. (Avedro), a hybrid ophthalmic pharmaceutical and medical technology company focused on developing therapies designed to treat corneal diseases and disorders and correct refractive conditions, in a stock-for-stock transaction (Avedro Merger). Avedro developed novel bio-activated drug formulations used in combination with proprietary systems for the treatment of progressive keratoconus and corneal ectasia following refractive surgery. The therapy is the first and only minimally invasive anterior segment product offering approved by the FDA shown to halt the progression of keratoconus.
Total consideration for the Avedro Merger was $437.8 million. The consideration consisted of Glaukos shares totaling $406.8 million issued to replace Avedro common stock, Glaukos shares totaling $0.2 million to replace certain vested Avedro warrants, and $30.8 million of value attributable to the pre-combination services associated with replacement of all Avedro outstanding and unexercised stock option awards and all unvested restricted stock units (Replacement Awards). See Note 2, Note 4, Note 6 and Note 7 to the condensed consolidated financial statements in Part 1, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information on our Avedro Merger.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
In addition to the disruption resulting from COVID-19, the full effects of which at this time are difficult to predict, our operations to date have been, and we believe our future growth will be, impacted by the following:
● | the rate at which we expand our global sales and marketing infrastructure, and the speed at which we can continue increasing awareness of our products to patients and physicians; |
● | our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid and profound technological, market and product-related changes. Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to maintain a competitive position in the development of new products for the treatment of chronic eye diseases; |
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● | publications of clinical results by us, our competitors and other third parties can have a significant influence on whether, and the degree to which, our products are used by physicians and the procedures and treatments those physicians choose to administer to their patients; |
● | the physicians who use our products may not perform procedures during certain times of the year, due to seasonality patterns typical for certain of our procedures, or when they are away from their practices for various reasons; and |
● | most of our sales outside of the U.S. are denominated in the local currency of the country in which we sell our products. As a result, our revenue from international sales is impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. |
Further, subject to our temporary costs saving initiatives and spending deferrals due to COVID-19, we have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in our global sales force, marketing programs, research and development activities, clinical studies, and general and administrative infrastructure. FDA-approved investigational device exemption (IDE) or investigational new drug (IND) studies and new product development programs in our industry are expensive. We have incurred a significant increase in administrative costs since we began operating as a public company. Our acquisition of Avedro will require significant ongoing expenses, together with construction costs related to our new facility in Aliso Viejo, California and firm purchase commitments to implement global enterprise systems that began in 2019.
We expect our near-term 2020 revenues to reflect normal procedural seasonality, competitive dynamics and the disruption resulting from COVID-19, the full effects of which at this time are difficult to predict.
Although we have been profitable for certain periods in our operating history, there can be no assurance that we will be profitable or generate cash from operations in the future.
Components of Results of Operations
Net Sales
We currently operate in one reportable segment and net sales are generated primarily from sales of iStent products and, following the Avedro Merger on November 21, 2019, sales of Photrexa and other associated drug formulations, as well as our proprietary bioactivation systems, to customers. Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those products or services.
We sell our products through a direct sales organization in the United States, and outside the United States we sell our products primarily through direct sales subsidiaries in sixteen countries and through independent distributors in certain countries in which we do not have a direct presence. The primary end-user customers for our products are surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices.
While net sales may increase as we expand our global sales and marketing infrastructure and continue to increase awareness of our products by expanding our sales base and increasing our marketing efforts, we also expect that our net sales within a fiscal year may be impacted seasonally, as demand for U.S. ophthalmic procedures is typically softer in the first quarter and stronger in the fourth quarter of a given year. Additionally, for several years we had commercialized our products in the U.S. with few or no direct competitors. Other products have now become available in the U.S. and globally, or are in development by third parties, that have entered or could enter the market and which may affect adoption of or demand for our products. These other products could achieve greater commercial acceptance or demonstrate better safety or effectiveness, clinical results, ease of use or lower costs than our products, which could adversely impact our net sales.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales reflects the aggregate costs to manufacture our products and includes raw material costs, labor costs, manufacturing overhead expenses and the effect of changes in the balance of reserves for excess and obsolete inventory.
We manufacture our iStent products at our current headquarters in San Clemente, California using components manufactured by third parties. We manufacture our KXL and Mosaic systems at our manufacturing facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts, with some limited manufacturing operations in Dublin, Ireland, and we contract with third-party manufacturers in the U.S. and Germany to produce our Photrexa and other associated drug formulations.
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Due to the relatively low production volumes of our iStent products and our KXL and Mosaic systems compared to our potential capacity for those products, a significant portion of our per unit costs is comprised of manufacturing overhead expenses. These expenses include quality assurance, material procurement, inventory control, facilities, equipment and operations supervision and management.
Beginning in 2015, cost of sales includes a charge equal to a low single-digit percentage of worldwide net sales of certain current and future products, including our iStent products, with a required minimum annual payment of $0.5 million, which amount became payable to the Regents of the University of California (the University) in connection with our December 2014 agreement with the University (the UC Agreement) related to a group of our U.S. patents (the Patent Rights). This ongoing product payment obligation will terminate on the date the last of the Patent Rights expires, which is currently expected to be in 2022.
Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH Act), the 2.3% federal medical device excise tax on U.S. sales of medical devices manufactured by us was suspended from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017, and, pursuant to HR 195 passed on January 22, 2018, was further suspended through December 31, 2019. The federal medical device excise tax was permanently repealed in December 2019.
Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019, cost of sales has included amortization of the $252.2 million developed technology intangible assets recognized in connection with the Avedro Merger. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the amortization expense was $5.5 million. Additionally beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019, cost of sales has included amortization of the fair market value inventory adjustment recorded in connection with the Avedro Merger, which for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $9.7 million.
Our future gross profit as a percentage of net sales, or gross margin, will be impacted by numerous factors including commencement of sales of products in our pipeline, or any other future products, which may have higher product costs. Our gross margin will also be affected by manufacturing inefficiencies that we may experience as we attempt to manufacture our products on a larger scale, manufacture new products and change our manufacturing capacity or output. Additionally, our gross margin will continue to be affected by the aforementioned expense related to the UC Agreement and the acquisition fair market value inventory adjustment rollout related to the Avedro Merger. See Note 6, Business Combinations in the condensed consolidated financial statements of Part 1, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information on our Avedro Merger.
Selling, General and Administrative
Our selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, sales commissions, bonuses, fringe benefits and stock-based compensation for our executive, financial, marketing, sales, and administrative functions. Other significant SG&A expenses include marketing programs; advertising; post-approval clinical studies; conferences and congresses; travel expenses; costs associated with obtaining and maintaining our patent portfolio; professional fees for accounting, auditing, consulting and legal services; costs to implement our global enterprise systems; and allocated overhead expenses.
The Avedro Merger has resulted in additional integration expenses and personnel-related expenses, primarily stock-based compensation and restructuring expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2020. Additionally, SG&A will be impacted by the amortization of certain finite-lived intangible assets acquired as a result of the Avedro Merger, along with Avedro’s normal and recurring SG&A expenses.
We expect SG&A expenses to continue to grow as a result of the Avedro Merger as we increase our global sales and marketing infrastructure and general administration infrastructure in the United States, however as previously noted we have sought to preserve our cash position by instituting a number of cost saving initiatives, including substantial reductions in discretionary spending, including variable expense associated with salesperson commissions and marketing, capital expenditures, as well as a temporary salary reduction for many of our employees. We also expect other nonemployee-related costs, including sales and marketing program activities for new products, outside services and accounting and general legal costs to increase as our overall operations grow. The timing of these increased expenditures and their magnitude are primarily dependent on the commercial success and sales growth of our products, as well as on the timing of any new product launches and other potential business and operational activities.
Research and Development
Our R&D activities primarily consist of new product development projects, pre-clinical studies, IDE and IND studies, and other clinical trials. Our R&D expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries,
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fringe benefits and stock-based compensation for our R&D employees; research materials; supplies and services; and the costs of conducting clinical studies, which include payments to investigational sites and investigators, clinical research organizations, consultants, and other outside technical services and the costs of materials, supplies and travel. We expense R&D costs as incurred. We expect our R&D expenses to continue to increase as we initiate and advance our development programs, including our expanding surgical, pharmaceutical and IOP sensor development efforts and clinical trials across glaucoma, retinal disease and corneal health. However as previously noted we have sought to preserve our cash position by instituting a number of cost saving initiatives, including substantial reductions in discretionary spending associated with earlier stage development programs.
Completion dates and costs for our clinical development programs include seeking regulatory approvals and our research programs vary significantly for each current and future product candidate and are difficult to predict. As a result, while we expect our R&D costs to continue to increase for the foreseeable future, subject to our temporary COVID-19 costs saving initiatives, we cannot estimate with any degree of certainty the costs we will incur in connection with the development of our product candidates. We anticipate we will make determinations as to which programs and product candidates to pursue and how much funding to direct to each program and product candidate on an ongoing basis in response to the scientific success of early research programs, results of ongoing and future clinical trials, as well as ongoing assessments as to each current or future product candidate’s commercial potential and our likelihood of obtaining necessary regulatory approvals. We are not currently able to fully track expenses by product candidate.
Non-Operating (Expense) Income, Net
Non-operating (expense) income, net primarily consists of interest expense associated with our finance lease for our Aliso Viejo, California facility, interest income derived from our short-term investments, and unrealized gains and losses arising from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, primarily related to intercompany loans.
Income Taxes
Our tax provision is comprised of U.S. federal and state income and franchise taxes as well as foreign income taxes. Our net deferred tax liability of $9.9 million at March 31, 2020 represents the excess of our indefinite-lived deferred tax liabilities over our indefinite-lived deferred tax assets. We continue to provide a full valuation allowance against our other net deferred tax assets.
We record reserves for uncertain tax positions where we believe the ability to sustain the tax position does not reach the more likely than not threshold.
Results of Operations
Comparison of Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | |||||||||
March 31, | % Increase | ||||||||
(in thousands) |
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| (decrease) |
| ||
Statements of operations data: | |||||||||
Net sales | $ | 55,336 | $ | 54,026 | 2 | % | |||
Cost of sales | 32,529 | 7,111 | NM | ||||||
Gross profit | 22,807 | 46,915 | (51) | % | |||||
Operating expenses: | |||||||||
Selling, general and administrative | 50,546 | 34,925 | 45 | % | |||||
Research and development | 24,873 | 13,930 | 79 | % | |||||
Total operating expenses | 75,419 | 48,855 | 54 | % | |||||
Loss from operations | (52,612) | (1,940) | NM | ||||||
Total non-operating (expense) income, net | (1,896) | 720 | NM | ||||||
Income tax (benefit) provision | (450) | 122 | NM | ||||||
Net loss | $ | (54,058) | $ | (1,342) | NM |
NM = Not Meaningful
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Net Sales
Net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 were $55.3 million and $54.0 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of $1.3 million or 2%.
Net sales of glaucoma products in the United States were $32.6 million and $44.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively, decreasing by 26% primarily due to the impact of promotional activities relating to sales of iStent products near the end of 2019, the impact of integration activities relating to the Avedro Merger, competitive dynamics and disruption resulting from COVID-19. International sales of glaucoma products for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 were $11.6 million and $9.8 million, respectively, increasing by 18%. The increase in net sales internationally was due to sales expansion into our existing international markets, with such growth being somewhat dampened during the last two weeks of the quarter in particular due to the impact of COVID-19. Net sales at our subsidiaries in France, Japan and the United Kingdom accounted for the majority of the increase internationally.
The remaining $11.2 million increase in net sales was generated from our corneal health products as a result of our Avedro Merger on November 21, 2019, comprised of approximately $8.8 million in U.S. sales using our direct sales operations and approximately $2.4 million in net sales with distributors being used in certain international locations where we do not have a direct commercial presence. Sales of corneal health products were negatively impacted by integration activities related to the Avedro Merger and disruption resulting from COVID-19.
Pricing for our products was not a significant contributing factor to the change in net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2020.
Cost of sales
Cost of sales for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 were $32.5 million and $7.1 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of $25.4 million. The increase was comprised of approximately $9.7 million related to the acquisition fair market value inventory adjustment rollout, $5.5 million related to amortization of certain finite-lived intangible assets acquired, both of which are related to the Avedro Merger, and $7.9 million related to inventory write-off charges and COVID-19 related excess and obsolete inventory reserves. Our gross margin was 41% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 87% for the three months ended March 31, 2019. The decreased gross margin resulted primarily from the impact of accounting adjustments related to the acquisition of Avedro, as well as inventory write-off charges and COVID-19 related excess and obsolete inventory reserves, and changes in product mix.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
SG&A expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 were $50.5 million and $34.9 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of approximately $15.6 million or 45%.
The acquisition of Avedro resulted in an increase in SG&A expenses of $6.6 million that were not present in our results for the three months ended March 31, 2019. These expenses were primarily comprised of $4.2 million due to stock-based compensation resulting from post-combination services associated with the Replacement Awards, $0.8 million related to legal, financial advisory and other transaction costs associated with the acquisition, and amortization of finite-lived intangible assets acquired of approximately $0.7 million. In connection with the Avedro acquisition, we implemented a restructuring plan in December 2019 that includes an estimated headcount reduction of 40 employees and a reallocation of responsibilities primarily within the SG&A functions. As of March 31, 2020 we have accrued $0.9 million of restructuring plan costs, having previously incurred approximately $3.6 million in restructuring costs and we expect to incur a total of approximately $5.2 million in restructuring charges upon completion of the plan, which we expect to be completed in 2021.
We also incurred $3.6 million in normal and recurring Avedro SG&A expenses during the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 that were not in our 2019 results.
The remaining increase in SG&A expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily consisted of approximately $4.4 million in additional compensation and related employee expenses was associated with our growing number of domestic and international employees, approximately $0.8 million related to our previously-disclosed patent litigation, and approximately $1.2 million in other consulting and professional services, partially offset by a decrease of
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approximately $0.9 million in professional services and software systems costs related to our global enterprise systems implementation.
Research and Development Expenses
R&D expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019 were $24.9 million and $13.9 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of $10.9 million or 79%.
The acquisition of Avedro resulted in an increase in R&D expenses of $1.8 million that were not in our results for the three months ended March 31, 2019, primarily comprised of stock-based compensation resulting from post-combination services associated with the Replacement Awards.
We incurred $6.2 million in normal and recurring Avedro R&D expenses during the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 that were not in our 2019 results primarily comprised of $2.9 million in compensation and related employee expenses with the remaining $3.3 million spent on the continued development of a pharmaceutical therapeutic system for the treatment of keratoconus without the removal of the epithelium (often referred to as “epi-on”), as well as projects for presbyopia and earlier stage technology and therapeutic investments.
The remaining increase in R&D expenses was primarily due approximately $3.3 million in additional compensation and related employee expenses as well as an overall increase of approximately $1.5 million in other core R&D and clinical expenses, including $0.8 million associated with our iDose Travoprost Phase III clinical trials, $0.6 million for inventory and supplies for iDose and future iStent product candidates and $0.4 million due to allocation of manufacturing overhead to R&D.
Non-Operating (Expense) Income, Net
We had non-operating expense, net of $1.9 million and non-operating income, net of $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. The change from net non-operating income to net non-operating expense primarily relates to interest expense associated with the financing lease for our Aliso Viejo, California facility and recognition of unrealized foreign currency losses due to higher intercompany loan balances denominated in, and impacted by, changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Income Tax Provision
Our effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2020 was 0.83%. For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, we recorded a (benefit)/provision for income taxes of $(450,000) and $122,000, respectively, which were primarily comprised of U.S. federal, state, and foreign income taxes for the first quarter of 2020 offset by a benefit related to the carryback of the federal NOLs under the CARES Act, and state and foreign income taxes for the first quarter of 2019.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
For the three months ended March 31, 2020, we incurred a net loss of $54.1 million and used cash from operations of $13.1 million. As of March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $243.8 million. We fund our operations from cash generated from commercial operations and proceeds from exercises of stock options. We have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in our global sales force, marketing programs, research and development activities, clinical studies and general and administrative infrastructure. FDA-approved IDE and IND studies and new product development programs in our industry are expensive. However, due to the COVID-19 economic slowdown, as previously mentioned, we have also sought to preserve our cash position by instituting a number of cost saving initiatives, including substantial reductions in discretionary spending and capital expenditures, as well as a temporary salary reduction for our executive team, senior leadership, and many others throughout the Company.
We have incurred a significant increase in administrative costs since we began operating as a public company. Our acquisition of Avedro will require significant ongoing expenses, together with construction costs related to our new facility in Aliso Viejo, California and firm purchase commitments to implement global enterprise systems that began in 2019.
Accordingly, although we have been profitable for certain periods in our operating history, there can be no assurance that we will be profitable or generate cash from operations.
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We plan to fund our operations and capital funding needs using existing cash and investments and, to the extent available, cash generated from commercial operations, and we may seek to obtain additional financing in the future through debt or equity financings. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us, or at all. We believe that our available cash, cash equivalents, investment balances and interest we earn on these balances and any cash generated from commercial operations will be sufficient to fund our operations and satisfy our liquidity requirements for at least the next 12 months from the date our condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2020 are made publicly available.
The following table summarizes our cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and selected working capital data as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands):
March 31, | December 31, | ||||||
| 2020 |
| 2019 | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 53,614 | $ | 62,430 | |||
Short-term investments | 110,096 | 111,553 | |||||
Accounts receivable, net | 28,885 | 38,417 | |||||
Accounts payable | 12,943 | 5,781 | |||||
Accrued liabilities | 38,134 | 51,919 | |||||
Working capital (1) | 180,309 | 205,178 |
(1) | Working capital consists of total current assets less total current liabilities. |
Cash Flows
Our historical cash outflows have primarily been associated with cash used for operating activities such as the expansion of our sales, marketing and R&D activities; purchase of and growth in inventory and other working capital needs; the acquisition of intellectual property; and expenditures related to equipment and improvements used to increase our manufacturing capacity, to improve our manufacturing efficiency and for overall facility expansion.
The following table is a condensed summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Three Months Ended | |||||||
March 31, | |||||||
(in thousands) |
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
| ||
Net cash (used in) provided by: | |||||||
Operating activities | $ | (13,099) | $ | 208 | |||
Investing activities | 628 | (1,713) | |||||
Financing activities | 4,220 | 5,407 | |||||
Exchange rate changes | (565) | (5) | |||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (8,816) | $ | 3,897 |
At March 31, 2020, our cash and cash equivalents were held for working capital purposes. We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes. Our policy is to invest any cash in excess of our immediate requirements in investments designed to preserve the principal balance and provide liquidity.
Operating Activities
In the three months ended March 31, 2020 our operating activities used $13.1 million and March 31, 2019 our operating activities generated $0.2 million of net cash.
For the three months ended March 31, 2020, our net cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $54.1 million, adjusted for non-cash items of $24.1 million, primarily consisting of stock-based compensation expense of $17.2 million, depreciation and amortization of $7.3 million, amortization of lease right-of-use assets of $1.3 million, and the change in the fair value of cash-settled stock options of $(3.2) million. This was offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $16.8 million, which resulted from decreases in accounts receivable and inventory of $23.8 million, offset by decreases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $4.8 million and increases in prepaid expenses and other current asset of $2.2 million.
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, included in net cash provided by operating activities were non-cash items of $9.0 million, primarily consisting of stock-based compensation expense of $7.1 million and depreciation and amortization of $0.8 million. In addition to the net loss of $1.3 million, these non-cash items were partially offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $7.5 million, which resulted from decreases in accounts receivable,
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inventory, prepaid expenses and other current assets and other assets totaling $2.4 million, and increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $5.1 million.
Investing Activities
In the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, our investing activities provided $0.6 million and used $1.7 million of net cash, respectively.
For the three months ended March 31, 2020, we used cash of approximately $18.7 million for purchases of short-term investments and approximately $0.8 million for purchases of property and equipment, and we received cash of approximately $19.7 million from sales and maturities of short-term investments.
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, we used cash of approximately $16.6 million for purchases of short-term investments, approximately $0.7 million for purchases of property and equipment and approximately $0.6 million related to investments in company-owned life insurance, and we received cash of approximately $16.2 million from sales and maturities of short-term investments.
Subject to our near-term deferral of certain capital expenditures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect to increase our investment in property and equipment in the future as we expand our manufacturing capacity for current and new products, improve our manufacturing efficiency and for overall facility expansion, as previously discussed above.
Financing Activities
In the three months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, our financing activities provided $4.2 million and $5.4 million of net cash, respectively.
For the three months ended March 31, 2020, we received net cash proceeds of approximately $5.7 million from the exercises of stock options and purchases of our common stock by employees pursuant to our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and used $1.5 million for payment of employee taxes related to restricted stock unit vestings.
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, we received net cash proceeds of approximately $5.5 million from the exercises of stock options and purchases of our common stock by employees pursuant to our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and used $0.1 million for payment of employee taxes related to restricted stock unit vestings.
Commitments
As of March 31, 2020, the Company had material commitments for capital expenditures of approximately $1.0 million and had material commitments related to our global enterprise systems implementation and software costs of approximately $5.1 million. We plan to fund these commitments with our cash and cash equivalents.
Off-balance sheet arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or for any other contractually narrow or limited purpose. However, from time to time we enter into certain types of contracts that contingently require us to indemnify parties against third-party claims including in connection with certain real estate leases, supply purchase agreements, and with directors and officers. The terms of such obligations vary by contract and in most instances a maximum dollar amount is not explicitly stated therein. Generally, amounts under these contracts cannot be reasonably estimated until a specific claim is asserted, thus no liabilities have been recorded for these obligations on our balance sheets for any of the periods presented.
Critical accounting policies and significant estimates
Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements. Generally, we
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base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions in accordance with GAAP that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions and such differences could be material to our financial position and results of operations.
Our critical accounting policies and significant estimates that involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity are described under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates” included in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020. There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as disclosed therein, during the three months ended March 31, 2020, as compared with those disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020. However, we adopted ASC 326 on January 1, 2020, which requires us to estimate the allowance for credit losses using relevant available information, from internal and external sources, relating to past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Historical credit loss experience provides the basis for estimation of expected credit losses and are adjusted as necessary using the relevant information available.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
There have been no material changes in our exposure to market risk since December 31, 2019. Refer to Item 7A “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 for further detail.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), refers to controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and our management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, at the reasonable assurance level, as of the end of the period covered by this report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified by management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during our first fiscal quarter of 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
The information disclosed under “Legal Proceedings” in Note 11, Commitments and Contingencies of Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is incorporated herein by reference.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risks discussed below are not the only ones facing our business but do represent those risks that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business. Please read the cautionary notice regarding forward-looking statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
With the exception of risk relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the European Union Medical Device Regulation, we do not believe any of the changes constitute material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 2, 2020.
Risks Related to Our Business
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and could continue to materially and adversely affect, our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 to be a “pandemic,” spreading across the globe and impacting worldwide economic activity. While the impacts of COVID-19 have had, and we expect them to continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows, we are unable to predict the extent or nature of these impacts at this time.
COVID-19 infections have been reported throughout the United States. In response, certain federal, state and local governmental authorities have issued stay-at-home orders, proclamations and/or directives aimed at minimizing the spread of COVID-19. In an effort to protect our employees and adhere to the guidance and orders of these various governmental authorities, we have shifted the majority of our workforce to remote operations and have implemented changes to our manufacturing and distribution operations to ensure social distancing.
Additionally, government restrictions and advisories on elective procedures and therapies have been implemented in many parts of the world. By late March 2020, these restrictions led to the increasing deferral of cataract and keratoconus procedures and a material decrease in demand for our products versus levels achieved prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Although we believe that most of these deferred procedures will ultimately occur in the future as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we cannot predict the timing and impact on our future financial and operating results given the continued uncertainties associated with the situation. Restrictions on elective procedures and therapies and the closures of ophthalmic practices in an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 have also impacted, and could continue to impact, the progress of our pipeline products. For example, new patient enrollment in our iDose clinical trial has been temporarily paused, which we expect may delay the iDose approval timeline. While we believe our other products currently in clinical trials remain on track to receive approval as previously anticipated, any prolonged economic slowdown may cause additional delays in the progress of our pipeline products, including those in clinical trials.
We have implemented significant cost saving initiatives in order to preserve jobs globally and protect core research and development programs. These initiatives included substantial reductions in discretionary spending and capital expenditures, as well as a temporary salary reduction for many of our employees. Decreasing discretionary spending and capital expenditures may slow the growth trajectory of the Company or require us to delay projects that could have benefitted the Company. Additionally, salary reductions and other cash preservation measures could result in difficulties retaining key employees or recruiting qualified personnel necessary for growth.
While we have not experienced any significant disruptions to our supply chain to date, it is possible our suppliers will incur challenges supplying the materials needed for the manufacture of our products. We could also experience an outbreak of COVID-19 in our manufacturing facilities, which could require us to temporarily shut down manufacturing operations and/or cause a disruption to, or shortage in, our workforce. As a result, we may experience delays in our responses to our customers and possible delays in shipments of our products, which could harm our customer relations and adversely impact our competitive positioning and sales. Other potential disruptions include restrictions on the ability of our personnel to travel and access customers for training and case support; delays in approvals by regulatory bodies; delays in product development efforts; and additional government requirements to “shelter at home” or other incremental mitigation efforts that may further impact our capacity to manufacture, sell and support the use of our products.
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The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations is unknown and will depend on future developments which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration and severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, the status of health and safety actions taken to contain its spread and any additional preventative and protective actions that governments, or we, may direct, any resurgence of COVID-19 that may occur after the initial outbreak subsides and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions resume within the markets in which we operate. These developments may result in an extended period of continued business disruption, decreased demand for our products and reduced operations. The measures taken to date will impact our business for the fiscal second quarter and potentially beyond, but the significance of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business and the duration for which it may have an impact cannot be determined at this time.
We have incurred significant losses since inception and our business requires substantial capital and operating expenditures to operate and grow. There can be no guarantee that we reach sustained profitability.
Since the Company’s inception in July 1998, we have incurred significant operating losses. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $243.8 million, principally from costs incurred in our clinical trial, research and development programs and from our general and administrative expenses. We have funded our operations to date from the sale of equity securities, including our June 2015 initial public offering (IPO), the issuance of notes payable, cash exercises of stock options and warrants to purchase equity securities and cash generated from commercial operations. To implement our global business strategies we need to, among other things, fund ongoing research and development activities, expand our manufacturing capabilities, grow our sales and marketing organization, enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, acquire companies or in-license products or intellectual property, and obtain regulatory clearance or approval to commercialize our existing products in international markets or to commercialize those currently under development in the U.S. and internationally. As a result, we expect our expenses to continue to increase as we pursue these objectives. While we believe we have sufficient cash to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months from the date our condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2020 are made publicly available, our ability to fund our operations are uncertain and we may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms that are favorable to us. Additionally, any financing that we are able to obtain may negatively impact current stockholders or our ability to operate the business. Our ability to reach sustained profitability is highly uncertain, especially given our limited commercial history selling our products globally and an increasingly competitive landscape, which makes forecasting our sales more difficult.
Our success depends on our ability to continue to generate sales of our commercialized products and develop and commercialize additional products, which we may not be able to accomplish.
Our primary sales-generating commercial products have been the iStent, which we began selling in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2012, the iStent inject, which we began selling in the U.S. in the second half of 2018, and our Photrexa therapies, which we acquired in connection our acquisition of Avedro, Inc. (Avedro) in November 2019. We expect to continue to derive a significant portion of our net sales from the iStent, the iStent inject and the Photrexa therapies.
As a result, it is important that we continue to build a more complete product offering. Developing additional products is expensive and time-consuming. Even if we are successful in developing our additional pipeline products, including those currently in development, the success of our new product offerings is inherently uncertain and there can be no assurance that our products will produce net sales in excess of the costs of development. Any current or new products could also quickly be rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences or the introduction by our competitors of products embodying superior technologies or features. Additionally, our research programs, which are expensive and time-intensive, may initially show promise in identifying potential products, yet fail to yield product candidates for clinical development. If we are unable to successfully commercialize additional products, our business prospects would be materially affected.
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If we are not able to obtain market acceptance of our products globally or effectively grow our global sales and marketing organization, our business prospects, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with our global commercialization efforts, our products may not obtain wide-spread market acceptance outside of the United States, which would adversely impact the overall utilization of our products. International markets differ significantly from the U.S. market, including as a result of differences in payor systems, reimbursement, competitive dynamics, market size, regulations and patient treatment regimens. Additionally, our future success will depend largely on our ability to train, retain and motivate skilled regional sales managers and direct sales representatives and distributors around the world with significant technical knowledge of our products. Because of the competition for their services, we may not be able to retain such representatives on favorable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to grow our global sales and marketing organization, we may not be able to effectively commercialize our products globally, which would adversely affect our business prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
If the supply and/or manufacture of our principal revenue-producing products, the iStent, the iStent inject and our Photrexa therapies, is materially disrupted, it may adversely affect our ability to manufacture products and could reduce our gross margins and negatively affect our operating results. Disruptions to our other commercialized products could also materially impact our business.
Our corporate headquarters and the manufacturing operations for our iStent products are currently located in an approximately 98,000 square foot campus located in San Clemente, California. This location serves as our sole manufacturing location where we manufacture, inspect, package, release and ship nearly all of our iStent and iStent inject products. This is also the location where we currently conduct substantially all of our research and development (R&D) activities, customer and technical support, and management and administrative functions. We intend to relocate our corporate administrative headquarters, along with certain laboratory, R&D and warehouse space, to a new facility located in Aliso Viejo, California. If our San Clemente facility or our future facility in Aliso Viejo suffers a crippling event, or a force majeure event such as an earthquake, fire or flood, this could materially impact our ability to operate.
Additionally, we rely on a limited number of third-party suppliers, in some cases sole suppliers, to supply components for the iStent, the iStent inject and our other pipeline products. If any one or more of our suppliers cease to provide us with sufficient quantities of components or drugs in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, we would have to seek alternative sources of supply. Because of factors such as the proprietary nature of our products, our quality control standards and regulatory requirements, we may have difficulty quickly engaging additional or replacement suppliers for some of our critical components. Despite our efforts to maintain an adequate supply of inventory, the loss of these suppliers, or their inability to provide us with an adequate supply of components or products, could cause delay in the manufacture of our products, thereby impairing our ability to meet the demand of our customers and causing significant harm to our business. Even if we are able to identify and qualify a suitable second source to replace one of our key suppliers, if necessary, that replacement supplier would not have access to our previous supplier’s proprietary processes and would therefore be required to develop its own, which could result in further delay. Any disruption of this nature or increased expense could harm our commercialization efforts and adversely affect our operating results.
Our corneal health Photrexa therapies are produced by a small number of contract manufacturing organizations. The systems that bio-activate our Photrexa therapies are primarily manufactured in Burlington, Massachusetts. Any material disruption to the manufacture of our corneal health products, either our pharmaceuticals or their bio-activation systems, could also adversely affect our operating results.
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We and some of our component manufacturers and contract facilities are required to comply with regulatory requirements known as the FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR), which covers the procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, inspection, complaint handling, recordkeeping, management review, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of our device products. The FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) regulations also apply to the manufacture of our products. The FDA audits compliance with these regulatory requirements through periodic announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing and other facilities. If our manufacturing facilities or those of any of our component suppliers or contract facilities are found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations, the FDA could take enforcement action. Additionally, in the event we must obtain a replacement manufacturer, it may be difficult for us to identify and qualify a manufacturer that complies with QSR and cGMPs, which would adversely impact our operations.
If the quality or delivery of our products does not meet our customers’ expectations, our reputation could suffer and ultimately our sales and operating earnings could be negatively impacted.
In the course of conducting our business, we have had to and must continue to adequately address quality issues associated with our products, including in our engineering, design, manufacturing and delivery processes, as well as issues in third-party components included in our products. Because our products are highly complex, the occurrence of performance issues may increase as we continue to introduce new products and as we rapidly scale up manufacturing to meet increased demand for our products. Although we have established internal procedures to minimize risks that may arise from product quality issues, there can be no assurance that we will be able to eliminate or mitigate occurrences of these issues and associated liabilities. In addition, identifying the root cause of performance or quality issues, particularly those affecting third-party components, may be difficult, which increases the time needed to address quality issues as they arise and increases the risk that similar problems could recur. Finding solutions to quality issues can be expensive and we may incur significant costs or lost revenue in connection with, for example, shipment holds, product recalls and warranty or other service obligations. In addition, quality issues can impair our relationships with new or existing customers and adversely affect our reputation as a producer of high quality products could suffer, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Failure to secure adequate coverage or reimbursement by government or other third-party payors for procedures using our products, or changes in current coverage or reimbursement, could materially impact our net sales and future growth.
Ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices that purchase our products typically bill various third-party payors, such as government programs, private insurance plans and managed care programs, to cover all or a portion of the costs and fees associated with the therapeutics or procedures in which our products are used and bill patients for any applicable deductibles or co-payments. Access to adequate coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors for the procedures using our products is essential to the acceptance of our products by our customers, who may not adopt products for which there is limited or no third-party reimbursement. The requirements and processes for obtaining approval for such reimbursement may vary significantly from country to country, entail prolonged delay, or be more difficult for foreign manufacturers with new, unfamiliar products and treatments. Third-party coverage and reimbursement for our products or any of our product candidates may not be available or adequate in either the U.S. or international markets.
Physicians are typically paid separately from the facility for surgical procedures involving our products; however, there is no published Medicare payment schedule at the national level for physician payment amounts. The physician payment rate is left to the discretion of the regional Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), with each MAC separately determining coverage and no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained from, or maintained by, the MACs. In order to adopt a new procedure, one of the factors that the surgeon evaluates is whether or not payment for the procedure adequately covers the surgeon’s time. As with the facility payment, the incremental payment the physician receives could play a role in a surgeon’s decision to adopt our products. Accordingly, changes in the payment the physician receives could affect the extent to which physicians recommend procedures using our products to patients, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Third-party payors, whether foreign or domestic, or governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In addition, in the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement exists among third-party payors; coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor. In addition, payors continually review new products for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage. As a result, the coverage determination process is often time-consuming and costly; requiring us to provide
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scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained, or maintained if obtained. Coverage decisions may depend upon clinical and economic standards that disfavor new products when more established or lower cost therapeutic alternatives are already available or subsequently become available. Any decline in the amount payors are willing to reimburse our customers for procedures using our products, including the amount payors are willing to pay the physicians performing the procedures, which is separately evaluated, could make it difficult for existing customers to continue using, or new customers to adopt, any of our products and could create additional pricing pressure for us. If we were forced to lower the price we charge for our products, our gross margins would decrease, which would adversely affect our ability to invest and grow our business. Further, we believe that future coverage and reimbursement will likely be subject to increased restrictions both in the U.S. and in international markets.
One key aspect of reimbursement in the U.S. is the use of coding. Coding refers to distinct numeric and alphanumeric billing codes that are used by healthcare providers to report the provision of medical procedures and the use of supplies for specific patients to payors. There are different categories of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes (Category I, II and III) based on the procedure or supply. Although we have received a permanent healthcare common procedure coding system J code for our Photrexa pharmaceutical therapies, we have only obtained temporary Category III CPT codes for the professional fees associated with CXL and iStent-related procedures. There is no guarantee that these billing codes or the payment amounts associated with such codes will not change in the future. Prior to expiration, there are two options: submit an application to convert a temporary code to a permanent code or submit an application for a five-year extension of the temporary code. Further, even when a permanent billing code has been assigned to a product, there is no guarantee that coverage will be provided. MACs have in the past, and may in the future, change coverage terms, which could result in inadequate reimbursement and impact the use of our products. If we are unable to maintain our existing codes or obtain new permanent codes for procedures using our products, or obtain new reimbursement codes for our other products in development, we may be subject to significant pricing pressure, which could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
If our competitors are able to develop and market products that are safer, more effective, less costly or otherwise more attractive than our products, our commercial opportunity may be reduced or eliminated.
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid and profound technological, market and product-related changes. Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to maintain a competitive position in the development of new products for the treatment of chronic eye diseases. Our competitors, medical companies, academic and research institutions or others could develop new drugs, therapies, medical devices or surgical procedures that could render our products obsolete. If such other products demonstrate better safety or effectiveness, clinical results, ease of use or lower costs than our products, it may reduce demand for our products, and our business may be harmed.
Many of our current and potential competitors are large publicly traded companies or divisions of publicly traded companies and have more resources, greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more established relationships with healthcare professionals, customers and third-party payors, broader products lines that provide rebate and bundling opportunities, more established sales and marketing programs and distribution networks, and greater experience in obtaining regulatory clearance or approval. If we are unable to effectively compete, it could adversely affect our business.
Ophthalmic surgeons may not use our products if they do not believe they are safe, efficient, effective and preferable alternatives to other treatment solutions in the market or may use our products without being adequately trained, which could result in inferior clinical outcomes.
We believe that ophthalmic surgeons will not use our products unless they conclude that our products provide a safe, efficient, effective and preferable alternative to currently available treatment options. If ophthalmic surgeons determine that any of our products are not sufficiently effective, efficient or safe, whether based on longer-term patient studies or clinical experience or unsatisfactory patient outcomes or patient injury, our sales would be harmed. It is also possible that as our products become more widely used, latent defects could be identified, creating negative publicity and liability problems for us and adversely affecting demand for our products. If an increasing number of ophthalmic surgeons do not continue to adopt the use of our products, our operating and financial results will be negatively impacted.
Additionally, inferior patient outcomes, or patient injury, may result if untrained or unqualified ophthalmic surgeons elect to perform procedures using our products. After an ophthalmic surgeon is trained by our sales
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representatives, the surgeon and/or surgical facility that the surgeon utilizes are cleared to purchase, and administer procedures using, our products. There is a risk that untrained or unqualified ophthalmic surgeons could gain access to our products from a facility’s inventory and conduct procedures without having received qualified status from us. If performing procedures by unqualified ophthalmic surgeons were to become pervasive, this could raise the risk of complications and inferior clinical outcomes, which could result in negative patient experiences or experiences being published and damaging our reputation and that of our products. This could result in lower penetration and utilization by ophthalmic surgeons and could have a material adverse effect on our net sales growth, expected operating results and financial condition.
Product liability suits brought against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities, limit sales of our existing products and interfere with commercialization of any products that we may develop.
If our product offerings are defectively designed or manufactured, contain defective materials, or are used or deployed improperly, or if someone claims any of the foregoing, whether or not such claims are meritorious, we may become subject to substantial and costly litigation. Any product liability claims brought against us, with or without merit, could divert management’s attention from our business, be expensive to defend, result in sizable damage awards against us, damage our reputation, increase our product liability insurance rates, prevent us from securing continuing coverage, or prevent or interfere with commercialization of our products. In addition, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage for all future claims. Product liability claims brought against us in excess of our insurance coverage would likely be paid out of cash reserves, harming our financial condition and results of operations.
Operating results could be unpredictable and may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the trading price of our common stock.
Our net sales may experience volatility due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
● | our ability to drive increased sales of our products; |
● | our ability to establish and maintain an effective and dedicated sales organization; |
● | fluctuations in the demand for our products; |
● | pricing pressure applicable to our products, including adverse third-party coverage and reimbursement outcomes and competitor pricing; |
● | results of clinical research and trials on our products or competitive products; |
● | timing of new product offerings, acquisitions, licenses or other significant events by us or our competitors; |
● | decisions by customers to defer orders in anticipation of the introduction of new products or product enhancements by us or our competitors; |
● | sampling by and additional training requirements for physicians upon the commercialization of a new product by us or one of our competitors; |
● | our ability to manage the risks associated with introducing new products, including inventory management; |
● | regulatory approvals and legislative changes affecting the products we may offer or those of our competitors; |
● | interruption in the manufacturing or distribution of our products; |
● | the ability of our suppliers to timely provide us with an adequate supply of product components; |
● | the effect of competing technological, industry and market developments; |
● | changes in our ability to obtain regulatory clearance or approval for our products; |
● | variances in the sales terms, timing or volume of customer orders from period to period; |
● | the length of our sales cycle, which varies and may be unpredictable; and |
● | our ability to expand the geographic reach of our sales and marketing efforts. |
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As a result, you should not rely on our results in any past period as an indication of future results and you should anticipate that fluctuations in our quarterly and annual operating results may continue and could generate volatility in the price of our common stock. We believe that quarterly comparisons of our financial results should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
If we fail to manage our anticipated growth effectively, or are unable to increase or maintain our manufacturing capacity, we may not be able to meet customer demand for our products and our business could suffer.
Since the commercial launch of the iStent in July 2012, we have seen significant period-to-period growth in our business, both organically and through transactions, and we must continue to grow in order to meet our business and financial objectives. However, continued growth may create numerous challenges, including:
● | new and increased responsibilities for our management team; |
● | increased pressure on our operating, financial and reporting systems; |
● | increased competition; |
● | increased pressure to anticipate and satisfy market demand; |
● | additional manufacturing capacity requirements; |
● | strain on our ability to source a larger supply of components that meet our required specifications on a timely basis; |
● | management of an increasing number of relationships with our customers, suppliers and other third parties; |
● | entry into new international territories with unfamiliar regulations and business approaches; and |
● | the need to hire, train and manage additional qualified personnel. |
Although we believe we have plans in place sufficient to ensure we have adequate capacity to meet our current business plans, there are uncertainties inherent in expanding our manufacturing capabilities, and we may not be able to sufficiently increase our capacity in a timely manner. For example, manufacturing and product quality issues may arise as we increase production rates at our manufacturing facility or launch new products. Also, we may not manufacture the right product mix to meet customer demand as we introduce new products. As a result, we may experience difficulties in meeting customer demand, in which case we could lose customers or be required to delay new product introductions, and demand for our products could decline. If we fail to manage any of the above challenges effectively, our business may be harmed.
Our future growth depends on our ability to retain members of our senior management and other key employees. If we are unable to retain or recruit qualified personnel for growth, our business results could suffer.
We have benefited substantially from the leadership and performance of our senior management as well as certain key employees. For example, our chief executive officer, as well as other key members of our senior management, has experience successfully developing novel technologies and scaling early-stage medical device and pharmaceutical companies to achieve profitability. Our success will depend on our ability to retain our current management and key employees, and to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. Competition for senior management and key employees in our industry is intense and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to retain our personnel or attract new, qualified personnel. The loss of services of certain members of our senior management or key employees could prevent or delay the implementation and completion of our strategic objectives, or divert management’s attention to seeking qualified replacements. Each member of senior management as well as our key employees may terminate employment without notice and without cause or good reason. The members of our senior management are not subject to non-competition agreements. Accordingly, the adverse effect resulting from the loss of certain members of senior management could be compounded by our inability to prevent them from competing with us.
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In addition to competing for market share for our products, we also compete against our competitors for personnel, including qualified sales representatives that are necessary to grow our business. Universities and research institutions also compete with us for scientific and clinical personnel that are important to our research and development efforts. We also rely on consultants and advisors in our research, operations, clinical and commercial efforts to implement our business strategies. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. Our strategic plan requires us to continue growing our sales, marketing, clinical and operational infrastructure in order to generate, and meet, the demand for our products. If we fail to retain or attract these key personnel, we could fail to take advantage of the market for our products, adversely affecting our business, financial condition and operating results.
As we expand our product offerings, some of our products are, and others will be, regulated as drugs and be subject to different regulatory requirements.
As we have expanded our product offerings through organic growth and acquisitions, certain of our products are, and others will be, subject to the regulatory approval process for pharmaceuticals. This process is often a more lengthy, costly and complex process than obtaining regulatory approval for a medical device. The future success of our pharmaceutical and hybrid device and pharmaceutical products depends on our ability to complete clinical trials, and will require significant development activities, regulatory approvals, and substantial additional investment.
We have and may continue to enter into acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances or partnerships with third parties that could fail.
We have and may continue to enter into acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances, partnerships or undertake one or more of these transactions in order to retain our competitive position within the marketplace or to expand into new markets. Examples include our acquisitions of DOSE and Avedro, as well as our licensing of Santen’s Preserflo MicroShunt and the Intratus drug delivery platform. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully complete any future acquisition we choose to pursue, or that we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, product or technology in a cost-effective and non-disruptive manner. Our future successes will depend, in part, on our ability to manage an expanded business, which may pose substantial challenges for our management, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and associated increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in managing such expanded business or that we will realize the expected economies of scale, synergies and other benefits currently anticipated from recent or future acquisitions or strategic transactions. In addition, if we are unable to integrate any acquired businesses, products or technologies effectively, our business will likely suffer. Additionally, some of these collaborations, joint ventures, alliances and partnerships require us to invest a substantial amount of resources. These arrangements may be terminated before we are able to realize net sales to sufficiently cover the costs associated therewith, which could materially impact our business. We cannot assure you that any such transaction would result in the benefits expected from the transaction, including revenue growth, increased profitability or an enhancement in our business prospects. Achieving the benefits of any acquisition, including the DOSE and Avedro transactions, will depend, in part, on our ability to integrate the business, operations and products of the acquired entities successfully and efficiently with our business, which we may not be able to accomplish. Further, pursuing acquisitions, collaborations, in licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances or partnerships with third parties, whether or not completed, is costly and time-consuming and could distract Company management from the operation of the business, which could negatively impact our operating results.
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Failure to protect our information technology infrastructure against cyber-based attacks, network security breaches, service interruptions or data corruption could materially disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and operating results.
The efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage sales and marketing data, accounting and financial functions, inventory management, product development tasks, clinical data, customer service and technical support functions. Our information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters, terrorist attacks, power losses, computer system or data network failures, security breaches, data corruption and cyber-based attacks, including malicious software programs or other attacks, which have been attempted against us in the past. 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.
The failure to protect either our or our service providers’ information technology infrastructure could disrupt our entire operation or result in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, product shortages, loss or misuse of proprietary or confidential information, intellectual property or sensitive or personal information, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.
Failure to comply with data privacy and security laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to state, federal and foreign laws relating to data privacy and security in the conduct of our business, including state breach notification laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH), the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These laws affect how we collect and use data of our employees, consultants, customers and other parties. Furthermore, these laws impose substantial requirements that require the expenditure of significant funds and employee time to comply, and additional states and countries are enacting new data privacy and security laws, which will require future expansion of our compliance efforts. We also rely on third parties to host or otherwise process some of this data. In some instances, these third parties have experienced immaterial failures to protect data privacy. Any failure by a third party to prevent security breaches could have adverse consequences for us. We will need to expend additional resources and make significant investments to comply with data privacy and security laws. Our failure to comply with these laws or prevent security breaches of such data could result in significant liability under applicable laws, cause disruption to our business, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business.
We cannot be certain that our net operating loss tax carryforwards will be available to offset future taxable income.
At December 31, 2019, we had approximately $356.6 million, $144.0 million and $13.3 million of NOL carryforwards for federal, state and foreign purposes, respectively, available to offset future taxable income. The federal NOL carryforwards incurred prior to 2018 begin to expire in 2022, while a federal NOL carryforward of $103.1 million will not expire. The state NOL carryforwards will begin to expire in 2021. The foreign NOLs begin to expire in 2023. At December 31, 2019, we had federal and state research and development carryforwards of approximately $28.9 million and $12.8 million, respectively. Federal credits begin to expire in 2021, and state credits of $2.9 million begin to expire in 2023. The remaining state credits of $9.8 million carry over indefinitely. We continue to provide a valuation allowance against a significant portion of these tax attributes because we believe that uncertainty exists with respect to their future realization, as well as with respect to the amount of the tax attributes that will be available in future periods. Utilization of these tax attributes may be subject to annual limitations under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) Section 382 and Section 383 if the Company experiences an ownership change. To the extent available, we intend to use these tax attributes to offset future taxable income associated with our operations. There can be no assurance that we will generate sufficient taxable income in the carryforward period to utilize any remaining tax attributes before they expire.
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Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment
Our business, products and processes are subject to extensive regulation and it can be costly to comply with these regulations. Any failure to adhere to applicable regulations could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our products are subject to extensive government regulation in the U.S. by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state regulatory authorities and by foreign regulatory authorities in the countries in which we conduct business. These regulations relate to, among other things, research and development, design, testing, clinical trials, manufacturing, clearance or approval, environmental controls, safety and efficacy, labeling, advertising, promotion, pricing, recordkeeping, reporting, import and export, post-approval studies and the sale and distribution of our products. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation -- Regulation & Reimbursement in the U.S.” in Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020 for additional information.
The process of obtaining clearance or approvals to market a medical device, drug or other product can be expensive and lengthy, and we cannot guarantee that our current products will receive approval for additional indications or that our future products will receive clearance or approval on a timely basis, if at all. Delays in the commencement or completion of clinical trials or testing could significantly affect our product development costs. We do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll an adequate number of patients in a timely manner or be completed on schedule, if at all. Conducting clinical trials is a complex and expensive process, can take many years, and outcomes are inherently uncertain. We incur substantial expense for, and devote significant time to, clinical trials but cannot be certain that the trials will ever result in commercial sales. We may suffer significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after earlier clinical trials showed promising results, and failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. Any of our products may malfunction or may produce undesirable adverse effects that could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials. We, the clinical trial investigators, the independent review board responsible for overseeing the trial, the FDA, or another regulatory authority may suspend or terminate clinical trials at any time to avoid exposing trial participants to unacceptable health risks. Any delay or failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.
In some instances, we may pursue a regulatory approval pathway that proves unsuccessful. For example, we intend to seek FDA approval of a new drug application (NDA) under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) for our drug delivery implant, iDose. Section 505(b)(2) permits the filing of an NDA where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies that were not conducted by or for the applicant. If the FDA does not allow us to pursue the 505(b)(2) regulatory approval pathway for iDose as anticipated, we may need to conduct additional clinical trials, provide additional data and information and meet additional standards for regulatory approval. If this were to occur, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA approval would likely substantially increase. Moreover, the inability to pursue the 505(b)(2) regulatory approval pathway could result in new competitive products reaching the market faster than our product candidate, which could materially adversely impact our competitive position and prospects. We cannot assure you that we will receive the requisite or timely approvals for commercialization of our product candidates.
Even after we have obtained the proper regulatory clearance or approval to market a product, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations and applicable foreign laws and regulations. We and our suppliers are subject to extensive post-marketing regulatory requirements and failure to comply with applicable requirements could subject us to enforcement actions. Other post-market requirements that may regulate our products include registration and device listing, quality system requirements, reporting of adverse events and device malfunctions, reporting of corrections and removals, labeling requirements, and promotional restrictions. Our products could experience performance problems that require review and possible corrective action by us or a component supplier. Any recall, whether required by the FDA or another regulatory authority or initiated by us, could harm our reputation with customers and negatively affect our sales.
The FDA, state and foreign regulatory authorities have broad enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, state or foreign regulatory authorities, which may include any of the following sanctions:
● | untitled letters or warning letters; |
● | fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties; |
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● | recalls, termination of distribution, administrative detention, or seizure of our products; |
● | customer notifications or repair, replacement or refunds; |
● | operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production; |
● | delays in or refusal to grant our requests for future 510(k) clearances, NDA or pre-market approvals (PMA) or foreign regulatory approvals of new products, new intended uses, or modifications to existing products; |
● | withdrawals or suspensions of current 510(k) clearances, NDAs or PMAs or foreign regulatory approvals, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our products; |
● | FDA refusal to issue certificates to foreign governments needed to export products for sale in other countries; and |
● | criminal prosecution. |
Although we do not currently provide healthcare services, submit claims for third-party reimbursement, or receive payments directly from Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors for our products, we are subject to healthcare fraud, abuse and transparency regulations and enforcement by federal and state governments, including with respect to our marketing, training and other practices, which could significantly impact our business. To ensure compliance with Medicare, Medicaid and other regulations, government agencies or their contractors often conduct routine audits and request customer records and other documents to support claims submitted for payment of services rendered. Government agencies or their contractors also periodically open investigations and obtain information from healthcare providers.
The scope and enforcement of each of the laws applicable to our business and products is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the government regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs and the curtailment or restricting of our operations, any of which could harm our ability to operate our business and our financial results.
Legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system may affect our ability to sell our products profitably.
In the U.S. and in certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the regulatory and healthcare systems in ways that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably, if at all. In the U.S. in recent years, new legislation has been proposed and adopted at the federal and state levels that is effecting major changes in the healthcare system. In addition, new regulations and interpretations of existing healthcare statutes and regulations are frequently adopted.
In March 2010, the Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (ACA) was signed into law. The ACA substantially changes the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, encourages improvements in the quality of healthcare items and services and significantly impacts the medical device industry.
In May 2017, the EU adopted Medical Devices Regulation 2017/745 (MDR), which will repeal and replace the Medical Device Directive (MDD). MDR was set to take effect beginning May 26, 2020; however, the effective date of MDR has been postponed a year and is now anticipated to take effect beginning May 26, 2021. Although MDR does not set out a substantially different regulatory system, it provides for stricter controls of medical devices. Under provisions that govern the transition period until MDR takes effect, medical devices with notified body certificates issued under the MDD prior to May 26, 2020 may continue to be marketed and sold as long as those certificates are valid, until May 27, 2024 at the latest. After the expiration of any applicable transitional period, only devices that have been CE marked under MDR may be placed on the market in the EU.
If, as a result of legislative or regulatory healthcare reform, we cannot sell our products profitably, our business would be harmed. In addition, any change in the laws or regulations that govern the clearance and approval processes
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relating to our current and future products could make it more difficult and costly to obtain clearance or approval for new products, or to produce, market and distribute existing products.
As our growth strategy turns increasingly global, we are, and will continue to be, subject to a variety of risks associated with our international operations, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Our existing foreign operations, as well as our planned international growth, expose us to additional uncertainty and risks beyond regulatory authorization and reimbursement levels. Outside the U.S., we sell our products through direct sales organizations in sixteen countries and a network of third-party distribution partners in other markets. These international operations expose us and our subsidiaries and third-party distributors to a variety of risks including, without limitation, the following:
● | different, and in some cases more exacting and lengthy, regulatory approval processes and pricing and reimbursement systems; |
● | compliance with foreign regulations and laws, as well as U.S. laws that apply to activities in foreign jurisdictions, the adherence to which can be costly. Such regulations and laws expose us to penalties for non-compliance. These laws and regulations include various anti-bribery laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the United Kingdom Bribery Act, the French Sunshine Act, as well as privacy regulations such as the GDPR and export control regulations. Any failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations could impact us in a variety of ways that include, but are not limited to, significant criminal, civil and administrative penalties, including imprisonment of individuals, fines and penalties, denial of export privileges, seizure of shipments, restrictions on certain business activities and exclusion or debarment from government contracting; |
● | difficulties enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending against third-party threats and intellectual property enforcement actions against us, our distributors, or any of our third-party suppliers; |
● | reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; |
● | pricing pressure that we may experience internationally; |
● | foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; |
● | a shortage of high-quality sales people and distributors, and the difficulties of managing foreign operations; |
● | the availability and level of third-party coverage and reimbursement within prevailing foreign healthcare systems that may require some of the patients who would be good candidates for procedures using products to directly absorb medical costs, the ability of those patients to elect to privately pay for procedures using products, or the potential necessity to reduce the selling prices of our products; |
● | relative disadvantages compared to competitors with more recognizable names, longer operating histories and better established distribution networks and customer relationships; |
● | political and economic instability; |
● | changes in duties and tariffs, license obligations and other non-tariff barriers to trade; |
● | the imposition of restrictions on the activities of foreign agents, representatives and distributors; |
● | scrutiny of foreign tax authorities that could result in significant fines, penalties and additional taxes being imposed on us; |
● | laws and business practices favoring local companies; |
● | longer sales and payment cycles; |
● | difficulties in maintaining consistency with our internal guidelines; |
● | difficulties in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through certain foreign legal systems; |
● | the imposition of costly and lengthy new export licensing requirements and restrictions, particularly relating to technology; |
● | international terrorism and anti-U.S. sentiment; and |
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● | the imposition of U.S. or international sanctions against a country, company, person or entity with whom we do business that would restrict or prohibit continued business with the sanctioned country, company, person or entity. |
If we experience any of these risks, our sales in non-U.S. jurisdictions may be harmed, our results of operations would suffer, and our business prospects would be negatively impacted.
Legislative changes may also impact our operations. The United Kingdom (U.K.) held a referendum on June 23, 2016 in which voters approved withdrawal from the EU (commonly referred to as Brexit). On January 31, 2020, the U.K. withdrew from the EU. The future relationship between the U.K. and the EU remains uncertain as the U.K. and the EU work through the transition period that provides time for them to negotiate the details of their future relationship. The transition period maintains all existing trading arrangements. The transition period is currently expected to end on December 31, 2020, and, if no agreement is reached, the default scenario would be a “no-deal” Brexit. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the U.K. will leave the EU with no agreements in place beyond any temporary arrangements that have or may be put in place by the EU or individual EU member states, and the U.K. as part of no-deal contingency efforts and those conferred by mutual membership of the World Trade Organization. It is possible that as a result of Brexit there will be greater restrictions on imports and exports into and out of the U.K. and EU countries and regulatory complexities that could adversely impact the Company.
Our operations involve hazardous materials, and we must comply with environmental laws and regulations, which can be expensive.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local regulations relating to the use, handling, storage and disposal of, and human exposure to, hazardous and toxic materials. We could incur costs, fines, and civil and criminal sanctions, third-party property damage or personal injury claims, or could be required to incur substantial investigation or remediation costs, if we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws. Compliance with current or future environmental and safety laws and regulations could restrict our ability to expand our facilities, impair our research, development or production efforts, or require us to incur other significant expenses. There can be no assurance that violations of environmental laws or regulations will not occur in the future as a result of the inability to obtain permits, human error, accident, equipment failure or other causes.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property, our competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, which would substantially impair our ability to compete.
Our success and ability to compete depends significantly upon our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our proprietary rights and licensed intellectual property rights to the technologies and inventions used in or embodied by our products. We rely on a combination of patents and trademark rights, and to a lesser extent on trade secrets and copyrights, together with licenses and nondisclosure agreements to protect our technologies. These legal means, however, afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our business. We also have not pursued or maintained, and may not pursue or maintain in the future, patent protection for our products in every country or territory in which we sell or will in the future sell our products. In addition, we cannot be sure that any of our pending patent applications or pending trademark applications will issue or that, if issued, they will issue in a form that will be advantageous to us.
Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to adequately protect these rights, which could substantially impair our ability to compete. Our patents may be challenged and held invalid or we may be unable to extend the protection on products with expiring patents. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. Further, although it is our policy to require each of our employees, consultants and any other parties who may be involved in the development of intellectual property on our behalf to execute proprietary information and inventions agreements, we may be unsuccessful in doing so with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The relevant assignment provisions may not be self-executing or may be breached, resulting in ownership disputes and/or litigation.
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We have a number of foreign patents and patent applications, and expect to pursue patent protection in the most significant markets in which we do business. The laws of other countries in which our product offerings are or may be sold may not protect our product offerings and intellectual property to the same extent as U.S. laws, if at all. Many companies have encountered significant difficulties in obtaining, protecting and defending such rights in international markets. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, and certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. We also may be unable to protect our rights in trade secrets and unpatented proprietary technology in these countries. If we encounter such difficulties or we are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights in these jurisdictions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be substantially harmed.
We may not be able to accurately estimate or control our future operating expenses in relation to obtaining, enforcing and/or defending intellectual property, which could lead to cash shortfalls. Our operating expenses may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of the costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other patent related costs, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation or costs associated with administrative proceedings and the results of such proceedings.
We have been and may in the future become involved in patent and other intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings relating to our intellectual property rights, which could be costly, time consuming and unsuccessful and could interfere with our ability to successfully commercialize our products.
Intellectual property rights are essential to our business. We have asserted and may in the future need to assert claims of infringement against third parties to protect our rights, or to invalidate or challenge the intellectual property rights of a third party, including those rights owned by our competitors. For example, see Note 11, Commitments and Contingencies, of our notes to consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for a description of our legal proceedings. Additionally, third parties could assert infringement or misappropriation claims against us with respect to our current or future commercial products and seek to invalidate one or more of our patents or trademarks. Intellectual property disputes often involve complex legal and factual questions, and could result in significant costs, substantial damages and our inability to manufacture, market or sell our existing or future products that are found to infringe. Even if we were to prevail in any such action, the litigation or administrative proceeding could result in substantial cost and diversion of resources that could materially and adversely affect our business. Such claims could arise in situations where certain employees, consultants or contractors were previous, or are currently, employed by other medical device, biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the intellectual property, proprietary information, know-how or trade secrets of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, misappropriated the intellectual property or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information, of these former employers or competitors.
There is no guarantee that we would be successful enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights in court. A court could hold that some or all of our asserted intellectual property rights are not infringed, or could invalidate our rights, hold our rights unenforceable, or substantially narrow the scope of protection. Further, we could be prohibited from selling our products or a court could order us to pay compensatory damages as well as other penalties and fines. Any such adverse result would undermine our competitive position. Regardless of the final outcome, any litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights in patents, copyrights, trade secrets or trademarks is highly unpredictable and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Being a Public Company and Our Common Stock
Risks generally associated with a company-wide implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system may adversely affect our business and results of operations or the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.
We are in the process of implementing a company-wide ERP system to upgrade certain existing business, operational, and financial processes. Our ERP implementation is a complex and time-consuming project. Our results of operations could be adversely affected if we experience time delays or cost overruns during the ERP implementation process, or if the ERP system or associated process changes do not give rise to the benefits that we expect. This project has required and may continue to require investment of capital and human resources, the re-engineering of processes of
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our business, and the attention of many employees who would otherwise be focused on other aspects of our business. Any deficiencies in the design and implementation of the new ERP system could result in higher costs than we had anticipated and could adversely affect our ability to develop and launch solutions, provide services, fulfill contractual obligations, file reports with the SEC in a timely manner, operate our business or otherwise affect our controls environment. Any of these consequences could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, because the ERP is a new system and we have no prior experience with it, there is an increased risk that one or more of our financial controls may fail. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If our independent registered public accounting firm determines that we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the New York Stock Exchange, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.
The price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially.
The market price for our common stock may fluctuate depending upon many factors, including, but not limited to:
● | the depth and liquidity of the market for our common stock; |
● | volume, timing and nature of orders for our products; |
● | developments generally affecting our industry; |
● | actual or anticipated quarterly variation in our results of operations or the results of our competitors; |
● | the announcements by us or our competitors of new products or product enhancements, significant contracts, commercial relationships or capital commitments; |
● | developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights; |
● | issuance of new or changes in earnings estimates or recommendations or reports by securities analysts; |
● | investor perceptions of us and our business, including changes in market valuations of medical device companies; |
● | actions by institutional or other large stockholders; |
● | commencement of, or our involvement in, litigation; |
● | failure to achieve significant sales; |
● | manufacturing disruptions that could occur if we were unable to successfully expand our production in our current or an alternative facility; |
● | any future sales of our common stock or other securities; |
● | any major change to the composition of our board of directors or management; |
● | our results of operations and financial performance, including any failure to achieve publicly disclosed forecasts or guidance; and |
● | general economic, industry and market conditions. |
In addition, the market price of the stocks of medical device, medical technology, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life science companies have experienced significant volatility that often does not relate to the operating performance of the companies represented by the stock. These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance.
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Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.
Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws include provisions that:
● | authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 5,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock; |
● | require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be affected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent; |
● | specify that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by our board of directors, the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer or the president; |
● | establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors; |
● | establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered three year terms; |
● | provide that our directors may be removed only for cause by a supermajority vote of our stockholders; |
● | provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum; |
● | specify that no stockholder is permitted to cumulate votes at any election of directors; and |
● | require a supermajority vote of the stockholders and a majority vote of the board to amend certain of the above-mentioned provisions and our bylaws. |
These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us.
Our charter provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between the Company and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees.
The Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Glaukos (the Glaukos Charter) provides that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company or its stockholders, (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Glaukos Charter or our bylaws, or (iv) any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision is intended to apply to claims arising under Delaware state law and would not apply to claims brought pursuant to the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. The exclusive forum provision in the Glaukos Charter will not relieve us of our duties to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with these laws, rules and regulations.
This exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with the combined company or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against the Company and its directors, officers and other employees. In addition, stockholders who do bring a claim in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near Delaware. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware may also reach
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different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to the Company than to our stockholders. However, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find this type of provision to be inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings. If a court were to find the exclusive forum provision contained in the Glaukos Charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we might incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.
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Item 6. Exhibits
Incorporated by Reference | ||||||||||
Exhibit No. | Description | Form | File No. | Exhibit | Filing Date | |||||
2.1 | 8-K | 1-37463 | 2.1 | 8/7/2019 | ||||||
3.1 | 8-K | 1-37463 | 3.1 | 06/30/2015 | ||||||
3.2 | 8-K | 1-37463 | 3.2 | 06/30/2015 | ||||||
10.1 | Form of Voting Agreement between Glaukos Corporation and certain stockholders of Avedro, Inc. | 8-K | 1-37463 | 10.1 | 8/7/2019 | |||||
10.2+* | ||||||||||
31.1 | ||||||||||
31.2 | ||||||||||
32.1 | ||||||||||
32.2 | ||||||||||
101.INS | XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document | |||||||||
101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Schema Linkbase Document | |||||||||
101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document | |||||||||
101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase Document | |||||||||
101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Labels Linkbase Document | |||||||||
101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document | |||||||||
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page interactive data file does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL +Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement. *Filed herewith. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Clemente, State of California, on May 7, 2020.
GLAUKOS CORPORATION | ||
By: | /s/ THOMAS W. BURNS | |
Thomas W. Burns | ||
Chief Executive Officer and President (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
By: | /s/ JOSEPH E. GILLIAM | |
Joseph E. Gilliam | ||
Chief Financial Officer and Sr. Vice President, Corporate Development (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer) |
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