UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
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QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended
or
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission File Number:
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
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(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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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 definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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Large accelerated filer |
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Accelerated filer |
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Non-accelerated filer |
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Smaller reporting company |
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Emerging growth company |
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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 July 30, 2020, there were
Nevro Corp.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2
PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
Nevro Corp.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
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June 30, |
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December 31, |
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2020 |
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2019 |
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Assets |
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Current assets |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
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$ |
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$ |
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Short-term investments |
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Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $ June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively |
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Inventories |
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Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
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Total current assets |
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Property and equipment, net |
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Operating lease assets |
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Other assets |
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Restricted cash |
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Total assets |
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$ |
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$ |
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Liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
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Current liabilities |
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Accounts payable |
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$ |
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$ |
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Accrued liabilities |
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Short-term debt |
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— |
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Other current liabilities |
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Total current liabilities |
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Long-term debt |
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Long-term operating lease liabilities |
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Other long-term liabilities |
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Total liabilities |
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Commitments and contingencies (Note 6) |
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Stockholders’ equity |
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Preferred stock, $ and December 31, 2019; and December 31, 2019 |
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Common stock, $ 2020 and December 31, 2019; outstanding at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
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Accumulated deficit |
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Total stockholders’ equity |
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Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
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$ |
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$ |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
Nevro Corp.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
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Three Months Ended |
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Six Months Ended |
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June 30, |
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June 30, |
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2020 |
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2019 |
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2020 |
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2019 |
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Revenue |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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Cost of revenue |
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Gross profit |
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Operating expenses |
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Research and development |
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Sales, general and administrative |
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Total operating expenses |
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Loss from operations |
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( |
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Interest income |
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Interest expense |
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Other income (expense), net |
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( |
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Loss before income taxes |
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( |
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( |
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Provision for income taxes |
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Net loss |
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Other comprehensive loss: |
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Changes in foreign currency translation adjustment |
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Changes in unrealized gains on short-term investments, net |
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Net change in other comprehensive loss |
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Comprehensive loss |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
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Net loss per share, basic and diluted |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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Weighted average number of common shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
Nevro Corp.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(unaudited)
(in thousands, except share data)
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020
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Additional |
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Accumulated |
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Total |
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Common Stock |
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Paid-In |
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Accumulated |
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Other Comprehensive |
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Stockholders' |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Capital |
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Deficit |
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Income (Loss) |
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Equity |
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Balances at December 31, 2019 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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Exercise of common stock options |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Issuance of common stock upon release of restricted stock units |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Shares withheld for tax obligations |
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( |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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Stock based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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( |
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Other comprehensive loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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( |
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Balances at March 31, 2020 |
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( |
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( |
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Issuance of common stock upon underwritten public offering, net of issuance costs |
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— |
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— |
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Conversion feature of convertible senior notes due 2025, net of allocated costs |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Purchase of bond hedges |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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Sale of warrants |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Exercise of common stock options |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Issuance of common stock upon release of restricted stock units |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Shares withheld for tax obligations |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Stock based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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( |
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Other comprehensive loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Balances at June 30, 2020 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019
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Additional |
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Accumulated |
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Total |
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Common Stock |
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Paid-In |
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Accumulated |
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Other Comprehensive |
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Stockholders' |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Capital |
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Deficit |
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Income (Loss) |
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Equity |
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Balances at December 31, 2018 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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Exercise of common stock options |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Issuance of common stock upon release of restricted stock units |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Shares withheld for tax obligations |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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Stock based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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Other comprehensive loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Balances at March 31, 2019 |
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( |
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( |
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Exercise of common stock options |
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— |
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— |
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Issuance of common stock upon release of restricted stock units |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Shares withheld for tax obligations |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Stock based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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Other comprehensive loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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( |
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Balances at June 30, 2019 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
Nevro Corp.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(unaudited)
(in thousands)
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Six Months Ended |
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June 30, |
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2020 |
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2019 |
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Cash flows from operating activities |
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Net loss |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
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Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities |
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Depreciation and amortization |
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Amortization of operating lease assets |
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Stock-based compensation expense |
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Accretion of discount on short-term investments |
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( |
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( |
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Provision for doubtful accounts |
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Write-down of inventory |
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Loss on disposal of equipment |
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— |
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Non-cash interest expense |
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Unrealized (gains) losses on foreign currency transactions |
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( |
) |
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( |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities |
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Accounts receivable |
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Inventories |
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( |
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( |
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Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
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( |
) |
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Other assets |
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( |
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Accounts payable |
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( |
) |
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Accrued liabilities |
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( |
) |
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Other long-term liabilities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Cash flows from investing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchases of short-term investments |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Proceeds from maturity of short-term investments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Repayment from (investment in) private company |
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
Purchases of property and equipment |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from issuance of common stock in public offering, net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Convertible notes debt issuance costs |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
Proceeds from issuance of warrants |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Purchase of convertible note hedges |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
Minimum tax withholding paid on behalf of employees for net share settlement |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Proceeds from issuance of common stock to employees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Significant non-cash transactions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchases of property and equipment in accounts payable |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
6
Nevro Corp.
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
1. Formation and Business of the Company
Nevro Corp. (the Company) was incorporated in Minnesota on March 10, 2006 to manufacture and market innovative active implantable medical devices for the treatment of neurological disorders initially focusing on the treatment of chronic pain. Subsequently, the Company was reincorporated in Delaware on October 4, 2006 and relocated to California.
Since inception, the Company has cumulatively incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operations. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company incurred a net loss of $
The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2020 and for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, and the related interim information contained within the notes to the financial statements, are unaudited. The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and on the same basis as the audited financial statements included on the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (Annual Report) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 25, 2020. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to state fairly the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 2020, and the results of its operations and cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. All such adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. The interim financial data as of June 30, 2020 is not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020, or for any future period.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 included in the Annual Report.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The condensed consolidated financial statements include the Company’s accounts and those of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Other Risks and Uncertainties
The Company is subject to risks related to the public health crises such as the global pandemic associated with COVID-19, which has spread to most countries and all 50 states within the United States. The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact the Company’s operations and revenues and overall financial condition by decreasing the number of Senza systems procedures performed. The number of Senza systems procedures performed, similar to other elective surgical procedures, has decreased as health care organizations globally have prioritized the treatment of patients with COVID-19. For example, in the United States, some governmental authorities have recommended, and in certain cases required, that elective, specialty and other procedures and appointments, be suspended or canceled to avoid non-essential patient exposure to medical environments and potential infection with COVID-19 and to focus limited resources and personnel capacity toward the treatment of COVID-
7
19. These measures and challenges may continue for the duration of the pandemic, which is uncertain, and will reduce our revenue while the pandemic continues.
In addition, the Company is also subject to risks common to medical device companies, including, but not limited to, new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations, product liability, manufacturing quality and scaling, continued reimbursement from third-party payors, uncertainty of market acceptance of products and the need to obtain additional financing. The Company is dependent on third-party manufacturers and suppliers, which, in some cases, are sole- or single-source suppliers.
There can be no assurance that the Company’s products or services will continue to be accepted in its existing marketplaces, nor can there be any assurance that any future products or services can be developed or manufactured at an acceptable cost and with appropriate performance characteristics, or that such products or services will be successfully marketed, if at all.
The Company may choose to raise additional funds to further enhance its research and development efforts, for product expansion opportunities or to acquire a new business or products that are complementary to its business. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available or will be at terms acceptable by the Company.
Segments
The chief operating decision maker for the Company is the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis, accompanied by information about revenue by geographic region, for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. The Company has
Revenue by geography is based on the billing address of the customer.
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
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Six Months Ended |
|
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|
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|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
United States |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
% |
Long-lived assets and operating income located outside the United States are not material; therefore, disclosures have been limited to revenue.
Foreign Currency Translation
The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in U.S. dollars (USD). Its foreign subsidiaries use their local currency as their functional currency and maintain their records in the local currency. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated into USD using the current exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and equity accounts are translated into USD using historical rates. Revenues and expenses are translated using the monthly average exchange rates during the period when the transaction occurs. The resulting foreign currency translation adjustments from this process are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the consolidated balance sheets.
Unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses from the remeasurement of assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the reporting entity are recorded in other income (expense), net. Additionally, realized gains and losses resulting from transactions denominated in currencies other than the local currency are recorded in other income (expense), net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
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Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Net unrealized foreign currency gain (loss) |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Net realized foreign currency gain (loss) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
8
As the Company’s international operations grow, its risks associated with fluctuations in currency rates will become greater, and the Company will continue to reassess its approach to managing this risk. In addition, currency fluctuations or a weakening USD can increase the costs of the Company’s international expansion. To date, the Company has not entered into any foreign currency hedging contracts. Based on its current international structure, the Company does not plan on engaging in hedging activities in the near future.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant accounting estimates and management judgments reflected in the condensed consolidated financial statements include items such as allowances for doubtful accounts; warranty obligations; clinical accruals; stock-based compensation; depreciation and amortization periods; inventory valuation; valuation of investments; and accounting for income taxes. Estimates are based on historical experience, where applicable, and other assumptions believed to be reasonable by the management. Actual results may differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist of cash, cash equivalents and investments. The majority of the Company’s cash is held by one financial institution in the United States and is in excess of federally insured limits. The Company maintained investments in money market funds that were not federally insured during the periods ended June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019. The Company also held cash in foreign banks of approximately $
The Company’s convertible note hedge transactions, entered into in connection with the
In the international markets in which the Company participates, the Company uses a combination of a direct sales force, sales agents and independent distributors to sell its products, while in the United States the Company utilizes a direct sales force. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its direct customers and distributors, does not require collateral, and maintains allowances for potential credit losses on customer accounts when deemed necessary.
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019,
Credit Losses
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which replaces existing incurred loss impairment guidance and establishes a single allowance framework for financial assets carried at amortized cost. The Company adopted Topic 326 on January 1, 2020, using a modified retrospective transition method, which requires a cumulative-effect adjustment, if any, to the opening balance of retained earnings to be recognized on the date of adoption with prior periods not restated. The Company did not have any cumulative-effect adjustments.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of certain of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to their relatively short maturities.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly-liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include money market funds in the amount of $
9
Restricted Cash
Restricted cash as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 consists of a letter of credit of $
Investment Securities
The Company classifies its investment securities as available-for-sale. Those investments with original maturities greater than three months at the date of purchase and remaining maturities of less than 12 months are considered short-term investments. Those investments with remaining maturities greater than 12 months at the date of purchase are also classified as short-term investments as management considers them to be available for current operations if needed. The Company’s investment securities classified as available-for-sale are recorded at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses, deemed temporary in nature, are reported as a separate component of accumulated comprehensive income (loss).
A decline in the fair value of any security below cost that is deemed other than temporary results in a charge to earnings and the corresponding establishment of a new cost basis for the security. Premiums (discounts) are amortized (accreted) over the life of the related security as an adjustment to yield using the straight-line interest method. Dividend and interest income are recognized when earned. Realized gains and losses are included in earnings and are derived using the specific identification method for determining the cost of securities sold.
The Company’s investment securities at any point in time may include agency bonds, commercial paper, corporate notes and money market funds. The Company segments its investment portfolio based on security type and the underlying risk profiles of the securities. The Company regularly reviews the securities in an unrealized loss position and evaluates the current expected credit loss by considering factors such as historical experience, market data, issuer-specific factors, current economic conditions and credit ratings.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the standard cost method which approximates the first-in, first-out basis. Net realizable value is determined as the prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. The Company regularly reviews inventory quantities compared to forecasted sales to record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory when appropriate. Inventory write-downs are recorded for excess and obsolete inventory. The Company estimates forecasted sales by considering product acceptance in the marketplace, customer demand, historical sales, product obsolescence and technological innovations.
The Company’s policy is to write down inventory that has become obsolete, inventory that has a cost basis in excess of its expected lower of cost or net realizable value, and inventory in excess of expected requirements. The estimate of excess quantities is judgmental and primarily dependent on the Company’s estimates of future demand for a particular product. If the estimate of future demand is inaccurate based on actual sales, the Company may increase the write-down for excess inventory for that component and record a charge to inventory impairment in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of inventory on hand for potential excess amount over demand using the same lower of cost or net realizable value approach as that has been used to value the inventory. The Company also periodically evaluates inventory quantities in consideration of actual loss experience. As a result of these evaluations, the Company recognized total write-downs of $
Shipping and Handling Costs
The Company has made the accounting policy election under ASC 606 to account for shipping and handling costs as a fulfillment activity. These costs are accrued when the related revenue is recognized.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with customers are satisfied, which occurs with the transfer of control of the Company’s goods to its customers. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring the goods.
10
For a majority of sales, where the Company’s sales representative delivers its product at the point of implantation at hospitals or medical facilities, the Company recognizes revenue upon completion of the procedure and authorization, which represents the point in time when control transfers to the customers.
For the remaining sales, which are sent from the Company’s distribution centers directly to hospitals and medical facilities, as well as distributor sales, where product is ordered in advance of an implantation, the transfer of control occurs at the time of shipment of the product. These customers are obligated to pay within specified terms regardless of when or if they ever sell or use the products. The Company does not offer rights of return or price protection. To the extent the Company has a post-delivery obligation, such as programming devices that have been delivered as part of a direct-ship order, the Company defers revenue and the associated cost of goods sold associated with the post-delivery obligation only if the amounts are deemed material.
Sales, value add, and other taxes the Company collects concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. The expected costs associated with warranty obligations continue to be recognized as expense when the products are sold (see Note 6). The Company periodically provides incentive offers, in the form of rebates, to customers based on their aggregate levels of purchases. Product revenue is recorded net of such incentive offers.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
The Company makes estimates of the collectability of accounts receivable. In doing so, the Company analyzes historical bad debt trends, customer credit worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment patterns when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company recognized bad debt expenses of $
Warranty Obligations
The Company provides a
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation of property and equipment, other than leasehold improvements, is computed using the straight-line method over the assets’ estimated useful lives of three to
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group might not be recoverable. When such an event occurs, management determines whether there has been impairment by comparing the anticipated undiscounted future net cash flows to the related asset group’s carrying value. If an asset is considered impaired, the asset is written down to fair value, which is based either on discounted cash flows or appraised value, depending on the nature of the asset. There were
Income Taxes
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company calculated its interim tax provision to record taxes incurred on a discrete basis due to the variability of taxable income in the jurisdictions in which it operates. The provision for income taxes for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 is primarily comprised of foreign and state taxes based upon income earned during the period with no tax benefit recorded for the loss jurisdiction.
The Company records uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) a determination is made as to whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained based on the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is
11
greater than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to income taxes as a component of income tax expense.
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss) represents all changes in the stockholders’ equity except those resulting from distributions to stockholders. The Company’s changes in unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale investment securities and foreign currency translation adjustments represent the components of other comprehensive income (loss) that are excluded from the reported net loss and have been presented in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Research and Development
Research and development costs, including new product development, regulatory compliance and clinical research, are charged to operations as incurred in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Such costs include personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation, supplies, services, depreciation, facilities and information services, clinical trial and related clinical manufacturing expenses, fees paid to investigative sites and other indirect costs.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation arrangements with employees in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation. ASC 718 requires the recognition of compensation expense, using a fair value-based method, for costs related to all share-based payments including stock options.
In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-09, Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Shared-Based Payment Accounting, which the Company adopted on January 1, 2017. Under ASU 2016-09, entities are permitted to make an accounting policy election to either estimate forfeitures on share-based payment awards, as previously required, or to recognize forfeitures as they occur. The Company has elected to continue to estimate forfeitures expected to occur to determine the amount of compensation cost recognized in each period. ASU 2016-09 also requires that entities recognize, on a prospective basis, all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur. The adoption did not result in a cumulative-effect adjustment to accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2017 using the modified retrospective method. Additionally, under ASU 2016-09, excess tax benefits are classified as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. The Company has elected the presentation of excess tax benefits in the statement of cash flows using the prospective transition method.
The Company’s determination of the fair value of stock options on the date of grant utilizes the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, and is impacted by its common stock price as well as changes in assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, the expected term that options will remain outstanding, the expected common stock price volatility over the term of the option awards, risk-free interest rates and expected dividends. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately how much stock-based compensation expense is recognized.
The fair value of stock options is recognized over the period during which an optionee is required to provide services in exchange for the option award, known as the requisite service period (usually the vesting period), on a straight-line basis. Stock-based compensation expense recognized at fair value includes the impact of estimated forfeitures. The Company estimates future forfeitures at the date of grant and revises the estimates, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
The Company estimates the fair value of the rights to purchase shares by employees under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan using the Black-Scholes option pricing formula. The Employee Stock Purchase Plan provides for consecutive offering periods and the Company uses its own historical volatility data in the valuation.
Equity instruments issued to non-employees are recorded at their fair value on the measurement date and are subject to periodic adjustments as the underlying equity instruments vest. The fair value of options granted to consultants is expensed when vested.
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation for the restricted stock units at their fair value, based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date. These costs are recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting term of
The Company also issues stock options and restricted stock units with vesting based upon completion of performance goals. The fair value for these performance-based awards is recognized over the period during which the goals are to be achieved. Stock-based
12
compensation expense recognized at fair value includes the impact of estimated probability that the goals would be achieved, which is assessed prior to the requisite service period for the specific goals.
In March 2019, the Company granted performance stock units (PSUs) to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The number of shares to be issued upon vesting are based on the total shareholder return of the Company’s common stock compared to the S&P Healthcare Equipment Select Industry Index (the Index), subject to an upward adjustment based on the Company’s absolute stock price performance over the specified measurement period.
In March 2020, the Company granted PSUs to certain members of the management team. The number of shares to be issued upon vesting is based on the total shareholder return of the Company’s common stock compared to the Index, as well as certain performance criteria related to a specific financial target over a two-year performance period. These PSUs may become eligible for vesting before the end of the two-year performance period. The Company has and will assess the achievement status of these PSUs on a quarterly basis and records the related stock-based compensation expenses based on the estimated achievement payout. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company determined that the achievement status for these PSUs was not possible, and therefore did not record stock-based compensation expenses related to these grants. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, the Company modified the performance criteria for these PSUs to reflect the changed market conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and granted the Company’s CEO PSUs, incorporating the same modified performance criteria. Stock-based compensation expenses for these PSUs were recorded in the three months ended June 30, 2020.
All granted PSUs are subject to the grantees’ continued service to the Company through the applicable vesting date. If the performance metrics are not met within the specified time limits, the PSUs will be canceled. The fair value of the PSUs is determined on the date of grant using a Monte Carlo simulation model, which is based on a larger number of possible stock price outcomes for the Company’s stock and the Index. The use of the Monte Carlo simulation model requires the input of certain assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility of the Company and members of the Index, correlation between changes in the stock price of the Company and members of the Index, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends, as applicable. The fair value of the PSUs is recognized over the specified measurement period on a straight-line basis.
Upon adoption of ASU 2016-09 as described above, excess tax benefits or deficiencies from share-based award activity are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations as a component of the provision for income taxes, whereas they were previously recognized as additional paid-in capital.
Net Loss per Share of Common Stock
Basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for potentially dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares and potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the period. For purposes of the diluted net loss per share calculation, the Company’s restricted stock units and options to purchase shares of common stock are considered to be potentially dilutive securities. Because the Company has reported a net loss in all periods presented, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share for those periods.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This ASU eliminates certain exceptions related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences related to changes in ownership of equity method investments and foreign subsidiaries. ASU 2019-12 also simplifies aspects of accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates, and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. ASU 2019-12 is effective for public entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not determined the potential effects of the guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
3. Lease Accounting
Adoption of ASC 842
On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted the new accounting standard ASC 842, Leases, which requires entities to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than
The Company adopted the new lease standard using the transition method that allowed entities to initially apply ASC 842 at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption (the
13
optional transition method). The Company elected the package of transitional practical expedients, such that, for leases existing prior to the adoption of ASC 842, the Company will not need to reassess whether contracts are leases, will retain historical lease classification and historical initial direct costs classification. The Company also elected the hindsight practical expedient to determine the lease term for existing leases. Operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of minimum lease payments over the remaining lease term. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on information available when determining the lease liabilities. Lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term.
Adoption of the new lease standard resulted in the recording of operating lease assets of $
|
|
|
Balance at |
|
|
Adjustments Due |
|
|
Balance at |
|
|||
|
|
|
December 31, 2018 |
|
|
to ASC 842 |
|
|
January 1, 2019 |
|
|||
|
Balance Sheet: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating lease assets |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Other current liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term operating lease liabilities |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other long-term liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
The Company has operating leases for office space, warehouse, research and development facilities and equipment. Leases with terms of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet, as the related lease expenses are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company accounts for lease components (such as fixed payments) separately from non-lease components (such as common area expenses).
The weighted average lease terms and discounts rates are as follows:
|
|
|
June 30, 2020 |
|
|
December 31, 2019 |
|
||
|
Operating Lease Term and Discount Rate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-average remaining lease term |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Weighted-average discount rate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
As of June 30, 2020, the maturity of lease liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
Operating Leases |
|
|
|
2020, remaining months |
|
$ |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
Thereafter |
|
|
|
|
|
Total lease payments |
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Interest |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Present value of lease liabilities |
|
$ |
|
|
Supplemental lease cost information are as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Operating lease cost |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Supplemental balance sheet information are as follows (in thousands):
14
|
|
|
June 30, 2020 |
|
|
December 31, 2019 |
|
||
|
Operating Leases: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating lease assets |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other current liabilities |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Long term operating lease liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating lease liabilities |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Supplemental cash flow information are as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating cash flow from operating leases |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
See Note 6 for further details of the Company’s lease commitments.
4. Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or an exit price paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.
The fair value hierarchy defines a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements as follows:
|
|
• |
Level 1—Observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. |
|
|
• |
Level 2—Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. |
|
|
• |
Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. |
Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
The Company’s cash equivalents are comprised of investments in money market funds that are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. The Company’s money market funds are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy and are valued based on quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. The Company’s short-term investments are comprised of commercial paper and corporate notes. All short-term investments have been classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because of the sufficient observable inputs for revaluation. The Company’s Level 2 investments are valued using third-party pricing sources. The pricing services utilize industry-standard valuation models, including both income and market-based approaches, for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly, to estimate fair value. These inputs include reported trades of and broker/dealer quotes on the same or similar investments, issuer credit spreads, benchmark investments, prepayment/default projections based on historical data and other observable inputs.
|
Balance as of June 30, 2020 |
|
Level 1 |
|
|
Level 2 |
|
|
Level 3 |
|
|
Total |
|
||||
|
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market funds (i) |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Agency bonds (iii) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial paper (ii) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate notes (ii) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Treasury bonds (iii) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
15
|
Balance as of December 31, 2019 |
|
Level 1 |
|
|
Level 2 |
|
|
Level 3 |
|
|
Total |
|
||||
|
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market funds (i) |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Agency bonds (iii) |
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial paper (iii) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate notes (iii) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
(i) |
|
|
(ii) |
|
|
(iii) |
|
Convertible Senior Notes
As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the fair value of the
5. Balance Sheet Components
Investments
The fair value of the Company’s cash equivalents and short-term investments approximates their respective carrying amounts due to their short-term maturity.
|
|
|
June 30, 2020 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
Amortized Cost |
|
|
Gross Unrealized Holding Gains |
|
|
Gross Unrealized Holding Losses |
|
|
Aggregate Fair Value |
|
||||
|
Investment Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Agency bonds |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
|
Commercial paper (i) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate notes (i) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Treasury bonds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total securities |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2019 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
Amortized Cost |
|
|
Gross Unrealized Holding Gains |
|
|
Gross Unrealized Holding Losses |
|
|
Aggregate Fair Value |
|
||||
|
Investment Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Agency bonds |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Commercial paper |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate notes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Total securities |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
|
(i) |
|
Realized gains or losses and other-than-temporary impairments, if any, on available-for-sale securities are reported in other income (expense), net as incurred. The cost of securities sold is determined based on the specific identification method. The amount of realized gains and realized losses on investments recorded for the periods presented has not been material.
The contractual maturities of the Company’s investment securities as of June 30, 2020 were as follows (in thousands):
16
|
|
|
Amortized Cost |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
||
|
Amounts maturing within one year |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Amounts maturing after one year through five years |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total investment securities |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Inventories (in thousands)
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
Raw materials |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Finished goods |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total inventories |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Property and Equipment, Net (in thousands)
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
Laboratory equipment |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Computer equipment and software |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Furniture and fixtures |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leasehold improvements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Construction in process |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Property and equipment, net |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
The Company recognized depreciation and amortization expense on property and equipment as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Depreciation and amortization expense |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Accrued Liabilities (in thousands)
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
Accrued payroll and related expenses |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Accrued professional fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued taxes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued clinical and research expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued interest |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued warranty |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total accrued liabilities |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
6. Commitments and Contingencies
Operating Leases
In
17
the final year of the amended lease term.
The Company entered into a separate non-cancellable facility lease for warehouse space beginning on
See Note 3 for further discussion on Lease Accounting.
Warranty Obligations
The Company warrants that its products will operate substantially in conformity with product specifications and has a
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Beginning balance |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Provision for warranty |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Utilization |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Ending balance |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
License Agreement
In October 2006, the Company entered into an amended and restated license agreement with the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (Mayo) and the Venturi Group LLC (VGL), which provides the Company access to certain know-how and licensed patents owned by Mayo and VGL for treatment of central, autonomic and peripheral nervous system disorders, including pain, using devices to modulate nerve signaling. The licenses granted are exclusive and the Company has the right to sub-license.
Per the terms of the license, the Company is required to pay royalties based on the greater of earned royalties or a minimum royalty. The earned royalty is based on a percentage of net sales of licensed products either by the Company or the sub-licensee. The minimum royalty payment is based on royalty periods as defined in the agreement.
In March 2011, the Company entered into a Phase II License Agreement with Mayo which provides the Company access to the certain know-how and licensed patents owned by Mayo. The licenses granted are exclusive and the Company has the right to sub-license.
Per terms of the license, the Company is required to:
|
|
• |
Pay a retainer fee of $ |
|
|
• |
Pay royalties based on the greater of earned royalties or a minimum royalty. The earned royalties are based on a percentage of net sales of licensed products either by the Company or the sub-licensee. The minimum annual royalty payment is $ |
The Company recognized royalty expense during the periods indicated as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Royalty expense |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
18
Contingent Consideration
In February 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with a privately-held company to, among other things, provide the privately-held company financing in the form of a secured convertible note. Through March 31, 2020, the Company had provided financing totaling $
In April 2020, the Company elected not to exercise its option to make a further investment in the privately-held company pursuant to the agreement. In connection with this decision, the Company no longer has the exclusive right to acquire the privately-held company. In June 2020, the privately-held company paid off the outstanding principal and accrued interest of its secured convertible notes in full. As a result of these two events, the Company recorded a net expense of $
Contingencies
From time to time, the Company may have certain contingent liabilities that arise in the ordinary course of business activities related to, for example, employment matters and patent issues. The Company accrues a liability for such matters when it is probable that future expenditures will be made and such expenditures can be reasonably estimated. There were
Indemnification
The Company enters into standard indemnification arrangements in the ordinary course of business. Pursuant to these arrangements, the Company indemnifies, holds harmless and agrees to reimburse the indemnified parties for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, in connection with any trade secret, copyright, patent or other intellectual property infringement claim by any third-party with respect to the Company’s technology. The term of these indemnification agreements is generally perpetual. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these agreements is not determinable because it involves claims that may be made against the Company in the future, but have not yet been made.
The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and officers that may require the Company to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers, other than liabilities arising from willful misconduct of the individual. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited; however, the Company has director and officer insurance coverage that reduces the Company’s exposure and enables the Company to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. The Company believes the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements in excess of applicable insurance coverage is minimal.
Legal Matters
On November 28, 2016, the Company filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against Boston Scientific Corporation and Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (collectively, Boston Scientific). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (the California Court), asserts that Boston Scientific is infringing seven of the Company’s patents covering inventions relating to the Senza system and HF10 therapy. The lawsuit seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against further infringement as well as damages and attorney’s fees. On July 24, 2018, the California Court issued an order on claim construction and summary judgment. In the order, the California Court ruled that six asserted method claims in three of the Company’s asserted patents were patent eligible and not invalid as indefinite. Collectively, the asserted claims cover methods for delivering SCS therapy at frequencies between 1.5 kHz and 100 kHz.
The California Court, however, found that Boston Scientific is not currently infringing the six upheld method claims. Specifically, the California Court found that Boston Scientific's sale of the Spectra WaveWriter systems for commercial use in the United States does not infringe the upheld method claims because Boston Scientific modified the Spectra WaveWriter systems to prevent them from being programmed to generate signals above 1.2 kHz. With regard to the use of the Spectra WaveWriter and the Precision with MultiWave systems in patients that have completed the ACCELERATE clinical trial, the California Court found such use to fall within the safe harbor provision of 35 U.S.C. § 271(e). The California Court further held that 35 U.S.C. § 271(f) does not
19
apply to method claims, and therefore the sale of the Precision with MultiWave systems in Europe does not infringe the upheld method claims. The California Court also found that the asserted system claims in four of the Company's asserted patents were invalid as indefinite. As discussed below, the California Court’s finding of invalidity was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the Federal Circuit).
On July 27, 2018, the parties submitted a joint statement to the California Court wherein Boston Scientific asserted that, with respect to whether any U.S. launch of a high-rate product (such as the Precision with MultiWave and Spectra WaveWriter models used in the ACCELERATE study or any other system that is programmable at any frequency in the range 1.5 to 100 kHz) is imminent, Boston Scientific, as of now, has not decided whether to launch such a product; has not established a timeline for when such a decision might be made, if ever; and has not determined what frequencies would be enabled if it were to decide to launch such a product in the future. Boston Scientific further confirmed its public statements that the ACCELERATE study was extended into 2019, with an estimated study completion date between April 2019 and November 2019. On the basis of the foregoing, the parties agreed to dismissal on ripeness grounds of the Company’s declaratory judgment claims without prejudice, each side to bear its own fees and costs as to these claims, and jointly requested that the California Court enter such a dismissal. The dismissal was thereafter entered as a court order on July 31, 2018. The Company and Boston Scientific each appealed portions of the California Court’s July 24th ruling to the Federal Circuit. On April 9, 2020, the Federal Circuit returned its ruling, which vacated and remanded the California Court’s judgment of invalidity. As a result of the Federal Circuit’s ruling, the system claims invalidated by the California Court have been reinstated, and thus all of the Company’s asserted claims remain valid and enforceable. The litigation is expected to be remanded to the California Court for further proceedings.
On December 9, 2016, Boston Scientific filed a patent infringement lawsuit alleging the Company’s manufacture, use and sale of the Senza system infringes
On April 27, 2018, Boston Scientific filed a second patent lawsuit alleging patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation and tortious interference with contract (the Delaware II litigation). The lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Court, seeks unspecified damages and attorney’s fees, as well as preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against further infringement. In relation to the Delaware II litigation, the Company filed seven petitions for inter partes review at the PTAB against seven of the nine patents asserted by Boston Scientific. In January 2020, the PTAB initiated inter partes reviews in all seven of the challenged patents in the Delaware II litigation. The Company also filed counterclaims against Boston Scientific, alleging patent infringement of five Nevro patents. On June 22, 2020, the Delaware Court issued an order effectively consolidating the remaining patents of the Delaware I litigation with the Boston Scientific trade secret misappropriation claims and Nevro counterclaims of the Delaware II litigation. The consolidated litigation will proceed to trial scheduled for October of 2021. The Boston Scientific patent infringement claims of the Delaware II litigation have been stayed pending resolution of the inter partes reviews of the Delaware II litigation. As of this time, the Company is unable to determine an outcome or potential range of loss.
On February 14, 2019, the Company filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against Stimwave Technologies, Inc. (Stimwave) in the Delaware Court asserting that Stimwave was infringing the Company’s patents covering inventions related to its HF10 therapy and the Senza system, as well as a claim for false advertising under the Lanham Action Section 43(a), 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a). In relation to this lawsuit, on July 24, 2019, the Delaware Court granted Nevro's motion for preliminary injunction, and issued an order barring Stimwave, and all affiliated persons and entities, from infringing patent claims covering frequencies between 3 kHz and 10 kHz. On February 27, 2020, the Company and Stimwave entered into a Settlement Agreement, in which Stimwave agreed to cease commercialization of all high frequency spinal cord stimulation systems worldwide. Stimwave also agreed to entry of a permanent injunction in the Delaware Court, under which Stimwave’s products will not deliver spinal cord stimulation therapy that includes pulse frequencies between 1,500 Hz and 100,000 Hz. The permanent injunction was filed with the Delaware Court and entered on March 2, 2020. After the Delaware Court entered the permanent injunction, the case (including Stimwave’s appeal of the preliminary injunction order) were dismissed. As part of the permanent injunction filing, Stimwave acknowledged the validity of the patents Nevro asserted in the litigation. Per Nevro's request, the permanent injunction order does not enjoin Stimwave from providing follow-up care and programming for any patients who were already programmed with high frequency therapy in the United States prior to March 6, 2020, and in the rest of the world prior to April 30, 2020.
20
On February 28, 2020, the Company filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court for patent infringement against Nalu Medical, Inc. (Nalu) asserting that Nalu is infringing the Company’s patents covering inventions related to its HF10 therapy and the Senza system.
As of June 30, 2020, the Company did
The Company is and may from time to time continue to be involved in various legal proceedings to defend its intellectual property, including several pending European patent oppositions at the European Patent Office (EPO) initiated by the Company’s competitors Medtronic and Boston Scientific and an entitlement action filed by Boston Scientific in Germany. In addition, the Company is and may from time to time also be involved in various legal proceedings of a character normally incident to the ordinary course of business, such as product liability and professional liability matters, which the Company does not deem to be material to its business and consolidated financial statements at this stage.
7. Debt
2021 Notes and Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions
In June 2016, the Company issued $
Each $
In connection with the offering of the 2021 Notes, the Company entered into convertible note hedge transactions with certain bank counterparties in which the Company has the option to purchase initially (subject to adjustment for certain specified events) a total of approximately
21
connection with the convertible note hedge and warrant transactions was recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital on the consolidated balance sheet.
In accounting for the issuance of the convertible senior notes, the Company separated the 2021 Notes into liability and equity components. The carrying amount of the liability component was calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar debt instrument that does not have an associated convertible feature. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the conversion option was $
In accounting for the debt issuance costs of $
The net carrying amount of the liability component of the 2021 Notes was as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
Principal |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Unamortized discount |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Unamortized issuance cost |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net carrying amount |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
The net carrying amount of the equity component of the 2021 Notes was as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
Debt discount related to value of conversion option |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Debt issuance cost |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net carrying amount |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
2025 Notes and Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions
In April 2020, the Company issued $
Each $
22
addition, if specific corporate events occur prior to the applicable maturity date, the Company will increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert their notes in connection with such a corporate event in certain circumstances. During the three months ended June 30, 2020 the conditions allowing holders of the 2025 Notes to convert have not been met. The 2025 Notes are therefore not convertible during the three months ended September 30, 2020 and are classified as long-term debt. Should the sale price condition be met in a future quarter, the 2025 Notes will be convertible at the holders’ option during the immediately following quarter. As of June 30, 2020, the if-converted value of the 2025 Notes exceeded the principal value of those notes by $
In connection with the offering of the 2025 Notes, the Company entered into convertible note hedge transactions with certain bank counterparties in which the Company has the option to purchase initially (subject to adjustment for certain specified events) a total of approximately
In accounting for the issuance of the convertible senior notes, the Company separated the 2025 Notes into liability and equity components. The carrying amount of the liability component was calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar debt instrument that does not have an associated convertible feature. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the conversion option was $
In accounting for the debt issuance costs of $
The net carrying amount of the liability component of the 2025 Notes was as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
Principal |
|
$ |
|
|
|
Unamortized discount |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Unamortized issuance cost |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net carrying amount |
|
$ |
|
|
The net carrying amount of the equity component of the 2025 Notes was as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
Debt discount related to value of conversion option |
|
$ |
|
|
|
Debt issuance cost |
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net carrying amount |
|
$ |
|
|
23
The following table sets forth the interest expense recognized related to the 2021 Notes and the 2025 Notes (in thousands):
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Contractual interest expense |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
Amortization of debt discount |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortization of debt issuance costs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total interest expense |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
8. Net Loss Per Share
The following table summarizes the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share (in thousands, except share and per share data):
|
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
|
Net loss, basic and diluted |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
Weighted average shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss per share, basic and diluted |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period, if inclusion of these is dilutive. The conversion spread for the Company’s outstanding convertible senior notes will have a dilutive impact on diluted net income per share of common stock when the average market price of the Company’s common stock for a given period exceeds the conversion price of $
|
|
|
June 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
Unreleased restricted stock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options to purchase common stock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Convertible senior notes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warrants related to the issuance of convertible senior notes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9. Employee Benefit Plans
401(k) Plan
In 2007, the Company adopted a 401(k) plan for its employees whereby eligible employees may contribute up to the maximum amount permitted by the Internal Revenue Code. In June 2016, the Company adopted a policy to match a portion of employee contributions for all qualified employees participating in the 401(k) plan. The Company recorded an expense for matching
24
contributions of and $
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
The Company’s 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) allows eligible employees to purchase shares of the Company’s Class A common stock at a discount through payroll deductions of up to
There were
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following management’s 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 (Quarterly Report) 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 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 25, 2020.
Special note regarding forward-looking statements
This report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this report that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, but not limited to, “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions or variations intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management based on information currently available to management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included under Part II, Item 1A below. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Overview
We are a global medical device company focused on providing innovative products that improve the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic pain. We have developed and commercialized the Senza spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system, an evidence-based neuromodulation platform for the treatment of chronic pain, and are currently in the process of launching our newest product platform, Senza Omnia. Our proprietary paresthesia-free HF10 therapy, delivered by our Senza system, was demonstrated in our SENZA-RCT study to be superior to traditional SCS therapy, with HF10 therapy being nearly twice as successful in treating back pain and 1.5 times as successful in treating leg pain when compared to traditional SCS therapy. Comparatively, traditional SCS therapy has limited efficacy in treating back pain and is used primarily for treating leg pain, limiting its market adoption. Our SENZA-RCT study, along with our European studies, represents what we believe is the most robust body of clinical evidence for any SCS therapy. We believe the superiority of HF10 therapy over traditional SCS therapies will allow us to capitalize on and expand the approximately $2.4 billion existing global SCS market by treating both back and leg pain without paresthesia.
We launched Senza commercially in the United States in May 2015, after receiving a label from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supporting the superiority of our HF10 therapy over traditional SCS. The Senza system has been commercially available in certain European markets since November 2010 and in Australia since August 2011. We have experienced significant revenue growth in the United States since commercial launch. Senza is currently reimbursed by all of the major insurance providers. In early 2017, we commenced a controlled commercial launch of our family of surgical leads, marketed as the Surpass surgical lead, and in April 2020 received FDA approval for our reduced-size Surpass-C surgical lead. In January 2018, we received FDA approval of our next generation Senza II SCS system. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we received FDA approval of our next generation product
25
platform, Senza® Omnia™, which we launched in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2019. Additionally, we received approval to commercially launch Senza Omnia in Europe during the second quarter of 2020 and in Australia in July 2020. The tables below set forth our revenue from U.S. and international sales the past nine quarters on a quarterly basis and total revenue for each of the past five years and the six months ended June 30, 2020.
|
|
Q1 2018 |
|
|
Q2 2018 |
|
|
Q3 2018 |
|
|
Q4 2018 |
|
|
Q1 2019 |
|
|
Q2 2019 |
|
|
Q3 2019 |
|
|
Q4 2019 |
|
|
Q1 2020 |
|
|
Q2 2020 |
|
||||||||||
|
Revenue from: |
(in millions) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
U.S. sales |
$ |
70.6 |
|
|
$ |
79.9 |
|
|
$ |
79.6 |
|
|
$ |
91.6 |
|
|
$ |
65.8 |
|
|
$ |
78.1 |
|
|
$ |
84.2 |
|
|
$ |
97.9 |
|
|
$ |
75.3 |
|
|
$ |
51.0 |
|
|
International sales |
|
17.0 |
|
|
|
16.2 |
|
|
|
16.0 |
|
|
|
16.3 |
|
|
|
16.3 |
|
|
|
15.5 |
|
|
|
16.0 |
|
|
|
16.5 |
|
|
|
12.2 |
|
|
|
5.4 |
|
|
Total sales revenue |
$ |
87.6 |
|
|
$ |
96.1 |
|
|
$ |
95.6 |
|
|
$ |
107.9 |
|
|
$ |
82.1 |
|
|
$ |
93.6 |
|
|
$ |
100.2 |
|
|
$ |
114.4 |
|
|
$ |
87.5 |
|
|
$ |
56.4 |
|
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2016 |
|
|
2017 |
|
|
2018 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 |
|
||||||
|
Revenue from: |
(in millions) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
U.S. sales |
$ |
24.3 |
|
|
$ |
173.3 |
|
|
$ |
263.5 |
|
|
$ |
321.8 |
|
|
$ |
326.0 |
|
|
$ |
126.3 |
|
|
International sales |
|
45.3 |
|
|
|
55.2 |
|
|
|
63.2 |
|
|
|
65.5 |
|
|
|
64.3 |
|
|
|
17.6 |
|
|
Total sales revenue |
$ |
69.6 |
|
|
$ |
228.5 |
|
|
$ |
326.7 |
|
|
$ |
387.3 |
|
|
$ |
390.3 |
|
|
$ |
143.9 |
|
Since our inception, we have financed our operations primarily through equity and debt financings and borrowings under a debt facility. Our accumulated deficit as of June 30, 2020 was $475.7 million. A significant amount of our capital resources has been used to support the development of our Senza products and HF10 therapy, and we have also made a significant investment building our U.S. commercial infrastructure and sales force to support our commercialization efforts in the United States. We intend to continue to make significant investments in our U.S. commercial infrastructure, as well as in research and development (R&D) to develop Senza to treat other chronic pain indications, including conducting clinical trials to support our future regulatory submissions. In order to further enhance our R&D efforts, pursue product expansion opportunities or acquire a new business or products that are complementary to our business, we may choose to raise additional funds, which may include future equity and debt financings.
In April 2020, we issued $165.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2025 (the 2025 Notes) in a registered underwritten public offering and an additional $24.8 million aggregate principal amount of such notes pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise in full of their option to purchase additional 2025 Notes. The 2025 Notes’ interest rates are fixed at 2.75% per annum and are payable semi-annually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year, commencing on October 1, 2020. The total net proceeds from the 2025 Notes, after deducting initial purchase discounts and debt issuance costs, were approximately $183.7 million. In connection with the offering of the 2025 Notes, we entered into convertible note hedge transactions in which we have the option to purchase initially (subject to adjustment for certain specified events) a total of approximately 1.8 million shares of common stock at a price of approximately $105.00 per share. The total cost of the convertible note hedge transactions was $52.4 million. In addition, we sold warrants to certain bank counterparties whereby the holders of the warrants have the option to purchase initially (subject to adjustment for certain specified events) a total of approximately 1.8 million shares of our common stock at a price of $147.00 per share. We received $34.9 million in cash proceeds from the sale of these warrants. The net cost incurred in connection with the convertible note hedge and warrant transactions was $17.5 million. Concurrent with the registered underwritten public offering of the 2025 Notes, we completed an underwritten public offering of common stock and issued 1,868,750 shares of common stock, including 243,750 shares issued pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. As a result of this public offering of common stock, we received cash proceeds of $147.2 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering costs.
We rely on third-party suppliers for all of the components of our Senza products, and for the assembly of these systems. Several of these suppliers are currently single-source suppliers. We have entered into and/or amended several supply agreements in an effort to reinforce our supply chain. We are also required to maintain high levels of inventory, and, as a result, we are subject to the risk of inventory obsolescence and expiration, which may lead to inventory impairment charges. In particular, we have substantially increased our levels of inventory in order to meet our estimated demand in the United States and, as a result, incur significant expenditures associated with such increases in our inventory. Additionally, as compared to direct manufacturers, our dependence on third-party manufacturers exposes us to greater lead times, increasing our risk of inventory obsolescence.
COVID-19 Pandemic
We are subject to risks related to the public health crises such as the global pandemic associated with COVID-19. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, SARS-CoV-2, and the resulting disease COVID-19, has spread to most countries, and all 50 states within the United States. The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact our operations and revenues and overall financial condition by decreasing the number of Senza systems procedures performed. The number of Senza systems procedures performed, similar to other elective surgical procedures, has decreased as health care organizations globally have prioritized the treatment of patients with COVID-19. For
26
example, in the United States, governmental authorities have recommended, and in certain cases required, that elective, specialty and other procedures and appointments, be suspended or canceled to avoid non-essential patient exposure to medical environments and potential infection with COVID-19 and to focus limited resources and personnel capacity toward the treatment of COVID-19. April 2020 was the most impacted month of the second quarter as a result of these challenges. Since then, we have seen sequential improvements in both May and June 2020. These measures and challenges, however, will likely continue for the duration of the pandemic, which is uncertain, and will reduce our revenue while the pandemic continues.
Numerous state and local jurisdictions have imposed, and others in the future may impose, “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of COVID-19. Starting in mid-March 2020, the governor of California, where our headquarters are located, issued “shelter-in-place” or “stay at home” orders restricting non-essential activities, travel and business operations for an indefinite period of time, subject to certain exceptions for necessary activities. Such orders or restrictions, have resulted in our headquarters closing, work stoppages, slowdowns and delays, travel restrictions and cancellation of events, among other effects, thereby negatively impacting our operations. Other disruptions or potential disruptions include restrictions on our personnel and personnel of partners 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 or other incremental mitigation efforts that may further impact our capacity to manufacture, sell and support the use of our Senza systems.
While the potential economic impact brought by and the duration of COVID-19 may be difficult to assess or predict, the widespread pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity, including our ability to repay our senior convertible notes which are due in June 2021 and April 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in a significant increase in unemployment in the United States which may continue even after the pandemic. The occurrence of any such events may lead to reduced disposable income and access to health insurance which could adversely affect the number of Senza systems sold after the pandemic has ended. We expect any further shelter-in-place policies and restrictions on elective surgical procedures worldwide to have a substantial near term impact on our revenue. We have also withdrawn our previously announced annual guidance for 2020 given the continued uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our common stock.
Important Factors Affecting our Results of Operations
In addition to the impact of COVID-19, we believe that the following factors have impacted and we expect will continue to impact our results of operations.
Importance of Physician Awareness and Acceptance of Our Products
We continue to invest in programs to educate physicians who treat chronic pain about the advantages of Senza. This requires significant commitment by our marketing team and sales organization, and can vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, personal preferences and geographic location. Further, we are competing with well-established companies in our industry that have strong existing relationships with many of these physicians. Educating physicians about the advantages of our Senza products, including our latest product, Senza Omnia, which we recently launched in the United States, and influencing these physicians to use these products to treat chronic pain, is required to grow our revenue.
Reimbursement and Coverage Decisions by Third-Party Payors
Healthcare providers in the United States generally rely on third-party payors, principally federal Medicare, state Medicaid and private health insurance plans, to cover and reimburse all or part of the cost of our products and the related implant procedure for patients. The revenue we are able to generate from sales of our products depends in large part on the availability of reimbursement from such payors. While we currently have a favorable reimbursement decision from Medicare, decisions of coverage and reimbursement for Senza and the related implant procedure from private health insurance providers can vary. In general, these decisions require that such payors perform analyses to determine if the procedure is medically necessary and if our technology is covered under their existing coverage policies. These payors may deny reimbursement if they determine that the device or procedure was not used in accordance with the payor’s coverage policy. A significant component of our commercial efforts includes working with private payors to ensure positive coverage and reimbursement decisions for our products. Favorable reimbursement decisions from Medicare and certain commercial payors, such as Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser, have contributed to our increase in revenue to date. Although the largest commercial payors and Medicare cover Senza, there can be no assurance that all private health insurance plans will cover the product. A significant number of negative coverage and reimbursement decisions by private insurers may impair our ability or delay our ability to grow our revenue.
27
Inventory Buildup and Supply Chain Management
Our products are composed of a substantial number of individual components and, in order to market and sell them effectively, we must maintain high levels of inventory. In particular, since our commercial launch of Senza in the United States, we have continued to add suppliers to fortify our supply chain and we have maintained increased levels of inventory. As a result, a significant amount of our cash used in operations has been associated with the maintaining these levels of inventory. There may also be times in which we determine that our inventory does not meet our product requirements, as was the case for the year ended December 31, 2019, wherein we recorded a write-down of inventory of $1.6 million. Further, the manufacturing process for our products requires lengthy lead times, during which components may become obsolete. We may also over- or underestimate the quantities of required components, in which case we may expend extra resources or be constrained in the amount of end product that we can produce. In addition, as we release later generations of products that contain advancements or additional features, the earlier generations may become obsolete, as was the case for the six months ended June 30, 2020, when we recorded a charge of $2.5 million. These factors subject us to the risk of inventory obsolescence and expiration, which may lead to inventory impairment charges. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we additionally recorded a charge of $3.6 million related to the cancellation of firm purchase commitments.
Investment in Research and Clinical Trials
We intend to continue investing in R&D to expand into new indications and chronic pain conditions, as well as develop product enhancements to improve outcomes and enhance the physician and patient experience. For example, we commenced controlled commercial launches of Surpass, our surgical lead product family in early 2017 and Senza II SCS System in late 2017. Most recently, we launched our next generation product platform, Senza Omnia, in the United States in late 2019, in Europe during the second quarter of 2020 and in Australia in July 2020. We are continuing to invest in product improvements to Senza, including enhanced MRI capabilities and a next generation IPG. While R&D and clinical testing are time consuming and costly, we believe expanding into new indications, implementing product improvements and continuing to demonstrate HF10 efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness through clinical data are all critical to increasing the adoption of HF10 therapy. We initiated two randomized controlled trials in 2018, SENZA-PDN and SENZA-NSRBP, which evaluate HF10 therapy for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy and non-surgical refractory back pain, respectively. In January 2020, we presented the three-month data from our SENZA-PDN study, which was the largest SCS randomized controlled trial conducted to date. With regard to the SENZA-NSRBP study, we believe that we have sufficient study subjects and therefore will not require additional enrollment.
Significant Investment in U.S. Sales Organization
We are continuing to make investments in building our U.S. commercial infrastructure and recruiting and training our U.S. sales force. This is a lengthy process that requires recruiting appropriate sales representatives, establishing and, on occasion, refining a commercial infrastructure in the United States and training our sales representatives. Following initial training for Senza, our sales representatives typically require lead time in the field to grow their network of accounts and produce sales results. Successfully recruiting and training a sufficient number of productive sales representatives has been required to achieve growth at the rate we expect.
Access to Hospital Facilities
In the United States, in order for physicians to use our products, the hospital facilities where these physicians treat patients often require us to enter into purchasing contracts directly with the hospital facilities or with the Group Purchasing Organizations of which the hospital facilities are members. This process can be lengthy and time-consuming and requires extensive negotiations and management time. In Europe, we may be required to engage in a contract bidding process in order to sell our products, where the bidding processes are only open at certain periods of time, and we may not be successful in the bidding process.
We Do Not Expect to Continue to Experience Our Historical Worldwide Revenue Growth Rates
Our worldwide revenue has increased from $18.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 to $390.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Since May 2015 when we commenced the commercial launch of Senza in the U.S., our worldwide revenue growth has been substantially driven by sales of Senza in the United States. Over the past two years, our revenue growth in international markets has slowed significantly. Although we had experienced significant growth in sales in the United States for several years following our launch, we do not expect to continue that historic rate of revenue growth in the United States or on a worldwide basis. The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially impacted our revenue in the first six months of 2020 and we expect continued impact in 2020 as the pandemic continues. Further, due to a number of factors, including governmental reimbursement constraints in the European SCS market limiting the number of annual SCS implants, market pressure in Australia and our current penetration in these markets, we expect minimal, if any, growth in our international markets.
28
Critical Accounting Policies, Significant Judgments and Use of Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our critical accounting policies and estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable in the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions. Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Other than the adoption of ASC 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, there have been no other significant or material changes in our critical accounting policies during the six months ended June 30, 2020.
Components of Results of Operations
Revenue
Our revenue is generated primarily from sales to two types of customers: hospitals and outpatient medical facilities, with each being served primarily through a direct sales force. Sales to these entities are billed to, and paid by, the hospitals and outpatient medical facilities as part of their normal payment processes, with payment received by us in the form of an electronic transfer, check or credit card payment. Product sales to third-party distributors are billed to and paid by the distributors as part of their normal payment processes, with payment received by us in the form of an electronic transfer.
U.S. revenue is generally recognized after our sales representatives deliver our product at the point of implantation and upon the completion and authorization of the implant procedure. In response to competitive practices and pressures, we have offered some volume price discounting for larger orders, where products are ordered in advance of an implantation and revenue is recognized when the transfer of control occurs at the time of shipment.
Revenue from sales of our Senza products fluctuate based on the selling price of the system, as the average sales price of a system varies geographically and by the type of system sold, and based on the mix of sales by geography. Our revenue from international sales can also be significantly impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, as our sales are denominated in the local currency in the countries in which we sell our products.
We expect our revenue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, including seasonality. For example, the industry generally experiences lower revenues in the first and third quarters of the year and higher revenues in the fourth quarter. Our revenue has been impacted by these industry trends. Further, the impact of the buying patterns and implant volumes of hospitals and medical facilities, and third-party distributors may vary, and as a result could have an effect on our revenue from quarter to quarter.
Cost of Revenue
We utilize contract manufacturers for the production of Senza products. Cost of revenue consists primarily of acquisition costs of the components of Senza, manufacturing overhead, royalty payments, scrap and inventory excess and obsolescence charges, as well as distribution-related expenses, such as logistics and shipping costs, net of costs charged to customers.
We calculate gross margin as revenue less cost of revenue divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, but primarily by our average sales price and the costs to have our products manufactured. While costs are primarily incurred in U.S. dollars, international revenue may be impacted by the appreciation or depreciation of the U.S. dollar, which may impact our overall gross margin. Our gross margin is also affected by our ability to reduce manufacturing costs as a percentage of revenue.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of R&D expense, and sales, general and administrative (SG&A) expense. Personnel costs are the most significant component of operating expenses and consist primarily of salaries, bonus incentives, benefits, stock-based compensation and sales commissions.
Research and Development. R&D costs are expensed as incurred. R&D expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salary, employee benefits and stock-based compensation expenses for our R&D employees. R&D expense also includes costs associated with product design efforts, development prototypes, testing, clinical trial programs and regulatory activities, contractors and consultants, equipment and software to support our development, facilities and information technology. We expect product
29
development expenses to decrease in absolute dollars. Our R&D expenses may fluctuate from period to period due to the timing and extent of our R&D and clinical trial expenses.
Sales, General and Administrative. SG&A expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salary, employee benefits and stock-based compensation expenses for our sales and marketing personnel, including sales commissions, and for administrative personnel that support our general operations, such as information technology, executive management, financial accounting, customer service and human resources personnel. We expense commissions at the time of the sale. SG&A expense also includes costs attributable to marketing, as well as travel, intellectual property and other legal fees, financial audit fees, insurance, fees for other consulting services, depreciation and facilities.
In the last three years, we significantly increased the size of our sales presence worldwide and have increased marketing spending in order to generate additional sales opportunities. Additionally, we have made substantial investments in our U.S. commercial infrastructure to support our commercialization efforts in the United States.
During 2017, 2018 and 2019, we had a significant increase in SG&A headcount and experienced significant legal expenses associated with our various intellectual property litigation. We anticipate significant continued expenses associated with these legal activities. Additionally, we continue to incur significant expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with maintaining compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, including compliance under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), director and officer insurance premiums and investor relations costs associated with being a public company. Our SG&A expense may fluctuate from period to period due to the seasonality of our revenue and the timing and extent of our SG&A expense. Additionally, we have seen a decrease in SG&A expense recently, partially due to reduced travel and sales and marketing activities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interest Income and Interest Expense
Interest income consists primarily of interest income earned on our investments and interest expense consists of interest paid on our outstanding debt and the amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net consists primarily of foreign currency transaction gains and losses and the gains and losses from the remeasurement of foreign-denominated balances to the U.S. dollar.
Provision for Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes consists primarily of income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business as well as states where we have determined we have state nexus. We maintain a full valuation allowance for all of our U.S. deferred tax assets including net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards and federal and state tax credits.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
We make estimates as to the overall collectability of accounts receivable and provide an allowance for accounts receivable considered uncollectible based on current expected credit losses. We specifically analyze accounts receivable based on historical bad debt experience, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness, the age of the receivable, current economic trends, and changes in customer payment terms when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. We record the adjustment in sales, general and administrative expense.
Consolidated Results of Operations
Comparison of the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019
Revenue, Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
|
|
|
Three Months Ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
$ |
56,390 |
|
|
$ |
93,571 |
|
|
$ |
(37,181 |
) |
|
Cost of revenue |
|
|
21,140 |
|
|
|
29,628 |
|
|
|
(8,488 |
) |
|
Gross profit |
|
$ |
35,250 |
|
|
$ |
63,943 |
|
|
$ |
(28,693 |
) |
|
Gross margin |
|
63% |
|
|
68% |
|
|
(5)% |
|
|||
30
Revenue. Revenue decreased to $56.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $93.6 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $37.2 million, or 40%. Revenue in the United States was $51.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020, a 35% decrease from $78.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019. International revenue was $5.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $15.5 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019. The decrease in revenue was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We experienced a worldwide decline in procedure volume, as healthcare systems diverted resources to meet the increasing demands of managing COVID-19 and as elective procedures were significantly limited and, in many places, halted entirely during the quarter.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Cost of revenue decreased to $21.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $29.6 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $8.5 million, or 29%. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease of $8.9 million in the costs of manufactured product components, offset by an increase of $2.3 million related inventory write-downs, as well as a one-time charge of $1.6 million related to the under-absorption of overhead as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gross profit decreased to $35.3 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $63.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $28.7 million, or 45%. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue, or gross margin, decreased to 63% for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to 68% in the three months ended June 30, 2019.
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
Three Months Ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
2019 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
Amount |
|
|
% of Total Revenue |
|
Amount |
|
|
% of Total Revenue |
|
Change Amount |
|
|||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research and development |
|
$ |
10,444 |
|
|
18% |
|
$ |
14,930 |
|
|
16% |
|
$ |
(4,486 |
) |
|
Sales, general and administrative |
|
|
60,167 |
|
|
107% |
|
|
75,573 |
|
|
81% |
|
|
(15,406 |
) |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
$ |
70,611 |
|
|
125% |
|
$ |
90,503 |
|
|
97% |
|
$ |
(19,892 |
) |
Research and Development Expense. R&D expense decreased to $10.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $14.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $4.5 million, or 30%. The decrease in R&D expense was primarily due to decreases in clinical expenses of $3.0 million and personnel and travel expenses of $1.1 million.
Sales, General and Administrative Expense. SG&A expense decreased to $60.2 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $75.6 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $15.4 million, or 20%. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in personnel costs of $7.6 million, decreased travel, training and additional hardware expense of $3.7 million, decreased healthcare professional-related expenses of $3.5 million, and decreased legal and professional services costs of $2.5 million.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Income (Expense), Net, and Provision for Income Taxes
|
|
|
Three Months Ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income |
|
$ |
754 |
|
|
$ |
1,489 |
|
|
$ |
(735 |
) |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
(6,122 |
) |
|
|
(2,710 |
) |
|
|
(3,412 |
) |
|
Other income (expense), net |
|
|
(290 |
) |
|
|
118 |
|
|
|
(408 |
) |
|
Provision for income taxes |
|
|
44 |
|
|
|
358 |
|
|
|
(314 |
) |
Interest Income. Interest income decreased to $0.8 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $1.5 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, primarily as a result of the changes in average investment return rates.
Interest Expense. Interest expense increased to $6.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 from $2.7 million in the three months ended June 30, 2019, and primarily represents the amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs related to the issuance of the 2021 Notes in June 2016 and the 2025 Notes in April 2020. The accrual of interest expense related to the 2025 Notes additionally contributed to the increase in interest expense.
Other Income (Expense), Net. Other income (expense), net was primarily comprised of foreign currency transaction gains and losses, as well as gains and losses from the remeasurement of foreign-currency denominated balances, for which we recorded a gain of
31
$0.2 million in each of the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Additionally, in the three months ended June 30, 2020, we recorded a net expense of $0.4 million for the impairment charge related to the value of the right to acquire a privately-held company, net of the gain related to the early payment of the privately held company’s secured convertible note.
Provision for Income Taxes. Income tax expense was $44,000 and $0.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The income tax expense for both periods was principally comprised of foreign income tax and state income tax. We continued to generate tax losses for U.S. federal and state tax purposes and have net operating loss carryforwards creating a deferred tax asset. We have a full valuation allowance for all of our U.S. deferred tax assets.
Comparison of the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019
Revenue, Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
$ |
143,857 |
|
|
$ |
175,719 |
|
|
$ |
(31,862 |
) |
|
Cost of revenue |
|
|
48,060 |
|
|
|
58,567 |
|
|
|
(10,507 |
) |
|
Gross profit |
|
$ |
95,797 |
|
|
$ |
117,152 |
|
|
$ |
(21,355 |
) |
|
Gross margin |
|
67% |
|
|
67% |
|
|
0% |
|
|||
Revenue. Revenue decreased to $143.9 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $175.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $31.9 million, or 18%. Revenue in the United States was $126.3 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020, a 12% decrease from $143.9 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019. International revenue was $17.5 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $31.8 million in the same period for the prior year. The decrease in revenue was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We experienced worldwide decline in procedure volume, as healthcare systems diverted resources to meet the increasing demands of managing COVID-19 and as elective procedures were significantly limited and, in many places, halted entirely during the three months ended June 30, 2020.
Cost of Revenue, Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Cost of revenue decreased to $48.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $58.6 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $10.5 million, or 18%. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease of $8.9 million in the costs of manufactured product components. Gross profit decreased to $95.8 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $117.2 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $21.4 million, or 18%. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue, or gross margin, remained relatively unchanged at 67% for each of the six months ended June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2019, respectively. In the six months ended June 30, 2019, we recorded a charge of $3.6 million related to the cancellation of firm purchase commitments for inventory related items, which accounted for 2% of gross margin. In the six months ended June 30, 2020, we recorded one-time charges of $1.6 million related to the under absorption overhead as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and $2.5 million related to obsolescence, which, in the aggregate, accounted for 3% of gross margin.
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
2019 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
Amount |
|
|
% of Total Revenue |
|
Amount |
|
|
% of Total Revenue |
|
Change Amount |
|
|||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research and development |
|
$ |
22,656 |
|
|
16% |
|
$ |
29,065 |
|
|
17% |
|
$ |
(6,409 |
) |
|
Sales, general and administrative |
|
|
131,569 |
|
|
91% |
|
|
156,901 |
|
|
89% |
|
|
(25,332 |
) |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
$ |
154,225 |
|
|
107% |
|
$ |
185,966 |
|
|
106% |
|
$ |
(31,741 |
) |
Research and Development Expense. R&D expense decreased to $22.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $29.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $6.4 million, or 22%. The decrease in R&D expense was primarily due to decreases in clinical and development expenses of $4.5 million and personnel and travel expenses of $1.4 million.
Sales, General and Administrative Expense. SG&A expense decreased to $131.6 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $156.9 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $25.3 million, or 16%. This decrease was primarily due to a
32
decreases in personnel costs of $14.0 million, decreased travel, training and additional hardware expense of $5.3 million, decreased legal and professional services costs of $3.5 million and decreased healthcare professional-related expenses of $3.5 million.
Interest Income, Interest Expense and Other Income (Expense), Net, and Provision for Income Taxes
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income |
|
$ |
2,018 |
|
|
$ |
3,038 |
|
|
$ |
(1,020 |
) |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
(8,948 |
) |
|
|
(5,398 |
) |
|
|
(3,550 |
) |
|
Other income (expense), net |
|
|
(243 |
) |
|
|
(225 |
) |
|
|
(18 |
) |
|
Provision for income taxes |
|
|
350 |
|
|
|
698 |
|
|
|
(348 |
) |
Interest Income. Interest income decreased to $2.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $3.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, primarily as a result of a decrease in average investment return rates.
Interest Expense. Interest expense increased to $8.9 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $5.4 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, and primarily represents the amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs related to the issuance of the 2021 Notes in June 2016 and 2025 Notes in April 2020. The accrual of interest expense related to the 2025 Notes contributed to the increase in interest expense.
Other Income (Expense), Net. Other income (expense), net was primarily comprised of foreign currency transaction gains and losses, as well as gains and losses from the remeasurement of foreign-currency denominated balances, for which we recorded a gain of $0.3 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 and a loss $0.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. Additionally, in the six months ended June 30, 2020, we recorded a net expense of $0.4 million for the impairment charge related to the value of the right to acquire a privately-held company, which is net of the gain related to the early payment of the privately held company’s secured convertible note.
Provision for Income Taxes. Income tax expense was $0.4 million and $0.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The income tax expense for both periods was principally comprised of foreign income tax and state income tax. We continued to generate tax losses for U.S. federal and state tax purposes and have net operating loss carryforwards creating a deferred tax asset. We have a full valuation allowance for all of our U.S. deferred tax assets.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Plan of Operations
Since our inception, we have financed our operations through private placements of preferred stock, the issuance of common stock in our IPO in November 2014 and our underwritten public offering in June 2015, borrowings under our credit facility, which we have subsequently repaid, and the June 2016 issuance of convertible senior notes due 2021. In April 2020, we completed a concurrent underwritten public offering of common stock and convertible senior notes due 2025. Our total net proceeds from these transactions, after giving effect to the note hedge transactions and warrant transactions and associated offering expense was $313.3 million. At June 30, 2020, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $562.3 million. Based on our current operating plan, we expect that our cash and cash equivalents on hand, together with the anticipated funds from the collection of our receivables, will be sufficient to fund our operations through at least the next 12 months.
We expect to incur continued expenditures in the future in support of our commercial infrastructure and sales force. In addition, we intend to continue to make investments in the further development of our Senza product platform and HF10 therapy for the treatment of other chronic pain conditions, including ongoing R&D programs and conducting clinical trials. Further, we expect to expend significant cash resources pursuing and defending our ongoing intellectual property lawsuits. In order to further enhance our R&D efforts, pursue product expansion opportunities or acquire a new business or products that are complementary to our business, we may choose to raise additional funds.
We may continue to seek funds through equity or debt financings, or through other sources of financing. Adequate additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. Our failure to raise capital in the future could have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategies. Should we choose to raise additional capital, the requirements will depend on many factors, including:
|
|
• |
the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and any recession or other market correction resulting from the pandemic; |
|
|
• |
the costs related to the continued commercialization of our products in the United States and elsewhere, including product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution; |
33
|
|
• |
the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights, including, in particular, the costs of enforcing our patent rights in the action we filed against Boston Scientific and in defending against Boston Scientific’s action against us; |
|
|
• |
the R&D activities we intend to undertake in order to expand the chronic pain indications and product enhancements that we intend to pursue; |
|
|
• |
whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business; |
|
|
• |
the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere; |
|
|
• |
changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs; |
|
|
• |
our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems; |
|
|
• |
our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company; and |
|
|
• |
the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments. |
Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to establish a competitive position in the neuromodulation market by securing broad market acceptance of our HF10 therapy and our Senza product platform for the treatment of chronic pain conditions. Any product we develop that achieves regulatory clearance or approval will have to compete for market acceptance and market share. We face significant competition in the United States and internationally, which we believe will intensify as we continue to commercialize in the United States. For example, our major competitors, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Abbott Laboratories, each have approved neuromodulation systems in at least the United States, Europe and Australia and have been established for several years. In addition to these major competitors, we may also face competition from other emerging competitors and smaller companies with active neuromodulation system development programs that may emerge in the future.
If we are unable to raise, or have access, to sufficient funds when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce, or terminate some or all of our commercial development plans.
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash for each of the periods presented below:
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
|
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by (used in) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating activities |
|
$ |
(22,004 |
) |
|
$ |
(33,377 |
) |
|
Investing activities |
|
|
(107,626 |
) |
|
|
37,222 |
|
|
Financing activities |
|
|
341,005 |
|
|
|
7,695 |
|
|
Effect of exchange rate on cash flows |
|
|
(233 |
) |
|
|
6 |
|
|
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
|
$ |
211,142 |
|
|
$ |
11,546 |
|
Cash Used in Operating Activities. Net cash used in operating activities was $22.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $33.4 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019. In the six months ended June 30, 2020, net cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net losses recorded during the period of $66.0 million, as well as a decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $13.6 million, increases in inventory of $3.6 million and decreases in long term liabilities of $1.8 million. These changes were partially offset by the recording of non-cash stock based compensation expense of $18.6 million, non-cash interest expense of $6.2 million, inventory write-down of $3.3 million, depreciation and amortization of $2.5 million and amortization of operating lease assets of $1.7 million, as well as decreases in accounts receivable of $23.8 million, decreases in prepaids and other assets of $5.6 million and increases in provision of doubtful accounts of $2.0 million. In the six months ended June 30, 2019, net cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net losses recorded during the period of $72.1 million, the recording of accretion on short-term investments of $1.4 million, as well as increases in prepaids and other assets of $0.9 million. These changes were partially offset by the recording of non-cash stock based compensation expense of $20.1 million, non-cash interest expense of $3.9 million, depreciation and amortization of $2.2 million and amortization of operating lease assets of $1.6 million, as well as decreases in accounts receivable of $13.2 million.
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities. In the six months ended June 30, 2020, we had net purchases of investments of $113.1 million and purchases of property and equipment of $2.0 million, as well as the receipt of $7.5 million for the repayment of secured convertible notes from a privately held company. In the six months ended June 30, 2019, we had net proceeds from the
34
maturity of investments of $44.1 million, and we purchased secured convertible notes of $5.5 million and $1.4 million of property and equipment.
Cash Provided by Financing Activities. Cash provided by financing activities in the six months ended was $341.0 million. The majority of this cash was from the proceeds of $183.6 million, net of issuance costs, from the 2025 Notes and the proceeds of $147.1 million, net of issuance costs, from the concurrent public common stock offering. The cash received from these activities was offset by a net $17.5 million cost of convertible note hedge and warrant transactions, which included the $52.4 million purchase of convertible note hedges and proceeds of $34.9 million related to the sale of warrants. Additionally, we received cash from the issuance of common stock to employees pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options and our employee stock purchase plan, net of tax withholdings, which were $27.7 million and $7.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
We have lease obligations consisting of operating leases for our principal offices, which expire as set forth below, and for our warehouse space that expires in 2022.
In March 2015, we entered into a lease agreement for approximately 50,740 square feet of office space located in Redwood City, California for a period beginning in June 2015 and ending in May 2022, with initial annual payments of approximately $2.0 million, increasing to $2.4 million annually in the final year of the lease term. In December 2016, we entered into a first amendment to the lease for an additional approximately 49,980 square feet of office space adjacent to the premises under the original lease (the Expansion Premises) with initial annual payments of $1.2 million, increasing to $2.9 million in the final year of the amended lease term. The lease for the Expansion Premises commenced on June 1, 2018. The first amendment also extends the lease term for the original premises to terminate on the same date as the amended lease, which is May 31, 2025. In April 2017, we entered into a second amendment to the lease for a temporary space of approximately 8,171 square feet for a period beginning in May 2017, and which ended on June 1, 2018, the Commencement Date of the Expansion Premises. See Note 6, Commitments and Contingencies, of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
In February 2017, we entered into a separate non-cancellable facility lease for warehouse space beginning March 1, 2017 through February 28, 2022, under which we are obligated to pay approximately $0.4 million in lease payments over the term of the lease.
We have entered into supply agreements with certain of our suppliers that required certain minimum annual purchase agreements. As of June 30, 2020, we had minimum annual purchase commitments of $3.4 million due in the remainder of 2020.
We have also entered into a service agreement for which we are committed to pay $2.5 million in each of the next five years of the term of the service agreement, as well as a license agreement for which we are committed to pay $0.3 million over the remaining term of license agreement.
As of June 30, 2020, our contractual obligations related to the 2021 Notes are payments in interest of $1.5 million due in 2020 and payments in interest and principal totaling $174.0 million due in 2021. Our contractual obligations related to the 2025 Notes are payments in interest of $2.5 million due in 2020, payments in interest of $5.2 million due each year from 2021 through 2024, and payments in interest and principal totaling $192.4 million due in 2025.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Through June 30, 2020, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated organizations or financial partnerships, such as structured finance or special purpose entities that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. For information regarding indemnification obligations, refer to Note 6 to the condensed consolidated financial statements within this report.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Interest Rate Risk
We are exposed to limited market risk related to fluctuations in interest rates and market prices. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates. The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve our capital to fund our operations.
We also seek to maximize income from our investments without assuming significant risk. To achieve our objectives, we maintain a portfolio of cash equivalents and investments in a variety of securities of high credit quality. As of June 30, 2020, we had
35
cash and cash equivalents of $276.5 million, consisting of cash, commercial paper, corporate notes and money market funds, and short-term investments of $285.8 million, consisting of commercial paper, agency bonds and corporate notes. We maintained investments in money market funds that were not federally insured in the six months ended June 30, 2020 and additionally held cash in foreign banks of approximately $3.1 million at June 30, 2020 that was not federally insured. A portion of our investments may be subject to interest rate risk and could fall in value if market interest rates increase. However, because our investments are primarily short-term in duration, we believe that our exposure to interest rate risk is not significant. We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes and have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest rate risk exposure. A hypothetical 1% change in interest rates during any of the periods presented would not have had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
To date, a portion of our revenue and operating expenses are incurred outside the United States and are denominated in foreign currencies and are subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly changes in the Australian dollar, the Euro and the United Kingdom pound sterling. Additionally, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may cause us to recognize transaction gains and losses in our statement of operations. As a component of other income (expense), we recognized net foreign currency transaction gains of $0.2 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 and losses of $0.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2019. A hypothetical 10% favorable or unfavorable change in the weighted average foreign exchange rates for the three months ended June 30, 2020 would have affected the Company’s net loss by less than 1%. To date, we have not engaged in any foreign currency hedging transactions. As our international operations grow, we will continue to reassess our approach to managing the risks relating to fluctuations in currency rates.
We do not believe that inflation nor changes in prices had a significant impact on our results of operations for any periods presented in our consolidated financial statements.
Market Risk and Market Interest Risk
In June 2016, we issued $172.5 million aggregate principal amount of 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2021. In April 2020, we issued $189.8 million aggregate principal amount of 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2025. The fair value of these convertible senior notes is subject to interest rate risk, market risk and other factors due to the convertible feature. The fair value of the convertible senior notes will generally increase as our common stock price increases and will generally decrease as our common stock price declines in value. The interest and market value changes affect the fair value of our convertible senior notes but do not impact our financial position, cash flows or results of operations due to the fixed nature of the debt obligations. Additionally, we carry the convertible senior notes at face value less unamortized discount on our balance sheet, and we present the fair value for required disclosure purposes only.
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 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 disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2020, the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Based upon such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of such date.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
On November 28, 2016, we filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against Boston Scientific Corporation and Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (collectively, Boston Scientific). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (the California Court), asserts that Boston Scientific is infringing our patents covering inventions relating to our Senza system and HF10 therapy. The lawsuit seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against further infringement as well as damages and attorney’s fees. On July 24, 2018, the California Court issued an order on claim construction and summary judgment. In the order, the California Court ruled that six asserted method claims in three of the Company’s asserted patents were patent eligible and not invalid as indefinite. Collectively, the asserted claims cover methods for delivering SCS therapy at frequencies between 1.5 kHz and 100 kHz.
The California Court, however, found that Boston Scientific is not currently infringing the six upheld method claims. Specifically, the California Court found that Boston Scientific's sale of the Spectra WaveWriter systems for commercial use in the United States does not infringe the upheld method claims because Boston Scientific modified the Spectra WaveWriter systems to prevent them from being programmed to generate signals above 1.2 kHz. With regard to the use of the Spectra WaveWriter and the Precision with MultiWave systems in patients that have completed the ACCELERATE clinical trial, the California Court found such use to fall within the safe harbor provision of 35 U.S.C. § 271(e). The California Court further held that 35 U.S.C. § 271(f) does not apply to method claims, and therefore the sale of the Precision with MultiWave systems in Europe does not infringe the upheld method claims. The California Court also found that the asserted system claims in four of the Company's asserted patents were invalid as indefinite. As discussed below, the California Court’s finding of invalidity was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the Federal Circuit).
On July 27, 2018, the parties submitted a joint statement to the California Court wherein Boston Scientific asserted that, with respect to whether any U.S. launch of a high-rate product (such as the Precision with MultiWave and Spectra WaveWriter models used in the ACCELERATE study or any other system that is programmable at any frequency in the range 1.5 to 100 kHz) is imminent, Boston Scientific, as of now, has not decided whether to launch such a product; has not established a timeline for when such a decision might be made, if ever; and has not determined what frequencies would be enabled if it were to decide to launch such a product in the future. Boston Scientific further confirmed its public statements that the ACCELERATE study was extended into 2019, with an estimated study completion date between April 2019 and November 2019. On the basis of the foregoing, the parties agreed to dismissal on ripeness grounds of our declaratory judgment claims without prejudice, each side to bear its own fees and costs as to these claims, and jointly requested that the California Court enter such a dismissal. The dismissal was thereafter entered as a court order on July 31, 2018. Boston Scientific and Nevro each appealed portions of the California Court's July 24th ruling to the Federal Circuit. The appeal was heard on December 2, 2019. On April 9, 2020, the Federal Circuit returned its ruling, which vacated and remanded the California Court’s judgment of invalidity. As a result of the Federal Circuit’s ruling, the system claims invalidated by the California Court have been reinstated, and thus all of our asserted claims remain valid and enforceable. The litigation is expected to be remanded to the California Court for further proceedings.
On December 9, 2016, Boston Scientific filed a first lawsuit alleging our manufacture, use and sale of the Senza system infringes certain of Boston Scientific’s patents covering SCS technology related to stimulation leads, rechargeable batteries and telemetry (the Delaware I litigation). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (the Delaware Court), seeks unspecified damages and attorney’s fees, as well as preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against further infringement. In relation to this lawsuit, we filed petitions for inter partes review at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) against all the eight patents asserted by Boston Scientific. As a result of those petitions, in February 2019, all of the asserted claims of Boston Scientific’s U.S. Patent Nos. 7,587,241 and 6,895,280 were found invalid by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at the USPTO. The invalidity of each of those patents was later affirmed by the Federal Circuit on May 18, 2020 and May 29, 2020, respectively. This patent infringement lawsuit has been stayed since June 2018, pending completion of inter partes proceedings.
On April 27, 2018, Boston Scientific filed a second lawsuit alleging patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and tortious interference with contract (the Delaware II litigation). The lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Court, seeks unspecified damages and attorney’s fees, as well as preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against further infringement. In relation to the Delaware II litigation, we filed seven petitions for inter partes review at the USPTO against seven of the nine patents asserted by Boston Scientific. In January 2020, the PTAB initiated inter partes reviews in all seven of the challenged patents in the Delaware II litigation. We also filed counterclaims against Boston Scientific, alleging patent infringement of five Nevro patents. On June 22, 2020, the Delaware Court issued an order effectively consolidating the remaining patents of the Delaware I litigation with the Boston Scientific trade secret misappropriation claims and Nevro counterclaims of the Delaware II litigation. The consolidated litigation will proceed to trial scheduled for October of 2021. The Boston Scientific patent infringement claims of the Delaware II litigation have been stayed pending resolution of the inter partes reviews of the Delaware II litigation.
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On February 14, 2019, we filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against Stimwave in the Delaware Court asserting that Stimwave was infringing our patents covering inventions related to our HF10 therapy and the Senza system, as well as a claim for false advertising under the Lanham Action Section 43(a), 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a). In relation to this lawsuit, on July 24, 2019, the court granted our motion for preliminary injunction, and issued an order barring Stimwave, and all affiliated persons and entities, from infringing patent claims covering frequencies between 3 kHz and 10 kHz by programming Stimwave's SCS systems to deliver its recently introduced high-frequency, paresthesia-free SCS therapy. On February 27, 2020, we entered into a Settlement Agreement with Stimwave, in which Stimwave agreed to cease commercialization of all high frequency spinal cord stimulation systems worldwide. Stimwave also agreed to entry of a permanent injunction in the Delaware Court, under which Stimwave’s products will not deliver spinal cord stimulation therapy that includes pulse frequencies between 1,500 Hz and 100,000 Hz. The permanent injunction was filed with the Delaware Court and entered on March 2, 2020. After the court entered the permanent injunction, the case (including Stimwave’s appeal of the preliminary injunction order) were dismissed. As part of the permanent injunction filing, Stimwave acknowledged the validity of the patents we asserted in the litigation. Per our request, the permanent injunction order does not enjoin Stimwave from providing follow-up care and programming for any patients who were already programmed with such high frequency therapy in the United States prior to March 6, 2020, and in the rest of the world prior to April 30, 2020.
On February 28, 2020, we filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court for patent infringement against Nalu Medical, Inc. (Nalu) asserting that Nalu is infringing our patents covering inventions related to its HF10 therapy and the Senza system.
We are and may from time to time continue to be involved in various legal proceedings to defend our intellectual property, including several pending European patent oppositions at the European Patent Office initiated by our competitors Medtronic and Boston Scientific and an entitlement action filed by Boston Scientific in Germany. In addition, we are and may from time to time also be involved in various legal proceedings of a character normally incident to the ordinary course of business, such as product liability and professional liability matters, which we do not deem to be material to our business and consolidated financial statements at this stage.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risks, together with all the other information in this Quarterly Report, including our financial statements and notes thereto, before you invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks actually materialize, our operating results, financial condition and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. As a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Risks Related to our Business
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth have been harmed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and may continue to be harmed.
We are subject to risks related to the public health crises such as the global pandemic associated with COVID-19. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, SARS-CoV-2, and the resulting disease COVID-19, has spread to most countries, and all 50 states within the United States. The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact our operations and revenues and overall financial condition by decreasing the number of Senza systems procedures performed. The number of Senza systems procedures performed, similar to other elective surgical procedures, has decreased as health care organizations globally have prioritized the treatment of patients with COVID-19. For example, in the United States, governmental authorities have recommended, and in certain cases required, that elective, specialty and other procedures and appointments, be suspended or canceled to avoid non-essential patient exposure to medical environments and potential infection with COVID-19 and to focus limited resources and personnel capacity toward the treatment of COVID-19. These measures and challenges may continue for the duration of the pandemic, which is uncertain, and will reduce our revenue while the pandemic continues. Further, once the pandemic subsides, we anticipate there will be substantial backlog of patients seeking appointments with physicians and surgeries to be performed at hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers relating to a variety of medical conditions, and as a result, patients seeking to have Senza system trials or implant procedures performed will have to navigate limited provider capacity. We believe this limited provider capacity could have an adverse effect on our sales following the end of the pandemic.
Numerous state and local jurisdictions have imposed, and others in the future may impose, “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of COVID-19. Starting in mid-March 2020, the governor of California, where our headquarters are located, issued “shelter-in-place” or “stay at home” orders restricting non-essential activities, travel and business operations for an indefinite period of time, subject to certain exceptions for necessary activities. Such orders or restrictions have resulted in our headquarters closing, work stoppages, slowdowns and delays, travel restrictions and cancellation of events, among other effects, thereby negatively impacting our operations. Other disruptions or potential disruptions include restrictions on our personnel and personnel of partners to travel and access customers for
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training and case support; delays in approvals by regulatory bodies; delays in product development efforts; and additional government requirements or other incremental mitigation efforts that may further impact our capacity to manufacture, sell and support the use of our Senza systems. In addition, even after the “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of COVID-19 are lifted, we may continue to experience disruptions to our business, including as a result of patients and customers continuing to be cautious in restarting elective procedures in light of the continued risk posed by the virus.
While the potential economic impact brought by and the duration of COVID-19 may be difficult to assess or predict, the widespread pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity, including our ability to repay our senior convertible notes which are due in June 2021 and April 2025. We expect any further shelter-in-place policies and restrictions on elective surgical procedures worldwide to have a substantial near-term impact on our revenue. In addition, we have withdrawn our previously announced annual guidance for 2020 given the continued uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our common stock. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our customers, including hospitals, ASCs and physician offices, have experienced financial hardship and some of them may not fully recover. This could lead to some of these customers temporarily or permanently shutting down, filing for bankruptcy or being acquired larger health systems, leading to reduced procedures and/or additional pricing pressure on our products. The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in a significant increase in unemployment in the United States which may continue even after the pandemic. The occurrence of any such events may lead to reduced disposable income and access to health insurance which could adversely affect the number of Senza systems sold after the pandemic has ended.
We are substantially dependent on continued market acceptance in the United States for our HF10 therapy, and the failure of our HF10 therapy to continue to gain market acceptance would negatively impact our business.
Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to the development and commercialization of Senza and HF10 therapy for the treatment of chronic leg and back pain. Prior to mid-2015, our revenue was derived nearly entirely from sales of Senza in Europe and Australia. Although we received approval of our PMA in May 2015, we are still in the relatively early stages of our commercialization efforts in the United States and have a limited history of commercializing our product in the United States. We have incurred significant costs, including costs to continue to build our sales force in order to sustain our commercial sales in the United States. If we are unable to continue to achieve significant market acceptance in the United States, our results of operations will be adversely affected as the United States is the principal market for Senza. If we are unsuccessful in our continuing efforts to commercialize our products, including, in particular Senza Omnia, or are unable to market our products as a result of a quality problem, failure to maintain or obtain additional regulatory approvals, unexpected or serious complications or other unforeseen negative effects related to our HF10 therapy or the other factors discussed in these risk factors, we would lose our only source of revenue, and our business will be materially adversely affected.
We may be unable to gain broader market acceptance for a number of reasons, including due to the below and as a result of other factors set forth herein:
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established competitors with strong relationships with customers, including physicians, hospitals and third-party suppliers; |
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limitations in our ability to demonstrate differentiation and advantages of our product compared to competing products and the relative safety, efficacy and ease of use of our product; |
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the limited size of our sales force and the learning curve required to gain experience selling our product; |
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the inability to obtain sufficient supply of the components for our Senza products or secure second-source suppliers if our main suppliers are unable to fulfill our orders; |
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insufficient financial or other resources to support our commercialization efforts necessary to reach profitability; and |
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the introduction and market acceptance of new, more effective or less expensive competing products and technologies. |
Moreover, physicians and hospitals may not perceive the benefits of our products and may be unwilling to change from the SCS devices they are currently using. Communicating the benefits of Senza and HF10 therapy to these physicians and hospitals requires a significant commitment by our marketing team and sales organization. Physicians and hospitals may be slow to change their practices because of perceived risks arising from the use of new products. Physicians may not recommend or use Senza until there is more long-term commercial experience to convince them to alter their existing treatment methods, or until they receive additional recommendations from other physicians that our product is effective. We cannot predict when, if ever, physicians and hospitals may adopt use of our product. If we are unable to educate physicians and hospitals about the advantages of our HF10 therapy, do not continue to gain market acceptance of our product, or fail to significantly grow our market share, we will not be able to grow our revenue and our business and financial condition will be adversely affected.
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We must continue to educate physicians and demonstrate to them the merits of our HF10 therapy compared to those of our competitors.
Physicians play a significant role in determining the course of a patient’s treatment and the type of product that will be used to treat a patient. An important part of our sales process includes the education of physicians on the safe and effective use of our HF10 therapy and our Senza products, particularly because Senza and high-frequency neuromodulation treatment is relatively new as compared to existing low-frequency traditional SCS systems. As a result, our success depends, in large part, on effectively marketing our HF10 therapy to physicians, including the results of our pivotal SENZA-RCT study. In order for us to sell our products, we must successfully demonstrate to physicians the merits of our HF10 therapy compared to our competitors’ SCS systems for use in treating patients with chronic leg and back pain. Acceptance of our HF10 therapy depends on educating physicians as to the distinctive characteristics, perceived benefits, safety, ease of use and cost-effectiveness of Senza as compared to our competitors’ SCS systems, and communicating to physicians the proper application of our HF10 therapy. Physicians typically need to perform several procedures to become comfortable using HF10 therapy and Senza. If a physician experiences difficulties during an initial procedure or otherwise, that physician may be less likely to continue to use our product or to recommend it to other physicians. As a result, educating physicians on the proper use of Senza is critical to the success of our commercialization efforts. If we are not successful in educating physicians and convincing them of the merits of our HF10 therapy or educating them on the use of Senza, they may not use our Senza products and we may be unable to increase our sales, sustain our growth or achieve profitability.
In addition, we believe receiving support of our products from physicians is essential for market acceptance and adoption. If we do not receive support from physicians or long-term data does not show the benefits of using our HF10 therapy, physicians may not use Senza. In such circumstances, our results of operations would be materially adversely affected. It is also important for our growth that these physicians advocate for the benefits of our products in the broader marketplace. If physicians misuse or ineffectively use our products, it could result in unsatisfactory patient outcomes, patient injuries, negative publicity or lawsuits against us, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business.
We are currently, and may in the future become, involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which are expensive and time consuming, and ultimately unsuccessful, and could result in the diversion of significant resources, thereby hindering our ability to effectively grow sales of our Senza systems or commercialize future products, if any. If we are unable to obtain, maintain, protect, and enforce our intellectual property, our business will be negatively affected.
The market for medical devices is subject to rapid technological change and frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. It is possible that our patents or licenses may not withstand challenges made by others or protect our rights adequately.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to secure effective patent protection for our products and processes in the United States and internationally. We have filed and intend to continue to file patent applications for various aspects of our technology and trademark applications to protect our brand and business. We seek to obtain and maintain patents and other intellectual property rights to restrict the ability of others to market products or services that misappropriate our technology and/or infringe our intellectual property to compete with our products. We are currently involved in, and in the future may become involved in additional, lawsuits and/or proceedings to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights. These lawsuits and proceedings are expensive and require substantial attention of management.
However, we face the risks that:
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We may fail to secure necessary patents, potentially permitting competitors to market competing products and make, use or sell products that are substantially the same as ours without incurring the sizeable development costs that we have incurred, which would adversely affect our ability to compete. |
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Patents may not issue from any of our currently pending or future patent applications. |
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Our already-granted patents and any future patents may not survive legal challenges, including challenges in the pending lawsuits with Boston Scientific and Nalu Medical, to their scope, validity or enforceability, or provide significant protection for us, and they may be re-examined or invalidated, and/or may be found to be unenforceable or not cover competing products. |
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Even if our patents are determined by a court to be valid and enforceable, they may not be drafted or interpreted broadly enough to prevent others from marketing products and services similar to ours. Similarly, others may simply design around our patents. For example, third parties may be able to make systems or devices that are similar to ours but that are not covered by the claims of our patents. Third parties may assert that we or our licensors were not the first to make the inventions covered by our issued patents or pending patent applications. The claims of our issued patents or patent applications when issued may not cover our commercial technology or the future products and services that we develop. We may not have freedom to operate unimpeded by the patent rights of others. Third parties may have dominating, |
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blocking or other patents relevant to our technology of which we are not aware. In addition, because patent applications in the United States and many foreign jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after the filing of certain priority documents (or, in some cases, are not published until they issue as patents) and because publications in the scientific literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that others have not filed patent applications for our technology or our contemplated technology. Any such patent applications may have priority over our patent applications or issued patents, which could further require us to obtain rights to issued patents covering such technologies. If another party has filed a U.S. patent application on inventions similar to ours, depending on when the timing of the filing date falls under certain patent laws, we may have to participate in a priority contest (such as an interference proceeding) declared by the USPTO, to determine priority of invention in the United States. There may be prior public disclosures that could invalidate our inventions or parts of our inventions of which we are not aware. Further, we may not develop additional proprietary technologies and, even if we do, they may not be patentable. |
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Patent law can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important principles remain unresolved. In the United States and in many foreign jurisdictions, policies regarding the breadth of claims allowed in patents can be inconsistent. The U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws of the United States are interpreted. Similarly, foreign courts have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws in their respective jurisdictions are interpreted. We cannot predict future changes in the interpretation of patent laws or changes to patent laws that might be enacted into law by U.S. and foreign legislative bodies. Those changes may materially affect our patents or patent applications, our ability to obtain patents or the patents and patent applications of our licensors. Future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain because legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep our competitive advantage, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. |
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Monitoring unauthorized uses of our intellectual property is difficult and costly. From time to time, we seek to analyze our competitors’ products and services. For example, in November 2016, we filed a complaint against Boston Scientific Corporation in order to enforce certain of our patents, in February 2019, we filed a lawsuit for patent infringement and false advertisement against Stimwave, and in February 2020, we filed a lawsuit for patent infringement against Nalu Medical. We may in the future seek to enforce our patents or other proprietary rights against other potential infringements. However, the steps we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to prevent misappropriation of our intellectual property. We may not be able to detect unauthorized use of, or take appropriate steps to enforce, our intellectual property rights. Our competitors may also independently develop similar technology. Any inability to meaningfully protect our intellectual property could result in competitors offering products that incorporate our product features, which could reduce demand for our products. In addition, we may need to defend our patents from third-party challenges, including interferences, derivation proceedings, re-examination proceedings, post-grant review, inter partes review, third-party submissions, oppositions, nullity actions, or other patent proceedings. We may also need to initiate infringement claims or litigation. Adverse proceedings such as litigation or challenges to the validity of our patents can be expensive, time consuming and may divert the efforts of our technical and managerial personnel, which could in turn harm our business, whether or not we receive a determination favorable to us. In addition, in an infringement or other adverse proceeding, a court may decide that the patent we seek to enforce is invalid or unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that the patent in question does not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation or proceeding could place one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, interpreted narrowly or found unenforceable. Some of our competitors may be able to devote significantly more resources to intellectual property litigation, and may have significantly broader patent portfolios to assert against us, if we assert our rights against them. Further, because of the substantial discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be disclosed or otherwise compromised during litigation. |
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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. |
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We may also be forced to enter into cross-license agreements with competitors in order to manufacture, use, sell, import and/or export products or services that are covered by our competitors’ intellectual property rights. If we need to use our intellectual property to enter such cross-license agreements, it may compromise the value of our intellectual property due to the fact that our competitors may be able to manufacture, use, sell, import and/or export our patented technology. |
For additional information regarding risks related to our intellectual property, see “Risks Related to Intellectual Property.”
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Our competitors are large, well-established companies with substantially greater resources than we have and have a long history of competing in the SCS market.
Our most significant competitors are publicly traded, or are divisions of publicly traded, major medical device companies that have substantially greater financial, technical, sales and marketing resources than we have. The existing global SCS market in 2019 is estimated to be approximately $2.5 billion, with the United States comprising approximately 80% of the market. Given the size of the existing and potential market in the United States, we expect that as we work to increase our market position and penetration in the United States our competitors will take aggressive action to protect their current market position. For example, in May 2015, a unit of Boston Scientific, one of our principal competitors, filed with the USPTO two petitions for inter partes review challenging the validity of our U.S. Patent No. 8,359,102 (the ‘102 patent), which the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB) at the USPTO denied in November 2015, and, in December 2016 and April 2018, filed lawsuits against us in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging that we infringed their patents covering technology related to stimulation leads, batteries and telemetry units, and alleging theft of trade secrets and tortious interference with contract. We will face significant competition in establishing our market share in the United States and may encounter unforeseen obstacles and competitive challenges in the United States.
In addition, we face a particular challenge overcoming the long-standing practices by some physicians of using the neuromodulation products of our larger, more established competitors. Physicians who have completed many successful implants using the neuromodulation products made by these competitors may be reluctant to try new products from a source with which they are less familiar. If these physicians do not try and subsequently adopt our product, then our revenue growth will slow or decline.
Further, a number of our competitors are currently conducting, or we anticipate will be conducting, clinical trials to demonstrate the results of their SCS systems. The results of these trials may be equivalent to, or potentially better than, the results of our pivotal U.S. trial.
If our competitors are better able to develop and market neuromodulation products that are safer, more effective, less costly, easier to use or otherwise more attractive than our Senza products, our business will be adversely impacted.
The medical device industry is highly competitive and subject to technological change. Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to establish a competitive position in the neuromodulation market by securing broad market acceptance of our HF10 therapy and our Senza products for the treatment of approved chronic pain conditions. Any product we develop that achieves regulatory clearance or approval will have to compete for market acceptance and market share. We believe that the primary competitive factors in the neuromodulation market are demonstrated clinical effectiveness, product safety, reliability and durability, ease of use, product support and service, minimal side effects, pricing and contracting, and salesforce experience and relationships. We face significant competition in the United States and internationally, which we believe will continue to intensify as we grow our presence in the U.S. market. For example, our major competitors, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Abbott Laboratories, each has approved neuromodulation systems in at least the United States, Europe, and Australia and have been established for several years. Further, since the launch of our product, these major competitors have all launched new SCS systems: Medtronic launched the Intellis system, Boston Scientific launched the Spectra WaveWriter system and Abbott Laboratories launched the Proclaim system. We believe these competitors will continue to launch new products, waveforms, and datasets to remain competitive. For example, in early 2020 Medtronic announced the acquisition of Stimgenics, a company that has developed a specific waveform (DTM) with a purported mechanism of action, and the results of an RCT which had strong results versus traditional SCS. The DTM waveforms have been launched, and launches such as these could result in a reduction of our differentiation in the marketplace. In addition to these major competitors, we also face competition from companies such as Stimwave, Saluda, Mainstay Medical and Nalu Medical, and may face competition from Neuspera Medical and Biotronik in the future. These companies are becoming more active in the SCS market. For instance, in the first quarter of 2019, Stimwave received FDA clearance for 10kHz stimulation, expanding their previous clearance for low frequency therapy, and Nalu Medical received FDA clearance in the first quarter of 2019 for their SCS system and Saluda Medical received CE Mark in the third quarter of 2019 for their SCS system. Additionally, there are other emerging competitors with active neuromodulation system development programs that may emerge in the future. Many of the companies developing or marketing competing products enjoy several advantages over us, including:
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more experienced sales forces; |
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greater name recognition; |
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more established sales and marketing programs and distribution networks; |
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earlier regulatory approval; |
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long established relationships with physicians and hospitals; |
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significant patent portfolios, including issued U.S. and foreign patents and pending patent applications, as well as the resources to enforce patents against us or any of our third-party suppliers and distributors; |
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the ability to acquire and integrate our competitors and/or their technology; |
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demonstrated ability to develop product enhancements and new product offerings; |
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established history of product reliability, safety and durability; |
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the ability to offer rebates or bundle multiple product offerings to offer greater discounts or incentives; |
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greater financial and human resources for product development, sales, and marketing; and |
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greater experience in and resources for conducting R&D, clinical studies, manufacturing, preparing regulatory submissions, obtaining regulatory clearance or approval for products and marketing approved products. |
Our competitors may develop and patent processes or products earlier than we do, obtain patents that may apply to us at any time, obtain regulatory clearance or approvals for competing products more rapidly than we do or develop more effective or less expensive products or technologies that render our technology or products obsolete or less competitive. We also face fierce competition in recruiting and retaining qualified sales, scientific, and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and enrolling patients in clinical studies. If our competitors are more successful than we are in these matters, our business may be harmed.
We have a history of significant losses. If we do not achieve and sustain profitability, our financial condition could suffer.
We have experienced significant net losses, and have no assurance that we will achieve profitability. We expect to continue to incur losses as we build our U.S. commercial operations and continue to investigate the use of our HF10 therapy to treat other chronic pain conditions. We incurred net losses of $66.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 and net losses of $103.7 million and $49.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of June 30, 2020, our accumulated deficit was $475.7 million. Our prior losses have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital. If our revenue grows more slowly than we anticipate, or if our operating expenses are higher than we expect, we may not be able to achieve profitability and our financial condition could suffer. Our patent infringement lawsuits with Boston Scientific Corporation have caused us to, and may continue to cause us to, incur substantial legal expenses. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods.
Our ability to achieve profitability will depend, in part, on our ability to reduce the per unit manufacturing cost of our products.
Currently, the gross profit generated from the sale of our Senza products is not sufficient to cover our operating expenses. To achieve our operating and strategic goals, we will, among other things, need to reduce the per-unit manufacturing cost of Senza. This cannot be achieved without increasing the volume of components that we purchase in order to take advantage of volume-based pricing discounts, improving manufacturing efficiency or increasing our volume to leverage manufacturing overhead costs. If we are unable to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce manufacturing overhead costs per unit, our ability to achieve profitability will be severely constrained. Any increase in manufacturing volumes is dependent upon a corresponding increase in sales. The occurrence of one or more factors that negatively impact the manufacturing or sales of Senza or reduce our manufacturing efficiency may prevent us from achieving our desired reduction in manufacturing costs, which would negatively affect our operating results and may prevent us from attaining profitability.
If third-party payors do not provide adequate coverage and reimbursement for the use of Senza, our revenue will be negatively impacted.
Our success in marketing our products depends and will depend in large part on whether U.S. and international government health administrative authorities, private health insurers and other organizations adequately cover and reimburse customers for the cost of our products.
In the United States, we expect to derive nearly all our sales from sales of our products to hospitals and outpatient surgery centers who typically bill various third-party payors, including Medicare, Medicaid, private commercial insurance companies, health maintenance organizations and other healthcare-related organizations, to cover all or a portion of the costs and fees associated with our products and bill patients for any applicable deductibles or co-payments. Access to adequate coverage and reimbursement for SCS procedures using Senza (and our other products in development) by third-party payors is essential to the acceptance of our products by our customers.
We believe that SCS procedures using our products are adequately described by existing CPT, HCPCS II and ICD-10-CM codes for the implantation of spinal cord stimulators and related leads performed in various sites of care, although such codes generally do not specifically describe procedures using either low-frequency or high-frequency stimulation. In the United States, CMS approved a transitional pass-through payment for High-Frequency Stimulation under the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system effective as of January 1, 2016. This pass-through payment (HCPCS C1822) for HF10 therapy was in addition to the
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established reimbursement for spinal cord stimulation devices; however, this additional pass-through payment ended on December 31, 2017.
We believe that some of our target customers may be unwilling to adopt Senza over more established or lower-cost therapeutic alternatives already available or that may subsequently become available. Further, any decline in the amount payors are willing to reimburse our customers for SCS procedures using Senza could make it difficult for new customers to adopt Senza and could create additional pricing pressure for us, which could adversely affect our ability to invest in and grow our business.
Third-party payors, whether foreign or domestic, or governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In addition, in the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services can differ significantly from payor to payor. Favorable reimbursement decisions from Medicare and certain commercial payors, such as Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser, have contributed to our increase in revenue to date, while we continue to engage in efforts to educate payors on the advantages of HF10 therapy. However, there can be no assurance that all private health insurance plans will cover the product. A significant number of negative coverage and reimbursement decisions by private insurers may impair our ability or delay our ability to grow our revenue. In addition, payors continually review new technologies for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage for these new products and procedures. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide 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.
Reimbursement systems in international markets vary significantly by country and by region within some countries, and reimbursement approvals must be obtained on a country-by-country basis. In many international markets, a product must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that country. Further, many international markets have government-managed healthcare systems that control reimbursement for new devices and procedures. In most markets there are private insurance systems as well as government-managed systems. If sufficient coverage and reimbursement is not available for our current or future products, in either the United States or internationally, the demand for our products and our revenues will be adversely affected.
We do not expect our worldwide revenue growth to continue at historic rates.
Our worldwide revenue has increased from $23.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 to $390.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Since May 2015 when we commenced the commercial launch of Senza in the U.S., our worldwide revenue growth has been substantially driven by sales of Senza products in the United States. Despite the significant growth in sales in the U.S. for many years following our launch, we do not expect to continue this historic rate of revenue growth in the U.S. or on a worldwide basis. Further, due to a number of factors, including governmental reimbursement constraints in the European SCS market limiting the number of annual SCS implants, market pressure in Australia and our current penetration in these markets, we expect minimal, if any, growth in our international markets. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our revenue in the first six months of 2020 and we expect continued impact in 2020 as the pandemic continues.
If we fail to develop and retain an effective direct sales force in the United States, our business could suffer.
As we increase our commercial and marketing efforts, we will need to retain, develop and grow the number of direct sales personnel that we employ. We continue to make a significant investment in recruiting and training sales representatives and clinical representatives. There is significant competition for sales personnel experienced in relevant medical device sales. Once hired, the training process is lengthy because it requires significant education for new sales representatives to achieve the level of clinical competency with our products expected by physicians. Upon completion of the training, our sales representatives typically require lead time in the field to grow their network of accounts and achieve the productivity levels we expect them to reach in any individual territory. Furthermore, the use of our products often requires or benefits from direct support from us. If we are unable to attract, motivate, develop and retain a sufficient number of qualified sales personnel, or if our sales representatives do not achieve the productivity levels we expect them to reach, our revenue will not grow at the rate we expect and our financial performance will suffer. For example, during the first half of 2018, we hired sales personnel at a slower rate that we had expected, which, among other factors, caused us to lower our expectations for full year 2018 worldwide revenue. Also, to the extent we hire personnel from our competitors, our new sales representatives will usually be subject to restrictive covenants with their former employers, including non-competition, non-solicitation and/or confidentiality provisions. As a result, we may have to wait until applicable non-competition provisions have expired before deploying such personnel in restricted territories or incur costs to relocate personnel outside of such territories. We and certain of our new sales representatives have been, continue to be, and may in the future be, subject to allegations that these new hires have violated the non-competition clauses, been improperly solicited or divulged to us proprietary or other confidential information of their former employers. Any of these risks may adversely affect our business.
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If we fail to maintain FDA approval to market and sell Senza, or if such approval is impacted in the future, we will be unable to commercially distribute and market Senza in the United States. Further, we may not be able to obtain required regulatory approvals to expand the indications for which we may market and sell Senza.
We and our products are subject to extensive regulation in the U.S. and elsewhere, including by the FDA and its foreign counterparts.
The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. The FDA enforces these regulatory requirements through periodic unannounced inspections. We do not know whether we will pass any future FDA inspections. While we have received FDA approval of our Senza PMA application, there can be no assurance that approval will be maintained. For example:
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we may not be able to maintain to the FDA’s satisfaction that our product is safe and effective for its intended use; |
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we may fail to comply with the guidelines required by FDA and other agencies to maintain our PMA approval; and |
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the manufacturing processes and facilities we and our vendors use may not meet applicable requirements to maintain our PMA approval. |
In addition, we may suffer from product liability or other issues that impact our ability to continue to market the Senza systems in the United States.
Failing to maintain FDA approval could result in unexpected and significant costs for us and consume management’s time and other resources. The FDA could ask us to improve or augment manufacturing processes, collect and provide data on the quality or safety of our product or issue us warning letters relating to matters that may result in removal of our product from the market. Additionally, we will be required to obtain FDA approval prior to making any modification to the device, and the FDA may revoke the approval or impose other restrictions if post-market data demonstrates safety issues or lack of effectiveness. If we are unable to obtain and maintain the necessary regulatory approvals, our financial condition may be adversely affected, and our ability to grow domestically and internationally would likely be limited.
Modifications to our products may require us to obtain new PMA approvals or approvals of a PMA supplement, and if we market modified products without obtaining necessary approvals, we may be required to cease marketing or recall the modified products until required approvals are obtained.
Certain modifications to a PMA-approved device may require approval of a new PMA or a PMA supplement, or alternatively a notification or other submission to the FDA. The FDA may not agree with our decisions regarding whether a new PMA or PMA supplement is necessary. We may make modifications to our approved devices in the future that we believe do not require approval of a new PMA or PMA supplement. If the FDA disagrees with our determination and requires us to submit a new PMA or PMA supplement for modifications to our previously approved products, we may be required to cease marketing or to recall the modified product until we obtain approval, and we may be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties. In addition, the FDA may not approve our products for the indications that are necessary or desirable for successful commercialization or could require clinical trials to support any modifications. Any delay or failure in obtaining required approvals would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn would harm our future growth.
Traditional SCS has been available for over 50 years, while Senza has only been commercially available since 2010 and, as a result, we have a limited track record compared to our competitors.
Traditional SCS has been commercialized since 1967, while we only began commercializing Senza internationally in 2010 and in the United States since May 2015. Because we have a relatively limited commercial track record compared to our competitors and Senza has been implanted in patients for significantly less time than our competitors’ products, physicians may be slower to adopt or recommend Senza. Further, while we believe our international commercial experience and relatively recent U.S. commercial experience, and our European two-year study and U.S. pivotal study support the safety and effectiveness of our HF10 therapy, future studies or patient experience over a longer period of time may indicate that treatment with our HF10 therapy does not achieve non-inferiority status as compared to treatment with competitive products or that our HF10 therapy causes unexpected or serious complications or other unforeseen negative effects. Such results would likely slow the adoption of Senza and significantly reduce our sales, which would harm our business and adversely affect our results of operations.
Furthermore, if patients with traditional SCS implantations were to experience unexpected or serious complications or other unforeseen effects, the market for Senza may be adversely affected, even if such effects are not applicable to Senza.
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Our success depends on physicians’ use of our HF10 therapy to treat chronic back pain.
Our success is dependent on physicians’ acceptance and use of our HF10 therapy to treat chronic back pain. We believe a significant limitation of current neuromodulation systems is the limited evidence supporting efficacy of traditional SCS for treating chronic back pain. Senza utilizes high-frequency stimulation technology capable of delivering waveform of up to 10,000 Hz for spinal cord stimulation that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of both leg and back pain. However, we may face challenges convincing physicians, many of whom have extensive experience with competitors’ SCS products and established relationships with other companies, to appreciate the benefits of HF10 therapy and, in particular, its ability to treat back pain as well as leg pain, and adopt it for treatment of their patients. If Senza is unable to gain acceptance by physicians for the treatment of back pain, our potential to expand the existing neuromodulation market will be significantly limited and our revenue potential will be negatively impacted.
Our international operations subject us to certain operating risks, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
As of June 30, 2020, we sell Senza directly in the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Germany and through distributors and agents located in Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Turkey, Kuwait and Ireland. The sale and shipment of Senza across international borders, as well as the purchase of components from international sources, subject us to United States and foreign governmental trade, import and export and customs regulations and laws.
Compliance with these regulations and laws is costly and exposes us to penalties for non-compliance. Other laws and regulations that can significantly impact us include various anti-bribery laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as export controls laws. 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.
Our international operations expose us and our distributors to risks inherent in operating in foreign jurisdictions. These risks include:
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difficulties in enforcing our intellectual property rights and in defending against third-party threats and intellectual property enforcement actions against us, our distributors, or any of our third-party suppliers; |
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reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; |
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pricing pressure that we may experience internationally; |
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foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; |
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a shortage of high-quality sales people and distributors; |
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third-party reimbursement policies that may require some of the patients who receive our products to directly absorb medical costs or that may necessitate the reduction of the selling prices of Senza; |
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relative disadvantages compared to competitors with established business and customer relationships; |
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the imposition of additional U.S. and foreign governmental controls or regulations; |
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economic instability; |
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virus epidemics and pandemics such as the COVID-19 outbreak; |
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changes in duties and tariffs, license obligations and other non-tariff barriers to international trade, including any retaliatory tariffs or other actions taken by foreign countries in response to the U.S. tariffs imposed and threatened by the United States presidential administration; |
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the imposition of restrictions on the activities of foreign agents, representatives and distributors; |
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scrutiny of foreign tax authorities that could result in significant fines, penalties and additional taxes being imposed on us; |
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laws and business practices favoring local companies; |
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longer payment cycles; |
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difficulties in maintaining consistency with our internal guidelines; |
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difficulties in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through certain foreign legal systems; |
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the imposition of costly and lengthy new export licensing requirements; |
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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; and |
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the imposition of new trade restrictions. |
If we experience any of these risks, our sales in non-U.S. jurisdictions may be harmed and our results of operations would suffer.
Changes in tax laws, tax rulings or trade policies may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in laws and policy relating to taxes or trade may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Recently enacted legislation has significantly changed U.S. federal income tax laws, the consequences of which could have a material impact on the value of our deferred tax assets and could increase our future U.S. income tax expense. The legislation could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, and will be subject to further interpretation and implementing of regulations by the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), any of which could mitigate or increase certain adverse effects of the legislation. In addition, it remains unclear how some of these U.S. federal income tax changes will affect state and local taxation.
In addition, changes in U.S. trade policies could materially and adversely impact our effective tax rate, increase our costs and reduce the competitiveness of our products.
We are dependent upon third-party manufacturers and suppliers, in some cases sole- or single-source suppliers, making us vulnerable to supply shortages and problems and price fluctuations, which could harm our business.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers who manufacture and assemble certain components of our products.
Our suppliers may encounter problems during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including, for example, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, equipment malfunction and environmental factors, failure to properly conduct their own business affairs and infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, any of which could delay or impede their ability to meet our requirements. Our reliance on these third-party suppliers also subjects us to other risks that could harm our business, including:
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third parties may threaten or enforce their intellectual property rights against our suppliers, which may cause disruptions or delays in shipment, or may force our suppliers to cease conducting business with us; |
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we may not be able to obtain adequate supplies from one or more vendors in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms; |
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we are not a major customer of many of our suppliers, and these suppliers may therefore give other customers’ needs higher priority than ours; |
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our suppliers, especially new suppliers, may make errors in manufacturing that could negatively affect the efficacy or safety of our products, impacting our ability to maintain our PMA approval, or cause delays in shipment, impacting our ability to meet demand in the United States or international markets; |
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we may have difficulty locating and qualifying alternative suppliers; |
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switching components or suppliers may require product redesign and possibly submission to FDA, European Economic Area (EEA) Notified Bodies or other foreign regulatory bodies, which could significantly impede or delay our commercial activities; |
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one or more of our sole- or single-source suppliers may be unwilling or unable to supply components of our products, or may supply products that do not meet our product requirements; |
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other customers may use fair or unfair negotiation tactics and/or pressures to impede our use of the supplier; |
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the occurrence of epidemic or pandemics, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, which may cause one or more of our suppliers to close their operations either temporarily or permanently; |
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the occurrence of a fire, natural disaster or other catastrophe impacting one or more of our suppliers may affect their ability to deliver products to us in a timely manner; and |
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our suppliers may encounter financial or other business hardships unrelated to our demand, which could inhibit their ability to fulfill our orders and meet our requirements. |
We may not be able to quickly establish additional or alternative suppliers for commercialization in the United States if necessary, in part because we may need to undertake additional activities to qualify such suppliers as required by the regulatory approval process. Any interruption or delay in obtaining products from our third-party suppliers, or our inability to obtain products from qualified alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to switch to competing products. Given our reliance on certain single-source suppliers, we are especially susceptible to supply shortages because we do not have alternate suppliers currently available.
We rely upon third-party, single-source, and in certain cases sole-source, suppliers for many of the components and materials used in our products, and for critical manufacturing and packaging services, and the loss of any of these suppliers could harm our business.
A number of the critical components used in our products are supplied to us from single-source, or in certain cases sole-source, suppliers, including leads, lead extenders, surgical leads, neurostimulator components and telemetry modules. Our ability to supply our products commercially depends, in part, on our ability to obtain a supply of these components that have been manufactured in accordance with regulatory requirements and in sufficient quantities for commercialization and clinical testing. In most cases, we have not entered into manufacturing, supply or quality agreements with our single-source and sole-source suppliers, some of which supply components critical to our products. We are not certain that our single-source or sole-source suppliers will be able to meet our demand for their products and services, either because of the nature of our agreements with those suppliers, or our limited experience with those suppliers, or due to our relative importance as a customer to those suppliers or otherwise. It may be difficult for us to assess their ability to timely meet our demand in the future based on past performance. While our suppliers have generally met our demand for their products on a timely basis in the past, they may subordinate our needs in the future to the needs of their other customers.
Establishing additional or replacement suppliers for the components or processes used in Senza systems, if required, may not be accomplished quickly. If we are able to find a replacement supplier, such replacement supplier would need to be qualified and may require additional regulatory authority approval, which could result in further delay. While we seek to maintain adequate inventory of the single-source or sole-source components and materials used in our products, any interruption or delay in the supply of components or materials, or our inability to obtain components or materials from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders. In addition, from time to time, certain of our suppliers experience interruptions and variances in their manufacturing processes, including suppliers of our leads and batteries. Because we are reliant on these single source suppliers, we are particularly susceptible to supply shortages and, if one of our suppliers were to experience an ongoing or continued manufacturing problem, and, in particular, our leads and battery suppliers, our ability to meet our forecasted commercial demand could be materially and negatively impacted.
If our third-party suppliers fail to deliver the required commercial quantities of materials, or the level of services we require, on a timely basis and at commercially reasonable prices, and we are unable to find one or more replacement suppliers capable of production at a substantially equivalent cost in substantially equivalent volumes and quality, and on a timely basis, the continued commercialization of Senza would be impeded, delayed, limited or prevented, which could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
We may not be able to establish or strengthen our brand.
We believe that establishing and strengthening the Nevro and Senza brands is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of HF10 therapy, particularly because of the highly competitive nature of the market for SCS products. Promoting and positioning our brand will depend largely on the success of our marketing efforts and our ability to provide physicians with a reliable product for successful treatment of chronic leg and back pain. Additionally, we believe the quality and reliability of our product is critical to building physician support of this new therapy in the United States and any negative publicity regarding the quality or reliability of Senza could significantly damage our reputation in the market. Further, given the established nature of our competitors, and our relatively recent commercial launch in the United States, it is likely that our future marketing efforts will require us to incur significant additional expenses. These brand promotion activities may not yield increased sales and, even if they do, any sales increases may not offset the expenses we incur to promote our brand. If we fail to successfully promote and maintain our brand, or if we incur substantial expenses in an unsuccessful attempt to promote and maintain our brand, our HF10 therapy may not be accepted by physicians, which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth, our business could suffer.
We have been growing rapidly in recent periods and have a relatively short history of operating as a commercial company. As an organization, we have only relatively recently commercially launched our product in the United States and commenced a sales representative training program. A commercial launch and training program of this size is a significant undertaking that requires substantial financial and managerial resources. We intend to continue to grow and may experience periods of rapid growth and expansion, which could place a significant additional strain on our limited personnel, information technology systems and other resources. In particular, the hiring of our direct sales force in the United States requires significant management, financial and other supporting resources. Any failure by us to manage our growth effectively could have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our development and commercialization goals.
To achieve our revenue goals, we must successfully increase manufacturing output to meet expected customer demand. In the future, we may experience difficulties with manufacturing yields, quality control, component supply and shortages of qualified personnel, among other problems. These problems could result in delays in product availability and increases in expenses. Any such delay or increased expense could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue.
Future growth will also impose significant added responsibilities on management, including the need to identify, recruit, train and integrate additional employees. In addition, rapid and significant growth will place a strain on our administrative and operational infrastructure.
In order to manage our operations and growth we will need to continue to improve our operational and management controls, reporting and information technology systems and financial internal control procedures. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, it may be difficult for us to execute our business strategy and our operating results and business could suffer.
If we fail to receive access to hospital facilities, our sales may decrease.
In the United States, in order for physicians to use Senza, the hospital facilities where these physicians treat patients typically require us to enter into purchasing contracts. The process of securing a satisfactory contract can be lengthy and time-consuming and require extensive negotiations and management time. In the European Union (EU), from time to time, certain institutions require us to engage in a contract bidding process in the event that such institutions are considering making purchase commitments that exceed specified cost thresholds, which vary by jurisdiction. These processes are only open at certain periods of time, and we may not be successful in the bidding process. If we do not receive access to hospital facilities via these contracting processes or otherwise, or if we are unable to secure contracts or tender successful bids, our sales may stagnate or decrease and our operating results may be harmed. Furthermore, we may expend significant effort in these time-consuming processes and still may not obtain a purchase contract from such hospitals.
We rely in part on a small group of third-party distributors to effectively distribute our products outside the United States.
We depend in part on medical device distributors for the marketing and sales of our products in certain territories in Europe. We depend on these distributors’ efforts to market our products, yet we are unable to control their efforts completely. These distributors typically sell a variety of other, non-competing products that may limit the resources they dedicate to selling Senza. In addition, we are unable to ensure that our distributors comply with all applicable laws regarding the sale of our products. If our distributors fail to effectively market and sell Senza in full compliance with applicable laws, our operating results and business may suffer. Recruiting and retaining qualified third-party distributors and training them in our technology and product offering requires significant time and resources. To develop and expand our distribution, we must continue to scale and improve our processes and procedures that support our distributors. Further, if our relationship with a successful distributor terminates, we may be unable to replace that distributor without disruption to our business. If we fail to maintain positive relationships with our distributors, fail to develop new relationships with other distributors, including in new markets, fail to manage, train or incentivize existing distributors effectively, or fail to provide distributors with competitive products on attractive terms, or if these distributors are not successful in their sales efforts, our revenue may decrease and our operating results, reputation and business may be harmed.
We may face product liability claims that could result in costly litigation and significant liabilities.
Manufacturing and marketing Senza, and clinical testing of our HF10 therapy, may expose us to product liability and other tort claims. Although we have, and intend to maintain, liability insurance, the coverage limits of our insurance policies may not be adequate and one or more successful claims brought against us may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. For example, in 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 to the FFDCA did not preempt state laws in a product liability case involving a medical device company. If other courts in the United States adopt similar rulings, we may be subject to increased
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litigation risk in connection with our products. Product liability claims could negatively affect our reputation, continued product sales, and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our products.
If clinical studies for future indications do not produce results necessary to support regulatory clearance or approval in the United States or elsewhere, we will be unable to commercialize our products for these indications.
Clinical trials are necessary to support PMA applications and may be necessary to support PMA supplements for modified versions of our marketed device products. This would require the enrollment of large numbers of suitable subjects, which may be difficult to identify, recruit and maintain as participants in the clinical trial. Adverse outcomes in the post-approval studies could also result in restrictions or withdrawal of approval of the PMA. We will likely need to conduct additional clinical studies in the future to support new indications for our products or for approvals or clearances of new product lines, or for the approval of the use of our products in some foreign countries. For example, we are currently conducting clinical trials for Senza to explore the potential for HF10 therapy to treat certain chronic pain indications, including chronic upper limb and neck pain, painful neuropathies and non-surgical refractory back pain. We will likely need to conduct additional clinical studies in the future to support regulatory approval for the use of our products to treat some of these new indications. Clinical testing can take many years, is expensive and carries uncertain outcomes. The initiation and completion of any of these studies may be prevented, delayed, or halted for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
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the FDA, Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), Ethics Committees, EU Competent Authorities or other regulatory authorities do not approve a clinical study protocol, force us to modify a previously approved protocol, or place a clinical study on hold; |
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patients do not enroll in, or enroll at a lower rate than we expect, or do not complete a clinical study; |
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patients or investigators do not comply with study protocols; |
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the FDA may disagree with our interpretation of the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, or may find the clinical trial design, conduct or results inadequate to prove safety or efficacy, and may require us to pursue additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials, which could further delay the clearance or approval of our products; |
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patients do not return for post-treatment follow-up at the expected rate; |
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patients experience serious or unexpected adverse side effects for a variety of reasons that may or may not be related to our products such as the advanced stage of co-morbidities that may exist at the time of treatment, causing a clinical study to be put on hold; |
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sites participating in an ongoing clinical study withdraw, requiring us to engage new sites; |
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difficulties or delays associated with establishing additional clinical sites; |
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third-party clinical investigators decline to participate in our clinical studies, do not perform the clinical studies on the anticipated schedule, or perform in a manner inconsistent with the investigator agreement, clinical study protocol, good clinical practices, other FDA, IRB or Ethics Committee requirements, and EEA Member State or other foreign regulations governing clinical trials; |
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third-party organizations do not perform data collection and analysis in a timely or accurate manner; |
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regulatory inspections of our clinical studies or manufacturing facilities require us to undertake corrective action or suspend or terminate our clinical studies; |
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changes in federal, state, or foreign governmental statutes, regulations or policies; |
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interim or final results are inconclusive or unfavorable as to immediate and long-term safety or efficacy; |
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the study design is inadequate to demonstrate safety and efficacy; or |
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the statistical endpoints are not met. |
In addition, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the likelihood that we encounter such difficulties or delays in initiating, enrolling, conducting or completing our planned and ongoing clinical trials. Clinical failure can occur at any stage of the testing. Our clinical studies may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical or non-clinical studies in addition to those we have planned. Our failure to adequately demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of any of our devices would prevent receipt of regulatory clearance or approval and, ultimately, the commercialization of that device or indication for use.
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We could also encounter delays if the FDA concludes that our financial relationships with investigators results in a perceived or actual conflict of interest that may have affected the interpretation of a study, the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site or the utility of the clinical trial itself. Principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and receive cash compensation and/or equity-based awards in connection with such services. If these relationships and any related compensation to or ownership interest by the clinical investigator carrying out the study result in perceived or actual conflicts of interest, or if the FDA concludes that the financial relationship may have affected interpretation of the study, the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site may be questioned and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized, which could result in the FDA refusing to accept the data as support for our future applications. Any such delay or rejection could prevent us from commercializing any of our products currently in development.
Even if our products are approved in the United States, Australia and the EEA, comparable regulatory authorities of additional foreign countries must also approve the manufacturing and marketing of our products in those countries. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from, and greater than, those in the United States, Australia or the EEA, including additional preclinical studies or clinical trials. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
If we fail to retain our key executives or recruit and hire new employees, our operations and financial results may be adversely effected while we attract other highly qualified personnel.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to retain our executive officers and other key employees, and recruit and hire new employees. All of our executive officers and other employees are at-will employees, and therefore may terminate employment with us at any time with no advance notice. The replacement of any of our key personnel likely would involve significant time and costs, may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives and may harm our business.
In addition, many of our employees have become, or will soon become, vested in a substantial amount of Company stock or be able to exercise a substantial number of stock options. Our employees may be more likely to leave us if the shares they own or the shares underlying their vested options have significantly appreciated in value relative to the original purchase prices of the shares or the exercise prices of the options, or if the exercise prices of the options that they hold are significantly below the market price of our common stock. Further, our employees’ ability to exercise those options and sell their stock in a public market may result in a higher than normal turnover rate.
Our future success also depends on our ability to retain executive officers and other key employees and attract new key employees. Many executive officers and other employees in the neuromodulation and medical device industry are subject to strict non-competition, non-solicitation and/or confidentiality agreements with their employers, including our main competitors Medtronic plc, Boston Scientific and Abbott Laboratories. Our competitors may allege breaches of, and seek to enforce, such non-competition, non-solicitation and/or confidentiality agreements or initiate litigation based on such agreements, particularly now that we have entered the U.S. market. Such litigation, whether or not meritorious, may impede our ability to attract, hire or utilize executive officers and other key employees who have been or are currently employed by our competitors.
Failure to protect our information technology infrastructure against cyber-based attacks, network security breaches, service interruptions, or data corruption could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and operating results.
We rely on information technology and telephone networks and systems, including the Internet, to process and transmit sensitive electronic information and to manage or support a variety of business processes and activities, including sales, billing, marketing, procurement and supply chain, manufacturing and distribution. We use enterprise information technology systems to record, process and summarize financial information and results of operations for internal reporting purposes and to comply with regulatory, financial reporting, legal and tax requirements. Our information technology systems, some of which are managed by third-parties, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication failures, user errors or catastrophic events. Despite the precautionary measures we have taken to prevent breakdowns in our information technology and telephone systems, if our systems suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown and we are unable to effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our business and operating results may suffer.
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Risks Related to Intellectual Property
We currently are, and may in the future become, involved in lawsuits to defend ourselves against intellectual property disputes, which could be expensive and time consuming, and ultimately unsuccessful, and could result in the diversion of significant resources, and hinder our ability to commercialize our existing or future products.
Our success depends in part on not infringing the patents or violating the other proprietary rights of others. Intellectual property disputes can be costly to defend and may cause our business, operating results and financial condition to suffer. Significant litigation regarding patent rights occurs in the medical industry. Whether merited or not, it is possible that U.S. and foreign patents and pending patent applications controlled by third parties may be alleged to cover our products. We may also face allegations that our employees have misappropriated the intellectual property rights of their former employers or other third parties. For example, on December 9, 2016, Boston Scientific filed a patent infringement lawsuit alleging our manufacture, use and sale of the Senza system infringes certain of Boston Scientific’s patents covering technology related to stimulation leads, batteries and telemetry units. On April 27, 2018, Boston Scientific filed a second lawsuit alleging patent infringement, theft of trade secrets, and tortious interference with contract.
Our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in patent portfolios and competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use, sell, and/or export our products. For example, our major competitors, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Abbott Laboratories, each have significant patent portfolios covering systems, sub-systems, methods, and manufacturing processes. These competitors may have one or more patents for which they can threaten and/or initiate patent infringement actions against us and/or any of our third-party suppliers. Our ability to defend ourselves and/or our third-party suppliers may be limited by our financial and human resources, the availability of reasonable defenses, and the ultimate acceptance of our defenses by the courts or juries. Further, if such patents are successfully asserted against us, this may result in an adverse impact on our business, including injunctions, damages and/or attorneys’ fees. From time to time and in the ordinary course of business, we may develop non-infringement and/or invalidity positions with respect to third-party patents, which may or not be ultimately adjudicated as successful by a judge or jury if such patents were asserted against us.
We may receive in the future, particularly as a public company, communications from patent holders, including non-practicing entities, alleging infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights or misappropriation of trade secrets, or offering licenses to such intellectual property. Any claims that we assert against perceived infringers could also provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. At any given time, we may be involved as either a plaintiff or a defendant in a number of patent infringement actions, the outcomes of which may not be known for prolonged periods of time. We may also become involved in disputes with others regarding the ownership of intellectual property rights. For example, we jointly develop intellectual property with certain parties, and disagreements may therefore arise as to the ownership of the intellectual property developed pursuant to these relationships. If we are unable to resolve these disputes, we could lose valuable intellectual property rights.
The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent applications and issuances, the complexities of the technologies involved and the uncertainty of litigation significantly increase the risks related to any patent litigation. Any potential intellectual property litigation also could force us to do one or more of the following:
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stop selling, making, using, or exporting products that use the disputed intellectual property; |
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obtain a license from the intellectual property owner to continue selling, making, exporting, or using products, which license may require substantial royalty payments and may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all; |
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incur significant legal expenses; |
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pay substantial damages or royalties to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing, potentially including treble damages if the court finds that the infringement was willful; |
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if a license is available from a third-party, we may have to pay substantial royalties, upfront fees or grant cross-licenses to intellectual property rights for our products and services; |
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pay the attorney fees and costs of litigation to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing; |
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find non-infringing substitute products, which could be costly and create significant delay due to the need for prior FDA authorization; |
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find alternative supplies for infringing products or processes, which could be costly and create significant delay due to the need for FDA regulatory clearance; and/or |
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redesign those products or processes that infringe any third-party intellectual property, which could be costly, disruptive, and/or infeasible. |
From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims with respect to intellectual property. For more information regarding our ongoing litigation with Boston Scientific, as well as our lawsuit for patent infringement and false advertisement against Stimwave, and our lawsuit for patent infringement against Nalu Medical, see the section titled “Legal Proceedings” included under Part II, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report. Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, that we do not control. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock, the value of the 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2021 (the 2021 Notes) and the value of the 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2025 (the 2025 Notes). Additionally, because we often do not control the timing of the public announcements, there is the potential for these announcements to be made during market hours, necessitating a halt in the trading of our common stock for periods of time. Finally, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our operations.
If any of the foregoing occurs, we may have to withdraw existing products from the market or may be unable to commercialize one or more of our products, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any litigation or claim against us, even those without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. Further, as the number of participants in the neuromodulation industry grows, the possibility of intellectual property infringement claims against us increases.
In addition, we may indemnify our customers, suppliers and international distributors against claims relating to the infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties relating to our products, methods, and/or manufacturing processes. Third parties may assert infringement claims against our customers, suppliers, or distributors. These claims may require us to initiate or defend protracted and costly litigation on behalf of our customers, suppliers or distributors, regardless of the merits of these claims. If any of these claims succeed, we may be forced to pay damages on behalf of our customers, suppliers, or distributors or may be required to obtain licenses for the products they use. If we cannot obtain all necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, our customers may be forced to stop using our products, or our suppliers may be forced to stop providing us with products.
Similarly, interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by the USPTO or any foreign patent authority may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions or other matters of inventorship with respect to our patents or patent applications. An unfavorable outcome in these or any other such proceedings could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms, if any license is offered at all.
We may also become involved in other proceedings, such as re-examination or opposition proceedings, before the USPTO or its foreign counterparts relating to our intellectual property or the intellectual property rights of others. For example, two of our competitors, Boston Scientific and Medtronic, have filed oppositions in the EU with respect to certain of our patents. Boston Scientific has filed an entitlement action against us in the German courts. Defending our position in proceedings such as these will require management’s time and attention, as well as financial costs. Given the competitive environment in which we operate, we expect additional challenges to our intellectual property portfolio as we continue commercialization of Senza in the United States and abroad. An unfavorable outcome in these or any other such proceedings could cause us to lose valuable intellectual property rights and/or be unable to enforce our intellectual property rights, which could invite increased competition thereby materially harming our business.
Changes in patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our existing and future products.
Patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (the Leahy-Smith Act) was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted, redefine prior art and may affect patent litigation. The changes also switched the United States patent system from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-to-file” system. Under a “first-to-file” system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. The USPTO recently developed new regulations and
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procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, in particular, the first-to-file provisions, only became effective on March 16, 2013. Accordingly, it is not clear what, if any, impact the Leahy-Smith Act will have on the operation of our business. The Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
In addition, patent reform legislation may pass in the future that could lead to additional uncertainties and increased costs surrounding the prosecution, enforcement and defense of our patents and applications. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws of the United States are interpreted. Similarly, foreign courts have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws in their respective jurisdictions are interpreted. We cannot predict future changes in the interpretation of patent laws or changes to patent laws that might be enacted into law by United States and foreign legislative bodies. Those changes may materially affect our patents or patent applications and our ability to obtain additional patent protection in the future.
Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition, periodic maintenance fees on issued patents often must be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of the patent. While an unintentional lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products or procedures, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products that are the same as or similar to our own, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly developing countries, and the breadth of patent claims allowed can be inconsistent. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories in which we have patent protection that may not be sufficient to terminate infringing activities.
We do not have patent rights in certain foreign countries in which a market may exist. Moreover, in foreign jurisdictions where we do have patent rights, proceedings to enforce such rights could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, and our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Additionally, such proceedings could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and if we do prevail, the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Thus, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing and selling in foreign countries products that are the same as or similar to our products, and our competitive position in the international market would be harmed.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors.
We could in the future be subject to claims that we or our employees have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of former employers or competitors. In addition, many of our executive officers and key employees, as well as our Lead Director, have worked for our major competitors (or companies acquired by these competitors), which include Boston Scientific, Medtronic and Abbott Laboratories. Although we have procedures in place that seek to prevent our employees and consultants from using the intellectual property, proprietary information, know-how or trade secrets of others in their work for us, we may in the future be subject to claims that we caused an employee to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation agreement, or that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, used or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of a former employer or competitor. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and could be a distraction to management. If our defense to those claims fails, in addition to paying monetary damages, a court could prohibit us from using
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technologies or features that are essential to our products, if such technologies or features are found to incorporate or be derived from the trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers. An inability to incorporate technologies or features that are important or essential to our products would have a material adverse effect on our business, and may prevent us from selling our products or from practicing our processes. In addition, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Moreover, any such litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire employees or contract with independent sales representatives. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize our products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected.
Our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic or determined to be infringing on other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights in these trademarks and trade names, which we need in order to build name recognition with potential partners or customers in our markets of interest. In addition, third parties have registered trademarks similar and identical to our trademarks in foreign jurisdictions, and may in the future file for registration of such trademarks. If they succeed in registering or developing common law rights in such trademarks, and if we were not successful in challenging such third-party rights, we may not be able to use these trademarks to market our products in those countries. In any case, if we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position may be harmed.
In addition to patent and trademark protection, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our consultants and vendors, or our former or current employees. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. Despite these efforts, however, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our trade secrets and other unpatented or unregistered proprietary information, and once disclosed, we are likely to lose trade secret protection. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. In addition, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to enforce trade secret protection.
Further, our competitors may independently develop knowledge, methods and know-how similar, equivalent, or superior to our proprietary technology. Competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, willfully infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. In addition, our key employees, consultants, suppliers or other individuals with access to our proprietary technology and know-how may incorporate that technology and know-how into projects and inventions developed independently or with third parties. As a result, disputes may arise regarding the ownership of the proprietary rights to such technology or know-how, and any such dispute may not be resolved in our favor. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us and our competitive position could be adversely affected. If our intellectual property is not adequately protected so as to protect our market against competitors’ products and methods, our competitive position could be adversely affected, as could our business.
Risks Related to our Financial and Operating Results
We may choose, or need, to obtain additional funds in the future, and these funds may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.
Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception, and we anticipate our expenses will increase as we continue to build a commercial sales force in the United States, investigate the use of our HF10 therapy for the treatment of other chronic pain conditions, continue to otherwise grow our business, including potentially acquiring other businesses or technologies, manage the maturity of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes, and continue to operate as a public company. In particular, we believe that we will continue to expend substantial resources for the foreseeable future on the commercialization of Senza in the United States, as well as the growth of our sales and marketing efforts and sales representative training, seeking additional foreign regulatory approvals, the preparation and submission of regulatory filings and the clinical development of any other product candidates or indications we may choose to pursue. These expenditures will also include costs associated with manufacturing and supply as well as marketing and
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selling Senza in the United States and elsewhere, and any other future products approved for sale, R&D, conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approvals.
We believe that our growth will depend, in part, on our ability to fund our commercialization efforts, particularly in the United States, and our efforts to develop our Senza products and HF10 therapy for the treatment of additional chronic pain indications and develop technology complementary to our current product. In order to further enhance our R&D efforts, pursue product expansion opportunities or acquire a new business or products that are complementary to our business, we may choose to seek additional funds. If we are unable to raise funds on favorable terms, or at all, the long-term growth of our business may be negatively impacted. As a result, we may be unable to compete effectively. Our cash requirements in the future may be significantly different from our current estimates and depend on many factors, including:
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the costs of commercializing our products in the United States and elsewhere, including costs associated with product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution; |
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our ability to maintain the average sales price of our products; |
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the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights, including, in particular, the costs of enforcing our patent rights in the action we filed against Boston Scientific and in defending against Boston Scientific’s action against us; |
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the R&D activities we intend to undertake in order to expand the chronic pain indications and product enhancements that we intend to pursue; |
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whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business; |
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the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere; |
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changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs; |
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our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems; |
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our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company; and |
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the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments. |
To finance these activities, we may seek funds through borrowings or through additional rounds of financing, including private or public equity or debt offerings and collaborative arrangements with corporate partners. We may be unable to raise funds on favorable terms, or at all.
The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities could result in additional dilution to our stockholders. If we borrow additional funds or issue debt securities, these securities could have rights superior to holders of our common stock, the 2021 Notes and the 2025 Notes and could contain covenants that will restrict our operations. We might have to obtain funds through arrangements with collaborative partners or others that may require us to relinquish rights to our technologies, product candidates, or products that we otherwise would not relinquish. If we do not obtain additional resources, our ability to capitalize on business opportunities will be limited, we may be unable to compete effectively and the growth of our business will be harmed.
Our operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which may negatively impact our stock price in the future.
Our quarterly revenue and results of operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to, among others, the following reasons:
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physician and payor acceptance of our products and HF10 therapy; |
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our success in initiating patient trials for HF10 therapy and converting those trials into permanent implants; |
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fluctuations in our expenses associated with inventory buildup or write-downs from analyzing our inventory for obsolescence or conformity with our product requirements; |
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fluctuations in the expenses related to initiating, pursuing and defending lawsuits; |
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buying patterns of our customers; |
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the timing, expense and results of our commercialization efforts in the United States and elsewhere, R&D activities, clinical trials and regulatory approvals; |
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the introduction of new products and technologies by our competitors; |
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the productivity of our sales representatives; |
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difficulties in collecting receivables related to our sales in the United States; |
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fluctuations in expenses as a result of expanding our commercial operations and operating as a public company; |
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supplier, manufacturing or quality problems with our products; |
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changes in our pricing policies or strategies or in the pricing policies or strategies of our competitors; and |
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changes in coverage amounts or government and third-party payors’ reimbursement policies. |
Because of these and other factors, it is likely that in some future period our operating results will not meet investor expectations or those of public market analysts.
Any unanticipated change in revenues or operating results is likely to cause our stock price to fluctuate. New information may cause investors and analysts to revalue our business, which could cause a decline in our stock price.
We are required to maintain high levels of inventory, which could consume a significant amount of our resources, reduce our cash flows and lead to inventory impairment charges.
As a result of the need to maintain substantial levels of inventory, we are subject to the risk of inventory obsolescence and expiration, which may lead to inventory impairment charges. Our products consist of a substantial number of individual components. In order to market and sell Senza effectively, we often must maintain high levels of inventory. In particular, as we continue our commercial launch of Senza in the United States, we intend to maintain our high levels of inventory in order to meet our estimated demand and, as a result, incur significant expenditures associated with such levels of inventory. The manufacturing process requires lengthy lead times, during which components of our products may become obsolete, and we may over- or underestimate the amount needed of a given component, in which case we may expend extra resources or be constrained in the amount of end product that we can produce. As compared to direct manufacturers, our dependence on third-party manufacturers exposes us to greater lead times increasing our risk of inventory obsolescence comparatively, and we would be required to record an impairment charge, as we did in the first quarter of 2019. Furthermore, our products have a limited shelf life due to sterilization requirements, and part or all of a given product or component may expire and its value would become impaired. We have also experienced inventory write-downs as a result of inventory that did not meet our product requirements. In addition, as we release later generations of products that contain advancements or additional features, the earlier generations may become obsolete. If our estimates of required inventory are too high, we may be exposed to further inventory obsolescence risk. In the event that a substantial portion of our inventory becomes obsolete or expires, or in the event we experience a supply chain imbalance as described above, it could have a material adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows due to the resulting costs associated with the inventory impairment charges and costs required to replace such inventory.
The seasonality of our business creates variance in our quarterly revenue, which makes it difficult to compare or forecast our financial results.
Our revenue fluctuates on a seasonal basis, which affects the comparability of our results between periods. For example, due to the seasonality of buying patterns and implant volumes of distributors, hospitals and clinics, the industry generally experiences lower revenues in the first and third quarters of the year and higher revenues in the fourth quarter. We are now experiencing these industry trends to a greater degree than in our initial U.S. commercial launch phase. These seasonal variations are difficult to predict accurately, may vary amongst different markets, and at times may be entirely unpredictable, which introduce additional risk into our business as we rely upon forecasts of customer demand to build inventory in advance of anticipated sales.
We are subject to risks associated with currency fluctuations, and changes in foreign currency exchange rates could impact our results of operations.
A portion of our business is located outside the United States and, as a result, we generate revenue and incur expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, a majority of which is denominated in Euros, British Pounds and Australian Dollars. As a result, changes in the exchange rates between such foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar could materially impact our reported results of operations and distort period to period comparisons. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates also impact the reporting of our receivables and payables in non-U.S. currencies. As a result of such foreign currency fluctuations, it could be more difficult to detect underlying trends in our business and results of operations. In addition, to the extent that fluctuations in currency exchange rates cause our results of operations to differ from our expectations or the expectations of our investors, the trading price of our common stock and the value of the 2021 Notes and the 2025 Notes could be adversely affected.
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In the future, we may engage in exchange rate hedging activities in an effort to mitigate the impact of exchange rate fluctuations. If our hedging activities are not effective, changes in currency exchange rates may have a more significant impact on our results of operations.
Our ability to use our net operating losses and tax credits to offset future taxable income and taxes may be subject to certain limitations.
In general, under Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards and other tax attributes, such as research and development tax credits, to offset post-change taxable income and taxes.
As a result of our June 2015 underwritten public offering, we have experienced a Section 382 “ownership change.” We currently believe that this “ownership change” will not inhibit our ability to utilize our NOLs prior to expiration. However, we may experience additional ownership changes as a result of subsequent changes in our stock ownership, some of which changes may be outside our control. As a result, we may not be able to utilize a material portion of our NOLs and tax credits, even if we achieve profitability and generate sufficient taxable income in the future. If we are limited in our ability to use our NOLs and tax credits in future years as a result of ownership changes, we will pay more taxes than if we were able to fully utilize our NOLs and tax credits. This could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. As of December 31, 2019, we had federal NOLs of $398.5 million, of which $139.5 million was generated in fiscal year 2018 and thereafter, which can be carried forward indefinitely under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the 2017 Tax Act), as well as state NOLs of $194.8 million, of which $22.1 million may be carried forward indefinitely. If not utilized, the remaining federal NOLs will begin to expire in 2026 and the state NOLs will begin to expire in 2020.
Risks Related to Regulation of our Industry
Senza is subject to extensive governmental regulation, and our failure to comply with applicable requirements could cause our business to suffer.
The medical device industry is regulated extensively by governmental authorities, principally the FDA and corresponding state and foreign regulatory agencies and authorities, such as the EU legislative bodies and the EEA Member State Competent Authorities. The FDA and other U.S., EEA and foreign governmental agencies and authorities regulate and oversee, among other things, with respect to medical devices:
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design, development and manufacturing; |
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testing, labeling, content and language of instructions for use and storage; |
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clinical trials; |
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product safety; |
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marketing, sales and distribution; |
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pre-market regulatory clearance and approval; |
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conformity assessment procedures; |
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record-keeping procedures; |
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advertising and promotion; |
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recalls and other field safety corrective actions; |
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post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, could lead to death or serious injury; |
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post-market studies; and |
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product import and export. |
The laws and regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Legislative or regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales.
Our failure to comply with U.S. federal and state regulations or EEA or other foreign regulations applicable in the countries where we operate could lead to the issuance of warning letters or untitled letters, the imposition of injunctions, suspensions or loss of regulatory clearance or approvals, product recalls, termination of distribution, product seizures or civil penalties. In the most extreme
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cases, criminal sanctions or closure of our manufacturing facilities are possible. If any of these risks materialize, our business would be adversely affected.
Our business is subject to extensive governmental regulation that could make it more expensive and time consuming for us to expand the potential indications for which Senza is approved or introduce new or improved products.
Our products must comply with regulatory requirements imposed by the FDA in the United States and similar agencies in foreign jurisdictions. These requirements involve lengthy and detailed laboratory and clinical testing procedures, sampling activities, extensive agency review processes, and other costly and time-consuming procedures. It often takes several years to satisfy these requirements, depending on the complexity and novelty of the product. We also are subject to numerous additional licensing and regulatory requirements relating to safe working conditions, manufacturing practices, environmental protection, fire hazard control and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances. Some of the most important requirements we must comply with include:
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FFDCA and the FDA’s implementing regulations (Title 21 CFR); |
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European Union CE Mark requirements; |
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Medical Device Quality Management System Requirements (ISO 13485:2003); |
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements; and |
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California Department of Health Services requirements. |
Government regulation may impede our ability to conduct clinical studies and to manufacture and sell our existing and future products. Government regulation also could delay our marketing of new products for a considerable period of time and impose costly procedures on our activities. Foreign regulatory agencies may not approve Senza and any of our future products on a timely basis, if at all. Any delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain, such approvals could negatively impact our marketing of any future products and reduce our product revenues.
Our products remain subject to strict regulatory controls on manufacturing, marketing and use. We may be forced to modify or recall a product after release in response to regulatory action or unanticipated difficulties encountered in general use. Any such action could have a material effect on the reputation of our products and on our business and financial position.
Further, regulations may change, and any additional regulation could limit or restrict our ability to use any of our technologies, which could harm our business. For example, in December 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act, or Cures Act, was signed into law. The Cures Act, among other things, is intended to modernize the regulation of medical devices and spur innovation, but its ultimate implementation remains unclear. We could also be subject to new international, federal, state or local regulations that could affect our R&D programs and harm our business in unforeseen ways. If this happens, we may have to incur significant costs to comply with such laws and regulations, which will harm our results of operations.
We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad. For example, certain policies of the United States presidential administration may impact our business and industry. Namely, the United States presidential administration has taken several executive actions, including the issuance of a number of Executive Orders, that could impose significant burdens on, or otherwise materially delay, the FDA’s ability to engage in routine regulatory and oversight activities such as implementing statutes through rulemaking, issuance of guidance, and review and approval of marketing applications. It is difficult to predict how these Executive Orders will be implemented, and the extent to which they will impact the FDA’s ability to exercise its regulatory authority. If these executive actions impose constraints on FDA’s ability to engage in oversight and implementation activities in the normal course, our business may be negatively impacted.
In April 2017, the European Parliament passed the Medical Devices Regulation (Regulation 2017/745), which repeals and replaces the EU Medical Devices Directive and the Active Implantable Medical Devices Directive. Unlike directives, which must be implemented into the national laws of the EEA member States, the regulations would be directly applicable, i.e., without the need for adoption of EEA member State laws implementing them, in all EEA member States and are intended to eliminate current differences in the regulation of medical devices among EEA member States.
The Medical Devices Regulation, among other things, is intended to establish a uniform, transparent, predictable and sustainable regulatory framework across the EEA for medical devices and ensure a high level of safety and health while supporting innovation. The Medical Devices Regulation will, however, only meant to become fully applicable three years after publication (in May 2020). However, on April 23, 2020, to take the pressure off EEA national authorities, notified bodies, manufacturers and other actors so they
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can focus fully on urgent priorities related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Council and Parliament adopted Regulation 2020/561, postponing the date of application of the Medical Devices Regulation by one year (to May 2021).
Once applicable, the Medical Devices Regulation will, among other things:
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strengthen the rules on placing devices on the market and reinforce surveillance once they are available; |
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establish explicit provisions on manufacturers' responsibilities for the follow-up of the quality, performance and safety of devices placed on the market; |
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improve the traceability of medical devices throughout the supply chain to the end-user or patient through a unique identification number; |
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set up a central database to provide patients, healthcare professionals and the public with comprehensive information on products available in the EU; and |
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strengthen rules for the assessment of certain high-risk devices, such as implants, which may have to undergo an additional check by experts before they are placed on the market. |
Once applicable, the Medical Devices Regulation may impose increased compliance obligations for us to access the EU market.
Senza is subject to extensive governmental regulation in foreign jurisdictions, such as Europe, and our failure to comply with applicable requirements could cause our business to suffer.
In the EEA, Senza must comply with the Essential Requirements laid down in Annex I to the EU Active Implantable Medical Devices Directive. Compliance with these requirements is a prerequisite to be able to affix the CE Mark to Senza, without which Senza cannot be marketed or sold in the EEA. To demonstrate compliance with the Essential Requirements and obtain the right to affix the CE Mark to Senza, we must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its classification. Except for low risk medical devices (Class I with no measuring function and which are not sterile), where the manufacturer can issue an EC Declaration of Conformity based on a self-assessment of the conformity of its products with the Essential Requirements, a conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of a Notified Body, which is an organization designated by a competent authority of an EEA country to conduct conformity assessments. Depending on the relevant conformity assessment procedure, the Notified Body would audit and examine the Technical File and the quality system for the manufacture, design and final inspection of our devices. The Notified Body issues a CE Certificate of Conformity following successful completion of a conformity assessment procedure conducted in relation to the medical device and its manufacturer and their conformity with the Essential Requirements. This Certificate entitles the manufacturer to affix the CE Mark to its medical devices after having prepared and signed a related EC Declaration of Conformity.
As a general rule, demonstration of conformity of medical devices and their manufacturers with the Essential Requirements must be based, among other things, on the evaluation of clinical data supporting the safety and performance of the products during normal conditions of use. Specifically, a manufacturer must demonstrate that the device achieves its intended performance during normal conditions of use and that the known and foreseeable risks, and any adverse events, are minimized and acceptable when weighed against the benefits of its intended performance, and that any claims made about the performance and safety of the device (e.g., product labeling and instructions for use) are supported by suitable evidence. This assessment must be based on clinical data, which can be obtained from (1) clinical studies conducted on the devices being assessed, (2) scientific literature from similar devices whose equivalence with the assessed device can be demonstrated or (3) both clinical studies and scientific literature. With respect to active implantable medical devices or Class III devices, the manufacturer must conduct clinical studies to obtain the required clinical data, unless reliance on existing clinical data from equivalent devices can be justified. The conduct of clinical studies in the EEA is governed by detailed regulatory obligations. These may include the requirement of prior authorization by the competent authorities of the country in which the study takes place and the requirement to obtain a positive opinion from a competent Ethics Committee. This process can be expensive and time-consuming.
In order to continue to sell Senza in Europe, we must maintain our CE Mark and continue to comply with certain EU Directives. Our failure to continue to comply with applicable foreign regulatory requirements, including those administered by authorities of the EEA countries, could result in enforcement actions against us, including refusal, suspension or withdrawal of our CE Certificates of Conformity by the BSI, which could impair our ability to market products in the EEA in the future.
In addition, we are subject to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR imposes obligations on companies that operate in our industry with respect to the processing of personal data of European residents and the cross-border transfer of such data. The GDPR imposes onerous accountability obligations requiring data controllers and processors to maintain a record of their data processing and policies. If our or our partners’ or service providers’ privacy or data security measures fail to comply with the GDPR requirements, we may be subject to litigation, regulatory investigations, enforcement notices requiring us to change the way we
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use personal data and/or fines of up to 20 million Euros or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher, as well as compensation claims by affected individuals, negative publicity, reputational harm and a potential loss of business and goodwill. Following Brexit, we will have to comply with the GDPR and the UK GDPR, each regime having the ability to fine up to the greater of €20 million/ £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover. The relationship between the UK and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unclear, e.g. how data transfers between EU member states and the UK will be treated. These changes will lead to additional costs and increase our overall risk exposure. While we continue to address the implications of the recent changes to EU and UK data privacy regulations, data privacy remains an evolving landscape at both the domestic and international level, with new regulations coming into effect and continued legal challenges, and our efforts to comply with the evolving data protection rules may be unsuccessful. It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices. Accordingly, we must devote significant resources to understanding and complying with this changing landscape.
In the EEA, we are also subject to Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising, and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, as well as other EEA Member State legislation governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. EEA Member State legislation may also restrict or impose limitations on our ability to advertise our products directly to the general public. In addition, voluntary EU and national Codes of Conduct provide guidelines on the advertising and promotion of our products and may impose limitations on our promotional activities with healthcare professionals.
The misuse or off-label use of our product may harm our image in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits, which could be costly to our business, or result in costly investigations and sanctions from the FDA and other regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in off-label promotion.
Senza has been approved for marketing in the United States, CE Marked in the EEA and approved by the TGA in Australia for specific treatments and anatomies. We may only promote or market the Senza SCS system for its specifically approved indications as described on the approved label. We train our marketing and sales force against promoting our products for uses outside of the approved indications for use, known as “off-label uses.” We cannot, however, prevent a physician from using our product off-label, when in the physician’s independent professional medical judgment he or she deems the use of the product in the non-approved indication as appropriate. There may be increased risk of injury to patients if physicians attempt to use our product off-label. Furthermore, the use of our product for indications other than those approved by the applicable regulatory body may not effectively treat such conditions, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace among physicians and patients.
Physicians may also misuse our product or use improper techniques if they are not adequately trained, potentially leading to injury and an increased risk of product liability. If our product is misused or used with improper technique, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or their patients. Product liability claims could divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend, and result in sizable damage awards against us that may not be covered by insurance. In addition, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials, training or physician support activities constitute promotion of an off-label use, it could request that we modify our training, promotional materials or physician support activities or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including the issuance of an untitled letter, a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine or criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our business activities to constitute promotion of an off-label use, which could result in significant penalties, including, but not limited to, criminal, civil and/or administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, and the curtailment of our operations. Further, regulators or legislators may also enhance the enforcement of, and attempt to curtail, any off-label use by physicians of medical devices in the future. Any of these events could significantly harm our business and results of operations and cause our stock price to decline.
Our products may in the future be subject to notifications, recalls, or voluntary market withdrawals that could harm our reputation, business and financial results.
The FDA, EEA Competent Authorities and similar foreign governmental authorities have the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture that could affect patient safety. In the case of the FDA, the authority to require a recall must be based on an FDA finding that there is a reasonable probability that the device would cause serious adverse health consequences or death. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, conduct a product notification or recall to inform physicians of changes to instructions for use, or if a deficiency in a device is found or suspected. A government-mandated recall or voluntary recall by us or one of our distributors could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other issues. Recalls, which include certain notifications and corrections as well as removals, of Senza could divert managerial and financial resources and could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, harm our reputation with customers, and reduce our ability to achieve expected revenue.
In addition, the manufacturing of our products is subject to extensive post-market regulation by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities, and any failure by us or our contract manufacturers or suppliers to comply with regulatory requirements could result in
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recalls, facility closures, and other penalties. We and our suppliers and contract manufacturers are subject to the Quality System Regulation (QSR), and comparable foreign regulations which govern the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the design, manufacture, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage, shipping, and servicing of medical devices. These regulations are enforced through periodic inspections of manufacturing facilities. Any manufacturing issues at our or our suppliers’ or contract manufacturers’ facilities, including failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in warning or untitled letters, manufacturing restrictions, voluntary or mandatory recalls or corrections, fines, withdrawals of regulatory clearances or approvals, product seizures, injunctions, or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties, which would adversely affect our business results and prospects.
We are required to report certain malfunctions, deaths, and serious injuries associated with our products, which can result in voluntary corrective actions or agency enforcement actions.
Under the FDA medical device reporting regulations, medical device manufacturers are required to submit information to the FDA when they receive a report or become aware that a device has or may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or has or may have a malfunction that would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur. All manufacturers placing medical devices on the market in the EEA are legally bound to report incidents involving devices they produce or sell to the regulatory agency, or competent authority, in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred. Under the EU Medical Devices Directive (Directive 93/42/EEC), an incident is defined as any malfunction or deterioration in the characteristics and/or performance of a device, as well as any inadequacy in the labeling or the instructions for use which, directly or indirectly, might lead to or might have led to the death of a patient, or user or of other persons or to a serious deterioration in their state of health.
Malfunction of our products could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls, including corrections, or customer notifications, or agency action, such as inspection or enforcement actions. If malfunctions do occur, we may be unable to correct the malfunctions adequately or prevent further malfunctions, in which case we may need to cease manufacture and distribution of the affected products, initiate voluntary recalls, and redesign the products. Regulatory authorities may also take actions against us, such as ordering recalls, imposing fines, or seizing the affected products. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business, and may harm our reputation and financial results.
A recall of our products, either voluntarily or at the direction of the FDA, an EEA Competent Authority or another governmental authority, or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products, could have a significant adverse impact on us.
The FDA and similar foreign governmental authorities such as the Competent Authorities of the EEA countries have the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture or in the event that a product poses an unacceptable risk to health. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, recall a product if any material deficiency in a device is found. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us or one of our distributors could occur as a result of an unacceptable risk to health, component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues. Recalls of any of our products would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on our reputation, results of operations and financial condition, which could impair our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet our customers’ demands. We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may have a negative impact on our future sales and our ability to generate profits.
We may be subject to federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations, and a finding of failure to comply with such laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to healthcare fraud and abuse regulation and enforcement by federal, state and foreign governments, which could significantly impact our business. In the United States, the laws that may affect our ability to operate include, but are not limited to:
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the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation; |
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federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the False Claims Act, that prohibit, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment or approval to the federal government that are false or fraudulent, knowingly making a false statement material to an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government or knowingly concealing or knowingly and improperly avoiding or decreasing an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government. In addition, a claim including items or services resulting from a |
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violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act; |
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Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which created federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any federal healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters submitted for payment. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of these statutes or specific intent to violate them in order to have committed a violation; |
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HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, and their respective implementing regulations, which impose requirements on certain covered healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their business associates that perform services for them that involve individually identifiable health information, relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information without appropriate authorization, including mandatory contractual terms as well as directly applicable privacy and security standards and requirements; |
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the federal physician sunshine requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, collectively, the ACA, which require certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics, and medical supplies to report annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain other healthcare professionals beginning in 2022, and teaching hospitals, and ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; |
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state and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws that may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers; state laws that require device companies to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws that require device manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; and state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA; and |
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the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which took effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA creates individual privacy rights for California consumers and increases the privacy and security obligations of entities handling certain personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability, and many similar laws have been proposed at the federal level and in other states. In the event that we are subject to or affected by HIPAA, the CCPA or other domestic privacy and data protection laws, any liability from failure to comply with the requirements of these laws could adversely affect our financial condition. |
The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform, especially in light of the lack of applicable precedent and regulations. Federal and state enforcement bodies have increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Responding to investigations can be time-and resource-consuming and can divert management’s attention from the business. Additionally, as a result of these investigations, healthcare providers and entities may have to agree to additional onerous compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree or corporate integrity agreement. Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us now or in the future, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from governmental health care programs, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.
Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a material adverse effect on us.
In the United States, there have been and continue to be a number of legislative initiatives to contain healthcare costs. In March 2010, the ACA was signed into law, which included, among other things, a deductible 2.3% excise tax on any entity that manufactures or imports medical devices offered for sale in the United States, with limited exceptions, effective January 1, 2013. Subsequently, multiple moratoriums were implemented such that medical device sales in 2016 through 2019 are exempt from the medical device excise tax. The tax was subsequently repealed in December 2019. If the law were to be reinstated and if any efforts we undertake to offset the excise tax are unsuccessful as we sell the product in the United States, the increased tax burden could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. Other elements of the ACA, including comparative effectiveness research, an independent
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payment advisory board and payment system reforms, including shared savings pilots and other provisions, may significantly affect the payment for, and the availability of, healthcare services and result in fundamental changes to federal healthcare reimbursement programs, any of which may materially affect numerous aspects of our business.
Since its enactment, there have been judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. By way of example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or the Tax Act, includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” On December 14, 2018, a U.S. District Court Judge in the Northern District of Texas, ruled that the individual mandate is a critical and inseverable feature of the ACA, and therefore, because it was repealed as part of the Tax Act, the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. On December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court’s decision that the individual mandate was unconstitutional but remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. On March 2, 2020, the United States Supreme Court granted the petitions for writs of certiorari to review this case, although it is unclear when the Supreme Court will make a decision. It is also unclear how other efforts to challenge, repeal or replace the ACA will impact the law or our business. Any new limitations on, changes to, or uncertainty with respect to the ability of individuals to enroll in governmental reimbursement programs or other third-party payor insurance plans could impact demand for our product.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted. These changes included an aggregate reduction in Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and will remain in effect through 2030, with the exception of a temporary suspension from May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, unless additional Congressional action is taken. In addition, on January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, was signed into law which, among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to certain providers, including hospitals. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, enacted on April 16, 2015 (MACRA), repealed the formula by which Medicare made annual payment adjustments to physicians and replaced the former formula with fixed annual updates and a new system of incentive payments scheduled to begin in 2019 that are based on various performance measures and physicians’ participation in alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations.
We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressures.
Our future success depends on our ability to develop, receive regulatory clearance or approval for, additional chronic pain indications for Senza and introduce new products or product enhancements that will be accepted by the market in a timely manner.
It is important to our business that we build a pipeline of product offerings for treatment of chronic pain. As such, our success will depend in part on our ability to expand the chronic pain indications for which our products may be used and/or develop and introduce new products. However, we may not be able to successfully develop and obtain regulatory clearance or approval for expanded indications or product enhancements, or new products, or these products may not be accepted by physicians or the payors who financially support many of the procedures performed with our products.
The success of any new product offering or enhancement to an existing product will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to:
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identify and anticipate physician and patient needs properly; |
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develop and introduce new products or product enhancements in a timely manner; |
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avoid infringing upon the intellectual property rights of third parties; |
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demonstrate, if required, the safety and efficacy of new products with data from preclinical and clinical studies; |
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obtain the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals for new products or product enhancements; |
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comply fully with FDA and foreign regulations on marketing of new devices or modified products; |
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provide adequate training to potential users of our products; and |
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receive adequate coverage and reimbursement for procedures performed with our products. |
If we do not develop new products or product enhancements in time to meet market demand or if there is insufficient demand for these products or enhancements, or if our competitors introduce new products with functionalities that are superior to ours, our results of operations will suffer.
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Risks Related to Our Securities
Our stock price may be volatile and as a result our stockholders may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price they paid and such volatility may also adversely impact the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes.
The trading price of our common stock could be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include those discussed in this “Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report and others such as:
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achievement of expected product sales and profitability, including the effects of seasonality on our results of operations, as well as adjustments to our sales forecasts; |
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the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, see “—Risks Related to our Business—Our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth could be harmed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic”; |
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delays or setbacks in the commercialization of Senza or the expansion of indications for which Senza is approved; |
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announcements of new products by us or our competitors; |
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announcements or developments in any intellectual property infringement actions in which we may become involved, including our lawsuits with Boston Scientific; |
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manufacture, supply or distribution shortages; |
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fluctuations in our expenses associated with inventory buildup or write-downs from analyzing our inventory for obsolescence or conformity with our product requirements; |
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adverse actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to our clinical trials, manufacturing supply chain or sales and marketing activities; |
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our operating results; |
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results from, or any delays in, clinical trial programs relating to our product candidates; |
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changes or developments in laws or regulations applicable to our products; |
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any adverse changes in our relationship with any manufacturers or suppliers; |
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the success of our efforts to acquire or develop additional products; |
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announcements concerning our competitors or the medical device industry in general; |
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results; |
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FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or our industry or other healthcare reform measures in the United States; |
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changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts; |
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trading volume of our common stock; |
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trading activity in our common stock by the option counterparties to our convertible note hedge transactions to unwind or modify their hedge positions; |
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sales of our common stock by us, our executive officers and directors or our stockholders in the future; |
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general economic and market conditions and overall fluctuations in the United States equity markets, including as a result of volatility related to the recent coronavirus outbreak and related health concerns; and |
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the loss of any of our key scientific or management personnel. |
Because the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes are convertible into shares of common stock, volatility or depressed market prices of our common stock could have a similar effect on the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. Holders who receive shares of our common stock upon conversion of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes will also be subject to the risk of volatility and depressed market prices of our common stock. Similarly, the liquidity of the trading market in the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes, and the market price quoted for the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes, may be adversely affected by changes in the overall market for this type of security and by changes in our financial performance or prospects or in the prospects for companies in our industry generally.
In addition, the stock markets in general, and the markets for medical device stocks in particular, have experienced volatility that may have been unrelated to the operating performance of the issuer. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading
65
price or liquidity of our common stock and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. In the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the issuer. If any of our stockholders were to bring such a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the attention of our management would be diverted from the operation of our business, which could seriously harm our financial position. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.
Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our substantial debt.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness, including the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes, or to make cash payments in connection with any conversion of the 2021 Notes or the 2025 Notes, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.
Regulatory actions and other events may adversely affect the value and liquidity of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes.
We expect that many investors in, and potential purchasers of, the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes will employ, or seek to employ, a convertible arbitrage strategy with respect to the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. Investors would typically implement such a strategy by selling short the common stock underlying the notes and dynamically adjusting their short position while continuing to hold the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. Investors may also implement this type of strategy by entering into swaps on our common stock in lieu of or in addition to short selling the common stock.
The SEC and other regulatory and self-regulatory authorities have implemented various rules and taken certain actions, and may in the future adopt additional rules and take other actions, that may impact those engaging in short selling activity involving equity securities (including our common stock). Such rules and actions include Rule 201 of SEC Regulation SHO, the adoption by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, and the national securities exchanges of a “Limit Up-Limit Down” program, the imposition of market-wide circuit breakers that halt trading of securities for certain periods following specific market declines, and the implementation of certain regulatory reforms required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Any governmental or regulatory action that restricts the ability of investors in, or potential purchasers of, the notes to effect short sales of our common stock, borrow our common stock or enter into swaps on our common stock could adversely affect the trading price and the liquidity of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes.
We may incur substantially more debt or take other actions which would intensify the risks discussed above.
We and our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional debt in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in any debt instruments we may have, some of which debt may be secured debt. We are not restricted under the terms of the indenture governing our 2021 Notes, and will not be restricted under the terms of the indenture governing the 2025 Notes, from incurring additional debt, securing existing or future debt, recapitalizing our debt or taking a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the indenture governing the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes that could have the effect of diminishing our ability to make payments on these notes when due.
If securities or industry analysts issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If any of the analysts who cover us issues an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our stock performance, or if our clinical trials and operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
We incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of operating as a public company.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For example, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley Act), and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC and the NYSE, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and
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financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. We expect that compliance with these requirements will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time consuming and costly.
In addition, our management and other personnel divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these public company requirements. In particular, we incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We continue to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur in order to remain compliant with our public company reporting requirements or the timing of such costs. Additional compensation costs and any future equity awards will increase our compensation expense, which would increase our general and administrative expense and could adversely affect our profitability.
If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes could be adversely affected.
As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal control. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and provide a management report on internal control over financial reporting. Further, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that our internal control over financial reporting be attested to by our independent registered public accounting firm.
If we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we may not detect errors on a timely basis and our financial statements may be materially misstated. The process of designing and implementing the internal control over financial reporting required to comply with this obligation is time consuming, costly and complicated. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, if we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes could be adversely affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes, could have a material effect on our reported financial results.
Under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (“ASC 470-20”), an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of the convertible debt instruments (such as the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital section of stockholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet, and the value of the equity component would be treated as debt discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense in current periods presented as a result of the amortization of the discounted carrying value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes to their face amount over the respective terms of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. We will report lower net income (or larger net losses) in our financial results because ASC 470-20 will require interest to include both the current period’s amortization of the debt discount and the instrument’s non-convertible interest rate, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, the trading price of our common stock and the trading price of the notes.
In addition, under certain circumstances, convertible debt instruments (such as the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes) that may be settled entirely or partly in cash are currently accounted for utilizing the treasury stock method, the effect of which is that the shares issuable upon conversion of the 2021 Notes or the 2025 Notes are not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share except to the extent that the respective conversion values of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes exceeds their respective principal amounts. Under the treasury stock method, for diluted earnings per share purposes, the transaction is accounted for as if the number of shares of common stock that would be necessary to settle such excess, if we elected to settle such excess in shares, are issued.
In July 2019, the FASB issued an exposure draft that proposes to change the accounting for the convertible debt instruments described above. Under the exposure draft, an entity may no longer be required to separately account for the liability and equity components of convertible debt instruments. This could have the impact of reducing non-cash interest expense, and thereby increasing net income (or decreasing net losses). Additionally, as currently proposed, the treasury stock method for calculating earnings per share will no longer be allowed for convertible debt instruments whose principal amount may be settled using shares. Rather, the if-converted method may be required, which could decrease our diluted earnings per share. We cannot be sure that the proposed changes
67
in this exposure draft will be adopted, or will be adopted in their current format. We also cannot be sure whether other changes may be made to the current accounting standards related to the notes, or otherwise, that could have an adverse impact on our financial statements.
If we sell shares of our common stock in future financings, stockholders may experience immediate dilution and, as a result, our stock price and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes may decline.
We may from time to time issue additional shares of common stock at a discount from the current trading price of our common stock. As a result, our stockholders would experience immediate dilution upon the purchase of any shares of our common stock sold at such discount. In addition, as opportunities present themselves, we may enter into financing or similar arrangements in the future, including the issuance of debt securities, preferred stock or common stock. If we issue common stock or securities convertible into common stock, our common stockholders would experience additional dilution and, as a result, our stock price and the value of the 2021 Notes may decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes to fall.
In the future, we may sell additional shares of our common stock to raise capital. In addition, a substantial number of shares of our common stock is reserved for issuance upon the exercise of stock options, upon the vesting of restricted stock units, upon conversion of the 2025 Notes, upon the conversion of the 2021 Notes and upon exercise of the warrants in the warrant transactions we entered into in connection with the offering of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes. We cannot predict the size of future issuances or the effect, if any, that they may have on the market price for our common stock. The issuance and sale of substantial amounts of common stock, or the perception that such issuances and sales may occur, could adversely affect the trading price of the notes and the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.
If our existing stockholders sell, or indicate an intention to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the trading price of our common stock and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes could decline. As of June 30, 2020, we had outstanding a total of approximately 34.3 million shares of common stock and approximately 7.1 million shares of common stock that are either subject to outstanding options or reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will become eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of various vesting schedules, and Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act. If these additional shares of common stock are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our common stock and the value of the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes could decline.
Provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could discourage a takeover that stockholders may consider favorable and may lead to entrenchment of management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could significantly reduce the value of our shares to a potential acquirer or delay or prevent changes in control or changes in our management without the consent of our board of directors. The provisions in our charter documents include the following:
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no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates; |
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the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors; |
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the required approval of at least a majority of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to remove a director for cause, and the prohibition on removal of directors without cause; |
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the ability of our board of directors to authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer; |
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the ability of our board of directors to alter our bylaws without obtaining stockholder approval; |
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the required approval of at least a majority of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to adopt, amend or repeal our bylaws or repeal the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation regarding the election and removal of directors; |
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a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders; |
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the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors; and |
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advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us. |
In addition, our classified staggered board is being phased-out pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which was filed on May 24, 2019. Pursuant to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, each director who stands for election or re-election at and after the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders following the completion of such director’s then-current three-year term will be elected for a one-year term, expiring at the next year’s annual stockholder meeting. As a result, commencing with the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, our directors will no longer be divided into classes, however until this time, certain directors will have multiple year terms which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of directors.
In addition, these provisions would apply even if we were to receive an offer that some stockholders may consider beneficial.
We are also subject to the anti-takeover provisions contained in Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Under Section 203, a corporation may not, in general, engage in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other exceptions, the board of directors has approved the transaction. The repurchase rights under the 2021 Notes and 2025 Notes in connection with a fundamental change and any increase in the conversion rate in connection with a make-whole fundamental change could also discourage a potential acquirer.
Claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.
In addition, as permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated bylaws and our indemnification agreements that we have entered into with our directors and officers provide that:
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we will indemnify our directors and officers for serving us in those capacities or for serving other business enterprises at our request, to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Delaware law provides that a corporation may indemnify such person if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the registrant and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful; |
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we may, in our discretion, indemnify employees and agents in those circumstances where indemnification is permitted by applicable law; |
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we are required to advance expenses, as incurred, to our directors and officers in connection with defending a proceeding, except that such directors or officers shall undertake to repay such advances if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification; |
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we will not be obligated pursuant to our amended and restated bylaws to indemnify a person with respect to proceedings initiated by that person against us or our other indemnitees, except with respect to proceedings authorized by our board of directors or brought to enforce a right to indemnification; |
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the rights conferred in our amended and restated bylaws are not exclusive, and we are authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors, officers, employees and agents and to obtain insurance to indemnify such persons; and |
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we may not retroactively amend our amended and restated bylaw provisions to reduce our indemnification obligations to directors, officers, employees and agents. |
We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock, and, consequently, our stockholders’ ability to achieve a return on their investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.
We do not currently intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to invest our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth. Therefore, our stockholders are not likely to receive any dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Since we do not intend to pay dividends, our stockholders’ ability to receive a return on their
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investment will depend on any future appreciation in the market value of our common stock. There is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate or even maintain the price at which our stockholders have purchased it.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
None.
Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
None.
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Item 6. Exhibits
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Exhibit |
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Incorporated by Reference |
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Description of Document |
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Filed Herewith |
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3.1 |
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8-K |
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11/12/2014 |
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3.1 |
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3.2 |
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Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. |
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8-K |
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5/24/2019 |
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3.1 |
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3.3 |
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8-K |
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11/12/2014 |
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3.2 |
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3.4 |
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8-K |
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5/24/2019 |
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3.2 |
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4.1 |
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4.2 |
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S-1/A |
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10/27/2014 |
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4.2 |
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4.3 |
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8-K |
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6/13/2016 |
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4.1 |
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4.4 |
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8-K |
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6/13/2016 |
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4.2 |
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4.5 |
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8-K |
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6/13/2016 |
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4.3 |
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4.6 |
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8-K |
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4/7/2020 |
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4.2 |
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Form of 2.75% Senior Convertible Note Due 2025 (included in Exhibit 4.6). |
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4/7/2020 |
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4.3 |
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4.8 |
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10-K |
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2/25/2020 |
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4.6 |
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10.1# |
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10.2# |
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Offer Letter, dated as of May 15, 2020, by and between Roderick H. MacLeod and the Company. |
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10.3# |
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10.4 |
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Certification of Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a). |
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31.2 |
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Certification of Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a). |
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32.1** |
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101.INS |
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Inline 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. |
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101.SCH |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
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101.CAL |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document |
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101.DEF |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
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101.LAB |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document |
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101.PRE |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
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104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
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# |
Indicates management contract or compensatory plan. |
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** |
The certification attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompanies this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is not deemed filed with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Nevro Corp. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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NEVRO CORP. |
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(Registrant) |
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Date: August 5, 2020 |
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/s/ D. KEITH GROSSMAN |
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D. Keith Grossman |
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Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
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Date: August 5, 2020 |
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/s/ RODERICK H. MACLEOD |
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Roderick H. MacLeod |
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Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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