UNITED STATE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Item 4.01 Changes in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant.
(a) Dismissal of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
On April 12, 2024, the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the Board of Directors of TriSalus Life Sciences, Inc. (the “Company”) approved the dismissal of KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. On April 12, 2024, KPMG was informed that they were dismissed.
KPMG’s audit reports on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, did not contain any adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles, except as follows: KPMG’s report on the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 contained a separate paragraph stating that “the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and needs to raise additional equity or debt to fund its operations. These matters raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.”
During the Company’s two fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, and the subsequent interim period through April 12, 2024, there were no: (1) “disagreements” (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions to Item 304) with KPMG on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of KPMG, would have caused KPMG to make reference in connection with their opinion to the subject matter of such disagreement or (2) “reportable events” (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K), except for the following material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, as disclosed in Part II, Item 9A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, with respect to the following:
(i) a lack of sufficient number of trained resources with the appropriate skills and knowledge and with assigned responsibilities and accountability for the design and operation of internal controls over:
1. financial reporting,
2. accounting for costs associated with the Standby Equity Purchase Agreement dated October 2, 2023, by and between the Company and YA II PN, Ltd.,
3. patent costs, and
4. certain research and development accruals;
(ii) inadequate controls over the accounting and financial reporting for the business combination (the "Business Combination”) pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 11, 2022, as amended, by and among the Company (f/k/a MedTech Acquisition Corporation), MTAC Merger Sub, Inc. and TriSalus Operating Life Sciences, Inc. (f/k/a TriSalus Life Sciences, Inc.);
(iii) inadequate internal controls over the valuation of the warrant and tranche rights and obligations and liabilities resulting from the TriSalus Operating Life Sciences, Inc.’s series B-2 preferred stock financing; and
(iv) inadequate design and implementation of controls over the conversion of data from our legacy equity management system to our new system, and over the assumptions used to calculate fair value of certain equity awards to support the recognition of stock compensation expense.
The Company provided KPMG with a copy of this report prior to its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and requested that KPMG furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether KPMG agrees with the statements made by the Company in this report and, if not, stating the respects, if any, in which KPMG does not agree with such statements. A copy of the letter from KPMG is filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 16.1.
(b) Engagement of New Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
On April 12, 2024, the Audit Committee approved the engagement of Grant Thornton LLP (“GT”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. On April 12, 2024, GT was appointed as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective subsequent to the communication of KPMG’s dismissal.
During the Company’s fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the subsequent interim period through April 12, 2024, neither the Company nor anyone acting on its behalf consulted with GT regarding: (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed; or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, and neither a written report nor oral advice was provided to the Company that GT concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a “disagreement” within the meaning of Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions to Item 304 or a “reportable event” within the meaning of Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number |
Description | |
| 16.1 | Letter from KPMG LLP to the SEC, dated April 15, 2024 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| TRISALUS LIFE SCIENCES, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Sean Murphy | |
| Sean Murphy | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
Dated: April 15, 2024
Exhibit 16.1
April 15, 2024
Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We were previously principal accountants for TriSalus Life Sciences, Inc. (the Company) and, under the date of April 11, 2024, we reported on the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. On April 12, 2024, we were dismissed.
We have read the Company’s statements included under Item 4.01 of its Form 8-K dated April 15 2024, and we agree with such statements, except that we are not in a position to agree or disagree with the Company’s statements under Item 4.01(b).
Very truly yours,
/s/ KPMG LLP
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