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Part I
Item 1. Business
All references to “we,” “our,” and “us” in this Annual Report refer to Quidel Corporation and its subsidiaries.
Overview
We have a leadership position in the development, manufacturing and marketing of rapid diagnostic testing solutions. These diagnostic testing solutions are separated into our four product categories: rapid immunoassay, cardiometabolic immunoassay, molecular diagnostic solutions and specialized diagnostic solutions. We sell our products directly to end users and distributors, in each case, for professional use in physician offices, hospitals, clinical laboratories, reference laboratories, urgent care clinics, leading universities, retail clinics, pharmacies and wellness screening centers. We market our products through a network of distributors and through a direct sales force. We operate in one business segment that develops, manufactures and markets our four product categories.
We commenced our operations in 1979 and launched our first products, dipstick-based pregnancy tests, in 1983. Since such time, our product base and technology platforms have expanded through internal development and acquisitions of other products, technologies and companies. Our diagnostic solutions aid in the detection and diagnosis of many critical diseases and other medical conditions, including infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and conditions, women’s health, gastrointestinal diseases, autoimmune diseases, bone health and thyroid diseases.
Corporate Information
We are a corporation, originally incorporated as Monoclonal Antibodies, Inc. in California in 1979 and re-incorporated as Quidel Corporation in the State of Delaware in 1987. In 2017, we acquired the Triage® MeterPro® Cardiovascular (CV) and toxicology business (“Triage Business”), and B-type Naturietic Peptide (BNP) assay business run on Beckman Coulter analyzers (“BNP Business” and, together, the “Triage and BNP Businesses”) from Alere Inc. (“Alere”), which added an extensive cardiovascular and toxicology menu to our innovative medical diagnostics portfolio.
Our executive offices are located at 9975 Summers Ridge Road, San Diego, California 92121, and our telephone number is (858) 552-1100. This Annual Report and each of our other periodic and current reports, including any amendments thereto, are available, free of charge, on our website, www.quidel.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information contained on our website or on the SEC website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report and should not be considered part of this Annual Report.
Business Strategy
Our primary mission is to advance diagnostics to improve human health. Our strategy is to target market segments that represent significant total market opportunities, and in which we can be successful by applying our expertise and know-how to develop differentiated technologies and products.
Our diagnostic testing solutions are designed to provide specialized results that serve a broad range of customers, by addressing the market requirements of ease of use, reduced cost, increased test accuracy and reduced time to result. Our current approach is to offer products in the following product categories:
•rapid immunoassay tests for use in physician offices, hospital laboratories and emergency departments, retail clinics, eye health settings, pharmacies, other urgent care or alternative site settings to include over the counter commencing in 2021;
•cardiometabolic immunoassay tests for use in physician offices, hospital laboratories and emergency departments, and other urgent care or alternative site settings;
•molecular diagnostic tests for use in hospitals, moderately complex physician offices, laboratories and other settings; and
•specialized diagnostic solutions, including direct fluorescent assays (“DFA”) and culture-based tests for the clinical virology laboratory and other products serving the bone health, autoimmune and complement research communities.
In order to achieve our mission, our strategy is to do the following:
•focus on innovative products and markets and leverage our core competency in new product development for our QuickVue®, Sofia® and Triage® immunoassay brands and next-generation products;
•leverage our manufacturing expertise to address increasing demand for our products, including through expanded manufacturing capacity;
•utilize our molecular assay development competencies to further develop our molecular diagnostics franchise that includes distinct testing platforms, such as Lyra®, Solana® and Savanna®; and
•strengthen our position with distribution partners and our end-user customers to gain more emphasis on our products and enter new markets.
Our current initiatives to execute this strategy include the following:
•provide products that can compete effectively in the healthcare market where cost and quality are important;
•focus our research and development efforts on three areas:
◦new proprietary product platform development;
◦the creation of new and improved products for use on our established platforms to address unmet clinical needs, and
◦pursuit of collaborations with, or acquisitions of, other companies for new and existing products and markets that advance our differentiated strategy;
•leverage our international infrastructure and enhance our global footprint to support our international operations and future growth;
•strengthen our market and brand leadership in current markets by acquiring and/or developing and introducing clinically superior diagnostic solutions;
•strengthen our direct sales force to enhance relationships with integrated delivery networks, laboratories and hospitals, with a goal of driving growth through improved physician and laboratorian satisfaction;
•leverage our wireless connectivity and data management systems, including cloud-based tools;
•support payer evaluation of diagnostic tests and establishment of favorable reimbursement rates;
•provide clinicians with validated studies that encompass the clinical efficacy and economic efficiency of our diagnostic tests for the professional market;
•pursue alternative markets for point-of-care diagnostics;
•create strong global alliances to support our efforts to achieve leadership in key markets and expand our presence in emerging markets;
•further refine our manufacturing efficiencies and productivity improvements to increase profit; and
•pursue potential acquisitions to support our strategic initiatives.
The Overall Market for In Vitro Diagnostics
Customers for In Vitro Diagnostics (“IVD”) products are primarily centralized laboratories and decentralized POC or alternate settings.
Centralized testing market
The centralized in vitro diagnostic testing process typically involves obtaining a specimen of blood, urine or other sample from the patient and sending the sample from the healthcare provider’s office, hospital unit or clinic to a central laboratory. In a typical visit to the physician’s office, after the patient’s test specimen is collected, the patient is usually sent home and receives the results of the test several hours or days later. The result of this process is that the patient may leave the physician’s office without confirmation of the diagnosis and the opportunity to begin potentially more effective immediate care.
Decentralized POC market
POC testing for certain diseases or conditions has become an accepted adjunct to central laboratory and self-testing. The professional POC market is comprised of two general segments: decentralized testing in non-institutional settings, such as physicians’ offices and institutional settings, such as hospitals (e.g., emergency rooms and bedside).
•Out-of-hospital testing sites consist of physicians’ office laboratories, nursing homes, pharmacies, eye health offices, retail clinics and other non-institutional, ambulatory settings in which healthcare providers perform diagnostic tests.
•Hospital POC testing is accepted and growing and is generally an extension of the hospital’s central laboratory. Hospitals in the U.S. have progressively sought to reduce the length of patient stays and, consequently, the
proportion of cases seen as outpatients has increased. If the U.S. experience is representative of future trends, emergency departments and other critical care units such as intensive care units, operating rooms, trauma and cardiac centers are increasingly becoming the principal centers for the management of moderate and severe acute illness.
The decentralized POC market utilizes a large variety of IVD products ranging from moderate-sized instrumented diagnostic systems serving larger group practices to single-use, disposable tests. We believe POC testing is increasing due to its clinical benefit, fast results, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction.
We believe that the growth in POC testing is in part due to evolving technological improvements creating high quality tests with laboratory accuracy and POC ease-of-use, some of which are capable of being granted a waiver under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (“CLIA”).
Over-the-counter market/Self-testing
There is an established market for self-testing that is available directly to consumers in the over-the-counter market in the U.S. and in other countries. In this market, users can purchase and administer tests directly at home and in many cases without a prescription or a visit to a physician. We have not historically sold our products into this market but plan to launch products through retail and over the counter channels in 2021.
Products
We provide diagnostic testing solutions under various brand names, including, among others, the following: Quidel®, QuickVue®, QuickVue+®, Sofia®, Triage®, Solana®, Virena®, MicroVueTM, Lyra®, FreshCellsTM, D3®, FastPoint®, ReadyCells®, Super E-MixTM, InflammaDry®, AdenoPlus®, ELVIRA®, ELVIS® and Thyretain®.
System Platforms
Our diagnostic testing solutions are separated into our four product categories: rapid immunoassay, cardiometabolic immunoassay, molecular diagnostic solutions and specialized diagnostic solutions. The key product categories and platforms are described below:
Rapid Immunoassay
Sofia and Sofia 2 Analyzers. Sofia is the brand name for our fluorescent immunoassay (“FIA”) systems. The easy-to-use Sofia and Sofia 2 analyzers combine unique software and Sofia FIA tests to yield an automatic, objective result that is readily available on the instrument’s screen, in a hard-copy printout, and in a transmissible electronic form that can network via a lab information system to hospital and medical center databases. We launched the Sofia analyzer in 2011 and Sofia 2 in 2017. These systems provide for different operational modes to accommodate both small and large laboratories as well as other features designed to facilitate use in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, medical centers, and small clinics. Sofia 2 systems include additional benefits and features at a cost point that allows us to better address the lower-volume segment of the diagnostic testing market. Sofia 2 analyzers also incorporate enhanced optics, which provide added performance benefits and enable positive test results to be read in as few as three minutes. In 2021, we also plan to launch a Sofia Q platform that offers similar features and benefits to the Sofia analyzers in a smaller and less expensive format.
QuickVue. QuickVue is the brand name for our rapid, visually-read, lateral flow immunoassay products. We have been a leader in the development and production of high-quality lateral flow diagnostics since the early 1990s and offer a broad portfolio of products to diagnose a wide variety of infectious diseases and medical conditions.
InflammaDry and AdenoPlus. The InflammaDry and AdenoPlus products are rapid, lateral-flow based, POC products for the detection of infectious and inflammatory diseases and conditions of the eye. InflammaDry is a test that detects elevated levels of MMP-9, a key inflammatory marker for dry eye. AdenoPlus is a test that differentiates between a viral and bacterial infection of acute conjunctivitis (pink eye).
Cardiometabolic Immunoassay
Triage MeterPro. Triage MeterPro is our portable testing platform that runs a comprehensive menu of tests that enable physicians to promote improved health outcomes through the rapid diagnosis of critical diseases and health conditions, as well as the detection of certain drugs of abuse. This system aids in the diagnosis, assessment and risk stratification of patients having
critical care issues, including congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, acute myocardial infarction (“AMI”) and can reduce hospital admissions and improve clinical and economic outcomes. Triage cardiovascular rapid tests include immunoassays for B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), d-dimer, myoglobin, troponin I and N-terminal pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP). Triage tests for troponin I, high sensitivity Troponin I, PlGF and NT-proBNP, as well as certain test panels which include a combination of immunoassays, are not available for sale in the United States.
We also offer a version of the Triage BNP Test for use on Beckman Coulter lab analyzers.
In addition to the cardiovascular menu, we offer urine-specific screening tests for the detection of drug and/or the urinary metabolites for multiple drug classes, including our new Triage TOX Drug Screen and a PlGF test for diagnosis of preterm pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
Molecular Diagnostic Solutions
Lyra. Our open system molecular assays run on several thermocyclers currently on the market. Lyra Molecular Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (“PCR”) assays provide important benefits to the customer, including, among others, room temperature storage, reduced process time, and ready-to-use reagent configurations. These include several assays as noted in our medical and wellness categories discussion below.
Solana. The Solana system was developed using our proprietary isothermal Helicase Dependent Amplification (“HDA”) technology. Solana is an easy to run amplification and detection system that has the ability to concurrently run up to 12 assays at a time as noted in our medical and wellness categories discussion below.
Savanna. We are developing the Savanna system as a low-cost, fully-integrated system with sample in/result out simplicity. The system is expected to be able to run either PCR or HDA assays from multiple sample types.
Specialized Diagnostic Solutions
Virology. We provide a wide variety of traditional cell lines, specimen collection devices, media and controls for use in laboratories that culture and test for many human viruses, including, among others, respiratory and herpes family viruses. We provide cell-based products under the FreshCells brand in multiple formats, including tubes, shell vials and multi-well plates. Our Virology product category includes the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) cleared bioassay, Thyretain, which is used for the differential diagnosis of an autoimmune disease called Graves’ Disease.
Specialty Products. We provide a variety of biomarkers for bone health and produce both clinical and research products for the assessment of osteoporosis and the evaluation of bone resorption/formation, which, including our metabolic bone markers, are used to monitor the effectiveness of therapy in pharmaceutical and related research. In the area of autoimmune disease, we have developed Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (“ELISA”) and reagents for the detection of activation products from the three main Complement Pathways. Assays are developed on a microwell platform and are currently marketed to clinicians and researchers. We currently sell these products both directly and through select distributors throughout the world under the Quidel and MicroVue brands.
Connectivity and Data Management
Virena. Virena is a wireless cellular data management and surveillance system that operates as a cloud-based solution connecting Sofia and Solana instruments across a healthcare system and automatically transmitting de-identified test results to a secure database. With Virena, a health system, physician office laboratory (“POL”), urgent care center or retail clinic has the ability to compile, analyze, map and generate reports of de-identified test results improving operational efficiencies, quality and patient outcome initiatives.
Medical and Wellness Categories
Our products address the following medical and wellness categories, among others:
Infectious Diseases
COVID-19. We offer a variety of products designed to detect the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on various platforms.
Sofia and Sofia 2 Analyzers. We offer a variety of point-of-care assays for the detection of COVID-19 on our Sofia and Sofia 2 Analyzers. The Sofia SARS Antigen Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA) uses advanced immunofluorescence-based lateral flow technology in a sandwich design for qualitative detection of nucleocapsid protein from SARS-CoV-2. The Sofia 2 Flu + SARS Antigen FIA is a rapid point-of-care test to be used with the Sofia 2 Fluorescent Immunoassay Analyzer for the rapid, simultaneous qualitative detection and differentiation of the nucleocapsid protein antigens from SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and influenza B in direct nasopharyngeal and nasal swab specimens.
QuickVue. Our QuickVue® SARS Antigen test is a point-of-care assay for the rapid, qualitative detection of the nucleocapsid protein antigen from SARS-CoV-2 in anterior nares swab specimens.
Lyra. We offer multiple products to aid in the detection of the novel coronavirus with our Lyra products. Our Lyra SARS-CoV-2 Assay and Lyra Direct SARS-CoV-2 Assay are real-time RT-PCR tests intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 for various sample types, with and without extraction.
Solana. Our Solana® SARS-CoV-2 Assay, an isothermal Reverse Transcriptase - Helicase-Dependent Amplification (RT-HDA) assay is intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal and nasal swab specimens. The Solana system can generate results for 12 tests at a time in less than 30 minutes.
Influenza. We offer a variety of products designed to detect the viral antigens of influenza type A and B utilizing fluorescent immunoassay, lateral flow and molecular technologies. Our Sofia Influenza A+B test, used in conjunction with our Sofia and Sofia 2 analyzers, and our QuickVue influenza tests are rapid, qualitative tests for the detection of the viral antigens of influenza type A and B, the two most common types of the influenza virus. In addition, we offer molecular testing options with Solana Influenza A+B assay and our Lyra Influenza A+B real-time PCR assay.
Streptococci. We offer a number of products designed to detect Streptococcal infections utilizing fluorescent immunoassay, lateral flow and molecular technologies. Our Sofia Strep A and Strep A+ fluorescent immunoassays, used in conjunction with our Sofia and Sofia 2 analyzers, and our QuickVue Strep A tests are intended for the rapid, qualitative detection of Group A Streptococcal antigen from throat swabs or confirmation of presumptive Group A Streptococcal colonies recovered from culture. In addition, we offer molecular options with our Solana Group A Strep and Solana Strep Complete assays, which allow for the rapid, qualitative detection of Group A and for Strep Complete, also the detection of pyogenic Group C or G Strep, utilizing our molecular HDA technology. Our Lyra Direct Strep Assay is a multiplex real-time PCR assay that detects and differentiates between Group A and pyogenic C or G Streptococcal throat infections.
RSV (and hMPV). Our Sofia RSV test and our QuickVue RSV test are rapid immunoassay tests for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (“RSV”). In addition, we offer molecular testing options with our Solana RSV + human metapneumovirus (hMPV) test and our combo Quidel Lyra RSV + human metapneumovirus (hMPV) test. The majority of upper respiratory tract infections in children is caused by viruses, and RSV is generally recognized as a frequent agent responsible for these infections and shares overlapping symptoms with hMPV.
Herpes and Herpes Family. We offer several products designed to detect various herpes simplex virus (“HSV”) and herpes family viruses utilizing molecular and cell culture technologies. We offer our Solana HSV-1+2/VZV Assay, used in conjunction with our Solana instrument, for the detection of HSV type 1, HSV type 2, and varicella-zoster virus (“VZV”). We also offer our Lyra Direct HSV 1+2/VZV assay. In addition, our proprietary engineered cell culture system, ELVIS HSV, is an FDA cleared and highly sensitive system for the isolation and detection of HSV types 1 and 2. We also provide a multiplex cell culture solution using a propriety cell platform called H&V-MixTM that is used to isolate HSV, VZV and Cytomegalovirus, all in the herpes family of viruses. Antibody detection and identification of each of these viruses can be performed with FDA-cleared antibody products provided under the D3 DFA brand. HSV is a widespread sexually transmitted infection. VZV is a DNA virus of the family Herpesviridae; infection results in chickenpox (varicella) and may lead to complications such as pneumonia and may reactivate later in life to produce shingles.
Multiplex Respiratory. Our cell culture and DFA detection solutions, including D3 FastPoint technology, are used by reference laboratories, public health labs and acute care hospitals to detect eight major viral respiratory pathogens. Our proprietary cell culture platform R-MixTM combined with our D3 Ultra DFA antibody kit, detects Influenza A and B, RSV, Adenovirus and Parainfluenza types 1, 2 and 3, with turn-around times between 16 and 48 hours. The same D3 Ultra DFA antibody kit can also be used for direct specimen testing for those viruses with turn-around times in under 90 minutes. Our D3 FastPoint antibody kit detects eight viruses, with human metapneumovirus added to the testing menu, and provides laboratories, in a direct specimen testing format, the ability to produce virus identification in under 25 minutes from specimen receipt.
Lyme. Our Sofia Lyme FIA, used in conjunction with our Sofia analyzers, is used to aid in the rapid differential detection of human IgM and IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi from serum and plasma specimens from patients suspected of B. burgdorferi infection and is intended for use to aid in the diagnosis of Lyme disease, a tickborne disease. In 2018, we received 510(k) clearance and CLIA waiver from the FDA to market Sofia 2 Lyme FIA, which is used with the Sofia 2 Fluorescent Immunoassay analyzer for the rapid differential detection of human IgM and IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi from finger-stick whole blood specimens from patients suspected of B. burgdorferi infection. In addition, our Sofia 2 Lyme+ assay is CE marked for use in the rapid differential detection of human IgM and IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia afzelii from serum and plasma specimens. These tests are intended for use with the Sofia 2 analyzer to aid in the diagnosis of Lyme disease in the U.S. and European markets.
S. pneumoniae. Our Sofia S. Pneumoniae FIA, used in conjunction with our Sofia analyzer, was CE Marked for sale in the European market in 2016. The assay is used to aid in the detection of both pneumococcal pneumonia and pneumococcal meningitis. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia and bacterial meningitis.
Legionella. Our Sofia Legionella FIA, used in conjunction with our Sofia analyzer, is CE Marked for sale in the European market. The assay is used to aid in the detection of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen, which is the major causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease.
Bordetella Pertussis. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a very contagious disease caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Our Solana Bordetella Complete Assay is used for the qualitative detection and differentiation of Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis nucleic acids isolated from nasopharyngeal swab specimens obtained from patients suspected of having a respiratory tract infection attributable to Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis.
Adenovirus and Parainfluenza. Quidel offers the Lyra Adenovirus Assay, a real-time PCR test for the qualitative detection of human adenovirus (HAdV) viral DNA, and our Lyra Parainfluenza Assay, a real-time PCR test for the qualitative detection and identification of Parainfluenza virus infections for types 1, 2 or 3 viral RNA.
Cardiology
The cardiology diagnostic market includes the markets for heart failure diagnostics, coronary artery disease risk assessment, coagulation testing and acute coronary syndrome. Our 2017 acquisition of the Triage and BNP Businesses have positioned us to become a leader in this market. The Triage system consists of a portable fluorometer that interprets consumable test devices for cardiovascular conditions. The Triage cardiovascular tests include the following:
Triage BNP Test. An immunoassay to be used with the Triage® MeterPro that measures B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) in whole blood or plasma, used as an aid in the diagnosis and assessment of severity of heart failure. The test is also used for the risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndromes and heart failure.
Triage Cardiac Panel. An immunoassay for the quantitative determination of CK-MB, myoglobin and troponin I in whole blood or plasma, as an aid in the diagnosis of AMI.
Triage Profiler S.O.B. An immunoassay for use as an aid in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI), the diagnosis and assessment of severity of congestive heart failure, the assessment and evaluation of patients suspected of having disseminated intravascular coagulation and thromboembolic events, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, and the risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndromes.
Triage D-Dimer Test. An immunoassay for use as an aid in the assessment and evaluation of patients suspected of having disseminated intravascular coagulation or thromboembolic events, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.
Triage NT-proBNP Test. An immunoassay for the quantitative determination of N-terminal pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) in Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) anticoagulated whole blood and plasma specimens. The test is used
as an aid in the diagnosis of individuals suspected of having congestive heart failure. The test is also used as an aid for the risk stratification of patients with heart failure and the risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
Triage Troponin. Troponin I, T and C are protein subunits that make up the troponin complex, which is integral to the regulation of myofibril contraction in skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. Cardiac troponin I assays are commonly used as aids in the diagnosis of MI, which is injury to cardiac muscle cells caused by ischemia.
TriageTrue High Sensitivity Troponin. The TriageTrue High Sensitivity Troponin I Test is our latest generation of troponin assay used for the quantitative determination of troponin I in whole blood and plasma specimens, anticoagulated with EDTA, and features a redesigned cartridge that greatly improves assay sensitivity and precision that are critical to the performance of high sensitivity troponin testing. The test is to be used as an aid in the diagnosis of MI.
Triage PLGF Test. An immunoassay for use as an aid in the early and accurate diagnosis of preterm pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
Triage BNP Test for Beckman Analyzers. We also offer a version of our Triage BNP Test for use on Beckman Coulter lab analyzers.
Thyroid
Graves’ Disease. Our FDA cleared bioassay called Thyretain is used for the differential diagnosis of an autoimmune disease called Graves’ Disease. Graves’ Disease is caused by antibodies that stimulate the thyroid hormone receptors to create a hyperthyroid condition causing symptoms that include heart palpitations, unexplained weight loss, anxiety, depression and fatigue. Graves’ Disease is considered the most common autoimmune disorder in the U.S. according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine and it predominantly affects women. Thyretain is sold to reference laboratories and select acute care hospitals.
Autoimmune Thyroiditis. In 2017, we received the CE Mark for our Thyretain TBI Reporter BioAssay for the qualitative detection of blocking autoantibodies to the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors (TSHR) in serum. The assay enables highly complex laboratories to diagnose autoimmune thyroiditis in just a few days, compared to traditional detection methods that could take months or even years.
Women’s and General Health
Pregnancy. Our Sofia hCG fluorescent immunoassay and our QuickVue pregnancy tests are used for the qualitative detection of hCG in serum or urine for the early detection of pregnancy. The early detection of pregnancy enables the physician and patient to institute proper care, helping to promote the health of both the mother and the developing embryo.
Chlamydia. Our QuickVue Chlamydia test is a lateral flow immunoassay for the rapid, qualitative detection of Chlamydia trachomatis from endocervical swab and cytology brush specimens. The test is intended for use as an aid in the presumptive diagnosis of Chlamydia. Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the most widespread sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. Over one-half of infected women do not have symptoms and, if left untreated, Chlamydia trachomatis can cause sterility.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Our Solana GBS Assay is used in conjunction with our Solana instrument, for the direct, qualitative detection of Group B Streptococcus from enriched broth cultures of specimens from antepartum women. GBS is commonly carried by pregnant women and can be transmitted to newborns at delivery, resulting in potential life-threatening illness. It is recommended that all pregnant women be tested for GBS during pregnancy.
Trichomonas. Our Solana Trichomonas Assay is used in conjunction with our Solana instrument, to aid in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease attributable to infection from the Trichomonas vaginalis parasite. Trichomoniasis affects millions of people in the U.S., is more common in women, and can be treated with antibiotics upon diagnosis.
Bone Health. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of the microarchitecture of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fractures. The risk for fracture increases exponentially with age. A key set of parameters in the monitoring of osteoporosis, both before and after therapy, are biochemical markers of bone metabolism. As a leader in the research space with our biomarkers for bone health, we produce both clinical and research products for the assessment of osteoporosis and the evaluation of bone resorption/
formation, which, including our metabolic bone markers, are used by physicians to monitor the effectiveness of therapy in pharmaceutical and related research.
Eye Health
Our InflammaDry and AdenoPlus products are rapid, lateral-flow based, POC products for the detection of infectious and inflammatory diseases and conditions of the eye. InflammaDry is a test that detects elevated levels of MMP-9, a key inflammatory marker for dry eye. AdenoPlus is a test that differentiates between a viral and bacterial infection of acute conjunctivitis (pink eye).
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Clostridium difficile. Our Solana C. difficile Assay is used in conjunction with our Solana instrument, for the direct, qualitative detection of the Clostridium difficile DNA in unformed stool specimens of patients suspected of having Clostridium difficile-infection (CDI). In addition, we sell our Lyra Direct C. difficile Assay, a qualitative, multiplexed real-time PCR test for the detection of Clostridium difficile Toxin A or Toxin B genes approved for use on a variety of real-time PCR instruments. Clostridium difficile can be a life-threatening bacterial infection, especially for the elderly and patients on a prolonged antibiotic regimen.
Enterovirus. Enteroviruses reproduce initially in the gastrointestinal tract before spreading to other organs such as the nervous system, heart and skin. Enteroviruses can also infect the respiratory tract. Enteroviruses such as Coxsackievirus A16 are referred to as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and commonly affect infants and children. Our indirect fluorescent antibody (“IFA”) products sold under the name Super E-Mix and D3 IFA Enterovirus kit are used by reference laboratories and acute care hospitals.
Immunoassay fecal occult blood. Our QuickVue fecal immunochemical test is a rapid test intended to detect the presence of blood in stool specimens. Blood in the stool is an indication of a number of gastrointestinal disorders, including colorectal cancer.
Helicobacter pylori (“H. pylori”). H. pylori is the bacterium associated with patients diagnosed with peptic ulcers. H. pylori is implicated in chronic gastritis and is recognized by the World Health Organization as a Class 1 carcinogen that may increase a person’s risk of developing stomach cancer. Our QuickVue rapid test is a serological test that measures antibodies circulating in the blood caused by the immune response to the H. pylori bacterium.
Toxicology
The toxicology testing market includes testing for substance use, misuse and abuse, including testing in connection with pain management and opioid cessation therapy. The ability to rapidly identify the impact of drug use on a patient’s clinical presentation as well as securely monitor a patient’s therapy compliance is critical to the substance abuse testing market. Our Triage TOX Drug Screen provides qualitative results for the determination of the presence of drug and/or the major metabolites in urine including assays for acetaminophen/paracetamol, amphetamines, methamphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methadone, opiates, phencyclidine, THC and tricyclic antidepressants. In addition, in 2019, we launched our new Triage TOX Drug Screen, which uses distinct immunoassays for the simultaneous detection of drug and/or the urinary metabolites for multiple drug classes.
Research and Development
We continue to focus our research and development efforts on three areas:
•new proprietary product platform development,
•the creation of new and improved products for use on our established platforms to address unmet clinical needs, and
•pursuit of collaborations with, or acquisitions of, other companies for new and existing products and markets that advance our differentiated strategy.
Research and development expenses were approximately $84.3 million, $52.6 million, and $51.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We anticipate that we will continue to devote a significant amount of financial resources to product and technology research and development in the foreseeable future.
Marketing and Distribution
Our current business strategy is designed around serving the continuum of healthcare delivery needs globally, starting with POC clinicians located in doctor’s office practices, to moderately complex POLs, through the highly complex environment in hospital and clinical reference laboratories in North America and a variety of settings internationally.
Within the inherent operational diversity of these various segments, we focus on ensuring market leadership and providing points of differentiation by specializing in the diagnosis and monitoring of selected disease states and conditions. Our marketing strategy includes ensuring that our key product portfolios are supported by clinical validation and health economic and outcomes research that demonstrates to hospitals, laboratories, acute care facilities and POC clinicians that our tests deliver fast, high quality results, are cost-effective to use, and improve patient outcomes.
Our North America distribution strategy takes into account the fact that the POC market is highly fragmented, with many small or medium-sized customers. A network of national and regional distributors is employed, as well as our own sales force, to reach customers using POC diagnostic tests.
We have expanded the size of our North America sales force in the past few years. As of December 31, 2020, we employed approximately 120 sales representatives in North America. This sales force works closely with our key distributors to drive market penetration of our products in the POC market.
The sales, distribution and service of our cell culture tests are controlled primarily by us. Laboratory end-users in hospitals and clinical reference laboratories using these diagnostic tests are reached through our own direct sales force and technical support services that have specialized training and understanding of the product portfolio.
We sell products globally and market and distribute products in a variety of ways, including a mix of direct and distribution strategies worldwide. In Europe, we currently employ approximately 85 employees to support sales and marketing activities in key countries, such as Germany and Italy. In addition, we have created a shared service center in Galway, Ireland to support general and administrative, technical support and customer service functions in Europe. In Asia, we currently employ approximately 50 employees in China and approximately 20 employees in India, primarily to support sales and marketing efforts for the Triage and BNP Businesses and to grow our core immunoassay and cell culture businesses. In addition, we have created a shared service center in Shanghai, China to support general and administrative and technical support and customer service functions in China.
We derive a significant portion of our total revenue from a few distributors. Four of our distributors, which are considered to be among the market leaders, collectively accounted for approximately 68%, 51% and 49% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. See Note 9 in the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.
Manufacturing
We have three primary manufacturing sites. Two are in San Diego, California and one is located in Athens, Ohio. In addition, we are building out an additional manufacturing site in Carlsbad, California, which is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2021.
Our McKellar Court lateral flow manufacturing facility is located in San Diego, California and consists of laboratories devoted to tissue culture, cell culture, protein purification and immunochemistry. Production areas are dedicated to manufacturing and assembly. In the manufacturing process, biological and chemical supplies and equipment are used. We have invested in a high degree of automated equipment for the assembly and inspection processes. Since 2000, this facility has operated under a Quality Management System certified to International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) standard. The facility is certified to ISO 13485:2016 and Medical Device Single Audit Program (“MDSAP”) medical device standards. Many of the immunoassay products manufactured in this San Diego facility are packaged and shipped by a local third party.
Our Athens facility consists of a variety of laboratories, clean rooms and customized filling and packaging areas to support manufacturing of all products under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions. These areas support the manufacturing of our molecular nucleic acid amplification products, our living tissue culture and antibody- based products, as well as our enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. We use a wide variety of biological and chemical supplies in our manufacturing processes. We also utilize specialized equipment for the lyophilization of reagents, cell culture growth, protein purification and a variety of automation for dispensing of antibodies, reagents and solutions. The facility is certified to ISO
13485:2016 and MDSAP medical device standards. Packaging, warehousing and shipping logistics with cold chain storage capability are handled at the facility.
Our Summers Ridge, San Diego, California facility consists of laboratories that are involved in mammalian cell culture, bacterial fermentation, protein purification and modification, as well as other techniques involved in immunoassay reagent manufacturing. These reagents are used in the manufacture of devices made at the site and are also supplied to a third party as key active ingredients for our BNP product that is run on the Beckman Coulter Immunoassay Systems. In addition, this site has production areas dedicated to creating and processing plastic components that are subsequently transformed into finished devices (Cardiac and Drugs of Abuse products) using customized manufacturing equipment, including specialized automation. This facility is certified to the EN ISO 13485:2016 and MDSAP medical device standards. Most of the products are packaged and subsequently distributed out of the facility.
We seek to conduct our manufacturing in compliance with regulations that comply to U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Europe, South Korea and other countries Quality Management System (“QSR”) requirements. Our manufacturing facilities have passed routine regulatory inspections confirming compliance with the QSR regulatory requirements. Our facilities are registered with various regulatory bodies including the FDA and the Department of Health Services of the State of California for our San Diego facilities.
Government Regulation
Regulation in the United States
The testing, manufacture and commercialization of our products are subject to regulation by numerous governmental authorities, principally the FDA and corresponding state and foreign regulatory agencies. Pursuant to the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, the FDA regulates the preclinical and clinical testing, manufacture, labeling, distribution and promotion of medical devices. Noncompliance with applicable requirements can result in, among other matters, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, failure of the FDA to grant premarket clearance or premarket approval for devices, withdrawal of marketing clearances or approvals and criminal prosecution. The FDA also has the authority to request a recall, repair, replacement or refund of the cost of any device manufactured or distributed in the U.S. if the device is deemed to be unsafe.
In the U.S., devices are classified into one of three classes (Class I, II or III) on the basis of the controls deemed necessary by the FDA to reasonably ensure their safety and effectiveness. Class I and II devices are subject to general controls including, but not limited to, performance standards, premarket notification (“510(k)”) and post market surveillance. Class III devices generally pose the highest risk to the patient and are typically subject to premarket approval to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Our current products are all Class I or II.
The FDA can authorize the emergency use of an unapproved medical product or an unapproved use of an approved medical product, referred to as Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, for certain emergency circumstances after the Health and Human Services Secretary has made a declaration of emergency justifying authorization of emergency use. An EUA allows use in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by emerging infectious disease threats when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives. The FDA may also waive otherwise-applicable current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements to accommodate emergency response needs. All of our current products for testing for the COVID-19 virus are sold under EUA.
Prior to commercialization in the U.S. market, manufacturers of diagnostic assays like our products are typically required to obtain FDA clearance through a premarket notification or premarket approval process, which can be lengthy, expensive and uncertain. The FDA has been requiring more rigorous demonstration of product performance as part of the 510(k) process, including submission of extensive clinical data. It generally takes from three months to one year to obtain clearance but may take longer. A premarket approval application must be supported by valid scientific evidence to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device, typically including the results of clinical investigations, bench tests and reference laboratory studies. In addition, modifications or enhancements for existing products that could significantly affect safety, effectiveness or constitute a major change in the intended use of the device, will require new submissions to the FDA.
CLIA regulates laboratory testing and require clinical laboratories to be certified by their state as well as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) before diagnostic testing can be conducted. Labs using our assays must obtain a CLIA certificate. Waived testing is designated by CLIA as simple testing that carries a low risk for an incorrect result. The CLIA waived designation is critical for most of our products that are intended for POC settings. The FDA’s current guidance entitled “Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff: Recommendations for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 CLIA
Waiver Applications for Manufacturers of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices” sets forth requirements for obtaining a CLIA waiver that are onerous and have increased the time and cost required to obtain a CLIA waiver.
Any devices we manufacture or distribute pursuant to FDA clearance or approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA and certain state agencies, including adherence to QSR relating to testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance requirements. We must also comply with Medical Device Reporting requirements mandating reporting to the FDA of any incident in which a device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or in which a device malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur, would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury. Labeling and promotional activities are also subject to scrutiny by the FDA and, in certain circumstances, by the Federal Trade Commission. Current FDA enforcement policy prohibits the marketing of approved medical devices for unapproved uses.
Regulation Outside of the United States
For marketing outside the U.S., we are subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing human clinical testing and marketing approval for our products. These requirements vary by jurisdiction, differ from those in the U.S., and may require us to perform additional or different preclinical or clinical testing regardless of whether we have obtained FDA clearance or approval. The amount of time required to obtain necessary approvals may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA clearance or approval. In many foreign countries, pricing and reimbursement approvals are also required.
Our initial focus for obtaining marketing approval outside the U.S. is typically the European Union (EU), Japan, China, Brazil, Australia and Canada. EU regulations and directives generally classify healthcare products either as medicinal products, medical devices or in vitro diagnostics. The CE Mark certification for the EU requires us to receive certification for the manufacture of our products from ISO. This certification comes only after the development of an all-inclusive quality system, which is reviewed for compliance with ISO standards by a notified body accredited by an EU member state. After certification is received, a technical file is developed which attests to the product’s compliance to Regulation Directive 98/79/EC for in vitro diagnostic medical devices. Only after this point is the product CE marked. In addition, the EU has recently adopted the EU Medical Device Regulation (the "EU MDR") and the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (the "EU IVDR"), each of which impose stricter requirements for the marketing and sale of medical devices, including in the area of clinical evaluation requirements, quality systems and post-market surveillance. Manufacturers of currently approved medical devices will have until May 2021 to meet the requirements of the EU MDR and until May 2022 to meet the EU IVDR. Complying with the requirements of these regulations may require us to incur significant expenditures. Failure to meet these requirements could adversely impact our business in the EU and other regions that tie their product registrations to the EU requirements.
Chinese regulations require registration of diagnostic products with China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, formerly CFDA). Additional clinical trials in China are typically required for registration purposes. ISO certification is included in applications for registration to NMPA. Japanese regulations require registration of in vitro diagnostic products with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. For products marketed in Canada, registration is required with Health Canada. For products marketed in Australia, registration is required with the Therapeutic Goods Administration. In vitro diagnostics in Brazil are regulated by the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA). For our products marketed in Canada, Japan, Brazil, Australia and the United States, the MDSAP is a single regulatory audit of our quality management system that satisfies the requirements of all five of these jurisdictions. Additionally, with Brexit in place, we are obtaining any necessary approvals directly with the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Intellectual Property
The healthcare industry has traditionally placed considerable importance on obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret protection for commercially relevant technologies, devices, products and processes. We and other companies engaged in research and development of new diagnostic products actively seek to protect trade secrets and pursue patents for technologies that are considered novel and patentable. However, important factors, many of which are not within our control, can affect whether and to what extent patent protection in the U.S. and in other important markets worldwide is obtained. By way of example, the speed, accuracy and consistency in application of the law in a patent office within any particular jurisdiction is beyond our control and can be unpredictable. The resolution of issues such as these and their effect upon our long-term success is likewise indeterminable. We have issued patents, both in the U.S. and internationally, and have patent applications pending throughout the world.
It has been our policy to file for patent protection in the U.S. and other countries with significant markets, such as Western European countries and Japan, if the economics are deemed to justify such filing and our patent counsel advises that relevant patent protection may be obtained.
A large number of individuals and commercial enterprises seek patent protection for technologies, products and processes in fields in, or related to, our areas of product development. To the extent such efforts are successful, we may be required to obtain licenses and pay significant royalties in order to exploit certain of our product strategies. Licenses may not be available to us at all or, if so available, may not be available on acceptable terms.
We are aware of certain patents issued to various developers of diagnostic products with potential applicability to our diagnostic technology. We have licensed rights from companies to assist with the manufacturing of certain products. In the future, we expect that we will require or desire additional licenses from other parties in order to refine our products further and to allow us to develop, manufacture and market commercially viable or superior products effectively.
We seek to protect our trade secrets and technology by entering into confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties (such as potential licensees, customers, strategic partners and consultants). In addition, we have implemented certain security measures in our laboratories and offices. Also, to the extent that consultants or contracting parties apply technical or scientific information independently developed by them to our projects, disputes may arise as to the proprietary rights to such data.
Under many of our contractual agreements, we have agreed to indemnify the counterparty against costs and liabilities arising out of any patent infringement claims and other intellectual property claims asserted by a third party relating to products sold under those agreements.
Competition
Competition in the development and marketing of IVD products is intense, and innovation, product development, regulatory clearance to market and commercial introduction of new IVD technologies can occur rapidly. We believe that some of the most significant competitive factors in the rapid diagnostic market include convenience, speed to result, specimen flexibility, product menu, clinical needs, price, reimbursement levels and product performance as well as effective distribution, advertising, promotion and brand name recognition. The competitive factors in the central laboratory market are also significant and include price, product performance, reimbursement, compatibility with routine specimen procurement methods, and manufacturing products in testing formats that meet the workflow demands of larger volume laboratories. We believe our success will depend on our ability to remain abreast of technological advances, to develop, gain regulatory clearance and introduce technologically advanced products, to effectively market to customers a differentiated value proposition represented by our commercialized products, to maintain our brand strength and to attract and retain experienced personnel. The majority of diagnostic tests requested by physicians and other healthcare providers are performed by independent clinical reference laboratories. We expect that these laboratories will continue to compete vigorously to maintain their dominance of the testing market. In order to achieve market acceptance for our products, we will be required to continue to demonstrate that our products provide physicians and central laboratories cost-effective and time-saving alternatives to other competitive products and technologies.
Many of our current and prospective commercial competitors, including several large pharmaceutical and diversified healthcare companies, have substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than we have. These competitors include, among others, Abbott Laboratories, Beckman Coulter Primary Care Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Becton Dickinson and Company, Meridian Bioscience, Inc., and Danaher Corporation. We also face competition from our distributors since some have created, and others may decide to create, their own products to compete with ours. Competition may also exist with large, medium and small development companies whose portfolio and technologies are dedicated to the development of diagnostic solutions in areas in which we currently have relevant market share.
Seasonality
Sales of our influenza products are subject to, and significantly affected by, the seasonal demands of the cold and flu seasons, prevalent during the fall and winter. As a result of these seasonal demands, we typically experience lower sales volume in the second and third quarters of the calendar year, and typically have higher sales in the first and fourth quarters of the calendar year. The COVID-19 pandemic and impact of sales of our COVID-19 products combined with a very mild flu season diminished the seasonal effects in 2020. Historically, sales of our influenza products have varied from year to year based in large part on the severity, length and timing of the onset of the cold and flu season. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, sales of our influenza products accounted for 8%, 26% and 24%, respectively, of total revenue. In addition, it is possible that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may have similar seasonal demands and impacts on our revenues in the future.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately 1,370 employees worldwide, with approximately 1,200 employees in the United States and approximately 170 employees outside of the United States, none of whom are represented by a labor union. We have experienced no work stoppages and believe that our employee relations are good.
Our employees are one of our most important assets and set the foundation for our ability to achieve our strategic objectives, drive operational execution, deliver strong financial performance, advance innovation and maintain our quality and compliance programs.
The success and growth of our business depends in large part on our ability to attract, retain and develop a diverse population of talented and high-performing employees at all levels of our organization. To succeed in a competitive labor market, we have recruitment and retention strategies that we focus on as part of the overall management of our business, including designing our compensation and benefits programs to be competitive and align with our strategic and stockholders’ interests. Some of our key employee benefits include eligibility for health insurance, vacation time, a retirement plan with an employer match, an employee assistance program, life and disability coverage. We also offer a variety of voluntary benefits that allow employees to select the options that meet their needs, including flexible spending accounts, hospital care, accident insurance, prepaid legal benefits, backup childcare, family forming benefits, homework support for students, student loan debt benefits, tuition reimbursement and a wellness program.
Information about our Executive Officers
The names, ages and positions of all executive officers are listed below, followed by a brief account of their business experience. There are no family relationships among these officers, nor any arrangements or understandings between any officer and any other person pursuant to which an officer was selected.
Douglas C. Bryant, 63, was named President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors in 2009. Prior to joining us, Mr. Bryant served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Luminex Corporation, managing its Bioscience Group, Luminex Molecular Diagnostics (Toronto), manufacturing, R&D, technical operations, and commercial operations. From 1983 to 2007, Mr. Bryant held various worldwide commercial operations positions with Abbott Laboratories including, among others: Vice President of Abbott Vascular for Asia/Japan, Vice President of Abbott Molecular Global Commercial Operations and Vice President of Abbott Diagnostics Global Commercial Operations. Earlier in his career with Abbott, Mr. Bryant was Vice President of Diagnostic Operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Vice President of Diagnostic Operations Asia Pacific. Mr. Bryant has over 30 years of industry experience in sales and marketing, product development, manufacturing and service and support in both the diagnostics and life sciences markets. Mr. Bryant holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Davis.
Randall J. Steward, 66, became our Chief Financial Officer in October 2011. Prior to joining us, Mr. Steward served as the Chief Financial Officer for Navilyst Medical, Inc., a medical device company based in Massachusetts. From 2008 to January 2011, Mr. Steward served as Chief Operating Officer for SeQual Technologies, Inc., a San Diego-based medical device company, where he was responsible for all aspects of engineering, manufacturing, finance, and information systems. Prior to SeQual Technologies, Mr. Steward spent 11 years with Spectrum Brands as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Steward holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Southern Methodist University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Robert J. Bujarski, J.D., 52, became our Chief Operating Officer in September 2020. Previously, Mr. Bujarski served as Senior Vice President, North America Commercial Operations from July 2019 to September 2020, Senior Vice President, General Counsel from August 2009 to September 2020, Senior Vice President, Business Development from August 2009 to July 2019 and General Counsel and Vice President from July 2005 to March 2007. Mr. Bujarski was an associate attorney with the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in its transactions practice group from October 2001 to July 2005. Mr. Bujarski received his B.A. degree in 1991 and his law degree in 2001 from the University of Arizona.
William J. Ferenczy, 65, became Senior Vice President, Cardiometabolic Business Unit in April 2020. He joined Quidel in 2011 as Senior Director, US Marketing and subsequently held positions as Senior Director and General Manager, Savanna and Vice President, Strategy and Global Product Management. Mr. Ferenczy has over 30 years of experience leading product launches and market development across a wide range of diagnostic companies including Abbott Diagnostics, Biosite Diagnostics, Nanosphere and Inovise Medical. Early in his career, he held several manufacturing management positions of
increasing responsibility at Abbott Hospital Products and General Medical Manufacturing. Mr. Ferenczy holds a B.S. in Pre-professional studies from the University of Notre Dame.
Karen C. Gibson, 59, became our Senior Vice President, Digital Health Business Unit in October 2020. Ms. Gibson previously served as Senior Vice President, Information Systems and Business Transformation from February 2019 to October 2020. Ms. Gibson joined Quidel in April 2015 as Vice President, Information Systems and in 2017 took on additional responsibilities as the Integration Lead for the integration of the Triage and BNP Businesses. Prior to Quidel, Ms. Gibson was an independent executive consultant for approximately three years and previously held a variety of senior positions within the life sciences industry. She held the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for McKesson’s Specialty Health division. She also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Life Technologies, and as Vice President and Chief Information Officer for General Electric’s Healthcare IT business unit. Ms. Gibson has an MBA from Ohio University, and B.S. in Computer Technology from Purdue University.
Michelle A. Hodges, 61, became our Senior Vice President, General Counsel in December 2020. Prior to joining Quidel, Ms. Hodges was a corporate lawyer with the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP from December 1996 through November 2020, most recently as a partner from 2005. Ms. Hodges received her B. Hort. Sci. degree from Massey University, New Zealand, and her J.D. and M.B.A. from UCLA.
Werner Kroll, Ph.D., 64, became our Senior Vice President, R&D in May 2014. Prior to joining us, Dr. Kroll was Vice President and Global Head Research and Innovation for Novartis Molecular since 2009. Prior to holding that position, he held a variety of senior positions from 2005 to 2009 at Novartis. Dr. Kroll has also held senior positions at Bayer from 1991 to 2005. Dr. Kroll received his Ph.D. and a Diploma in Chemistry from the University of Marburg.
Tamara A. Ranalli, Ph.D., 48, became the Senior Vice President, Molecular Business Unit in August 2020. Prior to this position at Quidel, she held several roles at Quidel most recently as Vice President of Marketing for North America and has been with the organization since 2010. Before joining Quidel, Dr. Ranalli was the Director of Business Development at BioHelix Corporation where she was instrumental in both the development of the novel isothermal technology used in the Solana platform as well as in establishing the collaboration between BioHelix and Quidel that led to our eventual acquisition of BioHelix in 2013. Dr. Ranalli holds a B.A. degree in Biology from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Rochester School of Medicine and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Cancer Genetics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Edward K. Russell, 53, became our Senior Vice President, Business Development in July 2019. Mr. Russell joined the Company in October 2015 as Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Operations and subsequently became our Senior Vice President, North America Commercial Operations. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Russell was employed by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a life sciences company based in Massachusetts, and its predecessor company Life Technologies for ten years. Mr. Russell served in various leadership roles from 2005 through 2015, including North America Commercial Leader of the BioSciences Division, General Manager of Life Technologies’ Global Services & Support Division, and President of Life Technologies Japan. Prior to joining Life Technologies in 2005, Mr. Russell held various leadership positions at FedEx Kinko’s, ExxonMobil and Toyota/Lexus. Mr. Russell started his career as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Mr. Russell holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Operational and Strategic Risks
The novel coronavirus global pandemic could adversely affect our business operations, financial performance and results of operations, the extent of which is uncertain and difficult to predict.
In late 2019, a novel strain of COVID-19 was identified, which has since spread globally and evolved into a global pandemic, including severe and widespread transmission in the United States and throughout the world. In response, government authorities throughout the United States and around the world have implemented numerous measures to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as travel restrictions, quarantines, shelter in place or total lock-down orders and other business restrictions. As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the related responses from government authorities, our business operations, financial performance and results of operations may be adversely impacted in a number of ways, including, but not limited to, the following:
•a slowdown or stoppage in the supply chain of the raw materials, components, equipment and packaging services used to manufacture our products or our inability to secure additional or alternate sources of supplies or services needed to manufacture our products at optimal levels;
•our inventory might be requisitioned, diverted or allocated by government order such as under emergency, disaster and civil defense declarations. For example, government actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic affect our supply allocation, and those and our own allocation decisions can impact our customer relationships;
•interruptions or delays in global shipping to transport and deliver our products to our distributors and customers;
•interruptions in normal operations of certain end use customers that could result in reductions in demand for non-COVID-19 related healthcare operations and testing;
•disruptions to our operations, including a shutdown of one or more of our facilities or product lines; restrictions on our operations and sales, marketing and distribution efforts; and interruptions to our research and development, manufacturing, clinical/regulatory and other important business activities;
•increased costs in our manufacturing, production and shipping processes;
•limitations on employee resources and availability, including due to sickness or personal quarantine, government restrictions, the desire of employees to avoid contact with large groups of people, school closures or mass transit disruptions;
•an increase in cyber-attacks given our increased public profile, particularly as a manufacturer of COVID-19 products;
•a fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates or interest rates could result from market uncertainties;
•an increase in exposure to credit losses for customers adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic;
•an increase in regulatory restrictions or continued market volatility could hinder our ability to execute strategic business activities, including acquisitions; and
•an increase in the volatility of our stock price.
The spread of COVID-19 has caused us to modify our business practices (including employee travel, employee work locations, and physical participation in meetings, events and conferences), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners, and suppliers. Such measures may not mitigate fully the risks posed by the virus, impairing our ability to perform critical functions.
In response to increased demand brought on by COVID-19, we are continuing to rapidly and significantly expand our manufacturing capacity, including expanding and scaling our infrastructure to support existing and anticipated COVID-19 testing demand and commercial activities. This rapid expansion has placed and may continue to place significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems and financial resources. Failure to successfully manage this expansion could negatively affect our operating results, including due to inefficiencies in implementing such expansion or higher costs for materials, technology, equipment and human capital during the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, we may not realize the revenue growth and profitability we anticipate for our COVID-19 and other diagnostic products, which could cause, among other results, a failure to realize the benefits of our manufacturing capacity expansion and the value of those investments being written down or written off.
Additionally, COVID-19 could negatively affect our internal controls over financial reporting as a portion of our workforce is required to work from home and therefore new processes, procedures, and controls could be required to respond to
changes in our business environment. Further, should any key employees become ill from COVID-19 and unable to work, the attention of the management team could be diverted.
The effects of COVID-19 may exacerbate our other risk factors described below. The degree to which COVID-19 impacts our business operations, financial performance and results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, continuously evolving and cannot be predicted, including, but not limited to, the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, the severity of continual outbreak surges, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume and the residual economic and other effects. Because this situation continues to evolve globally, the ultimate impacts to us of COVID-19 are uncertain, but such impacts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and financial condition.
The industry and market segment in which we operate are highly competitive, and intense competition with other providers of diagnostic products or services may reduce our sales and margins.
Our diagnostic tests compete with similar products made by our competitors. There are a large number of multinational and regional competitors making investments in competing technologies and products, including several large pharmaceutical and diversified healthcare companies. We also face competition from our distributors as some have created, and others may decide to create, their own products to compete with ours. A number of our competitors have competitive advantages, such as substantially greater financial, technical, research and other resources, and larger, more established marketing, sales, distribution and service organizations than we have. Moreover, some competitors offer broader product lines and have greater name recognition than we have. Our operating results could be materially and adversely affected if:
•our competitors’ products are more effective than ours or take market share from our products through more effective marketing or competitive pricing;
•our competitors obtain patent protection or other intellectual property rights that prevent us from offering competing products or services; or
•our competitors are able to obtain regulatory approvals for products or services or otherwise bring competing products to market earlier than us.
In addition, there has been a trend toward industry consolidation in our markets over the last few years. We may not be able to compete successfully in an increasingly consolidated industry. We expect this trend toward industry consolidation to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their market positions in an evolving industry.
In order to remain competitive and profitable, we must expend considerable resources to research new technologies and products and develop new markets, and there is no assurance our efforts to develop new technologies, products or markets will be successful or such technologies, products or markets will be commercially viable.
We devote a significant amount of financial and other resources to researching and developing new technologies, new products and new markets. The development, manufacture and sale of diagnostic products and new technologies require a significant investment of resources, such as new employees, offices, manufacturing facilities, and development of new commercial partners and channels. Such expenditures to develop new technologies, products or markets may not lead to commercially viable technology and products or successful markets.
Our operations will be adversely affected if our operating results do not correspondingly increase with our increased expenditures or if our technology, product and market development efforts are unsuccessful or delayed. Furthermore, our failure to successfully introduce new technologies or products and develop new markets could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.
Our operating results are heavily dependent on sales of our COVID-19 and influenza diagnostic tests and if sales or revenues of our COVID-19 or influenza tests decline for any reason, our operating results would be materially and adversely affected.
A significant percentage of our total revenues come from a limited number of our product families. In particular, revenues from the sale of our COVID-19 and influenza tests represent a significant portion of our total revenues and are expected to remain so for at least the near future. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, sales of our COVID-19 products accounted for 70%, 0% and 0% and influenza products accounted for 8%, 26%, and 24%, respectively, of total revenue. In addition, the gross margins derived from sales of our COVID-19 and influenza tests are significantly higher than the gross margins from many of our other core products. As a result, if sales or revenues of our COVID-19 or influenza tests decline for any reason whether as a result of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, a mild flu season, market share loss or price pressure,
obsolescence, regulatory matters, such as loss of EUAs for our COVID-19 products, or any other reason, our operating results would be materially and adversely affected on a disproportionate basis.
We rely on a limited number of key distributors that account for a significant portion of our total revenue. The loss of any key distributor or an unsuccessful effort by us to directly distribute our products could lead to reduced sales.
Although we have many distributor relationships in the U.S., the market is dominated by a small number of these distributors. Four of our U.S. distributors, collectively accounted (each individually in excess of 10%) for approximately 68%, 51%, and 49% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. In addition, we rely on a few key distributors for a majority of our international sales and expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The loss or termination of our relationship with any of these key distributors could significantly disrupt our business unless suitable alternatives are timely found or lost sales to a distributor are absorbed by another distributor. Finding a suitable alternative to a lost or terminated distributor may pose challenges in our industry’s competitive environment, and another suitable distributor may not be found on satisfactory terms, if at all. For instance, some distributors already have exclusive arrangements with our competitors, and others do not have the same level of penetration into our target markets as our existing distributors. If total revenue from any of our other significant distributors were to decrease in any material amount in the future or we are not successful in timely transitioning business from a lost or terminated distributor to one or more new distributors, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by the financial soundness of our customers and suppliers.
If our customers’ or suppliers’ operating and financial performance deteriorates, our customers may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable owed to us, and our suppliers may restrict credit to us or impose different payment terms or reduce or terminate production of products they supply to us. Any inability of customers to pay us, or any demands by suppliers for different payment terms, may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We may not achieve market acceptance of our products among physicians, healthcare providers or other customers, and this would have a negative effect on future sales.
A large part of our current business is based on the sale of rapid POC diagnostic tests. Our future sales depend on, among other matters, capture of sales from central laboratories by achieving market acceptance of POC testing from physicians other healthcare providers or other customers. If we do not capture sales at the levels anticipated in our budget, our total revenue will not be at the levels that we expect and the costs we incur or have incurred may be disproportionate to our sales levels. We expect that clinical reference and hospital-based laboratories will continue to compete vigorously against our POC diagnostic products in order to maintain and expand their existing dominance of the overall diagnostic testing market. Moreover, even if we can demonstrate that our products are more cost-effective, save time, or have better performance, physicians and other healthcare providers may resist changing to POC tests. Our failure to achieve market acceptance from physicians, healthcare providers or other customers with respect to the use of our diagnostic products would have a negative effect on our future sales.
Our total revenue could be affected by third-party reimbursement policies and potential cost constraints.
The end-users of our POC products are primarily physicians and other healthcare providers. In the U.S., healthcare providers such as hospitals and physicians who purchase diagnostic products generally rely on third-party payers, principally private health insurance plans, federal Medicare and state Medicaid, to reimburse all or part of the cost of the procedure. Use of our products would be adversely impacted if physicians and other healthcare providers do not receive adequate reimbursement for the cost of our products by their patients’ third-party payers. Our total revenue could also be adversely affected by changes or trends in reimbursement policies of these governmental or private healthcare payers. We believe that the overall escalating cost of medical products and services has led to, and will continue to lead to, increased pressures on the healthcare industry, both foreign and domestic, to reduce the cost of products and services. Given the efforts to control and reduce healthcare costs in the U.S. in recent years, currently available levels of reimbursement may not continue to be available in the future for our existing products or products under development. Third-party reimbursement and coverage may not be available or adequate in either the U.S. or foreign markets, current reimbursement amounts may be decreased in the future and future legislation, regulation or reimbursement policies of third-party payers may reduce the demand for our products or adversely impact our ability to sell our products on a profitable basis. Any reduction in payments by government sponsored or private payers, as a result of budget deficits or reductions in expenditures or for reimbursement reasons, may adversely affect our earnings and cash flow.
Unexpected increases in, or inability to meet, demand for our products and services could require us to spend considerable resources to meet the demand or harm our reputation and customer relationships if we are unable to meet demand.
Our inability to meet customer demand for our products and services, whether as a result of manufacturing problems or supply shortfalls, could harm our customer relationships and impair our reputation within the industry. In addition, our product manufacturing of certain product lines is concentrated in one or more of our manufacturing sites. Weather, natural disasters, public health emergencies, fires, terrorism, political change or unrest, failure to follow specific internal protocols and procedures, equipment malfunction, environmental factors or damage to one or more of our facilities could adversely affect our ability to manufacture our products. This, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
If we experience unexpected increases in the demand for our products or supply shortfalls, we may be required to expend additional capital resources to meet these demands. These capital resources could involve the cost of new machinery or even the cost of new manufacturing facilities. This would increase our capital costs, which could adversely affect our earnings and cash resources. If we are unable to develop or obtain necessary manufacturing capabilities in a timely manner, our total revenue could be adversely affected. For example, in response to the demand brought on by COVID-19, we have and are continuing to rapidly and significantly expand our manufacturing capacity, which has placed and may continue to place significant strain on our management, personnel, operations and systems. Failure to increase production volumes in a cost-effective manner, lower than anticipated yields or production problems could result in shipment delays as well as increased manufacturing costs, which could also have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, operating results and financial condition.
Interruptions in the supply of raw materials, components, equipment and other products and services could adversely affect our operations and financial results.
We depend on third-party manufacturers and suppliers for some of our materials, components, equipment, packaging and other products and services. Some of these supplies and services are currently obtained from a sole supplier or a limited group of suppliers. We have long-term supply agreements with many of these suppliers, but these long-term agreements involve risks for us, such as our potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of quality raw materials, equipment or components and our reduced control over pricing, quality and timely delivery. It is also possible that one or more of these suppliers may become unwilling or unable to deliver supplies or services to us as agreed. Unexpected increases in demand for our products or supply shortfalls could require us to obtain additional supplies or services in order to manufacture products to meet the demand. Some supplies require significant ordering lead time and we may not be able to timely access sufficient supplies in the event of an unexpected increase in demand or supply shortfall, particularly those obtained from a sole supplier or a limited group of suppliers. For example, government actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected our supply allocation and could in the future result in our inventory materials being requisitioned, diverted or allocated by government order such as under emergency, disaster and civil defense declarations. In addition, we use third party packaging companies to ship our products to customers. An interruption or delays in the services provided by these third-party packaging companies could also result in a delay of shipments to customers.
Our business is also subject to risks associated with U.S. and foreign legislation, regulations and trade agreements relating to the materials we import, including quotas, duties, tariffs or taxes, and other charges or restrictions on imports, which could adversely affect our operations and our ability to import materials used in our products at current or increased levels. We cannot predict whether additional U.S. and foreign customs quotas, duties (including antidumping or countervailing duties), tariffs, taxes or other charges or restrictions, requirements as to where raw materials must be purchased, or other restrictions on our imports will be imposed in the future or adversely modified, or what effect such actions would have on our costs of operations. Future quotas, duties or tariffs may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Future trade agreements could also provide our competitors with an advantage over us, or increase our costs, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition, due to regulatory requirements relating to the qualification of suppliers, we may not be able to establish additional or replacement sources on a timely basis or without excessive cost. For example, FDA regulations and labelling requirements may make switching critical supplies difficult. The SEC also requires disclosure for public companies whose products contain conflict minerals, such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, that originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo and/or adjoining countries. The implementation of these requirements has caused and will continue to cause increased costs to comply with these disclosure requirements and may inhibit our ability to source these materials. Any shortfall in our supply of raw materials, equipment or components, or our inability to quickly and cost-effectively obtain alternative sources for this supply, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.
Failures in our information technology and storage systems, including as a result of cyber-security breaches, could significantly disrupt our business or force us to expend excessive costs.
We utilize complex information technology systems to transmit and store information, including sensitive personal information and proprietary or confidential information, and otherwise to support our business and process. In the future, our systems my prove inadequate to our business needs and necessary upgrades may not operate as designed, which could result in excessive costs or disruptions in portions of our business. In particular, any disruptions, delays or deficiencies caused by our enterprise resource planning systems could adversely affect our ability to, among other matters, process orders, procure supplies, manufacture and ship products, track inventory, provide services and customer support, send invoices and track payments, fulfill contractual obligations or otherwise operate our business.
Our servers are potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, ransomware attacks, computer viruses and similar disruptive problems. Sustained or repeated system failures that interrupt our ability to generate, maintain or access data could result in a material disruption in our operations. Furthermore, a security breach could be facilitated by ineffective protection measures, employee errors or omissions, and malfeasance. Despite our efforts to protect against cyber-attacks and security breaches, hackers and other cyber criminals are using increasingly sophisticated and constantly evolving techniques, and we may need to expend substantial additional resources to continue to protect against potential security breaches or to remediate problems caused by such attacks or any breach of our safeguards. In addition, a data security breach or ransomware attack could distract management or other key personnel from performing their primary operational duties. If such a breach leads to disclosure of consumer, customer, supplier, partner or employee information (including personally identifiable information or protected health information), it could harm our reputation, compel us to comply with disparate state and foreign breach notification laws and otherwise subject us to liability under laws that protect personal data, resulting in increased costs or loss of revenue.
Furthermore, foreign privacy laws impose significant obligations on U.S. companies to protect the personal information of foreign citizens. It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data practices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Complying with these various laws could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner adverse to our business.
We face risks relating to our international sales, including inherent economic, political and regulatory risks, that could impact our financial performance, cause interruptions in our current business operations and impede our growth strategy.
Our products are sold internationally, with the majority of our international sales to our customers in Europe and Asia-Pacific. We currently sell and market our products through direct sales, distributor organizations and sales agents. Sales to foreign customers accounted for 13%, 33% and 32% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Our international operations are subject to inherent economic, political and regulatory risks, which could impact our financial performance, cause interruptions in our business operations and impede our international growth. These foreign risks include, among others:
•compliance with multiple different registration requirements and new and changing product registration requirements, our inability to benefit from registration for our products inasmuch as registrations may be controlled by a distributor, and the difficulty in transitioning our product registrations;
•compliance with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations, including U.S. laws such as import/export limitations, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials, could expose us or our employees to fines and criminal sanctions and damage our reputation;
•tariffs or other barriers as we continue to expand into new countries and geographic regions;
•exposure to currency exchange fluctuations against the U.S. dollar;
•longer payment cycles, generally lower average selling prices and greater difficulty in accounts receivable collection and enforcing agreements with foreign entities;
•reduced, or lack of, protection for, and enforcement of, intellectual property rights;
•social, political and economic instability in some of the regions where we currently sell our products or that we may expand into in the future, including as a result of acts of terrorism, health pandemics, natural disasters and disruptions in global transportation;
•increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities;
•complex and potentially adverse tax consequences; and
•diversion to the U.S. of our products sold into international markets at lower prices.
Our international operations are governed by the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-corruption laws outside the U.S. Global enforcement of anti-corruption laws has increased substantially in recent years, with more enforcement proceedings by U.S. and foreign governmental agencies and the imposition of significant fines and penalties. While we have implemented policies and procedures designed to comply with these laws, our international operations, which may involve customer relationships with foreign governments, create the risk that there may be unauthorized payments or offers of payments made by employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors. Any alleged or actual violations of these laws may subject us to government investigations, significant criminal or civil sanctions and other liabilities, and negatively affect our reputation.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we generated approximately $119.8 million in revenue denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The major currencies to which our revenues are exposed are the Euro and the Chinese Yuan. Fluctuations in the values of the Euro, the Chinese Yuan, and other foreign currencies could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Continuing worldwide political and social uncertainty, including tariffs, trade wars or social tensions, may adversely affect our business and prospects, both domestically and internationally.
Political and social uncertainty in the U.S. and throughout the world could impair political, trade and economic relations worldwide. Changes in policy in the U.S. and other countries regarding international trade, including import and export regulation and international trade agreements, could negatively impact our business. U.S. imposed tariffs on goods imported from China and certain other countries has resulted in retaliatory tariffs by China and other countries. Additional tariffs or further retaliatory trade measures taken by China or other countries in response, could affect the demand for our products and services and could impact the supply materials we use to manufacture our products. There is also uncertainty surrounding the impact of recent U.S. elections on existing and future healthcare legislation, which could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Intellectual Property Risks
To remain competitive, we must continue to develop and obtain proprietary technology rights; otherwise, we may lose market share or need to reduce prices as a result of competitors selling lower priced or technologically superior products or services that compete with our products.
Our ability to compete successfully in the diagnostic market depends on continued development and introduction of new proprietary technology and the improvement of existing technology. If we cannot continue to improve upon or develop, obtain and protect proprietary technology, we may lose market share or need to reduce prices as a result of competitors selling lower priced or technologically superior products or services that compete with our products, and our operating results could be adversely affected.
Our competitive position is heavily dependent on obtaining and protecting our own proprietary technology or obtaining licenses from others. Our ability to obtain patents and licenses, and their benefits, is uncertain.
•We have issued patents both in the U.S. and internationally in various countries including, among others, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, various European countries and South Africa. Additionally, we have patent applications pending in the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions. These pending patent applications may not result in the issuance of any patents, or if issued, may not have priority over others’ applications or may not offer meaningful protection against competitors with similar technology or may not otherwise provide commercial value. Moreover, any patents issued to us may be challenged, invalidated, found unenforceable or circumvented in the future. Third parties can make, use and sell products covered by our patents in any country in which we do not have patent protection.
•We also license the right to use our products to our customers under label licenses that are for research purposes only. These licenses could be contested and, because we cannot monitor all potential unauthorized uses of our proprietary technology around the world, we might not be aware of an unauthorized use or might not be able to enforce the license restrictions in a cost-effective manner.
•Our current and future licenses may not be adequate for the operation of our business. In the future, we expect that we will require or desire additional licenses from other parties in order to refine our products further and to allow us to develop, manufacture and market commercially viable or superior products. We may not be able to obtain licenses for technology patented by others that is required to produce our products on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
To protect or enforce our patent rights, it may be necessary for us to initiate patent litigation proceedings against third parties, such as infringement suits or interference proceedings. These lawsuits would be expensive, take significant time and could divert management’s attention from other business concerns. In the event that we seek to enforce any of our patents
against an infringing party, it is likely that the party defending the claim will seek to invalidate the patents we assert, which could put our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable, or interpreted narrowly, and our patent applications at risk of not being issued. If we pursue any such claim, our claims could fail or the damages or other remedies awarded to us, if any, could hold little to no economic value. Further, these lawsuits may provoke the defendants to assert claims against us, which carries further risk, described in a separate risk factor below.
In addition to our patents, we rely on confidentiality agreements and other similar arrangements with our employees and other persons who have access to our proprietary and confidential information, together with trade secrets and other common law rights, to protect our proprietary and confidential technology. These agreements and laws may not provide meaningful protection for our proprietary technology in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information or in the event that our competitors independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to ours. Moreover, the laws of some foreign jurisdictions may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as those in the U.S. In the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information, if we encounter difficulties or are otherwise unable to effectively protect our intellectual property rights domestically or in foreign jurisdictions, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Intellectual property risks and third-party claims of infringement, misappropriation of proprietary rights or other claims against us could adversely affect our ability to market our products, require us to redesign our products or attempt to seek licenses from third parties, and materially adversely affect our operating results. In addition, the defense of such claims could result in significant costs and divert the attention of our management and other key employees.
Companies in or related to our industry often aggressively protect and pursue their intellectual property rights. In developing and producing new products and entering new markets, we may not be able to obtain, at reasonable cost or upon commercially reasonable terms, if at all, licenses to intellectual property of others that is alleged to be part of such new or existing products. From time to time, we have received, and may continue to receive, notices that claim we have infringed upon, misappropriated or misused other parties’ proprietary rights. Moreover, we are and have been subject to litigation with parties that claim, among other matters, that we infringed their patents or other intellectual property rights.
We have hired and will continue to hire individuals or contractors who have experience in medical diagnostics and these individuals or contractors may have confidential trade secret or proprietary information of third parties. These individuals or contractors may use third-party information in connection with performing services for us or otherwise reveal this third-party information to us. For these and other reasons, we could be sued for misappropriation of proprietary information and trade secrets. Such claims are expensive to defend and could divert our attention and result in substantial damage awards and injunctions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, to the extent that individuals or contractors apply technical or scientific information independently developed by them to our projects, disputes may arise as to the proprietary rights to such data and may result in litigation.
The defense and prosecution of patent and trade secret claims are both costly and time consuming. We or our customers may be sued by other parties that claim that our products have infringed their patents or misappropriated their proprietary rights or that may seek to invalidate one or more of our patents. An adverse determination in any of these types of disputes could prevent us from manufacturing or selling some of our products, limit or restrict the type of work that employees involved with such products may perform for us, increase our costs and expose us to significant liability.
As a general matter, our involvement in litigation or in any claims to determine proprietary rights, as may arise from time to time, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations for reasons such as:
•it may of itself cause our distributors or end-users to reduce or terminate purchases of our products;
•it may consume a substantial portion of our managerial and financial resources;
•the outcome of such litigation would be uncertain and a court may find any third-party patent claims valid and infringed by our products (issuing a preliminary or permanent injunction) that would require us to procure costly licensing arrangements from third parties or withdraw or recall such products from the market, redesign such products offered for sale or under development or restrict employees from performing work in their areas of expertise;
•governmental agencies may commence investigations or criminal proceedings against our employees, former employees and us relating to claims of misappropriation or misuse of another party’s proprietary rights;
•an adverse outcome could subject us to significant liability in the form of past royalty payments, penalties, special and punitive damages, the opposing party’s attorneys’ fees, and future royalty payments significantly affecting our future earnings; and
•failure to obtain a necessary license (upon commercially reasonable terms, if at all) upon an adverse outcome could prevent us from selling our current products or other products we may develop.
Even if licenses to intellectual property rights are available, they can be costly. We have entered into various licensing agreements, which largely require payments based on specified product sales and/or the achievement of specific milestones. Royalty and license expenses under these arrangements collectively totaled $2.4 million, $1.1 million and $0.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
In addition to the foregoing, we may also be required to indemnify certain customers, distributors and strategic partners under our agreements with such parties if a third party alleges or if a court finds that our products or activities have infringed upon, misappropriated or misused another person’s proprietary rights. Further, our products may contain technology provided to us by other parties such as contractors, suppliers or customers. We may have little or no ability to determine in advance whether such technology infringes the intellectual property rights of a third party. Our contractors, suppliers and licensors may not be required or financially able to indemnify us in the event that a claim of infringement is asserted against us, or they may be required to indemnify us only up to a maximum amount, above which we would be responsible for any further costs or damages
Government and Regulatory Risks
Our COVID-19 products were approved by the FDA through an EUA and the loss of such authorization could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The FDA can authorize the emergency use of an unapproved medical product or an unapproved use of an approved medical product for certain emergency circumstances after the Health and Human Services Secretary has made a declaration of emergency justifying authorization of emergency use. An EUA allows use in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by emerging infectious disease threats when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives. The FDA may also waive otherwise-applicable current good manufacturing practice (“CGMP”) requirements to accommodate emergency response needs. All of our current COVID-19 products for testing for the COVID-19 virus were obtained under EUAs. EUAs are only effective until the emergency declaration by the Human Services Secretary ends and EUAs can also be revised or revoked by the FDA at any time as the FDA continues to evaluate the available data concerning the efficacy and safety of the product, including with respect to whether there exists superior approved products. The loss of one or more of our EUAs for our COVID-19 products could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Our business and products are highly regulated by various governmental agencies. Our results of operations would be negatively affected by failures or delays in the receipt of regulatory approvals, clearances or authorizations, the loss of previously received approvals or other changes to existing laws and regulations that adversely impact our ability to manufacture and market our products.
The testing, manufacture and sale of our products are subject to regulation by numerous governmental authorities in the U.S., principally the FDA and corresponding state and foreign regulatory agencies. For example, the FDA regulates most of our products, which are currently all Class I or II devices. Our future performance depends on, among other matters, if, when and at what cost we will receive regulatory approval, clearances or authorizations for new products in the U.S. and internationally. Regulatory review can be a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, making the timing and costs of clearances and approvals difficult to predict. Similarly, conducting clinical studies that may be required for regulatory approvals or clearances is a complex, time-consuming and expensive process, requiring months or years to complete, and our studies are not guaranteed to generate data that demonstrate safety and effectiveness or substantial equivalence of the evaluated product.
In addition, even after we obtain necessary authorizations, clearances or approvals to market our products, the FDA and other regulatory agencies may require post-market testing and additional surveillance to monitor the performance and use of approved products or may place conditions on any product approvals that could restrict the commercial applications of those products. Our results of operations would be negatively affected by failures or delays in the receipt of regulatory authorizations, approvals or clearances, changes in laws and regulations, the loss of previously received authorizations, approvals or clearances or the placement of limits on the manufacture, marketing and use of our products. For example, prior to our acquisition of the Triage Business, the Summers Ridge, San Diego manufacturing facility was subject to a 2012 FDA inspection that resulted in an FDA warning letter and recalls of certain Triage products and revised release specifications for certain Triage meter-based products, which will not be formally closed-out with the FDA until after a future inspection. We cannot assure you that the government will find efforts to resolve the FDA warning letter to be satisfactory. We cannot predict whether other
governments’ regulatory authorities will require additional remedial or corrective actions in the future, and the issues arising out of the FDA inspection may be expanded to cover other matters.
We are also subject to the provisions of a federal law commonly known as the anti-kickback statute, and several similar state laws, which prohibit payments intended to induce physicians or others to arrange for or recommend the acquisition of healthcare products or services. While the federal law applies only to products or services for which payment may be made by a federal healthcare program, state laws often apply regardless of whether federal funds may be involved. These laws constrain the sales, marketing and other promotional activities of manufacturers of medical devices by limiting the kinds of financial arrangements, including sales programs that may be used with hospitals, physicians, laboratories and other potential purchasers of medical devices, including our products.
The advertising, marketing, and labeling of medical devices is highly regulated by the FDA and Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). Our efforts to promote our products, including via direct-to-consumer marketing or social media initiatives, could subject us to additional scrutiny of our communication of risk information, benefits or claims, by the FDA, FTC, or both.
We must also comply with numerous other laws applicable to billing and payment for healthcare services, including privacy laws. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in non-payment, refunds, exclusion from government healthcare programs and civil or criminal liabilities, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our revenues, earnings and cash flows. In addition, failure by third-party payers to properly process our payment claims in a timely manner could delay our receipt of payment for our products, which may have a material adverse effect on our cash flows.
Our contracts with government entities involve future funding, compliance, and possible sanctions risks
During 2020, we significantly expanded the number and scope of contracts we entered into with government entities. These contracts involve future funding and compliance risks. These contracts, like our National Institute of Health RADx-ATP contract, are subject to risks such as lack of funding or termination and heightened legal compliance requirements, and we may not be able to meet key deliverables and milestones. These contracts might not be renewed or might be terminated for convenience with little or no prior notice. Government contracts may expose us to higher potential liability than do other types of contracts. In addition, government contracts typically are subject to procurement laws that include socio-economic, employment practices, environmental protection, recordkeeping and accounting and other requirements. For example, our contracts with the U.S. government generally require us to comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations, U.S. False Claims Act, Procurement Integrity Act, Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act. We are subject to government audits, investigations and oversight proceedings. Government agencies routinely review and audit government contractors to determine whether they are complying with contractual and legal requirements. Implementing policies, procedures and controls relating to the accounting and recordkeeping requirements is expensive and could divert management’s attention from other concerns. If we fail to comply with these requirements, or we fail an audit, we are subject to various sanctions such as monetary damages, criminal and civil penalties, termination of contracts and suspension or debarment from government contract work. These requirements complicate our business and increase our compliance burden. The failure to meet key deliverables, milestones or compliance requirements could harm our reputation and might have a materially adverse impact on our business operations and our financial position or results of operations.
If one or more of our products is claimed to be defective, we could be subject to claims of liability and harm to our reputation that could adversely affect our business.
Our business involves an inherent risk of product liability claims. Our product development and production processes are complex and could expose our products to claims of defectiveness. Alleged manufacturing and design defects could lead to recalls (either voluntary or required by the FDA or other government authorities) and could result in the removal of one or more of our products from the market. Similarly, our diagnostic products could lead to a false positive or false negative result, affecting the eventual diagnosis or treatment of a patient and could lead to allegations that our products have caused injury or are found to be unsuitable for their intended use. We believe the risk of a product liability claim is heightened for at-home tests that may be purchased and administered by the end user customer and not a medical professional and our communication of risk information, benefits or claims, which is highly regulated by the FTC and FDA could be alleged to be misleading or erroneous. It is possible that we will receive adverse judgments in such lawsuits, and any such adverse judgments could be material. A defect or claim of a defect in the design or manufacture of our products could also have a material adverse effect on our reputation in the industry. Moreover, any product liability or other claim brought against us, regardless of merit, could be costly to defend.
We use hazardous materials in our business that may result in substantial claims against us relating to handling, storage or disposal.
We are subject to other substantial regulation relating to environmental, health and safety matters, including occupational health and safety, environmental protection, hazardous substance control, and waste management and disposal. Compliance with such laws and regulations requires significant effort and costs. For example, our research and development and manufacturing activities involve the controlled use of hazardous materials that may be subject to federal statutes commonly known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), and the Clean Water Act, among other laws and regulations. In addition, if any governmental authorities impose new regulations with additional compliance burdens or alter their interpretation of the requirements of such existing regulations, such regulations could impair our research, development or production efforts by imposing additional, and possibly substantial, costs, restrictions or compliance procedures on our business or operations.
Given the nature of the penalties provided for in some of these regulations, we could be required to pay sizable fines, penalties or damages in the event of noncompliance with laws. Any violation or remediation requirement could also partially or completely shut down our research and manufacturing facilities and operations, which would have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, accidental contamination or injury from these hazardous materials could lead to exposure of these materials to individuals, which could result in substantial fines, penalties or damages that are not covered by insurance
Risks Related to Our Acquisitions
If we are not able to manage our growth strategy or if we experience difficulties identifying or integrating companies or technologies we may acquire, our operating results may be adversely affected.
Our business strategy contemplates further growth, which we expect to result in expanding the scope of operating and financial systems and the geographical area of our operations, including further expansion outside the U.S., as new products and technologies are developed and commercialized or new geographical markets are entered. Because we have a relatively small executive team, acquisitions and other future growth may divert management’s attention from other aspects of our business and place a strain on existing management and our operational, financial and management information systems. Furthermore, we may expand into markets in which we have less experience or incur higher costs. Some of our growth is expected to come from acquisitions of businesses and technologies. However, we cannot be certain that we will be able to successfully identify and acquire attractive targets.
Other risks associated with acquiring other technologies or businesses, include:
•we may not realize our anticipated benefits and cost savings within our expected time frame, or at all, or may experience unexpected costs and expenditures;
•difficulties transitioning and integrating the operations of companies or technologies that we acquire with our own operations, including difficulties integrating personnel, information systems, and internal control systems;
•adverse effects on our existing business relationships;
•potential loss of management and other key employees of the acquired businesses and inability to attract new employees;
•potential litigation arising from the acquired business’s operations;
•potential contractual, regulatory, compliance, intellectual property or employment issues;
•increased exposure to international operations and sales, including fluctuations in foreign currency; and other economic, political and regulatory risks;
•write-downs of goodwill, intangible assets or other assets associated with the acquisitions; and
•inability to obtain financing for acquisitions on satisfactory terms, or at all.
We can give no assurance that we will be able to successfully identify, complete and integrate strategic acquisitions. Should we encounter difficulties in managing these tasks and risks, our growth strategy may suffer and our revenue, profitability and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Our acquisition of Alere’s Triage® and BNP Businesses presents certain risks to our business and operations
On October 6, 2017, we acquired the Triage and BNP Businesses from Alere. The acquisition of these businesses presents the risk that the deferred consideration payable to Alere for the BNP Business will be payable even if BNP sales are significantly reduced, or even terminate, whether as a result of the introduction of a competing product, a determination that
provisions of the contractual arrangement with Beckman are unenforceable or otherwise. Relatedly, as further described in Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, Beckman Coulter, Inc. (“Beckman”) filed a lawsuit against us in November 2017. The lawsuit relates to a contractual arrangement with Beckman we acquired in October 2017 as part of the BNP Business for the supply of antibodies and other inputs related to, and distribution of, the Triage® BNP Test for the Beckman Coulter Access Family of Immunoassay Systems. The outcome of such lawsuit may affect the value of the assets and liabilities we acquired and expose us to monetary liability. If this lawsuit is resolved against us, we may be liable for significant damages and restraints on our business, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Corporate Finance Risks
We may need to raise additional funds to finance our future capital or operating needs, which could have adverse consequences on our operations and the interests of our stockholders.
We may need to seek to raise funds through the issuance of public or private debt or the sale of equity to achieve our business strategy. In addition, we may need debt or equity financing to complete acquisitions. If we raise funds or acquire other technologies or businesses through issuance of equity, this could dilute the interests of our stockholders. Such financing activities may also depress the market price of shares of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Moreover, the availability of additional capital, whether debt or equity from private capital sources (including banks) or the public capital markets, fluctuates as our financial condition and industry or market conditions in general change. There may be times when the private capital markets and the public debt or equity markets lack sufficient liquidity or when we cannot otherwise raise additional capital or issue additional debt on acceptable terms, if at all.
Additional indebtedness could be costly or have adverse consequences, such as:
•requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our debt;
•limiting our ability to obtain future financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt obligations and other general corporate requirements;
•making us more vulnerable to adverse conditions in the general economy or our industry and to fluctuations in our operating results, including affecting our ability to comply with and maintain any financial tests and ratios required under our indebtedness;
•limiting our flexibility to engage in certain transactions or to plan for, or react to, changes in our business and the diagnostics industry;
•putting us at a disadvantage compared to competitors that have less relative and/or less restrictive debt; and
•subjecting us to additional restrictive financial and other covenants.
If we incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, these higher levels of indebtedness may affect our ability to pay the principal of and interest on existing indebtedness and our creditworthiness generally. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service or repay our debt. 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.
Our debt, deferred and contingent payment obligations could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We have a $175.0 million Revolving Credit Facility as described in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, and may incur other indebtedness from time to time. We currently have no borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, but we will continue to have the ability to borrow under the facility. We also have significant deferred and contingent payment obligations for the BNP Business acquisition as described in Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. In addition to our Revolving Credit Facility, we will continue to have the ability to incur additional debt.
The degree to which we are leveraged and are subject to deferred and contingent payment obligations could have important or materially adverse consequences to our business and operating results, including:
•our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate purposes may be impaired;
•the payment of our deferred and contingent payment obligations reduces the funds available to us for our operations and other strategic objectives;
•our debt agreements contain, and any agreements to refinance our debt likely will contain, financial and other restrictive covenants, and our failure to comply with them may result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on us;
•our level of indebtedness and deferred and contingent payment obligations may increase our vulnerability to, and reduce our flexibility to respond to, general economic downturns and adverse industry and business conditions;
•to the extent the debt we incur requires collateral to secure such indebtedness, our assets could be at risk and our flexibility related to such assets could be limited;
•our debt service and deferred and contingent payment obligations could limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry;
•any borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility will be at variable rates of interest, which may result in higher interest expense in the event of market interest rates; and
•any default under our Revolving Credit Facility may result in proceedings against collateral we have used to secure such borrowings, including substantially all of our and our guarantor subsidiaries’ assets.
General Risk Factors
Our business could be negatively affected by the loss of or the inability to hire key personnel.
Our future success depends in part on our ability to retain our key personnel, including manufacturing, research and development, technical, sales, marketing and executive personnel and our ability to identify and hire additional qualified personnel. Competition for these personnel is intense, both in the industry in which we operate and where our operations are located. Further, we expect to grow our operations, and our needs for additional management and other key personnel are expected to increase. If we fail to retain existing key personnel, or timely identify and hire replacement or additional qualified personnel to meet expected growth, such failure could adversely impact our business. In addition, the loss of any of our key personnel, particularly key manufacturing, research and development and technical personnel, could harm our business and prospects and could impede the achievement of our research and development, operations or strategic objectives.
We are subject to, and may in the future become subject to, claims and litigation that could result in significant expenses and could ultimately result in an unfavorable outcome for us.
From time to time, we are involved in litigation and other proceedings, including matters related to product liability claims, commercial disputes and intellectual property claims, as well as regulatory, employment, and other claims related to our business. Litigation related to our company, our business, and our operations or financial performance may also involve customers, competitors, suppliers, patients, shareholders, governmental authorities or other third parties. Litigation can be lengthy, expensive and disruptive to our operations, and results cannot be predicted with certainty. An adverse decision could result in significant settlement amounts, monetary damages, fines or injunctive relief that could affect our financial condition or results of operations. Even if lawsuits do not result in an unfavorable outcome, the costs of defending or prosecuting such lawsuits may be material to our business and our operations. Moreover, these lawsuits may divert management’s attention from the operation of our business, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Furthermore, in the ordinary course of business, we must frequently make subjective judgments with respect to compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If regulators disagree with the manner in which we have sought to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subjected to substantial civil and criminal penalties, as well as field corrective actions, product recalls, seizures or injunctions with respect to the sale of our products. The assessment of any civil and criminal penalties against us could severely impair our reputation within the industry and affect our operating results, and any limitation on our ability to manufacture and market our products could also have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are exposed to business risk which, if not covered by insurance, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We face a number of business risks, including exposure to product liability claims. Although we maintain insurance for a number of these risks, we may face claims for types of damages, or for amounts of damages, that are not covered by our insurance. For example, there is a risk that product liability or other claims may exceed the amount of our insurance coverage or may be excluded from coverage under the terms of our policy. Also, our existing insurance may not be renewed at the same cost and level of coverage as currently in effect or may not be renewed at all. Further, we do not currently have insurance against many environmental risks we confront in our business. If we are held liable for a claim against which we are not insured or for damages exceeding the limits of our insurance coverage, whether arising out of product liability matters, cybersecurity matters, or from some other matter, that claim could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities or assessments could affect our profitability.
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in various non-U.S. jurisdictions. In addition, the amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits by U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities and by non-U.S. tax authorities. Due to the potential for changes to tax laws (or changes to the interpretation thereof) and the ambiguity of tax laws, the subjectivity of factual interpretations, the complexity of our foreign operations and intercompany arrangements and other factors, our estimates of income tax assets or liabilities may differ from actual payments, assessments or receipts. If these audits result in payments or assessments different from our reserves, our future results may include unfavorable adjustments to our tax liabilities and our financial statements could be adversely affected. If we determine to repatriate earnings from foreign jurisdictions that have been considered permanently re-invested under existing accounting standards, it could also increase our effective tax rate. In addition, any significant change to the tax system in the United States or in other jurisdictions (including changes in the taxation of international income as further described below) could adversely affect our financial statements.
Some provisions of our charter documents and Delaware law may make takeover attempts difficult, which could depress the price of our stock and inhibit our stockholders’ ability to receive a premium price for their shares.
Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of our business, even if such change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation allows our Board of Directors to issue up to five million shares of preferred stock and to fix the rights and preferences of such shares without stockholder approval. Any such issuance could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire our business and may adversely affect the rights of our stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws include advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals that require stockholders to give written notice of any proposal or director nomination to us within a specified period of time prior to any stockholder meeting and do not permit stockholders to call a special meeting of the stockholders, unless such stockholders hold at least 50% of our stock entitled to vote at the meeting. We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law. These provisions may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of us, adversely affecting the market price of our common stock.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
At December 31, 2020, we occupied the indicated square footage in the leased and owned facilities described below:
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Location
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Status
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Lease term
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Square
Footage
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Primary Use
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San Diego, CA (Summers Ridge)
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Leased
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(1)
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2033 - options to extend for two additional 5-year periods
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246,000
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Administrative offices, sales and marketing, research and development and manufacturing (principal executive offices)
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Carlsbad, CA (Rutherford)
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Leased
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(2)
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2036 - options to extend for two additional 5-year periods
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128,000
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Manufacturing
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San Diego, CA (Waples Ct.)
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Leased
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2031 - options to extend for two additional 5-year periods
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106,000
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Office, light manufacturing, storage, packaging, assembly and distribution
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San Diego, CA (McKellar)
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Leased
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2030 - options to extend for two additional 5-year periods
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78,000
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Administrative offices, research and development and manufacturing
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San Diego, CA (High Bluff)
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Leased
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2022 - options to extend for two additional 5-year periods
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30,000
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This office facility was vacated in 2019 and sublet to a third party in 2020
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Athens, OH
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Leased
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2022 - option to extend for one additional 5-year period
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111,000
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Administrative offices, sales and marketing, research and development and manufacturing
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Beverly, MA
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Leased
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2023 - option to extend for one additional 3-year period
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9,700
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Administrative offices, research and development and manufacturing
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Shanghai, China
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Leased
|
|
2024 - option to extend for one additional 2-year period
|
|
8,500
|
|
|
Administrative offices, sales and marketing
|
Galway, Ireland
|
|
Leased
|
|
2028
|
|
3,900
|
|
|
Administrative offices, sales and marketing
|
(1)The Summers Ridge lease is subject to certain must-take provisions related to one additional building, consisting of approximately 71,000 square feet. See Note 8 in the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.
(2)The Rutherford lease agreement was executed on January 14, 2021.
We believe that our facilities are adequate for our current needs, and we currently do not anticipate any material difficulty in renewing any of our leases as they expire or securing additional or replacement facilities, in each case, on commercially reasonable terms. However, in anticipation of our growth strategy, we may pursue additional facilities.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
The information set forth in “Litigation and Other Legal Proceedings” in Note 8 in the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.