Item 1A. Risk Factors.
This report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this report. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this report and in any documents incorporated in this report by reference.
You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all other information in this report, including our condensed financial statements and notes thereto, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of the following risks, or other risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe to not be significant, develop into actual events, then our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the market price of our common stock could decline, and stockholders may lose all or part of their investment.
Summary of Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should consider before investing in our company. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
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We have incurred losses since our inception and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, which could harm our future business prospects.
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We have refocused our near-term business strategy on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which the diagnostic testing market is new and rapidly developing, making it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects. Our focus on a new and rapidly developing market could make it difficult to succeed and achieve our goals and could harm our future business prospects.
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We recently received EUAs from the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for our COVID-19 test kit. If the FDA revokes or terminates our EUA applications after issuance, such as when the federally-declared COVID-19 public health emergency ends, we will be required to stop commercial distribution of our COVID-19 test kit immediately unless we can obtain FDA clearance for our COVID-19 test kit under a traditional regulatory pathway, which is lengthy and expensive, which could harm our future business prospects.
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The accuracy of our COVID-19 test kit could be impacted by novel strains of SARS-CoV-2 with genetic variations from viral mutation over time. Our COVID-19 test kit may not be successful in detecting future variant strains, which could significantly impact the accuracy and usefulness of our test kit and materially harm our business and prospects.
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The continued production and widely administered use of efficacious vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 may reduce the demand for diagnostic tests and, as a result, the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market may not substantially grow.
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We are allocating most of our resources to the development, manufacturing and commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit for the foreseeable future, and our long-term business success could be negatively impacted by our diversion of resources from our legacy business of diagnostic testing for influenza.
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Our results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast and meet customer and user demand for our test kits and manage our inventory.
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Our near-term success is highly dependent on the successful commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit, and it may not maintain market acceptance or continue to be successfully commercialized in the United States, which could negatively impact our business.
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We are an early-stage company and have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance. If we do not successfully manage the manufacturing and distribution of our COVID-19 test kit and development and launch of any future test kits, our financial results could be adversely affected.
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We rely substantially on Jabil for the manufacturing, quality-testing and assembly of our COVID-19 test kit. Any termination or loss of significant rights under the Jabil MSA would harm our commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit. In addition, Jabil may fail to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for its facilities, fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of our COVID-19 test kit or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices.
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The diagnostic testing market, particularly with respect to COVID-19 diagnostic tests, is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are larger, better established and have greater technical and marketing capabilities and financial and other resources than we have.
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The results of our earlier research and development and clinical trials for our influenza test kit may not be replicable in an influenza test kit or in a combination COVID-19 and influenza test kit and may not be sufficient to support FDA approval.
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Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or any guidance we may provide.
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We may be unable to obtain and maintain adequate levels of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for our test kits.
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We have a history of recurring losses and we expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future. If we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain it.
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We depend on intellectual property licensed from Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd., or Eiken, and the termination of our license could result in the loss of significant rights, which would harm our business.
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We have marked with an asterisk (*) those risks described below that reflect substantive changes from, or additions to, the risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy
We have incurred losses since our inception and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, which could harm our future business prospects.
We have incurred net losses since our inception. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, we incurred a net loss of $27.5 million and $57.0 million, respectively, compared to $11.8 million and $20.2 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2020. We expect to incur additional losses and increased operating expenses in future periods. As of September 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $120.7 million. To date, we have financed our operations principally from issuance and sale of our common stock through our recent initial public offering, grant revenue and the issuances and sales of convertible promissory notes and preferred stock. We have primarily devoted our resources to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit and our influenza test kit, and to research and development activities related to these test kits, including clinical, regulatory and manufacturing initiatives to obtain marketing approval. These losses have, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our working capital, total assets, and stockholders’ equity. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with our research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization efforts, we are unable to predict when we will become profitable, and we may never become profitable. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our inability to achieve and then maintain profitability would make it difficult to finance our business and accomplish our strategic objectives, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
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We have refocused our near-term business strategy on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which the diagnostic testing market is new and rapidly developing, making it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects. Our focus on a new and rapidly developing market could make it difficult to succeed and achieve our goals and could harm our future business prospects.*
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we focused our research and development efforts on developing our molecular nucleic acid amplification technology for use in our influenza test kit. However, based on our clinical trials of our influenza test kit to date, we believe our molecular nucleic acid amplification technology is adaptable to detecting whether a person is shedding the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Although we plan to continue our development efforts of our influenza test kit, we have refocused our near-term business strategy to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The market for COVID-19 diagnostic testing is new and rapidly developing, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future business prospects and, therefore, we may not be able to achieve our goals and strategy.
We have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties, some of which are outside of our control, frequently experienced in rapidly changing industries, including those related to:
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our ability to compete with companies that are currently in, or may in the future enter, the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market, including companies with greater financial, technical and other resources than our company;
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the possibility that the FDA or similar foreign agency revokes our existing EUAs or similar foreign authorization for our COVID-19 test kit;
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our ability to scale manufacturing to quantities sufficient to meet demand in a timely manner, in accordance with our specifications, and in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements;
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unanticipated manufacturing delays;
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our ability to control costs, including our operating expenses;
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the amount and timing of operating expenses, particularly manufacturing expenses, related to the expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;
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unanticipated delays in test kit development or test kit launches;
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positive or negative media coverage, or public, user, healthcare provider and/or physician perception, of our COVID-19 test kit or competing products;
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lack or perceived lack of sufficient clinical evidence supporting the accuracy or cost-effectiveness of our COVID-19 test kit over existing products;
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the failure of physicians to prescribe our COVID-19 test kit;
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the failure of third-party payors to cover or adequately reimburse our COVID-19 test kit for prescription at-home and non-laboratory use;
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our ability to meet customer and user demand for our COVID-19 test kit;
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our ability to achieve or maintain a consumer-appropriate retail price;
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our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights; and
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general economic and political conditions.
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Given the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential size of the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market and the timing of its development are highly uncertain. In addition, the continued production and widely administered use of efficacious vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 may reduce the demand for diagnostic tests and, as a result, the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market may not substantially grow. Currently there are companies developing vaccines and therapeutic treatments for COVID-19, and from December 2020 through February 2021, the FDA issued EUAs for three COVID-19 vaccines, and in August
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2021 gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. Our future success is substantially dependent on the manner in which the market for COVID-19 diagnostic testing develops and grows. If the market develops in a manner that does not facilitate demand for our COVID-19 test kit, or fails to develop or grow in the manner in which we expect or at all, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be negatively affected.
We recently received EUAs from the FDA for our COVID-19 test kit. If the FDA revokes or terminates our EUA applications after issuance, such as when the federally-declared COVID-19 public health emergency ends, we will be required to stop commercial distribution of our COVID-19 test kit immediately unless we can obtain FDA clearance for our COVID-19 test kit under a traditional regulatory pathway, which is lengthy and expensive, which could harm our future business prospects.*
Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or the FDCA, the FDA has authority to allow certain unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions when there are no adequate, approved and available alternatives. In issuing an EUA, the FDA will consider the totality of scientific evidence available to the FDA regarding safety, efficacy and known and potential risks of such products and availability of alternatives to the emergency use products, among others. EUAs issued by the FDA specify the scope of authorization and conditions of authorization, including limitations on distribution and conditions related to product advertising and promotion. Once granted, an EUA is effective until the declaration that circumstances justifying the authorization of the emergency use is terminated or the EUA is revoked, after which the product must be approved by the FDA under a traditional pathway in order to remain on the market or to continue commercialization of the product.
On November 17, 2020, we received an EUA from the FDA for POC and prescription at-home indications for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in nasal swab samples from people who are suspected of COVID-19. We submitted an amended EUA application to include detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic people in February 2021. On April 9, 2021, we received an EUA from the FDA for our COVID-19 test kit for OTC non-prescription use among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals aged 14 and older (with self-collection) and children aged two to 13 (with parent collection). On June 30, 2021, we withdrew our pending EUA application with the FDA that was intended to expand our current prescription EUA for suspected symptomatic individuals to include asymptomatic individuals because we decided instead to refocus on an FDA 510(k) submission. Although we intend to pursue an FDA 510(k) submission for this test kit, we may be compelled to instead pursue an EUA. In the event that we need to pursue an EUA, the FDA may require additional data, including additional validation data and clinical performance data, and may not ultimately issue an authorization to expand our POC indication. Changes in FDA policies, guidance, and requirements for EUA application submission may delay FDA authorization of additional indications for our COVID-19 test kit. Further, given the high volume of EUA requests received by the FDA and other factors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including any disruptions in the FDA’s normal operations, the FDA’s review of an amended or additional EUA application may be significantly delayed. The FDA may not grant an EUA for additional indications of our COVID-19 test kit on a timely basis or at all, which could harm our future business prospects.
The distribution and advertising conditions set forth in our existing EUAs limit our market opportunities and restrict how we can commercialize our COVID-19 test kit. For example, according to our authorized EUAs, our COVID-19 test kit must comply with certain labeling requirements, including the label that our COVID-19 test kit has not been FDA cleared or approved but has been authorized by the FDA under an EUA and that our COVID-19 test kit has been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, and not for any other viruses or pathogens. In addition, if any additional EUAs are granted for our COVID-19 test kit, the distribution and advertising conditions set forth in the EUA may limit our market opportunities or restrict how we can commercialize our COVID-19 test kit. If the FDA’s policies and guidance change unexpectedly and/or materially or if we misinterpret them, potential sales of our COVID-19 test kit could be adversely impacted. In addition, the FDA may revoke our existing or any future EUA where it is determined that the COVID-19 public health emergency no longer exists or warrants such authorization, or if new evidence becomes available that indicates that our test kit is not as safe, effective or reliable as the data provided in the applicable EUA application. We cannot predict how long an EUA will remain effective and we may not receive advance notice from the FDA regarding revocation of our EUAs. The termination or revocation of our existing EUAs for our COVID-19 test kit would cause us to cease our commercialization efforts until and if we have obtained marketing authorization from the FDA through another regulatory pathway. In addition, changing policies and regulatory requirements could require us to obtain a 510(k) or other marketing authorization from the FDA for our COVID-19 test kit, which could limit, delay or prevent commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit and could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are allocating most of our resources to the development, manufacturing and commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit for the foreseeable future, and our long-term business success could be negatively impacted by our diversion of resources from our legacy business of diagnostic testing for influenza.
We are committing substantially all of our financial and personnel resources to the development, manufacturing and commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit. For example, on September 10, 2020, we entered into the Jabil MSA to support the
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commercial manufacturing of our COVID-19 test kit and on November 17, 2020, we received our first EUA from the FDA for POC and prescription at-home indications for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in nasal swab samples from people who are suspected of COVID-19. Our business could be negatively impacted by our allocation of significant resources to a global health threat that is unpredictable and could dissipate or stabilize, which would limit or eliminate demand for our COVID-19 test kit. We may not be able to successfully commence or recommence the development, manufacturing and commercialization of our influenza test kit that remains under development.
Our near-term success is highly dependent on the successful commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit, and it may not maintain market acceptance or continue to be successfully commercialized in the United States, which could negatively impact our business.*
Our near-term prospects, including our ability to finance our company and generate revenue, as well as our future growth, is highly dependent on the successful and timely regulatory approval from the FDA and commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit. The regulatory and commercial success of our COVID-19 test kit will depend on a number of factors, some of which are outside our control, including the following:
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whether we are required by the FDA or other similar regulatory authorities to conduct additional clinical trials or to modify the design of our current trials to support the approval of our COVID-19 test kit;
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achieving and maintaining compliance with all regulatory requirements applicable to our COVID-19 test kit;
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the acceptance by the medical community and others of the convenience and accuracy of our COVID-19 test kit and the sufficiency of clinical evidence supporting our COVID-19 test kit;
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the ability of our COVID-19 test kit to accurately detect different strains of SARS-CoV-2, created by genetic mutation or otherwise, such as the five notable SARS-CoV-2 variants in the U.K., South Africa, Brazil and two California and the spike double mutant detected in India and California;
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our ability to obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors for prescription at-home use of our COVID-19 test kit; and
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the ability of Jabil and other third parties with whom we may contract to manufacture our COVID-19 test kit to remain in good standing with regulatory agencies and develop, validate and maintain commercially viable manufacturing processes that are compliant with applicable requirements and to manufacture sufficient quantities of our test kits to meet demand in a timely manner, in accordance with our specifications, and in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
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Even though we have received EUAs for our COVID-19 test kit, it may not gain broad market acceptance among our customers, including physicians, healthcare payors, users and others in the medical community. The commercial success of our COVID-19 test kit will initially be dependent upon physicians and healthcare providers adopting our test kit, which will be informed, in part, by the convenience and accuracy of our COVID-19 test kit. The accuracy of our COVID-19 test kit could be impacted by novel strains of SARS-CoV-2 with genetic variations from viral mutation over time.
The CDC has highlighted the emergence of four notable SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: Alpha (also known as B.1.1.7) first detected in the U.K., Beta (also known as B.1.351, B.1.351.2, B.1.351.3) first detected in South Africa, Delta (also known as B.1.617.2,AY.1, AY.2, AY.3) first detected in India and Gamma (also known as P.1, P.1.1, P.1.2) first detected in Japan/Brazil. Additionally, two variants of Interest have been identified to be rising in prevalence: Lambda (also known as C.37) first detected in Peru and Mu (also known as B.1.621) first detected in Columbia. We perform routine surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 strains by periodically evaluating in silico reactivity against sequence databases. These evaluations have shown that these variants are reactive to our COVID-19 test kit. Our assay targets two non-overlapping regions of the N gene. Hence the detection region is unaffected by the mutations of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in the variant strains. As these particular viral strains become commercially available for testing, we intend to perform testing to confirm detection with these strains.
Moreover, our COVID-19 test kit is authorized under EUAs from the FDA for the detection of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, regardless of the virus variant. The FDA may require us to conduct additional clinical trials or seek a new or amended EUA and our COVID-19 test kit may not be successful in detecting future variant strains, which could significantly impact the accuracy and usefulness of our test kit and materially harm our business and prospects. In addition, the risk of
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false negative results may increase when testing patients with genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the four notable SARS-CoV-2 variants.
In addition, the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market is susceptible to rapid technological developments and we may not be able to match any new technological advances, which would render our COVID-19 test kit uncompetitive or obsolete, even if it were to gain widespread market acceptance initially. If we are unable to match technological improvements in competitive products or effectively respond to the needs of our customers and users, the demand for our COVID-19 test kit could be reduced.
Our commercial success, including acceptance and use of our COVID-19 test kit, will depend upon a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
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the timely receipt of additional marketing authorizations and approvals from the FDA and other similar regulatory authorities;
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perceptions by the public and members of the medical community, including physicians, as to its convenience, accuracy and the sufficiency of clinical evidence supporting its performance;
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demand from the public and members of the medical community for our COVID-19 test kit and adoption of our test kit;
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the availability, perceived advantages, relative cost, relative convenience and relative accuracy of our COVID-19 test kit compared to those of our competitors;
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positive or negative media coverage of our COVID-19 test kit or competing products, as to its convenience, accuracy and the sufficiency of clinical evidence supporting its performance;
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the effectiveness of our marketing and sales efforts, including our ability to have a sufficient number of talented sales representatives to sell our test kits and the success of our direct-to-consumer marketing efforts;
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unanticipated delays in manufacturing, test kit development or test kit launch;
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our ability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all, if needed to support the commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit;
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our ability to achieve and maintain compliance with all regulatory requirements applicable to our COVID-19 test kit;
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our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights;
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our ability to maintain a continued supply of test kit materials that meets our quality control requirements;
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the ability of Jabil and other third parties with whom we may contract to manufacture our COVID-19 test kit and its components to manufacture and supply sufficient quantities of our COVID-19 test kit and its components to meet demand in a timely manner, in accordance with our specifications, and in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements;
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limitation on use or warnings required by the FDA in our COVID-19 test kit labeling; and
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availability of, or changes in, coverage or reimbursement rates for our COVID-19 test kit from government or other commercial or healthcare payors.
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Our future success also depends upon consumers having an experience with our COVID-19 test kit that meets their expectations in order to increase demand for our COVID-19 test kit as a result of positive feedback and word-of-mouth. Consumers may be dissatisfied if their expectations of the diagnostic test and results are not met. Consumers may also be dissatisfied if they experience adverse events, such as device malfunctions, inaccurate readouts or significantly delayed responses or recalls. If our COVID-19 test kit does not meet the expectations of consumers, or if consumers experience adverse events, it could discourage consumers from repurchasing our COVID-19 test kit or referring our COVID-19 test kit to others. Further, dissatisfied consumers may
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express negative opinions through social media. Any failure to meet consumer expectations and any resulting negative publicity could harm our reputation and future sales.
Our near-term revenue will be primarily generated from sales of our COVID-19 test kit, and we are highly dependent on it for our success.
We expect that sales of our COVID-19 test kit will account for the substantial majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Our ability to execute our growth strategy and become profitable will therefore depend upon the adoption of our COVID-19 test kit by consumers. We currently only have a small number of existing customers and customers with whom we are actively negotiating contracts. We may not be able to successfully negotiate additional customer contracts in a timely manner, on terms favorable to us or at all. If we are unable to execute additional contracts and expand our customer base, we will not be able to increase our revenues which will have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operation. This risk is particularly exacerbated given our very early stage of commercial operations and limited experience with selling and commercializing our products and negotiating contracts with potential customers. We may not be successful in expanding our customer base significantly, or at all. Adoption and use of our COVID-19 test kit will depend on several factors, including, but not limited to the accuracy, affordability, reliability and ease of use of our test kit as compared to existing products, and coverage and reimbursement policies with respect to our COVID-19 test kit and products that compete with our COVID-19 test kit. Our COVID-19 test kit may not gain market acceptance, and any failure to do so would harm our business and results of operations.
Because we expect virtually all of our revenue for the foreseeable future to be generated from sales of our COVID-19 test kit, the failure of our COVID-19 test kit to garner market acceptance would substantially harm our business and would adversely affect our revenue. If our COVID-19 test kit is not as successfully commercialized as expected, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to become profitable. Any failure of our COVID-19 test kit to be successfully commercialized may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows, and could result in a substantial decline in the price of our common stock.
If we are unable to expand our marketing infrastructure, we may fail to increase customer adoption of our test kits to meet our forecasts.*
We launched direct-to-consumer sales through our website after we received an EUA from the FDA for OTC use of our COVID-19 test kit in April 2021. Additionally, our COVID-19 test kit was made available on Amazon.com in May 2021. As a result, we have only limited experience marketing our offerings and engaging customers at our current scale. Furthermore, late in the second quarter of 2021, we temporarily halted online sales of our LUCIRA CHECK IT test kit as we prioritized distribution to our partnerships. We reactivated online ordering again via our website in October 2021. We plan to derive a meaningful portion of our revenue from consumer purchases of our COVID-19 test kit. Our ability to expand direct-to-consumer sales and drive broad customer adoption of our test kits is integral to our business. Our financial condition and results of operations are and will continue to be highly dependent on the ability of our marketing function to adequately promote, market, and attract customers to our test kits in a manner that complies with applicable laws and regulations.
A key element of our business strategy is the continued expansion of our marketing infrastructure and building brand awareness. As we increase our marketing efforts in connection with the expansion of our OTC COVID-19 test kit sales, we will need to further expand the reach of our marketing networks. Our future success will depend largely on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain, and motivate a skilled marketing workforce with significant industry-specific knowledge in various areas, including direct-to-consumer business models, e-commerce, technology, healthcare, and the regulatory restrictions related thereto, as well as the competitive landscape for our test kits.
If we are unable to expand our marketing capabilities, we may not be able to effectively attract customers. Relatedly, if any of our marketing platforms significantly increase their advertising fees, our ability to expand our marketing reach will be greatly impeded. Any such failure could adversely affect our reputation, revenue, and results of operations.
Direct-to-consumer marketing and social media efforts may expose us to additional regulatory scrutiny, including from the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, and other consumer protection agencies and regulators.*
In addition to the laws and regulations enforced by the FDA, advertising for non-restricted medical devices is subject to federal truth-in-advertising laws enforced by the FTC, as well as comparable state consumer protection laws. Our efforts to promote our prescription and OTC test kits via direct-to-consumer marketing and social media initiatives may subject us to additional scrutiny of our practices. For example, the FTC and other consumer protection agencies scrutinize all forms of advertising (whether in digital or traditional formats) for consumer-directed products and non-restricted medical devices to ensure that advertisers are not making
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false, misleading or unsubstantiated claims or failing to disclose material relationships between the advertiser and its products’ endorsers, among other potential issues.
Under the Federal Trade Commission Act, or FTC Act, the FTC is empowered, among other things, to (a) prevent unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce; (b) seek monetary redress and other relief for conduct injurious to consumers; and (c) gather and compile information and conduct investigations relating to the organization, business, practices, and management of entities engaged in commerce. The FTC has very broad enforcement authority, and failure to abide by the substantive requirements of the FTC Act and other consumer protection laws can result in administrative or judicial penalties, including civil penalties, injunctions affecting the manner in which we would be able to market services or products in the future, or criminal prosecution. We plan to increase our advertising activities that may be subject to these federal and state truth-in-advertising laws. Any actual or perceived non-compliance with those laws could lead to an investigation by the FTC or a comparable state agency, or could lead to allegations of misleading advertising by private plaintiffs. Any such action against us would disrupt our business operations, cause damage to our reputation, and result in a material adverse effect on our business.
We are an early-stage company and have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance. If we do not successfully manage the manufacturing and distribution of our COVID-19 test kit and development and launch of any future test kits, our financial results could be adversely affected.*
We are an early-stage company and have a limited operating history. We began our operations in 2013 and we commercially launched our COVID-19 test kit in the first quarter of 2021 in the United States in accordance with our POC and prescription at-home indications. Our limited commercial operating history may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance. Any assessment of our profitability or prediction about our future success or viability is subject to significant uncertainty. We have encountered and will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by early-stage companies in rapidly evolving industries. If we do not address these risks successfully, it could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, results of operations and business.
In addition, we face risks associated with launching new test kits, such as our COVID-19 test kit, including manufacturing challenges and delays and partner product recalls. Additionally, as an organization, we have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully manufacture a commercial scale test kit or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialization. If we encounter additional development or manufacturing challenges or discover errors during our product development cycle, the product launch dates of our COVID-19 test kit and any future test kits may be delayed. The expenses or losses associated with unsuccessful product development or launch activities or lack of market acceptance of our new test kits could adversely affect our business or financial condition.
We rely substantially on Jabil for the manufacturing, quality-testing and assembly of our COVID-19 test kit. Any termination or loss of significant rights under the Jabil MSA would harm our commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit. In addition, Jabil may fail to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for its facilities, fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of our COVID-19 test kit or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices.*
We rely substantially and intend to continue to rely substantially on Jabil for the manufacturing, quality-testing and assembly of our COVID-19 test kit. Pursuant to the Jabil MSA, Jabil has agreed to manufacture, test, pack and ship our COVID-19 test kit in accordance with our specifications and applicable forecasts and purchase orders. We are obligated to provide, on a monthly basis, a rolling 12-month forecast to Jabil of historical aggregate end customer demand at the finished product level, which will be used to constitute written purchase orders. After the initial term of three years, the Jabil MSA renews automatically for consecutive one-year terms, subject to written notice of the intention not to renew from either party, given at least 180 days prior to the expiration of the then-current yearly term. The parties may terminate the Jabil MSA at any time upon mutual written consent, and either party may terminate the Jabil MSA upon 180 days prior written notice. Either party may also terminate the Jabil MSA upon a material breach by the other party that is not cured within 30 days after receiving written notice of the breach, or upon a bankruptcy of the other party.
Any termination or loss of rights under the Jabil MSA would harm our ability to commercialize, sell and distribute our COVID-19 test kit, which in turn would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and prospects. If we were to lose our rights under the Jabil MSA, we believe it would be difficult for us to find an alternative manufacturer. In addition, to the extent Jabil or the alternative manufacturer has not secured applicable regulatory approvals, we would have to expend significant resources to obtain regulatory approvals that may never be obtained or require several years to obtain, which could significantly delay commercialization. We may be unable to raise additional capital to fund our operations during this extended time on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition, if we were to commercialize our COVID-19 test kit and later experience manufacturing delays as a result of a dispute with Jabil or otherwise, the supply of our COVID-19 test kit could be harmed.
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In addition, the manufacture of medical devices is complex and requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. As Jabil has not yet operated assembly lines for our products at scale, it may be difficult to predict the cost of manufacturing our test kits. We may not be able to manufacture our test kits at expected prices. There may also be unforeseen occurrences that increase our costs, such as increased prices of the components of our test kits, changes to labor costs or less favorable terms with third-party suppliers or contract manufacturing partners. As a result, even if automated production lines perform as anticipated, it may not be possible to manufacture our products in a profitable manner.
Manufacturers of medical devices encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up and validating initial production. These problems include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, quality assurance testing, operator error, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and foreign regulations. We are currently working with Jabil to increase manufacturing production and capacity at its facility located in the Dominican Republic. We may restructure our manufacturing process by closing down our manufacturing facility in Michigan and transferring the manufacturing equipment to another facility; however, we do not yet have a plan in place, we may not be able to execute such a plan, and such a plan may not proceed as expected. In order to achieve our near-term and long-term operational and financial plans, we need to substantially increase the manufacturing capacity to which we have access, and there is no assurance that we would be able to do so in a timely manner, or at all. If Jabil is unable to increase and achieve our required or target production capacities, we would be unable to fulfill our actual or anticipated customer demand which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our inability to meet the manufacturing and production requirements could cause us to lose our existing customers or lose our ability to acquire new customers which would also negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any issues relating to the manufacture of our test kits, including with respect to scaling up and validating initial production, may occur in the future. These risks could be exacerbated by Jabil’s limited experience with our COVID-19 test kit and related manufacturing processes.
In addition, quarantines, shelter-in-place and similar government orders related to COVID-19 or other infectious diseases, or the perception that such orders, shutdowns or other restrictions on the conduct of business operations could occur, could impact personnel at Jabil’s facilities upon which we rely. Further, Jabil may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environments. If Jabil were to encounter any of these difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with its contractual obligations, our ability to commercialize our COVID-19 test kit would be jeopardized.
The diagnostic testing market, particularly with respect to COVID-19 diagnostic tests, is highly competitive, and many of our competitors are larger, better established and have greater technical and marketing capabilities and financial and other resources than we have. In addition, we expect competition with respect to testing solutions for COVID-19 to continue to increase and our success will depend on widespread market acceptance of our COVID-19 test kit.*
The diagnostic testing market, particularly with respect to COVID-19 diagnostic tests, is highly competitive and we face substantial competition based on factors such as product quality, underlying technology, analytical performance, accuracy, speed of results, convenience and ease of use, price, product enhancements, customer and user service and reputation. Industry competition is also based the following additional factors, among others:
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evidence of clinical performance and support of KOLs;
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ability to develop and market products and processes and meet consumer demand;
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ability to obtain and maintain required regulatory approvals;
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ability to manufacture cost-effective products that meet applicable regulatory requirements;
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pricing and reimbursement levels;
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access to adequate capital; and
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ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.
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In diagnostic testing, we anticipate facing competition from companies that have or are developing molecular tests (including centralized laboratory, POC and OTC tests) as well as antigen and antibody tests. Antigen tests in particular are a source of competition because they are rapid and are already in use across the United States for mass-population testing. We will also compete on the basis of test methods, such as tests that utilize nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate swab collection methods, saliva collection methods as well as other methods that may be developed in the future.
We face potential competition from many sources, including academic institutions, public and private research institutions and governmental agencies. Competitors with COVID-19 diagnostic testing platforms currently include, but are not limited to, private and public companies, such as Abbott Laboratories, Inc., or Abbott, Cue Health Inc., or Cue, Danaher Corp., Bio-Rad Laboratories, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Becton, Dickinson and Company, or BD, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Siemens AG, BioMerieux SA, GenMark Diagnostics Inc., Qiagen, Sherlock Biosciences, Mammoth Biosciences, Everlywell, Inc., the CDC, Mesa Biotech, Inc., Quidel Corporation, Talis Biomedical Corporation, Visby Medical, Ginkgo Bioworks, Helix OpCo, LLC and Fluidigm Corporation. Large lab companies like Quest Diagnostics, Inc. and Laboratory Corporation of America have also expanded beyond centralized laboratory testing into home sample collection.
We could see a significant reduction or elimination of our commercial opportunity if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are faster, more convenient or are less expensive than our COVID-19 test kit or any other test kits that we may develop. Our competitors also may be quicker and/or more successful than us in obtaining FDA or other regulatory approvals for their products, or in meeting consumer demand, which could harm our operations results and financial condition.
In addition, numerous companies in the United States and internationally have announced their intention to offer new products, services and technologies that could be used in substitution for our COVID-19 test kit. Many of those competitors are significantly larger, and have substantially greater financial, scientific, manufacturing and other resources, than us. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and enrolling subjects for our clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. In addition, our competitors may have or may develop products or technologies that currently or in the future will enable them to produce competitive products with greater functionality or at lower cost than ours. In July of 2020, BD announced FDA approval of its EUA application for the BD Veritor System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2. This test is a chromatographic immunoassay for the direct and qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens in nasal swabs from patients with signs and symptoms who are suspected of COVID-19. In August 2020, Abbott announced FDA approval of its POC EUA application for BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card, Abbott’s COVID-19 antigen test. In December 2020, the FDA updated the Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card antigen test to include prescription at-home use among people suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider within the first seven days of symptom onset; this test may only be performed when supervised by a telehealth proctor. In March 2021, the FDA issued an EUA to Quidel for its QuickVue COVID-19 antigen test to be used in the prescription at-home setting among people suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider within the first six days of symptom onset. The FDA also has granted EUAs to seven antigen OTC tests, including the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test and Abbott’s BinaxNOW. Cue has an EUA for its molecular OTC COVID-19 test.
If we are unable to compete effectively, we may fail to meet our strategic objectives, and our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed. The success or failure, or perceived success or failure, of other companies may adversely impact our ability to obtain any future funding, or to ultimately commercialize our COVID-19 test kit.
We expect competition to continue to increase as other established and emerging companies enter the market, as customer requirements evolve, and as new products, services and technologies are introduced. For example, Abbott introduced a mobile phone application to allow people to display the results of their COVID-19 test obtained through a healthcare provider when entering facilities requiring proof of testing. Moreover, the entrance of new competitors is being encouraged by governmental authorities, which are offering significant funding to support development of testing solutions for COVID-19. Some of our existing or new competitors may have strong relationships with current and potential customers, including governmental authorities, and, as a result, may be able to respond more quickly to new or changing regulatory requirements, new or emerging technologies, and changes in customer and user requirements. Our COVID-19 test kit may not compete favorably, and we may not be successful in the face of increasing competition from new products and technologies introduced by our existing competitors or new companies entering our markets. Any failure to compete effectively could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
The continued production and widely administered use of efficacious vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 may reduce the demand for diagnostic tests and, as a result, the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market may not substantially grow.*
Currently, there are companies developing vaccines and therapeutic treatments for COVID-19. From December 2020 through February 2021, the FDA issued EUAs for three COVID-19 vaccines, which are currently being administered in the United States, the U.K. and other countries, and in August 2021 the FDA granted full approval to Pfizer’s vaccine. If current or future vaccines are widely distributed and compliantly administered, or if new therapeutic treatments are identified and become widely used,
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then our testing opportunities and market interest may lessen or disappear. Our future success is substantially dependent on the manner in which the market for COVID-19 diagnostic testing grows. If the market fails to grow in the manner in which we expect or at all, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be negatively affected.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers or, in many cases, a single supplier, for test kit materials and may not be able to find replacements or immediately transition to alternative suppliers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.*
We have sourced and will continue to source test kit components, molds, reagents and other test kit materials from a limited number of suppliers or, in many cases, a single supplier. For example, our molds and many of our reagents are sole-sourced. In addition, we rely solely on Promega Corporation and New England BioLabs, Inc. for the supply of our current enzymes and primers. We intend to put in place framework agreements with certain of our single-source suppliers, including Promega Corporation and New England BioLabs, Inc., under which these third-party contract suppliers will generally provide us with necessary quantities of such materials based on our development and commercial needs. However, we may be unsuccessful in putting in place such framework agreements on acceptable terms or at all, or in otherwise protecting against potential supply disruptions. Our failure to maintain a continued supply of these test kit materials would adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because we rely on third-party suppliers, we do not control the manufacture of the components of our test kits, including whether such components will meet our quality control requirements, nor the compliance of our suppliers with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. For example, on October 8, 2021, we announced the recent recall by Copan Italia SPA of its FLOQSwabs, a component of our COVID-19 test kits identified on the label as “3 Swab,” that we distributed from April 22, 2021 through September 22, 2021. In many cases, our suppliers are not contractually required to supply these components to the quality or performance standards that we require. If the supply of components we receive does not meet our quality control or performance standards, we may not be able to use the components, or if we use them not knowing that they are of inadequate quality, which occasionally occurs with respect to certain reagents our tests may not work properly or at all, or they may provide erroneous results, and we may be subject to significant delays caused by interruption in production or manufacturing, to lost revenue from such interruption or from spoiled tests, or to the effects of negative perception related to defective test kits.
In the event that any adverse developments occur with our suppliers, in particular for those products that are sole-sourced, or if any of our suppliers modifies any of the components they supply to us, our ability to supply our test kits may be temporarily or permanently interrupted. Obtaining substitute components could be difficult, time and resource-consuming and costly or it could require us to re-design or re-validate our test kits. Our failure to maintain a continued supply of components that meets our quality control requirements for any reason, including changes to or termination of our agreements or inability to renew our agreements with these parties or enter into new agreements with other suppliers, particularly in the case of sole suppliers, could result in the loss of access to important materials of our test kits and impact our test performance or affect our ability to supply fully functional test kits in a timely manner or at all, which could impair, delay or suspend our commercialization activities.
Moreover, in the event that we transition to a new supplier from any of our sole suppliers, doing so could be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our ability to supply our test kits to the market, could affect the performance of our test kits or could require that we re-validate our processes and our other test kits using replacement equipment and supplies, which could hinder the adoption of our test kits, resulting in increased costs and negative customer and/or user perception. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, quarantines, shelter-in-place and similar government orders, or the perception that such orders, shutdowns or other restrictions on the conduct of business operations could occur, related to COVID-19 or other infectious diseases could impact personnel at our suppliers upon which we rely, or the availability or cost of materials, which could disrupt the supply chain for our test kits. Any delay or interruption in the supply of our test kit materials could delay or suspend the commercialization of our test kits and increase the costs of manufacturing our test kits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to an order from federal or state governments, including pursuant to the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, or the DPA, to distribute our COVID-19 test kit directly to the government or as directed by the government, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The DPA is a federal statute that confers upon the President of the United States a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry in the interest of national defense. “National defense” can include emergency and disaster response and, since the start of the current COVID-19 crisis, the President of the United States has used this authority more than 30 times to address the public health crisis. Through the DPA, the executive branch has struck agreements with multiple companies to accelerate COVID-19
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countermeasures, like producing N95 protective masks, testing swabs, and vaccine development, and, in September 2020, used the DPA to acquire POC diagnostic testing instruments from two of our potential competitors for placement in nursing homes, and to require one of our potential competitors to prioritize government orders over others. The government may similarly apply the DPA, or another law or program, to our existing or potential new contracts to acquire our COVID-19 test kits or to direct us to distribute our products in a particular manner, and we may be likewise required to prioritize distribution to certain government agencies or other recipients, or to allocate inventory, supplies or facilities for government or government-directed use. The DPA provides that orders pursuant to the statute must “meet regularly established terms of sale or payment” and further provides that no person “shall be held liable for damages or penalties for any act or failure to act resulting directly or indirectly from compliance with a rule, regulation, or order” under the DPA. However, compliance with the DPA could potentially cause business disruption, interfere with our commercial sales and marketing efforts, and depending on the demand, could even prevent or delay our ability to sell our products commercially, or may have other implications that significantly affect our commercialization and development efforts and general ability to conduct our business operations as planned. For example, government directed use of our products under such a program may result in our instruments not being placed in settings where they will be used often for additional tests following the COVID-19 pandemic which would adversely affect our long-term commercial plan. In addition, such government requirements may adversely affect our regular operations and financial results, result in differential treatment of customers and/or adversely affect our reputation and customer relationships. It is also possible that the recent change in the administration could impact the manner in which the government uses the DPA and its other authorities, and result in additional or different risk to us.
The results of our earlier research and development and clinical trials for our influenza test kit may not be replicable in an influenza test kit or in a combination COVID-19 and influenza test kit and may not be sufficient to support the authorization of an influenza test kit or a combination COVID-19 and influenza test kit.
Since inception, we have primarily focused on the research and development of our influenza test kit. We conducted two clinical trials in 2018 and 2019 for our influenza test kit in Santiago, Chile, and the United States. The clinical trial conducted in the United States served as the basis for our dual 510(k) and Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment, or CLIA, waiver submission for our influenza test kit in the second half of 2019. This clinical trial was conducted across the 2018 and 2019 influenza season and included a comparator. This clinical trial showed similarly strong assay performance as the initial Chile clinical trial, but we failed to meet required endpoints as a result of two main issues. First, the comparator did not detect influenza A virus as well as our assay did, which negatively and artificially lowered our influenza A virus specificity to 92% in the clinical trial. When applying discrepant resolution, our influenza A virus specificity improved to 97%. The impact of running this clinical trial with a single comparator and the comparator not correctly identifying at least 35 specimens as true positives impeded us from being able to provide the necessary clinical data with the level of specificity required by the FDA without additional clinical testing. The second issue related to a higher than anticipated rate of invalids, at nearly 10%. Root cause analysis showed greater than half of invalids to be related to prototype manufacturing quality issues, and importantly, not related to fundamental assay performance. We believe these issues have since been resolved and the assay’s invalid rate is now less than 5%. In January 2020, we received an additional information letter from the FDA discussing this clinical trial and the resulting comparator issues, high rate of invalids and exclusion of samples. As a result, we withdrew our dual 510(k) and CLIA waiver submission for our influenza assay and shifted our focus to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on our clinical trials of our influenza test kit to date, we believe our molecular nucleic acid amplification technology is adaptable to detecting whether a person is shedding the influenza A or B viruses that cause influenza. However, the results of our earlier research and development and clinical trials for our influenza test kit may not be replicable in a combination COVID-19 and influenza test kit or sufficient to support the approval of a combination COVID-19 and influenza test kit. Additional clinical trials on the combination COVID-19 and influenza test kit will be required for FDA submission. In addition, the FDA may weigh the results of our prior clinical trials related to our influenza test kit and the issues raised in its January 2020 additional information letter more heavily than anticipated, potentially hindering our future FDA approval of our influenza test kit. We are uncertain as to whether the combined COVID-19 and influenza clinical trials will be successful, and the future trials may not replicate the results of prior clinical trials and pre-clinical studies.
If our test kits fail to achieve the broad degree of adoption by the medical community necessary for commercial success, our operating results and financial condition will be adversely affected, which may delay, prevent or limit our ability to generate revenue and continue our business.
Even if our test kits receive marketing approval, they may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, customers and others in the medical community. The commercial success of our test kits will depend significantly on sufficient coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors, the broad adoption and use of our test kits by physicians and, for OTC use, ultimate users, for authorized or approved indications. We are aware that other companies are seeking to develop alternative diagnostic products for COVID-19 and influenza, any of which could impact the demand for our COVID-19 test kit and our influenza test kit, respectively.
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The degree and rate of physician, patient and customer adoption of any of our test kits, and initially our COVID-19 test kit, depend on a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
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the accuracy, affordability and ease of use of our test kits as compared to existing diagnostic products;
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physician adoption of our combination of LAMP and proprietary colorimetric detection chemistry;
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lack or perceived lack of sufficient clinical evidence supporting the accuracy and performance of our test kits;
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physician and patient willingness to adopt our test kits to treat COVID-19 and influenza over diagnostic products and brands with which patients and physicians may have more familiarity or recognition or additional approved uses;
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any perceived burdens imposed on physicians or patients with respect to public health reporting obligations for certain infectious diseases such as COVID-19;
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overcoming any biases physicians or patients may have toward the accuracy and ease of use of existing diagnostic test kits and successful marketing efforts;
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the cost of our test kits in relation to alternative diagnostic products, and in the OTC setting, customer willingness to pay for our test kits;
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proper training in the use of our test kits by physicians and healthcare providers;
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customer satisfaction with the accuracy and ease of use of our test kits and overall user experience;
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changes in pricing and promotional efforts by competitors;
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coverage and reimbursement policies with respect to our test kits and products that compete with our test kits;
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customer demand for POC and OTC diagnostic testing;
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the revenue and profitability that our test kits may offer a physician as compared to alternative diagnostic tests;
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the effectiveness of our sales, marketing and distribution efforts; and
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adverse publicity about our test kits, competitive products, or the industry as a whole, or favorable publicity about competitive products.
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Further, outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, like COVID-19 and influenza, require immediate, mass population testing; however, we believe the traditional testing infrastructure within the United States is not designed to support mass population testing at high-complexity labs or at the POC. Accordingly, the ease of integration of our test kits into a physician’s practice may not be as evident as we anticipate.
In addition, our COVID-19 test kit utilizes our combination of LAMP and proprietary colorimetric detection chemistry. Physicians may prefer to use diagnostic tests with alternative technologies, such as PCR, or even antigen or antibody diagnostic tests. If our test kits fail to achieve the broad degree of physician adoption necessary for commercial success, our operating results and financial condition will be adversely affected, which may delay, prevent or limit our ability to generate revenue and continue our business.
If we do not have the support of physicians or KOLs, it may be difficult to drive adoption of our test kits, which could limit our revenue growth and our ability to achieve profitability.
Building on our usability studies and EUA indications, we plan to leverage our clinical work to publish key research and articles as a way to increase awareness and drive adoption among users, healthcare providers, physicians and KOLs. If physicians and KOLs in particular determine that our test kits are not accurate or easy to use and bill for, or that alternative diagnostic tests are more accurate or easier to use and bill for, we may see lower demand for our test kits, and face difficulty establishing our test kits as an integral component of the applicable standard of testing, which would limit our revenue growth and our ability to achieve profitability. If our test kits do not receive sufficient favorable exposure in peer-reviewed publications, the rate of physician adoption of our test kits and positive reimbursement coverage determinations for our test kits could be negatively affected.
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The initial use of our test kits requires users to follow instructions, and not adhering to instructions may lead to negative outcomes, which could harm our business.
The successful use of our test kits depends on a user following the test instructions. Any user, whether it be a healthcare provider or patient at home, could experience difficulty performing a test using our test kits if they fail to follow the instructions, or otherwise misuse the test. If physicians or other users utilize our test kits incorrectly, or without adhering to our instructions, their test result outcomes may not be consistent with the outcomes achieved in our clinical trials. This could harm our ability to achieve the broad degree of physician and customer adoption necessary for commercial success, or cause negative publicity and word-of-mouth as a result of our test kits not meeting user expectations and accordingly, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected, which may delay, prevent or limit our ability to generate revenue and continue our business.
We may be unable to obtain and maintain adequate levels of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for our test kits.
Our market success is dependent upon government and commercial third-party payors providing coverage and adequate reimbursement for our test kits. Under the EUA authorized for the POC setting, our COVID-19 test kit is eligible for reimbursement as a molecular POC test. However, coverage criteria and reimbursement rates for clinical laboratory tests are subject to adjustment by payors, and current reimbursement rates could be reduced, or coverage criteria restricted in the future, which could adversely affect the market for our COVID-19 test kit. In addition, there is currently no approved coverage for at-home COVID-19 testing in the United States and the reimbursement rate for our at-home test is uncertain. Third-party payors may require additional clinical or other data in order to cover our test kit in certain settings.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or any guidance we may provide.
Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. These fluctuations may occur due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including, but not limited to:
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the level of demand for any approved test kits, which may vary significantly;
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the timing and cost of, and level of investment in, research, development, manufacturing, regulatory approval and commercialization activities relating to our test kits, which may change from time to time;
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the size, seasonality and customer mix of the COVID-19 and influenza diagnostic testing market;
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sales and marketing efforts and expenses;
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the rate at which we grow our sales force and the speed at which newly hired salespeople become effective;
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changes in the productivity of our sales force;
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positive or negative coverage in the media or clinical publications of our test kits or competitive products;
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the cost of manufacturing our test kits, which may vary depending on the quantity of production and the terms of our arrangements with Jabil and our suppliers;
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the introduction of new test kits or enhancements or technologies by us or others in the diagnostic testing industry;
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coverage and reimbursement policies with respect to our test kits and products that compete with our test kits;
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expenditures that we may incur to acquire, develop or commercialize test kits for additional indications, if any;
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the degree of competition in our industry and any change in the competitive landscape of our industry;
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changes in governmental regulations or in the status of our regulatory approvals or applications;
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future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies; and
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general market conditions and other factors, including factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors.
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The cumulative effects of factors discussed above could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual operating results. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Investors should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failing to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any guidance we may provide, or if the guidance we provide is below the expectations of analysts or investors, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Such a stock price decline could occur even when we have met any previously publicly stated guidance we may provide.
We may not be able to achieve or maintain satisfactory pricing and margins for our test kits, which could harm our business and results of operations.
Manufacturers of diagnostic tests have a history of price competition, and we may not be able to achieve satisfactory prices for our test kits. Our POC pricing is at a modest premium to other POC tests and we may not be able to achieve or maintain a consumer-appropriate retail price for OTC use. The pricing of our test kits could be impacted by several factors, including pressure to improve margins as a result of competitive or customer pricing pressure or a limit or decline in the amount that third-party payors reimburse our customers, which could make it difficult for customers to adopt our test kits. If we are forced to lower the price we may charge for our test kits, our gross margins will decrease, which will harm our ability to invest in and grow our business. If we are unable to maintain our prices, or if our costs increase and we are unable to offset such increase with an increase in our prices, not purchase our tests in significant volumes or at all, especially in the OTC market, or otherwise in the absence of reimbursement, and our margins could erode. We may be subject to significant pricing pressure, which could harm our business and results of operations.
Our results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast and meet customer and user demand for our test kits and manage our inventory.*
To ensure adequate supply, we must forecast inventory needs and manufacture our test kits based on our estimates of future demand. For example, pursuant to the Jabil MSA, we are obligated to provide, on a monthly basis, a rolling 12-month forecast to Jabil of historical aggregate end customer demand at the finished product level, which will be used to constitute written purchase orders. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our test kits could be negatively affected by many factors, including our failure to accurately manage our expansion strategy, product introductions by competitors, an increase or decrease in customer and user demand for our test kits or for products of our competitors, our failure to accurately forecast market acceptance of new products, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, including the production and distribution of an efficacious vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, seasonal demands, or regulatory matters and weakening of economic conditions or user confidence in future economic conditions. In addition, we may experience fluctuations in customer and user demand based on seasonality, which for COVID-19, remains unknown. However, for example, because influenza typically occurs in the fall and winter seasons, we expect our forecasts of inventory for these seasons to reflect a significant increase in inventory relative to our forecasts for the spring and summer seasons. If this expectation does not materialize, our inventory forecasts may be inaccurate, resulting in shortages or excesses of inventory. Inventory levels in excess of customer and user demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs, which would cause our gross margin to be adversely affected and could impair the strength of our brand.
Conversely, if we underestimate customer and user demand for our test kits, our manufacturing partner, Jabil, may not be able to deliver test kits that meet our requirements. Demand has exceeded supply for our COVID-19 test kits, and late in the second quarter of 2021, we temporarily halted online sales of our LUCIRA CHECK IT test kit as we prioritized distribution to our partnerships, which could result in damage to our reputation and customer relationships. We reactivated online ordering again via our website in October 2021. In addition, if we experience a significant increase in demand, additional supplies of raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity may not be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or suppliers may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity in order to meet our increased requirements, which will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We rely substantially on Jabil to manufacture our COVID-19 test kit initially at manufacturing facilities located in Michigan and in the Dominican Republic. If Jabil is unable to increase and achieve our required or target production capacities, we would be unable fulfill our actual or anticipated customer demand which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our inability to meet the manufacturing and production requirements could cause us to lose our existing customers or lose our ability to acquire new customers which would also negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We will seek to maintain sufficient levels of inventory in order to protect ourselves from supply interruptions. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portion of our inventory will become obsolete or expire, which could have a material adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows due to the resulting costs associated with the inventory impairment charges and costs required to replace such inventory.
We depend on intellectual property licensed from Eiken and the termination of our license could result in the loss of significant rights, which would harm our business.
We are dependent on patents licensed from Eiken. In July 2020, we entered into a patent license agreement, or the Eiken Agreement, with Eiken. Pursuant to the terms of the Eiken Agreement, Eiken granted us a non-transferable, non-assignable, sublicensable (solely to our affiliates), non-exclusive license under certain patents, which we refer to collectively as the Eiken Licensed Patents, relating to LAMP and as listed in the Eiken Agreement, to develop and make any reagent, product, kit, device, equipment and/or system for nucleic acid-based in vitro diagnostic, or IVD, tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, which we collectively refer to as the Initial Licensed Products, in the United States. The Eiken Licensed Patents allow us to use LAMP to amplify genetic material. In addition, we own patents covering the necessary additional step of detection of target genetic material. Eiken may license patents to additional third parties for the use of LAMP, and if such third parties were able to independently develop or license the ability to detect amplified genetic material, then our business could be harmed. A termination of this license would result in the loss of significant rights and would restrict our ability to commercialize our COVID-19 test kit.
The Eiken Agreement will terminate on the expiration date of the last to expire valid claim of the Eiken Licensed Patents in any country. Eiken may terminate the Eiken Agreement upon (1) not receiving any royalties on licensed products for a certain period of time after sale of such products commences, (2) an uncured breach by us or our affiliates, (3) our bankruptcy or insolvency or certain other bankruptcy or insolvency events, (4) the assignment or attempt to assign the Eiken Agreement in violation of the Eiken Agreement or (5) a challenge by us or our affiliates of the validity of any of the Eiken Licensed Patents.
If we are determined to have breached the Eiken Agreement, Eiken would have the right to terminate the Eiken Agreement, which would result in the loss of our rights to the patents licensed to us, and we would therefore not be able to sell and/or market our test kits that are covered by those patents licensed to us. This would adversely affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects. Moreover, disputes, arbitration, litigation or other proceedings with Eiken could last for an extended period of time, may not be resolved in a favorable manner and could result in substantial damages payable by us. In addition, the cost to us in defending or initiating any arbitration, litigation or other proceeding relating to the Eiken Agreement, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial, and arbitration, litigation or other proceedings would divert our management’s attention. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of arbitration, litigation or other proceedings could adversely affect our business operations and delay our commercialization efforts and also result in reputational harm.
We are generally also subject to all of the same risks with respect to protection of intellectual property that we license, as we are for intellectual property that we own, which are described below under “Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property—We are dependent on patents and other intellectual property licensed from others and may become dependent on other patents or other intellectual property licensed from others in the future. If we lose our licenses for intellectual property that is important to our business, we may not be able to continue developing or selling our test kits.” If we or Eiken fail to adequately protect this intellectual property, our ability to commercialize our test kits would suffer and our business would be harmed.
If we are not successful in leveraging our platform to discover, develop and commercialize additional test kits, our ability to expand our business and achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired.
While the global COVID-19 pandemic remains our current and primary focus, we believe our flexible platform enables us to launch different test kits for other infectious diseases. Capitalizing on the flexibility of our platform is a key pillar to our strategy, which we believe will enable us to focus on other test kits, including influenza. We plan to conduct additional research and development activities to explore the potential of our platform to be used in additional indications, including other infectious diseases such as STIs and respiratory syncytial virus, but we may not be successful in developing such additional indications in a timely manner or at all. Moreover, identifying new test kits requires substantial technical, financial and human resources, whether or not any test kits are ultimately developed or commercialized, which may divert management’s attention away from our core business. We may pursue what we believe is a promising opportunity to leverage our platform only to discover that certain of our risk or resource allocation decisions were incorrect or insufficient, or that certain test kits or our platform in general has risks that were previously unknown or underappreciated. Our strategy of pursuing the value of our platform over a long time horizon and across a broad array of respiratory viruses may not be effective. In the event material decisions with respect to our strategy turn out to be incorrect or sub-optimal, we may experience a material adverse impact on our business and ability to fund our operations and we may never realize
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what we believe is the potential of our platform. The success of any new test kits or enhancements to our platform will depend on several factors, some of which are outside of our control, including our ability to:
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assemble sufficient resources to acquire or discover additional test kits or enhancements;
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properly identify and anticipate physician and patient needs;
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develop and introduce new test kits and enhancements in a timely manner;
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demonstrate, if required, the accuracy and usability of new test kits and enhancements with data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;
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obtain the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals for expanded indications, new test kits or enhancements;
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be fully FDA-compliant with marketing of new devices or modified products;
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produce new test kits in commercial quantities at an acceptable cost; and
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provide adequate training to potential users of our test kits and provide adequate updated training to potential users of test kits that contain enhancements or alterations.
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If we are unable to develop or improve test kits, applications or features due to constraints, such as insufficient cash resources, high employee turnover, inability to hire personnel with sufficient technical skills or a lack of other research and development resources, we may not be able to maintain our competitive position compared to other companies. Furthermore, many of our competitors devote a considerably greater amount of funds to their research and development programs than we do, and those that do not may be acquired by larger companies that would allocate greater resources to research and development programs. Our failure or inability to devote adequate research and development resources or compete effectively with the research and development programs of our competitors could harm our business.
In addition, we may choose to focus our efforts and resources on potential test kits or indications that ultimately prove to be unsuccessful, or to license or purchase a marketed product that does not meet our financial expectations. As a result, we may fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities, be required to forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other potential products or other diseases that may later prove to have greater commercial potential, or relinquish valuable rights to such potential products through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our test kits do not perform as expected, our operating results, reputation and business will suffer.
Our success depends on our ability to provide reliable test kits that enable high quality diagnostic testing with high accuracy, ease of use, and short turnaround times. The accuracy and reproducibility we have demonstrated to date in our clinical trials, particularly with respect to our COVID-19 test kit, may not continue or be indicative of actual future performance.
Our test kits use a number of complex and sophisticated biochemical and bioinformatics processes, many of which are highly sensitive to external factors, including human error. An operational, technological, user or other failure in one of these complex processes or fluctuations in external variables may result in sensitivity or specificity rates that are lower than we anticipate or result in longer than expected turnaround times. If our test kits do not perform, or are perceived to not have performed, as expected or favorably in comparison to competitive products, our operating results, reputation, and business will suffer, and we may also be subject to legal claims arising from product limitations, errors, or inaccuracies. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Operational, technical, user and other difficulties may adversely affect test performance, harm our reputation, impact the commercial attractiveness of our test kits and increase our costs or divert our resources, including management’s time and attention, from other projects and priorities. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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If we cannot provide quality technical and customer and user support, we could lose customers and our business and prospects will suffer.
The introduction of our test kits into our customers’ existing workflows, and in the OTC context, our users’ homes, and ongoing customer and user support can be complex. Accordingly, we need trained technical and customer and user support personnel. Hiring technical and customer and user support personnel is very competitive in our industry due to the limited number of people available with the necessary scientific and technical backgrounds and ability to understand our platform at a technical level. To effectively support potential new customers and ultimately users, we will need to substantially develop a technical and customer and user support staff. If we are unable to attract, train or retain the number of qualified technical and customer and user support personnel that our business needs, our business and prospects will suffer.
If we are unable to successfully expand our sales and marketing to match our growth, our business may be adversely affected.
Our future sales will depend in large part on our ability to develop, and substantially expand, our sales force and to increase the scope of our marketing efforts. We plan to take a measured approach to expand and optimize our sales infrastructure to grow our customer base and our business. Identifying and recruiting qualified personnel and training them in the use of our test kits, applicable federal and state laws and regulations and our internal policies and procedures, requires significant time, expense and attention. In addition, our EUA applications with respect to our COVID-19 test kit specify the scope and conditions of authorization, including limitations on distribution and conditions related to product advertising and promotion. It can take significant time before our sales representatives are fully trained and productive. Our business may be harmed if our efforts to expand do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue or result in a decrease in our operating margin. In particular, if we are unable to hire, develop and retain talented sales personnel or if new sales personnel are unable to achieve desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time, we may not be able to realize the expected benefits of this investment or increase our revenue.
We plan to dedicate significant financial and other resources to our marketing programs, which may require us to incur significant upfront costs. Our business and gross margins would be harmed if our marketing efforts and expenditures do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue.
In addition, we believe that developing and maintaining awareness of our brand in a cost-effective manner is critical to achieving broad acceptance of our test kits and attracting new customers. Brand promotion activities may not generate customer awareness or increase revenue and, even if they do, any increase in revenue may not offset the costs and expenses we incur in building our brand. If we fail to successfully promote, maintain and protect our brand, we may fail to attract or retain the customers necessary to realize a sufficient return on our brand-building efforts, or to achieve the widespread brand awareness that is critical for broad customer adoption of our test kits.
We are highly dependent on our senior management team and key personnel and our business could be harmed if we are unable to attract and retain personnel necessary for our success.
We are highly dependent on our senior management team and key personnel. Our success will depend on our ability to retain senior management and to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future, including sales and marketing professionals and other highly skilled personnel and to integrate current and additional personnel in all departments. The loss of members of our senior management, sales and marketing professionals and scientists as well as contract employees could result in delays in product development and harm our business. If we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, it would have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Competition for skilled personnel in our market is intense and may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified personnel on acceptable terms, or at all. To induce valuable employees to remain at our company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have issued, and will in the future issue, stock options that vest over time. The value to employees of stock options that vest over time may be significantly affected by movements in our stock price that are beyond our control, and may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies. Despite our efforts to retain valuable employees, members of our management and development teams may terminate their employment with us on short notice. Our employment arrangements with our employees provide for at-will employment, which means that any of our employees could leave our employment at any time, with or without notice. We also do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on the lives of these people or the lives of any of our other employees.
Many of the other medical device and diagnostic companies that we compete against for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. If we hire employees from competitors or other companies, their former employers may attempt to assert that these employees or we have breached legal obligations, resulting in a diversion of our time and resources and, potentially, damages. They may also provide more diverse
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opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics are more appealing to high quality candidates than what we can offer. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, the rate and success at which we can discover, develop and commercialize our test kits will be limited.
In addition, job candidates and existing employees often consider the value of the stock awards they receive in connection with their employment. If the perceived benefits of our stock awards decline, either because we are a public company or for other reasons, it may harm our ability to recruit and retain highly skilled employees. Many of our employees have become or will soon become vested in a substantial amount of our common stock or a number of common stock options. Our employees may be more likely to leave us if the shares they own have significantly appreciated in value relative to the original purchase prices of the shares, or if the exercise prices of the options that they hold are significantly below the market price of our common stock, particularly after the expiration of the lock-up agreements described herein. Our future success also depends on our ability to continue to attract and retain additional executive officers and other key employees. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, it will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have increased the size of our organization and expect to further increase it in the future, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth. If we are unable to manage the anticipated growth of our business, our future revenue and operating results may be harmed.*
As of September 30, 2021, we had 102 full-time employees. As our sales and marketing strategies develop, we expect to need additional managerial, operational, sales, marketing, financial and other personnel. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:
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identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining and motivating additional employees;
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managing our internal development efforts effectively, while complying with our contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties; and
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improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.
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Since our inception, we have experienced growth and anticipate further growth in our business operations. This future growth could strain our organizational, administrative and operational infrastructure, including quality control, operational, finance, customer service and sales organization management. We expect to continue to increase our headcount and to hire more specialized personnel in the future as we grow our business. We will need to continue to hire, train and manage additional qualified scientists, laboratory personnel, customer service personnel, and sales and marketing staff and improve and maintain our platform to properly manage our growth. Rapid expansion in personnel could mean that less experienced people develop, market and sell our test kits, which could result in inefficiencies and unanticipated costs, reduced quality and disruptions to our operations. If our new hires perform poorly, if we are unsuccessful in hiring, training, managing and integrating these new employees or if we are not successful in retaining our existing employees, our business may be harmed. We may not be able to maintain the quality or expected turnaround times of our test kits, or satisfy customer demand as it grows. Our ability to manage our growth properly will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures. The time and resources required to implement these new systems and procedures is uncertain, and failure to complete this in a timely, efficient and effective manner could adversely affect our operations. In addition, as a result of being a public company, we are obligated to develop and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and any failure to maintain the adequacy of these internal controls may negatively impact investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
We may need to raise additional capital to fund our existing operations, develop our platform, commercialize new products or expand our operations.*
Based on our current planned operations, we expect that our existing cash, will enable us to fund our operating expenses for at least 12 months from the date hereof. If our available cash and anticipated cash flow from operations are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements including because of failure to secure additional regulatory approvals for our test kits, lower than anticipated or non-existent demand or reimbursement levels for our test kits, or otherwise, we may seek to issue equity or convertible debt securities, enter into a credit facility or another form of third-party funding, seek other debt financing or enter into collaborations or licensing arrangements.
We may consider raising additional capital in the future to expand our business, to pursue strategic investments, to take advantage of financing opportunities or for other reasons, including to further scale up the manufacturing of our test kits, and if user
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demand warrants such increase in scale, to increase our sales and marketing efforts to drive market adoption of our test kits and address competitive developments, and to finance capital expenditures and general and administrative expenses.
Our present and future funding requirements will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
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the cost and timing of additional regulatory clearances or approvals for our test kits and any future test kits;
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our ability to achieve and maintain revenue growth;
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our rate of progress in establishing payor coverage and reimbursement arrangements in the prescription at-home channel with commercial third-party payors and government payors;
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our rate of progress in, and cost of the sales and marketing activities associated with, establishing adoption of and reimbursement for our COVID-19 test kit;
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our rate of progress in, and cost of research and development activities associated with, our influenza test kit;
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the effect of competing technological and market developments, including developments in COVID-19 vaccination and therapeutics;
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the potential cost of and delays in test kit development as a result of any regulatory oversight applicable to our test kits;
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the scope, rate of progress and cost of our current and future clinical trials;
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the costs associated with any product recall that may occur;
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the costs of attaining, defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights; and
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the terms and timing of any other collaborative, licensing and other arrangements that we may establish.
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Additional funding may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our existing stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through other third-party funding, collaborations agreements, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or test kits or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.
In addition, our ability to raise additional funds may be adversely impacted by potential worsening global economic conditions and the disruptions to, and volatility in, the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken to slow its spread, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, and uncertainty about economic stability. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult, more costly and more dilutive. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development, manufacturing or commercialization of our COVID-19 test kit, our influenza test kit, or other research and development initiatives. If this were to occur, our ability to grow and support our business and to respond to market challenges could be significantly limited, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The sizes of the markets for our test kits may be smaller than we estimate.
Our estimates of the annual addressable markets for our COVID-19 test kit and our influenza test kits are based on a number of internal and third-party estimates. For example, our estimates for the COVID-19 diagnostic testing market include, but are not limited to, estimates relating to the number of times per week healthcare workers would be tested, the time period for which tests may be required, administered or sought, as well as the assumed rate at which such test kit will be reimbursed, or the assumed prices
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at which we can sell our COVID-19 test kit for. In addition, our estimates for the influenza diagnostic testing market are based on the population of people who experienced ILI symptoms during the previous flu season, as estimated by the number of people who purchased OTC cold and flu medication. While we believe our assumptions and the data underlying our estimates are reasonable, we have not independently verified the accuracy of the third-party data on which we have based our assumptions and estimates, and these assumptions and estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our assumptions or estimates may change at any time, including as a result of factors outside our control, thereby reducing the predictive accuracy of these underlying factors. If the actual number of customers who would benefit from our test kits, the price at which we can sell test kits or the annual addressable market for our test kits is smaller than we have estimated, it may impair our sales growth and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Interim, topline and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.
From time to time, we may publicly disclose interim, topline, or preliminary data from our clinical trials, which is based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations, and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. As a result, the interim, topline, or preliminary results that we report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been received and fully evaluated, and thus are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Interim, topline and preliminary data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. As a result, such data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Adverse differences between preliminary, interim or topline data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects.
Further, others, including regulatory agencies, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses or may interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability, or commercialization of the particular product candidate or product and our company in general. In addition, the information we choose to publicly disclose regarding a particular study or clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and you or others may not agree with what we determine is the material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure, and any information we determine not to disclose may ultimately be deemed significant with respect to future decisions, conclusions, views, activities or otherwise regarding a particular test kit or our business. If the interim, topline or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialize, our test kits and any future test kits may be harmed, which could harm our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.
In addition, even if our clinical trials are successfully completed, their results may not support our future product claims and the FDA may not agree with our conclusions regarding these results. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our test kits are safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses, which could cause us to abandon a test kit and may delay development of others. Any delay or termination of our clinical trials will delay the filing of our product submissions and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our test kits and generate revenue.
Deficiencies in the components of our test kits could result in field actions, recalls, substantial costs and write-downs and could harm our reputation, business and financial results.*
Our test kits are subject to various regulatory guidelines and involve complex technologies. The FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities have the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture that could affect patient safety. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, conduct a product notification or recall to inform physicians of changes to instructions for use or if a deficiency in a device is found or suspected.
Identified quality problems, such as failure of critical components, including batteries and light-emitting diode, or LED, lights, or the failure of third parties to supply us with sufficient conforming quantities of these components, could impact the availability of our test kits in the marketplace or lead to adverse clinical events that could cause us to amend, repeat or terminate clinical trials. In addition, test kit improvements, redundancies or failure to sell a test kit before its expiration date could result in scrapping or expensive rework of test kits, and our business, financial condition or results of operations could suffer. Test kit complaints, quality issues and necessary corrective and preventative actions could result in communications to customers or patients, field actions, the scrapping, rework, recall or replacement of test kits, substantial costs and write-offs, and harm to our business reputation and financial results. Further, these activities could adversely affect our reputation with those in the medical community, as well as our distributor customers and end-users, which could materially adversely affect our earnings, results and financial viability.
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For example, on October 8, 2021, we announced the recent recall by Copan Italia SPA of its FLOQSwabs, a component of our COVID-19 test kits identified on the label as “3 Swab,” that we distributed from April 22, 2021 through September 22, 2021. As a result, any identified quality issue can both harm our business reputation and result in substantial costs and write-offs, which in either case could materially harm our business and financial results.
If we were to be sued for product liability, we could face substantial liabilities that exceed our resources.
The marketing, sale and use of our test kits, if approved, could lead to the filing of product liability claims where someone may allege that our test kits identified inaccurate or incomplete information or otherwise failed to perform as designed. We may also be subject to liability for errors in, a misunderstanding of or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide in the ordinary course of our business activities. In addition, we may be subject to product liability claims resulting from misuse or off-label use of our test kits. See the risk factor “—The misuse or off-label use of our test kits may harm our reputation or the image of our test kits in the marketplace, or result in injuries that lead to product liability suits, which could be costly to our business. Moreover, we could be subject to FDA sanctions if we are deemed to have engaged in off-label promotion.” A product liability claim could result in substantial damages and be costly and time-consuming for us to defend. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we will incur substantial liabilities and reputational harm. In addition, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:
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distraction of management’s attention from our primary business;
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the inability to commercialize our test kits or new products;
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decreased demand for our test kits;
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damage to our business reputation;
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product recalls or withdrawals from the market;
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withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
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substantial monetary awards to patients or other claimants;
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termination of existing agreements by our partners and potential partners failing to partner with us.
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We maintain product liability insurance, but this insurance may not fully protect us from the financial impact of defending against product liability claims. Any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could increase our insurance rates or prevent us from securing insurance coverage in the future.
While we may attempt to manage our product liability exposure by proactively recalling or withdrawing from the market any defective products, any recall or market withdrawal of our test kits may delay the supply of those test kits to our customers and users and may impact our reputation. We may not be successful in initiating appropriate market recall or market withdrawal efforts that may be required in the future and these efforts may not have the intended effect of preventing product malfunctions and the accompanying product liability that may result. Such recalls and withdrawals may also be used by our competitors to harm our reputation for safety or be perceived by patients as a safety risk when considering the use of our test kits, either of which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Litigation and other legal proceedings may harm our business.
We have been, and may become, involved in legal proceedings relating to patent and other intellectual property matters, product liability claims, employee claims, tort or contract claims, federal or state regulatory investigations, securities class actions and other legal proceedings or investigations, which could have a negative impact on our reputation, business and financial condition and divert the attention of our management from the operation of our business. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and can result in excessive or unanticipated verdicts and/or injunctive relief that affect how we operate our business. We could incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages or for agreements to change the way we operate our business, or both. There may be
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an increase in the scope of these matters or there may be additional lawsuits, claims, proceedings or investigations in the future, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Adverse publicity about regulatory or legal action against us could damage our reputation and brand image, undermine our customers’ confidence and reduce long-term demand for our test kits, even if the regulatory or legal action is unfounded or not material to our operations.
Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.
Our operations (including our clinical trials) could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics and pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions, for which we are predominantly self-insured. Our ability to obtain components for our test kits could be disrupted if the operations of these suppliers were affected by a man-made or natural disaster or other business interruption. In addition, our corporate headquarters is located in Emeryville, California, near major earthquake faults and fire zones, and the ultimate impact on us for being located near earthquake faults and fire zones and being consolidated in a certain geographical area is unknown. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.
We rely substantially on Jabil to manufacture our COVID-19 test kit initially at manufacturing facilities located in Michigan and in the Dominican Republic. Over time and as automation efforts improve, we and Jabil may relocate manufacturing to one more additional facilities, which may include additional facilities located outside of the United States. Should Jabil’s current or future manufacturing facilities be significantly damaged or destroyed by natural or man-made disasters, such as earthquakes, fires or other events, or should events such as political unrest unfold, it could take months to relocate or rebuild, during which time our manufacturing would cease or be delayed and our COVID-19 test kit may be unavailable. Moreover, the use of a new facility or new manufacturing, quality control, or environmental control equipment or systems generally requires FDA review and approval. Because of the time required to authorize manufacturing in a new facility under FDA and non-U.S. regulatory requirements, we may not be able to resume production on a timely basis even if we are able to replace production capacity in the event we lose manufacturing capacity. The inability to perform our manufacturing activities, combined with our limited inventory of materials and components and manufactured products, may cause us to be unable to meet customer demand, physicians and other users to discontinue using our COVID-19 test kits, or harm our reputation, and we may be unable to reestablish relationships with such customers and users in the future. Consequently, a catastrophic event or business interruption at Jabil’s current or future manufacturing facilities could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we or our third-party collaborators, including Jabil, experience significant disruptions in performing their services for us, our business may be harmed.
We and our third-party collaborators, including Jabil, depend on information technology systems for the efficient functioning of our business, including the manufacture, distribution and maintenance of our test kits, as well as for accounting, data storage, compliance, purchasing and inventory management. Our and our third-party collaborator’s information technology systems may be subject to computer viruses, ransomware or other malware, attacks by computer hackers, failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, damage or interruption from fires or other natural disasters, hardware failures, telecommunication failures and user errors, among other malfunctions and other cyber-attacks. We and our third-party collaborators could be subject to an unintentional event that involves a third-party gaining unauthorized access to our systems, which could disrupt our operations, corrupt our data or result in release of our confidential information. Additionally, theft of our intellectual property or proprietary business information could require substantial expenditures to remedy. Although the aggregate impact on our operations and financial condition has not been material to date, we may have been the target of events of this nature and expect them to continue as cybersecurity threats have been rapidly evolving in sophistication and becoming more prevalent in the industry.
Technological interruptions could disrupt operations, including the ability to timely ship and track product orders, project inventory requirements, manage supply chain and otherwise adequately service our customers or disrupt our customers’ ability use our test kits. In addition, we will rely heavily on providers of transport services for reliable and secure point-to-point transport of test kits to our customers and users and for tracking of these shipments. Should a carrier encounter delivery performance issues such as loss, damage or destruction of any systems, it would be costly to replace such systems in a timely manner and such occurrences may damage our reputation and lead to decreased demand for our test kits and increased cost and expense to our business. In addition, any significant increase in shipping rates could adversely affect our operating margins and results of operations. Similarly, strikes, severe weather, natural disasters or other service interruptions affecting delivery services we use would adversely affect our ability to process orders for test kits on a timely basis.
In the event we or our third-party collaborators experience significant disruptions, we may be unable to repair such systems in an efficient and timely manner. Accordingly, such events may disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our entire operation and
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harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Currently, we carry business interruption coverage to mitigate certain potential losses but this insurance is limited in amount, and we cannot be certain that such potential losses will not exceed our policy limits. Our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance our existing systems. Failure to maintain or protect our information systems and data integrity effectively could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has generally increased the risk of cybersecurity intrusions. For example, there has been an increase in phishing and spam emails as well as social engineering attempts from “hackers” hoping to use the recent COVID-19 pandemic to their advantage. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or systems, or inappropriate or unauthorized access to or disclosure or use of confidential, proprietary, or other sensitive information, we could incur liability and suffer reputational harm.
We may acquire other businesses or form other joint ventures or make investments in other companies or technologies that could negatively affect our operating results, dilute our stockholders’ ownership, increase our debt or cause us to incur significant expense.
Although we currently have no agreements or commitments to complete any such transactions and are not involved in negotiations to do so, we may pursue acquisitions of businesses and assets in the future. We also may pursue strategic alliances and additional joint ventures that leverage our platform and industry experience to expand our offerings or distribution. We have no experience with acquiring other companies and limited experience with forming strategic partnerships. We may not be able to find suitable partners or acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to complete such transactions on favorable terms, if at all. If we make any acquisitions, we may not be able to integrate these acquisitions successfully into our existing business, and we could assume unknown or contingent liabilities. Any future acquisitions also could result in the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities or future write-offs of intangible assets or goodwill, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, any pursuit of an acquisition and any potential integration of an acquired company also may disrupt ongoing operations and divert management attention and resources that we would otherwise focus on developing our existing business. We may experience losses related to investments in other companies, which could have a material negative effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We may not realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, technology license, strategic alliance or joint venture.
We have a history of significant net losses, which we expect to continue, and we may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability in the future.
We have incurred net losses since our inception. As of September 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $120.7 million. We expect to continue to incur significant sales and marketing, research and development, regulatory and other expenses as we grow our sales force and expand our marketing efforts to commercial our test kits, create relationships with customers, obtain regulatory clearances or approvals for our planned or future products, conduct clinical trials on our existing and planned or future products and develop new products. The net losses that we incur may fluctuate significantly from period to period. We will need to generate significant additional revenue in order to achieve and sustain profitability. Even if we achieve profitability, we cannot be sure that we will remain profitable for any substantial period of time.
Our ability to use our net operating losses, or NOLs, to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.
As of December 31, 2020, we had federal and state NOL carryforwards of approximately $53.3 million and $25.5 million, respectively. The federal NOLs include $11.0 million that may be used to offset up to 100% of future taxable income and the federal and state NOLs will begin to expire in the calendar year 2034, unless previously utilized. The NOL carryforwards subject to expiration could expire unused and be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities.
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the Tax Act, as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, federal NOLs incurred in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and in future taxable years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal NOLs in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020 is limited. There is variation in how states will respond to the Tax Act and CARES Act. In addition, for state income tax purposes, there may be periods during which the use of NOLs is suspended or otherwise limited, such as recent California legislation limiting the usability of NOLs for tax years beginning in 2020 and before 2023.
Separately, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOL carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income or taxes may be limited. We determined that an ownership change occurred
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on October 9, 2015, but that all federal NOL carryforwards can be utilized prior to the expiration. As of August 7, 2020, we experienced an ownership change, which resulted in limitations in our ability to utilize federal research and development credits of $1.6 million and state NOLs of $24.5 million.
In addition, we may in the future experience ownership changes, either as a result of our recent initial public offering or other changes in our stock ownership (some of which are not in our control). For these reasons, our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes to reduce future tax liabilities may be limited.
Risks Related to Government Regulation and Our Industry
We received two EUAs for our COVID-19 test kit and we submitted an amendment to our POC EUA. The FDA may not timely grant any additional or amended EUAs, if at all. For our existing EUAs and any new or amended EUA, the FDA may revoke any EUA where it is determined that the underlying health emergency no longer exists or warrants such authorization, which would adversely impact our ability to market our test in the United States.*
The FDA has the authority to grant an EUA to allow unapproved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions when there are no adequate, approved and available alternatives. The speed at which companies and institutions are acting to create and test medical products for COVID-19 is unusually rapid, and evolving or changing plans or priorities within the FDA, including changes based on new knowledge of COVID-19 and how the disease affects the human body, may significantly affect the regulatory timelines for our COVID-19 test kit. Results from our continued development and planned clinical trials may raise new questions and require us to redesign proposed clinical trials with minimal lead time.
On November 17, 2020, we received an EUA from the FDA for our COVID-19 test kit for (1) prescription at-home use with self-collected nasal swab specimens in individuals aged 14 and older who are suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider and (2) use at the POC with self-collected nasal swab specimens in individuals aged 14 and older, and in individuals aged 13 and under when the specimen is collected by a healthcare provider at the POC. All prescribing healthcare providers will be required to report test results to relevant public health authorities in accordance with local, state, and federal requirements, using appropriate LOINC and SNOMED codes, as defined by the Laboratory In Vitro Diagnostics, or LIVD, Test Code Mapping for SARS-CoV-2 Tests provided by the CDC. On April 9, 2021, we received an EUA from the FDA for our COVID-19 test kit for OTC non-prescription use among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals aged 14 and older (with self-collection) and children aged two to 13 (with parent collection).
Because the FDA may revoke an EUA where it is determined that the underlying health emergency no longer exists or warrants such authorization, we cannot predict how long our EUAs will remain in place. Such revocation could materially adversely impact our business in a variety of ways, including if our COVID-19 test kit is not yet approved by the FDA under a traditional approval pathway and if we and Jabil have invested in the supply chain to provide our COVID-19 test kit under an EUA, and would require us to obtain a 510(k) or other marketing authorization from the FDA. If the FDA revokes our existing EUAs prior to us having received regulatory approval to commercialize our COVID-19 test kit through a traditional approval pathway, we would be required to cease our commercialization efforts, which would substantially and negatively impact our business.
Our business and sale of our test kits are subject to extensive regulatory requirements, including compliance with labelling, manufacturing and reporting controls. If our existing EUAs for our COVID-19 test kit are revoked or withdrawn, we will need to utilize other pathways to obtain marketing authorization. Our influenza test kit also will require marketing authorization from the FDA. If we fail or are unable to timely obtain the necessary EUA, 510(k) clearances, de-novo authorizations, or premarket approval, or PMA, approvals for new products or for the use of our test kits for additional indications, our ability to generate revenue could be materially harmed.
Our test kits are classified as medical devices and are subject to extensive regulation in the United States by the FDA and other federal, state and local authorities and by similar regulatory authorities in overseas jurisdictions. Government regulation of medical devices is meant to assure their safety and effectiveness, and includes regulation of, among other things:
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design, development and manufacturing;
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testing, labeling, including directions for use, processes, controls, quality assurance, packaging, storage, distribution, installation and servicing;
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pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;
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establishment registration and listing;
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test kit safety and effectiveness;
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marketing, sales and distribution;
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recordkeeping procedures;
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advertising and promotion;
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premarket authorization (510(k), PMA, de-novo, EUA);
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corrections and removals and recalls;
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post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries, and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury; and
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product import and export.
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In the United States, before we can market a new medical device, or a new use of, or claim for, an existing product, we must first receive either 510(k) clearance, PMA approval or approval of a de-novo application from the FDA, unless an exemption applies. The FDA also has authority to issue EUAs in times of crises such as pandemics (declaration of emergencies).
In the 510(k) clearance process, the FDA must determine that a proposed device is “substantially equivalent” to a device legally on the market, known as a “predicate” device. Substantial equivalence means that with respect to the proposed device being compared to the predicate device, the proposed device has the same intended use as the predicate device and the proposed device has the same technological characteristics as the predicate device, or has different technological characteristics but that the proposed device is as safe and effective as the predicate device and does not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness. Clinical data are sometimes required to support substantial equivalence.
In the PMA approval process, the FDA requires an applicant to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device based, in part, on extensive data, including, but not limited to, technical, pre-clinical study, clinical trial, manufacturing and labeling data. The PMA process is typically required for devices that are deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices and also novel devices that remain in Class III. Products that are approved from a PMA application generally need FDA approval of a PMA supplement before they can be modified. Similarly, some modifications made to products cleared through a 510(k) may require a new 510(k) clearance.
Another pathway, known as de-novo down-classification also can be used for lower risk devices for which there is no existing product code or predicate device. The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 established the de-novo down-classification procedure as a new route to market for low to moderate risk medical devices that automatically require a PMA due to the absence of a predicate device. This procedure allows a manufacturer whose novel device automatically requires a PMA to request down-classification of its medical device (to allow clearance through the 510(k) pathway) on the basis that the device presents low or moderate risk, rather than requiring the submission and approval of a PMA application. Manufacturers can request de-novo down-classification directly without first submitting a 510(k) premarket notification to the FDA and receiving a “not substantially equivalent” determination. Under this pathway, the FDA is required to classify the device within 120 days following receipt of the de-novo application. If the manufacturer seeks reclassification into Class II, the manufacturer must include a draft proposal for special controls that are necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the medical device. In addition, the FDA may reject the reclassification petition if it identifies a legally marketed predicate device that would be appropriate for a 510(k) or determines that the device is not low to moderate risk or that general controls would be inadequate to control the risks and special controls cannot be developed.
The FDA has the authority to grant an EUA to allow unapproved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions when there are no adequate, approved and available alternatives.
Each of these processes can be expensive and lengthy, and with respect to a PMA, can entail significant user fees, unless exempt. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to six months, but may take significantly longer. The process of obtaining a PMA is much more costly and uncertain than the 510(k) clearance process and generally takes from one to three years, or
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longer, from the time the application is submitted to the FDA until an approval is obtained. The process of obtaining 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time consuming, and we may not be able to obtain these clearances or approvals on a timely basis, if at all.
In the United States, outside of the context of the EUA application process, our test kits will likely need to obtain clearance through the 510(k) premarket notification process. If the FDA requires us to go through a lengthier, more rigorous process for future products or modifications to existing products than expected, our product introductions or modifications could be delayed or cancelled, which could cause our sales to decline. In addition, the FDA may determine that future products will require the more costly, lengthy and uncertain PMA process. Although we do not currently market any devices under a PMA, the FDA may demand that we obtain a PMA prior to marketing certain of our future products. Further, even with respect to those future products where a PMA is not required, we may not be able to obtain the 510(k) clearances with respect to those products. The FDA can delay, limit or deny 510(k) clearance or PMA approval of a device for many reasons, including:
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we may not be able to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction that our test kits are safe and effective for their intended uses;
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the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support clearance or approval, where required;
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the manufacturing process or facilities we use or contract to use may not meet applicable requirements; and
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disruptions at the FDA caused by funding shortages or global health concerns, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The FDA may refuse our requests for 510(k) clearance, de-novo or PMA of new products, new intended uses or modifications to existing products.
From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in the United States that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing any regulatory approval or clearance that we receive in the United States. In addition, the FDA may change its clearance and approval policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take other actions which may prevent or delay approval or clearance of our test kits under development or impact our ability to modify our currently approved or cleared test kits on a timely basis.
Modifications to our test kits may require new regulatory clearances or approvals or may require us to recall or cease marketing our test kits until clearances or approvals are obtained.
Once our test kits are initially cleared or approved, modifications to our test kits may require new regulatory approvals or clearances, including additional EUAs, 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals, or require us to recall or cease marketing the modified devices until these clearances or approvals are obtained. The FDA requires device manufacturers to initially make and document a determination of whether or not a modification requires a new approval, supplement or clearance. A manufacturer may determine that a modification could not significantly affect safety or efficacy and does not represent a major change in its intended use, so that no new 510(k) clearance is necessary. However, the FDA can review a manufacturer’s decision and may disagree. The FDA may also on its own initiative determine that a new clearance or approval is required. We may make modifications to our test kits in the future. For example, we may explore the development of a software component to our test kits, which may require new clearances or approvals from the FDA. If the FDA requires new clearances or approvals for the modifications, we may be required to recall and to stop marketing our test kits, as approved and as modified, which could require us to redesign our test kits and harm our operating results. In these circumstances, we may be subject to significant enforcement actions.
If a manufacturer determines that a modification to an FDA 510(k)-cleared device could significantly affect its safety or efficacy, or would constitute a major change in its intended use, then the manufacturer must file for a new 510(k) clearance or possibly a PMA application. Where we determine that modifications to our test kits require a new 510(k) clearance or PMA, we may not be able to obtain those additional clearances or approvals for the modifications or additional indications in a timely manner, or at all. Obtaining clearances and approvals can be a time consuming process, and delays in obtaining required future clearances or approvals would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced test kits in a timely manner, which in turn would harm our future growth.
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If we or our contract manufacturers fail to comply with the FDA’s Quality System Regulations, or QSR, our manufacturing operations could be interrupted and our test kit sales and operating results could suffer.
Although full compliance may not be required under an EUA, we will be required to comply with the FDA’s QSR, which covers the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the design, testing, manufacture, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of our test kits. The FDA enforces the QSR through periodic announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing facilities. The failure by us or one of our current or future manufacturers or suppliers to comply with applicable statutes and regulations administered by the FDA and other regulatory authorities, or the failure to timely and adequately respond to any adverse inspectional observations, could result in, among other things, any of the following enforcement actions:
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untitled letters, warning letters, injunctions, civil penalties and criminal fines;
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customer notifications or repair, replacement, refunds, recall, detention or seizure of our test kits;
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operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
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refusing or delaying our requests for approval of a PMA or 510(k) clearance of new products, modified products or new indications of cleared products;
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withdrawing PMA approvals or reclassifying devices that have 510(k) clearances;
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refusal to grant export certificates for our test kits; or
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Any of these actions could impair our ability to produce our test kits in a cost-effective and timely manner to meet our customers’ demands once approved for marketing. Furthermore, our key suppliers may not currently be or may not continue to be in compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, which could result in our failure to produce our test kits on a timely basis and in the required quantities, if at all.
Our test kits are and will continue to be, subject to extensive regulation and compliance obligations, which are costly and time-consuming, and such regulation may cause unanticipated delays or prevent the receipt of the required approvals to commercialize our test kits.
The manufacture, labeling, advertising, promotion, record-keeping, post-market surveillance and marketing of medical devices are subject to extensive regulation and review by the FDA, Health Canada, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority and numerous other governmental authorities in the United States as well as foreign countries where we may sell our test kits. Even after we have obtained EUA authorization, 510(k) clearance or PMA approval to market a product, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA and other regulations. The FDA and other national governmental authorities have broad enforcement powers. The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to continue or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement actions such as:
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delays on or denials of pending requests for 510(k) clearance or PMA approval;
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withdrawals or suspensions of current PMA approvals or reclassification of 510(k) cleared devices, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our test kits, if approved;
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warning letters or untitled letters;
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operating restrictions, including a partial or total shutdown of production on our test kits for any indication;
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refusal to issue export approvals or certifications;
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obtaining injunctions preventing us from manufacturing or distributing our products;
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commencing criminal prosecutions; and
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total prohibitions on our sales.
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The incurrence or commencement of any such action would harm our reputation and cause sales of our test kits to suffer and may prevent us from generating revenue.
In order to facilitate the rapid and thorough public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act requires every laboratory that performs or analyzes a test that is intended to detect SARS-CoV-2 or to diagnose a possible case of COVID-19 to report the results from each such test to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS. The CARES Act also authorized the HHS Secretary to identify the form and manner, as well as the timing and frequency, of such reporting. Based on subsequent guidance issued by the HHS on June 4, 2020, all laboratories, including testing locations operating as temporary overflow or remote locations for a laboratory, and other facilities or locations performing testing at POC or with at-home specimen collection related to SARS-CoV-2, will report data for all testing completed, for each individual tested, within 24 hours of results being known or determined, on a daily basis to the appropriate state or local public health department based on the individual’s residence.
Since we will offer prescription at-home, we expect to assist the prescribing providers in reporting test results. In a prescription at-home setting, the patients will be expected to report their respective results back to the prescribing health care providers who will be responsible for reporting the results to the appropriate public health authorities. We expect to provide two methods to facilitate such reporting, including through an on-package photo guide that would allow users to upload results to secure physician portals and through web-based test results registration reporting. We believe these processes would fulfill our reporting obligations. Additionally, we believe that these methods are secure and in compliance with applicable health information privacy laws, such as HIPAA. If governmental authorities conclude that our reporting processes do not comply with applicable law, we or the prescribing physician may be subject to penalties and other damages.
If our test kits cause or contribute to patient injuries or otherwise malfunction in certain ways, we will be subject to medical device reporting regulations, which can result in voluntary corrective actions or agency enforcement actions.
Under the FDA medical device reporting regulations, medical device manufacturers are required to report to the FDA information that a device may have caused or contributed to a patient death or serious injury or has or may have malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction of the device or one of our similar devices were to recur. If we fail to report these events to the FDA within the required timeframes, or at all, the FDA could take enforcement action against us. Any such adverse event involving our test kits also could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls or customer notifications, or agency action, such as inspection or enforcement action. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, as well as defending ourselves in a lawsuit, will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business, and may harm our reputation and financial results.
Our test kits or any component thereof may be subject to product recalls in the future. A recall of our test kits, either voluntarily or at the direction of the FDA or another governmental authority, or the discovery of serious safety issues with our test kits, could have a significant adverse impact on us.*
The FDA has the authority to require the recall of commercialized products that are subject to FDA regulation. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, recall a product if any deficiency is found. For example, On October 8, 2021, we issued a press release commenting on the recent recall by Copan Italia SPA of its FLOQSwabs, a component of our COVID-19 test kits identified on the label as “3 Swab,” that we distributed from April 22, 2021 through September 22, 2021 For reportable corrections and removals, companies are required to make additional periodic submissions to the FDA after initiating the recall, and often engage with the FDA on their recall strategy prior to initiating the recall. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us or one of our distributors could occur as a result of an unacceptable health risk, component failures, failures in laboratory processes, malfunctions, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects, or other deficiencies and issues. Recalls of any of our test kits would divert managerial and financial resources and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation. We may also be subject to liability claims, be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may negatively impact our future sales and our ability to generate profits. Companies are also required to maintain certain records of corrections and removals, even if these do not require reporting to the FDA. We may initiate voluntary recalls involving our test kits. A recall announcement by us
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could harm our reputation with customers and negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, the FDA or other agency could take enforcement action for failing to report the recalls when they were conducted.
If we initiate a recall, including a correction or removal, for one of our test kits, issue a safety alert, or undertake a field action or recall to reduce a health risk, this could lead to increased scrutiny by the FDA, other governmental and regulatory enforcement bodies, and our customers regarding the quality and safety of our test kits, and to negative publicity, including FDA alerts, press releases, or administrative or judicial actions. Furthermore, the submission of these reports could be used against us by competitors and cause customers to delay purchase decisions or cancel orders, which would harm our reputation.
The misuse or off-label use of our test kits may harm our reputation or the image of our test kits in the marketplace, or result in injuries that lead to product liability suits, which could be costly to our business. Moreover, we could be subject to FDA sanctions if we are deemed to have engaged in off-label promotion.
Our promotional materials and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition on the promotion of a medical device for an indication that has not been approved or cleared by the FDA, referred to as an off-label use. The FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician’s use of a medical device within the practice of medicine, and we cannot prevent a physician from using our test kits for an off-label use. If the FDA determines that our promotional materials constitute the unlawful promotion of an off-label use, it could subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including revocation of our existing EUAs, additional civil money penalties, criminal fines and penalties, and exclusion from participation in federal health programs, among others. For example, in connection with our existing EUAs, our COVID-19 test kit must comply with certain labeling requirements, including the label that our COVID-19 test kit has not been FDA cleared or approved but has been authorized by the FDA under an EUA and that our COVID-19 test kit has been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, and not for any other viruses or pathogens. Other federal, state or foreign governmental authorities might also take action if they consider our promotion or training materials to constitute promotion of an off-label use, which could result in significant fines or penalties under other statutory authorities. In that event, our reputation could be damaged and the use of our test kits in the marketplace could be impaired.
Furthermore, the use of our test kits for indications other than those that have been approved or cleared by the FDA may lead to performance issues or produce erroneous results, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace among physicians and patients and increase the risk of product liability. Product liability claims are expensive to defend and could divert our management’s attention from our primary business and result in substantial damage awards against us. Any of these events could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Clinical trials necessary to support a future test kit submission will be expensive and may require the enrollment of large numbers of subjects, and suitable subjects may be difficult to identify and recruit. Delays or failures in our clinical trials will prevent us from commercializing any modified or new test kits and will adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
Initiating and completing clinical trials necessary to support a future EUA, 510(k), PMA, or de novo submission, will be time consuming and expensive and the outcome uncertain. Moreover, the results of early clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results, and any test kit we advance into clinical trials may not have favorable results in later clinical trials.
Conducting successful clinical trials will require the enrollment of large numbers of subjects, and suitable subjects may be difficult to identify and recruit. Subject enrollment in clinical trials and completion of subject participation depends on many factors, including the nature of the trial protocol, the attractiveness of, or the discomforts and risks associated with, the indication of the underlying test kit, the availability of appropriate clinical trial investigators, support staff, and proximity of subjects to clinical sites and able to comply with the eligibility and exclusion criteria for participation in the clinical trial and subject compliance. In addition, subjects may not participate in our clinical trials if they choose to participate in contemporaneous clinical trials of competitive products.
In addition, our clinical trials may in the future be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic may impact subject enrollment. In particular, some sites may pause enrollment to focus on, and direct resources to, COVID-19, while at other sites, subjects may choose not to enroll or continue participating in the clinical trial as a result of the pandemic. As a result, potential subjects in our clinical trials may choose to not enroll, not participate in follow-up clinical visits, or drop out of the trial as a precaution against contracting COVID-19. Further, some subjects may not be able or willing to comply with clinical trial protocols if quarantines impede subject movement or interrupt healthcare services. We are unable to predict with confidence the duration of any such potential subject enrollment delays and difficulties, whether related to COVID-19 or otherwise. Delays in subject enrollment or failure of subjects to continue to participate in a clinical trial may cause an increase in costs and delays in the approval and attempted commercialization of our test kits or result in the failure of the clinical trial.
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Development of sufficient and appropriate clinical protocols to demonstrate safety and efficacy are required and we may not adequately develop such protocols to support clearance and approval. Further, the FDA may require us to submit data on a greater number of subjects than we originally anticipated and/or for a longer follow-up period or change the data collection requirements or data analysis applicable to our clinical trials. In addition, despite considerable time and expense invested in our clinical trials, the FDA may not consider our data adequate for approval. Such increased costs and delays or failures could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
If the third parties on which we rely to conduct our clinical trials and to assist us with pre-clinical development do not perform as contractually required or expected, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our test kits.
We do not have the ability to independently conduct our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials for our test kits and we must rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories to conduct such trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines, if these third parties need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our pre-clinical development activities or clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, our test kits on a timely basis, if at all, and our business, operating results and prospects may be adversely affected. Furthermore, our third-party clinical trial investigators may be delayed in conducting our clinical trials for reasons outside of their control.
Our collection, use, storage, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information, could give rise to significant costs, liabilities and other risks, including as a result of investigations, inquiries, litigation, fines, legislative and regulatory action and negative press about our privacy and data protection practices, which may harm our business, financial conditions, results of operations and prospects.
In the course of our operations, we collect, use, store, disclose, transfer and otherwise process an increasing volume of personal information, including from our employees and third parties with whom we conduct business. The collection, use, storage, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information is increasingly subject to a wide array of federal, state and foreign laws and regulations regarding data privacy and security, including comprehensive laws of broad application, such as the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, that are intended to protect the privacy of personal information that is collected, used, stored, disclosed, transferred and otherwise processed in or from the governing jurisdiction. As we seek to expand our business, we are, and may increasingly become, subject to various laws, regulations and standards, as well as contractual obligations, relating to data privacy and security in the jurisdictions in which we operate. When conducting clinical trials, we face risks associated with collecting trial participants’ data, especially health data, in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, such as FDA human subject protection regulations.
In many cases, these laws and regulations apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between or among us, any affiliates and other parties with whom we conduct business. These laws, regulations and standards may be interpreted and applied differently over time and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and it is possible that they will be interpreted and applied in ways that may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. The regulatory framework for data privacy and security worldwide is continuously evolving and developing and, as a result, interpretation and implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future.
We are subject to diverse laws and regulations relating to data privacy and security. In the United States, various federal and state regulators have adopted, or are considering adopting, laws and regulations concerning personal information and data security, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. This patchwork of legislation and regulation may give rise to conflicts or differing views of personal privacy rights. For example, certain state laws may be more stringent or broader in scope, or offer greater individual rights, with respect to personal information than federal, international or other state laws, and such laws may differ from each other, all of which may complicate compliance efforts. Additionally, new privacy rules are being enacted in the United States and globally, and existing ones are being updated and strengthened. For example, the CCPA, which increases privacy rights for California residents and imposes obligations on companies that process their personal information, came into effect on January 1, 2020. Among other things, the CCPA requires covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers and provide such consumers new data protection and privacy rights, including the ability to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for certain data breaches that result in the loss of personal information. This private right of action may increase the likelihood of, and risks associated with, data breach litigation. The CCPA has been amended several times, and it is possible that further amendments will be enacted, but even in its current form it remains unclear how various provisions of the CCPA will be interpreted and enforced. State laws are changing rapidly and there is discussion in Congress of a new federal data protection and privacy law to which we would become subject if it is enacted. All of these evolving compliance and operational requirements impose significant costs that are likely to
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increase over time, may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies, divert resources from other initiatives and projects, and could restrict the way products and services involving data are offered, all of which may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to government regulation, privacy advocates and industry groups have and may in the future propose self-regulatory standards from time to time. These and other industry standards may legally or contractually apply to us, or we may elect to comply with such standards. We expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws and regulations concerning data privacy and security, and we cannot yet determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business. New laws, amendments to or re-interpretations of existing laws, regulations, standards and other obligations may require us to incur additional costs and restrict our business operations. Because the interpretation and application of laws, regulations, standards and other obligations relating to data privacy and security are still uncertain, it is possible that these laws, regulations, standards and other obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data processing practices and policies or the features of our test kits. If so, in addition to the possibility of fines, lawsuits, regulatory investigations, public censure, other claims and penalties, and significant costs for remediation and damage to our reputation, we could be materially and adversely affected if legislation or regulations are expanded to require changes in our data processing practices and policies or if governing jurisdictions interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may be unable to make such changes and modifications in a commercially reasonable manner, or at all. Any inability to adequately address data privacy or security-related concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable laws, regulations, standards and other obligations relating to data privacy and security, could result in additional cost and liability to us, harm our reputation and brand, damage our relationships with users and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We make public statements about our use and disclosure of personal information through our privacy policies, information provided on our website and press statements. Although we endeavor to comply with our public statements and documentation, we may at times fail to do so or be alleged to have failed to do so. The publication of our privacy policies and other statements that provide promises and assurances about data privacy and security can subject us to potential government or legal action if they are found to be deceptive, unfair or misrepresentative of our actual practices. Any concerns about our data privacy and security practices, even if unfounded, could damage the reputation of our business and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Complying with these numerous, complex and often changing regulations is expensive and difficult. Any failure or perceived failure by us or our service providers to comply with our posted privacy policies or with any applicable federal, state or similar foreign laws, regulations, standards, certifications or orders relating to data privacy, security or consumer protection, or any compromise of security that results in the theft, unauthorized access, acquisition, use, disclosure, or misappropriation of personal information or other user data, could result in significant fines or penalties, negative publicity or proceedings or litigation by governmental agencies or consumers, including class action privacy litigation in certain jurisdictions, which would subject us to significant awards, penalties or judgments, one or all of which could require us to change our business practices or increase our costs and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if our practices are not consistent, or viewed as not consistent, with legal and regulatory requirements, including changes in laws, regulations and standards or new interpretations or applications of existing laws, regulations and standards, we may also become subject to audits, inquiries, whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, criminal or civil sanctions, all of which may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to comply with U.S. federal and state fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, including those relating to kickbacks and false claims, we could face substantial penalties and our business operations and financial condition could be harmed.
Healthcare providers and third-party payors play a primary role in the distribution, recommendation, ordering and purchasing of any medical device for which we have or obtain marketing clearance or approval. Through our arrangements with healthcare professionals and customers, we are exposed to broadly applicable anti-fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, false claims and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain our business, our arrangements and relationships with customers, and how we market, sell and distribute our marketed medical devices. We have a compliance program, code of conduct and associated policies and procedures, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent noncompliance may not be effective in protecting us from governmental investigations for failure to comply with applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations.
In the United States, we are subject to various state and federal anti-fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and federal civil False Claims Act, or the FCA. There are similar laws in other countries. Our relationships with physicians, other health care professionals and hospitals are subject to scrutiny under these laws.
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The laws that may affect our ability to operate include, among others:
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the Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willingly soliciting, offering, receiving or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of a person, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, items or services for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, and the government can establish a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute without proving that a person or entity had actual knowledge of the law or a specific intent to violate. In addition, the government may assert that a claim, including items or services resulting from a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the FCA. There are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting certain business arrangements from prosecution under the Anti-Kickback Statute; however, those exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and there may be limited or no exception or safe harbor for many common business activities. Certain common business activities including, certain reimbursement support programs, educational and research grants or charitable donations, and practices that involve remuneration to those who prescribe, purchase or recommend medical devices, including discounts, providing items or services for free or engaging such people as consultants, advisors or speakers, may be subject to scrutiny if they do not fit squarely within any available exception or safe harbor and would be subject to a facts and circumstances analysis to determine compliance with the Anti-Kickback Statute. Our business may not in all cases meet all of the criteria for statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor protection from anti-kickback liability;
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the FCA, which prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment of government funds and knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement to get a false claim paid or to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. A claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the FCA. Actions under the FCA may be brought by the government or as a qui tam action by a private person in the name of the government. These people, sometimes known as “relators” or, more commonly, as “whistleblowers,” may share in any monetary recovery. Many medical device manufacturers have been investigated and have reached substantial financial settlements with the federal government under the FCA for a variety of alleged improper activities, including causing false claims to be submitted as a result of the marketing of their products for unapproved and thus non-reimbursable uses and interactions with prescribers and other customers, including those that may have affected their billing or coding practices and submission of claims to the federal government. FCA liability is potentially significant in the healthcare industry because the statute provides for treble damages and mandatory monetary penalties for each false or fraudulent claim or statement. Because of the potential for large monetary exposure, healthcare and medical device companies often resolve allegations without admissions of liability for significant and material amounts to avoid the uncertainty of treble damages and per claim penalties that may be awarded in litigation proceedings. Settlements may require companies to enter into corporate integrity agreements with the government, which may impose substantial costs on companies to ensure compliance. Medical device manufacturers and other healthcare companies also are subject to other federal false claims laws, including, among others, federal criminal healthcare fraud and false statement statutes that extend to non-government health benefit programs;
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HIPAA, which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making a materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation, or making or using any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or entry in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal healthcare Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;
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HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH Act, and their implementing regulations, also impose obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, on covered entities subject to the rule, such as health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and certain healthcare providers, as well as their business associates and their subcontractors that perform certain services for them or on their behalf involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;
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various state laws govern the privacy and security of personal information, including the California Consumer Protection Act, or CCPA, which became effective January 1, 2020, and gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used by requiring covered companies to provide new disclosures
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to California consumers (as that term is broadly defined) and provide such consumers new ways to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches;
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the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, implemented as Open Payments, requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program to report annually, with certain exceptions to CMS, information related to payments or other “transfers of value” made to physicians, as defined by such law, and teaching hospitals, and requires applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations to report annually to CMS ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Beginning in 2022, applicable manufacturers also will be required to report such information regarding payments and transfers of value provided, during the previous year to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, anesthesiologist assistants, certified nurse anesthetists and certified nurse-midwives; and
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analogous state and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers; state laws that require medical device companies to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state beneficiary inducement laws, which are state laws that require medical device manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; and state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
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State and federal regulatory and enforcement agencies continue to actively investigate violations of healthcare laws and regulations, and the U.S. Congress continues to strengthen the arsenal of enforcement tools. Most recently, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, or the BBA, increased the criminal and civil penalties that can be imposed for violating certain federal health care laws, including the Anti-Kickback Statute. Enforcement agencies also continue to pursue novel theories of liability under these laws. In particular, government agencies have increased regulatory scrutiny and enforcement activity with respect to manufacturer reimbursement support activities and patient support programs, including bringing criminal charges or civil enforcement actions under the Anti-Kickback Statute, FCA and HIPAA’s healthcare fraud and privacy provisions.
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available under such laws, it is possible that some of our business activities, including certain sales and marketing practices of our test kits, and financial arrangements with physicians, other healthcare providers, and other customers, could be subject to challenge under one or more such laws. If an arrangement were deemed to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, it may also subject us to violations under other fraud and abuse laws such as the federal civil FCA and civil monetary penalties laws. Moreover, such arrangements could be found to violate comparable state fraud and abuse laws.
Achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable federal and state anti-fraud and abuse laws may prove costly. If we or our employees are found to have violated any of the above laws we may be subjected to substantial criminal, civil and administrative penalties, including imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and significant fines, monetary penalties, forfeiture, disgorgement and damages, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any action or investigation against us for the violation of these healthcare fraud and abuse laws, even if successfully defended, could result in significant legal expenses and could divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. Companies settling FCA, Anti-Kickback Statute or civil monetary penalties law cases also may enter into a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, or the OIG, in order to avoid exclusion from participation (such as loss of coverage for their products) in federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Corporate Integrity Agreements typically impose substantial costs on companies to ensure compliance. Defending against any such actions can be costly, time-consuming and may require significant personnel resources, and may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the medical device industry’s relationship with physicians is under increasing scrutiny by the OIG, the U.S. Department of Justice, or the DOJ, the state attorney generals and other foreign and domestic government agencies. Our failure to comply with requirements governing the industry’s relationships with physicians or an investigation into our compliance by the OIG, the DOJ, state attorney generals and other government agencies, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners, distributors and vendors may engage in fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates: (1) the laws of the FDA and other similar regulatory bodies, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such regulators, (2) manufacturing standards, (3) healthcare fraud and abuse laws in the United States and similar foreign fraudulent misconduct laws, or (4) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. These laws may impact, among other things, future sales, marketing and education programs. In particular, the promotion, sales and marketing of healthcare items and services, as well as certain business arrangements in the healthcare industry, are subject to extensive laws designed to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, structuring and commissions, certain customer incentive programs and other business arrangements generally. Activities subject to these laws also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of patient recruitment for clinical trials.
In connection with our recent initial public offering, we adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent these activities may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, additional integrity reporting and oversight obligations, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment of operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Whether or not we are successful in defending against any such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees and reputational harm, and divert the attention of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or investigations, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Healthcare reform initiatives and other administrative and legislative proposals may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in our key markets.*
There have been and continue to be proposals by the federal government, state governments, regulators and third-party payors to control or manage the increased costs of healthcare and, more generally, to reform the U.S. healthcare system. Certain of these proposals could limit the prices we are able to charge for our test kits or the coverage and reimbursement available for our test kits and could limit the acceptance and availability of our test kits. The adoption of proposals to control costs could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has passed several bills addressing coverage and payment for COVID-19 diagnostic tests and related services, including mandates for coverage and payment of certain tests. Further federal legislative action to address the ongoing pandemic is expected. Future legislation may change current laws to adversely affect coverage and reimbursement of our test kits, which could harm our business.
For example, in the United States, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, together, the Affordable Care Act or the ACA, was a sweeping measure that expanded healthcare coverage within the United States, primarily through the imposition of health insurance mandates on employers and people, the provision of subsidies to eligible people enrolled in plans offered on the health insurance exchanges and the expansion of the Medicaid program.
There have been judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, as well as recent efforts by the current U.S. presidential administration to repeal or replace certain aspects of the ACA. For example, Congress has considered legislation that would repeal or repeal and replace all or part of the ACA. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the ACA have been signed into law. The Tax Act includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain people who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” In addition, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 permanently eliminated, effective January 1, 2020, the ACA-mandated medical device tax and the “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and, effective January 1, 2021, also
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eliminates the annual fee imposed on certain health insurance providers based on market share. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. Thus, the ACA will remain in effect in its current form. Further, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, on January 28, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that initiated a special enrollment period for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA marketplace, which began on February 15, 2021, and remained open through August 15, 2021. The executive order also instructed certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the ACA. It is possible that the ACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is unclear how such challenges and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will affect the ACA and our business.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. On August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was signed into law, which, among other things, includes reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, including the BBA, will remain in effect through 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken, with the exception of a temporary suspension of the 2% cut in Medicare payments from May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.
Further, Congress is considering additional health reform measures. Future federal or state legislative or administrative changes may harm our business and financial results, and we cannot predict how future healthcare reform measures will affect our business.
There likely will continue to be legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future or their full impact. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may harm:
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our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our test kits, once approved;
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our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability; and
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the availability of capital.
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Various new healthcare reform proposals are emerging at the federal and state level, and additional legislative measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are expected. Any new federal and state healthcare initiatives that may be adopted could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operations involve hazardous materials and we and third parties with whom we contract must comply with environmental laws and regulations, which can be expensive and restrict how we do business, and could expose us to liability if our use of such hazardous materials causes injury.
Our manufacturing processes currently require the controlled use of potentially harmful chemicals. We cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury to contracted employees from offshore or third parties from the use, storage, handling or disposal of these materials. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources or any applicable insurance coverage we may have. Additionally, we are subject to, on an ongoing basis, laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specified waste products. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations may become significant and could negatively impact our reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In the event of an accident or if we otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could lose our permits or approvals or be held liable for damages or penalized with fines.
In addition, because our test kit contains electronic components and batteries which are purchased from third-party vendors, we may be required under rules promulgated by the SEC governing disclosure of the use of “conflict minerals” (tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold) to determine whether those minerals are necessary to the functionality or production of our test kits and, if so, conduct a country of origin inquiry with respect to all such minerals. If any such minerals may have originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, or any of its adjoining countries, or covered countries, then we must conduct diligence on the source
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and chain of custody of those conflict minerals to determine if they originated in one of the covered countries and, if so, whether they financed or benefited armed groups in the covered countries. Disclosures relating to the products that may contain conflict minerals, the country of origin of those minerals and whether they are “DRC conflict free” must be provided in a Form SD (and accompanying conflict minerals report, if required, to disclose the diligence undertaken by us in sourcing the minerals and our conclusions relating to such diligence). If we are required to submit a conflict minerals report, that report must be audited by an independent auditor pursuant to existing government auditing standards. Compliance with this disclosure rule may be very time-consuming for our management and personnel (as well as time-consuming for our suppliers) and could involve the expenditure of significant amounts of money by us and them. Disclosures mandated by this rule, which can be perceived by the market to be “negative,” may cause customers to refuse to purchase our test kits. The cost of compliance with the rule could adversely affect our results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent or other intellectual property protection for any test kits we develop or for our platform, or if the scope of the patent and other intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize test kits and platform similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize any test kits we may develop, and our platform, may be harmed.
As with other medical device companies, our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain, maintain and solidify a proprietary position for our current and any future test kits, which will depend upon our success in obtaining effective patent protection in the United States and other countries that cover, and other intellectual property with respect to, such test kits, their manufacturing processes and their intended methods of use and enforcing those patent claims once granted as well as our other intellectual property. In some cases, we may not be able to obtain issued patent claims or other intellectual property covering our technologies which are sufficient to prevent third parties, such as our competitors, from utilizing our platform. Any failure to obtain or maintain patent and other intellectual property protection with respect to our current and any future test kits or other aspects of our business could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in either the patent laws or their interpretation in the United States and other countries may diminish our ability to protect our inventions, obtain, maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights and, more generally, could affect the value of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patents. Additionally, we cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient protection from competitors or other third parties.
The patent prosecution process is expensive, time-consuming and complex, and we may not be able to file, prosecute, maintain, enforce or license all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output in time to obtain patent protection. Although we enter into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to confidential or patentable aspects of our research and development output, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, suppliers, consultants, advisors and other third parties, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose such output before a patent application is filed, thereby jeopardizing our ability to seek and obtain patent protection. In addition, our ability to obtain and maintain valid and enforceable patents depends in part on whether the differences between our inventions and the prior art allow our inventions to be patentable over the prior art. Furthermore, the publication of discoveries in scientific literature often lags behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions.
Moreover, in some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the patents, covering technology that we license from or license to third parties, including Eiken, and are therefore reliant on our licensors or licensees, and may be reliant on future licensors or licensees, to protect certain of our intellectual property used in our business. If our licensors or licensees fail to adequately protect this intellectual property or if we do not have exclusivity for the marketing of our test kits, whether because our licensors do not grant us exclusivity or they do not enforce the intellectual property against our competitors, our ability to commercialize products could suffer. For example, we rely on Eiken to maintain the patents and otherwise protect the intellectual property we license from Eiken pursuant to the Eiken License and Eiken may not successfully prosecute, maintain and protect such patents and intellectual property or may determine not to pursue litigation against third-parties that are infringing these rights, or may pursue litigation less aggressively than we would.
Therefore, these and any of our patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. Defects of form in the preparation or filing of our patents or patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, for example, with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship and the like, although we are unaware of any such defects that we believe are of importance. If we or any current or future licensors or licensees fail to establish, maintain, protect or enforce such patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights may be reduced or eliminated. If any current or future licensors
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or licensees are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised. If there are material defects in the form, preparation or prosecution of our patents or patent applications, such patents or applications may be invalid and/or unenforceable. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties, which may materially harm our business.
The strength of patent rights generally, and particularly the patent position of medical device companies, involves complex legal and scientific questions and can be uncertain, and has been the subject of much litigation in recent years. This uncertainty includes changes to the patent laws through either legislative action to changes to statutory patent law or court action that may reinterpret existing law or rules in ways affecting the scope or validity of issued patents or the chances that patent applications will result in issued claims and the scope of any such claims. Our current or future patent applications may fail to result in issued patents in the United States or foreign countries with claims that cover our current and any future test kits. Even if patents do successfully issue from our patent applications, third parties may challenge the validity, enforceability or scope of such patents, which may result in such patents being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable. Any successful challenge to our patents could deprive us of exclusive rights necessary for the successful commercialization of our current and any future test kits, which may harm our business. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patents may not adequately protect our current and any future test kits, provide exclusivity for such test kits or prevent others from designing around our claims. If the scope of any patent protection we obtain is not sufficiently broad, or if we lose any of our patent protection, our ability to prevent our competitors from commercializing similar or identical technology and test kits would be adversely affected. If the breadth or strength of protection provided by the patents we hold or pursue with respect to our current and any future test kits is challenged, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop, or threaten our ability to commercialize, our current and any future test kits.
Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a utility patent is generally 20 years after its effective filing date and the natural expiration of a design patent is generally 14 years after its issue date, unless the filing date occurred on or after May 13, 2015, in which case the natural expiration of a design patent is generally 15 years after its issue date. However, the actual protection afforded by a patent varies from country to country, and depends upon many factors, including the type of patent, the scope of its coverage, the availability of regulatory-related extensions, the availability of legal remedies in a particular country and the validity and enforceability of the patent. Various extensions may be available; however, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Without patent protection for our current and any future test kits and services, we may be open to competition, which may harm our business prospects. Further, if we encounter delays in our development efforts, the period of time during which we could market our current and any future test kits and services under patent protection would be reduced and, given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of planned or future test kits, patents protecting our current and any future test kits might expire before or shortly after such test kits are commercialized. For information regarding the expiration dates of patents in our patent portfolio, see Part I, Item 1 “Business—Intellectual Property” in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K. As our patents expire, the scope of our patent protection will be reduced, which may reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage afforded by our patent portfolio. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing test kits similar or identical to ours.
Moreover, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted after issuance. Even if patent applications we license or own, currently or in the future, issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors or other third parties from competing with us, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Any patents that we own now or in the future may be challenged, narrowed, circumvented or invalidated by third parties. Consequently, we do not know whether our current and any future test kits or other technologies will be protectable or remain protected by valid and enforceable patents. Our competitors or other third parties may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or test kits in a non-infringing manner which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Some of our patents and patent applications may in the future be jointly-owned with third parties. If we are unable to obtain an exclusive license to any such third-party joint-owners’ interest in such patents or patent applications, such co-owners may be able to license their rights to other third parties, including our competitors, and our competitors could market competing test kits and technology. In addition, we may need the cooperation of any such joint-owners of our patents in order to enforce such patents against third parties, and such cooperation may not be provided to us. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, we may find it necessary or prudent to acquire or obtain licenses from third-party intellectual property holders. However, we may be unable to acquire or secure such licenses to any intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify as necessary for our current and any future test kits. The acquisition or licensing of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and our competitors may pursue strategies to acquire or license third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive or necessary. Our competitors may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, capital resources and greater development and commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling
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to assign or license rights to us. We also may be unable to acquire or license third-party intellectual property rights on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment or at all. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to abandon development of the relevant test kits, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are dependent on patents and other intellectual property licensed from others and may become dependent on other patents or other intellectual property licensed from others in the future. If we lose our licenses for intellectual property that is important to our business, we may not be able to continue developing or selling our test kits.
We have obtained licenses that give us rights to third-party intellectual property that is necessary or useful to our business. The license agreements covering our test kits impose various obligations on us. One or more of our licensors may allege that we have breached our license agreement with them, and accordingly seek to terminate our license. If we materially breach the obligations in our license agreements, the licensor typically has the right to terminate the license and we may not be able to market products that were covered by the license, which could adversely affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects. In addition, any claims brought against us by our licensors could be costly and time-consuming and would divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations.
Patents covering our current, and any future test kits, or our technologies could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad and may not provide us with adequate proprietary protection or competitive advantage against competitors with similar products. We may be subject to a third-party preissuance submission of prior art to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, or become involved in opposition, derivation, revocation, reexamination, post-grant and inter partes review, or IPR, or interference proceedings or other similar proceedings challenging our patent rights. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate or render unenforceable, such patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our platform or our current and any future test kits and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize test kits without infringing third-party patent rights. Moreover, we may have to participate in post-grant challenge proceedings, such as oppositions in a foreign patent office, that challenge features of patentability with respect to our patents and patent applications. Such challenges may result in loss of patent rights, in loss of exclusivity or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and test kits, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our current and any future test kits or technologies. Such proceedings also may result in substantial cost and require significant time from our management, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us.
In addition, if we initiate legal proceedings against a third-party to enforce a patent covering our current and any future test kits, the defendant could counterclaim that such patent is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO or made a misleading statement during prosecution. Defenses of these types of claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. Third parties may also raise claims challenging the validity or enforceability of our patents before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation, including through re-examination, post-grant review, IPR, derivation proceedings and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (such as opposition proceedings). Such proceedings could result in the revocation of, cancellation of or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover our current and any future test kits or technologies. The outcome for any particular patent following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant or other third-party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our current and any future test kits and technology. Such a loss of patent protection would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely substantially on our trademarks and trade names. If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be harmed.
We rely substantially upon trademarks to build and maintain the integrity of our brand. Our registered and unregistered trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic or determined to be violating or infringing on other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights to these trademarks and trade names, which we rely upon to build name
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recognition among potential partners and customers in our markets of interest. At times, competitors or other third parties may adopt trade names or trademarks similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to market confusion and asserting claims against such third parties may be prohibitively expensive. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement or dilution claims brought by owners of other trademarks against us. Over the long term, if we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names or other intellectual property may be ineffective, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The medical device industry is characterized by intellectual property litigation and in the future could become subject to, litigation that could be costly, result in the diversion of management’s time and efforts, require us to pay damages or prevent us from marketing our existing or future test kits.
Litigation regarding patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights is prevalent in the medical device and diagnostic sectors and companies in these sectors have used intellectual property litigation to gain a competitive advantage. Our commercial success depends in part upon our ability and that of our contract manufacturers and suppliers to manufacture, market, and sell our planned test kits, and to use our proprietary technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the proprietary rights or intellectual property of third parties. Because we have not conducted a formal freedom to operate analysis for patents related to our test kits, we may not be aware of issued patents that a third-party might assert are infringed by our current or any future test kits, which could materially impair our ability to commercialize our current or any future test kits. Even if we diligently search third-party patents for potential infringement by our current or any future test kits, we may not successfully find patents that our current or any future test kits may infringe. If we are unable to secure and maintain freedom to operate, others could preclude us from commercializing our current or future test kits. We may in the future become party to, or be threatened with, adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our current and any future test kits and technology, whether or not we are actually infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the rights of third parties. Additional third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights, regardless of merit. If we are found to infringe a third-party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third-party to continue developing and marketing our current and any future test kits and technology. We may also elect to enter into such a license to settle pending or threatened litigation. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us, and could require us to pay significant royalties and other fees. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease commercializing the infringing technology or test kits. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, which may be significant. If we are found to have willfully infringed a third-party patent, we could be required to pay treble damages and attorneys’ fees. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our planned test kits in commercially important territories, or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could harm our business. Many of our employees were previously employed at, and many of our current advisors and consultants are employed by, universities or other biotechnology, medical device or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees, advisors and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we, or these employees, have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. These and other claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties can have a similar negative impact on our business to the infringement claims discussed above.
Even if we are successful in defending against intellectual property claims, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to such claims may cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial negative impact on the price of our common stock. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce our resources available for development activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of litigation or other intellectual property related proceedings could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Many countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of such patent. If we are forced to grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents relevant to our business, our competitive position may be impaired, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.
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Obtaining and maintaining our intellectual property, including patent, protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by government agencies, and our intellectual property, including patent, protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
Obtaining and maintaining our intellectual property, including patent, protection depends on compliance with various procedural measures, document submissions, fee payments and other requirements imposed by government agencies, and our intellectual property, including patent, protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other government fees on intellectual property registrations and applications will be due to be paid to the applicable government agencies, including with respect to patents and patent applications the USPTO and similar agencies outside of the United States, over the lifetime of our intellectual property registrations and applications, including our patents and patent applications. The various applicable government agencies, including with respect to patents and patent applications the USPTO and similar agencies outside of the United States, require compliance with several procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the application process. In some cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. There are situations, however, in which non-compliance can result in the abandonment or lapse of the intellectual property registration or application, resulting in a partial or complete loss of intellectual property rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of an intellectual property registration or application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In such an event, potential competitors might be able to enter the market with similar or identical test kits or technology, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have limited foreign intellectual property rights and may not be able to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights throughout the world, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have limited intellectual property rights outside the United States. Filing, prosecuting and defending patents or trademarks on our current and any future test kits in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions or utilizing our trademarks in all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing test kits made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own test kits and, further, may export otherwise infringing test kits to territories where we have patent protection but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These test kits may compete with our current and any future test kits, and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing test kits in violation of our intellectual property and proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, could put our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.
Changes in U.S. patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our current and any future test kits.
Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents. Assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, prior to March 2013, in the United States, the first to invent the claimed invention was entitled to the patent, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application was entitled to the patent. After March 2013, under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the America Invents Act, enacted in September 2011, the United States transitioned to a first inventor to file system in which, assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether a third-party was the first to invent the claimed invention. A third-party that files a patent application in the USPTO after March 2013, but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we had made the invention before it was made by such third-party. This will require us to be cognizant of the time from invention to filing of a patent application. Since patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing or until issuance, we cannot be certain that we were the first to file any patent application related to our current and any future test kits.
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The America Invents Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications will be prosecuted and also may affect patent litigation. These include allowing third-party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, IPR and derivation proceedings.
Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in U.S. federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third-party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third-party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third-party as a defendant in a district court action. Therefore, the America Invents Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. In addition, future actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO could cause the laws and regulations governing patents to change in unpredictable ways. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have made and will likely continue to make changes in how the patent laws of the United States are interpreted. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the validity and enforceability of patents, once obtained. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that could weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future. We cannot predict how this and future decisions by the courts, the U.S. Congress or the USPTO may impact the value of our patents. Any similar adverse changes in the patent laws of other jurisdictions could also harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may be subject to claims challenging the ownership or inventorship of our patents and other intellectual property and, if unsuccessful in any of these proceedings, we may be required to obtain licenses from third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or to cease the development, manufacture and commercialization of one or more of our current and any future test kits.
We may be subject to claims that current or former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in our patents, trade secrets or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, we may have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of employees, consultants or others who are involved in developing our current and any future test kits. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship of our patents, trade secrets or other intellectual property. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, intellectual property that is important to our current and any future test kits. If we were to lose exclusive ownership of such intellectual property, other owners may be able to license their rights to other third parties, including our competitors. We also may be required to obtain and maintain licenses from third parties, including parties involved in any such disputes. Such licenses may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or may be non-exclusive. If we are unable to obtain and maintain such licenses, we may need to cease the development, manufacture and commercialization of one or more of our current and any future test kits. The loss of exclusivity or the narrowing of our patent claims could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and test kits. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other violation against us or our collaborators may prevent or delay the sale and marketing of our current and any future test kits.
The medical device industry is highly competitive and dynamic. Due to the focused research and development that is taking place by several companies, including us and our competitors, in this field, the intellectual property landscape is in flux, and it may remain uncertain in the future. As such, we could become subject to significant intellectual property-related litigation and proceedings relating to our or third-party intellectual property and proprietary rights.
Our commercial success depends in part on our and any potential future collaborators’ ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell any test kits that we may develop and use our proprietary technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the patents and other intellectual property or proprietary rights of third parties. It is uncertain whether the issuance of any third-party patent would require us or any potential collaborators to alter our development or commercial strategies, obtain licenses or cease certain activities. The medical device industry is characterized by extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights, as well as administrative proceedings for challenging patents, including interference, inter partes or post-grant review, derivation and reexamination proceedings before the USPTO or oppositions and other comparable proceedings in foreign jurisdictions.
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Third parties, including our competitors, may currently have patents or obtain patents in the future and claim that the manufacture, use or sale of our current and any future test kits infringes upon these patents. We have not conducted an extensive search of patents issued or assigned to other parties, including our competitors, and no assurance can be given that patents containing claims covering our current and any future test kits, parts of our current and any future test kits, technology or methods do not exist, have not been filed or could not be filed or issued. In addition, because patent applications can take many years to issue and because publication schedules for pending applications vary by jurisdiction, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware and which may result in issued patents which our current or future test kits infringe. Also, because the claims of published patent applications can change between publication and patent grant, there may be published patent applications that may ultimately issue with claims that we infringe. As the number of competitors in our market grows and the number of patents issued in this area increases, the possibility of patent infringement claims against us escalates.
In the event that any third-party claims that we infringe their patents or that we are otherwise employing their proprietary technology without authorization and initiates litigation against us, even if we believe such claims are without merit, there is no assurance that a court would find in our favor on questions of infringement, validity, enforceability or priority. A court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable and infringed by our current and any future test kits, which could harm our ability to commercialize any test kit we may develop and any other technologies covered by the asserted third-party patents. In order to successfully challenge the validity of any such U.S. patent in federal court, we would need to overcome a presumption of validity. As this burden is a high one requiring us to present clear and convincing evidence as to the invalidity of any such U.S. patent claim, there is no assurance that a court of competent jurisdiction would invalidate the claims of any such U.S. patent. If we are found to infringe third-party intellectual property rights, including patents, and we are unsuccessful in demonstrating that such patents or other intellectual property rights are invalid or unenforceable, such third parties may be able to block our ability to commercialize the applicable test kits or technology unless we obtain a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or are finally determined to be held invalid or unenforceable. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we are able to obtain a license, the license would likely obligate us to pay significant license fees and/or royalties, and the rights granted to us might be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same technology. If we are unable to obtain a necessary license to a third-party patent on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we may be unable to commercialize our current and any future test kits, or such commercialization efforts may be significantly delayed, which could in turn significantly harm our business.
Defense of infringement claims, regardless of their merit or outcome, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of management and other employee resources from our business, and may impact our reputation. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be enjoined from further developing or commercializing the infringing test kits and/or have to pay substantial damages for use of the asserted intellectual property, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees were we found to willfully infringe such intellectual property. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also might have to redesign our infringing test kits or technologies, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure.
Engaging in litigation to defend against third-party infringement claims is very expensive, particularly for a company of our size, and time-consuming. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial negative impact on our common stock price. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of litigation or administrative proceedings more effectively than we can because of greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings against us could impair our ability to compete in the marketplace. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents, or the patents of any future licensing partners, or we may be required to defend against claims of infringement. In addition, our patents or the patents of any such licensing partners also may become involved in inventorship, priority or validity disputes. To counter or defend against such claims can be expensive and time-consuming. In an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that our patent is invalid or unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover such technology. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation.
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Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our management and other personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial negative impact on our common stock price. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct such litigation or proceedings adequately. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could harm our ability to compete in the marketplace. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their current or former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property. Such claims could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As is common in the medical device industry, our employees, consultants and advisors may be currently or previously employed or engaged at universities or other medical device or healthcare companies, including our competitors and potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants and advisors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may in the future become subject to claims that we or these people have, inadvertently or otherwise, used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of their current or former employer. Also, we may in the future be subject to claims that these people are violating non-compete agreements with their former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who, in fact, conceives or develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The assignment of intellectual property rights may not be self-executing, or the assignment agreements may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims that they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Such claims could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats, and limitations in intellectual property rights could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations and may not adequately protect our business or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. For example:
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others may be able to make test kits that are similar to our current and any future test kits or utilize similar technology but that are not covered by the claims of our patents or that incorporate certain technology in our current and any future test kits that is in the public domain;
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we, or our current and future licensors or collaborators, might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our or their inventions;
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we, or our current and future licensors or collaborators, may fail to meet our obligations to the U.S. government regarding any future patents and patent applications funded by U.S. government grants, leading to the loss or unenforceability of patent rights;
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others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;
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it is possible that our current or future pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents;
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it is possible that there are prior public disclosures that could invalidate our patents, or parts of our patents;
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it is possible that there are unpublished applications or patent applications maintained in secrecy that may later issue with claims covering our current and any future test kits or technology similar to ours;
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it is possible that our patents or patent applications omit people that should be listed as inventors or include people that should not be listed as inventors, which may cause these patents or patents issuing from these patent applications to be held invalid or unenforceable;
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issued patents that we hold rights to may be held invalid or unenforceable, including as a result of legal challenges by our competitors or other third parties;
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the claims of our patents or patent applications, if and when issued, may not cover our current and any future test kits or technologies;
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the laws of foreign countries may not protect our proprietary rights or the rights of future licensors or collaborators to the same extent as the laws of the United States;
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the inventors of our patents or patent applications may become involved with competitors, develop test kits or processes that design around our patents, or become hostile to us or the patents or patent applications on which they are named as inventors;
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our competitors or other third parties might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive test kits for sale in our major commercial markets;
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we have engaged in scientific collaborations in the past and will continue to do so in the future and our collaborators may develop adjacent or competing test kits that are outside the scope of our patents;
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we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable;
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the patents of others may harm our business; or
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we may choose not to file a patent in order to maintain certain trade secrets or know-how, and a third-party may subsequently file a patent covering such intellectual property.
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Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them or that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed. If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.
In addition to seeking patent protection for our current and any future test kits, we also rely upon unpatented trade secrets, know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain a competitive position, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect such proprietary information, in part, through non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with our employees, collaborators, contractors, advisors, consultants and other third parties and invention assignment agreements with our employees. We also have agreements with our consultants that require them to assign to us any inventions created as a result of their working with us. The confidentiality agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information and, in the case of agreements or clauses containing invention assignment, to grant us ownership of technologies that are developed through a relationship with employees or third parties.
We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that has or may have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary information. Additionally, despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third-party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to, or independently developed by, a competitor or other third-party, our competitive position would be materially and adversely harmed. Furthermore, we expect these trade secrets, know-how and proprietary information to over
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time be disseminated within the industry through independent development, the publication of journal articles describing the methodology and the movement of personnel from academic to industry scientific positions.
We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and trade secrets by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these people, organizations and systems, agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known, or be independently discovered by, competitors. To the extent that our employees, consultants, contractors or collaborators use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our third-party manufacturing partner, Jabil, does not respect our intellectual property and trade secrets and produce competitive test kits using our designs or intellectual property, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.
We conduct most of our manufacturing activities through Jabil at its Michigan and Dominican Republic facilities. Although the Jabil MSA generally precludes Jabil from misusing our intellectual property and trade secrets, or using our designs to manufacture test kits for our competitors, we may be unsuccessful in monitoring and enforcing our intellectual property rights and may find counterfeit goods in the market being sold as our current and any future test kits or test kits similar to ours produced for our competitors using our intellectual property. Although we take steps to stop counterfeits, we may not be successful and network operators who purchase these counterfeit goods may experience product defects or failures, harming our reputation and brand and causing us to lose future sales. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Our stock price may be volatile, and the value of our common stock may decline.*
The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and may fluctuate or decline substantially as a result of a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including limited trading volume. For example, from February 5, 2021 to November 8, 2021, our stock price ranged from a high of $37.98 to a low of $4.23. In addition to the factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, these factors including:
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the receipt of additional or amended EUAs from the FDA for our COVID-19 test kit and the timing thereof;
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our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our test kits;
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changes in laws or regulations applicable to our test kits;
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adverse developments concerning Jabil or any of our third-party collaborators and suppliers, including our sole-source suppliers;
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our inability to obtain adequate product supply for any approved test kit or inability to do so at acceptable prices;
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our ability to reliably manufacture and distribute our test kits;
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the degree and rate of physician and market adoption of any of our test kits, and initially our COVID-19 test kit;
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announcements by us or our competitors of significant business developments, diagnostic technologies, acquisitions, or new offerings;
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negative publicity associated with issues related to our test kits;
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changes in the anticipated future size and growth rate of the COVID-19 and influenza diagnostic testing markets as a result of widely administered use of an efficacious vaccine or other treatment;
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the development of new vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 or the announcement of impending approval of such new vaccines or treatments;
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our inability to establish collaborations, if needed;
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future sales of our common stock or other securities, by us or our stockholders, as well as the anticipation of lock-up releases;
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changes in senior management or key personnel;
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the trading volume of our common stock;
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performance or news releases by other companies in our industry including about adverse developments related to safety, effectiveness, accuracy and usability of their products, reputational concerns, reimbursement coverage, regulatory compliance, and product recalls;
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general economic, regulatory and market conditions, including economic recessions or slowdowns;
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and results of operations, including as a result of anticipated or unanticipated demand based on seasonal factors;
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variance in our financial performance from expectations of securities analysts or investors;
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changes in our projected operating and financial results;
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developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;
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significant lawsuits, including patent or stockholder litigation;
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general political and economic conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic; and
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other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control.
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Broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, pandemic, political, regulatory, and market conditions, may negatively impact the market price of our common stock. In addition, given the relatively small public float of shares of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, the trading market for our shares may be subject to increased volatility. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against companies that have experienced volatility or following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us, because medical device companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.
Substantial future sales and issuances of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.
In addition, certain of our stockholders have registration rights that would require us to register shares owned by them for public sale in the United States. We have also filed a registration statement to register shares reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans. As a result, subject to the satisfaction of applicable exercise periods and applicable volume and restrictions that apply to affiliates, the shares issued upon exercise of outstanding stock options or upon settlement of outstanding restricted stock unit awards are available for immediate resale in the United States in the open market.
Sales of our shares could also impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities in the future and at a price we deem appropriate. These sales could also have an adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.
Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.
Our executive officers, directors and current beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock beneficially own a significant percentage of our outstanding common stock. These stockholders, acting together, will be able to significantly influence all
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matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and any merger or other significant corporate transactions. The interests of this group of stockholders may not coincide with the interests of other stockholders.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and, as a result, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and may be restricted by the terms of any then-current debt instruments. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company and our compliance with the reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved and extended adoption period for accounting pronouncements.
We are also a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
Investors may find our common stock less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
Anti-takeover provisions under our charter documents and Delaware law could delay or prevent a change of control which could limit the market price of our common stock and may prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our board of directors that our stockholders might consider favorable. Some of these provisions include:
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a board of directors divided into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, such that not all members of the board will be elected at one time;
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a prohibition on stockholder action through written consent, which requires that all stockholder actions be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;
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a requirement that special meetings of stockholders be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, the president, or by a majority of the total number of authorized directors;
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advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations for election to our board of directors;
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a requirement that no member of our board of directors may be removed from office by our stockholders except for cause and, in addition to any other vote required by law, upon the approval of not less than two-thirds of all outstanding shares of our voting stock then entitled to vote in the election of directors;
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a requirement of approval of not less than two-thirds of all outstanding shares of our voting stock to amend any bylaws by stockholder action or to amend specific provisions of our certificate of incorporation; and
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the authority of the board of directors to issue preferred stock on terms determined by the board of directors without stockholder approval and which preferred stock may include rights superior to the rights of the holders of common stock.
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In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law, which may prohibit certain business antitakeover provisions and other provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirors to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current board of directors and could also delay or impede a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest involving our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing or cause us to take other corporate actions you desire. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our board of directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law: (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders, (3) any action or proceeding asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, or other employees, arising out of or pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, (4) any action or proceeding to interpret, apply, enforce, or determine the validity of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, (5) any action or proceeding as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law confers jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, and (6) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers, or other employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the court’s having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants.
These provisions would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws will further provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such instance, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity and enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws. This may require significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions and the provisions may not be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions.
These exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees and may discourage these types of lawsuits. Furthermore, the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation or bylaws has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. If a court were to find either exclusive forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur further significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, all of which could seriously harm our business.
General Risk Factors
We have incurred and will continue to incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.
As a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We expect such expenses to further increase after we are no longer an emerging growth company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of Nasdaq and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies. Furthermore, the
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senior members of our management team do not have significant experience with operating a public company. As a result, our management and other personnel will have to devote a substantial amount of time to compliance with these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. Accordingly, we expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future and we may not achieve profitability in the future and that, if we do become profitable, we may not sustain profitability. Our failure to achieve and sustain profitability in the future will make it more difficult to finance our business and accomplish our strategic objectives, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In addition, failure of our test kits to significantly penetrate the target markets would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As a result of being a public company, we are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, and any failure to maintain the adequacy of these internal controls may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
We will be required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, which is the year covered by the second annual report following the completion of our initial public offering. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC following the date we are no longer an emerging growth company if we are not a non-accelerated filer at such time.
If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our operating results could fall below our publicly announced guidance or the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
The preparation of our financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, equity, revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. For example, in connection with the revenue accounting standard, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 606, management makes judgments and assumptions based on our interpretation of the new standard. The revenue standard is principle-based and interpretation of those principles may vary from company to company based on their unique circumstances. It is possible that interpretation, industry practice and guidance may evolve as we apply the standard. If our assumptions underlying our estimates and judgments relating to our critical accounting policies change or if actual circumstances differ from our assumptions, estimates or judgments, our operating results may be adversely affected and could fall below our publicly announced guidance or the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
Changes in tax law and regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.*
The rules dealing with U.S. federal, state and local income taxation are constantly under review by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Treasury Department and other governmental bodies. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect us or holders of our common stock. In recent years, many such changes have been made and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future. Future changes in tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow. For example, proposals have recently been made in Congress (which have not yet been enacted) to increase the federal income tax rate applicable to corporate income and make other tax law changes affecting corporations. We urge investors to consult with their legal and tax advisers regarding the implication of potential changes in tax laws on an investment in our common stock.
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Our failure to meet Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements could result in a delisting of our common stock.
If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, such as the corporate governance requirements or the minimum closing bid price requirement, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us to restore compliance with listing requirements would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with the listing requirements of Nasdaq.
We are subject to U.S. and certain foreign export and import controls, sanctions, embargoes, anti-corruption laws and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Compliance with these legal standards could impair our ability to compete in domestic and international markets. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations, which can harm our business.
We are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls, and anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and other state and national anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in the countries in which we conduct or may in the future conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, contractors and other third-party collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering, providing, soliciting or receiving, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to recipients in the public or private sector. We may engage third parties outside of the United States to sell our test kits internationally once we enter a commercialization phase, and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, patent registrations and other regulatory approvals. We have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities and other organizations. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors and other third-party collaborators, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. Any violations of the laws and regulations described above may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm, and other consequences.
We are subject to numerous laws and regulations related to anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, such as the FCPA, in which violations of these laws could result in substantial penalties and prosecution.
For any operations outside the United States, we are similarly subject to various heavily-enforced anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, such as the FCPA and similar laws around the world. These laws generally prohibit U.S. companies and their employees and intermediaries from offering, promising, authorizing or making improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or gaining any advantage. We face significant risks if we, which includes our third-party business partners and intermediaries, fail to comply with the FCPA or other anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws. In many foreign countries, particularly in countries with developing economies, it may be a local custom that businesses engage in practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other applicable laws and regulations. To that end, our internal control policies and procedures and employee training and compliance programs designed to deter prohibited practices ultimately may not be effective in preventing our employees, contractors, business partners, intermediaries or agents from violating or circumventing our policies and/or the law.
Responding to any enforcement action or related investigation may result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense costs and other professional fees. Any violation of the FCPA or other applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption or anti-money laundering laws could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, severe criminal or civil sanctions and, in the case of the FCPA, suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracts, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We could be subject to securities class action litigation.*
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against companies following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because medical device companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years, and our stock price has been volatile since our IPO. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.
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If securities or industry analysts publish unfavorable or inaccurate research about our business, our common stock price and trading volume could decline.
Our stock price and trading volume will be heavily influenced by the way analysts and investors interpret our financial information and other disclosures. If securities or industry analysts delay publishing reports about our business or publish negative reports about our business, regardless of accuracy, our common stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. We expect that only a limited number of analysts will cover our company following our initial public offering. If the number of analysts that cover us declines, demand for our common stock could decrease and our common stock price and trading volume may decline. Even if our common stock is actively covered by analysts, we do not have any control over the analysts or the measures that analysts or investors may rely upon to forecast our future results. Over-reliance by analysts or investors on any particular metric to forecast our future results may result in forecasts that differ significantly from our own.
Regardless of accuracy, unfavorable interpretations of our financial information and other public disclosures could have a negative impact on our stock price. If our financial performance fails to meet analyst estimates, for any of the reasons discussed above or otherwise, or one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or change their opinion of our common stock, our stock price would likely decline.