S-1/A 1 d123908ds1a.htm AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO FORM S-1 Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1
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Index to Financial Statements

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 15, 2021

Registration No. 333- 259832

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

 

 

MINERVA SURGICAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   3841   26-3422906
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)  

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

4255 Burton Dr.

Santa Clara, CA 95054

(855) 646-7874

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

David M. Clapper

Chief Executive Officer

Minerva Surgical, Inc.

4255 Burton Dr.

Santa Clara, CA 95054

(855) 646-7874

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Philip H. Oettinger

Jesse F. Schumaker

Brian C. Appel

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.

650 Page Mill Road

Palo Alto, California 94304

(650) 493-9300

  

B. Shayne Kennedy

Brian J. Cuneo

Latham & Watkins LLP

650 Town Center Drive, 20th Floor

Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1925

(714) 540-1235

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

  Amount to be
Registered(1)
 

Proposed Maximum
Offering Price Per Share(2)

  Proposed Maximum Aggregate
Offering Price(1)(2)
  Amount of
Registration Fee(3)

Common Stock, $ 0.001 par value

 

7,187,500

 

$17.00

 

$122,187,500

 

$11,326.78

 

 

(1)   Includes the aggregate offering price of 937,500 additional shares of common stock that the underwriters have the option to purchase.
(2)   Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(3)   The Registrant previously paid $10,910 of this amount with a prior filing of the Registration Statement.

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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The information contained in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to completion, dated October 15, 2021

Preliminary prospectus

6,250,000 Shares

 

LOGO

Common stock

This is our initial public offering of our common stock. We are offering 6,250,000 shares of our common stock. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock.

We expect the initial public offering price to be between $15.00 and $17.00 per share. We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Stock Market under the symbol “UTRS.”

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced reporting requirements for this prospectus and may elect to do so in future filings.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please read “Risk factors” beginning on page 16 of this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

     
        PER SHARE        TOTAL  

Initial Public Offering Price

     $                              $                        

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1)

     $          $    

Proceeds to Minerva Surgical, Inc., before expenses

     $          $    

 

(1)   See “Underwriting” beginning on page 219 for additional information regarding underwriter compensation.

We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase an additional 937,500 shares of our common stock.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of common stock to purchasers on or about                 , 2021.

 

J.P. Morgan   Piper Sandler   UBS Investment Bank   SVB Leerink

The date of this prospectus is                 , 2021


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Table of contents

 

     Page  

Prospectus summary

     1  

Risk factors

     16  

Special note regarding forward-looking statements

     74  

Market, industry and other data

     76  

Use of proceeds

     77  

Dividend policy

     78  

Capitalization

     79  

Dilution

     82  

Selected financial data

     85  

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

     89  

Business

     120  

Management

     173  

Executive compensation

     183  

Certain relationships and related-party transactions

     198  

Principal stockholders

     203  

Description of capital stock

     206  

Shares eligible for future sale

     212  

Material U.S. federal income tax considerations for non-U.S. holders of our common stock

     215  

Underwriting

     219  

Legal matters

     232  

Experts

     232  

Where you can find additional information

     232  

Index to financial statements

     F-1  

Through and including                 , 2021 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

Neither we nor the underwriters have not authorized anyone to provide you any information other than that contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the underwriters are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of the shares of common stock offered hereby. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

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For investors outside of the United States: we have not, and the underwriters have not, done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than the United States. Persons outside of the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the shares of common stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.

 

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Prospectus summary

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information and financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. It does not contain all of the information that may be important to you and your investment decision. You should carefully read this entire prospectus, including the sections titled “Risk factors” and “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations,” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus before making an investment decision. In this prospectus, unless the context requires otherwise, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Minerva,” “Minerva Surgical,” or “the Company” refer to Minerva Surgical, Inc.

Business overview

We are a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing minimally invasive solutions to meet the distinct uterine healthcare needs of women. We have established a broad product line of commercially available, minimally invasive alternatives to hysterectomy, which are designed to address the most common causes of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in most uterine anatomies. Our solutions can be used in a variety of medical treatment settings and aim to address the drawbacks associated with alternative treatment methods and to preserve the uterus by avoiding unnecessary hysterectomies.

There is a significant body of peer-reviewed literature that we believe validates the clinical performance of our solutions and supports the ability of our products to meaningfully improve the quality of life for women suffering from AUB. For example, the short- and long-term safety and effectiveness of our endometrial ablation systems, the Minerva ES and the Genesys HTA, have obtained approval through the premarket approval application (PMA) process, and have been evaluated in multiple clinical trials that had sites audited by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

AUB is caused by a variety of factors and is characterized by menstrual blood loss in excess of 80 milliliters (ml) per menstrual cycle, which is two to three times the average blood loss during a normal menstrual cycle. These factors include structural causes within the uterus, such as fibroids and polyps, and non-structural causes, such as hormonal imbalances. AUB can have a significant impact on a woman’s quality of life. Women suffering from AUB typically need to change their sanitary products every two hours or less and pass blood clots the size of a quarter or larger. When left untreated, AUB can stop women from engaging in ordinary daily activities during menstruation, which interferes with their family, social, personal, and professional lives. Prolonged bleeding can result in fatigue and, in extreme cases, anemia.

We offer a broad suite of products for the treatment of structural and non-structural causes of AUB in most uterine anatomies. Our devices are utilized by obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs) across a variety of medical treatment settings, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), and physician offices.

We believe our solutions can provide the following important benefits:

 

 

Improved quality of life. Our solutions are designed to eliminate the pain and life disruption of unwanted, excessive menstrual bleeding, and improve the quality of life for our patients;

 

 

Enhanced patient safety. Our proprietary safety enhancements are designed to reduce the potential complications associated with other endometrial ablation and tissue resection alternatives;

 

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Favorable clinical outcomes. The clinical performance of our PMA-approved products have been evaluated in numerous clinical research studies, demonstrating high rates of procedural success driven by our continued technological innovation;

 

 

Intuitive design and procedural ergonomics. Our products are designed to offer easy setup and intuitive operation, which we believe enables a rapid learning curve and fast adoption by physicians; and

 

 

Increased patient comfort and convenience. Our minimally invasive solutions are designed to maximize the patient’s experience by reducing procedure and recovery times.

We market and sell our products through a direct sales force in the United States. Our target customer base includes approximately 19,000 OB/GYNs practicing in hospital, ASCs, and physician offices. As of June 30, 2021, our commercial team consisted of approximately 80 field-based personnel that call on OB/GYNs in all major U.S. markets. Our sales and marketing programs focus on educating physicians regarding the use of our products and on providing materials to help them educate their patients about our procedures. We also provide online patient-oriented educational materials about AUB and our products and procedures, which patients may use to consider and then discuss treatment options with their physicians.

Third-party coverage and reimbursement for endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures performed in the hospital, ASC, or physician office setting are well established in the United States. These procedures are routinely covered and reimbursed by private healthcare insurance, managed care payors, and government healthcare programs.

We generated revenue of $37.8 million, with a gross margin of 50.6% and a net loss of $18.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to revenue of $26.0 million, with a gross margin of 45.4% and a net loss of $52.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. We generated revenue of $26.0 million, with a gross margin of 60.0% and a net loss of $29.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to revenue of $11.9 million, with a gross margin of 36.7% and a net loss of $4.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

Our market opportunity

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) estimates that one-third of women will seek treatment for AUB. This represents nearly 18 million women of the approximately 55 million women in the 25 to 50 age group in the United States. In addition to the existing patient population with AUB, we estimate that approximately 750,000 women in the United States suffering from AUB enter the 25 to 50 age group each year, representing a potential annual recurring market opportunity of over $900 million. We believe we are well-positioned to serve this patient population and that our solutions have the potential to further change the treatment paradigm and become the standard of care for AUB in patients that are not contraindicated for endometrial ablation. The Minerva ES and Genesys HTA, like all endometrial ablation products, are contraindicated in certain patients, including but not limited to those who are pregnant or who want to become pregnant in the future.

Existing AUB treatments

Treatment for AUB is dependent on a number of factors, including the underlying cause of AUB, the patient’s desire for future fertility, and the anatomy of the uterine cavity. The current treatment pathway for patients suffering from AUB typically begins with medical management or drug therapy, to help manage symptoms. When drug therapies are not effective or side effects are intolerable, patients may progress to surgical

 

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management, such as endometrial ablation for non-structural causes, or tissue resection for structural causes. If endometrial ablation or tissue resection fail or are contraindicated, physicians may recommend a hysterectomy. While tissue resection preserves fertility, endometrial ablation and hysterectomy are only an option for patients for whom childbearing is complete.

Our solutions

We are focused on treating AUB with device-enabled minimally invasive solutions that are clinically evaluated to improve a woman’s quality of life, while avoiding unnecessary hysterectomies. We design, manufacture, and market a portfolio of four innovative, commercially available products indicated for use in procedures that treat structural and non-structural causes of AUB in most uterine anatomies. Our solutions are utilized by OB/GYNs across a wide range of treatment settings, including hospitals, ASCs, and physician offices. We believe that our ability to offer a broad, complementary, and differentiated product portfolio will support the continued adoption and utilization of our products.

The following table summarizes our product offerings:

 

     
Product    AUB Cause    Description
Minerva ES Endometrial Ablation System (Minerva ES)    Non-structural    PMA-approved endometrial ablation device that utilizes our proprietary PlasmaSense technology, which is designed to dynamically direct plasma energy with real-time power modulation and to enable complete and uniform depth of ablation. This device showed clinical performance that exceeded an Objective Performance Criteria (OPC) developed by the FDA using pivotal clinical trial efficacy data from five previously FDA-approved endometrial ablation systems.
Genesys HTA Endometrial Ablation System (Genesys HTA)    Non-structural    PMA-approved endometrial ablation device, complementary to our Minerva ES, designed to deliver heated saline ablation under continuous, real-time, direct hysteroscopic visualization, and to enable treatment of a wider range of uterine cavities, including those with irregular sizes or shapes.
Symphion Tissue Removal System (Symphion)    Structural    Minimally invasive uterine tissue removal system designed to combine bladeless tissue resection and coagulation, continuous visualization, and intrauterine pressure monitoring. These features are designed to enable efficient tissue removal while reducing patient risk due to fluid intravasation overload by utilizing a self-contained, recirculating distension fluid management system.
Resectr Tissue Resection Device (Resectr)    Structural    Handheld surgical instrument designed to enable the hysteroscopic removal and diagnosis of endometrial polyps, utilizing an oscillating cutting blade, and be compatible with existing fluid management systems, wall suction, and hysteroscopes.

 

Summary of our clinical results and studies

OB/GYNs practice evidence-based medicine and rely on clinical data when making decisions to treat their patients suffering from AUB. We have developed through our sponsored clinical studies a substantial body of data to support and supplement our PMAs and other marketing authorizations. Many of these studies have been published in peer-reviewed specialty journals. Our body of clinical evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of the Minerva ES and Genesys HTA. There is also a body of peer-reviewed literature on the Symphion and Resectr that we believe strengthens our ability to facilitate adoption of these products.

 

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Minerva ES

The safety, effectiveness, and clinical benefits of our Minerva endometrial ablation system were evaluated in two clinical studies, the Minerva Single-Arm Study (Single-Arm Study) and the Minerva Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), which collectively evaluated 263 patients enrolled at clinical centers in the United States, Canada, Hungary, and Mexico. The results from these studies served as the basis for the FDA approval of our PMA in July 2015 and results from the Single-Arm Study and RCT were published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. In addition, several other abstracts have been published on the safety and clinical benefits of our Minerva procedure.

The key results from our Minerva clinical studies include:

Minerva Single-Arm Study

 

 

The 12-, 24-, and 36-month follow-up success rates (heavy menstrual bleeding reduced to less than the normal level) were 91.8%, 91.9%, and 93.1%, respectively, and were statistically significantly greater than the FDA-established OPC success rate of 66% (p < .0001);

 

 

a secondary analysis performed using the same approach demonstrated that the success rate of the Minerva treatment was statistically significantly greater than the OPC’s 95% upper confidence bound of 83.5% (p < .0001);

 

 

the amenorrhea rate (no bleeding) at 12 months was 66.4%;

 

 

the hysterectomy rate at 36 months was 0.9%; and

 

 

patient satisfaction was also assessed at 12-month follow-up, and out of those patients who responded to the survey, 97.6% were satisfied or very satisfied with the Minerva procedure.

Minerva RCT study

 

 

The 12-month follow-up success rate was 93.1% in the Minerva group and was demonstrated to be statistically significantly greater (Fisher’s exact test, p = .02) when compared to the 80.4% success rate in the control group;

 

 

the amenorrhea rate at 12-month follow-up was 71.6% for the Minerva group and 49.0% for the control group, with this difference also achieving statistical significance (Fisher’s exact test, p = .01); and

 

 

a significantly higher rate of satisfaction was observed in the Minerva group at 91.9% versus 79.5% reported by the control group (Fisher’s exact test, p < .05) when patient satisfaction was also assessed at 12-month follow-up.

Genesys HTA

The safety, effectiveness, and clinical benefits of the Genesys HTA were evaluated in a pivotal clinical trial, which included 276 patients enrolled in clinical centers in the United States. The results from this trial served as the basis for the FDA approval of this PMA in April 2001, with Genesys HTA having met all of its primary and secondary safety and effectiveness endpoints.

Symphion and Resectr

The Symphion and Resectr have also been the subject of several clinical studies that have been published in peer-reviewed journals, which we believe validates the performance and safety of these products.

 

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Our success factors

We believe the continued growth of our company will be driven by the following success factors:

 

 

targeting a large and under-penetrated market opportunity;

 

 

broadening our suite of innovative and proprietary minimally invasive solutions focused on women’s uterine health;

 

 

compelling body of clinical evidence;

 

 

comprehensive and targeted approach to market development and patient engagement;

 

 

continued favorable insurance coverage and established inpatient and outpatient reimbursement;

 

 

robust technical and engineering expertise, supported by our broad strategic intellectual property portfolio; and

 

 

proven management team with deep industry expertise.

Our growth strategy

Our mission is to become the market leader by providing innovative technologies that enable physicians to improve millions of women’s lives. We intend to reshape the future of women’s uterine health and establish our device-based, uterus-preserving solutions as the standard of care for the treatment of patients with AUB.

Our strategic levers to drive continued growth include:

 

 

expanding our commercialization infrastructure in the United States;

 

 

facilitating adoption of our products by educating healthcare providers, physicians, and patients on the clinical benefits of our products;

 

 

exploiting synergies from recent product acquisitions and driving profitability through scaled operations;

 

 

continuing to invest in our research and development efforts to foster innovation and grow our addressable market; and

 

 

leveraging our clinical success to increase utilization and penetration among existing accounts and to evaluate expansion into new international markets.

Risks associated with our business

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should consider before investing in our company. These risks are described more fully in the section titled “Risk factors” in this prospectus. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

We have a limited history operating as a commercial company. We have a history of net losses, we expect to incur operating losses in the future, and we may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability;

 

 

we expect to derive substantially all of our future revenue from sales of our existing products, and these products could fail to generate significant revenue or achieve market adoption;

 

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our business is dependent upon increasing awareness of treatment options for AUB and the broad adoption of our products by hospitals, physicians, and patients;

 

 

if we fail to maintain and grow our direct sales force, differentiate our products from others, or develop broad brand awareness in a cost-effective manner, our growth will be impeded and our business will suffer;

 

 

our ability to increase our customer base and achieve broader market acceptance of our products with OB/GYNs and their patients depends on our ability to expand our marketing efforts;

 

 

the market for our products is highly competitive;

 

 

COVID-19 and its variants (COVID-19) and efforts to reduce its spread have negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, our business, and operations;

 

 

we are currently a party to intellectual property litigation with Hologic, Inc., and may in the future be a party to intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings that are very costly and time-consuming and could interfere with our ability to sell and market our products;

 

 

our products and operations are subject to extensive government regulation and oversight in the United States;

 

 

we will incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance with our public company responsibilities and corporate governance practices; and

 

 

we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation measures are ineffective, or if we experience additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to report our financial condition or results of operations accurately or on a timely basis, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

Recent Developments

A brief summary of certain of our consolidated preliminary unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 is set forth below. This summary is not meant to be a comprehensive statement of our consolidated financial results for this period. The following financial data for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 is preliminary and based upon our estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates following the completion of our financial closing procedures and related adjustments.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, our revenue is expected to be between approximately $12.4 million and $12.6 million, and between approximately $38.4 million and $38.6 million, respectively, as compared to $12.3 million and $24.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively. We expect gross margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to be between approximately 58.0% and 59.0% compared to 45.2% for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, our loss from operations is expected to be between approximately $5.8 million and $6.8 million, and $22.0 million and $23.0 million, respectively, as compared to $3.2 million and $13.3 million, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we expect our operating expenses to be between approximately $45.0 million and $46.0 million, as compared to $24.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. As of September 30, 2021, our cash and cash equivalents balance is expected to be between $6.0 million and $6.2 million.

 

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On October 8, 2021, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the CIBC Agreement) with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), which provides for a senior secured term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $40.0 million (the CIBC Loan), the full amount of which was funded at the closing of the CIBC Agreement. Most of the proceeds of the CIBC Loan were used to repay our entire obligation under our existing loan agreement with Ares Capital Corporation, including the principal, interest, prepayment premium and fees, in a total amount of $35.5 million. The remaining proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The CIBC Loan provides for 24 months of interest-only payments followed by 36 equal monthly payments of principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest, with the final obligations due and payable in full on October 8, 2026. The CIBC Loan accrues interest at a floating rate equal to 2.50% above the prime rate, and the interest is payable monthly in arrears. We are obligated to pay CIBC a success fee of $0.4 million upon certain change of control events, including upon the closing of this offering.

You should read this data together with our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Selected consolidated financial data” and “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations.” The preliminary financial data included in this registration statement has been prepared by, and is the responsibility of, our management. BDO USA, LLP has not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying preliminary financial data. Accordingly, BDO USA, LLP does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto.

Corporate information and history

We were incorporated in Delaware on November 3, 2008 under the name Minerva Surgical, Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 4255 Burton Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95054. Our telephone number is (855) 646-7874. Our website address is www.minervasurgical.com. Information contained on, or accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and should not be considered to be part of this prospectus.

Prior to May 2020, we sold only one product, the Minerva ES, for women with AUB attributed to a non-structural cause. In May 2020, we acquired certain assets from Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC), including all rights to the Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr product lines in exchange for 1,331,411 shares of our Series D redeemable convertible preferred stock and an aggregate amount in cash equal to $30.0 million, $15.0 million of which was paid at the closing. The remaining $15.0 million is due on the earlier of the date that is 15 days after the completion of this offering or November 1, 2021. In addition, there are three separate milestone payments for up to an additional $30.0 million that we may be obligated to pay through 2023.

We use Minerva, Minerva ES, Genesys HTA, Symphion, Resectr, and PlasmaSense as trademarks in the United States and other countries. This prospectus contains references to our trademarks and service marks and to those belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other entities’ trade names, trademarks, or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of Minerva Surgical by any other entity.

 

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Implications of being an emerging growth company

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (JOBS Act). We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.07 billion in annual gross revenue; (ii) the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer” under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with at least $700.0 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; (iii) the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; and (iv) the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering.

An emerging growth company may take advantage of relief from certain reporting requirements and other burdens that are otherwise applicable to public companies. These provisions include:

 

 

presenting only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of selected financial data;

 

 

an exemption form compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act);

 

 

reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports, proxy statements, and registration statements; and

 

 

exemptions from the requirements of holding non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation.

As a result of this status, we have taken advantage of reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in our future filings with the SEC. In particular, in this prospectus, we have provided only two years of audited financial statements and have not included all of the executive compensation related information that would be required if we were not an emerging growth company. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, thus delaying the adoption of these accounting standards until they would apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period to enable us to comply with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting standards as of public company effective dates.

We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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 disclosure 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 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenue is less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year for which audited financial statements are available and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million.

 

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The offering

The following summary contains certain information about the offering and our common stock and is not intended to be complete. It does not contain all the information that may be important to you. For a more complete description of our common stock, see “Description of capital stock.”

Common stock offered by us

6,250,000 shares.

Underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares of common stock from us

We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to 937,500 additional shares of common stock from us at any time within 30 days from the date of this prospectus.

Common stock to be outstanding after this offering

28,567,995 shares (or 29,505,495 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full).

Use of proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering will be approximately $89.9 million (or approximately $103.9 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full), based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash, to meet deferred payment obligations and potential milestone payments to Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC), to expand our sales force and operations, for research and development, and for general corporate purposes, including litigation expenses and interest payments on our outstanding debt. We may also use a portion of the proceeds to expand our current business through strategic acquisitions or in-licenses of complementary companies or technologies or pay principle payments when due on outstanding debt. Although we have no specific agreements, commitments, or understandings with respect to any in-licensing activity or acquisitions, we evaluate these opportunities and engage in related discussions with other companies from time-to-time.

Risk factors

See the section titled “Risk factors” on page 15 for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.

Proposed trading symbol

“UTRS”

 

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The number of shares of our common stock that will be outstanding after this offering is based on 22,317,995 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021, after giving effect to the conversion of the convertible promissory notes and accrued interest as of June 30, 2021 into shares of redeemable preferred stock and the subsequent automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock in connection with the closing of this offering and excludes the following:

 

 

2,035,350 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options granted under our 2008 Stock Plan, as amended (the 2008 Plan) outstanding as of June 30, 2021, with a weighted-average exercise price of $8.64 per share;

 

 

211,634 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options granted under our 2008 Stock Plan after June 30, 2021, with a weighted-average exercise price of $13.12 per share;

 

 

77,842 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase shares as of June 30, 2021;

 

 

157,145 shares of common stock issued upon the conversion of our redeemable convertible preferred stock issued upon the automatic conversion of $1.8 million in interest of convertible promissory notes accrued after June 30, 2021, through October 15, 2021; and

 

 

2,756,742 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans, consisting of:

 

   

2,292,366 shares of common stock to be reserved for future issuance under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2021 Plan), which will become effective prior to the completion of this offering;

 

   

401,164 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP), which will become effective in connection with this offering; and

 

   

63,212 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2008 Plan, which shares will no longer be available for issuance upon the termination of the 2008 Plan and effectiveness of the 2021 Plan.

Our 2021 Plan and our ESPP provide for annual automatic increases in the number of shares reserved thereunder, and our 2021 Plan also provides for increases to the number of shares that may be granted thereunder based on awards under our 2008 Plan that expire, are forfeited, or otherwise repurchased by us, as more fully described in the section titled “Executive compensation—Employee benefit and stock plans.”

Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus reflects and assumes:

 

 

the automatic conversion of $77.3 million in principal and interest of convertible promissory notes outstanding as of June 30, 2021 into 6,832,857 shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock;

 

 

the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock (including those issued upon conversion of the convertible promissory notes described above) into 19,230,695 shares of common stock based on the number of shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation;

 

 

the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation in Delaware and the effectiveness of our amended and restated bylaws will each occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering;

 

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no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional 937,500 shares of our common stock from us; and

 

 

a 1-for-6.046 reverse split of our capital stock effected on October 14, 2021.

 

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Summary financial and other data

The following tables summarize our financial and other data for the periods indicated. We have derived the summary statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2020 from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the summary statement of operations data for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, and the balance sheet data as of June 30, 2021 from our unaudited interim financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on a basis consistent with our audited financial statements and contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of such interim financial statements. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future, and our interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. You should read the following summary financial and other data should be read in conjunction with the sections titled “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and “Selected financial data” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

     
    Years ended December 31,     Six months ended June 30,  
(in thousands, except share and per share data)   2019     2020     2020     2021  
                (unaudited)  

Revenues

  $ 26,012     $ 37,768     $ 11,939     $ 25,952  

Cost of goods sold

    14,207       18,648       7,559       10,387  
 

 

 

 

Gross profit

    11,805       19,120       4,380       15,565  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses(1)

       

Sales and marketing

    22,125       22,974       9,483       14,964  

General and administrative

    8,382       8,212       4,084       14,128  

Research and development

    935       3,324       951       2,824  
 

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    31,442       34,510       14,518       31,916  
 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

    (19,637     (15,390     (10,138     (16,351

Interest income

    135       81       79        

Interest expense (includes $11.4 million and $4.6 million to related parties in fiscal years 2019 and 2020, respectively and $1.9 million and $2.9 million to related parties in six month ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, respectively)

    (17,579     (12,140     (5,421     (7,052

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities, net

    (6,858     8,340       10,060       (8,140

Bargain purchase gain

          643       643        

Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes

    (8,278                  

Gain on extinguishment of PPP loan

                      3,036  

Other income (expense), net

    171       71       77       (540
 

 

 

 

Net loss before income taxes

    (52,046     (18,395     (4,700     (29,047
 

 

 

 

Income tax benefit

          132       132        
 

 

 

 

Net loss

  $ (52,046   $ (18,263   $ (4,568   $ (29,047
 

 

 

 

Net loss margin

    (200.1%     (48.4%     (38.3%     (111.9%

Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted(2)

  $ (57.76   $ (18.85   $ (4.97   $ (15.49
 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted

    901,075       968,648       920,028       1,875,691  
 

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)(3)

      (1.09       (0.84
 

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (unaudited)

      18,540,698         20,399,152  

 

 

 

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(1)   Operating expenses include stock-based compensation as follows:

 

     
             Years ended December 31,      Six months ended June 30,  
(in thousands)    2019      2020              2020              2021  

Cost of goods sold

   $ 70      $ 132      $ 70      $ 170  

Sales and marketing

     261        311        207        1,295  

Research and development

     4        10        6        119  

General and administrative

     252        405        266        3,025  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 587      $ 858      $ 549      $ 4,609  

 

 

 

(2)   See Note 14 to our financial statements for an explanation of the calculations of our basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders.

 

(3)   See Selected Financial Data for an explanation of the calculations of pro forma net loss per share attributable to common stockholders.

 

   
     As of June 30, 2021  
      Actual     Pro forma(1)     Pro forma as
adjusted(2)(3)
 

Cash, cash equivalents

   $ 11,617     $ 11,617     $ 76,870  

Working capital(4)

     (10,910     (10,910     68,612  

Total assets

     85,202       85,202       149,724  

Convertible Notes

     70,227              

Debt

     30,123       30,123       30,123  

Total liabilities

     207,255       95,549       70,784  

Redeemable convertible preferred stock

     123,255              

Accumulated deficit

     (257,139     (216,234     (216,875

Total stockholders’ deficit

     (245,308     (10,347     78,939  

 

 

 

(1)   The pro forma column in the balance sheet data table above reflects (i) the automatic conversion thereafter of all shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into 19,230,695 shares of common stock (including those issued on conversion of convertible promissory notes described below), and automatic conversion of all principal and interest owing on our outstanding convertible promissory notes into 6,832,857 shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock as if each such conversion had occurred on June 30, 2021 (ii) the remeasurement of the derivative instrument immediately before the conversion of our outstanding convertible promissory notes resulting in an estimated $40.9 million credit to accumulated deficit; (iii) the reclassification of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability of $0.6 million to additional paid-in capital, and (iv) the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation in connection with the closing of this offering.

 

(2)   The pro forma as adjusted column in the balance sheet data table above gives effect to (i) the pro forma adjustments set forth above, (ii) the $15.0 million delayed cash purchase consideration payment and $10.0 million in development milestone payments to BSC, and (iii) the receipt of $89.9 million in net proceeds from the sale and issuance by us of 6,250,000 shares of our common stock in this offering, based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

(3)   Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, the amount of our pro forma as adjusted cash, cash equivalents and investments, working capital, total assets and total stockholders’ equity by $5.8 million, assuming that the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. An increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares of common stock offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the amount of our pro forma as adjusted cash, cash equivalents and investments, working capital, total assets, and total stockholders’ equity by $14.9 million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains the same, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us.

 

(4)   We define working capital as current assets less current liabilities. See our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further details regarding our current assets and current liabilities.

 

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Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to our results and measures of performance determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we believe that certain non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating and comparing our financial and operational performance over multiple periods, identifying trends affecting our business, formulating business plans and making strategic decisions.

Each of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance measure that our management uses to assess our financial performance and is also used for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors and other interested parties in analyzing our financial performance because it provides a comparable overview of our operations across historical periods. In addition, we believe that providing each of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, together with a reconciliation of net loss to each such measure, helps investors make comparisons between our company and other companies that may have different capital structures, different tax rates, and/or different forms of employee compensation.

Each of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is used by our management team as an additional measure of our performance for purposes of business decision-making, including managing expenditures, and evaluating potential acquisitions. Period-to-period comparisons of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA help our management identify additional trends in our financial results that may not be shown solely by period-to-period comparisons of net income or income from continuing operations. Each of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA has inherent limitations because of the excluded items, and may not be directly comparable to similarly titled metrics used by other companies.

We calculate EBITDA as net income (loss) adjusted to exclude depreciation and amortization, interest expense and income tax benefit. We calculate Adjusted EBITDA by further excluding bargain purchase gain, loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes, gain on extinguishment of PPP loan, change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability, change in fair value of contingent consideration liability and change in fair value of derivative liabilities. EBITDA margin represents EBITDA as a percentage of revenue. Adjusted EBITDA margin represents Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should be viewed as measures of operating performance that are supplements to, and not substitutes for, operating loss, net loss and other U.S. GAAP measures of loss.

 

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The following table provides a reconciliation of these non-GAAP metrics to net loss, which is the nearest GAAP number.

 

     
    

Years ended December 31,

    Six months ended
June 30,
 
(in thousands, except percentage figures)    2019     2020     2020     2021  
                 (unaudited)  

Net loss

   $ (52,046   $ (18,263   $ (4,568   $ (29,047

Depreciation and amortization

     1,675       7,076       1,861       5,334  

Interest (income) expense

     17,444       12,059       5,342       7,052  

Income tax benefit

                 (132      
  

 

 

 

EBITDA

   $ (32,927   $ 872     $ 2,503     $ (16,661

EBITDA margin

     (126.6%     2.31%       20.96%       (64.2%

Net loss margin

     (200.1%     (48.4%     (38.3%     (111.9%

Adjustments:

        

Bargain purchase gain

           (643     (643      

Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes

     8,278                    

Gain on extinguishment of PPP loan

                       (3,036

Stock-based compensation expense

     587       858       549       4,609  

Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability

     (187     (33     (33     532  

Change in fair value of contingent consideration liability

           (175           917  

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities

     6,858       (8,340     (10,060     8,140  
  

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ (17,391   $ (7,461   $ (7,684   $ (5,499
  

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA margin

     (66.9%     (19.8%     (64.4%     (21.2%

 

 

 

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Risk factors

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this prospectus, including the section entitled “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and our audited and unaudited financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus, before deciding whether to invest in shares of our common stock. The risks described below are not the only ones we face. The occurrence of any of the following risks or additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. The trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Please also see “Cautionary notes regarding forward-looking statements” and “Market, industry and other data.”

Risks related to our business and products

We have a limited history operating as a commercial company. We have a history of net losses, we expect to incur operating losses in the future, and we may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability.

We have incurred net losses since our inception in November 2008. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, we had net losses of $52.0 million and $18.3 million, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, we had net losses of $4.6 million and $29.0 million, respectively, and we expect to continue to incur additional losses in the future. As of June 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $257.1 million. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through equity and debt financings and from sales of our products designed to treat structural and non-structural causes of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). The losses and accumulated deficit have primarily been due to the substantial investments we have made to develop our products and acquire new products, as well as for costs related to general research and development, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing efforts and infrastructure and product improvements.

We received United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket approval for our Minerva Endometrial Ablation System (Minerva ES) in July 2015, and acquired the Genesys HTA Endometrial Ablation System (Genesys HTA), Symphion Tissue Removal System (Symphion), and Resectr Tissue Resection Device (Resectr) from Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC) in May 2020, and therefore do not have a long history operating as a commercial company. Over the next several years, we expect to continue devoting a substantial amount of our resources to expand commercialization efforts and increase adoption of our products to treat AUB and to develop additional products. These efforts may prove more costly than we currently anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue sufficiently to offset these higher expenses or at all. In addition, as a newly public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. Accordingly, we expect to continue incurring operating losses for the foreseeable future and we cannot provide assurance that we will achieve profitability in the future or that, if we become profitable, we will 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 products to significantly penetrate the target markets would negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We expect to derive substantially all of our future revenue from sales of our existing products, and these products could fail to generate significant revenue or achieve market adoption.

Currently, we market four products: Minerva ES, Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr, which became commercially available in 2015, 2001, 2014, and 2016, respectively. We expect that sales of these products will

 

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account for substantially all of our revenue for at least the next several years. To date, a substantial majority of our product sales and revenue have been derived from a limited number of physicians who have adopted our products to treat AUB.

We recently acquired three of our four products, Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr, from BSC in May 2020. We have limited experience marketing and selling these newly acquired products and the experience we do have has been limited by the impact of COVID-19 and its variants (COVID-19). If physicians and patients do not adopt our products as a preferred treatment for AUB, our operating results and our business will be harmed. It is therefore difficult to predict our future financial performance and growth, and such forecasts are inherently limited and subject to a number of uncertainties. If our assumptions regarding the risks and uncertainties we face, which we use to plan our business, are incorrect or change due to circumstances in our business or our markets, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating and financial results could differ materially from our expectations and our business could suffer.

In addition, because we devote substantially all of our resources to these four products and rely on these products as our sole source of revenue, any factors that negatively impact these products, or result in a decrease in sales of our products, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our business is dependent upon increasing awareness of treatment options for AUB and the broad adoption of our products by hospitals, physicians, and patients.

Our future growth and profitability largely depend on our ability to increase physician and patient awareness of treatment for AUB using our products and on the willingness of physicians to adopt our products and recommend them to their patients. Physicians may not adopt our products unless they are confident, based on experience, clinical data, medical society recommendations, and other analyses, that our products provide safe and effective treatment alternatives for AUB. We may have difficulty gaining widespread awareness of our products among physicians and patients. Even if we are able to raise awareness among physicians, physicians tend to be slow in changing their medical treatment practices and may be hesitant to select our products for recommendation to patients for a variety of reasons, including:

 

 

physician and hospital demand for our products, including the rate at which physicians recommend our products to their patients;

 

 

long-standing relationships with competing companies with longer operating histories, more recognizable names, such as Hologic, Inc. and Medtronic plc, and more established distribution networks that sell competing products;

 

 

lack of experience with our products and concerns that we are relatively new to market;

 

 

the introduction of competing products or technologies that may be more effective, cheaper, safer, or easier to use than our products for treating AUB;

 

 

negative selling efforts from providers of alternative products for treating AUB;

 

 

reluctance to change to or use new products and procedures, including perceptions that our products are unproven, create new liabilities, or that they do not provide a substantial benefit over those offered by our competitors;

 

 

time commitment and skill development that may be required to gain familiarity and proficiency with our products;

 

 

positive or negative press or social media coverage of our products or competing products or procedures;

 

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physician and patient perceptions of our products as compared to other treatments for AUB, including with respect to safety or effectiveness;

 

 

lack or perceived lack of sufficient clinical evidence, including long-term data, supporting clinical benefits;

 

 

the continued availability of satisfactory reimbursement from healthcare payors for endometrial ablation or tissue resection procedures;

 

 

our ability to maintain our current, or obtain further, regulatory clearances or approvals; and

 

 

delays in, or failure by, our third-party suppliers to deliver products and components.

Physicians play a significant role in determining the course of a patient’s treatment for AUB and, as a result, the type of treatment that will be recommended or provided to a patient. We focus our sales, marketing, and education efforts primarily on obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs). Although we maintain a website with information that is useful to patients, we do not currently focus our marketing efforts directly on patients. If we are not able to effectively demonstrate to OB/GYNs that our products are safe and effective and confer benefits over other available treatment methods in a broad range of patients, adoption of our products will be limited and may not occur as rapidly as we anticipate, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We cannot assure you that our products will achieve broad market acceptance among hospitals and physicians. Any failure of our products to satisfy demand or to achieve meaningful market acceptance and penetration will harm our future prospects and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

As physicians are influenced by guidelines issued by physician organizations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the rate of adoption and sales of our products to treat AUB may be heavily influenced by medical society recommendations. We believe the ACOG guidelines regarding treatment of AUB are of particular importance to the broader market acceptance of our products. The current ACOG guidelines on the management of AUB, contained in ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 81, cover endometrial ablation, and discuss technologies available for performing an endometrial ablation although they do not specifically mention our products. If ACOG issues a negative statement regarding endometrial ablation procedures in the future, physicians may not adopt or continue to use our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, if key opinion leaders who currently support endometrial ablation procedures cease to recommend endometrial ablation procedures or our products, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected.

In most cases, before physicians can use our products for the first time, our products must be approved for use by a hospital’s new product or value analysis committee, or by the staff of a hospital or health system. Following such approval, we may be required to enter into a purchase contract. Such approvals or requirements to enter into a purchase contract could deter or delay the use of our products by physicians. We cannot provide assurance that our efforts to obtain such approvals, enter into purchase contracts, or generate adoption will be successful or increase the use of our products. If we are not successful, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, the rate of adoption of our products and sales of our products are heavily influenced by clinical data. Although in our Single-Arm Study the success rate of the Minerva endometrial ablation system was demonstrated to be statistically significantly greater when compared to an FDA-developed objective performance criteria (OPC), which utilized data from the pivotal clinical trials of the five previously FDA-approved endometrial ablation devices, our competitors and third parties may also conduct clinical trials of our products without our participation. Unfavorable or inconsistent clinical data from existing or future clinical trials conducted by us, our competitors, or third parties, or the interpretation of our clinical data or findings of new or more frequent adverse events, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

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If we fail to maintain and grow our direct sales force, differentiate our products from others, or develop broad brand awareness in a cost-effective manner, our growth will be impeded and our business will suffer.

We currently rely on our direct sales force to sell our products in targeted geographic regions, and any failure to maintain and grow our direct sales force could harm our business. The members of our direct sales force are highly trained and possess substantial technical expertise, which we believe is critical in driving adoption of our products. The members of our U.S. sales force are at-will employees. The loss of these personnel to competitors, or otherwise, could materially harm our business. If we are unable to retain our direct sales force personnel or replace them with individuals of equivalent technical expertise and qualifications, or if we are unable to successfully instill such technical expertise in replacement personnel, our revenue and results of operations could be materially harmed.

In order to generate future growth, we plan on continuing to expand and leverage our sales infrastructure to increase our hospital, ASC, and physician office customer base and generate awareness of the benefits of using our products with OB/GYNs and their patients. Identifying and recruiting qualified sales personnel and educating them on our products, on applicable federal and state laws and regulations, and on our internal policies and procedures requires significant time, expense, and attention. It often takes several months or more before a sales representative is fully trained and productive. Our business may be harmed if our efforts to expand and train our sales force do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue, and our fixed costs may slow our ability to reduce costs in the face of a sudden decline in demand for our products. Any failure to hire, develop and retain talented sales personnel, to achieve desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time or timely reduce fixed costs, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our ability to increase our customer base and achieve broader market acceptance of our products with OB/GYNs and their patients depends on our ability to expand our marketing efforts.

We believe that developing and maintaining broad awareness of our brand in a cost-effective manner is critical to achieving broad acceptance of our products and penetrating new accounts. We plan to dedicate significant resources to our marketing programs to explain the benefits of using our products and differentiate them from those of our competitors. Our business may be harmed if our marketing efforts and planned additional expenditures do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue. Brand promotion activities may not generate physician or patient 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 physician acceptance necessary to realize a sufficient return on our brand building efforts, or to achieve the level of brand awareness that is critical for broad adoption of our products.

The market for our products is highly competitive. If our competitors are able to develop or market AUB treatments that are safer or more effective, or gain greater acceptance in the marketplace, than any products we develop, our commercial opportunities will be reduced or eliminated.

Our industry is highly competitive, subject to change, and significantly affected by new product introductions and other activities of industry participants. We currently face direct competition for the treatment of AUB primarily from Hologic, Inc., Medtronic plc, and CooperSurgical, Inc., each of which currently markets an FDA-approved second-generation endometrial ablation or tissue resection device. Products commercialized by our competitors, other products that are currently in clinical trials or investigations, new drugs, or additional indications for existing drugs could demonstrate better safety, effectiveness, clinical results, lower costs, or greater physician and patient acceptance, thereby reducing the demand for our endometrial and tissue resection products.

Additionally, because drug therapy is an alternative to endometrial ablation and tissue resection, our competitors also include many major pharmaceutical companies that manufacture hormonal drugs for women,

 

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either as a standalone therapy or in conjunction with a drug eluting intrauterine device (IUD). Some of our competitors that sell hormonal drugs, including Johnson & Johnson, Bayer AG, AbbVie, Inc., and Endo International plc, are large, well-established companies. Many of our competitors enjoy several competitive advantages, including:

 

 

greater financial and human capital resources;

 

 

longer operating histories with significantly greater name recognition;

 

 

established relationships with physicians, customers, and third-party payors for their existing products;

 

 

additional lines of products, and the ability to offer rebates or bundle products to offer greater discounts or incentives to gain a competitive advantage; and

 

 

established sales, marketing, and worldwide distribution networks.

Because of the size of the market opportunity for the treatment of AUB, we believe potential competitors have historically dedicated and will continue to dedicate significant resources to aggressively promote their products or develop new products. Given the high incidence of AUB and extensive ongoing research and technological progress, new AUB treatment options may be developed that could compete more effectively with our products.

We rely heavily on third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers for the manufacture and assembly of our products, and a loss or degradation in performance of these suppliers and contract manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We rely heavily on third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers in the United States, China, Germany, and Costa Rica for raw materials, components, manufacturing, assembly, and sterilization of our products. We rely on third-party contractors to manufacture components of our Minerva ES disposable handpiece, while we conduct the final assembly of the handpiece at our Santa Clara facility. We are in the process of establishing a contract manufacturer in China to act as a second source for the final assembly of the disposable handpiece. We anticipate the new contract manufacturer will be operational in 2022. However, we cannot assure you that we will receive FDA approval for use of this contract manufacturing facility in a timely manner or at all. Until such time as we receive FDA approval for another contract manufacturer, our Santa Clara facility will remain the sole source for assembly of the disposable handpieces. We purchase the Minerva RF controller from another third-party manufacturer in the United States, and we then test and package the controller at our Santa Clara facility before placing the product in finished goods inventory. In most cases these manufacturers are single source suppliers. Any of our suppliers or our third-party contract manufacturers may be unwilling or unable to supply the necessary materials and components or manufacture and assemble our products reliably and at the levels we anticipate are required by the market and we may be required to locate and qualify additional suppliers.

Our ability to supply our products commercially and to develop any future products depends, in part, on our ability to obtain materials, components and products in accordance with regulatory requirements and in sufficient quantities for development, testing, and commercialization. While our suppliers and contract manufacturers have generally met our demand for their products and services on a timely basis in the past, we cannot guarantee that they will be able to meet our demand for their products in the future. One or more of our manufacturers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us and we may be required to contract with alternative manufacturers. If we are required to change contract manufacturers due to a change in or termination of our relationships with these third parties, or if our manufacturers are unable to obtain the materials they need to produce our products at consistent prices or at all, we may lose sales, experience manufacturing or other delays, incur increased costs, or experience other impairments to our customer relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all.

 

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If required, establishing additional or replacement suppliers for any of these materials, components, products, or services could be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our operations and product delivery, may affect the performance specifications of our products, or could require that we modify product designs. Even if we are able to find replacement suppliers or third-party contract manufacturers, we will be required to verify that the new supplier or third-party manufacturer maintains facilities, procedures, and operations that comply with our quality expectations and applicable regulatory requirements.

If our third-party suppliers fail to deliver the required commercial quantities of materials on a timely basis and at commercially reasonable prices, and we are unable to find one or more replacement suppliers capable of production at a substantially equivalent cost in substantially equivalent volumes and quality on a timely basis, the continued commercialization of our products, the supply of our products to customers and the development of any future products could be delayed, limited, or prevented, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We cannot guarantee that the political, labor, and economic climate where our contract manufacturers are located will remain sufficiently stable for our manufacturing purposes. Our operations could be adversely affected by political unrest and value fluctuations in the local currencies in Germany, China, or Costa Rica. We could also be harmed by strikes and other labor disruptions. Any of these events could result in increased costs or in disruptions of supply of our products, which would harm our business and operating results.

We depend on a limited number of single source suppliers to manufacture our components, sub-assemblies, and materials, and may not be able to find replacements or immediately transition to alternative suppliers, which makes us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

These single source suppliers provide us with dual pressure sensor monitors, plasma array balloons, custom injection molded and ceramic parts, plastic connectors, hollow fiber filters, and complex programmable logic devices, among others. These components, sub-assemblies, and materials are critical and there are relatively few alternative sources of supply. For example, in our Symphion product line, we rely on ceramic rings and plastic connectors which are in short supply given COVID-19 and its variants (COVID-19). In the event we are unable to obtain a sufficient supply of these components, we may have to switch to alternative components which may negatively affect the performance of our Symphion product line and increase our costs, or delay or temporarily discontinue production of our Symphion product line, which would adversely affect our revenue.

We have not qualified or obtained necessary regulatory approvals for additional suppliers for most of these components, sub-assemblies, and materials. These sole suppliers, and any of our other suppliers, may be unwilling or unable to supply components of these systems to us reliably and at the levels we anticipate or that are required by the market. For us to be successful, our suppliers must be able to provide us with products and components in substantial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable costs, and on a timely basis. An interruption in our commercial operations could occur if we encounter delays or difficulties in securing these components, and if we cannot then obtain an acceptable substitute.

While we believe that alternative sources of supply are available, we cannot be certain whether they will be available if and when we need them, or that any alternative suppliers would be able to provide the quantity and quality of components and materials that our manufacturing partners would need to manufacture our products if our existing suppliers were unable to satisfy our supply requirements. To utilize other supply sources, we would need to identify and qualify new suppliers to our quality standards and obtain any additional regulatory approvals required to change suppliers, which could result in manufacturing delays and increase our expenses.

 

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In addition, the use of components or materials furnished by these alternative suppliers could require us to alter our operations. Any such interruption or alternation could harm our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to secure alternative equipment and materials and utilize such equipment and materials without experiencing interruptions in our workflow. If we should encounter delays or difficulties in securing, reconfiguring, or revalidating the equipment and components we require for our products, our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

Furthermore, if we are required to change the manufacturer of a critical component of our products, we will be required to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities, procedures, and operations that comply with our quality and applicable regulatory requirements, which could further impede our ability to manufacture our products in a timely manner. Transitioning to a new supplier could be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our operations and product delivery, could affect the performance specifications of our products, or could require that we modify the design of those systems. If the change in manufacturer results in a significant change to any 510(k) cleared product, a new 510(k) clearance from the FDA or similar international regulatory authorization or certification may be necessary before we implement the change, which could cause substantial delays. Similarly, changes to our PMA-approved products, including a change in manufacturer, could require a new PMA approval prior to making such change. The occurrence of any of these events could harm our ability to meet the demand for our products in a timely of cost-effective manner.

Our dependence on third-party suppliers subjects us to a number of risks that could negatively impact our ability to manufacture products and harm our business, including:

 

 

interruption of supply resulting from modifications to, or discontinuation of, a supplier’s operations;

 

 

delays in product shipments resulting from uncorrected defects, reliability issues, or a supplier’s failure to produce components that consistently meet our quality specifications;

 

 

price fluctuations due to a lack of long-term supply arrangements with our suppliers for key components;

 

 

inability to obtain adequate supply in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms;

 

 

difficulty identifying and qualifying alternative suppliers for components in a timely manner;

 

 

inability of suppliers to comply with applicable provisions of the FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR) or other applicable laws or regulations enforced by the FDA or California and other state regulatory authorities and foreign regulatory authorities;

 

 

inability to ensure the quality of products and components manufactured by third parties;

 

 

production delays related to the evaluation and testing of products and components from alternative suppliers and corresponding regulatory qualifications;

 

 

delays in delivery by our suppliers due to changes in demand from us or their other customers, or our suppliers prioritizing their other customers over us; and

 

 

an outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as the existing threat of COVID-19, particularly as it may impact our supply chain.

Although we require that our third-party suppliers provide our manufacturing partners with components that meet our specifications and comply with applicable provisions of the QSR and other applicable legal and regulatory requirements in our agreements and contracts, there is a risk that our suppliers will not always act with our best interests in mind, and they may not always supply components that meet our requirements or supply components in a timely manner. Any interruption or delay in the supply of components or materials, or

 

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our inability to obtain components or materials from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders or switch to competitive procedures. These events could harm our business and our operating results.

The spread of COVID-19 and efforts to reduce its spread have negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, our business, and operations.

The spread of COVID-19 in the United States has resulted in travel restrictions impacting our sales professionals. In addition, some treatment facilities have reduced staffing and postponed certain procedures in response to COVID-19 or diverted resources to treat those patients with COVID-19. Some treatment facilities have also restricted or limited access for non-patients, including our sales professionals, which has negatively impacted our access to physicians and their patients. Our business and operations may be further impacted by new treatment facility sanitization and social distancing protocols. Our field-based team continues to be available, in-person or virtually, to support procedures using our products. However, members of our field team may choose not to enter hospitals, ASCs, or physicians’ offices due to preexisting conditions, personal choice, or on doctors’ orders, or may be unable to enter such facilities due to their policies. Additionally, we anticipate that an increase in the unemployment rate due to the impact of COVID-19 may decrease the number of potential patients with health insurance, which may result in fewer diagnoses, a lower number of procedures, or a shift to procedures which are reimbursed by government payors. As treatment facilities cancel and defer elective procedures, it reduces their revenue and impacts their financial results, which could result in pricing pressure on our products as healthcare providers seek cost savings. Prolonged restrictions relating to COVID-19 have adversely affected the number of endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures and our revenue as a result. Additionally, some treatment facilities have had cash flow problems or have ceased doing business due to the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, which has reduced the number of treatment facilities where endometrial ablations or tissue resections can be performed, and has adversely affected our ability to collect amounts due to us and our revenue as a result.

We expect these challenges to continue to impact the number of endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures through the remainder of 2021, particularly given the increased prevalence of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in the United States during the second quarter of 2021, but the extent cannot be quantified at this time. Our customers’ patients are also experiencing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Procedures like an endometrial ablation or tissue resection may be less of a priority than other priorities for those patients who have lost their jobs, are furloughed, have reduced work hours, or are worried about the continuation of their medical insurance. Patients may also be reluctant to visit their physicians at their offices, in ASCs or in hospitals due to fear of contracting COVID-19. The reduction in physician visits, the increase in deferred treatments, and patient behaviors are translating into fewer than expected endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures being performed in the current environment.

COVID-19 has impacted, and we expect will continue to impact, our personnel and the personnel at third-party manufacturing facilities in the United States and other countries, and the availability or cost of materials, which could disrupt our supply chain and reduce our margins. Restrictions related to us and our suppliers are country-specific. The spread of an infectious disease, including COVID-19, could result in the inability of our suppliers to deliver components or raw materials to our contract manufacturers on a timely basis due to these impacts or restrictions. If there were a shortage of supply, the cost of these materials or components could increase and harm our contract manufacturers’ ability to provide our products on a cost-effective basis. In connection with any supply shortages in the future, reliable and cost-effective replacement sources may not be available on short notice or at all. This may force us to increase prices and face a corresponding decrease in demand for our products. In the event that any of our suppliers were to discontinue production of our key product components, developing alternate sources of supply for these components would be time consuming, difficult, and costly. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are highly

 

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uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the actions taken to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, and the speed with which normal economic and operating conditions resume, among others.

COVID-19 has had a material adverse impact on our liquidity, capital resources, operations, and business and those of the third parties on which we rely. However, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 is still unknown. The extent to which COVID-19 further impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, while the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to assess or predict, the impact of COVID-19 on the global financial markets may reduce our ability to access capital, which could negatively impact our short-term and long-term liquidity and our ability to operate.

If we are unable to manage the anticipated growth of our business, our future revenue and operating results may be harmed.

Our sales force headcount and our total company headcount have increased significantly since our full commercial launch in August 2015. In addition, we acquired three new products from BSC in May 2020 which require additional selling and marketing support. Any growth that we experience in the future may require us to expand our sales and marketing personnel, manufacturing operations, and general and administrative infrastructure. In addition to the need to scale our organization, future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on management, including the need to identify, recruit, train, and integrate additional employees. Rapid expansion in personnel could mean that less experienced employees market and sell our products, which could result in inefficiencies and unanticipated costs, reduced quality, and disruptions to our operations. In addition, rapid and significant growth may strain our administrative and operational infrastructure. Our ability to manage our business and growth will require us to continue improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems, and procedures. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, it may be difficult for us to deliver our products in a timely manner.

As the demand for our products or any of our future products increases, we will need to continue to scale our capacity, expand customer service, billing and systems processes, and enhance our internal quality assurance program. We cannot assure you that any increases in scale, related improvements and quality assurance will be successfully implemented or that appropriate personnel will be available to facilitate the growth of our business. Failure to implement necessary procedures, transition to new processes, or hire the necessary personnel could result in higher costs of processing data or our inability to meet increased demand. If we encounter difficulty meeting market demand, quality standards, or physician expectations, our reputation could be harmed and our business could suffer.

We depend on our senior management team and the loss of one or more key employees or an inability to attract and retain highly skilled employees could harm our business.

Our success depends largely on the continued services of key members of our executive management team and others in key management positions. For example, the services of our executive officers are essential to driving adoption of our products, executing on our corporate strategy, and ensuring the continued operations and integrity of financial reporting within our company and development, manufacturing, and commercialization of our products. Any of our employees may terminate their employment with us at any time. We do not currently maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our employees. If we lose one or more key employees, we may experience difficulties in competing effectively, developing our technologies, and implementing our business strategy.

 

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In addition, our research and development programs, clinical operations, and sales efforts depend on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled engineers and sales professionals. We may not be able to attract or retain qualified engineers and sales professionals in the future due to the competition for qualified personnel. Competition for skilled engineers is especially high in the San Francisco Bay Area, where our headquarters is located. We have from time to time experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we do. When we hire employees from competitors or other companies, their former employers may in the future attempt to assert that these employees or we have breached legal obligations, which may result in a diversion of our time and resources and, potentially, damages. In addition, job candidates and existing employees, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, 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. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects would be harmed.

The failure of our products to meet patient’s expectations, or the occurrence of adverse events related to our products, could impair our financial performance.

Our future success depends upon increased physician demand for our products, resulting from positive patient word-of-mouth, and social media patient feedback that their experience with our products met their expectations. Patients may be dissatisfied if their expectations of the treatment results, among other things, are not met. Despite what we believe to be the safety profile of our products, patients may experience adverse events such as pain, hemorrhaging, infection, thermal injury to adjacent tissue and organs, or perforation of the uterus. If the results of endometrial ablation or tissue resection using our products do not meet the expectations of the patients, or the patient experiences adverse events, it could discourage the patient from referring our products to others. Dissatisfied patients may express negative opinions to the press or through social media. Any failure to meet patient expectations and any resulting negative publicity could harm our reputation and future sales.

The estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market and revenue growth included in this prospectus may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

We cannot accurately predict the size of the market for endometrial ablation and tissue resection products, and our market opportunity estimates, along with long-term growth forecasts, are subject to significant uncertainty. Our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our products are based on a number of internal and third-party estimates and assumptions, including, without limitation, the number of endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures annually in the United States and worldwide, the growth in number of procedures, and the growth in awareness of AUB and the treatments for AUB.

For example, our long-term growth will be dependent upon our ability to convince a significant number of physicians and women that our solutions are preferable to currently available treatments for excessive menstrual bleeding and other treatments that may be developed and commercialized in the future. Existing treatments for AUB include drug therapy, endometrial ablation, hysteroscopic tissue removal, or a hysterectomy. Drug therapy has traditionally been the initial treatment for women experiencing AUB. First-generation endometrial ablation procedures which use a resectoscopic electrosurgical instrument, such as a rollerball or wire loop, or a laser are less frequently performed today. Second-generation procedures, which include those performed with the Minerva ES and Genesys HTA, are non-resectoscopic treatments that are faster, require less general anesthesia or pre-treatment and, in most cases, are associated with lower complication rates when compared to first-generation procedures. We cannot assure you that the market for endometrial ablation products will develop further in the future or that the new endometrial ablation and tissue

 

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resection procedures will continue to experience similar or greater rates of use. Additionally, our growth may depend in part upon our ability to attract those women who are not currently seeking treatment for AUB by communicating to them the benefits of our products. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in continuing to attract physicians and women to use our products, or whether or not evolving trends in the treatment of excessive menstrual bleeding will favor new endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures as compared to traditional approaches.

While we believe our assumptions and the data underlying our estimates for population growth among women with AUB and the growth in our addressable market are reasonable, these assumptions and estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our assumptions or estimates may change at any time and be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby reducing their predictive accuracy. As a result, our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our current or future products may prove to be incorrect. If the actual number of procedures or the annual total addressable market for our products is smaller than we have estimated or does not grow as quickly as we would expect, it may impair our sales growth and have an adverse impact on our business.

Our ability to compete depends on our ability to innovate successfully and deliver any product improvements and new products in a timely manner.

The market for our products is competitive, dynamic, and marked by substantial technological development and product innovation. Demand for our products and future related products could be diminished by equivalent or superior products and technologies offered by competitors. If we are unable to innovate successfully, our products could become obsolete and our revenue would decline as our customers purchase our competitors’ products.

We plan to devote additional resources to research and development of product improvements and new products in the future. Developing products is expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention away from our core business. The success of product enhancements or any new product offerings will depend on several factors, including our ability to:

 

 

develop and introduce new products and product enhancements in a timely manner;

 

 

for any new product, receive adequate coverage and reimbursement, if necessary;

 

 

continue to properly identify and anticipate physician and patient needs;

 

 

avoid infringing upon the intellectual property rights of third-parties;

 

 

demonstrate, if required, the safety and efficacy of new products with clinical data;

 

 

obtain the necessary regulatory clearances, approvals or certifications for expanded indications, new products, or product modifications;

 

 

be fully FDA-compliant with any new or modified products; and

 

 

provide adequate education to potential users of our products.

If we are unable to develop new products, 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 considerably greater funding 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.

 

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Any significant delays in our product launches may significantly impede our ability to enter or compete in a given market and may reduce the sales that we are able to generate from these products. We may experience delays in any phase of a product’s development, including during research and development, clinical trials or investigations, regulatory review, manufacturing, and marketing. Delays in product introductions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Endometrial ablation and tissue resection involves surgical risks, and these procedures are contraindicated in certain patients, which may limit adoption.

Risks of using our products include the risks that are common to endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures, including pain, hemorrhaging, infection, or thermal injury to adjacent tissue and organs, or perforation of the uterus. Treatments for AUB are contraindicated in certain patients, and therefore should not be used. For example, second-generation endometrial ablation products, including Minerva ES and Genesys HTA, are contraindicated in certain patients, including, but not limited to, those who are pregnant or who want to become pregnant in the future; have known or suspected malignant or pre-malignant conditions of the endometrium; have any anatomic condition or pathologic condition that could lead to weakening of the myometrium; have active pelvic inflammatory disease; or have an IUD in place. Uterine tissue resection products, including Symphion and Resectr, are contraindicated in certain patients, including, but not limited to, patients who have acute pelvic inflammatory disease; a uterus that cannot be adequately distended or visualized; cervical or vaginal infection; are pregnant; have cervical malignancies or invasive carcinoma of the cervix; have had a recent uterine perforation; are receiving anti-coagulant therapy or have bleeding disorders; have a medical contraindication or intolerance to anesthesia; have severe anemia; or have a myoma so large that it cannot be circumnavigated during hysteroscopic myomectomy surgery. The FDA authorized labeling for our products, which is publicly available on the FDA website, contains a complete list of these contraindications. To the extent this patient population comprises a significant portion of women with AUB, our products may not become widely adopted and our operating results may suffer as a result.

If we are unable to transition the manufacturing and operations for newly acquired product lines, or if we fail to comply with our obligations in our agreement with BSC related to such products, our business and operations could be harmed.

In May 2020, we acquired our Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr products from BSC. BSC manufactures the Genesys HTA System Operational Unit (controller) and its Genesys HTA ProCerva disposable procedure set at their facilities. In connection with that acquisition, we entered into a supply agreement with BSC relating to the Genesys HTA system and certain of its components. Pursuant to the supply agreement, BSC will supply us with controllers and procedure sets until the earlier of February 2022, or such time as we have successfully transferred manufacturing to third-party manufacturers. We have identified, and are in the process of transferring the manufacturing of the Genesys HTA controller and Genesys HTA ProCerva procedure set to, third-party contract manufacturers. We anticipate this process will be complete prior to the termination of BSC’s obligations under the supply agreement. If we are unable to complete the transfer to an FDA-approved contract manufacturer prior to February 2022, we would need to negotiate additional supply terms with BSC. We cannot assure you that BSC would be willing to supply additional products on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and we could be without supply until our contract manufacturers are operational. Any delay in

the supply of the Genesys HTA controller and the Genesys HTA ProCerva procedure set could have material adverse effect on our business and operations.

The Symphion and Resectr products were previously manufactured for BSC by various third-party manufacturers. We intend to rely on those same manufacturers to supply us with these products and we are in the process of assuming those relationships. Pursuant to the transition services agreement with BSC, BSC agreed to provide us resources and inventory during the time period until the products and the manufacturing

 

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agreements with various third-party manufacturers were transferred to us. If we experience a delay in the transfer of the Symphion operations, or if we are unable to obtain the necessary supply of Resectr or Symphion products from these third parties, are business and operations would be adversely affected.

Our agreement with BSC imposes additional obligations on our business, including relating to payment and milestone obligations related to Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr. If we fail to make payments under the contracts we have with BSC, it may be determined that we are in breach of contract and we may have to pay damages or renegotiate those contracts. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to renegotiate the contracts we have with BSC or that any renegotiated terms will be favorable to us. The occurrence of such events could materially harm our business and financial condition.

Moreover, we acquired the BSC products during the COVID-19 pandemic and have never had to produce those products during a commercial period that was not impacted by the pandemic. Our suppliers and contract manufacturers may encounter problems during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including, for example, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, equipment malfunction and environmental factors, failure to properly conduct their own business affairs, and infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, any of which could delay or impede their ability to meet our requirements.

Litigation against us could be costly and time-consuming to defend, and could result in additional liabilities.

We have, from time to time, been subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business or otherwise, such as claims brought by our customers in connection with commercial disputes, employment claims made by our current or former employees, alleged patient injuries, or claims by competitors concerning intellectual property disputes. Claims may also be asserted by, or on behalf of, a variety of other parties, including government agencies, patients, vendors, and stockholders. Further, in the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities, and this risk is especially relevant to industries that experience significant stock price volatility. Any litigation involving us may result in substantial costs, operationally restrict our business, and may divert management’s attention and resources, which may negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For more information on risks related to intellectual property litigation, see “Risk factors—Risks related to our intellectual property.”

If our facility becomes damaged or inoperable, or if we are required to vacate a facility, we may be unable to produce our products or we may experience delays in production or an increase in costs, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California supports in-house production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material, and finished goods storage. The facility is situated on or near earthquake fault lines, and we do not have redundant facilities. We are also dependent on suppliers located in the United States, China, Germany, and Costa Rica. Should our building, or that of one of our suppliers, be significantly damaged or destroyed by natural or man-made disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, or other events, it could take months to relocate or rebuild, and during that time our employees may seek other positions, our research, development, and manufacturing would cease or be delayed, and our products may be unavailable. Moreover, the use of a new facility or new manufacturing, quality control, or environmental control equipment or systems would require FDA review and approval of a PMA supplement for a product previously approved under a PMA, and may require a new 510(k) for a previously 510(k) cleared device. Because of the time required to authorize manufacturing in a new facility under FDA, the State of California, 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. While we

 

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maintain property and business interruption insurance, such insurance has limits and would only cover the cost of rebuilding, relocating and lost revenue, but not general damage or losses caused by earthquakes or losses we may suffer due to our products being replaced by competitors’ products. The inability to perform our research, development, and manufacturing activities, combined with our limited inventory of materials, components, and manufactured products, may cause physicians to discontinue using our products or harm our reputation, and we may be unable to reestablish relationships with such physicians in the future. Consequently, a catastrophic event at our facility could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Furthermore, the current lease for our manufacturing facility expires in May 2023, and we may be unable to renew our lease or find a new facility on commercially reasonable terms. If we were unable or unwilling to renew at the proposed rates, relocating our manufacturing facility would involve significant expense in connection with the movement and installation of key manufacturing equipment and any necessary recertification with regulatory bodies, and we cannot assure investors that such a move would not delay or otherwise adversely affect our manufacturing activities or operating results. If our manufacturing capabilities were impaired by our move, we may not be able to manufacture and ship our products in a timely manner, which would adversely impact our business.

Our business is subject to quarterly, annual, and seasonal fluctuations.

Our quarterly and annual results of operations, including our revenue, profitability, and cash flow, may vary significantly in the future, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter or period should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Our quarterly and annual financial results may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors including:

 

 

the level of demand for our products, which may vary significantly from period to period;

 

 

the rate at which we grow our sales force and the speed at which newly hired territory managers become effective, and the cost and level of investment therein;

 

 

expenditures that we may incur to acquire, develop, or commercialize additional products and technologies;

 

 

the degree of competition in our industry and any change in the competitive landscape of our industry;

 

 

the timing and cost of obtaining regulatory approval, clearances, or certifications for future products;

 

 

coverage and reimbursement policies with respect to the procedures using our products and potential future products that compete with our products;

 

 

the timing and success or failure of clinical trials or investigations for our current or future products or any future products we develop or competing products;

 

 

the timing and cost of, and level of investment in, research, development, regulatory approval, and commercialization activities relating to our products, which may change from time to time;

 

 

the timing of customer orders or medical procedures, the number of available selling days in a particular period, which can be impacted by a number of factors, such as holidays or days of severe inclement weather in a particular geography, the mix of products sold, and the geographic mix of where products are sold;

 

 

the cost of manufacturing our products, which may vary depending on the quantity of production and the terms of our agreements with third-party suppliers and manufacturers;

 

 

timing and adequacy of supply chain to meet demand;

 

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natural disasters, outbreaks of disease or public health crises, such as COVID-19;

 

 

the timing and nature of any future acquisitions or strategic partnerships; and

 

 

future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies.

Because our quarterly results may fluctuate, period-to-period comparisons may not be the best indication of the underlying results of our business and should only be relied upon as one factor in determining how our business is performing. Additionally, our business is subject to seasonal fluctuations in that our revenue is typically higher in the fourth quarter, primarily because patients tend to schedule expensive, more complex elective procedures closer to the end of the year after they have largely or fully paid their annual insurance deductibles and in connection with the holiday season when patients may have time off from work for recovery. As a result of these and other factors, our financial results for any single quarter or period of less than one year are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year.

Additionally, any quarterly, annual, or seasonal fluctuations in our operating results may, in turn, cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. Further, if our quarterly or annual operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially.

Adoption of our products depends upon appropriate physician education, and inadequate education may lead to negative patient outcomes, adversely affecting adoption of our products and our business.

The success of our products depends in part on the skill of the physicians performing the procedure and on our customers’ adherence to appropriate patient selection and proper techniques. We believe that the intuitive design of our products allows physicians to become comfortable with our products using the surgical skills they already possess. However, before using our products, physicians must:

 

 

have sufficient and adequate experience in performing procedures in the uterine cavity, such as IUD insertion, dilation and curettage, and hysteroscopy;

 

 

review and be familiar with the product Instructions for Use (IFU);

 

 

be aware of the appropriate sequence of actions detailed in the operator’s manual, along with the troubleshooting section in the event the system detects a high CO2 flow rate during the uterine integrity test, which may be indicative of a uterine perforation; and

 

 

review the patient selection criteria for the clinical trials or investigations to determine which patients are appropriate for the procedures associated with our products.

We cannot guarantee that all physicians will have the necessary skill set to perform procedures using our products, or that they will review the IFUs for our products. We do not control which physicians perform the procedures or control the level and adequacy of their medical training. If physicians perform an endometrial ablation or tissue resection procedure using our products in a manner that is inconsistent with the IFUs or without adhering to or reviewing our IFUs, their patient outcomes may not be consistent with the outcomes achieved in our clinical trials or investigations. This result may negatively impact the perception of patient benefit and safety and limit adoption of our products that are utilized for endometrial ablation or tissue resection, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our results of operations could be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand for our products and manage our inventory.

We seek to maintain sufficient levels of inventory in order to avoid supply interruptions, but keep limited amounts of finished products on hand. To ensure adequate inventory supply and manage our operations with

 

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our third-party manufacturers and suppliers, we forecast materials requirements and demand for our products in order to predict future inventory needs and then place orders with our suppliers based on these predictions. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be negatively affected by many factors, including our limited historical commercial experience, rapid growth, failure to accurately manage our expansion strategy, product introductions by competitors, an increase or decrease in customer demand for our products, our failure to accurately forecast customer acceptance of new products, unanticipated changes in general market conditions or regulatory matters, and the weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions.

Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in a portion of our inventory becoming obsolete, as well as inventory write-downs or write-offs, which would impair the strength of our brand. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand for our products or our own requirements for components, subassemblies, and materials, our third-party manufacturers and suppliers may not be able to deliver components, sub-assemblies, and materials to meet our standards or legal requirements, which could result in inadequate inventory levels or interruptions, delays, or cancellations of deliveries to our customers, any of which would damage our reputation, customer relationships, and business. In addition, several components, sub-assemblies, and materials incorporated into our products require lengthy order lead times, and additional supplies or materials may not be available on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, and our third-party manufacturers and suppliers may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity in order to meet our increased requirements, any of which could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and our results of operations.

We may not be able to maintain satisfactory pricing and margins for our products.

Manufacturers of medical devices have a history of price competition, and we can give no assurance that we will be able to achieve satisfactory prices for our products or maintain prices at the levels we have historically achieved. For example, we believe our competitors have historically undercut the price of our products by offering theirs at a lower price to incentivize leading hospitals, ASCs, and physician offices to order more of their products. Additionally, any decline in the amount that insurance payors reimburse our customers for our products could make it difficult for customers to continue using, or to adopt, our products and could create additional pricing pressure for us. If we are forced to lower the price we charge for our products, our gross margins will decrease, which will adversely affect 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, our margins could erode. We will continue to be subject to significant pricing pressure, which could harm our business and results of operations.

Cost-containment efforts of our customers, purchasing groups and governmental organizations could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

In an effort to reduce costs, many hospitals in the United States have become members of Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) and Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs). GPOs and IDNs negotiate pricing arrangements with medical device companies and distributors and then offer these negotiated prices to affiliated hospitals and other members. GPOs and IDNs typically award contracts on a category-by-category basis through a competitive bidding process. Bids are generally solicited from multiple providers of products with the intention of driving down pricing or reducing the number of vendors. Due to the highly competitive nature of the GPO and IDN contracting processes, we may not be able to obtain new, or maintain existing, contract positions with major GPOs and IDNs. Furthermore, the increasing leverage of organized buying groups reduces market prices for our products or requires the payment of administrative fees, thereby reducing our revenue and/or margins.

While having a contract with a GPO or IDN for a given product category can facilitate sales to members of that GPO or IDN, such contract positions can offer no assurance that any level of sales will be achieved, as sales are

 

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typically made pursuant to individual purchase orders. Even when a provider is the sole contracted supplier of a GPO or IDN for a certain product category, members of the GPO or IDN are generally free to purchase from other suppliers. Furthermore, GPO and IDN contracts can typically be terminated without cause by the GPO or IDN upon 60 to 90 days’ notice. Accordingly, the members of such groups may choose to purchase alternative products due to the price or quality offered by other companies, which could result in a decline in our revenue.

Defects or failures associated with our products could lead to recalls, safety alerts or litigation, as well as significant costs and negative publicity.

Our business is subject to significant risks associated with the manufacture, distribution and use of medical devices that are used by OB/GYN’s for surgical procedures, including the risk that patients may be severely injured by, or even die from, the misuse or malfunction of our products caused by design flaws or manufacturing defects. In addition, component failures, design defects, off-label uses, or inadequate disclosure of product-related information could also result in an unsafe condition or the injury or death of a patient. These problems could lead to a product recall or market withdrawal, or issuance of a safety alert relating to our products, and could result in significant costs, negative publicity, and adverse competitive pressure. The circumstances giving rise to recalls are unpredictable, and any recalls of existing or future products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The medical device industry has historically been subject to extensive litigation over product liability claims. We currently are party to four litigation matters involving patient harm, where either the performance of our Minerva ES product or physician use of it is at issue. We may be subject to product liability claims in the future if our products cause, or merely appear to have caused, patient harm, even if due to physician error. In addition, an injury or death that is caused by the activities of our suppliers, such as those that provide us with components and raw materials, may be the basis for a claim against us by patients, hospitals, ASCs, physicians, or others purchasing or using our products, even if our products were not the actual cause of such patient harm. We may choose to settle any claims to avoid fault and complication not due to failure of our products. If our products are found to have caused or contributed to injuries or deaths, we could be held liable for substantial damages. In addition, claims of this nature may adversely affect our reputation, which could damage our position in the market.

We maintain product liability insurance. However, we cannot assure you that any future product liability claims, will not result in court judgments or settlements that are in excess of the liability limits of our product liability insurance coverage. Our insurance policies also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We will have to pay any amounts awarded by a court that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance.

An adverse outcome involving one of our products could result in reduced market acceptance and demand for all of our products, and could harm our reputation and our ability to market our products in the future. In some circumstances, adverse events arising from or associated with the design, manufacture or marketing of our products could result in the suspension or delay of regulatory reviews of our premarket notifications, applications, or certifications for marketing. Finally, even a meritless or unsuccessful product liability claim would be time consuming and expensive to defend and could result in a diversion of management’s attention from our core business, which would cause our business to suffer. Any of the foregoing problems could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are required to file a MedWatch Medical Device Report (MDR) with the FDA, whenever we become aware that our products have, or may have, caused or contributed to a serious injury or death, or malfunctioned in a way that could likely cause or contribute to a serious injury or death if it were to recur. Any such MDR report associated with a significant adverse event could result in FDA enforcement action or negative publicity, which could harm our reputation, physician adoption, and future sales.

 

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We provide a limited warranty that our disposable products are free of material defects at the time of delivery and conform to specifications, and offer to repair, replace, or refund the purchase price of defective products. For our controllers, we offer a one-year warranty against manufacturer’s defects. As a result, we bear the risk of potential warranty claims on our products. The limited warranty on our products does not protect us from product liability claims. In the event that we attempt to recover some or all of the expenses associated with a warranty or product liability claim against us from our suppliers or vendors, we may not be successful in claiming recovery under any warranty or indemnity provided to us by such suppliers or vendors and any recovery from such vendor or supplier may not be adequate.

Our insurance policies are expensive and protect us only from some business risks, which leaves us exposed to significant uninsured liabilities.

We do not carry insurance for all categories of risk that our business may encounter. Although we have product liability insurance that we believe is appropriate, this insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations. Our current product liability insurance may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all, and, if available, coverage may not be adequate to protect us against any future product liability claims. If we are unable to obtain insurance at an acceptable cost or on acceptable terms, or otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, we could be exposed to significant liabilities. A product liability claim, recall or other claim with respect to uninsured liabilities, or for amounts in excess of insured liabilities, could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We do not carry specific hazardous waste insurance coverage, and our property, casualty, and general liability insurance policies specifically exclude coverage for damages and fines arising from hazardous waste exposure or contamination. Accordingly, in the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for damages or be penalized with fines in an amount exceeding our resources, and our clinical trials or investigations or regulatory approvals could be suspended. Additionally, we carry a limited amount of cyber liability and third-party crime insurance, which may expose us to certain potential losses for damages or result in penalization with fines in an amount exceeding our resources.

We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors, on our board committees or as executive officers. We do not know, however, if we will be able to maintain existing insurance with adequate levels of coverage. Any significant uninsured liability may require us to pay substantial amounts, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our history of recurring losses and anticipated expenditures raises substantial doubts about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern requires that we obtain sufficient funding to finance our operations.

We have incurred operating losses to date and it is possible we may never generate sufficient cash flow from operations to operate as a going concern. Our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. We have concluded that our recurring losses from operations and need for additional financing to fund future operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 included an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is this risk. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital when needed, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be harmed, and we will need to significantly modify our operational plans to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may have to liquidate our assets and

 

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the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements.

We may need additional funding and may not be able to raise capital when needed, which could force us to delay or reduce our product development programs and commercialization efforts.

We believe that our cash and cash equivalents, together with our expected revenue and the net proceeds from this offering, will be sufficient to meet our capital requirements and fund our operations for at least the next 12 months. However, we have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and we could spend our available financial resources much faster than we currently expect. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:

 

 

the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products;

 

 

the achievement of certain milestones related to our agreement with BSC;

 

 

the extent to which we acquire third-party companies, products, or technologies;

 

 

restructuring, refinancing, or repayment of debt;

 

 

the scope and timing of investment in our sales force;

 

 

the timing, receipt, and amount of sales from our current products and any future products we develop;

 

 

the costs of attaining, defending, and enforcing our intellectual property rights, including our litigation matters with Hologic, Inc.;

 

 

the cost of our research and development activities, regulatory clearances, approvals, or certifications;

 

 

the continued impact of COVID-19 on our business and operations;

 

 

expenses associated with any product recall that may occur;

 

 

the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments;

 

 

the cost of any additional clinical studies or investigations we initiate; and

 

 

the rate at which we expand into international markets.

We may seek to raise additional capital through equity offerings or debt financings, and such additional financings may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, any additional equity or debt financing that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. For example, if we raise funds by issuing equity or equity-linked securities, the issuance of such securities could result in dilution to our stockholders. Any equity securities issued may also provide for rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. In addition, the issuance of additional equity securities by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

In addition, the terms of debt securities issued, or borrowings, could impose significant restrictions on our operations including restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to pay dividends, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights, and other operating restrictions that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. In the event that we enter into collaborations or licensing arrangements to raise capital, we may be required to accept unfavorable terms, such as relinquishment or licensing of certain technologies or products that we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize ourselves, or reserve for future potential arrangements when we might otherwise be able to achieve more favorable terms. In addition, we may be forced to work with a partner on one or more of our products or market development programs, which could lower the economic value of those programs to us.

 

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If we are unable to obtain adequate financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, we may terminate or delay the development of one or more of our products, delay sales and marketing efforts or other activities necessary to commercialize our products. 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.

We have a significant amount of debt, which may affect our ability to operate our business and secure additional financing in the future.

On October 8, 2021, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the CIBC Agreement) with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which provides for a senior secured term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $40.0 million, the full amount of which was funded at the closing of the CIBC Agreement. The CIBC Loan provides for 24 months of interest-only payments followed by 36 equal monthly payments of principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest, with the total obligations due and payable in full on October 8, 2026. The payments under the CIBC Agreement, will divert resources from other activities. Our obligations under the CIBC Agreement are collateralized by substantially all of our assets, including our material intellectual property, and we are subject to customary financial and operating covenants limiting our ability to, among other things, relocate or dispose of assets, undergo a change in control, merge or consolidate, enter into certain transactions with affiliates, make acquisitions, incur debt, pay dividends, grant liens, repurchase stock, and make investments, in each case subject to certain exceptions. The covenants related to the CIBC Agreement, as well as any future financing agreements into which we may enter, may restrict our ability to finance our operations and engage in, expand, or otherwise pursue our business activities and strategies. While we are not currently in breach of any covenants contained in our CIBC Agreement, we have breached our reporting covenants in the past under our term loan agreements, and there can be no guarantee that we will not breach these or other covenants in the future. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, and future breaches of any of these covenants could result in a default under the CIBC Agreement. If not waived, future defaults could cause all of the outstanding indebtedness under the CIBC Agreement to become immediately due and payable and terminate commitments to extend further credit. If we do not have, or are unable to generate, sufficient cash available to repay our debt obligations when they become due and payable, either upon maturity or in the event of a default, our assets could be foreclosed upon and we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all, which may negatively impact our ability to operate and continue our business as a going concern.

We may continue to acquire technologies and products from other companies, which acquisitions could fail to result in a commercial product or generate additional sales, divert management’s attention, result in additional dilution to our stockholders, and otherwise disrupt our operations and harm our operating results.

As part of our business strategy, we have acquired, and may make future acquisitions of, complimentary companies, technologies, and products. For example, in May 2020, we acquired Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr from BSC to complete our portfolio of products. We may in the future seek to acquire, license, or invest in other businesses, products, or technologies that we believe could complement or expand our portfolio, enhance our technical capabilities or otherwise offer growth opportunities. We could also seek to enter into distribution arrangements or strategic partnerships with third parties that we believe could increase our revenue or offer other commercial benefits. However, we cannot assure you that we would be able to successfully complete any acquisition, license agreement or distribution agreement we choose to pursue, or that we would be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, or product or technology in a cost-effective and non-disruptive manner. Similarly, we cannot guarantee that we would derive benefits from any distribution arrangement or other strategic partnership. The pursuit of potential acquisition, license

or distribution opportunities may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various costs and expenses in identifying, investigating, and pursuing suitable transactions, whether or not they are

 

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consummated. We may not be able to identify desirable acquisition targets or strategic partners, or be successful in entering into an agreement with any particular target or partner, or obtain the expected benefits of any acquisition, license, investment, or other strategic partnership arrangement.

We may not be able to successfully integrate any acquired personnel, operations, and technologies, or effectively manage the combined business following an acquisition. Acquisitions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities, the use of our available cash, or the incurrence of debt, which could harm our operating results. In addition, if an acquired business, product, or technology fails to meet our expectations, our operating results, business, and financial condition may suffer.

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards may be limited.

As of December 31, 2020, we had U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) of $168.8 million and $116.3 million, respectively. NOLs arising in tax years ending on or before December 31, 2017 are subject to expiration and will begin to expire in 2028 (U.S. federal NOLs arising in tax years ending after December 31, 2017 are not subject to expiration) and our state NOLs will begin to expire in 2028. We may use these NOLs to offset against taxable income for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. However, Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), may limit the NOLs we may use in any year for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the event of certain changes in ownership of our company. An “ownership change” pursuant to Section 382 of the Code generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of a company’s stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We performed the analysis and determined that we have experienced an ownership change in February 2010 as a result of stock transfers and the issuance of preferred stock. In addition, future issuances or sales of our stock, including certain transactions involving our stock that are outside of our control, could result in future “ownership changes.” “Ownership changes” that have occurred in the past or that may occur in the future, including in connection with this offering, could result in the imposition of an annual limit on the amount of pre-ownership change NOLs and other tax attributes we can use to reduce our taxable income or income tax liability, potentially increasing and accelerating our liability for income taxes, and also potentially causing those tax attributes to expire unused. Any limitation on using NOLs could, depending on the extent of such limitation and the NOLs previously used, result in our retaining less cash after payment of U.S. federal and state income taxes during any year in which we have taxable income, rather than losses, than we would be entitled to retain if such NOLs were available as an offset against such income for U.S. federal and state income tax reporting purposes, which could adversely impact our operating results. Furthermore, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, although the treatment of U.S. federal NOLs arising in tax years beginning on or before December 31, 2017 has generally not changed, U.S. federal NOLs arising in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 may only be used to offset 80% of our taxable income in tax years beginning after December 31, 2020. This change may require us to pay U.S. federal income taxes in future years despite generating a loss for federal income tax purposes in prior years. See Note 10 to our annual financial statements appearing at the end of this prospectus for more information on our NOLs.

Security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business or our customers’ patients, or prevent us from accessing critical information and expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation.

In the ordinary course of our business, we may become exposed to, or collect and store, sensitive data, including procedure-based information and legally-protected health information, credit card and other financial information, insurance information, and other potentially personally identifiable information. We also store sensitive intellectual property and other proprietary business information. Although we take measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or disclosure, our information technology (IT) and infrastructure, and that of our technology partners, may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks by hackers or viruses or breached due to employee error,

 

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malfeasance, or other disruptions. We rely extensively on IT systems, networks, and services, including internet sites, data hosting and processing facilities and tools, physical security systems and other hardware, software, and technical applications, and platforms, some of which are managed, hosted, provided and/or used by third-parties or their vendors, to assist in conducting our business. A significant breakdown, invasion, corruption, destruction, or interruption of critical information technology systems or infrastructure, by our workforce, others with authorized access to our systems or unauthorized persons could negatively impact operations. The ever-increasing use and evolution of technology, including cloud-based computing, creates opportunities for the unintentional dissemination or intentional destruction of confidential information stored in our or our third-party providers’ systems, portable media, or storage devices. We could also experience a business interruption, theft of confidential information or reputational damage from industrial espionage attacks, malware, or other cyber-attacks, which may compromise our system infrastructure or lead to data leakage, either internally or at our third-party providers. In addition, adoption of work-from-home requirements in connection with COVID-19 could increase our cyber-security risk, create data accessibility concerns, and make us more susceptible to communication disruptions, any of which could adversely impact our business operations. Although the aggregate impact on our operations and financial condition has not been material to date, we have been the target of events of this nature, such as phishing attacks, and expect them to continue as cybersecurity threats have been rapidly evolving in sophistication and becoming more prevalent in the industry. We are investing in protections and monitoring practices of our data and IT to reduce these risks and continue to monitor our systems on an ongoing basis for any current or potential threats. There can be no assurance, however, that our efforts will prevent breakdowns or breaches to our or our third-party providers’ databases or systems that could adversely affect our business.

If we decide to pursue an international expansion of our business, it will expose us to market, regulatory, political, operational, financial, and economic risks associated with doing business outside of the United States.

Any international expansion that we pursue will involve a number of risks, including:

 

 

difficulties in staffing and managing our international operations;

 

 

working with in-country distributors with whom we are not familiar and over whom we have limited control;

 

 

multiple, conflicting, and changing laws and regulations such as tax laws, privacy laws, export and import restrictions, employment laws, regulatory requirements, and other governmental approvals, permits and licenses;

 

 

reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;

 

 

obtaining regulatory clearance or certification where required for our products in various countries;

 

 

requirements to maintain data and the processing of that data on servers located within such countries;

 

 

complexities associated with managing multiple payor reimbursement regimes, government payors, or patient self-pay systems;

 

 

limits on our ability to penetrate international markets if we are required to manufacture our products locally;

 

 

financial risks, such as longer payment cycles, difficulty collecting accounts receivable, foreign tax laws and complexities of foreign value-added tax systems, the effect of local and regional financial pressures on demand and payment for our products, and exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations;

 

 

restrictions on the site-of-service for use of our products and the economics related thereto for physicians, providers, and payors;

 

 

natural disasters and political and economic instability, including wars, terrorism, political unrest, outbreak of disease, boycotts, curtailment of trade and other market restrictions; and

 

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regulatory and compliance risks that relate to maintaining accurate information and control over activities subject to regulation under the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA), U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, and comparable laws and regulations in other countries.

Any of these factors could significantly harm our future international expansion and operations and, consequently, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws and any investigation, and the outcome of any investigation, by government agencies of possible violations by us of the FCPA could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws prohibit companies and their intermediaries from corruptly providing any benefits to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are in the process of further enhancing policies and procedures intended to help ensure compliance with these laws. In the future, we may operate in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree. Moreover, because of the significant role government entities play in the regulation of many foreign healthcare markets, we may be exposed to heightened FCPA and similar risks arising from our efforts to seek regulatory approval of and reimbursement for our products in such countries. We cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from improper acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, would significantly disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks related to our intellectual property

We are currently a party to intellectual property litigation with Hologic, Inc. and may, in the future, be a party to other intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings that are very costly and time-consuming and could interfere with our ability to sell and market our products.

The medical device industry has been characterized by extensive litigation regarding patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights, and companies in the industry have used intellectual property litigation to gain a competitive advantage. It is possible that U.S. and foreign patents, along with pending patent applications or trademarks controlled by third parties may be alleged to cover our products, or that we may be accused of misappropriating third parties’ trade secrets. Additionally, our products include components that we purchase from vendors, and may include design components that are outside of our direct control. Our competitors, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in patent portfolios, trade secrets, trademarks, and competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained, or may in the future apply for or obtain, patents or trademarks that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make, use, sell, and/or export our products or to use product names. For example, in November 2015, Hologic and Cytyc Surgical (collectively, Hologic), filed suit against us in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging infringement of four patents and asserting various other claims including unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, and tortious interference with business relationships. Hologic dropped two of the patents before trial. Pre-trial, the district court determined that we infringed two of Hologic’s asserted patents and that these two patents were valid. At trial, the district court ruled against Hologic’s non-patent claims as a matter of law, and the jury found no willfulness and awarded Hologic damages in the amount of about $4.8 million, which the court increased post-trial to include supplemental damages and interest, bringing the total amount of damages to approximately $7.2 million. Subsequently, one of the two patents was determined to be invalid by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the district court denied Hologic’s request for an injunction. As to the remaining patent, it expired shortly after trial on November 19, 2018, thereby capping the damages (other than interest that continues to accrue pending appeal). On June 29, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated and remanded the Federal Circuit’s decision that Minerva cannot challenge the validity of the remaining patent due to assignor estoppel. A decision from the Federal Circuit on remand as to the invalidity of the remaining patent is

 

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expected to take several months. We have posted a bond of approximately $7.2 million pending appeal. In July 2020, Hologic filed a related case against us in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware asserting that our redesigned endometrial ablation system infringed the one remaining patent currently on appeal for a period of about five months until that patent expired on November 19, 2018. This related case has been stayed pending appeal. We have spent a substantial sum of money and other resources in defending against these two litigation matters and we expect to continue to incur significant litigation expenses going forward. We cannot provide any guarantee that the Hologic claims, or any other intellectual property claims, will be resolved in our favor. For more information on the litigation matters with Hologic, Inc., see “Business—Legal proceedings.”

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 products 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 products, parts of our products, 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 products 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. Moreover, in recent years, individuals and groups that are non-practicing entities, commonly referred to as “patent trolls,” have purchased patents and other intellectual property assets for the purpose of making claims of infringement in order to extract settlements. From time to time, we may receive threatening letters, notices or “invitations to license,” or may be the subject of claims that our products and business operations infringe or violate the intellectual property rights of others. The defense of these matters can be time consuming, costly to defend in litigation, divert management’s attention and resources, damage our reputation and brand, and cause us to incur significant expenses or make substantial payments. Vendors from whom we purchase hardware or software may not indemnify us in the event that such hardware or software is accused of infringing a third-party’s patent or trademark or of misappropriating a third-party’s trade secret.

Since patent applications are confidential for a period of time after filing, we cannot be certain that we were the first to file any patent application related to our products. Competitors may also contest our patents in court, before an administrative agency, or at the patent office, if issued, by proving that the invention was not original, was not novel, was obvious, or was obtained without disclosing all pertinent material prior art information to the patent office, among other reasons. For example, in litigation, a competitor could claim that our patents, if issued, are not valid for a number of reasons or are unenforceable due to inequitable conduct. If a court agrees, we would lose our rights to those challenged patents.

In addition, we may in the future be subject to claims by our former employees or consultants asserting an ownership right in our patents or patent applications, as a result of the work they performed on our behalf. Although we generally require all of our employees and consultants and any other partners or collaborators who have access to our proprietary know-how, information, or technology to assign or grant similar rights to their inventions to us, we cannot be certain that we have executed such agreements with all parties who may have contributed to our intellectual property, nor can we be certain that our agreements with such parties will be upheld in the face of a potential challenge, or that they will not be breached, for which we may not have an adequate remedy.

Further, if third-party claims of patent or trademark infringement or trade secret misappropriation are successfully asserted against us, such claims may harm our business, result in injunctions preventing us from selling our products, and require payment of license fees, damages, attorney fees, and court costs, which may

 

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be substantial and have a material adverse impact on our business. In addition, if we are found to willfully infringe third-party patents or trademarks or to have misappropriated trade secrets, we could be required to pay treble damages in addition to other penalties. Although patent, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property disputes in the medical device area have often been settled through licensing or similar arrangements, costs associated with such arrangements may be substantial and could include ongoing royalties that may substantially erode our margins. Further, we may be unable to obtain necessary licenses on satisfactory terms, if at all. If we do not obtain necessary licenses, we may not be able to redesign our products to avoid infringement, and as such may need to stop selling the infringing products, which would have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Similarly, interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) may be necessary to determine priority with respect to our patents, patent applications, trademarks, or trademark applications. We may also become involved in other proceedings, such as reexamination, inter parties review, derivation, or opposition proceedings before the USPTO or other jurisdictional body relating to our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others. Adverse determinations in a judicial or administrative proceeding or failure to obtain necessary licenses could prevent us from manufacturing our products or using product names, which would have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Additionally, we may file lawsuits or initiate other proceedings to protect or enforce our patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful. Competitors may infringe our issued patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property. For example, in April 2017, we initiated an action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that one of Hologic’s products infringes one of our patents. This action was subsequently transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. On July 23, 2021, the district court found on summary judgment that our ‘208 patent is invalid, dismissed the case, and entered judgment. On August 24, 2021, we filed a notice of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We have incurred substantial expenses litigating against Hologic. We cannot provide any guarantee that our claim against Hologic will be resolved in our favor. For more information on the litigation matters with Hologic, Inc., see “Business–Legal proceedings.” In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, construe the patent’s claims narrowly or refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. Furthermore, even if our patents are found to be valid and infringed, a court may refuse to grant injunctive relief against the infringer and instead grant us monetary damages and/or ongoing royalties. Such monetary compensation may be insufficient to adequately offset the damage to our business caused by the infringer’s competition in the market, and an adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, which could adversely affect our competitive business position, financial condition, and results of operations.

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

 

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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.

We may be subject to claims that we or our employees have misappropriated the intellectual property of a third party, including trade secrets or know-how, or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors and third parties may claim an ownership interest in intellectual property we regard as our own.

Many of our employees and consultants were previously employed at, or engaged by, other medical device, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Some of these employees, consultants, and contractors may have executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure, and non-competition agreements in connection with such previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the intellectual property, proprietary information, know-how, or trade secrets of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, misappropriated the intellectual property or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information, of these former employers or competitors.

Additionally, we may be subject to claims from third parties challenging our ownership interest in intellectual property we regard as our own, based on claims that our employees or consultants have breached an obligation to assign inventions to another employer, to a former employer, or to another person or entity. Litigation may be necessary to defend against any other claims, and it may be necessary or we may desire to enter into a license to settle any such claim; however, there can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain a license on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If our defense to those claims fails, in addition to paying monetary damages, a court could prohibit us from using technologies or features that are essential to our products, if such technologies or features are found to incorporate or be derived from the trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers.

An inability to incorporate technologies or features that are important or essential to our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations, and may prevent us from selling our products. In addition, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and could be a distraction to management. Any litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire employees or contract with independent sales representatives. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize our products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our success will depend on our ability to obtain, maintain, and protect our intellectual property rights. If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent or other intellectual property protection for any products we develop or for our technology, or if the scope of the patent and other intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize products and technology similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize any products we may develop, and our technology, may be harmed.

In order to remain competitive, we must develop, maintain, and protect the proprietary aspects of our brands, technologies, and data. We rely on a combination of contractual provisions, confidentiality procedures and patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws to protect the proprietary aspects of our brands, technologies, and data. These legal measures afford only limited protection, and competitors or others may gain access to or use our intellectual property and proprietary information. Our success will depend, in part, on preserving our trade secrets, maintaining the security of our data and know-how and obtaining and maintaining other intellectual property rights. We may not be able to obtain or maintain intellectual property or other proprietary rights necessary to our business or in a form that provides us with a competitive advantage. In

 

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addition, our trade secrets, data, and know-how could be subject to unauthorized use, misappropriation, or disclosure to unauthorized parties, despite our efforts to enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, clients, and other vendors who have access to such information, and could otherwise become known or be independently discovered by third parties. Our intellectual property, including trademarks, could be challenged, invalidated, infringed, and circumvented by third parties, and our trademarks could also be diluted, declared generic, or found to be infringing on other marks. If any of the foregoing occurs, we could be forced to re-brand our products, resulting in loss of brand recognition, and requiring us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands, and suffer other competitive harm. Third parties may also adopt trademarks similar to ours, which could harm our brand identity and lead to market confusion. Failure to obtain and maintain intellectual property rights necessary to our business and failure to protect, monitor and control the use of our intellectual property rights could negatively impact our ability to compete and cause us to incur significant expenses. The intellectual property laws and other statutory and contractual arrangements in the United States and other jurisdictions we depend upon may not provide sufficient protection in the future to prevent the infringement, use, violation, or misappropriation of our trademarks, data, technology, and other intellectual property and services, and may not provide an adequate remedy if our intellectual property rights are infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise violated.

As with other medical device companies, our success depends, in part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, expand, enforce, and defend the scope of our intellectual property portfolio or other proprietary rights, including the amount and timing of any payments we may be required to make in connection with the licensing, filing, defense and enforcement of any patents or other intellectual property rights. The process of applying for and obtaining a patent 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, in a timely manner, or in all jurisdictions where protection may be commercially advantageous, or we may not be able to protect our proprietary rights at all. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may be able to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. In addition, the issuance of a patent does not ensure that it is valid or enforceable, so even if we obtain patents, they may not be valid or enforceable against third parties. Our patent applications may not result in issued patents and our patents may not be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. 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.

Moreover, even if we are able to obtain patent protection, such patent protection may be of insufficient scope to achieve our business objectives. 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 change statutory patent law or court action that may reinterpret existing law or rules in ways affecting the scope or validity of issued patents. 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. Decisions by courts and governmental patent agencies may introduce uncertainty in the enforceability or scope of patents owned by or licensed to us. Furthermore, the issuance of a patent does not give us the right to practice the patented invention. Third parties may also have blocking patents that could prevent us from marketing our own products and practicing our own technology. Alternatively, third parties may seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our products. In these circumstances, we may need to defend and/or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of

 

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proceedings, a court or agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid, unenforceable, or not infringed; competitors may then be able to market products and use manufacturing and analytical processes that are substantially similar to ours. Even if we have valid and enforceable patents, these patents still may not provide protection against competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives.

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 products or any future products we may develop. 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 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 product, which could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment, and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition, periodic maintenance fees on issued patents often must be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of the patent. While an unintentional lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products that are the same as or similar to our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

If we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses, including from Hermes Innovations, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

We are a party to a license agreement with Hermes Innovations, LLC (Hermes), under which Hermes has granted us a worldwide, exclusive, royalty-free license to certain of its intellectual property related to the endometrial ablation procedure. This license agreement imposes, and we expect that any future license agreements will impose, certain diligence, royalty, and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with these obligations, our licensors, including Hermes, may have the right to reduce the scope of our rights or terminate these agreements, in which event we may not be able to develop and market any product that is covered by these agreements. Termination of this license for failure to comply with such obligations or for other reasons, or reduction or elimination of our licensed rights under it or any other license, may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated licenses on less favorable terms or our not having sufficient intellectual property rights to operate our business or cause us to enter into a new license for a different endometrial ablation product. The occurrence of such events could materially harm our business and financial condition.

 

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The risks described elsewhere pertaining to our intellectual property rights also apply to the intellectual property rights that we in-license, and any failure by us or our licensors, including Hermes, to obtain, maintain, defend, and enforce these rights could have a material adverse effect on our business. In some cases, we do not have control over the prosecution, maintenance, or enforcement of the patents that we license, and may not have sufficient ability to provide input into the patent prosecution, maintenance, and defense process with respect to such patents, and our licensors may fail to take the steps that we believe are necessary or desirable in order to obtain, maintain, defend, and enforce the licensed patents, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our products for an adequate amount of time.

Patents have a limited lifespan. The terms of individual patents depend upon the legal term for patents in the countries in which they are granted. In most countries, including the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest non-provisional filing date in the applicable country. 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, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our products are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from competitive products. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.

Changes in patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our existing and future products.

Patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents. In 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (the Leahy-Smith Act) was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law, including provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted, and also may affect patent litigation. The Leahy-Smith Act also includes provisions that switched the United States from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-to-file” system, allow third-party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution, and set forth additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by the USPTO administered post-grant proceedings. Under a first-to-file system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. The USPTO recently developed new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, and in particular, the first to file provisions, only became effective in 2013. 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 products or invent any of the inventions claimed in our patents or patent applications.

The Leahy-Smith 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

 

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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 Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. 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. The Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, patent reform legislation may pass in the future that could lead to additional uncertainties and increased costs surrounding the prosecution, enforcement and defense of our patents and applications. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws of the United States are interpreted. Similarly, foreign courts have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws in their respective jurisdictions are interpreted. We cannot predict future changes in the interpretation of patent laws or changes to patent laws that might be enacted into law by U.S. and foreign legislative bodies. Those changes may materially affect our patents or patent applications and our ability to obtain additional patent protection in the future.

Our patent rights and other intellectual property may be subject to priority or inventorship disputes, interferences, and similar proceedings.

We may also be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators, or other third parties have an interest in our owned patent applications or in-licensed patents or patent applications or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. If we are unable to obtain an exclusive license to any such third-party co-owners’ interest in such patent applications, such co-owners rights may be subject, or in the future subject, to assignment or license to other third parties, including our competitors. In addition, we may need the cooperation of any such co-owners to enforce any patents that issue from such patent applications against third parties, and such cooperation may not be provided to us.

If we or our licensors are unsuccessful in any priority, validity (including any patent oppositions), or inventorship disputes to which we or they are subject, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights through the loss of one or more of our patents, or such patent claims may be narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable, or through the loss of exclusive ownership of or the exclusive right to use our owned or in-licensed patents. In the event of loss of patent rights as a result of any of these disputes, we may be required to obtain and maintain licenses from third parties, including parties involved in any such interference proceedings or other priority or inventorship 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 the product candidates we may develop. 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 product candidates. Even if we are successful in priority, inventorship, or ownership disputes, it could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees. Any of the foregoing could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects.

 

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If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets and other proprietary information, our business and competitive position may be harmed.

In addition to patent protection, we also rely on other proprietary rights, including protection of trade secrets, and other proprietary information that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect, and some courts are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. To maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets and proprietary information, we rely heavily on confidentiality provisions that we have in contracts with our employees, consultants, suppliers, contract manufacturers, collaborators, and others upon the commencement of their relationship with us. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary technology and processes. We may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical knowledge or other trade secrets by such third parties, despite the existence generally of these confidentiality restrictions. These contracts may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how, or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation, or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how, or other proprietary information. There can be no assurance that such third parties will not breach their agreements with us, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known or independently developed by competitors. We may need to share our proprietary information, including trade secrets, with future business partners, collaborators, contractors, and others located in countries at heightened risk of theft of trade secrets, including through direct intrusion by private parties or foreign actors, and those affiliated with or controlled by state actors. Despite the protections we do place on our intellectual property or other proprietary rights, monitoring unauthorized use and disclosure of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property or other proprietary rights will be adequate. In addition, the laws of many foreign countries will not protect our intellectual property or other proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Consequently, we may be unable to prevent our proprietary technology from being exploited abroad, which could affect our ability to expand to international markets or require costly efforts to protect our technology.

To the extent our intellectual property or other proprietary information protection is incomplete, we are exposed to a greater risk of direct competition. A third party could, without authorization, copy or otherwise obtain and use our products or technology, or develop similar technology. Our competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts or design around our protected technology. Our failure to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could substantially harm the value of our products, brand, and business. The theft or unauthorized use or publication of our trade secrets and other confidential business information could reduce the differentiation of our products and harm our business, the value of our investment in research and development or acquisitions could be reduced, and third parties might make claims against us related to losses of their confidential or proprietary information. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Further, it is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology, and in such cases, we could not assert any trade secret rights against such parties. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our trade secret rights and related confidentiality and nondisclosure provisions. If we fail to obtain or maintain trade secret protection, or if our competitors obtain our trade secrets or independently develop technology similar to ours or competing technologies, our competitive market position could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, some courts are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets and agreement terms that address non-competition are difficult to enforce in many jurisdictions and might not be enforceable in certain cases.

 

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We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and other confidential information by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our IT systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations, and systems, agreements or security measures may be breached and detecting the disclosure or misappropriation of confidential information and enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated confidential information is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. Further, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any such breach.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

A company may attempt to commercialize competing products utilizing our proprietary design, trademarks, or tradenames in foreign countries where we do not have sufficient patents or patent protection and where legal recourse may be limited. This may have a significant commercial impact on our foreign business operations.

Filing, prosecuting, and defending patents or trademarks on our current and future products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. The requirements for patentability and trademarking may differ in certain countries, particularly developing countries. The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from utilizing our inventions and trademarks in all countries outside the United States. Competitors may use our technologies or trademarks in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent or trademark protection to develop or market their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent and trademark protection, but enforcement on infringing activities is inadequate. These products or trademarks may compete with our products or trademarks, and our patents, trademarks, 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, trademarks, and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents and trademarks or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent and trademarks 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 and trademarks at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent or trademark applications at risk, 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. In addition, certain countries in Europe and certain developing countries, including India and China, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In those countries, we may have limited remedies if our patents are infringed or if we are compelled to grant a license to our patents to a third party, which could materially diminish the value of those patents. This could limit our potential revenue opportunities. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we own or license. Finally, our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights may be adversely affected by unforeseen changes in foreign intellectual property laws.

If our trademarks and tradenames are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets and our business may be adversely affected.

We rely on trademarks, service marks, tradenames, and brand names to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors, and have registered or applied to register these trademarks. We cannot assure you that our trademark applications will be approved. During trademark registration proceedings, we may receive

 

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rejections. Although we are given an opportunity to respond to those rejections, we may be unable to overcome such rejections. In addition, in proceedings before the USPTO and comparable agencies in many foreign jurisdictions, third parties are given an opportunity to oppose pending trademark applications and to seek to cancel registered trademarks. Opposition or cancellation proceedings may be filed against our trademarks, and our trademarks may not survive such proceedings. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources towards advertising and marketing new brands and managing through regulatory implications such as relabeling. At times, competitors may adopt trade names or trademarks similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to market confusion. Certain of our current or future trademarks may become so well known by the public that their use becomes generic, and they lose trademark protection. 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, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

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 individuals 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 individuals 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:

 

 

others may be able to make products that are similar to our products or utilize similar technology but that are not covered by the claims of our patents or that incorporate certain technology in our products that is in the public domain;

 

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we, or our future licensors or collaborators, might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the applicable issued patent or pending patent application that we own now or may own or license in the future;

 

 

we, or our future licensors or collaborators, might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our or their inventions;

 

 

we, or our 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;

 

 

others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;

 

 

it is possible that our current or future pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents;

 

 

it is possible that there are prior public disclosures that could invalidate our patents, or parts of our patents;

 

 

it is possible that there are unpublished applications or patent applications maintained in secrecy that may later issue with claims covering our products or technology similar to ours;

 

 

it is possible that our patents or patent applications omit individuals that should be listed as inventors or include individuals 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;

 

 

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;

 

 

claims of our patents or patent applications, if and when issued, may not cover our products or technologies;

 

 

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;

 

 

the inventors of our patents or patent applications may become involved with competitors, develop products 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;

 

 

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 products for sale in our major commercial markets;

 

 

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 products that are outside the scope of our patents;

 

 

we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable;

 

 

the patents of others may harm our business; or

 

 

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.

Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

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Risks related to government regulation

Our products and operations are subject to extensive government regulation and oversight both in the United States and abroad, and our failure to comply with applicable requirements could harm our business.

Our products are regulated as medical devices. We and our products are subject to extensive regulation in the United States and elsewhere, including by the FDA and by the FDA’s foreign counterparts. The FDA and foreign regulatory agencies regulate, among other things, with respect to medical devices: design, development, manufacturing, and release; laboratory, preclinical, and clinical testing; labeling, packaging, content, and language of instructions for use and storage; product safety and efficacy claims; establishment, registration, and device listing; marketing, sales, and distribution; pre-market clearances, approvals, and certifications; service operations; record keeping procedures; advertising and promotion; recalls and field safety corrective actions; post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, could lead to death or serious injury; post-market studies; and product import and export.

The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. The FDA and foreign counterparts enforce these regulatory requirements through, among other means, periodic unannounced inspections and periodic reviews of public marketing and promotion materials. We do not know whether we will be found compliant in connection with any future FDA or foreign counterparts’ inspections or reviews. Failure to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions such as: warning letters; untitled letters; fines; injunctions; civil penalties; termination of distribution; recalls or seizures of products; delays in the introduction of products into the market; total or partial suspension of production; refusal to grant future clearances, approvals, or certifications; withdrawals or suspensions of current approvals or certifications, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our products; and in the most serious cases, criminal penalties.

Disruptions at the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies or foreign bodies caused by funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.

The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes. Average review times at the FDA have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.

Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies or foreign bodies may also slow the time necessary for new medical devices to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, in recent years, including in 2018 and 2019, the U.S. government shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, had to furlough critical employees and stop critical activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, upon completion of this offering and in our operations as a public company, future government shutdowns could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations.

 

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Separately, in response to COVID-19, on March 10, 2020 the FDA announced its intention to postpone most inspections of foreign manufacturing facilities, and on March 18, 2020, the FDA temporarily postponed routine surveillance inspections of domestic manufacturing facilities. On July 10, 2020, the FDA announced its intention to resume certain on-site inspections of domestic manufacturing facilities subject to a risk-based prioritization system. The FDA intends to use this risk-based assessment system to identify the categories of regulatory activity that can occur within a given geographic area, ranging from mission critical inspections to resumption of all regulatory activities. Regulatory authorities outside the United States may adopt similar restrictions or other policy measures in response to COVID-19. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if global health concerns continue to prevent the FDA or other regulatory authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or other regulatory authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Legislative or regulatory reforms in the United States or the EU may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory clearances, approvals, or certifications for our products or to manufacture, market, or distribute our products after clearance, approval, or certification is obtained.

From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the regulation of medical devices. 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 future products under development or impact our ability to modify our currently cleared products on a timely basis. Over the last several years, the FDA has proposed reforms to its 510(k) clearance process, and such proposals could include increased requirements for clinical data and a longer review period, or could make it more difficult for manufacturers to utilize the 510(k) clearance process for their products. For example, in November 2018, FDA officials announced steps that the FDA intended to take to modernize the premarket notification pathway under Section 510(k) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Among other things, the FDA announced that it planned to develop proposals to drive manufacturers utilizing the 510(k) pathway toward the use of newer predicates. These proposals included plans to potentially sunset certain older devices that were used as predicates under the 510(k) clearance pathway, and to potentially publish a list of devices that have been cleared on the basis of demonstrated substantial equivalence to predicate devices that are more than 10 years old. These proposals have not yet been finalized or adopted, although the FDA may work with Congress to implement such proposals through legislation. Accordingly, it is unclear the extent to which any proposals, if adopted, could impose additional regulatory requirements on us that could delay our ability to obtain new 510(k) clearances, increase the costs of compliance, or restrict our ability to maintain our current clearances, or otherwise create competition that may negatively affect our business.

More recently, in September 2019, the FDA issued revised final guidance describing an optional “safety and performance based” premarket review pathway for manufacturers of “certain, well-understood device types” to demonstrate substantial equivalence under the 510(k) clearance pathway by showing that such device meets objective safety and performance criteria established by the FDA, thereby obviating the need for manufacturers to compare the safety and performance of their medical devices to specific predicate devices in the clearance process. The FDA has developed and maintains a list of device types appropriate for the “safety and performance based” pathway and will continue to develop product-specific guidance documents that identify the performance criteria for each such device type, as well as the testing methods recommended in the guidance documents, where feasible. The FDA may establish performance criteria for classes of devices for which we or our competitors seek or currently have received clearance, and it is unclear the extent to which such performance standards, if established, could impact our ability to obtain new 510(k) clearances or otherwise create competition that may negatively affect our business.

 

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In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the FDA in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new statutes, regulations, or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of any future products or make it more difficult to obtain clearance or approval for, manufacture, market, or distribute our products. We cannot determine what effect changes in regulations, statutes, legal interpretation, or policies, when and if promulgated, enacted, or adopted may have on our business in the future. Such changes could, among other things, require: additional testing prior to obtaining clearance or approval; changes to manufacturing methods; recall, replacement or discontinuance of our products; or additional record keeping.

The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change, and additional government regulations may be promulgated that could prevent, limit, or delay regulatory clearance or approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature, or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.

On May 25, 2017, the Medical Devices Regulation entered into force in the European Union (EU), which repeals and replaces the EU Medical Devices Directive. Unlike directives, which must be implemented into the national laws of the EU member states, regulations are directly applicable (i.e., without the need for adoption of EU member state laws implementing them) in all EU member states and eliminate current differences in the regulation of medical devices among EU member states. The EU Medical Devices Regulation, among other things, establishes a uniform, transparent, predictable, and sustainable regulatory framework across the EU for medical devices and ensures a high level of safety and health while supporting innovation.

The EU Medical Devices Regulation was originally intended to become effective three years after publication, but in April 2020 the transition period was extended by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU by an additional year, until May 26, 2021. Devices lawfully placed on the market pursuant to the EU Medical Devices Directive prior to May 26, 2021, may generally continue to be made available on the market or put into service until May 26, 2025. Complying with this new regulation may result in Europe being less attractive as a “first market” destination.

Healthcare policy changes, including recently enacted legislation reforming the U.S. healthcare system, could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In the United States, there have been, and continue to be, a number of legislative initiatives to contain healthcare costs. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (ACA) was enacted in the United States, which made a number of substantial changes in the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. Among other ways in which it may affect our business, the ACA implemented payment system reforms including a national pilot program on payment bundling to encourage hospitals, physicians, and other providers to improve the coordination, quality, and efficiency of certain healthcare services through bundled payment models and expanded the eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs.

Since its enactment, there have been judicial, executive, and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the most recent judicial challenge to the ACA without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA. Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, President Biden issued an executive order to initiate a special enrollment period from February 15, 2021 through August 15, 2021 for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA marketplace. 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

 

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that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the ACA. It is unclear how other healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration or other efforts, if any, to challenge, repeal, or replace the ACA will impact the ACA or 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, reduced Medicare payments to providers by 2% per fiscal year, effective on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2030, with the exception of a temporary suspension implemented under various COVID-19 relief legislation from May 1, 2020 through the end of 2021, unless additional Congressional action is taken. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which, among other things, further 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.

We expect additional state and federal healthcare policies and reform measures to be adopted in the future. Any of these could make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory clearances or approvals for our products or to manufacture, market, or distribute our products after clearance or approval is obtained. Any such reforms could have a material adverse effect on our industry generally and on our customers. In addition, any healthcare reforms that expand the government’s role in the U.S. healthcare industry may result in decreased sale of our products and lower reimbursement by payors for procedures using our products, any of which could affect demand for our products and/or result in additional pricing pressure, which in turn could impact our ability to successfully commercialize our products and could have an adverse material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Changes and reforms in the EU and other countries where we may decide to commercialize could have similar effects.

If coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for procedures using our products significantly decline, physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers may be reluctant to use our products and our sales may decline.

In the United States, healthcare providers who purchase our products generally rely on third-party payors, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance plans, to pay for all or a portion of the cost of our products in the procedures in which they are employed. Because there is often no separate reimbursement for products used in surgical procedures, the additional cost associated with the use of our products can impact the profit margin of the hospital or surgery center where the surgery is performed. Some of our target customers may be unwilling to adopt our products in light of the additional associated cost. Further, any decline in the amount payors are willing to reimburse our customers for the procedures using our products may make it difficult for existing customers to continue using, or to adopt, our products and could create additional pricing pressure for us. We may be unable to sell our products on a profitable basis if third-party payors deny coverage or reduce their current levels of reimbursement.

To contain costs of new technologies, governmental healthcare programs and third-party payors are increasingly scrutinizing new and existing treatments by requiring extensive evidence of favorable clinical outcomes. Physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers may not purchase our products if they do not receive satisfactory reimbursement from these third-party payors for the cost of the procedures using our products. Payors continue to review their coverage policies carefully for existing and new therapies and can, without notice, deny coverage for treatments that include the use of our products. If third-party payors issue non-coverage policies or if our customers are not reimbursed at adequate levels, this could adversely affect sales of our products.

In addition to uncertainties surrounding coverage policies, there are periodic changes to reimbursement rates and policies. Third-party payors regularly update reimbursement amounts and also from time to time revise the

 

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methodologies used to determine reimbursement amounts. This includes routine updates to payments to physicians, hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers for procedures during which our products are used. These updates could directly impact the demand for our products. For example, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), enacted on April 16, 2015, repealed the formula by which Medicare made annual payment adjustments to physicians and replaced the former formula with fixed annual updates and a new system of incentive payments which began in 2019 that are based on various performance measures and physicians’ participation in alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations. It is unclear what effect new quality and payment programs, such as MACRA, may have on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. While MACRA applies only to Medicare reimbursement, Medicaid and private payors often follow Medicare payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates, and any reduction in Medicare reimbursement may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors, which may result in reduced demand for our products. However, there is no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement among payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for procedures can differ significantly from payor to payor.

Moreover, some healthcare providers in the United States have adopted, or are considering, a managed care system in which the providers contract to provide comprehensive healthcare for a fixed cost per person. Healthcare providers may attempt to control costs by authorizing fewer surgical procedures or by requiring the use of the least expensive clinically appropriate products available. Additionally, as a result of reform of the U.S. healthcare system, changes in reimbursement policies or healthcare cost containment initiatives may limit or restrict coverage and reimbursement for procedures using our products and cause our revenue to decline.

Outside of the United States, reimbursement systems vary significantly by country. Many foreign markets have government-managed healthcare systems that govern reimbursement for surgical procedures. Additionally, some foreign reimbursement systems provide for limited payments in a given period and therefore result in extended payment periods. If adequate levels of reimbursement from third-party payors outside of the United States are not obtained, international sales of our products may decline. The marketability of our products may suffer if government and commercial third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.

If we fail to comply with healthcare and other governmental regulations, we could face substantial fines and penalties and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We are subject to certain federal, state, and foreign fraud and abuse laws, health information privacy and security laws, and transparency laws regarding payments and other transfers of value made to physicians and other healthcare professionals that could subject us to substantial penalties. Additionally, any challenge to, or investigation into, our practices under these laws could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, and thus could harm our business.

The products we offer are highly regulated, and there can be no assurance that the regulatory environment in which we operate will not change significantly and adversely in the future. Our arrangements with physicians, hospitals and medical centers will expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse laws and other laws and regulations that may restrict the financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell, and distribute our products. Our employees, consultants, and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements. Federal and state healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to conduct business, include, without limitation:

 

 

federal and state laws and regulations regarding billing and claims payment applicable to endometrial ablation and tissue resection and regulatory agencies enforcing those laws and regulations;

 

 

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FDA, Department of Justice, and other government authority prohibitions against the advertisement, promotion, and labeling of our products for off-label uses, or uses outside the specific indications approved by the FDA;

 

 

the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which broadly prohibits, among other things, any person from knowingly and willfully offering, soliciting, receiving, or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order, or recommendation of, any good or service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare or Medicaid. 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;

 

 

the federal False Claims Act, which prohibits, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, false claims, or knowingly using false statements, to obtain payment from the federal government. These laws have been interpreted to apply to arrangements between medical device manufacturers, on the one hand, and prescribers, purchasers, and other healthcare-related professionals on the other. They can apply to manufacturers who provide inaccurate information on coverage, coding, and reimbursement of their products to persons who bill third-party payors. In addition, medical device companies have been prosecuted or faced civil and criminal liability under these laws for a variety of alleged promotional and marketing activities, including violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and engaging in off-label promotion that caused claims to be submitted for non-covered off-label uses. Private individuals can bring False Claims Act “qui tam” actions, on behalf of the government and such individuals, commonly known as “whistleblowers,” may share in amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement;

 

 

HIPAA, which among other things, also created criminal liability for knowingly and willfully falsifying or concealing a material fact or making a materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;

 

 

federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making, or causing to be made, false statements relating to healthcare matters;

 

 

the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among other things, offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier;

 

 

the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, and other local anti-corruption laws that apply to our international activities;

 

 

the federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Open Payments), created under the ACA, and its implementing regulations, which requires applicable group purchasing organizations and manufacturers of covered drugs, medical devices, biologicals, and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) information related to certain payments or other transfers of value made to covered recipients, including licensed physicians, certain other healthcare professionals, and teaching hospitals, including ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Additionally, beginning with data reported to CMS in 2022, such reporting obligations with respect to payments or other transfers of value made in the previous year to covered recipients have been extended to include new provider types: physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants, and certified nurse-midwives;

 

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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 or patients; 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 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; consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm customers, foreign and state laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 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; and state laws related to insurance fraud in the case of claims involving private insurers.

The scope and enforcement of each of the laws applicable to our business and products are uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. The U.S. Department of Justice has increased its scrutiny of interactions between manufacturers and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and settlements in the healthcare industry. Responding to a government investigation is time and resource intensive, and may cause harm to our business and reputation even if we are able to successfully defend against it. Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of available statutory and regulatory exemptions or safe harbors, it is possible that some of our activities, such as stock-option compensation paid to physicians or our practice of loaning equipment to customers at no additional cost, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Any action brought against us for violations of these laws or regulations, even successfully defended, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. We may be subject to private “qui tam” actions brought by individual whistleblowers on behalf of the federal or state governments.

If we were to grow our business and expand our sales organization or rely on distributors outside of the United States, we would be at increased risk of violating these laws or our internal policies and procedures. The risk of our being found in violation of these or other laws and regulations is further increased by the fact that many have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations. Any action brought against us for violation of these or other laws or regulations, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal, state and foreign laws described above or any other current or future fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including significant criminal, civil, and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment for individuals, exclusion from participation in government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and we could be required to curtail or cease our operations. Any of the foregoing consequences could seriously harm our business and our financial results.

If we fail to obtain and maintain necessary regulatory clearances, approvals, or certifications for our products, or if clearances, approvals or certifications for future products and indications are delayed or not issued, our commercial operations would be harmed.

Our endometrial ablation and tissue resection products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA in the United States and by regulatory agencies in other countries outside of the United States. Government regulations specific to medical devices are wide ranging and govern, among other things:

 

 

product design, development, and manufacture;

 

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laboratory, preclinical and clinical testing, labeling, packaging, storage, and distribution;

 

 

premarketing clearance, approval, or certification;

 

 

record keeping;

 

 

product marketing, promotion and advertising, sales, and distribution; and

 

 

post marketing surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and recalls and correction and removals.

Before a new medical device, or a new intended use for an existing product, can be marketed in the United States, a company must first submit and receive 510(k) clearance pursuant to Section 510(k) of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), approval of a PMA by the FDA, or grant of a de novo classification request from the FDA, unless an exemption applies.

In many cases, the process of obtaining PMA approval, which was required for Minerva ES and Genesys HTA, is much more rigorous, costly, lengthy, and uncertain than the 510(k) clearance process. 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, in order to clear the proposed device for marketing. To be “substantially equivalent,” the proposed device must have the same intended use as the predicate device, and either have the same technological characteristics as the predicate device or have different technological characteristics and not raise different questions of safety or effectiveness than the predicate device. Clinical data is sometimes required to support substantial equivalence. In the PMA approval process, the FDA must determine that a proposed device is safe and effective for its intended use based on extensive data, including technical, pre-clinical, clinical trial, manufacturing, and labeling data. The PMA process is typically required for devices for which the 510(k) process cannot be used and that are deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life sustaining, life supporting, or implantable devices. In the de novo classification process, a manufacturer whose novel device under the FDCA would otherwise be automatically classified as Class III and require the submission and approval of a PMA prior to marketing is able to request down-classification of the device to Class I or Class II on the basis that the device presents a low or moderate risk. If the FDA grants the de novo classification request, the applicant will receive authorization to market the device. This device type may be used subsequently as a predicate device for future 510(k) submissions. Modifications to products that are approved through a PMA application generally need prior FDA approval of a PMA supplement. Similarly, some modifications made to products cleared through a 510(k) submission may require a new 510(k) clearance, or such modification may put the device into Class III and require PMA approval or the grant of a de novo classification request.

The PMA approval, 510(k) clearance, and de novo classification processes can be expensive, lengthy, and uncertain. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to 12 months, but may last longer. The process of obtaining a PMA generally takes from one to three years, or even longer, from the time the PMA is submitted to the FDA until an approval is obtained. Any delay or failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, clearances or certifications would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The FDA and foreign bodies can delay, limit, or deny clearance, approval, or certification of a device for many reasons, including:

 

 

our inability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or the applicable regulatory entity or notified body that our products are safe or effective for their intended uses or substantially equivalent to a predicate device;

 

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the disagreement of the FDA or the applicable foreign body with the design, conduct or implementation of our clinical trials or investigations or the analyses or interpretation of data from pre-clinical studies or clinical trials or investigations;

 

 

serious and unexpected adverse device effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials or investigations;

 

 

the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials or investigations may be insufficient to support clearance, de novo classification, approval, or certification, where required;

 

 

our inability to demonstrate that the clinical and other benefits of the device outweigh the risks;

 

 

an advisory committee, if convened by the applicable regulatory authority, may recommend against approval of our application or may recommend that the applicable regulatory authority require, as a condition of approval, additional preclinical studies, clinical trials or investigations, limitations on approved labeling or distribution and use restrictions, or even if an advisory committee, if convened, makes a favorable recommendation, the respective regulatory authority or notified body may still not approve or certify the product;

 

 

the applicable regulatory authority or notified body may identify significant deficiencies in our manufacturing processes, facilities, or analytical methods or those of our third-party contract manufacturers;

 

 

the potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory bodies to change significantly in a manner rendering our clinical data or regulatory submissions insufficient for clearance, de novo classification, approval, or certification; and

 

 

the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities or bodies may audit our clinical trial or investigation data and conclude that the data is not sufficiently reliable to support approval, clearance, or certification.

Similarly, regulators may determine that our financial relationships with our principal investigators resulted in a perceived or actual conflict of interest that may have affected the interpretation of a study, the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial or investigation site, or the utility of the clinical trial or investigation itself. Even if we are granted regulatory clearances, approvals, or certifications, they may include significant limitations on the indicated uses for the product, which may limit the market for the product.

Moreover, the FDA and other foreign counterparts strictly regulate the labeling, promotion, and advertising of our products, including comparative and superiority claims vis-a-vis competitors’ products.

As a condition of approving a PMA application or granting a de novo request, the FDA may also require some form of post-approval study or post-market surveillance, whereby the applicant conducts a follow-up study or follows certain patient groups for a number of years and makes periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients when necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and effectiveness data for the device.

In addition, we are required to investigate all product complaints we receive, and timely file reports with the FDA, including MDRs that require that we report to regulatory authorities if our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur. If these reports are not submitted in a timely manner, regulators may impose sanctions and we may be subject to product liability or regulatory enforcement actions, including warning letters, untitled letters, fines, civil penalties, recalls, seizures, operating restrictions, denial of requests for 510(k) clearance or premarket approval of new products, new intended uses or modifications to existing products, withdrawal of current 510(k) clearances or premarket approvals, and narrowing of approved or cleared product labeling, all of which could harm our business. In addition, the FDA may provide notice of and conduct additional inspections, such as “for cause” inspections, of our business, sites, and facilities as part of its review process. Similar requirements may apply in foreign countries.

 

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If we initiate a correction or removal action for our products to reduce a significant risk to health posed by our products, we would be required to submit a publicly available correction and removal report to the FDA and, in many cases, similar reports to other regulatory agencies. This report could be classified by the FDA as a device recall which could lead to increased scrutiny from the FDA, other international regulatory agencies, and our customers regarding the quality and safety of our products. Furthermore, the submission of these reports could be used by competitors against us and cause physicians to delay or cancel orders, which could harm our reputation.

The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also regulate the advertising, promotion, and labeling of our products to ensure that the claims we make are consistent with our regulatory authorizations, that there is adequate and reasonable scientific data to substantiate the claims, and that our promotional labeling and advertising is neither false nor misleading in any respect. If the FDA or FTC determines that any of our advertising or promotional claims are misleading, not substantiated, or not permissible, we may be subject to enforcement actions, including adverse publicity and/or warning letters, and we may be required to revise our promotional claims and make other corrections or restitutions.

The FDA, state authorities, and foreign counterparts have broad investigation and enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, state agencies, or foreign counterparts, which may include any of the following sanctions:

 

 

adverse publicity, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees, and civil penalties;

 

 

repair, replacement, refunds, recalls, termination of distribution, administrative detention, or seizure of our products;

 

 

operating restrictions, partial suspension, or total shutdown of production;

 

 

denial of our requests for marketing authorizations or certifications for new products, new intended uses, or modifications to existing products;

 

 

withdrawal of marketing authorizations or certifications that have already been granted; and

 

 

criminal prosecution.

If any of these events were to occur, our business and financial condition could be harmed. In addition, the FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit, or delay regulatory approval of our products. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval or certification that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The misuse or off-label use of our products may harm our reputation in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits or result in costly investigations, fines, or sanctions by regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in the promotion of these uses, any of which could be costly to our business.

Our currently marketed products have been cleared, classified, or approved by the FDA for specific indications. We train our marketing personnel and direct sales force to not promote our devices for uses outside of the FDA authorized indications for use, known as “off-label” uses. We cannot, however, prevent a physician from using our devices off-label, when in the physician’s independent professional medical judgment, he or she deems it appropriate. There may be increased risk of injury to patients if physicians attempt to use our devices off-label. Furthermore, the use of our devices for indications other than those that are cleared, approved, or certified by

 

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the FDA or any foreign regulatory body may not effectively treat such conditions, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace among physicians and patients.

If the FDA or any foreign regulatory body determines that our promotional materials or training constitute promotion of an off-label use, it could request that we modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including the issuance or imposition of an untitled letter, which is used for violators that do not necessitate a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine, or criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state, or foreign enforcement authorities might take action under other regulatory authority, such as false claims laws, if they consider our business activities to constitute promotion of an off-label use, which could result in significant penalties, including, but not limited to, criminal, civil, and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, and the curtailment of our operations.

In addition, physicians may misuse our products or use improper techniques if they are not adequately trained, potentially leading to injury and an increased risk of product liability. If our devices are misused or used with improper technique, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or their patients. As described above, product liability claims could divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizeable damage awards against us that may not be covered by insurance.

Our products may cause or contribute to adverse medical events or be subject to failures or malfunctions that we are required to report to the FDA or another governmental authority, and if we fail to do so, we would be subject to sanctions that could negatively affect our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations. The discovery of serious safety issues with our products, or a recall of our products either voluntarily or at the direction of the FDA or another governmental authority, could have a negative impact on us.

We are subject to the FDA’s medical device reporting regulations and similar foreign regulations, which require us to report to the FDA and similar foreign regulators when we receive or become aware of information that reasonably suggests that one or more of our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that, if the malfunction were to recur, it could cause or contribute to a death or serious injury. The timing of our obligation to report is triggered by the date we become aware of the adverse event, as well as the nature of the event. We may fail to report adverse events of which we become aware within the prescribed timeframe. We may also fail to recognize that we have become aware of a reportable adverse event, especially if it is not reported as an adverse event or if it is an adverse event that is unexpected or removed in time from the use of the product. If we fail to comply with our reporting obligations, the FDA and similar foreign regulators could take action, including, but not limited to, warning letters, untitled letters, administrative actions, criminal prosecution, imposition of civil monetary penalties, revocation of our device clearance, approval or certification, seizure of our products or delay in clearance, approval, or certification of future products.

The FDA and similar governmental authorities in other countries have the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in certain circumstances, such as where the FDA or similar governmental authority finds that there is a reasonable probability that a device intended for human use would cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. We may also choose to voluntarily recall a product if any material deficiency is found. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors, or design or labeling defects, or failures to comply with applicable regulations. Product defects or other errors may occur in the future. Recalls of our products would divert managerial attention, be expensive, harm our reputation with customers, and harm our financial condition and results of operations. A recall announcement would also negatively affect our stock price.

 

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To date, we have not conducted or initiated a formal recall for one of our products. If we initiate a correction or removal for our products to reduce a risk to health posed by them or to remedy a violation of law that may present a risk to health, we would be required to submit a report to the FDA and may be required to submit similar notifications to other regulatory authorities. This report could lead to increased scrutiny by the FDA, other international regulatory agencies, and our customers regarding the quality and safety of our products. Furthermore, the submission of these reports, to the extent made publicly available in accordance with FDA or similar governmental authority regulations, could be used by competitors against us and cause physicians to delay or cancel product orders, which will harm our reputation.

If we assess a potential quality issue or complaint as not requiring either field action or regulatory notification, regulators may review documentation of that decision during a subsequent audit. If regulators disagree with our decision, or take issue with either our investigation process or the resulting documentation, regulatory agencies may impose sanctions and we may be subject to regulatory enforcement actions, including warning letters, all of which will negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Depending on the corrective action we take to redress a product’s deficiencies or defects, the FDA may require, or we may decide, that we will need to obtain new clearances or approvals for the device before we may market or distribute the corrected device. Seeking such clearances or approvals may delay our ability to replace the recalled devices in a timely manner. Moreover, if we do not adequately address problems associated with our devices, we may face additional regulatory enforcement action, including FDA warning letters, product seizure, injunctions, administrative penalties, or civil or criminal fines. Similar requirements may apply in foreign countries.

Companies are required to maintain certain records of recalls and corrections, even if they are not reportable to the FDA or similar governmental authorities. We may initiate voluntary withdrawals or corrections for our products in the future that we determine do not require notification of the FDA or similar governmental authorities. If the FDA or a similar governmental authority disagrees with our determinations, it could require us to report those actions as recalls and we may be subject to enforcement action. A future recall announcement could harm our reputation with customers, potentially lead to product liability claims against us, and negatively affect our sales. 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 will negatively affect our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may not receive, or may be delayed in receiving, the necessary clearances, approvals, or certifications for our future products or modifications to our current products, and failure to timely obtain necessary clearances, approvals, or certifications for our future products or modifications to our current products would adversely affect our ability to grow our business.

Material modifications to the intended use or technological characteristics of our products may require new 510(k) clearances, premarket approvals, CE Marks, or comparable foreign marketing authorization prior to implementing the modifications, or require us to recall or cease marketing the modified devices until these clearances, approvals or certifications are obtained. Furthermore, changes to our manufacturing facility or supplier of components used in our products require prior FDA approval of a PMA supplement, or with respect to a 510(k) cleared product, may require a new 510(k) clearance.

In the United States, our Resectr product is 510(k) cleared and components of our Symphion product were authorized through the 510(k) clearance or received de novo classification from the FDA. Any material modification to these systems that has not been previously cleared may require us to submit a new 510(k) premarket notification and obtain clearance, or submit a PMA and obtain FDA approval prior to implementing the change. The FDA requires device manufacturers to initially make and document a determination of whether

 

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or not a modification to a 510(k) cleared product requires a new clearance; however, the FDA can review a manufacturer’s decision. Any modification to an FDA-cleared device that would significantly affect its safety or effectiveness or that would constitute a major change in its intended use would require a new 510(k) clearance or even approval of a PMA supplement. We may not be able to obtain additional 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals for new products or for modifications to, or additional indications for, our products in a timely fashion, or at all. Delays in obtaining required future clearances would harm our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn would harm our future growth. We have made modifications to our products in the past that we believe do not require additional clearances or approvals, and we may make additional modifications that we believe do not require a new 510(k) clearance or PMA approval in the future. The FDA may not agree with our decisions regarding whether new clearances or approvals are necessary. If the FDA or an EU Notified Body disagrees and requires new clearances, approvals, or certifications for any of these modifications, we may be required to recall and to stop selling or marketing our products as modified, which could harm our operating results and require us to redesign our products. In these circumstances, we may be subject to significant enforcement actions including significant regulatory fines or penalties. If the FDA requires us to go through a lengthier, more rigorous examination for future products or modifications to existing products than we had expected, product introductions or modifications could be delayed or canceled, which could adversely affect our ability to grow our business.

The FDA and foreign bodies can delay, limit, or deny clearance, approval, or certification of a device for many reasons, including:

 

 

our inability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or the applicable regulatory entity or notified body that our products are safe or effective for their intended uses, or substantially equivalent to their predicate devices in the case of a device subject to the 510(k) pathway;

 

 

the disagreement of the FDA or the applicable foreign regulatory authority or notified body with the design or implementation of our clinical trials or investigations or the interpretation of data from pre-clinical studies or clinical trials or investigations;

 

 

serious and unexpected adverse device effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials or investigations;

 

 

the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials or investigations may be insufficient to support clearance, approval, or certification, where required;

 

 

our inability to demonstrate that the clinical and other benefits of the device outweigh the risks;

 

 

the manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements; and

 

 

the potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory bodies to change significantly in a manner rendering our clinical data or regulatory filings insufficient for clearance or approval or certification.

Failure to comply with post-marketing regulatory requirements could subject us to enforcement actions, including substantial penalties, and might require us to recall or withdraw a product from the market.

Even though we have obtained FDA clearance and approval for our current products in the United States, we are subject to ongoing and pervasive regulatory requirements governing, among other things, the manufacture, marketing, advertising, medical device reporting, sale, promotion, import, export, registration, and listing of devices. For example, we must submit periodic reports to the FDA as a condition of 510(k) clearance. These reports include information about failures and certain adverse events associated with the device after its clearance. Failure to submit such reports, or failure to submit the reports in a timely manner, could result in

 

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enforcement action by the FDA. Following its review of the periodic reports, the FDA might ask for additional information or initiate further investigation.

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. Even after we have obtained the proper regulatory clearance or approval to market a device, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations and applicable foreign laws and regulations. The FDA, state, and foreign regulatory authorities have broad enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, state, or foreign regulatory authorities, which may include any of the following sanctions:

 

 

untitled letters or warning letters;

 

 

adverse publicity;

 

 

fines, injunctions, consent decrees, and civil penalties;

 

 

recalls, termination of distribution, administrative detention, or seizure of our products;

 

 

customer notifications or repair, replacement, or refunds;

 

 

operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;

 

 

delays in or refusal to grant our requests for future clearances or approvals or foreign marketing authorizations or certifications of new products, new intended uses, or modifications to existing products;

 

 

withdrawals or suspensions of our current 510(k) clearances or PMAs, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our products;

 

 

FDA refusal to issue certificates to foreign governments needed to export products for sale in other countries; and

 

 

criminal prosecution.

Any of these sanctions could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, the FDA and foreign counterparts may change their clearance or premarket approval or certification policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take other actions, which may prevent or delay clearance, approval, or certification of our future products under development or impact our ability to modify our currently cleared or certified products on a timely basis. Such policy or regulatory changes could impose additional requirements upon us that could delay our ability to obtain new clearances, approvals, or certifications, increase the costs of compliance or restrict our ability to maintain our clearance, approval, or certification of our current products, any of which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. For example, the FDA recently announced forthcoming steps that the FDA intends to take to modernize the premarket notification pathway under Section 510(k) of the FDCA. For more information, see “Risk factors—Legislative or regulatory reforms in the United States or the EU may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory clearances, approvals, or certifications for our products or to manufacture, market or distribute our products after clearance or approval is obtained.”

 

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Our products must be manufactured in accordance with federal, state, and foreign regulations, and we could be forced to recall our devices or terminate production if we fail to comply with these regulations. If we, or our suppliers, fail to comply with the FDA’s QSR or similar foreign regulatory requirements, our manufacturing or distribution operations could be delayed or shut down and our revenue could suffer.

Our manufacturing and design processes, and those of our third-party component suppliers, are required to comply with the FDA’s QSR and similar foreign requirements. These rules cover procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, process, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, handling, storage, distribution, installation, servicing, and shipping of our products. We are also subject to similar state requirements and licenses, and to ongoing ISO 13485 compliance in our operations, including design, manufacturing, and service.

In addition, we must engage in extensive recordkeeping and reporting and must make available our records and facilities, and the facilities certain of our contract manufacturers, for periodic unannounced or planned inspections or audits by governmental agencies or bodies, including the FDA, state authorities, and comparable agencies in other countries. If we fail a regulatory inspection, our operations could be disrupted and our manufacturing interrupted. Failure to take timely and adequate corrective action in response to an adverse regulatory inspection could result in, among other things, a shutdown of our manufacturing or product distribution operations, significant fines, suspension of marketing clearances and approvals, seizures or recalls of our device, operating restrictions, and criminal prosecutions, any of which would cause our business to suffer. Furthermore, our third-party manufacturers and key component suppliers may not currently be, or may not continue to be, in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, which may result in manufacturing delays for our products and cause our revenue to decline.

We are registered with the FDA as a medical device specifications developer and manufacturer. The FDA has broad post-market and regulatory enforcement powers. We and our third-party manufacturers and suppliers, including subcontractors, are subject to unannounced or planned inspections or audits by the FDA and the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and foreign bodies to determine our compliance with the QSR and other regulations at both our design and manufacturing facilities, and these inspections may include the manufacturing facilities of our suppliers. These inspections may be initiated as a result of concerns regarding the safety of our products or the components thereof.

Furthermore, we are required to verify that our suppliers maintain facilities, procedures, and operations that comply with our quality standards and applicable regulatory requirements. We can provide no assurance that we or our third-party manufacturers or suppliers will continue to remain in material compliance with the QSR or similar foreign requirements. If the FDA, CDPH, or other foreign body inspect any of our facilities and discover compliance problems, we may have to cease manufacturing and product distribution until we can take the appropriate remedial steps to correct the audit findings. Taking corrective action may be expensive, time consuming, and a distraction for management, and if we experience a delay at our manufacturing facility, we may be unable to produce our products, which would harm our business.

In addition, failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements or later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products or manufacturing processes could result in, among other things: warning letters or untitled letters; fines, injunctions or civil penalties; suspension or withdrawal of approvals or certifications; seizures or recalls of our products; total or partial suspension of production or distribution; administrative or judicially imposed sanctions; the FDA’s refusal to grant pending or future clearances or approvals for our products and similar decisions from a notified body; clinical holds; refusal to permit the import or export of our products; and criminal prosecution of us, our suppliers, or our employees. Any of these actions could significantly and negatively affect supply of our products. If any of these events occurs, our reputation could be

 

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harmed, we could be exposed to product liability claims, and we could lose customers and experience reduced sales and increased costs.

Our employees, consultants, and other commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, consultants, and other commercial partners and business associates may engage in fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless, or negligent conduct or other unauthorized activities that violate the regulations of the FDA and other regulators (both domestic and foreign), including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete, and accurate information to such regulators, manufacturing standards, healthcare fraud and abuse laws, and regulations in the United States and internationally or laws that require the true, complete, and accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular, sales, marketing, and business arrangements in the healthcare industry, including the sale of medical devices, are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing, and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs, and other business arrangements. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our employees, consultants, and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity 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 comply with these 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, 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 business, financial condition and results of operations. Whether or not we are successful in defending against 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.

Compliance with environmental laws and regulations could be expensive, and failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to significant liability.

Our research and development and manufacturing operations involve the use of some hazardous substances and are subject to a variety of federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations relating to the storage, use, discharge, disposal, remediation of, and human exposure to, hazardous substances and the sale, labeling, collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal of products containing hazardous substances. Liability under environmental laws and regulations can be joint and several and without regard to fault or negligence. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may be expensive and noncompliance could result in substantial liabilities, fines and penalties, personal injury and third-party property damage claims and substantial investigation and remediation costs. Environmental laws and regulations could become more stringent over time, imposing greater compliance costs, and increasing risks and penalties associated with violations. We cannot assure you that violations of these laws and regulations will not occur in the future or have not occurred in the past as a result of human error, accidents, equipment failure or other causes. The expense associated with environmental regulation and remediation could harm our financial condition and operating results.

 

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Risks related to this offering

An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. An active public trading market may not develop after completion of this offering or, if developed, may not be sustained. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your shares at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire other products, technologies, or businesses using our shares as consideration. We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Stock Market. Even if listed, there can be no guarantee that we will continue to satisfy the continued listing standards of the Nasdaq Global Stock Market. If we fail to satisfy the continued listing standards, we could be de-listed, which would have a negative effect on the price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock.

The initial public offering price for our common stock will be determined through negotiations between the underwriters and us and may vary substantially from the market price of our common stock following this offering. As a result, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the initial public offering price. This price may not reflect the public trading price of our common stock following this offering, which will be affected by a number of factors, including:

 

 

changes in analysts’ estimates, investors’ perceptions, recommendations by securities analysts, or our failure to achieve analysts’ estimates;

 

 

quarterly variations in our or our competitors’ results of operations;

 

 

periodic fluctuations in our revenue, which could be due in part to the way in which we recognize revenue;

 

 

the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections, or our failure to meet these projections;

 

 

general market conditions and other factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors;

 

 

changes in reimbursement by current or potential payor;

 

 

changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other technology companies generally, or those in the medical device industry in particular;

 

 

actual or anticipated changes in regulatory oversight of our products;

 

 

the loss of key personnel, including changes in our board of directors and management;

 

 

product recalls or other problems associated with our products;

 

 

legislation or regulation of our market;

 

 

lawsuits threatened or filed against us, including litigation by current or former employees alleging wrongful termination, sexual harassment, whistleblower, or other claims;

 

 

the announcement of new products, product enhancements, or new product trials by us or our competitors;

 

 

announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors;

 

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announcements related to patents issued to us or our competitors and related litigation, including with Hologic, Inc.; and

 

 

developments in our industry.

In recent years, the stock markets generally, and the market for life sciences technology companies in particular, have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of listed companies. Broad market and industry factors may significantly affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. These fluctuations may be even more pronounced in the trading market for our common stock shortly following this offering. If the market price of shares of our common stock after this offering does not ever exceed the public offering price, you may not realize any return on your investment in us and may lose some or all of your investment.

In addition, in the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and harm our business, results of operations, financial condition, and reputation. These factors may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We have not paid dividends in the past and do not expect to pay dividends in the future, and, as a result, any return on investment may be limited to the value of our stock.

We have never paid cash dividends and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, prospects for future earnings, and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our loan agreement with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) limits our ability to, among other things, pay dividends or make other distributions or payments on account of our common stock, in each case subject to certain exceptions. If we do not pay dividends, our stock may be less valuable because a return on your investment will only occur if our stock price appreciates and you then sell our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share 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, our market, and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our business, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

A sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

If our existing stockholders sell, or indicate an intention to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after the lapse of lock-up and other legal restrictions on resale, the trading price of our common stock could decline. Each of our directors and officers and substantially all of our other stockholders and option holders have entered into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters that restricts their ability to sell or transfer their shares. The lock-up agreements pertaining to this offering will expire 180 days from the date of this prospectus. The underwriters, however, may, in their sole discretion, waive the contractual lock-up prior to the expiration of the lock-up agreements. If these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will

 

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be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline. Any sales of securities by these stockholders could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

As of June 30, 2021, the holders of an aggregate of 19,230,695 shares of our outstanding common stock will have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or our stockholders. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) would result in the shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for shares held by our affiliates as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Any sales of securities by these stockholders could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Our directors, officers and principal stockholders have significant voting power and may take actions that may not be in the best interests of our other stockholders.

As of September 30, 2021, our directors, officers, and each stockholder holding 5% or more of our outstanding common stock and their affiliates beneficially owned approximately 85.8% of our outstanding common stock in the aggregate. We expect that immediately following completion of this offering, our directors, officers, and each stockholder holding 5% or more of our outstanding common stock and their affiliates will beneficially own approximately 67.6% of the outstanding shares of our common stock in the aggregate, based on the number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2021. As a result, these stockholders, if they act together, will be able to exert significant influence over the management and affairs of our company and most matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. Actions taken by these stockholders may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control, might adversely affect the market price of our common stock and may not be in the best interests of our other stockholders.

Participation in this offering by our directors, officers or affiliates would reduce the available public float of our shares.

If any of our directors, officers or affiliates purchase shares in this offering, such purchases would reduce the available public float of our common stock because such purchasers would be restricted from selling such shares during the 180-day period following this offering and thereafter would be subject to volume limitations pursuant to restrictions under applicable securities laws. As a result, any purchase of shares by our directors, officers or affiliates in this offering will reduce the liquidity of our common stock relative to what it would have been had these shares been purchased by investors that were not directors, officers or our affiliates.

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to us will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We currently qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (JOBS Act). For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. To the extent that we continue to qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” as such term is defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company, we will continue to be permitted to make certain reduced disclosures in our periodic reports and other documents that we file with the SEC. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive to the extent we rely on

 

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available exemptions. If some investors do find our common stock less attractive, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile or may decline.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering, (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual revenue of more than $1.07 billion, (3) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (4) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.

We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th or (2) our annual revenue exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.

We will have broad discretion in the use of net proceeds from this offering.

The principal purpose of this offering is to provide additional capital to us. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to expand our sales force and operations, increase our research and development activities, and provide for working capital and other general corporate purposes. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering for the acquisition of, or strategic investment in, technologies, solutions, or businesses that complement our business, or to pay down our debt, although we have no present commitments or agreements to enter into any such acquisition or investment. Within these categories, our management will have broad discretion over the use and investment of the net proceeds of this offering, and accordingly, investors in this offering will need to rely upon the judgment of our management with respect to the use of proceeds with only limited information concerning management’s specific intentions.

Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, and Delaware law, could discourage a change in control of our company or a change in our management.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that might enable our management to resist a takeover. These provisions include:

 

 

a classified board of directors;

 

 

advance notice requirements applicable to stockholders for matters to be brought before a meeting of stockholders and requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ notice;

 

 

a supermajority stockholder vote requirement for amending certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws;

 

 

the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer;

 

 

allowing stockholders to remove directors only for cause;

 

 

a requirement that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors;

 

 

allowing all vacancies, including newly created directorships, to be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, except as otherwise required by law;

 

 

a requirement that our stockholders may only take action at annual or special meetings of our stockholders and not by written consent;

 

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limiting the forum to Delaware for certain litigation against us; and

 

 

limiting the persons that can call special meetings of our stockholders to our board of directors, the chairperson of our board of directors, the chief executive officer, or the president, in the absence of a chief executive officer.

These provisions might discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company or a change in our management. The existence of these provisions could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder. See “Description of capital stock.”

Our amended and restated bylaws designate a state or federal court located within the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, and also provide that the federal district courts will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, each of which could limit our stockholders’ ability to choose the judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, stockholders, or employees.

Our amended and restated bylaws specify that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, stockholders, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders, (c) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to, or seeking to enforce any right, obligation or remedy under, any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or our amended and restated bylaws, or (d) any action or proceeding asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, another state court in Delaware or, if no state court in Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) and any appellate court therefrom, in all cases subject to the court having jurisdiction over the claims at issue and the indispensable parties; provided that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act).

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 bylaws also 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.

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding or owning (or continuing to hold or own) any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing bylaw provisions. Although we believe these exclusive forum provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws in the types of lawsuits to which each applies, the exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing, or increase the cost of bringing a claim, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to claims against us and our current and former directors, officers, stockholders, or other employees. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder as a result of our exclusive forum provisions. Further, in the event a court finds either exclusive

 

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forum provision contained in our amended and restated bylaws to be unenforceable or inapplicable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our results of operations.

We will incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance with our public company responsibilities and corporate governance practices.

As a public company, we will 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. 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. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a public company or the timing of such costs.

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, which may impair our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis.

During the preparation of our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 included elsewhere in this registration statement, we identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting primarily related to a lack of timely, effective review over the financial statement close process. During the periods under audit, we did not have a sufficient complement of qualified personnel within the accounting function and had a lack of segregation of duties to adequately conduct review and analysis of certain routine transactions.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. This material weakness could result in a misstatement of account balances or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. We have initiated the process to remediate the material weakness through hiring additional accounting personnel, formalizing documentation of policies and procedures, and implementing additional accounting processes and controls. Remediation costs consist primarily of additional personnel expenses and upgrading our accounting systems which we do not anticipate will have a material impact to our financial statements.

At the time the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part is declared effective, we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.

The measures we have taken to date, and actions we may take in the future, may not be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that led to our material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting or to prevent or avoid potential future material weaknesses. We may not have identified all material weaknesses. Moreover, our current controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of

 

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changes in conditions in our business. Further, weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and may result in a restatement of our financial statements for prior periods, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline. In addition, if we are not able to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain listed on Nasdaq.

As a result of becoming a public company, we will be obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal controls 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 (Section 404), to furnish a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for the first fiscal year beginning after the effective date of this offering. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until our first annual report is required to be filed with the SEC, following the date we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. If at such time as we are required to obtain auditor attestation, we have a material weakness, we would receive an adverse opinion regarding our internal control over financial reporting from our independent registered accounting firm.

We are beginning the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and processing documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404, and we may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing, and any required remediation in a timely fashion. Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge and compile the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404.

During our evaluation of our internal control, if we are unable to remediate our existing material weaknesses, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be additional weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations. 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 or significant deficiency 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 Nasdaq, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.

If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, or if we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities.

Our actual operating results may differ significantly from any guidance that we provide.

From time to time, we may provide guidance in our quarterly earnings conference calls, quarterly earnings releases, or otherwise, regarding our future performance that represents our management’s estimates as of the

 

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date of release. This guidance, which would include forward-looking statements, would be based on projections prepared by our management. Neither our registered public accountants nor any other independent expert or outside party would compile or examine the projections. Accordingly, no such person would express any opinion or any other form of assurance with respect to the projections. Projections are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while presented with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control and are based upon specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions, some of which will change. The principal reason that we would release guidance is to provide a basis for our management to discuss our business outlook with analysts and investors. We do not accept any responsibility for any projections or reports published by any such third parties. Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying any guidance furnished by us will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Accordingly, our guidance would be only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the date of release. Actual results may vary from our guidance and the variations may be material.

If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our results of operation 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 financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP 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 estimates 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 implementation of the new revenue accounting standard related to product sales, management makes judgments and assumptions based on our interpretation of the new standard. The new 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 new 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.

 

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Special note regarding forward-looking statements

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’ beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business and regulatory strategy, research, and development plans and costs, timing, and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that are in some cases beyond our control and may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

 

estimates of our addressable market, market growth, future revenue, key performance indicators, expenses, capital requirements, and our needs for additional financing;

 

 

our expectations regarding the rate and degree of physician, patient, and hospital awareness and acceptance of our treatments for AUB;

 

 

our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for our products or avoid, defend, or pursue claims of infringement;

 

 

our ability to retain and expand our experienced commercial team and increase its productivity;

 

 

the integration of our newly acquired products into our existing sales and marketing organization;

 

 

the size and growth of the addressable market for the treatment of AUB;

 

 

competitive companies and technologies and our industry;

 

 

our ability to increase our manufacturing production and decrease our fixed manufacturing costs;

 

 

the performance of third-party manufacturers and suppliers;

 

 

our ability to research, develop and commercialize new products;

 

 

the impact of COVID-19 and its variants, including the Delta variant, on our business and on the market for the treatment of AUB;

 

 

the potential effects of government regulation;

 

 

our ability to hire and retain key personnel and to manage our future growth effectively;

 

 

our ability to obtain additional financing in this or future offerings;

 

 

the volatility of the trading price of our common stock;

 

 

our expectations regarding the use of proceeds from this offering;

 

 

the impact of local, regional, and national and international economic conditions and events;

 

 

our expectations about market trends;

 

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our anticipated use of our existing resources and the net proceeds from this offering; and

 

 

other risks and uncertainties, including those listed in the section titled “Risk factors.”

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about our business, the industry in which we operate, and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, and these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or development. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions described in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus, whether as a result of any new information, future events, or otherwise.

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

 

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Market, industry and other data

This prospectus contains estimates, projections, and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for our products, including data regarding the estimated size of such markets. We obtained the industry, market, and similar dataset forth in this prospectus from our internal estimates and research and from academic and industry research, publications, surveys, and studies conducted by third parties, including governmental agencies. In some cases, we do not expressly refer to the sources from which this data is derived. In that regard, when we refer to one or more sources of this type of information in any paragraph, you should assume that other information of this type appearing in the same paragraph is derived from the same sources, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research, or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. Any industry forecasts are based on data (including third-party data), models, and experience of various professionals and are based on various assumptions, all of which are subject to change without notice. You are cautioned not to give undue weight to any such information, projections, and estimates. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding the market data presented herein, industry forecasts and projections involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to changes based on various factors, including those discussed in the section titled “Risk factors.”

 

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Use of proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds from our issuance and sale of shares of our common stock in this offering will be approximately $89.9 million, or approximately $103.9 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase up to 937,500 additional shares our common stock in full, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, the aggregate net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $5.8 million, assuming the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares of common stock offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $14.9 million, assuming that the assumed initial public offering price remains the same, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We do not expect that a change in the initial public offering price or the number of shares by these amounts would have a material effect on our uses of the proceeds from this offering, although it may change the time at which we will need to seek additional capital.

The principal purposes of this offering are to obtain additional capital to support our operations, establish a public market for our common stock, and facilitate our future access to the public capital markets. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash, to meet the $15 million deferred payment obligation and to pay up to $30 million in potential milestone payments to BSC, to expand our sales force and operations, support research and development, and for general corporate purposes, including litigation expenses and interest payments on our outstanding debt. We may also use a portion of the proceeds to expand our current business through strategic acquisitions or in-licenses of complimentary companies or technologies or pay principal payments when due on outstanding debt. Although we have no specific agreements, commitments, or understandings with respect to any in-licensing activity or acquisitions, we evaluate these opportunities and engage in related discussions with other companies from time-to-time.

Based on our current operating plan, we believe that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash, cash equivalents, and available borrowings as of the date of this prospectus, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months.

Our expected use of proceeds from this offering represents our current intentions based on our present plans and business condition. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering or the actual amounts that we will spend on the uses set forth above.

The amount and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the results of our research and development and commercialization efforts, cash flows from operations, the anticipated growth of our business, and any unforeseen cash needs. As a result, our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds from this offering.

Pending their uses, we plan to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade instruments, including money market funds, certificates of deposit, or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government. We cannot predict whether the proceeds invested will yield a favorable return.

 

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Dividend policy

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock since our inception. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, our loan agreement with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) limits our ability to, among other things, pay dividends or make other distributions or payments on account of our common stock, in each case subject to certain exceptions. Payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors, after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs, the requirements and contractual restrictions of then-existing debt instruments, and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant, including restrictions in our current and future debt instruments, our future earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, prospects, and applicable Delaware law which provides that dividends are only payable out of surplus or current net profits.

 

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Capitalization  

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of June 30, 2021:

 

 

on an actual basis;

 

 

on a pro forma basis to give effect to:

 

   

the assumed conversion of all principal and interest owing on our outstanding convertible promissory notes as of June 30, 2021 into 6,832,857 shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock immediately prior to the completion of this offering as if such conversion had occurred on June 30, 2021,

 

   

the assumed conversion of all of our outstanding shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock (including those issued upon conversion of the convertible promissory notes described above) into an aggregate of 19,230,695 shares of common stock immediately prior to the completion of this offering as if such conversion had occurred on June 30, 2021,

 

   

the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the effectiveness of our amended and restated bylaws, which will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and

 

 

on a pro forma as adjusted basis, to give effect to:

 

   

the pro forma adjustments set forth above; and

 

   

the sale and issuance of 6,250,000 shares of our common stock by us in this offering, based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The pro forma as adjusted information set forth in the table below is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

You should read this information in conjunction with our financial statements, related notes and the sections titled “Selected financial data” and “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” that are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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     As of June 30, 2021  
(in thousands, except share and per share data)    Actual     Pro forma     Pro
forma as
adjusted(1)
 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 11,617     $ 11,617     $ 76,870  
  

 

 

 

Debt

     30,123       30,123       30,123  

Convertible Notes

     70,227              

Redeemable convertible preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, 121,732,397 shares authorized, 12,397,838 shares issued and outstanding, actual; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted

   $ 123,255              

Stockholders’ deficit:

      

Preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, no shares authorized, issued or outstanding, actual; 5,000,000 shares authorized and no shares issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted

                  

Common stock, par value $0.001 per share, 144,406,928 shares authorized, 3,087,300 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 100,000,000 shares authorized, 22,317,995 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma; and 100,000,000 shares authorized, 28,567,995 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma as adjusted

     3       22       28  

Additional paid-in capital

     11,817       205,854       295,775  

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     11       11       11  

Accumulated deficit

     (257,139     (216,234     (216,875
  

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity

     (245,308     (10,347     78,939  
  

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ (21,703   $ 19,776     $ 109,062  

 

 

 

(1)   Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, the amount of our pro forma as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders’ equity and total capitalization by $5.8 million, assuming that the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. An increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares of common stock offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the amount of our pro forma as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders’ equity and total capitalization by $14.9 million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains the same, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us.

The number of shares of our common stock that will be outstanding after this offering is based on 22,317,995 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021, after giving effect to the conversion of the convertible promissory notes and accrued interest as of June 30, 2021 into shares of redeemable preferred stock and the subsequent automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock in connection with the closing of this offering and excludes the following:

 

 

2,035,350 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options granted under our 2008 Stock Plan, as amended (the 2008 Plan) outstanding as of June 30, 2021, with a weighted-average exercise price of $8.64 per share;

 

 

211,634 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options granted under our 2008 Stock Plan after June 30, 2021, with a weighted-average exercise price of $13.12 per share;

 

 

77,842 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase shares as of June 30, 2021;

 

 

157,145 shares of common stock issued upon the conversion of our redeemable convertible preferred stock issued upon the automatic conversion of $1.8 million in interest of convertible promissory notes accrued after June 30, 2021 through October 15, 2021; and

 

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2,756,742 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans, consisting of:

 

   

2,292,366 shares of common stock to be reserved for future issuance under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2021 Plan), which will become effective prior to the completion of this offering as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan;

 

   

401,164 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP), which will become effective in connection with this offering as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved for future issuances under this plan; and

 

   

63,212 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2008 Plan, which shares will no longer be available for issuance upon the termination of the 2008 Plan and effectiveness of the 2021 Plan.

Our 2021 Plan and our ESPP provide for annual automatic increases in the number of shares reserved thereunder, and our 2021 Plan also provides for increases to the number of shares that may be granted thereunder based on awards under our 2008 Plan that expire, are forfeited, or otherwise repurchased by us, as more fully described in the section titled “Executive compensation—Employee benefit and stock plans.”

 

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Dilution

If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our common stock and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) as of June 30, 2021 was $(285.0) million, or $(92.31) per share. Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) is the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities. Historical net tangible book value per share represents historical net tangible book value (deficit) divided by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021.

Our pro forma net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021 was $(50.0) million, or $(2.24) per share. Pro forma net tangible book value represents the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, after giving effect to the conversion of the convertible promissory notes and of all outstanding shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 19,230,695 shares of common stock immediately prior to the completion of this offering.

After giving further effect to our sale of 6,250,000 shares of common stock in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, based on 28,567,995 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021 would have been approximately $39.2 million, or approximately $1.37 per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $3.61 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of approximately $14.63 per share to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering. Dilution per share to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering is determined by subtracting pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering from the assumed initial public offering price per share paid by new investors. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

 

     

Assumed initial public offering price per share

       $16.00  

Pro forma net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2021

     $(2.24)    

Increase in pro forma net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering

     $ 3.61    
  

 

 

   

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering

       1.37  
    

 

 

 

Dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share to new investors in this offering

       $14.63  

 

 

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2021 after this offering by approximately $5.8 million, or approximately $0.20 per share, and would decrease (increase) dilution to investors in this offering by approximately $0.80 per share, assuming that the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

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A 1,000,000 share increase in the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share by $0.46 and decrease the dilution per share to investors participating in this offering by $0.46, assuming the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

A 1,000,000 share decrease in the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would decrease the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering by $0.49 and increase the dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering by $0.49, assuming the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after estimated deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual initial offering price to public and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

If the underwriters fully exercise their option to purchase additional shares of common stock at the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus, assuming the number of shares offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after this offering would increase to approximately $0.43 per share, and there would be an immediate dilution of approximately $0.43 per share to new investors.

The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis, as of June 30, 2021, the difference between the number of shares of common stock purchased from us (on an as-converted to common stock basis), the total consideration paid, and the weighted-average price per share paid, by existing stockholders and to be paid by new investors in this offering, assuming an initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

       
     Shares Purchased      Total Consideration      Average Price
Per Share
 
     Number      Percent      Amount      Percent  
                      (dollars in thousands)                  

Existing stockholders

     22,317,995        78.1%      $ 137,868        58.0%      $ 6.18  

New investors

     6,250,000        21.9%          100,000        42.0%        16.00  
  

 

 

 

Total

         28,567,995        100%      $ 237,868        100%      $     8.32  

 

 

The table above assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 937,500 additional shares of common stock in this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of common stock is exercised in full, the number of shares of our common stock held by existing stockholders would be reduced to 75.6% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering, and the number of shares of common stock held by new investors participating in the offering would be increased to 24.4% of the total number of shares outstanding after this offering.

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, the total consideration paid by new investors by $6.3 million, assuming that the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the

 

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same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. Similarly, an increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares of common stock offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the total consideration paid by new investors by $16.0 million, assuming no change in the assumed initial public offering price and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us.  

The number of shares of our common stock that will be outstanding after this offering is based on 22,317,995 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021, after giving effect to the conversion of the convertible promissory notes and accrued interest as of June 30, 2021 into shares of redeemable preferred stock and the subsequent automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock in connection with the closing of this offering and excludes the following:

 

 

2,035,350 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options granted under our 2008 Plan to purchase shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021, with a weighted-average exercise price of $8.64 per share;

 

 

211,634 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of options granted under our 2008 Plan to purchase shares of our common stock granted after June 30, 2021, with a weighted-average exercise price of $13.12 per share;

 

 

77,842 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase shares as of June 30, 2021;

 

 

157,145 shares of common stock issued upon the conversion of our redeemable convertible preferred stock issued upon the automatic conversion of $1.8 million in interest of convertible promissory notes accrued after June 30, 2021 through October 15, 2021; and

 

 

2,756,742 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans, consisting of:

 

   

2,292,366 shares of common stock to be reserved for future issuance under our 2021 Plan, which will become effective prior to the completion of this offering;

 

   

401,164 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our ESPP, which will become effective in connection with this offering; and

 

   

63,212 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2008 Plan, which shares will no longer be available for issuance upon the termination of the 2008 Plan and effectiveness of the 2021 Plan.

Our 2021 Plan and our ESPP provide for annual automatic increases in the number of shares reserved thereunder, and our 2021 Plan also provides for increases to the number of shares that may be granted thereunder based on awards under our 2008 Plan that expire, are forfeited, or otherwise repurchased by us, as more fully described in the section titled “Executive compensation—Employee benefit and stock plans.”

 

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Selected financial data

The following selected statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 and the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020 and June 30, 2021, have been derived from our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on a basis consistent with our audited financial statements and contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of such interim financial statements. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future, and our interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. You should read the following selected financial and other data below in conjunction with the section titled “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

     
    Years ended December 31,     Six months ended June 30,  
(in thousands, except share and per share data)   2019     2020     2020     2021  
                (unaudited)  

Revenue

  $ 26,012     $ 37,768     $ 11,939     $ 25,952  

Cost of goods sold

    14,207       18,648       7,559       10,387  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

    11,805       19,120       4,380       15,565  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses(1)

       

Sales and marketing

    22,125       22,974       9,483       14,964  

General and administrative

    8,382       8,212       4,084       14,128  

Research and development

    935       3,324       951       2,824  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    31,442       34,510       14,518       31,916  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

    (19,637     (15,390     (10,138     (16,351

Interest income

    135       81       79        

Interest expense (includes $11.4 million and $4.6 million to related parties in fiscal years 2019 and 2020, respectively and $1.9 million and $2.9 million to related parties in six month ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, respectively)

    (17,579     (12,140     (5,421     (7,052

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities, net

    (6,858     8,340       10,060       (8,140

Bargain purchase gain

          643       643        

Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes

    (8,278                  

Gain on extinguishment of PPP loan

                      3,036  

Other income (expense), net

    171       71       77       (540
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss before income taxes

    (52,046     (18,395     (4,700     (29,047

Income tax benefit

          132       132        
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

  $ (52,046   $ (18,263   $ (4,568   $ (29,047
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss margin

    (200.1%     (48.4%     (38.3%     (111.9%

Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted(2)

  $ (57.76   $ (18.85   $ (4.97   $ (15.49
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted

    901,075       968,648       920,028       1,875,691  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)(3)

      (1.09       (0.84
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (unaudited)

      18,540,698         20,399,152  

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

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(1)   Operating expenses include stock-based compensation as follows:

 

     
     Years ended
December 31,
     Six months
ended June 30,
 
(in thousands)    2019      2020      2020      2021  
                   (unaudited)  

Cost of goods sold

   $ 70      $ 132      $ 70      $ 170  

Sales and marketing

     261        311        207        1,295  

Research and development

     4        10        6        119  

General and administrative

     252        405        266        3,025  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 587      $ 858      $ 549      $ 4,609  

 

 

 

(2)   See Note 14 to our financial statements for an explanation of the calculations of our basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders.
(3)   See the section below titled “Unaudited pro forma net loss per share” for further information on the calculation of pro forma net loss per share and pro forma weighted-average number of shares outstanding.

Unaudited pro forma net loss per share

The unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share for the year ended December 31, 2020 has been computed to give effect to (1) an adjustment to the denominator in the pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share calculation for the assumed conversion of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock as of January 1, 2020 or the date of issuance, if later, (2) the assumed conversion of our outstanding convertible promissory notes into 5,650,756 shares of our Series D redeemable convertible preferred stock, and the subsequent conversion to common stock on a one-to-one basis upon the closing of this offering as of the beginning of the period or the date of issuance, if later, and (3) an adjustment to the numerator in the pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share calculation to (a) remove the effect of the interest expense as it relates to our outstanding convertible promissory notes, (b) remove gains or losses resulting from the remeasurement of the fair value of our outstanding convertible promissory notes’ derivative liability, and (c) remove the change in fair value of warrants to purchase shares of Series D redeemable preferred stock. The conversion of our redeemable convertible preferred stock and our outstanding convertible promissory notes assumes that either (i) the offering price per share of this offering is greater than $5.61 and the aggregate gross proceeds to us from the offering are greater than $50.0 million, or (ii) we receive a written request from the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our redeemable convertible preferred stock to convert all outstanding redeemable convertible preferred stock to common stock. Shares to be sold in this offering are excluded from the unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per share calculation.

The unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share for the six months ended June 30, 2021 has been computed to give effect to (1) an adjustment to the denominator in the pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share calculation for the assumed conversion of our redeemable convertible preferred stock into shares of common stock as of January 1, 2020 or the date of issuance, if later, (2) the assumed conversion of our outstanding convertible promissory notes into 6,125,623 shares of our Series D redeemable convertible preferred stock, and the subsequent conversion to common stock on a one-to-one basis upon the closing of this offering as of the beginning of the period or the date of issuance, if later, and (3) an adjustment to the numerator in the pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share calculation to (a) remove the effect of the interest expense as it relates to our outstanding convertible promissory notes, (b) remove gains or losses resulting from the remeasurement of the fair value of our outstanding convertible promissory notes’ derivative liability, and (c) remove the change in fair value of warrants to purchase shares of Series D redeemable preferred stock. The conversion of the redeemable convertible preferred stock and the Company’s outstanding convertible promissory notes assumes that either (i) the offering price per share of this offering is greater than

 

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$5.61 and the aggregate gross proceeds to us from the offering are greater than $50.0 million, or (ii) we receive a written request from the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our redeemable convertible preferred stock to convert all outstanding redeemable convertible preferred stock to common stock. Shares to be sold in this offering are excluded from the unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per share calculation.

Pro forma net loss per share of common stock, basic and diluted, for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the six months ended June 30, 2021 is calculated as follows:

 

     
     Year ended
December 31,
2020
    Six  months
ended

June 30, 2021
 

Numerator

   

Net loss attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted

  $ (18,263   $ (29,047

Adjust: Interest expense of convertible promissory notes

    6,517       4,030  

Adjust: Change in fair value of convertible promissory notes derivative liability

    (8,495     7,365  

Adjust: Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability

    (33     532  
 

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted

    (20,274     (17,120

Denominator

   

Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted

    968,648       1,875,691  

Adjust: Conversion of redeemable convertible preferred stock

    11,921,295       12,397,838  

Adjust: Conversion of convertible promissory notes

    5,650,756       6,125,623  
 

 

 

 

Weighed-average shares used in computing pro forma net loss per share, basic and diluted

    18,540,698       20,399,152  
 

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basis and diluted

  $ (1.09   $ (0.84

 

 

 

     
     As of December 31,     As of June 30,  
(in thousands)    2019     2020     2021  
                 (unaudited)  

Cash, cash equivalents

   $ 27,085     $ 17,359     $ 11,617  

Working capital(1)

     28,591       12,154       (10,910

Total assets

     46,684       92,046       85,202  

Convertible notes

     51,569       66,196       70,227  

Debt

     24,324       31,091       30,123  

Total liabilities

     130,690       190,602       207,255  

Redeemable convertible preferred stock

     120,518       123,255       123,255  

Accumulated deficit

     (209,829     (228,092     (257,139

Total stockholders’ deficit

     (204,524     (221,811     (245,308

 

 

 

(1)   We define working capital as current assets less current liabilities. See our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further details regarding our current assets and current liabilities.

 

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Non-GAAP financial measures

In addition to our results and measures of performance determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe that certain non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating and comparing our financial and operational performance over multiple periods, identifying trends affecting our business, formulating business plans, and making strategic decisions. These non-GAAP financial measures include EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. The following table provides a reconciliation of these Non-GAAP metrics to net loss, which is the nearest GAAP number.

 

     
    

Years ended December 31,

    Six months ended
June 30,
 
(in thousands, except percentage figures)    2019     2020     2020     2021  
                 (unaudited)  

Net loss

   $ (52,046   $ (18,263   $ (4,568   $ (29,047

Depreciation and amortization

     1,675       7,076       1,861       5,334  

Interest (income) expense

     17,444       12,059       5,342       7,052  

Income tax benefit

                 (132      
  

 

 

 

EBITDA

   $ (32,927   $ 872     $ 2,503     $ (16,661

EBITDA margin

     (126.6%     2.31%       20.96%       (64.2%

Net loss margin

     (200.1%     (48.4%     (38.3%     (111.9%

Adjustments:

        

Bargain purchase gain

           (643     (643      

Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes

     8,278                    

Gain on extinguishment of PPP loan

                       (3,036

Stock-based compensation expense

     587       858       549       4,609  

Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability

     (187     (33     (33     532  

Change in fair value of contingent consideration liability

           (175           917  

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities

     6,858       (8,340     (10,060     8,140  
  

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ (17,391   $ (7,461   $ (7,684   $ (5,499
  

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA margin

     (66.9%     (19.8%     (64.4%     (21.2%

 

 

For information about why we consider each metric a useful measure and a discussion of the material risks and limitations of such measure, please see “Prospectus summary—Summary financial data—Non-GAAP financial measures.”

 

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Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

You should carefully read, consider, and evaluate the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the section titled “Selected financial data” and our audited financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and other parts of this prospectus contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations, and intentions, which are based on the beliefs of our management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Please also see the section of this prospectus titled “Special note regarding forward-looking statements.” Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Risk factors.”

Overview

We are a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing minimally invasive solutions to meet the distinct uterine healthcare needs of women. We have established a broad product line of commercially available, minimally invasive alternatives to hysterectomy, which are designed to address the most common causes of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in most uterine anatomies. Our solutions can be used in a variety of medical treatment settings and aim to address the drawbacks associated with alternative treatment methods and to preserve the uterus by avoiding unnecessary hysterectomies.

We offer a broad suite of products for the treatment of structural and non-structural causes of AUB in most uterine anatomies. Our devices are utilized by obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs) across a variety of medical treatment settings, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), and physician offices.

Prior to May 2020, we sold only one product, the Minerva ES Endometrial Ablation System (Minerva ES) for women with AUB attributed to a non-structural cause. In May 2020, we acquired certain assets from Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC), including all rights to the Genesys HTA Endometrial Ablation System (Genesys HTA), Symphion Tissue Removal System (Symphion), and Resectr Tissue Resection (Resectr) product lines. The assets acquired included all future value associated with the developed products and rights of ownership for the products. We did not assume any liabilities associated with BSC’s product activities, except for an immaterial warranty liability for installed Genesys HTA controllers. In addition to a deferred payment of $15.0 million due upon the earlier of 15 days following the consummation of this offering or in October 2021, we expect to be liable for future variable milestone obligations to BSC, in the maximum amount of $30.0 million in total as described in our financial statements and notes based on future sales of the BSC products in 2021 and 2022 and a development based milestone with respect to certain Symphion controller improvements.

We utilize contract manufacturers for a significant portion of our products. This includes all of our controllers and significant subcomponents of our disposable devices. BSC manufactures the Genesys HTA and its ProCerva procedure set at its facility. In connection with the BSC product acquisition, we entered into a supply agreement with BSC relating to the Genesys HTA system and certain of its components. Pursuant to the supply agreement, BSC will supply us with systems and procedure sets until the earlier of April 2022 or such time as we have successfully transferred manufacturing to a third-party manufacturer. The Symphion and Resectr products were previously manufactured for BSC by various third-party manufacturers. We intend to rely on the same manufacturers to supply us with these products and we are in the process of assuming those relationships directly.

 

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We market and sell our products through a direct sales force in the United States. Our target customer base includes approximately 19,000 OB/GYNs practicing in hospitals, ASCs, and physician offices. As of June 30, 2021, our commercial team consisted of approximately 80 field-based personnel that call on OB/GYNs in all major U.S. markets. Our sales and marketing programs focus on educating physicians regarding the use of our products and on providing materials to help them educate their patients about our procedures. We also provide online patient-oriented educational materials about AUB and our products and procedures, which patients may use to consider and then discuss treatment options with their physicians.

Since our inception, we have generated significant losses. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through private placements of equity securities, debt financing arrangements, and sales of our products. In February, May and November 2019, we raised a total of $21.0 million through the sale and issuance of convertible promissory notes. In May 2020, we raised $15.0 million through the sale and issuance of additional convertible promissory notes. In December 2019, we entered into a Credit Agreement (the Ares Agreement) with Ares Capital Corporation and Ares Direct Finance I LP (collectively, Ares) providing for an aggregate of up to $40.0 million in debt financing, including an initial term loan of $30.0 million (the Ares Loan). We used part of the proceeds from the Ares Loan to repay the principal, interest, and fees due under our previously existing term loan with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). On October 8, 2021, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the CIBC Agreement) with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) which provides for a senior secured term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $40.0 million (the CIBC Loan). We used most of the proceeds from the CIBC Loan to repay the principal, interest, and fees under the Ares Loan.

We generated revenue of $37.8 million, with a gross margin of 50.6% and a net loss of $18.3 million, for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to revenue of $26.0 million, with a gross margin of 45.4% and a net loss of $52.0 million, for the year ended December 31, 2019. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, we generated revenue of $26.0 million, with a gross margin of 60.0% and a net loss of $29.0 million compared to revenue of $11.9 million, with a gross margin of 36.7% and a net loss of $4.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. As of June 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $257.1 million, cash and cash equivalents of $11.6 million, $32.9 million outstanding under the Ares Agreement before debt discount and issuance cost, and $77.3 million of convertible notes, including interest and before debt discount and issuance costs.

The table below sets forth our historical yearly revenue for the reported periods (in thousands).

 

   
     Year ended December 31,  
      2016      2017      2018      2019      2020  

Revenue

   $ 10,270      $ 15,323      $ 22,395      $ 26,012      $ 37,768  

The table below sets forth our historical unaudited quarterly revenue for the reported periods (in thousands).

 

   
    Three months ended  
     March 31,
2019
    June 30,
2019
    September 30,
2019
    December 31,
2019
    March 31,
2020
    June 30,
2020
    September 30,
2020
    December 31,
2020
    March 31,
2021
    June 30,
2021
 

Revenue

  $ 5,404     $ 6,340     $ 6,284     $ 7,984     $ 5,639     $ 6,300     $ 12,279     $ 13,550     $ 11,838     $ 14,114  

Factors affecting our performance

We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:

Our ability to retain and expand our experienced commercial team and increase its productivity

We have made significant investments in, and will continue to invest in, recruiting, training, and retaining our experienced and specialized direct sales team. Significant education and training are required for our team to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by clinicians and to gain

 

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experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of initial training, our personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts, build relationships with clinicians and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. We believe successfully training, developing, and retaining additional sales personnel be required to achieve growth. In addition, the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.

Physician, patient, and hospital awareness and acceptance of our solutions

In order to grow our business, we will need to continue making significant investments in educating providers, physicians, and patients on the advantages of our products for the treatment of AUB. Our goal is to establish our solutions as the standard of care for AUB. We intend to continue to promote awareness of our products through educating physicians, providers, key opinion leaders, and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of our products. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and to continue presenting at medical conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media, and online education. We also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, surgery centers, and patients.

Integration of our newly acquired products into our existing sales and marketing organization

In May 2020, We entered into a Transition Services Agreement (TSA) with BSC under which we transitioned the operations and activities for sales and marketing, contractual arrangements with third party contract manufacturing relationships, customer service, regulatory and quality affairs, and accounting and finance operations over the subsequent six months to assume full responsibility for the aforementioned activities effective in November 2020. We will continue to transition manufacturing arrangements for internally-manufactured products to new third-party manufacturers over the next 12 months to transfer all FDA licenses to us. Our acquisition of BSC intrauterine health assets enabled us to offer a broad suite of products for the treatment of non-structural and structural causes of AUB in most uterine anatomies. We believe the following key indicators are contributing to the growth of our business:

 

 

new products acquired from BSC expanding our product portfolio;

 

 

expansion of Minerva ES into existing BSC accounts;

 

 

expansion of the Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr into established Minerva ES accounts;

 

 

a significant increase in physician office accounts with the BSC product acquisition;

 

 

signing agreements with group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and large independent delivery networks (IDNs); and

 

 

hospitals and ASCs reopening to accept patients for elective procedures following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Competition

Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and the sales and marketing activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as the standard of care for AUB. Some of our competitors have competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, significantly greater resources and name recognition, and established relationships with physicians and hospitals that treat patients with AUB. In addition to competing for market share, we also compete against these companies for personnel, including qualified sales and other personnel that are

 

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necessary to grow our business. Certain of our competitors may challenge our intellectual property, may develop additional competing or superior technologies and processes and compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time.

Leveraging our manufacturing capacity to further improve our gross margin

With our current operating model and infrastructure, we believe that we have the capacity to significantly increase our manufacturing production. As we grow our revenue and sell more units, our fixed manufacturing costs will be spread over more units, which we believe will reduce our manufacturing costs on a per-unit basis and in turn improve our gross margin. In addition, we intend to continue investing in manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce our overall manufacturing costs. However, other factors will continue to impact our gross margin such as the cost of materials, components and subassemblies, pricing, customer discounts, incentives, support services, geographic sales mix, and potential seasonality.

Investing in research and development to expand our addressable market

We have historically invested and expect to continue to invest in research and development. We intend to continue investing in existing and innovative technologies to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, enhance the patient and provider experience, and broaden the patient population that can be treated with our products. In addition, we are continuing to invest in product enhancements and new features and engineering improvements to our products.

While research and development activities are time-consuming and costly, we believe that a pipeline of product enhancements and new products that improve efficacy, safety, and ease of use is important for supporting increased adoption of our products. In the future, we may seek to acquire or invest in additional businesses, products, or technologies that we believe could complement or enhance our products, enhance our technical capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities, although we currently have no agreements or understandings with respect to any such acquisitions or investments.

Seasonality

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, revenue seasonality at the end of the year primarily due to the annual cycle around patient medical deductibles and co-payments. We have seen higher procedure volume in the fourth calendar quarter for the past several years as our procedures have an elective element to them, and while the procedures in which our products are used are considered elective by many insurance companies, the procedures are fully-reimbursed by virtually all private and government insurance payors.

Recent developments

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Since December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread across the world and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have been significant and governments around the world, including in the United States, implemented severe travel restrictions, social distancing requirements, quarantines, stay-at-home orders, and other significant restrictions. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a substantial public health and economic challenge, is affecting hospitals, physicians, patients, communities, and business operations, and contributing to significant volatility and negative pressure on the U.S. and world economies and financial markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our business, financial condition, and results of operations by decreasing access to hospitals and ASCs and delaying procedures performed using our products. We expect the

 

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pandemic will continue to negatively impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations until the virus is under better control and vaccines are in broad use. Beginning in March 2020, our net sales were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitals delayed or canceled elective procedures, and patients expressed reticence or fear from potential exposure in hospital and ASC settings. Many state and local governments in the U.S. issued orders that temporarily precluded elective procedures in order to conserve scarce health system resources in view of the pandemic and to protect patient health. The decrease in hospital procedure rates and temporary elimination of elective surgeries reduced the demand for elective procedures, including endometrial ablation and tissue resection procedures.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have implemented a variety of measures intended to help us manage its impact while maintaining business continuity to support our customers and patients. These measures include:

 

 

establishing safety protocols, facility enhancements, and work-from-home strategies to protect our employees;

 

 

ensuring that our manufacturing and supply chain operations remain intact and operational;

 

 

keeping our workforce intact and continuing to build our team, including expansion of our U.S. sales force;

 

 

continuing to focus on new account openings and developing new methods of supporting physicians remotely in their offices for the use of our products;

 

 

continuing our physician education programs and direct-to-patient marketing efforts through social media and other virtual forums; and

 

 

acquiring new products, such as those from BSC, to provide healthcare practitioners with a complete and trusted product portfolio for treating AUB.

While our hospital customers began to gradually perform elective procedures using our products again during the second half of 2020, the growth of our business has slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic and we cannot give any assurance that the growth of our business will stabilize, or that additional waves of COVID-19 will not shut down regional or national health providers again as we saw in the second quarter of 2020. We experienced a second wave of slower than expected revenue growth in the six months ended June 30, 2021 when certain state governments reinstated hospital and ASC closures for elective procedures in response to a second wave of COVID-19 infection rates.

Despite the encouraging signs of recovery of our business, the duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the extent and effectiveness of containment and mitigation actions, it has already had an adverse effect on the global economy, and the ultimate societal and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown. Additionally, concerns over the economic impact of COVID-19 have caused extreme volatility in financial and other capital markets, which may adversely affect our operations. As a result, we cannot predict the extent to which COVID-19 will affect our business, future results of operations, and financial condition at this time.

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity and spread of COVID-19 and the actions to contain the spread of COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others.

Our financial statements reflect judgments and estimates that could change in the future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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Components of our results of operations

Revenue

We currently derive substantially all our revenue from the sale of our products to hospitals, ASCs, and physician offices in the United States. We market and sell our products through a direct sales force. Nearly 99% of our revenue is point-in-time recognition for single-use (disposable) products and capital equipment. Sale of extended warranties on capital equipment represents less than 1% of revenue. Further, more than 95% of our total revenue is derived from the sale of single-use (disposable) products and therefore revenue from the sale of capital equipment, associated warranties and miscellaneous revenue is not disaggregated in our financial statements.

Cost of goods sold

Cost of goods sold consists primarily of costs related to materials, components and subassemblies, payroll, and personnel-related expenses for our manufacturing and quality assurance employees, including expenses related to stock-based compensation, manufacturing overhead, charges for excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories, and royalties. Overhead costs include the cost of quality assurance, testing, material procurement, inventory control, operations supervision, and management personnel, an allocation of facilities and information technology expenses, including rent and utilities, and equipment depreciation. We record adjustments to our inventory valuation for estimated excess, obsolete, and non-sellable inventories based on assumptions about future demand, past usage, changes to manufacturing processes, and overall market conditions. We expect cost of goods sold to increase in absolute dollars as more of our products are sold.

Gross margin

We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been, and will continue to be, affected by a variety of factors, including production volumes, the cost of direct materials, product mix, manufacturing costs, product yields, headcount, and cost-reduction strategies. We expect our gross margin percentage to increase over the long term to the extent we are successful in increasing our sales volume and are therefore able to leverage our fixed costs. However, we expect our gross margin to fluctuate from period to period based upon the factors described above and seasonality.

Operating expenses

Our operating expenses have consisted of sales and marketing costs, general and administrative costs, and research and development costs. We expect to continue to invest in these activities.

Sales and marketing

We have made significant investments in building our commercial field organization and intend to make significant investments in sales and marketing activities in the future. Sales and marketing expense consist primarily of payroll and personnel-related costs for our sales and marketing personnel, including sales variable compensation, stock-based compensation expense, travel expenses, consulting, direct marketing, customer education, trade shows, and promotional expenses. Beginning in May 2020, we are also expensing the amortization of the value of customer relationships acquired from BSC with Genesys HTA, Symphion, and Resectr.

We anticipate that our sales and marketing expenses will increase as we strategically invest to expand our business. We expect to hire additional sales personnel and related account management and sales support personnel to capture an increasing amount of our market opportunity. We also expect to continue our brand awareness and targeted marketing campaigns. As we scale our sales and marketing activities, we expect these expenses to increase.

 

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General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of payroll and personnel-related expenses, including salaries, employee benefit costs and stock-based compensation expense, professional fees for legal, patent, consulting, accounting and tax services, allocated overhead, including rent, equipment, depreciation, information technology costs and utilities, and other general operating expenses not otherwise classified as research and development expenses. We also recognize the change in value of the contingent consideration liability due to BSC for the potential future milestone payments in general and administrative expenses.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase following this offering, as a result of increased personnel costs, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation expense, expanded infrastructure and higher consulting, legal, and accounting services associated with maintaining compliance with stock exchange listing, and requirements of the SEC, investor relations costs, and director and officer insurance premiums associated with being a public company.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses have included clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our products, as well as obtain and retain FDA approval. Current research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our products. These costs consist of engineering and research programs associated with our products under development and improvements to our existing products. These costs include prototype materials, laboratory supplies, regulatory expenses, and an allocation of facility overhead costs. Research and development expenses also include payroll and personnel-related costs and stock-based compensation expense for our research and development employees and consultants and acquisition of technology with no alternative future uses. We also recognize the amortization cost of intangible assets acquired from BSC for developed technology and patents and trademarks in research and development expenses beginning in May 2020. We expense research and development costs as incurred. We intend to continue making significant investments in research and development, clinical studies, and regulatory affairs to support future regulatory submissions for retaining and expanding indications of our products, support continuous improvements to our products, and develop future products that address abnormal uterine bleeding in a minimally invasive manner.

Interest expense and income

Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense related to our term loan facilities and convertible notes, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Interest income is predominately derived from investing surplus cash in money market funds.

Other income and expenses

Other income and expenses primarily consist of changes in the fair value of derivative liabilities and redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability, gain/loss in loan extinguishment of debt, and bargain purchase gain. Upon exercise or expiration of the warrants, the final fair value of the warrant liability will be reclassified to stockholders’ (equity)/deficit and we will no longer record any related periodic fair value adjustment. We will continue to adjust the derivative liabilities for changes in fair value at each balance sheet date until the convertible notes are converted or repaid, with any changes in fair value recognized in the statements of operations.

 

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Results of operations

Comparison of the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021

The following table summarizes our unaudited results of operations for the periods indicated:

 

       
     Six months ended
June 30,
             
      2020     2021     Change     % Change  

Revenue

   $ 11,939     $ 25,952     $ 14,013       117.4%  

Cost of goods sold

     7,559       10,387       2,828       37.4%  
  

 

 

 

Gross profit

     4,380       15,565       11,185       255.4%  

Operating expenses

        

Sales and marketing

     9,483       14,964       5,481       57.8%  

General and administrative

     4,084       14,128       10,044       245.9%  

Research and development

     951       2,824       1,873       197.0%  
  

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     14,518       31,916       17,398       119.8%  
  

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (10,138     (16,351     (6,213     61.3%  

Interest income

     79             (79     (100.0%

Interest expense

     (5,421     (7,052     (1,631     30.1%  

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities

     10,060       (8,140     (18,200     (180.9%

Bargain purchase gain

     643             (643     (100.0%

Gain on extinguishment of PPP loan

           3,036       3,036       100.0%  

Other income (expense), net

     77       (540     (617     (801.3%
  

 

 

 

Net loss before income taxes

     (4,700     (29,047     (24,347     518.0%  

Income tax benefit

     132             (132     (100.0%
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (4,568   $ (29,047   $ (24,479     535.9%  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss margin

     (38.2%     (111.9%    

 

 

Revenue

Revenue increased by $14.0 million, or 117.4%, to $26.0 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $11.9 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020. The revenue for the acquired products contributed $13.8 million, or 52.9%, of the revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $3.1 million, or 25.7%, of revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, sales of Minerva ES contributed 74.3% and 47.1% of revenue, respectively; sales of the Genesys HTA contributed 16.6% and 32.4% of revenue, respectively; sales of Symphion contributed 8.3% and 19.4% of revenue, respectively; and sales of other products and warranties contributed 0.8% and 1.1% of revenue, respectively. Revenue was negatively impacted in the six months ended June 30, 2020 because elective procedures were restricted at ASCs across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These restrictions were lifted in most ASCs across the country towards the second half of the year in 2020. Revenue growth was slower than expected in the six months ended June 30, 2021 when certain state governments responded to a second wave of COVID infection rates and reinstated hospital and ASC closures for elective procedures.

Cost of goods sold

Cost of goods sold increased by $2.8 million, or 37.4%, to $10.4 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $7.6 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to growth in the sales volume of our newly acquired Genesys HTA and Symphion products.

 

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Gross margin

Our gross margin increased from 36.7% for the six months ended June 30, 2020 to 60.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to the sales volume of our newly acquired Genesys HTA and Symphion products and resulting sales mix of our product portfolio. The increase in gross margin is offset by the stock-based compensation charge of $0.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Sales and marketing expenses

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $5.5 million, or 57.8%, to $15.0 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $9.5 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to a $1.7 million increase in intangible amortization expense recorded for customer relationships as a result of the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020, a $1.7 million increase in compensation and personnel related expenses due to growth in salesforce, a $1.2 million increase in commission expenses due to an increase in sales volume, a $0.4 million increase in case coverage and travel and entertainment expenses due to increase of in-person sales activities, a $0.2 million increase in recruiting expenses due to increased efforts in expanding the salesforce, a $0.2 million increase in consulting and other services and a $0.1 million increase in use tax expenses related to field assets.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $10.0 million, or 245.9%, to $14.1 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $4.1 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to a $4.0 million increase in compensation and personnel related expenses due to increases in headcount and stock-based compensation expenses, a $3.0 million increase in legal expenses in connection with our patent infringement lawsuit with Hologic, a $1.3 million increase in consulting, accounting, tax, and other services, a $0.9 million increase in expenses due to the change in value of the contingent consideration liability due to BSC for the milestones, a $0.3 million increase in business insurance, property taxes, and merchant fees, a $0.2 million increase in bad debt expense, a $0.2 million increase in facilities expenses, and slightly less than $0.1 million increase in non-employee related stock based compensation.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses increased by $1.9 million, or 197.0%, to $2.8 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $1.0 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to a $1.4 million increase in intangible amortization expense recorded for trademarks and developed technology as a result of the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020, a $0.3 million in product development expenses for Genesys HTA and Symphion products and a $0.2 million increase in compensation and personnel related expenses due to an increase in headcount, and stock-based compensation expenses.

Interest expense and income

Interest expense increased by $1.6 million, or 30.1%, to $7.1 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $5.4 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily due to higher average outstanding balances of our convertible notes and term loans during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020. Interest income decreased by $0.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020, which was primarily due to a decrease of average balances of our money market funds during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

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Other income and expenses

 

       
     Six months ended
June 30,
             
(in thousands, except percentage figures)    2020      2021     Change     % Change  

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities

   $ 10,060      $ (8,140   $ (18,200     (180.9%

Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability

     33        (532     (565     (1712.1%

Bargain purchase gain

     643              (643     (100.0%

Gain on extinguishment of PPP loan

            3,036       3,036       100.0%  

Other income (expense), net

     44        (8     (52     118.2%  
  

 

 

   

Total

   $ 10,780      $ (5,644   $ (16,424     (152.4%

 

 

Changes in fair value of derivative liabilities increased by $18.2 million, or 180.9%, to $8.1 million other expense during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $10.1 million other income during the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily due to management’s view on the key assumptions that changed the probabilities of a qualified financing, change of control, non-qualified financing, and all other events that do not trigger put rights resulting in a loss on the change in fair value of $18.2 million. Other expense increased by $0.6 million to $0.5 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to less than $0.1 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily due to changes in the fair value of our redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability that increased other expenses by $0.5 million. The bargain purchase gain of $0.6 million was recorded in the six months ended June 30, 2021 as a result of the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020. The PPP loan principal and interest amount was forgiven in June 2021, which contributed $3.0 million gain on extinguishment of the PPP loan that we recorded in the six months ended June 30, 2021.

 

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Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods indicated:

 

       
     Years Ended
December 31,
             
(in thousands, except percentage figures)    2019     2020     Change     % Change  

Revenue

   $ 26,012     $ 37,768     $ 11,756       45.2%  

Cost of goods sold

     14,207       18,648       4,441       31.3%  
  

 

 

 

Gross profit

     11,805       19,120       7,315       62.0%  

Operating expenses

        

Sales and marketing

     22,125       22,974       849       3.8%  

General and administrative

     8,382       8,212       (170     (2.0)%  

Research and development

     935       3,324       2,389       255.5%  
  

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     31,442       34,510       3,068       9.8%  
  

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (19,637     (15,390     4,247       (21.6%

Interest income

     135       81       (54     (40.0%

Interest expense

     (17,579     (12,140     5,439       (30.9%

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities

     (6,858     8,340       15,198       (221.6%

Bargain purchase gain

           643       643       100.0%  

Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes

     (8,278           8,278       (100.0%

Other income (expense), net

     171       71       (100     (58.5%
  

 

 

 

Net loss before income taxes

     (52,046     (18,395     33,651       (64.7%

Income tax benefit

           132       132       (100.0%
  

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (52,046   $ (18,263   $ 33,783       (64.9%

Net loss margin

     (200.1%     (48.4%    

 

 

Revenue

Revenue increased by $11.8 million, or 45.2%, to $37.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $26.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020. The revenue for the acquired products contributed $16.9 million, or 44.7%, of the total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2020, sales of the Minerva ES, Genesys HTA, Symphion, and other products and warranty sales represented 55.4%, 28.5%, 15.3% and 0.9% of revenue, respectively. The increase in revenue was offset by a decrease of $5.0 million, or 19.4%, in sales of the Minerva ES during the year ended December 31, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cost of goods sold

Cost of goods sold increased by $4.4 million, or 31.3%, to $18.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $14.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to growth in the sales volume of our newly acquired Genesys HTA and Symphion products.

Gross margin

Our gross margin increased from 45.4% for the year ended December 31, 2019 to 50.6% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to the sales volume of our newly acquired Genesys HTA and Symphion products and resulting sales mix of our product portfolio.

 

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Sales and marketing expenses

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $0.8 million, or 3.8%, to $23.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $22.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to a $2.8 million increase in intangible amortization expense recorded for customer relationships as a result of the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020 and a $0.3 million increase in compensation- and personnel-related expenses related to the increase in salesforce. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $1.1 million in travel and entertainment expenses, $0.6 million in expenses in connection with marketing, advertising, and promotional event programs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and $0.6 million in commission expense due to a lower commission payout rate.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.2 million, or 2.0%, to $8.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $8.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to the $1.2 million decrease in legal expenses in connection with our patent infringement lawsuit with Hologic and the change in value of contingent consideration liability due to BSC for the milestones resulting in a gain of $0.2 million. The decrease was offset by an increase of $0.4 million in consulting, accounting, tax, and other services, an increase of $0.4 million in compensation- and personnel-related expenses, an increase of $0.2 million in bad debt expense, and an increase of $0.2 million in rent expenses.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses increased by $2.4 million, or 255.5%, to $3.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $0.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to a $2.3 million increase in intangible amortization expense recorded for trademarks and developed technology as a result of the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020. In addition, we experienced a $0.1 million increase in expenses in connection with product development.

Interest expense and income

Interest expense decreased by $5.4 million, or 30.9%, to $12.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $17.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily due to a decrease in our effective interest rate as a result of the amendment to the convertible promissory notes in December 2019. Interest income decreased by $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, which was primarily due to a decrease of average balances of our money market funds during 2020 compared to 2019.

Other income and expenses

 

       
     Years ended
December 31,
              
(in thousands, except percentage figures)    2019     2020      Change     % Change  

Change in fair value of derivative liabilities

   $ (6,858   $ 8,340      $ 15,198       (221.6%

Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability

     187       33        (154     (82.4%

Bargain purchase gain

           643        643       100%  

Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes

     (8,278            8,278       (100%

Other income (expense), net

     (16     38        54       (337.5%
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

Total

   $ (14,965   $ 9,054      $ 24,019       (160.5%

 

 

 

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Changes in fair value of derivatives liabilities decreased by $15.2 million, or 221.6%, to $8.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $6.9 million expense during the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily due to management’s view on the key assumptions that changed the probabilities of a qualified financing, change of control, non-qualified financing, and all other events that do not trigger put rights resulting in a gain on the change in fair value of $15.2 million. Bargain purchase gain increased by $0.6 million, or 100.0%, to $0.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of BSC’s intrauterine health assets in May 2020. Loss on extinguishment of long-term debt and convertible notes decreased by $8.3 million, or 100.0%, during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $8.3 million loss during the year ended 31 December, 2019, primarily due to the amendment of term loan and convertible notes in 2019 being accounted for as a debt extinguishment. Other income decreased by $0.1 million, or 58.5%, to $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $0.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily due to the change in the fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability that decreased other income by $0.2 million.

Non-GAAP financial measures

In addition to our results and measures of performance determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe that certain non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating and comparing our financial and operational performance over multiple periods, identifying trends affecting our business, formulating business plans and making strategic decisions. These non-GAAP financial measures include EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. The following table provides a reconciliation of these Non-GAAP metrics to net loss, which is the nearest GAAP number.

 

     
    

Years ended December 31,

    Six months ended
June 30,
 
(in thousands, except percentage figures)    2019     2020     2020     2021  
                 (unaudited)  

Net loss

   $ (52,046   $ (18,263   $ (4,568   $ (29,047

Depreciation and amortization

     1,675       7,076       1,861       5,334  

Interest (income) expense

     17,444       12,059       5,342       7,052  

Income tax benefit

                 (132      
  

 

 

 

EBITDA

   $ (32,927   $ 872     $ 2,503     $ (16,661

EBITDA margin

     (126.6%     2.31%       20.96%       (64.2%

Net loss margin

     (200.1%     (48.4%     (38.3%