Segment reporting

12 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2017

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 15 - Segment reporting

The Company has three reportable segments: Life Sciences, Clinical Labs and Therapeutics. The Company’s Life Sciences segment develops, manufactures, and markets products to research and pharmaceutical customers. The Clinical Labs segment provides diagnostic services to the health care community. The Company’s Therapeutics segment conducts research and development activities for therapeutic drug candidates. The Company evaluates segment performance based on segment income (loss) before taxes. Costs excluded from segment income (loss) before taxes and reported as “Other” consist of corporate general and administrative costs which are not allocable to the three reportable segments.

Legal fee expense incurred to defend the Company’s intellectual property, which may result in settlements recognized in another segment and other general corporate matters are considered a component of the Other segment. Legal fee expense specific to other segments’ activities have been allocated to those segments.

Legal settlements, net, represent activities for which royalties would have been received in the Company’s Life Sciences segment and expenses related to an investigation within the Clinical Labs segment. Management of the Company assesses assets on a consolidated basis only and therefore, assets by reportable segment have not been included in the reportable segments below. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies.

The following financial information represents the operating results of the reportable segments of the Company:

Year ended July 31, 2017	Clinical Labs			Life Sciences			Therapeutics			Other			Consolidated
Revenues:
Clinical laboratory services	$	77,407			—			—			—		$	77,407
Product revenues		—		$	29,192			—			—			29,192
Royalty and license fee income		—			1,205			—			—			1,205
Total revenues		77,407			30,397			—			—			107,804
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of clinical laboratory services		45,400			—			—			—			45,400
Cost of product revenues		—			14,078			—			—			14,078
Research and development		—			2,311		$	617			—			2,928
Selling, general and administrative		24,465			11,232			—		$	8,313			44,010
Provision for uncollectible accounts receivable		2,718			57			—			—			2,775
Legal fee expense		146			79			—			1,454			1,679
Total operating costs and expenses		72,729			27,757			617			9,767			110,870
Operating income (loss)		4,678			2,640			(617	)		(9,767	)		(3,066	)
Other income (expense)
Interest		(112	)		46			—			450			384
Other		137			(60	)		—			48			125
Foreign exchange gain		—			135			—			—			135
Income (loss) before taxes	$	4,703		$	2,761		$	(617	)	$	(9,269	)	$	(2,422	)
Depreciation and amortization included above	$	1,586		$	1,913		$	—		$	99		$	3,598
Share-based compensation included in above:
Cost of clinical laboratory services	$	6		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	6
Selling, general and administrative		111			74			—		$	640			825
Total	$	117		$	74		$	—		$	640		$	831
Capital expenditures	$	1,363		$	390		$	—		$	—		$	1,753

The following financial information represents the operating results of the reportable segments of the Company:

Year ended July 31, 2016	Clinical Labs			Life Sciences			Therapeutics			Other			Consolidated
Revenues:
Clinical laboratory services	$	70,915			—			—			—		$	70,915
Product revenues		—		$	30,337			—			—			30,337
Royalty and license fee income		—			1,521			—			—			1,521
Total revenues		70,915			31,858			—			—			102,773
Operating costs, expenses and legal settlements, net:
Cost of clinical laboratory services		42,859			—			—			—			42,859
Cost of product revenues		—			14,331			—			—			14,331
Research and development		—			2,720		$	804			—			3,524
Selling, general and administrative		22,882			11,761			—		$	8,943			43,586
Provision for uncollectible accounts receivable		2,375			(39	)		—			—			2,336
Legal fee expense		134			11			—			6,239			6,384
Legal settlements, net		1,500			(58,750	)		—			—			(57,250	)
Total operating costs, expenses and legal settlements, net		69,750			(29,966	)		804			15,182			55,770
Operating income (loss)		1,165			61,824			(804	)		(15,182	)		47,003
Other income (expense)
Interest		(105	)		47			—			(78	)		(136	)
Other		10			38			—			74			122
Foreign exchange gain		—			(474	)		—			—			(474	)
Income (loss) before taxes	$	1,070		$	61,435		$	(804	)	$	(15,186	)	$	46,515
Depreciation and amortization included above	$	1,676		$	2,091		$	—		$	73		$	3,840
Share-based compensation included in above:
Cost of clinical laboratory services	$	6		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	6
Selling, general and administrative		51			30			—		$	438			519
Total	$	57		$	30		$	—		$	438		$	525
Capital expenditures	$	1,216		$	314		$	—		$	—		$	1,530

The following financial information represents the operating results of the reportable segments of the Company:

Year ended July 31, 2015	Clinical Labs			Life Sciences			Therapeutics			Other			Consolidated
Revenues:
Clinical laboratory services	$	63,414			—			—			—		$	63,414
Product revenues		—		$	31,690			—			—			31,690
Royalty and license fee income		—			2,495			—			—			2,495
Total revenues		63,414			34,185			—			—			97,599
Operating costs, expenses and legal settlements, net:
Cost of clinical laboratory services		39,589			—			—			—			39,589
Cost of product revenues		—			15,183			—			—			15,183
Research and development		—			2,608		$	742			—			3,350
Selling, general and administrative		20,666			12,168			—		$	8,235			41,069
Provision for uncollectible accounts receivable		2,418			(134	)		—			—			2,284
Legal fee expense		196			(67	)		—			8,659			8,788
Legal settlements, net		—			(11,458	)		—			—			(11,458	)
Total operating costs, expenses and legal settlements, net		62,869			18,300			742			16,894			98,805
Operating (loss) income		545			15,885			(742	)		(16,894	)		(1,206	)
Other income (expense)
Interest		(86	)		10			—			(169	)		(245	)
Other		28			9			—			58			95
Foreign exchange gain		—			(936	)		—			—			(936	)
(Loss) income before income taxes	$	487		$	14,968		$	(742	)	$	(17,005	)	$	(2,292	)
Depreciation and amortization included above	$	1,443		$	2,254		$	3		$	89		$	3,789
Share-based compensation included in above:
Cost of clinical laboratory services	$	5		$	—			—			—		$	5
Research and development		—			2			—			—			2
Selling, general and administrative		43			15			—		$	364			422
Total	$	48		$	17			—		$	364		$	429
Capital expenditures	$	1,557		$	226			—			—		$	1,783

Geographic financial information is as follows:

Net sales to unaffiliated customers:	2017		2016		2015
United States	$	99,469	$	94,016	$	87,875
Switzerland		2,371		2,709		3,131
United Kingdom		1,673		1,730		1,904
Other international countries		4,291		4,318		4,689
Total	$	107,804	$	102,773	$	97,599

Long-lived assets at July 31,	2017		2016
United States	$	17,241	$	18,730
Switzerland		649		917
United Kingdom		185		244
Other international countries		173		197
Total	$	18,248	$	20,088

The Company’s reportable segments are determined based on the services they perform, the products they sell, and the royalties and license fee income they earn, not on the geographic area in which they operate. The Company’s Clinical Labs segment operates 100% in the United States with all revenue derived there. The Life Sciences segment earns product revenue both in the United States and foreign countries and royalty and license fee income in the United States. The following is a summary of the Life Sciences segment revenues attributable to customers located in the United States and foreign countries:

	2017		2016		2015
United States	$	22,062	$	23,102	$	24,461
Foreign countries		8,335		8,756		9,724
	$	30,397	$	31,858	$	34,185