Cerus Corp 10-Q for FY2024 Q3
Cerus Corp (CERS)
About this 10-Q
Cerus Corp filed this 10-Q on October 31, 2024, covering the quarter ended September 30, 2024 (FY2024 Q3).
Headline figures
Quarter ended September 30, 2024, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Net loss
- $2.93M
- compared with a net loss of $7.27M a year earlier
- Diluted EPS
- -$0.02
- compared with -$0.04 a year earlier
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For the quarterly period ended
or
For the transition period from: to
Commission File Number
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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(Address of principal executive offices) |
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(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class |
Trading Symbol |
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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 |
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Non-accelerated filer |
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Smaller reporting company |
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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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No
As of October 17, 2024, there were
CERUS CORPORATION
FORM 10-Q
For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I |
FINANCIAL INFORMATION |
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Item 1. |
1 |
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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets – September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 |
1 |
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows – Nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 |
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6 |
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Item 2. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
22 |
Item 3. |
33 |
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Item 4. |
33 |
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PART II |
OTHER INFORMATION |
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Item 1. |
35 |
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Item 1A. |
35 |
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Item 2. |
73 |
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Item 3. |
73 |
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Item 4. |
73 |
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Item 5. |
73 |
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Item 6. |
74 |
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75 |
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PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CERUS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands)
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September 30, |
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December 31, |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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(Unaudited) |
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ASSETS |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
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$ |
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$ |
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Short-term investments |
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Accounts receivable, net |
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Current inventories |
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Prepaid and other current assets |
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Total current assets |
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Non-current assets: |
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Property and equipment, net |
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Operating lease right-of-use assets |
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Goodwill |
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Restricted cash |
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Non-current inventories |
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Other assets |
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Total assets |
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$ |
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$ |
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY |
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable |
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$ |
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$ |
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Accrued liabilities |
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Debt – current |
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Operating lease liabilities – current |
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Deferred revenue |
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Total current liabilities |
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Non-current liabilities: |
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Debt – non-current |
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Operating lease liabilities – non-current |
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Other non-current liabilities |
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Total liabilities |
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Stockholders’ equity: |
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Common stock |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
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( |
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( |
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Accumulated deficit |
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( |
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( |
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Total Cerus Corporation stockholders’ equity |
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Noncontrolling interest |
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Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
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$ |
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$ |
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See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
1
CERUS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
UNAUDITED
(in thousands, except per share data)
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Three Months Ended |
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Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
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September 30, |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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Product revenue |
$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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Cost of product revenue |
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Gross profit on product revenue |
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Government contract revenue |
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Operating expenses: |
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Research and development |
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Selling, general and administrative |
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Restructuring |
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— |
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— |
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Total operating expenses |
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Loss from operations |
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( |
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Non-operating expense, net: |
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Foreign exchange (loss) gain |
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Interest expense |
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Other income, net |
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Total non-operating expense, net |
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Loss before income taxes |
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Provision for income taxes |
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Net loss |
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( |
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( |
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Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest |
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— |
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( |
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( |
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Net loss attributable to Cerus Corporation |
$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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Net loss per share attributable to Cerus Corporation |
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Basic and diluted |
$ |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Weighted average shares outstanding: |
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Basic and diluted |
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See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
2
CERUS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
UNAUDITED
(in thousands)
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Three Months Ended |
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Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
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September 30, |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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Net loss |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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Other comprehensive (loss) income |
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Foreign currency translation adjustment |
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( |
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Unrealized gains on available-for-sale investments, net of taxes |
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Comprehensive loss |
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( |
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( |
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( |
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Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest |
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— |
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( |
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( |
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( |
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Total comprehensive loss attributable to Cerus Corporation |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
3
CERUS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
UNAUDITED
(in thousands)
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Cerus Corporation Shareholders |
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Common Stock |
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Additional |
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Accumulated |
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Accumulated |
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Noncontrolling |
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Total |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Capital |
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Loss |
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Deficit |
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Interest |
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Equity |
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Balances as of December 31, 2023 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Issuance of common stock from vesting of restricted stock units and ESPP purchases |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Other comprehensive income |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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( |
) |
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( |
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Balances as of March 31, 2024 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Issuance of common stock from vesting of restricted stock units |
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— |
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( |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
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Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Other comprehensive income |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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Balances as of June 30, 2024 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Issuance of common stock from vesting of restricted stock units, and ESPP purchases |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Other comprehensive income |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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— |
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( |
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Balances as of September 30, 2024 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Cerus Corporation Shareholders |
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Common Stock |
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Additional |
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Accumulated |
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Accumulated |
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Noncontrolling |
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Total |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Capital |
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Loss |
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Deficit |
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Interest |
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Equity |
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Balances as of December 31, 2022 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Issuance of common stock from vesting of restricted stock units and ESPP purchases |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Other comprehensive income |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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( |
) |
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( |
) |
Balances as of March 31, 2023 |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
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$ |
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$ |
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Issuance of common stock from vesting of restricted stock units |
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( |
) |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Other comprehensive loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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( |
) |
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( |
) |
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( |
) |
Balances as of June 30, 2023 |
|
|
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|
$ |
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$ |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
( |
) |
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$ |
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$ |
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|||||
Issuance of common stock from vesting of restricted stock units and ESPP purchases |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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|||
Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Other comprehensive income |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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|
|
— |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Balances as of September 30, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
4
CERUS CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
UNAUDITED
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
||
Operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net loss |
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
( |
) |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Depreciation and amortization |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Stock-based compensation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Non-cash operating lease cost |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net loss on sale of available-for-sale securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Unrealized gain on investments |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Loss on disposal of fixed assets |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Impairment charges for facilities consolidation |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
Non-cash interest expense |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Foreign currency remeasurement gain |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Accounts receivable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Inventories |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
Prepaid and other assets |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Accounts payable |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Accrued liabilities and other non-current liabilities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Deferred revenue |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
Investing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Capital expenditures |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Purchases of investments |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Proceeds from maturities and sale of investments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net proceeds from equity incentives |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net costs from public offerings |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Net (payment on) proceeds from revolving line of credit |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from loans |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Debt issuance costs |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
( |
) |
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of period |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
5
CERUS CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
UNAUDITED
Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include those of Cerus Corporation, its subsidiary, and its variable interest entity in which the Company is the primary beneficiary in accordance with the consolidation accounting guidance, after elimination of all intercompany accounts and transactions (together with Cerus Corporation, hereinafter “Cerus” or the “Company”). These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring entries, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been made. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2024, or for any future periods.
These condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2023, which were included in the Company’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 5, 2024. The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 has been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements as of that date.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, the collectability of accounts receivable, inventory classification and related reserves, fair values of investments, the allowance for credit losses, stock-based compensation, goodwill, useful lives of property and equipment, income taxes, and incremental borrowing rate, among others. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, future projections, and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Revenue
Revenue is recognized by applying the following five steps: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
The Company’s main source of revenue is product revenue from sales of the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma (“platelet and plasma systems” or “disposable kits”), UVA illumination devices (“illuminators”), INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex (“IFC”), spare parts and storage solutions, and maintenance services of illuminators. The Company sells its platelet and plasma systems directly to blood banks, hospitals, universities, government agencies, as well as to distributors in certain regions. The Company sells its IFC primarily to hospitals and blood banks. The Company uses a binding purchase order or signed sales contract as evidence of a contract and satisfaction of its policy. Generally, the Company’s sales contracts for disposable kits and illuminators with its customers do not provide for open return rights, except within a reasonable time after receipt of goods in the case of defective or non-conforming product. The contracts with customers can include various combinations of products and, to a lesser extent, services. The Company must determine whether products or services are capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations, or are accounted for as a combined performance obligation. The Company must allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation on a relative SSP basis and recognize the product revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company determines the SSP by using the historical selling price of the products and services. If the amount of consideration in a contract is variable, the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration that should be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method, to the extent it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative product revenue under the contract will not occur. Product revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products or services. Product revenue from the sale of illuminators, disposable kits, IFC, spare parts and storage solutions are recognized upon the transfer of control of the products to the customer. Product revenue from maintenance services are recognized ratably on a straight-line basis over the term of maintenance as customers simultaneously consume and receive benefits. Freight costs charged to customers are recorded as a component of product revenue. Taxes that the Company invoices to its customers and remits to governments are recorded on a net basis, which excludes such tax from product revenue.
6
The Company receives funding under its U.S. government contracts that support research and development of defined projects. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) contracts generally provide for reimbursement of approved costs incurred under the terms of the contracts. Revenue related to the cost reimbursement provisions is recognized as the qualified direct and indirect costs on the projects are incurred. The Department of Defense (“DoD”) contract provides for payments upon completion of each milestone. Revenue from the DoD contract is recognized on the application of the cost-to-cost input method, which measures the extent of progress towards completion based on the ratio of actual costs incurred to the total estimated costs over the performance period of the agreement. Revenue is recorded as a percentage of the transaction price based on the extent of progress towards completion. The Company invoices under its U.S. government contracts using the provisional rates in the government contracts and thus is subject to future audits at the discretion of the government. The Company believes that government contract revenue for periods not yet audited has been recorded in amounts that are expected to be realized upon final audit and settlement. However, these audits could result in an adjustment to government contract revenue previously reported, which adjustments could be potentially significant. Costs incurred related to services performed under the contracts are included as a component of research and development or selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The Company’s use of estimates in recording accrued liabilities for government contract activities (see “Use of Estimates” above) affects the revenue recorded from development funding and under the government contracts.
Disaggregation of Product Revenue
Product revenue by geographical locations of customers during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, was as follows (in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
September 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
||||
Product revenue: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
North America |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
Europe, Middle East and Africa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Total product revenue |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Contract Balances
Contract liabilities mainly consist of deferred revenue related to maintenance services, unshipped products, and uninstalled illuminators, or receivables from customers that are not yet recognized as revenue. Maintenance services are generally billed upfront at the beginning of each annual service period and recognized ratably over the contractual service period. The Company applies an optional exemption to not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts that have an original expected duration of one year or less. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company had $
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development (“R&D”) expenses are charged to expense when incurred, including cost incurred pursuant to the terms of the Company’s U.S. government contracts. R&D expenses include salaries and related expenses for scientific and regulatory personnel, non-cash stock-based compensation, payments to consultants, supplies and chemicals used in in-house laboratories, costs of R&D facilities, depreciation of equipment and external contract research expenses, including clinical trials, preclinical safety studies, other laboratory studies, process development and product manufacturing for research use.
The Company’s use of estimates in recording accrued liabilities for R&D activities (see “Use of Estimates” above) affects the amounts of R&D expenses recorded from development funding. Actual results may differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
7
Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. These investments primarily consist of money market instruments and are classified as available-for-sale.
Investments with original maturities of greater than three months primarily include corporate debt and U.S. government agency securities that are designated as available-for-sale and classified as short-term investments. Available-for-sale securities are carried at estimated fair value. The Company views its available-for-sale portfolio as available for use in its current operations. Unrealized gains and losses derived by changes in the estimated fair value of available-for-sale securities are recorded in “Unrealized gains on available-for-sale investments, net of taxes” on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. Realized gains (losses) from the sale of available-for-sale investments, if any, are determined on a specific identification method, and are recorded in “Other income, net” on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The costs of securities sold are based on the specific identification method, if applicable. The Company reported the amortization of any premium and accretion of any discount resulting from the purchase of debt securities as a component of interest income.
The Company also reviews its available-for-sale securities on a regular basis to evaluate whether any security in an unrealized loss position has expected credit loss by considering factors such as historical experience, market data, issuer-specific factors, and current economic conditions. Expected credit losses, if any, are recorded in “Other income, net” on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Deferred Compensation Plan
The Company’s deferred compensation plan, pursuant to which compensation deferrals began in 2020, is a nonqualified deferred compensation plan that allows highly compensated employees to defer up to
Restricted Cash
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company’s “Restricted cash” consisted primarily of a letter of credit relating to an office building lease. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company also had certain non-U.S. dollar denominated deposits recorded as “Restricted cash” in compliance with certain foreign contractual requirements.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash equivalents, available-for-sale securities and accounts receivable.
Pursuant to the Company’s investment policy, substantially all of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities are maintained at major financial institutions of high credit standing. The Company monitors the financial credit worthiness of the issuers of its investments and limits the concentration in individual securities and types of investments that exist within its investment portfolio. Generally, all of the Company’s investments carry high credit quality ratings, which is in accordance with its investment policy. At September 30, 2024, the Company does not believe there is significant financial risk from non-performance by the issuers of the Company’s cash equivalents and short-term investments.
On a regular basis, including at the time of sale, the Company performs credit evaluations of its significant customers that it expects to sell to on credit terms. Generally, the Company does not require collateral from its customers to secure accounts receivable. To the extent that the Company determines credit losses may occur, the Company maintains an allowance for estimated credit losses on its consolidated balance sheets and records a charge on its consolidated statements of operations as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses.
8
The Company had
Inventories
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, inventory consisted of raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods. Finished goods include INTERCEPT disposable kits, illuminators, and certain components for the illuminators. Platelet and plasma systems’ disposable kits generally expire no later than
Inventory is recorded at the lower of cost, determined on a first-in, first-out basis, or net realizable value. The Company uses judgment to analyze and determine if the composition of its inventory is obsolete, slow-moving or unsalable and frequently reviews such determinations. The Company writes down specifically identified unusable, obsolete, slow-moving, or known unsalable inventory that has no alternative use in the period that it is first recognized by using a number of factors including product expiration dates, open and unfulfilled orders, and sales forecasts. Any write-down of its inventory to net realizable value establishes a new cost basis and will be maintained even if certain circumstances suggest that the inventory is recoverable in subsequent periods. Costs associated with the write-down of inventory are recorded within “Cost of product revenue” on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. At both September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company had recorded $
Property and Equipment, net
Property and equipment is comprised of furniture, equipment, leasehold improvements, construction-in-progress, information technology hardware and software and is recorded at cost. At the time the property and equipment is ready for its intended use, it is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets (generally to
Goodwill
Goodwill is not amortized, but instead is subject to an impairment test performed on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill may be impaired. Such impairment analysis is performed on August 31 of each year, or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist. The test for goodwill impairment may be assessed using qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount. If the Company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, the Company must then proceed with performing the quantitative goodwill impairment test. The Company may choose not to perform the qualitative assessment to test goodwill for impairment and proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test; however, the Company may revert to the qualitative assessment to test goodwill for impairment in any subsequent period. The quantitative goodwill impairment test compares the fair value of each reporting unit with its respective carrying amount, including goodwill. The Company has determined that it operates as
9
Long-lived Assets
The Company evaluates its long-lived assets for impairment by continually monitoring events and changes in circumstances that could indicate carrying amounts of its long-lived assets may not be recoverable. When such events or changes in circumstances occur, the Company assesses recoverability by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through the undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the expected undiscounted future cash flows are less than the carrying amount of these assets, the Company then measures the amount of the impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense is measured at the grant-date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period, and is adjusted for estimated forfeitures. To the extent that stock options contain performance criteria for vesting, stock-based compensation is recognized once the performance criteria are probable of being achieved.
See Note 9, Stock-Based Compensation, for further information regarding the Company’s stock-based compensation assumptions and expenses.
Consolidated Variable Interest Entity
In February 2021,
Operating expenses for the JV were de minimis for all periods presented.
Foreign Currency
The functional currency of the Company’s Cerus Europe B.V. subsidiary is the U.S. dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are remeasured in U.S. dollars using the exchange rates at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are remeasured in U.S. dollars using historical exchange rates. Product revenues and expenses are remeasured using average exchange rates prevailing during the period. Remeasurements are recorded in “Foreign exchange loss” on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations.
The functional currency of the JV is the Chinese Renminbi. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are remeasured in Renminbi using the exchange rates at the balance sheet date. The financial statements of JV are translated into U.S. dollar for consolidation. The JV's balance sheet is translated using the month-end exchange rate, and the JV's income statement is translated using the monthly average exchange rate, the difference is recognized as cumulative translation adjustment.
Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes is accounted for using an asset and liability approach, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company does not recognize tax positions that do not have a greater than 50% likelihood of being recognized upon review by a taxing authority having full knowledge of all relevant information. Use of a valuation allowance is not an appropriate substitute for derecognition of a tax position. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in its income tax expense. Although the Company believes it more likely than not that a taxing authority would agree with its current tax positions, there can be no assurance that the tax positions the Company has taken will be substantiated by a taxing authority if reviewed. The Company’s U.S. federal tax returns filed for years 2003 through 2022, and California tax returns filed for years through 2022, remain subject to examination by the taxing jurisdictions due to unutilized net operating losses and research credits. The Company continues to carry a valuation allowance on substantially all of its net deferred tax assets.
Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Cerus Corporation
Basic net loss per share attributable to Cerus Corporation is computed by dividing net loss attributable to Cerus Corporation by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share attributable to Cerus Corporation gives effect to all potentially dilutive common shares outstanding for the period. The potentially dilutive securities include stock options, employee stock purchase plan rights and restricted stock units, which are calculated using the treasury stock method. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, all potentially dilutive securities outstanding have been excluded from the computation of dilutive weighted average shares outstanding because such securities have an antidilutive impact due to losses reported.
10
The table below presents potential shares that were excluded from the calculation of the weighted average number of shares outstanding used for the calculation of diluted net loss per share. These are excluded from the calculation due to their anti-dilutive effect for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 (shares in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
September 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
||||
Weighted average number of anti-dilutive potential shares: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Stock options |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Restricted stock units |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Employee stock purchase plan rights |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Leases
The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and operating lease liabilities in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company did not have finance leases.
ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease, when the options are reasonably certain to be exercised. Operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Guarantee and Indemnification Arrangements
The Company recognizes the fair value for guarantee and indemnification arrangements issued or modified by the Company. In addition, the Company monitors the conditions that are subject to the guarantees and indemnifications in order to identify if a loss has occurred. If the Company determines it is probable that a loss has occurred, then any such estimable loss would be recognized under those guarantees and indemnifications. Some of the agreements that the Company is a party to contain provisions that indemnify the counter party from damages and costs resulting from claims that the Company’s technology infringes the intellectual property rights of a third-party or claims that the sale or use of the Company’s products have caused personal injury or other damage or loss. The Company has not received any such requests for indemnification under these provisions and has not been required to make material payments pursuant to these provisions.
The Company generally provides for a
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company applies the provisions of fair value relating to its financial assets and liabilities. The carrying amounts of accounts receivables, accounts payable, and other accrued liabilities approximate their fair value due to the relative short-term maturities. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for loans with similar terms, the Company believes the fair value of its debt approximates their carrying amounts. The Company measures and records certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis, including its available-for-sale securities. The Company classifies instruments within Level 1 if quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets, which include the Company’s cash accounts and money market funds. The Company classifies instruments in Level 2 if the instruments are valued using observable inputs to quoted market prices, benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. These instruments include the Company’s corporate debt and U.S. government agency securities holdings. The available-for-sale securities are held by a custodian who obtains investment prices from a third-party pricing provider that uses standard inputs (observable in the market) to models which vary by asset class. The Company classifies instruments in Level 3 if one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. The Company assesses any transfers among fair value measurement levels at the end of each reporting period.
See Note 2, Available-for-sale Securities and Fair Value on Financial Instruments, for further information regarding the Company’s valuation of financial instruments.
11
Note 2. Available-for-sale Securities and Fair Value on Financial Instruments
Available-for-sale Securities
The following is a summary of available-for-sale securities at September 30, 2024 (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
Amortized |
|
|
Gross |
|
|
Gross |
|
|
Allowance for Credit Loss |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|||||
Money market funds |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|||||
United States government agency securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Corporate debt securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Mortgage-backed securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Total available-for-sale securities |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
The following is a summary of available-for-sale securities at December 31, 2023 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
Amortized |
|
|
Gross |
|
|
Gross |
|
|
Allowance for Credit Loss |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|||||
Money market funds |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|||||
United States government agency securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Corporate debt securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Mortgage-backed securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Total available-for-sale securities |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Available-for-sale securities at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, consisted of the following by contractual maturity (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||||||||||
|
|
Amortized Cost |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Amortized Cost |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
||||
One year or less |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
Greater than one year and less than five years |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Total available-for-sale securities |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
The following tables show all available-for-sale marketable securities in an unrealized loss position for which an allowance for credit losses has not been recognized and the related gross unrealized losses and fair value, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position (in thousands):
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Less than 12 Months |
|
|
12 Months or Greater |
|
|
Total |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Unrealized Loss |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Unrealized Loss |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Unrealized Loss |
|
||||||
Corporate debt securities |
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|||
United States government agency securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
||||
Mortgage-backed securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
||||
Total |
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Less than 12 Months |
|
|
12 Months or Greater |
|
|
Total |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Unrealized Loss |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Unrealized Loss |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
|
Unrealized Loss |
|
||||||
Corporate debt securities |
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|||
United States government agency securities |
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|||
Mortgage-backed securities |
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|||
Total |
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
The Company typically invests in highly-rated securities, and its investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. The policy generally requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss. Fair values were determined for each individual security in the investment portfolio. When evaluating an investment for expected credit losses, the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below its cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and any changes thereto, changes in market interest rates, and the Company’s intent to sell, or whether it is more likely than not it will be required to sell, the investment before recovery of the investment’s cost basis. The Company also regularly reviews its investments in an unrealized loss position and evaluates the current expected credit loss by considering factors such as historical experience, market data, issuer-specific factors, and current economic conditions. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company did
Fair Value Disclosures
The Company uses certain assumptions that market participants would use to determine the fair value of an asset or liability in pricing the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The identification of market participant assumptions provides a basis for determining what inputs are to be used for pricing each asset or liability. A fair value hierarchy has been established which gives precedence to fair value measurements calculated using observable inputs over those using unobservable inputs. This hierarchy prioritized the inputs into three broad levels as follows:
Money market funds are highly liquid investments and are actively traded. The pricing information on these investment instruments are readily available and can be independently validated as of the measurement date. This approach results in the classification of these securities as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
To estimate the fair value of Level 2 debt securities the Company’s primary pricing service relies on inputs from multiple industry-recognized pricing sources to determine the price for each investment. Corporate debt and U.S. government agency securities are systematically priced by this service as of the close of business each business day. If the primary pricing service does not price a specific asset a secondary pricing service is utilized.
The Company classifies instruments in Level 3 if one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. The Company did not have any Level 3 investments as of September 30, 2024 or December 31, 2023.
13
The fair values of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities were determined using the following inputs at September 30, 2024 (in thousands):
|
|
Balance sheet |
|
|
|
|
Quoted |
|
|
Significant |
|
|
Significant Unobservable Inputs |
|
||||
|
|
classification |
|
Total |
|
|
(Level 1) |
|
|
(Level 2) |
|
|
(Level 3) |
|
||||
Money market funds |
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
||
United States government agency securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|||
Corporate debt securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|||
Mortgage-backed securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|||
The fair values of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities were determined using the following inputs at December 31, 2023 (in thousands):
|
|
Balance sheet |
|
|
|
|
Quoted |
|
|
Significant |
|
|
Significant Unobservable Inputs |
|
||||
|
|
classification |
|
Total |
|
|
(Level 1) |
|
|
(Level 2) |
|
|
(Level 3) |
|
||||
Money market funds |
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
||
United States government agency securities |
|
investments |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
||
Corporate debt securities |
|
investments |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
||
Mortgage-backed securities |
|
investments |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
||
-term investments |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
The Company did not have any transfers among fair value measurement levels during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Note 3. Inventories
Inventories at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||
Raw materials |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
Work-in-process |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Finished goods |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Total inventories |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Less: non-current inventories |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Total current inventories |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Non-current inventories primarily consists of raw materials and work-in-process.
Note 4. Accrued Liabilities
Accrued liabilities at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||
Accrued compensation and related costs |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
Accrued professional services |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Other accrued expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Total accrued liabilities |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
14
Note 5. Debt
Debt at September 30, 2024, consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
Principal |
|
|
Unamortized Discount |
|
|
Net Carrying |
|
|||
Term Loan |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
||
Revolving Loan |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
||
Total debt |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
||
Less: current portion |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
||
Non-current portion |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Debt at December 31, 2023, consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
Principal |
|
|
Unamortized Discount |
|
|
Net Carrying |
|
|||
Term Loan |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
||
Revolving Loan |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
||
Total debt |
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
||
Less: current portion |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
||
Non-current portion |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Principal, interest and fee payments on the Term Loan Credit Agreement (as defined below) at September 30, 2024, are expected to be as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Year ended December 31, |
|
Principal |
|
|
Interest and Fees |
|
|
Total |
|
|||
2024 (remainder) |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
2025 |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
2027 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
2028 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Total |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Loan Agreements
On March 29, 2019, the Company entered into a Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Term Loan) (the “Prior Term Loan Credit Agreement”) with MidCap Financial Trust (“MidCap”) to borrow up to $
On March 31, 2023, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Term Loan) (the “Term Loan Credit Agreement”) which amended and restated the Prior Term Loan Credit Agreement. The Term Loan Credit Agreement provides a secured term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $
Tranche 1, Tranche 2, Tranche 3, and Tranche 4, each bear interest at a floating rate equal to the sum of the Term SOFR rate (subject to a floor of
On September 1, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment 1 of the Term Loan Credit Agreement. At the close of this amendment, the Company borrowed $
15
$
Prepayments of the term loans under the Term Loan Credit Agreement, in whole or in part, will be subject to early termination fees which decline each year through the term of the Term Loan Credit Agreement. The Company also must pay an annual administrative fee equal to a fractional percentage of the amount outstanding pursuant to the Term Loan Credit Agreement, and upon the final payment must also pay an exit fee of a percentage of the amount borrowed pursuant to the Term Loan Credit Agreement (the “Exit Fee”). The Company is required to pay a pro rata portion of the Exit Fee in connection with any prepayment. The Company uses the effective interest method to recognize the Exit Fee over the term of the debt.
The Company also maintained a Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Revolving Loan) (the “Prior Revolving Loan Credit Agreement”) with MidCap. The borrowing limit under the Prior Revolving Loan Credit Agreement was $
On March 31, 2023, the Company entered into Amended and Restated Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Revolving Loan) (the “Revolving Loan Credit Agreement”) which amended and restated the Prior Revolving Loan Credit Agreement and has a maturity date of
Loans under the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement accrue interest at a floating rate equal to the Term SOFR rate (subject to a floor of
In connection with the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, the Company is required to pay customary fees, including an origination fee equal to a fractional percentage of the original commitment amount at closing (and an equivalent origination fee with respect to any increased commitments at the time of the applicable increase), a monthly unused line fee based upon the average daily unused allowable borrowing base of the revolving credit facility and a monthly collateral management fee based upon the average daily used portion of the revolving credit facility. The Company is also required to maintain a minimum drawn balance under the revolving line or pay interest on the minimum drawn balance.
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company had borrowed $
The Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement contain certain financial and non-financial covenants, with which the Company was in compliance at September 30, 2024. Additionally, the Company’s obligations under both agreements are secured by a security interest in substantially all of the Company’s assets, with some exclusions.
Note 6. Leases
Operating Leases
The Company leases its office facilities, located in Concord, California and Amersfoort, the Netherlands, and certain equipment and automobiles under non-cancelable operating leases with initial terms in excess of
The Company reduced its office space and ceased using approximately
Supplemental cash flow information related to operating leases is as follows (dollars in thousands):
16
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
||
Cash payments for operating leases |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||
Weighted-average remaining lease term |
|
|
|
|
||||
Weighted-average discount rate |
|
|
% |
|
|
% |
||
Future minimum non-cancelable payments under operating leases as of September 30, 2024, were as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
Operating Leases |
|
|
2024 (remainder) |
|
|
$ |
|
|
2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
2027 |
|
|
|
|
|
2028 |
|
|
|
|
|
Thereafter |
|
|
|
|
|
Total future lease payments |
|
|
$ |
|
|
Less imputed interest |
|
|
|
|
|
Present value of lease liabilities (1) |
|
|
$ |
|
|
(1)
The operating lease expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, were as follows (in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
September 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
||||
Operating lease expense |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
||||
As of September 30, 2024,
Note 7. Commitments and Contingencies
Purchase Commitments
The Company is party to agreements with certain providers for certain components of the INTERCEPT Blood System. Certain of these agreements require minimum purchase commitments from the Company. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had $
17
Note 8. Stockholders’ Equity
Sales Agreement
On December 11, 2020, the Company entered into the Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (each a “Sales Agent” and collectively, the “Sales Agents”), under which the Company may issue and sell from time to time up to $
On March 1, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No.1 to the Sales Agreement (the “Amended Sales Agreement”). Under the Amended Sales Agreement, the Company was able to issue and sell from time to time up to $
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024,
Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation
Employee Stock Plans
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
The Company maintains an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Purchase Plan”), which is intended to qualify as an employee stock purchase plan within the meaning of Section 423(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under the Purchase Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors may authorize participation by eligible employees, including officers, in periodic offerings. Under the Purchase Plan, eligible employee participants may purchase shares of common stock of the Company at a purchase price equal to
Equity Incentive Plans
The Company also maintains an equity compensation plan to provide long-term incentives for employees, contractors, and members of its Board of Directors.
2008 Equity Incentive Plan
Prior to the approval by the Company’s stockholders in June 2024 of the 2024 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2024 Plan”), the Company granted equity awards from the 2008 Equity Incentive Plan and its subsequent amendments (collectively, the “Amended 2008 Plan”). The Amended 2008 Plan allowed for the issuance of non-statutory and incentive stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), stock appreciation rights, other stock-related awards, and performance awards which may be settled in cash, stock, or other property. In June 2019, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment and restatement of the Amended 2008 Plan that increased the aggregate number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance by
18
Performance-based cash awards granted under the Amended 2008 Plan were limited to $
2024 Equity Incentive Plan
In June 2024, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2024 Plan. The 2024 Plan is intended as the successor to and continuation of the Amended 2008 Plan.
At September 30, 2024, the Company had approximately
Activity under the Company’s equity incentive plans related to stock options is set forth below (in thousands except per share amounts):
|
|
Number of |
|
|
Weighted Average |
|
||
Balance at December 31, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
||
Granted |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Exercised |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Forfeited/canceled |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Balance at September 30, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Activity under the Company’s equity incentive plans related to RSUs is set forth below (in thousands except per share amounts):
|
|
Number of |
|
|
Weighted Average |
|
||
Balance at December 31, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
||
Granted (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Vested (1) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Forfeited (1) |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Balance at September 30, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
(1)
Valuation Assumptions for Stock-based Compensation
The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the grant-date fair value of stock options and employee stock purchase plan rights. The Black-Scholes option pricing model is affected by the Company’s stock price, as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables, which include the expected term of the grants, actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors, including forfeitures, the Company’s expected stock price volatility, the risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The Company recognizes the grant-date fair value of the stock award as stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period, and is adjusted for estimated forfeitures.
Note 10. Income Taxes
The Company recorded income tax expense of $
19
Note 11. Development and License Agreements
Agreements with Fresenius
In May 2022, the Company entered into the Second Amended and Restated Supply and Manufacturing Agreement (“2022 Agreement”) with Fresenius Kabi AG, Fenwal France SAS, and Fenwal International, Inc. (collectively, “Fresenius”) for the manufacture and production of disposable sets for the INTERCEPT Blood System until December 31, 2031. Under the terms of the 2022 Agreement, Fresenius is obligated to manufacture, and Company is obligated to purchase, finished disposable kits for the platelet and plasma systems. Fresenius sources most of the components used in the production of disposable kits, except for certain other components that the Company sources from other third-parties and provides to Fresenius for inclusion into the finished disposable kits. The 2022 Agreement permits the Company to purchase sets for the platelet and plasma systems from third-parties to the extent necessary to maintain supply qualifications with such third-parties or where local or regional manufacturing is needed to obtain product registrations or sales. Fresenius will expand manufacturing of the disposable sets to three production facilities, following qualification and licensure of such additional facilities. The term of the 2022 Agreement will automatically renew for successive two-year periods unless terminated by either party upon two years’ prior written notice, in the case of the initial term, or one year prior written notice, in the case of any successive renewal term. Each party has normal and customary termination rights, including termination for material breach. Pricing under the 2022 Agreement for the initial term is based on volume purchases by the Company and subject to an annual adjustment based on variation in a price index.
Government contracts
In June 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with BARDA (“2016 BARDA Agreement”) to support the Company’s development and implementation of pathogen reduction technology for platelet, plasma, and red blood cells.
The 2016 BARDA agreement and its subsequent modifications include a base period (the “Base Period”) and option periods (each, an “Option Period”). The agreement includes committed funding for clinical development of the INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells (the “red blood cell system”). In September 2023, BARDA committed an additional $
In September 2024, the Company entered into a new agreement with BARDA (“2024 BARDA Agreement”). The 2024 BARDA agreement builds on the 2016 BARDA agreement and aims to further advance the development of the red blood cell system. The 2024 BARDA agreement includes access to funding that is intended to support a planned FDA modular premarket approval application and potential post-approval studies, accelerate development of an improved version of the red blood cell system, and scale up chemistry, manufacturing, and controls activities to enable a broad product launch, if approved. The six-year agreement with BARDA includes a base period (the “2024 Base Period”) with committed funding of up to $
In September 2020, the Company entered into a
20
In September 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with the DoD Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program for the development of pathogen reduced, lyophilized cryoprecipitate to treat bleeding due to trauma. In May 2023, the Company and the DoD entered into an amendment to the agreement to extend the agreement to February 2027 and increased the total contract value from $
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023,
Note 12. Segment, Customer and Geographic Information
The Company continues to operate in only
The Company’s operations outside of the U.S. include a wholly-owned subsidiary headquartered in Europe. The Company’s operations in the U.S. are responsible for the R&D and global and domestic commercialization of the INTERCEPT Blood System, while operations in Europe are responsible for the commercialization efforts of the platelet and plasma systems in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East. Product revenues are attributed to each region based on the location of the customer, and in the case of non-product revenues, on the location of the collaboration partner.
The Company had the following significant customers that accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total product revenue, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:
|
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American Red Cross |
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Établissement Français du Sang |
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21
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, are not necessarily indicative of results that may occur in future periods.
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in this Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” These statements relate to future events or to our future operating or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that 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. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about:
22
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “will,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “predict,” “potential,” and similar expressions intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that any of the events anticipated by forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them do occur, what impact they will have on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Certain important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such statements, including the rate of customer adoption in the U.S. and our ability to achieve market acceptance of our products in the U.S. and international markets, whether our preclinical and clinical data or data from commercial use will be considered sufficient by regulatory authorities or Notified Bodies to grant marketing approval or receive CE Certificates of Conformity for our products or for product extensions or additional claims for our products, our ability to obtain reimbursement approval for our products, changes in regulatory approval or certification requirements for our products, our ability to complete the development and testing of additional configurations or redesigns of our products, our need for additional financing and our ability to access funding under our agreements with BARDA, the DoD, and the FDA, the impacts of regulation of our products by domestic and foreign regulatory authorities, our limited experience in sales, marketing and regulatory support for the INTERCEPT Blood System, our reliance on Fresenius Kabi AG and other third parties to manufacture and supply certain components of the INTERCEPT Blood System, incompatibility of our platelet system with some commercial platelet collection methods, our need to complete our red blood cell system’s commercial design, more effective product offerings by, or clinical setbacks of, our competitors, product liability, our use of hazardous materials in the development of our products, business interruption due to earthquake, our expectation of continuing losses, protection of our intellectual property rights, volatility in our stock price, on-going compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, adverse market and economic conditions, including those resulting from the effects of macroeconomic conditions, and other factors discussed below and under the caption “Risk Factors,” in Part II, Item 1A of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We discuss many of these risks in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in greater detail in the section titled “Risk Factors” under Part II, Item 1A below. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. You should read this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the documents that we incorporate by reference in and have filed as exhibits to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q completely. Our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events, even if new information becomes available in the future. You should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.
Overview
Since our inception in 1991, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts and resources to the research, development, clinical testing and commercialization of the INTERCEPT Blood System. Our INTERCEPT Blood System is intended for use with blood components and certain of their derivatives: plasma, platelets, red blood cells and to produce INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex, or IFC, and pathogen reduced plasma, cryoprecipitate reduced. The INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets, or platelet system, and the INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma, or plasma system, have received a broad range of regulatory approvals and certifications, and are being marketed and sold in a number of countries around the world, including the U.S., certain countries in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, the Middle East, and Latin America and selected countries in other regions of the world. Additionally, we have received FDA approval for the INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation which uses our plasma system to produce IFC for the treatment and control of bleeding, including massive hemorrhage, associated with fibrinogen deficiency. In addition, the INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation is used to produce pathogen reduced plasma, cryoprecipitate reduced. We currently sell the platelet and plasma systems using our direct sales force and through distributors and we sell IFC or disposable kits to manufacture IFC in the U.S. using our direct sales force.
The platelet system is approved by the FDA in the U.S. for ex vivo preparation of pathogen-reduced apheresis platelet components collected and stored in 100% plasma or InterSol in order to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infection, or TTI, including sepsis, and as an alternative to gamma irradiation for prevention of transfusion-associated graft versus host disease or TA-GVHD. The plasma system is approved by the FDA in the U.S. for ex vivo preparation of pathogen-reduced, whole blood derived or apheresis plasma in order to reduce the risk of TTI when treating patients requiring therapeutic plasma transfusion, and as an alternative to gamma irradiation for prevention of TA-GVHD. Outside of the U.S., we have received CE Certificates of Conformity issued by our Notified Body in accordance with the European Union Medical Devices Regulation 2017/745, or MDR, for the platelet system and the plasma system and affixed the CE Mark to these products.
The INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells, or the red blood cell system, is currently in development and has not been commercialized anywhere in the world. We filed our application for conformity assessment to obtain a CE Certificate of Conformity to affix the CE Mark to the red blood cell system in December 2018 under the Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC, or MDD, and in June 2021, we completed the resubmission of our application under the MDR. In October 2024, we announced that TÜV-SÜD’s, our Notified
23
Body for the red blood cell system, in consultation with the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board, or CBG, the Competent Authority for the red blood cell system, reviewed information regarding the medicinal product or active pharmaceutical ingredient of our MDR application and concluded that the data provided were insufficient to support the proposed classification of the impurity profile of the final product, necessitating the closure of our MDR application without an approval. In collaboration with TÜV-SÜD, we are assessing strategies for a potential new MDR application. We cannot predict with certainty when, if ever, we will be able to satisfactorily address CBGs conclusions and as such cannot predict if or when we will submit a new MDR application for the red blood cell system and, if submitted, when a decision concerning certification would occur. In addition, as a result of the failure to obtain approval of our MDR application, our product development costs will be ongoing. See also the risk factor entitled “The red blood cell system is currently in development and may never receive any marketing approvals or CE Certificates of Conformity” under “Item 1A—Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In 2017, we initiated a Phase 3 clinical, double-blind study in the U.S., known as the RedeS study, to assess the safety and efficacy of INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells when compared to conventional, red blood cells. We also recently announced positive topline results from a Phase 3 clinical trial in the U.S., known as the ReCePI study, that was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells in patients requiring transfusion for acute blood loss during surgery. We announced that the ReCePI study met its primary efficacy endpoint, demonstrating non-inferiority for INTERCEPT RBCs compared to conventional RBCs as measured by the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) following transfusion of study RBCs. We continue to believe that we will need to generate acceptable Phase 3 clinical data from chronic anemia patients in the U.S. before the FDA will consider our red blood cell system for approval. We anticipate initiating a modular PMA application to the FDA upon the anticipated completion of the RedeS clinical trial. While we previously anticipated that the completion of the RedeS clinical trial and the planned final PMA module submission would occur in the second half of 2026, clinical trial enrollment at two additional RedeS clinical trial sites recently commenced later than previously anticipated and we are continuing to assess the potential impact of that delay on the anticipated timing for completion of the RedeS clinical trial and the planned final PMA module submission. In any event, for our planned modular PMA application, we will seek to introduce supplemental clinical data we obtained from European clinical trials, though we cannot assure you that we will be able to demonstrate comparability or that the FDA will allow supplemental clinical European data. In addition, if we are unable to enroll a sufficient number of patients for the RedeS study to generate the data needed for licensure, we will need to reach agreement with the FDA on a new pathway to generate sufficient data for the red blood cell system, including the potential for additional Phase 3 clinical trials beyond what we are currently contemplating. We must also demonstrate to the FDA an ability to define, test and meet acceptable specifications for our current manufactured compounds used to prepare INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells before we can initiate our planned modular PMA application submission to and seek regulatory approval of the red blood cell system from the FDA. We do not know whether or not the FDA will have a similar perspective on the information regarding the medicinal product as CBG, or that we will be able to answer such questions satisfactorily, should they arise.
We have agreements with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, under which we receive funding from BARDA to support the development of our red blood cell system, including clinical and regulatory development programs in support of potential licensure, and development, manufacturing and scale-up activities, as well as activities related to broader implementation of all three INTERCEPT systems in areas of emerging pathogens. The initial agreement currently expires in September 2026 and the new agreement currently expires in September 2030. The RedeS and ReCePI and other studies are being funded as part of our initial BARDA agreement and BARDA reimburses us for allowable direct contract costs, as such costs are incurred, and for allowable indirect costs under both agreements. If we are unable to access all of the activities and associated reimbursement amounts for the remaining options available under our new BARDA agreement, we will need to fund the activities required to satisfy the requirements for PMA licensure in the U.S. See the discussion under “Government contracts” below for more information. Should those amounts be inaccessible and should we be unable to self-fund the remaining initiatives, successful completion of the development of the red blood cell system may require us to obtain additional capital in order to obtain any regulatory approvals for and commercialize this product. In addition, if we are unable to obtain from our suppliers sufficient clinical quantities of the active compounds for our red blood cell system meeting defined quality and regulatory specifications, if our suppliers are not able to maintain regulatory compliance or if we experience additional delays in enrollment or completion of the RedeS study, our product development costs would likely increase.
In November 2020, we received FDA approval for the INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation. We commercialize and sell finished IFC made by our manufacturing blood center partners directly to hospitals and indirectly through certain blood centers. Similar to our platelet and plasma products, any blood center manufacturing IFC will need to complete its process validations and obtain site-specific licenses from the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, or CBER, before we or they can sell finished IFC in interstate commerce. While all of our manufacturing partners have now received their Biologics License Application, or BLAs, from CBER, we plan to continue working with any other U.S.-based blood centers producing IFC to support their licensure applications. Delays in obtaining these licenses have adversely impacted and additional delays will adversely impact the nationwide availability of IFC in the U.S. In addition, we have also entered into certain agreements with blood centers who will purchase the finished IFC from us to sell to their hospital customers, and with blood center and blood center affiliate organizations to sell INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation kits to produce finished IFC for their own sales efforts to hospitals. However, until we sell sufficient INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation kits to blood center affiliate organizations, expand the number of manufacturing partners producing IFC for us, or more of our manufacturing partners for IFC receive approval of their BLAs, our IFC sales will be limited.
24
We have borrowed and, in the future, may borrow additional capital from institutional and commercial banking sources to fund future growth, including pursuant to the Amended and Restated Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Term Loan), or the Term Loan Credit Agreement, and Amended and Restated Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Revolving Loan), or the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, as described below, or potentially pursuant to new arrangements with different lenders. We have borrowed and may in the future borrow funds on terms that may include restrictive covenants, including covenants that restrict the operation of our business, liens on assets, high effective interest rates, financial performance covenants and repayment provisions that reduce cash resources and limit future access to capital markets. In addition, unless we restructure our credit agreements prior to April 1, 2026, the principal amounts outstanding under our Term Loan Credit Agreement will begin amortizing and will require us to pay amounts as they come due in cash, which would negatively impact our available working capital beyond the next 12 months. Should interest rates continue to increase, the rates that we are obligated to pay under our credit agreements would likely increase, potentially leading to higher interest expense. In addition, we expect to continue to opportunistically seek access to the equity capital markets to support our development efforts and operations. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration or partnering arrangements, we may be required to relinquish some of our rights to our technologies or rights to market and sell our products in certain geographies, grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us, or issue equity that may be substantially dilutive to our stockholders.
As a result of economic conditions, general global economic uncertainty, political change, war, the effects of inflationary pressures, and other factors including recent and potential U.S. bank failures, we do not know whether additional capital will be available when needed, or that, if available, whether we will be able to obtain additional capital on reasonable terms. Specifically, monetary policies of many countries, as well as recent bank failures, have significantly disrupted global financial markets, and may limit our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. As a result of stimulus programs and global events over the past few years, the U.S. and many countries are currently experiencing an inflationary environment. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve in the past has raised, and may again raise, interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Moreover, the U.S. Federal Reserve may not lower interest rates as quickly as markets expect, if at all, which in turn could negatively impact equity values, including the value of our common stock. Furthermore, our vendors and suppliers may raise prices in an inflationary environment, costs to transport our products may increase and access to timely shipping may be limited. If we are unable to raise additional capital due to the volatile global financial markets, general economic uncertainty or other factors, we may need to curtail planned development or commercialization activities. In addition, we may need to obtain additional funds to complete development activities for the red blood cell system necessary for CE Certificates of Conformity in the EU, if costs are higher than anticipated or we encounter further delays. In this regard, our product development costs will be ongoing in connection with our failure to obtain approval of our MDR application and the potential submission of a new MDR application and would also increase if existing clinical data is insufficient for us to either submit or potentially obtain approval of any such new application. We may need to obtain additional funding to conduct additional randomized controlled clinical trials for existing or new products, particularly if we are unable to access any additional portions of the funding contemplated by our government contracts, and we may choose to defer such activities until we can obtain sufficient additional funding or, at such time our existing operations provide sufficient cash flow to conduct these trials.
Although we received FDA approval of our platelet and plasma systems in December 2014, our U.S. commercial efforts continue to be largely focused on enabling blood centers that are using INTERCEPT to optimize production and increase the number of platelet units produced and made available to patients and continuing to develop awareness of INTERCEPT’s product profile relative to other platelet and plasma products, including conventional, un-treated components. In addition, to address the entire market in the U.S., customers will need to modify their operating practices, or we will need to develop, test and obtain FDA approval of additional configurations of the platelet system. All U.S. blood centers must be compliant with the FDA guidance document, “Bacterial Risk Control Strategies for Blood Collection Establishments and Transfusion Services to Enhance the Safety and Availability of Platelets for Transfusion,” or the Final Guidance Document. Although the INTERCEPT Blood System is one of the options available to U.S. blood centers for compliance, we cannot predict if U.S. customers will continue to adopt INTERCEPT over other options or at what levels. Should we be unable to manufacture INTERCEPT in sufficient quantities in a timely manner, or have adequate resources to assist customers with implementing the INTERCEPT Blood System, U.S. blood centers may be forced to use alternate options allowed by the guidance document, which could permanently impact our ability to convert those blood centers to INTERCEPT users.
Outside of the U.S., we recognize product revenues from the sale of our platelet and plasma systems in a number of countries around the world including those in Europe, the CIS, and the Middle East. We utilize both our direct sales organization and regional distributors to market and sell our platelet and plasma systems in these international markets. Our commercial efforts outside the U.S. are focused on increasing market adoption with our existing customer relationships and building demand in new geographies.
Generally, we enter into customer agreements for a specified term and varying options or extensions beyond the initial term. We cannot assure that all customers will use our products at historical levels or at all since securing long-term purchase volume commitments is not always possible, given the unpredictable nature of blood collection and usage. We also cannot provide any assurance that we will
25
be able to secure any subsequent contracts with our customers or that the terms, including the pricing or committed volumes, if any, of any future contract will be equivalent or superior to the terms under our current contracts.
If we are unable to gain widespread commercial adoption in markets where our blood safety products are approved for commercialization, including the U.S., we will have difficulties achieving profitability. In order to commercialize all of our products and product candidates, we will be required to conduct significant research, development, preclinical and clinical evaluation, commercialization and regulatory compliance activities for our products and product candidates, which, together with anticipated selling, general and administrative expenses, are expected to result in substantial losses. Accordingly, we may never achieve a profitable level of operations in the future.
In addition to the anticipated product revenues from sales of our platelet and plasma systems and sales of IFC, we anticipate that we will continue to recognize revenue from our government contracts. We recognize government contract revenue associated with the government contracts as qualified costs are incurred for reimbursement over the performance period or as a percentage of the overall contract price based on the extent of progress towards completion.
Fresenius
Fresenius Kabi AG, Fenwal France SAS, and Fenwal International, Inc., or collectively, Fresenius, manufactures and supplies the platelet and plasma systems to us under our Second Amended and Restated Supply and Manufacturing Agreement, or the 2022 Agreement, until December 31, 2031. Fresenius is obligated to sell, and we are obligated to purchase, finished disposable kits for the platelet and plasma systems. The 2022 Agreement permits us to purchase sets for the platelet and plasma systems from third parties to the extent necessary to maintain supply qualifications with such third parties or where local or regional manufacturing is needed to obtain product registrations or sales. The term of the 2022 Agreement will automatically renew for successive two-year periods unless terminated by either party upon two years’ prior written notice, in the case of the initial term, or one year prior written notice, in the case of any successive renewal term. Each party has normal and customary termination rights, including termination for material breach. Pricing under the 2022 Agreement for the initial term is based on volume purchases by us and subject to an annual adjustment based on variation in a price index. For a discussion of the risks presented to our supply chain, see “Part II, Item 1A—Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
See Note 11, Development and License Agreements, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding the 2022 Agreement with Fresenius.
Government contracts
In June 2016, we entered into an agreement with BARDA, or the 2016 BARDA Agreement, to support our development and implementation of pathogen reduction technology for platelet, plasma, and red blood cells, including access to funding that could potentially support various activities, including conducting studies necessary to support a potential premarket approval application submission to the FDA for the red blood cell system, and accelerating commercial scale up activities to facilitate potential adoption of the red blood cell system by U.S. blood centers.
The 2016 BARDA Agreement provides for the reimbursement of certain amounts incurred by us in connection with our satisfaction of certain contractual milestones. Under the agreement, we are reimbursed and recognize revenue as qualified direct contract costs are incurred plus allowable indirect costs, based on approved provisional indirect billing rates, which permit recovery of fringe benefits, overhead and general and administrative expenses. As of September 30, 2024, BARDA has committed to reimburse certain of our expenses related to the clinical development of the red blood cell system during a base period, or the 2016 Base Period, and under exercised option periods, or 2016 Option Periods, in an aggregate amount of up to $185.5 million. BARDA will no longer exercise any unexercised options under the 2016 BARDA Agreement. See Note 11, Development and License Agreements, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding our agreements with BARDA.
In September 2024, we entered into a new agreement with BARDA, or the 2024 BARDA Agreement. The 2024 BARDA Agreement builds on the 2016 BARDA Agreement and aims to further advance the development of the red blood cell system. The 2024 BARDA Agreement includes access to funding that is intended to support a planned FDA modular premarket approval application and potential post-approval studies, accelerate development of an improved version of the red blood cell system, and scale up chemistry, manufacturing, and controls activities to enable a broad product launch, if approved. The six-year agreement with BARDA includes a base period, or the 2024 Base Period, with committed funding of up to $32.1 million, and subsequent option periods, or 2024 Option Periods, that, if exercised by BARDA and completed, would bring the total funding opportunity of $188.4 million as of September 30, 2024. We could be responsible for cost sharing of up to $60.1 million which we would satisfy by agreeing to utilize lower fringe, overhead, and G&A rates for select options than we are otherwise allowed to use as supported by audited indirect cost submissions. BARDA will make periodic assessments of our progress, and the continuation of the agreement is based on our success in completing the required tasks under the 2024 Base Period and each 2024 Option Period (if and to the extent any 2024 Option Periods are exercised by BARDA). BARDA has rights under certain contract clauses to terminate the 2024 BARDA Agreement, including the ability to
26
terminate for convenience at any time. Under the contract, we will be reimbursed and recognize revenue as qualified direct contract costs are incurred plus allowable indirect costs, based on approved provisional indirect billing rates, which permit recovery of fringe benefits, overhead and general and administrative expenses. See Note 11, Development and License Agreements, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding our agreements with BARDA.
In September 2020, we entered into a five-year agreement with the FDA for the development of next-generation compounds to optimize pathogen reduction treatment of whole blood to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. Under the agreement, we are reimbursed and will recognize revenue as qualified direct contract costs are incurred plus allowable indirect costs, based on approved provisional indirect billing rates, which permit recovery of fringe benefits, overhead and general and administrative expenses. The total contract value is $11.1 million. See Note 11, Development and License Agreements, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding the agreement with the FDA.
In September 2022, we entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, for the development of pathogen reduced, lyophilized cryoprecipitate to treat bleeding due to trauma. In May 2023, we entered into an amendment to the agreement with the DoD to extend the agreement to February 2027 and increased the total contract value from $9.1 million to $17.8 million. Under the agreement, we are paid upon completion of each milestone and will recognize revenue based on the application of the cost-to-cost input method, which measures the extent of progress towards completion based on the ratio of actual costs incurred to the total estimated costs. Revenue is recorded as a percentage of the overall contract price based on the extent of progress towards completion. See Note 11, Development and License Agreements, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding the agreement with the DoD.
Equity Agreements
See Note 8, Stockholders’ Equity, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding the Amended Sales Agreement.
Debt Agreements
See Note 5, Debt, in Part I, Item 1—Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information on the debt under our Term Loan Credit Agreement and the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement.
Critical Accounting Policies and Management Estimates
Our critical accounting policies and significant estimates are detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our critical accounting policies and significant estimates have not changed substantially from those previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Results of Operations
Three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023
Revenue
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Three Months Ended |
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Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
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September 30, |
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(in thousands, except percentages) |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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Change |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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Change |
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||||||||||||
Product revenue |
|
$ |
46,017 |
|
|
$ |
39,772 |
|
|
$ |
6,245 |
|
|
16 |
% |
|
|
$ |
129,461 |
|
|
$ |
109,599 |
|
|
$ |
19,862 |
|
|
18 |
% |
Government contract revenue |
|
|
4,639 |
|
|
|
7,479 |
|
|
|
(2,840 |
) |
|
(38 |
%) |
|
|
|
15,109 |
|
|
|
23,856 |
|
|
|
(8,747 |
) |
|
(37 |
%) |
Total revenue |
|
$ |
50,656 |
|
|
$ |
47,251 |
|
|
$ |
3,405 |
|
|
7 |
% |
|
|
$ |
144,570 |
|
|
$ |
133,455 |
|
|
$ |
11,115 |
|
|
8 |
% |
Product revenue increased during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, primarily due to year-over-year sales volume growth in disposable platelet kit sales to U.S. customers. We expect product revenue for INTERCEPT disposable kits to increase in future periods driven by growth in our global platelet business due in part to increased market acceptance of the INTERCEPT Blood System and adoption of the INTERCEPT Blood System in geographies where commercialization efforts are underway.
Government contract revenue decreased during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, primarily due to a decrease in revenue from BARDA in 2024 relative to the same period in the prior year. The decrease in revenue from BARDA is primarily due to the completion of the ReCePI study in the first quarter of 2024. We anticipate that for some finite period of time, government contracts revenue will increase in future periods as multiple contracts are active and as activities supporting those contracts ramp up.
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Cost of Product Revenue
Our cost of product revenue consists of the cost of the INTERCEPT Blood System sold, provisions for obsolete, slow-moving and unsaleable product, certain order fulfillment costs, to the extent applicable and costs for idle facilities. Inventory is accounted for on a first-in, first-out basis.
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Three Months Ended |
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Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
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September 30, |
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(in thousands, except percentages) |
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2024 |
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2023 |
|
|
Change |
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|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
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||||||||||||
Cost of product revenue |
|
$ |
19,818 |
|
|
$ |
17,956 |
|
|
$ |
1,862 |
|
|
10 |
% |
|
|
$ |
57,324 |
|
|
$ |
49,158 |
|
|
$ |
8,166 |
|
|
17 |
% |
Cost of product revenue increased during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, consistent with the increase in product revenue for the same comparative periods.
Our gross margin on product sales was 57% during the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 55% during the three months ended September 30, 2023. Our gross margin on product sales was 56% during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to 55% during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Margins were impacted by the mix of geographies into which products were sold, with higher U.S. kit sales over sales in other regions and, to a lesser extent product mix, with platelet kit sales representing a larger proportion of overall sales during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. Changes in our gross margin on product sales are affected by various factors, including prices of products sold, the volume of product manufactured, pricing with suppliers, the timing of inventory purchases related to the underlying exchange rate of the Euro relative to the U.S. dollar, manufacturing and supply chain costs, including transportation costs, the mix of product sold, the mix of customers to which products are sold, and the reserves for excess and obsolete inventory. Furthermore, we may experience cost pressure due to the inflationary environment, increased transportation costs and an adverse impact on the efficiency of our supply chain. Additionally, we may encounter unforeseen manufacturing difficulties, which, at a minimum, may lead to higher than anticipated costs, scrap rates, delays in manufacturing products, or lower production levels of manufacturing than would be needed to meet demand. We may also decide to make investments with our manufacturing partners to identify longer-term efficiencies, but result in near-term increased costs. In addition, we may face competition which may limit our ability to maintain existing selling prices for our products which in turn would negatively affect our reported gross margins on product sales. Our gross margins on product sales may be impacted in the future based on all of these and other criteria.
We expect to build inventory levels that we believe will be sufficient to meet forecasted demand. At times, we may purchase quantities of materials, components or finished products that are expected to be on-hand for longer than one year. We may procure and carry this inventory to mitigate obsolescence, supply chain disruption and for business continuity reasons.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development expenses include salaries and related expenses for our scientific personnel, non-cash stock-based compensation, payments to consultants, costs to prepare and conduct preclinical and clinical trials, third-party costs for development activities, certain regulatory costs, costs associated with our facility related infrastructure, and laboratory chemicals and supplies.
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except percentages) |
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||||
Research and development |
|
$ |
14,013 |
|
|
$ |
16,783 |
|
|
$ |
(2,770 |
) |
|
(17 |
%) |
|
|
$ |
43,464 |
|
|
$ |
53,351 |
|
|
$ |
(9,887 |
) |
|
(19 |
%) |
Research and development expenses decreased during the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, primarily driven by the completion of the ReCePI study in the first quarter of 2024. Research and development expenses decreased during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily driven by decreased headcount due to the reduction in force implemented in the second quarter of 2023 and the completion of the ReCePI study in the first quarter of 2024.
We expect to incur additional research and development costs associated with inflationary pressures on labor and study costs, pursuing potential regulatory approvals in other geographies where we do not currently sell our platelet and plasma systems, planning and conducting in vitro studies and clinical development of our red blood cell system in Europe and the U.S., any activities in support of any potential new MDR application for our red blood cell system in the EU, new product development and product enhancements, including potential new label claims, design efforts on our new illuminator, and costs associated with performing the activities under our government contracts. Due to the inherent uncertainties and risks associated with developing biomedical products, including, but not limited to, intense and changing government regulation, the impact of macroeconomic developments, including the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the state of war between Israel and Hamas and the risk of a global conflict, the uncertainty of future preclinical studies and clinical trial results and the uncertainty associated with manufacturing, it is not possible to reasonably estimate the costs to complete these research and development projects. We face numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the successful
28
completion of our research and development projects, which risks and uncertainties are discussed in further detail under “Item 1A—Risk Factors” in Part II of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses include salaries and related expenses for administrative personnel, non-cash stock-based compensation, expenses for our commercialization efforts in a number of countries around the world including those in U.S., Europe, the CIS and the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, and expenses for accounting, tax, internal control, legal, facility and infrastructure related expenses, and insurance premiums. We expect to incur additional selling, general and administrative costs associated with inflationary pressures on labor and vendor costs.
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except percentages) |
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative |
|
$ |
17,786 |
|
|
$ |
16,155 |
|
|
$ |
1,631 |
|
|
10 |
% |
|
|
$ |
56,558 |
|
|
$ |
58,247 |
|
|
$ |
(1,689 |
) |
|
(3 |
%) |
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased during the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, primarily driven by costs associated with non-cash stock-based compensation. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023, primarily driven by the decreased headcount due to the reduction in force implemented in the second quarter of 2023.
Restructuring
In June 2023, we began implementing a restructuring plan to pursue greater efficiency and to realign our business and strategic priorities, which included a reduction in force of our employee base. A summary of our restructuring charges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 is as follows:
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except percentages) |
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||||
Restructuring |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
1,600 |
|
|
$ |
(1,600 |
) |
|
(100 |
%) |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
3,728 |
|
|
$ |
(3,728 |
) |
|
(100 |
%) |
Non-Operating Expense, Net
Non-operating expense, net consists of foreign exchange gains and losses, interest charges incurred on our debt, and other non-operating gains and losses, including interest earned from our short-term investment portfolio, and gains and losses due to changes in the fair value of certain investments.
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except percentages) |
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||||
Foreign exchange (loss) gain |
|
$ |
(241 |
) |
|
$ |
166 |
|
|
$ |
(407 |
) |
|
(245 |
%) |
|
|
$ |
(173 |
) |
|
$ |
22 |
|
|
$ |
(195 |
) |
|
(886 |
%) |
Interest expense |
|
|
(2,260 |
) |
|
|
(2,364 |
) |
|
|
104 |
|
|
(4 |
%) |
|
|
|
(6,824 |
) |
|
|
(6,157 |
) |
|
|
(667 |
) |
|
11 |
% |
Other income, net |
|
|
604 |
|
|
|
233 |
|
|
|
371 |
|
|
159 |
% |
|
|
|
1,468 |
|
|
|
1,159 |
|
|
|
309 |
|
|
27 |
% |
Total non-operating expense, net |
|
$ |
(1,897 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,965 |
) |
|
$ |
68 |
|
|
(3 |
%) |
|
|
$ |
(5,529 |
) |
|
$ |
(4,976 |
) |
|
$ |
(553 |
) |
|
11 |
% |
Foreign Exchange (Loss) Gain
We had foreign exchange loss during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to foreign exchange gain during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. These are primarily due to foreign exchange variations between the Euro and the U.S. dollar.
Interest Expense
Interest expense decreased during the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, primarily due to capitalized interest related to manufacturing agreements. Interest expense increased during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023, primarily because we drew down $5.0 million under Tranche 3 of our Term Loan Credit Agreement in March 2024, and due to the increase in interest rates on our Term Loan. Should interest
29
rates increase, the rates that we are obligated to pay under our credit agreements would likely increase, potentially leading to higher interest expense.
Other Income, net
Other income, net increased during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Provision for Income Taxes
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except percentages) |
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
|
$ |
76 |
|
|
$ |
78 |
|
|
$ |
(2 |
) |
|
(3 |
%) |
|
|
$ |
94 |
|
|
$ |
253 |
|
|
$ |
(159 |
) |
|
(63 |
%) |
The tax expenses were primarily a result of our Cerus Europe B.V. subsidiary’s activities.
Due to our history of cumulative operating losses, management has concluded that, after considering all of the available objective evidence, it is not likely that all our net deferred tax assets as of September 30, 2024 will be realized. Accordingly, substantially all of our U.S. deferred tax assets continue to be subject to a valuation allowance as of September 30, 2024.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
In recent years, our sources of capital have primarily consisted of public issuance of common stock, debt instruments and, to a lesser extent, cash from product sales and reimbursements under our government agreements.
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had the following cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and restricted cash (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
21,575 |
|
|
$ |
11,647 |
|
Short-term investments |
|
|
53,990 |
|
|
|
54,205 |
|
Restricted cash |
|
|
1,634 |
|
|
|
1,712 |
|
Total |
|
$ |
77,199 |
|
|
$ |
67,564 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash is typically invested in highly liquid instruments of short-term investments with high-quality credit rated corporate and government agency fixed-income securities in accordance with our investment policy.
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had the following indebtedness (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||
Debt – current |
|
$ |
18,521 |
|
|
$ |
20,000 |
|
Debt – non-current |
|
|
64,847 |
|
|
|
59,796 |
|
Total |
|
$ |
83,368 |
|
|
$ |
79,796 |
|
Operating Activities
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|||||
(in thousands) |
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
September 30, 2023 |
|
||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities |
|
$ |
6,430 |
|
|
$ |
(27,985 |
) |
We had net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to net cash used in operating activities during the same period in 2023. The change was primarily related to the increase in product sales, the decrease in inventory related purchases, and the timing of cash collections and payments, during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
Investing Activities
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|||||
(in thousands) |
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
September 30, 2023 |
|
||
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities |
|
$ |
(844 |
) |
|
$ |
408 |
|
30
We had net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to net cash provided by investing activities during the same period in 2023. The change was primarily due to lower net proceeds from investments during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
Financing Activities
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
|
|||||
(in thousands) |
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
September 30, 2023 |
|
||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
$ |
4,218 |
|
|
$ |
9,490 |
|
The decrease in net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, was primarily due to payments related to the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to proceeds from the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Working Capital
(in thousands) |
|
September 30, 2024 |
|
|
December 31, 2023 |
|
||
Working capital |
|
$ |
87,008 |
|
|
$ |
78,392 |
|
Working capital increased as of September 30, 2024, compared to December 31, 2023, primarily due to proceeds from increased product sales and collections and net decreases in the combined total of our accounts payable and accrued liabilities as a result of the timing of payments to our vendors. Contract liabilities related to DoD of $0.7 million and $1.5 million as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, are excluded from working capital.
Capital Requirements
Our near-term capital requirements are dependent on various factors, including operating costs and working capital investments associated with developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System, including in connection with the continuing U.S. commercialization of our platelet, plasma systems and IFC, costs to develop different configurations of existing products and new products, including our illuminator, costs associated with planning, enrolling and completing ongoing studies, and the post-approval studies we are required to conduct in connection with the FDA approval of the platelet system, costs associated with pursuing potential regulatory approvals in other geographies where we do not currently sell our platelet and plasma systems, costs associated with conducting in vitro studies and clinical development of our red blood cell system in Europe and the U.S., costs associated with performing the agreed-upon activities under our government agreements, costs related to legal compliance and cooperating with the ongoing civil investigative demand from the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and costs related to creating, maintaining and defending our intellectual property. In addition, both our near and long-term capital requirements will require that we continue to invest in capital purchases to support ongoing and proposed studies, in addition to manufacturing capacity expansion to support our growing business. Our long-term capital requirements will also be dependent on the success of our sales efforts, competitive developments, the timing, costs and magnitude of our longer-term clinical trials and other development activities, required post-approval studies, market preparedness and product launch activities for any of our product candidates and products in geographies where we do not currently sell our products, and regulatory factors. Until we are able to generate a sufficient amount of product revenue and generate positive net cash flows from operations, which we may never do, meeting our long-term capital requirements is in large part reliant on continued access to funds under our government contracts and the public and private equity and debt capital markets, as well as on collaborative arrangements with partners, augmented by cash generated from operations, if at all, and interest income earned on the investment of our cash balances. We believe that our available cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, as well as cash received from product sales and under our government contracts, will be sufficient to meet our capital requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, if we are unable to generate sufficient product revenue, or access sufficient funds under our government contracts or the public and private equity and debt capital markets, we may be unable to execute successfully on our operating plan. We have based our cash sufficiency estimate on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect. If our assumptions prove to be incorrect, we could consume our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect or in excess of amounts than we currently expect, which could adversely affect our commercialization and clinical development activities. In addition, while our stated goal is to achieve profitability in the future, actual results may be different than our forecasted operating plan and may require that we make certain trade-offs to potentially achieve profitability. Such trade-offs may negatively impact our commercial potential or result in deferrals in development activities.
We have borrowed and in the future may borrow additional capital from institutional and commercial banking sources to fund future growth, including pursuant to the Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, or potentially pursuant to new arrangements with different lenders. We have borrowed and in the future may borrow funds on terms that may include restrictive covenants, including covenants that restrict the operation of our business, liens on assets, high effective interest rates, financial performance covenants and repayment provisions that reduce cash resources and limit future access to capital markets. In addition, unless we restructure our credit agreements prior to April 1, 2026, the principal amounts outstanding under our Term Loan Credit Agreement will begin amortizing and will require us to pay amounts as they come due in cash, which would negatively impact our available working capital beyond the next 12 months. Should interest rates increase again, the rates that we are obligated to pay under our credit agreements would likely increase, potentially leading to higher interest expense. See Note 5, Debt, in Part I, Item 1—Financial
31
Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information on the debt under our Term Loan Credit Agreement and the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement.
In addition, we expect to continue to opportunistically seek access to the equity capital markets to support our development efforts and operations. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration or partnering arrangements, we may be required to relinquish some of our rights to our technologies or rights to market and sell our products in certain geographies, grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us, or issue equity that may be substantially dilutive to our stockholders. Moreover, recent developments in the financial services industry could cause us to experience liquidity constraints or failures, hinder our ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, and result in further disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets. In addition, widespread investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill our other obligations, result in breaches of our financial and/or contractual obligations or result in violations of federal or state wage and hour laws. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our current and/or projected business operations and financial condition and results of operations.
In March 2023, we entered into an amendment to our Sales Agreement under which we may issue and sell up to $96.8 million of our common stock through or to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. or Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, as sales agent or principal. During the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2024, we did not sell shares of our common stock under the Amended Sales Agreement.
While we expect to receive significant funding under our agreements with BARDA, our ability to obtain the funding we expect to receive under both agreements is subject to various risks and uncertainties, including with respect to BARDA’s ability to terminate the agreements for convenience at any time and our ability to achieve the required milestones under the agreements, including the completion of the RedeS study. In addition, access to federal contracts is subject to the authorization of funds and approval of our research plans by various organizations within the federal government, including the U.S. Congress. The general economic environment, coupled with tight federal budgets, has led to a general decline in the amount available for government funding. If BARDA were to eliminate, reduce or delay funding under our agreements, this would have a significant negative impact on the programs associated with such funding and could have a significant negative impact on our revenues and cash flows. Furthermore, should we be unable to deploy personnel or derive a benefit from fixed study costs or generate data from clinical sites and studies reimbursed by BARDA, our cash flows would be negatively impacted or we may have to initiate furloughs and layoffs which would likely prove disruptive to our management and operations. In addition, if we are unable to meet the requisite milestones in our agreements, including generating sufficient prerequisite Phase 3 clinical data, our agreements with BARDA will be severely limited in scope or could be terminated altogether, and our ability to complete the development activities required for licensure in the U.S. may require additional capital beyond which we currently have. The availability and focus for any BARDA funding will likely be finite and may require us to compete with other technologies, both similar and disparate. If alternative sources of funding are not available, or if we determine that the cost of alternative available capital is too high, we may be forced to suspend or terminate development activities related to the red blood cell system in the U.S.
We do not currently enter into any hedging contracts to normalize the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations. As a result, our future results could be materially affected by changes in these or other factors.
As a result of economic conditions, general global economic uncertainty, political change, war, the effects of inflationary pressures, and other factors including recent and potential U.S. bank failures, we do not know whether additional capital will be available when needed, or that, if available, whether we will be able to obtain additional capital on reasonable terms. Specifically, monetary policies of many countries, as well as recent bank failures, have significantly disrupted global financial markets, and may limit our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. As a result of stimulus programs and global events over the past few years, the U.S. and many countries are currently experiencing an inflationary environment. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised, and may again raise, interest rates, in response to concerns about inflation. Moreover, the U.S. Federal Reserve may not lower interest rates as quickly as markets expect, if at all, which in turn could negatively impact equity values, including the value of our common stock. Furthermore, we expect that the costs of our business may increase as labor rates and prices rise in the current inflationary environment, transportation costs increase, and global supply chain constraints impact availability of our products. If we are unable to raise additional capital due to the volatile global financial markets, general economic uncertainty or other factors, we may need to curtail planned development or commercialization activities.
32
In addition, we may need to obtain additional funds to complete development activities for the red blood cell system necessary for CE Certificates of Conformity in the EU, if costs are higher than anticipated or we encounter further delays. In this regard, our product development costs will be ongoing in connection with our failure to obtain approval of our MDR application and the potential submission of a new MDR application and would also increase if existing clinical data is insufficient for us to either submit or potentially obtain approval of any such new application. We may need to obtain additional funding to conduct additional randomized controlled clinical trials for existing or new products, particularly if we are unable to access any additional portions of the funding contemplated by our government contracts, and we may choose to defer such activities until we can obtain sufficient additional funding or, at such time, our existing operations provide sufficient cash flow to conduct these trials.
Commitments
See Note 5, Debt, in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information on the debt under our Term Loan Credit Agreement and the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement.
See Note 6, Leases, in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information on the operating leases.
See Note 7, Commitments and Contingencies, in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information on the purchase commitments.
We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of September 30, 2024.
Financial Instruments
Our investment policy is to manage our marketable securities portfolio to preserve principal and liquidity while maximizing the return on the investment portfolio to assist us in funding our operations. We currently invest our cash and cash equivalents in money market funds and interest-bearing accounts with financial institutions. Our money market funds are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy, in which quoted prices are available in active markets, as the maturity of money market funds are relatively short and the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value. Our available-for-sale securities related to corporate debt and U.S. government agency securities are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy, which uses observable inputs to quoted market prices, benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. We maintain portfolio liquidity by ensuring that the securities have active secondary or resale markets. We did not record any credit losses during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Adverse global economic conditions have had, and may continue to have, a negative impact on the market values of potential investments.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, there were no material changes to our market risk disclosures as set forth under, “Item 7A – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” in Part II of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer, or CEO, and chief financial officer, or CFO, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act, Rule 13a–15(e) and 15d-15(e)), as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on such evaluation, our CEO and CFO have concluded that as of September 30, 2024, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act which occurred during our fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2024, which have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
33
Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls
In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
34
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Our business faces significant risks. If any of the events or circumstances described in the following risks actually occurs, our business may suffer, the trading price of our common stock could decline and our financial condition or results of operations could be harmed. These risks should be read in conjunction with the other information set forth in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. There may be additional risks faced by our business. Other events that we do not currently anticipate or that we currently deem immaterial also may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
Summary of Risk Factors
35
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We depend substantially upon the commercial success of the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitation in the U.S., and our inability to successfully commercialize the INTERCEPT Blood System in the U.S. would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Our business is dependent on our ability to grow and sustain commercialization of the INTERCEPT Blood System in the U.S. Significant product revenue from customers in the U.S. may not occur consistently, if at all, if we are unable to demonstrate that our products are economical, safe and efficacious for potential customers. Similar to our experience in foreign jurisdictions, some potential customers in the U.S. have chosen to first validate our technology or conduct other pre-adoption activities prior to purchasing or deciding whether to adopt the INTERCEPT Blood System for commercial use, which may never occur. Further, new hospital customers of any of our blood center customers will need to go through the administrative process of generating internal tracking codes to integrate INTERCEPT-treated products into their inventories, which may further delay customer adoption in the U.S. These administrative processes necessary for implementation of INTERCEPT are further strained due to the staffing shortages seen globally.
On October 1, 2021, all U.S. blood centers were required to be compliant with the FDA guidance document, “Bacterial Risk Control Strategies for Blood Collection Establishments and Transfusion Services to Enhance the Safety and Availability of Platelets for Transfusion,” or the Final Guidance Document. Although the INTERCEPT Blood System is one of the options available to U.S. blood centers for compliance with the Final Guidance Document, we cannot predict if U.S. customers will continue to adopt or sustain current levels of INTERCEPT adoption. If we are unable to successfully support the commercialization of our platelet system to U.S. customers that have elected to use the INTERCEPT Blood System, then those customers may be required to adopt competing products in order to comply with the Final Guidance Document. Further, U.S. blood centers will be required to change their historical operating practices to conform to our product specifications, or they or their hospital customers may be required to elect more than one option under the Final Guidance Document in order to comply, or they or their hospital customers may choose competing products to comply with the Final Guidance Document. We may be unable to subsequently convert blood centers that chose competing products to the platelet system, which would limit our market potential. If we are not successful in achieving market adoption of the INTERCEPT Blood System in the U.S., we may never generate substantial product revenue, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects would be materially and adversely affected.
In any event, our ability to successfully commercialize the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets, plasma, and IFC in the U.S. will depend on our ability to:
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In addition to the other risks described herein, our ability to successfully commercialize the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets, plasma and IFC in the U.S. is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those related to:
The INTERCEPT Blood System may not achieve or be able to sustain broad market adoption.
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In order to maintain or increase market adoption of the INTERCEPT Blood System and to increase market demand, we must address issues and concerns from broad constituencies involved in the healthcare system, from blood centers to patients, transfusing physicians, key opinion leaders, hospitals, private and public sector payors, regulatory bodies and public health authorities. We may be unable to demonstrate to these constituencies that the INTERCEPT Blood System is safe, effective and economical or that the benefits of using the INTERCEPT Blood System products justify their cost and/or outweigh their risks.
The use of the platelet system results in some processing loss of platelets. Despite having claims elsewhere for use of INTERCEPT-treated platelets up to seven days, we have not been able to satisfy the FDAs requirement to obtain a seven-day storage claim for INTERCEPT-treated platelets. As a result, customers or prospective customers may adopt competing solutions if they perceive that:
Additionally, existing customers may not believe they can justify any perceived operational change or inefficiency either generally or in conjunction with a blood component availability shortage. This concern may be exacerbated during any blood shortage crisis, which the U.S. is currently facing. Certain studies have indicated that transfusion of conventionally prepared platelets may yield higher post-transfusion platelet counts (according to a measurement called “corrected count increment”) and may be more effective than transfusion of INTERCEPT-treated platelets. Although certain other studies demonstrate that INTERCEPT-treated platelets retain therapeutic function comparable to conventional platelets, prospective customers may choose not to adopt our platelet system due to considerations relating to corrected count increment or other factors. In addition, while our platelet system is used outside of the U.S. to treat whole blood derived, pooled buffy-coat collected platelet units, the FDA does not currently allow buffy-coat platelets and therefore our ability to treat U.S. collected platelets is limited to those collected via apheresis. Given the current shortage of platelets in the U.S., hospitals may not discriminate about which platelet products they receive, which may result in less demand for INTERCEPT-treated products and therefore less urgency for blood centers to adopt or increase INTERCEPT-treated platelets.
The INTERCEPT Blood System does not inactivate all known pathogens, which may limit its market adoption. For example, our products have not been demonstrated to be effective in the reduction of certain non-lipid-enveloped viruses, including hepatitis A and E viruses, and human parvovirus B-19, due to the biology of these viruses. Although we have shown high levels of reduction of a broad spectrum of lipid-enveloped viruses, INTERCEPT’s inability to inactivate, or limited reduction of certain non-lipid-enveloped viruses may negatively impact the decision to adopt by prospective customers. Similarly, although our products have been demonstrated to effectively inactivate spore-forming bacteria, our products have not been shown to be effective in reducing bacterial spores once formed. Furthermore, due to limitations of detective tests, we cannot exclude that a sufficient quantity of pathogen or pathogens beyond the detection limits may still be present in active form, which could present a risk of infection to the transfused patient. Should INTERCEPT-treated components contain detectable levels of pathogens after treatment, the efficacy of INTERCEPT may be called into question, whether or not any remaining pathogens are the result of INTERCEPT’s efficacy, the limitations of testing methodologies or other factors. Such uncertainties may limit the market adoption of our products.
We have conducted studies of our products in both in vitro and in vivo environments using well-established tests that were accepted by regulatory bodies. However, we cannot be certain that the results of these in vitro and in vivo studies accurately predict the actual results in humans in all cases. In addition, strains of infectious agents in living donors may be different from those strains commercially available or for which we have tested and for which we have received approval of the inactivation claims for our products. To the extent that actual results in human patients differ, commercially available or tested strains prove to be different, or customers or potential customers perceive that actual results differ from the results of our in vitro or in vivo testing, market acceptance of our products may be negatively impacted.
If customers experience operational or technical problems with the use of INTERCEPT Blood System products, market acceptance may be reduced or delayed. For example, if adverse events arise from incomplete reduction of pathogens, improper processing or user error, or if testing of INTERCEPT-treated blood samples fails to reliably confirm pathogen reduction, whether or not directly attributable to the INTERCEPT Blood System, customers may refrain from purchasing our products. We have recently learned of instances where, following treatment with INTERCEPT, mishandling of the treated blood components has introduced environmental bacterium. We must help our blood center customers to remain vigilant or increase their vigilance in adopting best practices regarding blood component handling. Failure to adequately address this risk may call into question the efficacy of using pathogen reduction. We must report safety events to regulatory authorities, regardless of the imputability of our products.
Furthermore, should customers communicate operational problems or suspected product failure, we will need to investigate and report imputability to the relevant regulatory authorities in a timely manner. We or others may be required to file reports on such complaints or product failure before we have the ability to obtain conclusive data as to imputability which may cause concern with existing and
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prospective customers or regulators. Hospital or other blood center customers may purchase IFC as a biologic from us or other blood centers which would be produced by blood center manufacturing partners of ours or another blood center. Should we receive product complaints on the produced IFC product, we may not be able to determine if a problem exists, or from where the problem originated. Should customers feel that INTERCEPT treatment has a negative impact on the number of transfusable platelet units able to be manufactured from available donors, our ability to educate a blood center on the benefits of treating increasing proportions of its platelet units may be negatively impacted. Moreover, there is a risk that further studies that we or others may conduct will show results inconsistent with previous studies. Should this happen, potential customers may delay or choose not to adopt our products and existing customers may cease using our products. In addition, some hospitals may decide to purchase and transfuse both INTERCEPT-treated blood components and conventional blood components, including IFC which we have very limited experience selling directly to hospitals. Managing such a dual inventory of blood products may be challenging, and hospitals may need to amend their product labels and inventory management systems before being able to move forward with INTERCEPT. Hospitals may not have adequate staffing levels or may have competing priorities which could delay such system updates, perhaps indefinitely. Management of complex inventories may require coordination between hospital suppliers, blood centers, or us, which in turn may cause delays in market adoption. In addition, customers may require certain changes to our products for any number of reasons. Complying with such requests may prove costly, and may create complexities surrounding the manufacturing of disposable kits, compliance with regulatory authorities, blood center usage, or inventory management. Conversely, failure to comply with such requests from customers may result in damage to our relationship or the potential loss of customer business.
Market adoption of our products is also affected by blood center and healthcare facility budgets and the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement from governments, managed care payors, such as insurance companies, and/or other third parties. In many jurisdictions, due to the structure of the blood products industry, we have little control over budget and reimbursement discussions, which generally occur between blood centers, healthcare facilities such as hospitals, and national or regional ministries of health and private payors. Even if a particular blood center is prepared to adopt the INTERCEPT Blood System, its hospital customers may not accept or may not have the budget to purchase INTERCEPT-treated blood products. Since blood centers would likely not eliminate the practice of screening donors or testing blood for some pathogens prior to transfusion, even after implementing our products, some blood centers may not be able to identify enough cost offsets or hospital pricing increases to afford to purchase our products. Budgetary concerns may be further exacerbated by economic legislation in certain countries and by proposals by legislators at both the federal and, in some cases, state levels, regulators, healthcare facilities and third-party payors to keep healthcare costs down, which may limit the adoption or continued use of technologies, including our products. In some jurisdictions, commercial use of our products may not be covered by governmental or commercial third-party payors for health care services and may never be covered. In addition, the costs and expenses incurred by the blood center related to donor blood are typically included in the price that the blood center charges a hospital for a unit of blood. Even after blood components treated with our products are approved for reimbursement by governmental or commercial third-party payors, the costs and expenses specific to the INTERCEPT Blood System will not be directly reimbursed, but instead may be incorporated within the reimbursement structure for medical procedures and/or products at the site of patient care. Governmental or third-party payors may change reimbursement rates, year-over-year, or in reaction to submitted claims for reimbursement of costs and expenses related to blood components treated with INTERCEPT. If the costs to the hospital for INTERCEPT processed blood products cannot be easily, readily, or fully incorporated into the existing reimbursement structure, or if reimbursement rates are insufficient or decreased in any given year for blood components treated with INTERCEPT, hospital billing and/or reimbursement for these products could be impacted, thus negatively impacting hospitals’ acceptance and uptake of our products. In addition, even if we are able to achieve market acceptance in the U.S. or newly commercialized markets, we have provided and may in the future provide adoption incentives which may negatively impact our reported sales.
We are exposed to risks associated with the highly concentrated market for the INTERCEPT Blood System.
The market for the INTERCEPT Blood System is highly concentrated with few customers, including often-dominant regional or national blood collection entities. Failure to effectively market, promote, distribute, price or sell our products to any of these customers could significantly delay or even diminish potential product revenue in those geographies. Moreover, the market for pathogen reduction systems in the U.S. is highly concentrated and dominated by a small number of blood collection organizations. In the U.S., the American Red Cross represents the largest single portion of the blood collection market. Our ability to gain and maintain significant market penetration in the U.S. is largely dependent on utilization of INTERCEPT and distribution of INTERCEPT-treated blood components by the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross is a large organization. Given the large relative size of the American Red Cross, our resources may be inadequate to fulfill the American Red Cross’ and other customers’ demands, which could result in a loss of product revenues or customer contracts, or both. Furthermore, should the American Red Cross order our products on an inconsistent basis, either by increasing or reducing overall utilization of the INTERCEPT Blood System or by building or depleting inventory levels they hold, our results of operations will be difficult to predict and may fall short of investor expectations. The American Red Cross or other customers may impose business continuity requirements or Environmental, Social and Governance requirements to its suppliers. Should the American Red Cross or other customers impose such requirements to our business, we may be unable to satisfy the requirements without significant disruption to our operations and incurrence of costs, if at all.
In many countries in Western Europe and in Japan, various national blood transfusion services or Red Cross organizations collect, store and distribute virtually all of their respective nations’ blood and blood components supply. In Europe, the largest markets for our
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products are in Germany, France, and England. In Germany, decisions on product adoption are made on a regional or even blood center-by-blood center basis, but depend on both local approvals and centralized regulatory approvals from the Paul Ehrlich Institute, or PEI. Obtaining these approvals requires support and coordination from local blood centers, and may take a significant period of time to obtain, if ever. Product specifications that receive authorization from the PEI may differ from product specifications that have been adopted in other parts of the EU and other countries where we rely on CE Certificates of Conformity and the CE Mark, thereby necessitating market specific modifications to the commercial product, which may not be economical or technically feasible for us. Following the inclusion of pathogen-inactivated platelets for national reimbursement by the German Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System as of January 1, 2018, German customers who do not currently have an authorization will first need to obtain one before using our products. The review period for a new authorization can be 12 months or longer following submission and we cannot assure that any of the potential German customers submitting a new application for authorization will obtain it. We have invested in substantial commercial resources in Germany. Without approvals obtained by potential German customers, or willingness of hospitals to seek reimbursement for pathogen-reduced platelets or for insurers to submit for the approved incremental reimbursement for pathogen-reduced platelets, our ability to successfully commercialize INTERCEPT in Germany will be negatively impacted, which may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and we may never realize a return on the investments we have made building out our commercial team in Germany. In addition, the reimbursement awarded to INTERCEPT in Germany may not be considered by German blood centers as attractive enough to implement pathogen reduction or cover the entirety of their blood center platelet collections which may in turn limit the market acceptance in Germany. Similar to the U.S., German blood centers will need to successfully market and sell to their hospital customers and understand and assist with the steps that are needed at the hospital level in Germany to administer pathogen-reduced platelets.
While we have entered into agreements with Établissement Français du Sang, or EFS, to supply illuminators, platelet and plasma disposable kits, maintenance services for illuminators and ancillary pooling sets to EFS, we cannot provide any assurance that the national deployment of the platelet system in France will be sustainable or that we will be able to secure any contracts subsequent to our existing contract with EFS. If we are unable to continue to successfully support EFS’ national adoption of the platelet system, EFS’ use of the plasma system, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely impacted. Our contracts with EFS do not contain purchase volume commitments and as such, it is challenging to forecast with precision the purchase levels and product demand and fulfill EFS’ orders. In addition, we understand that EFS is inspecting and testing samples of each lot that it purchases from us prior to accepting the products shipped to fulfill orders. We have little insight into the time to test, testing conditions or ultimate results. Other customers may require similar conditions of purchase. Testing may have a negative impact on our ability to recognize product revenue either due to the time it takes to test and approve the release of a shipment or if the customer experiences problems with testing or if testing results are outside of the customer acceptance criteria.
In Japan, the Japanese Red Cross controls a significant majority of blood transfusions and exerts a high degree of influence on the adoption and use of blood safety measures in Japan. The Japanese Red Cross has been reviewing preclinical and clinical data on pathogen reduction of blood over a number of years and has yet to make a formal determination to adopt any pathogen reduction approach. Before the Japanese Red Cross would consider our products, we understand that we may need to commit to making certain product configuration changes, which are currently under development but may not be economically or technologically feasible for us to accomplish.
Significant increases in demand may occur given the concentrated nature of many of the largest potential customers and the potential for a mandate by public health agencies to adopt pathogen reduction technologies. Should those customers choose to adopt and standardize their production on the INTERCEPT Blood System or be required to adopt and standardize on the INTERCEPT Blood System, our ability to meet associated increases in demand will likely be constrained due to a variety of factors, including production capacity at approved manufacturing sites, supply issues, manufacturing disruptions, availability of disposable kits manufactured from obsolete plastic materials, or other obsolescence of parts, among others. If we encounter sustained growth or accelerated growth, our production capacity may be strained, at least temporarily or should we encounter disruptions, supply shortages, or shipping delays, we may have to allocate available products to customers, which could negatively impact our business and reputation or cause those customers to adopt competing products.
We may be unable to develop and maintain an effective and qualified U.S.-based commercial organization or educate blood centers, clinicians and hospital personnel. As a result, we may not be able to successfully educate the market on the value of pathogen reduction or commercialize our products in the U.S.
Successfully commercializing our products in the U.S. has taken more time than anticipated and has required us to continue to invest in commercialization efforts to build and maintain relationships, additional routine-use data and trust from the industry. We continue to need to attract, retain, train and support sales, marketing and scientific and hospital affairs personnel and other commercial talent. Our hospital affairs professionals may be ineffective in educating hospitals and physicians on our products, clinical trial history and publications. Hospital affairs professionals are highly educated and trained professionals and the hiring and employment market for hospital affairs professionals is highly competitive. We may be unable to develop and maintain adequate and/or effective hospital affairs, sales and marketing capabilities for the U.S. market and we also may not be able to devote sufficient effective resources to the advertising, promotion and sales efforts for the platelet, plasma or cryoprecipitation systems in the U.S. In any event, if we are unable to develop and maintain an effective and qualified U.S. based commercial organization, we may fail to realize the full sales potential of
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our commercial products in the U.S. which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
We have very limited experience selling directly to hospitals or expertise complying with regulations governing finished biologics, and our inability to successfully commercialize the INTERCEPT Blood System for cryoprecipitation in the U.S. would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
We have very limited experience selling directly to hospitals nor do we have prior experience or expertise complying with regulations governing finished biologics. The introduction of new models of doing business require extensive training of our personnel and may lengthen the time it takes for this business unit to be fully operational. Furthermore, contracting with individual hospitals is time consuming and is often a protracted and bespoke process. Our blood center customers may view the sale of biologics directly to hospitals as a competitive threat, which may adversely affect our customer relationships, could negatively impact our business prospects and could result in loss of business and revenue. Conversely, we may also sell the disposable kits directly to blood centers for the manufacture of IFC for their own account or for hospitals with whom they already have contracts in place. As a result, we may be directly competing with these blood centers for the sale of IFC. These blood centers have more experience and existing contracts with hospitals and may be able to offer synergies that we cannot, each of which may negatively impact our ability to compete successfully.
In addition, until we are successful in selling INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation kits to blood centers or affiliate organizations or hospitals with in-house blood centers, our ability to directly commercialize finished IFC throughout the U.S. is dependent on the approval of manufacturing site BLAs by the FDA or the addition of an increased number of IFC manufacturing collaborations. While certain sites have received their BLAs, we cannot be sure that all of the sites will receive such authorizations in a timely manner, if at all. Delays may impact our ability to supply IFC in sufficient quantities. In addition, in order to market and sell finished IFC to hospital customers throughout the U.S., we may need to identify and validate additional manufacturing partners or sell INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation kits to blood centers or affiliate organizations or hospitals with in-house blood centers. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully negotiate additional agreements with manufacturing partners on terms that are acceptable to us. IFC is a product derived from our INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma. As such, any supply disruptions or failures that could impact our plasma system will have a direct negative impact on the production of IFC. Such supply disruptions could negatively impact our ability to fulfill customer orders, which will have an adverse effect on our business reputation and the successful introduction and adoption of our new products. Further, unless or until we negotiate committed volume purchase agreements with our customers, we can provide no assurance that sales of IFC product will occur in a consistent or predictable manner.
If we are unable to successfully market IFC to hospitals or comply with unique regulations governing finished biologics, our ability to monetize and deliver IFC will be negatively impacted which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. In addition, we may never achieve market acceptance and adoption of IFC by U.S. hospitals to generate product revenue sufficient to cover its costs.
We may be liable and we may need to withdraw our products from the market if our products harm people. We may be liable if an accident occurs in our controlled use of hazardous materials. Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to offset losses we may incur.
We are exposed to potential liability risks inherent in the testing and marketing of medical devices and biologic products. We may be liable if any of our products cause injury, illness or death. Although we complete preclinical and clinical safety testing prior to marketing our products, there may be harmful effects caused by our products that we are unable to identify in preclinical or clinical testing. In particular, unforeseen rare reactions or adverse side effects related to long-term use of our products may not be observed until the products are in widespread commercial use. Because of the limited duration and number of patients receiving blood components treated with the INTERCEPT Blood System products in clinical trials, it is possible that harmful effects of our products not observed in preclinical and clinical testing could be discovered after a marketing approval, or CE Certificate of Conformity has been received or after affixing the CE Mark to our products. For example, in cases where we have obtained regulatory approval or have affixed the CE Mark to our products, we have demonstrated pathogen reduction to specified levels based on well-established tests. However, there is no way to determine, after treatment by our products, whether our products have completely inactivated all of the pathogens that may be present in blood components. In addition, even if our products inactivate all pathogens in a blood product, it is often difficult to determine if pathogens are introduced after treatment with INTERCEPT due to blood center or hospital mishandling, shipping or other possibilities. For example, we have recently learned of instances where, following treatment with INTERCEPT, mishandling of the treated blood components has introduced environmental bacterium. We must help our blood center customers to remain vigilant or increase their vigilance in adopting best practices regarding blood component handling. Failure to adequately address this risk may call into question the efficacy of using pathogen reduction. There is also no way to determine whether any residual amount of a pathogen remains in the blood component treated by our products and there is no way to exclude that such residual amount would be enough to cause disease in the transfused patient or was a result of a potential defect or lack of efficacy of our products. We could be subject to a claim from a patient that tests positive, even though that patient did not contract a disease. We must report safety events to regulatory authorities, regardless of the imputability of our products. In addition, should personnel at clinical study sites or ultimately, potential customers, be harmed by amustaline, or believe they have been or could be harmed by amustaline, our insurance coverage may be
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insufficient to provide coverage for any related potential liabilities. Amustaline is considered a potent chemical and is the active compound of our red blood cell system.
Although we maintain an active safety monitoring platform with trained personnel, we cannot predict when, if ever, a safety event will occur or be able to timely or satisfactorily determine whether or not our product was a cause. We maintain product liability insurance, but do not know whether the insurance will provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our products.
Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of hazardous materials, including certain hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials and infectious pathogens, such as HIV and hepatitis viruses. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of hazardous materials are adequate and comply with regulatory requirements, we cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury. If an accident occurs, we could be held liable for any damages that result.
A recall of our products, either voluntarily or at the direction of the FDA, the competent authorities of an EU Member State, or another governmental authority, including foreign regulatory authority or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products that leads to corrective actions, could have a significant adverse impact on us.
Any adverse event involving our products, whether in the U.S. or abroad, could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls or customer notifications, or agency action, such as inspection, mandatory recall or other enforcement action. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, as well as defending ourselves in a lawsuit, will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business and may harm our reputation and financial results.
Under the FDA’s reporting regulations, we are required to report to the FDA any incident in which our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or in which our product malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur, would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury. Regulatory agencies in other countries have similar authority to recall devices because of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture that could endanger health. We may initiate a product recall under our own initiative if any material deficiency in our product is found, such as a component failure, malfunctions, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues, or withdraw a product to improve device performance or for other reasons. If we do not adequately address problems associated with our products, we may face additional regulatory enforcement action, including FDA warning letters, product seizure, injunctions, administrative penalties, or civil or criminal fines. Similar actions and obligations may be imposed by the competent authorities of an EU Member State, or a foreign regulatory authority.
We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may have a negative impact on our sales as well as face significant adverse publicity or regulatory consequences, which could harm our business, including our ability to market our products in the future. Such events could impair our ability to supply our products in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet our customers’ demands.
If our competitors develop products superior to ours, market their products more effectively, or receive regulatory approval or certification before our products, our commercial opportunities could be reduced or be eliminated. Competitors have and may continue to file claims in order to impede the marketability of our products, regardless of the merit of such claims.
We expect our products will continue to encounter significant competition. The INTERCEPT Blood System products compete with other approaches to blood safety currently in use and may compete with future products that may be developed by others. Our success depends in part on our ability to respond quickly to customer and prospective customer needs, successfully receive and maintain regulatory approvals, and adapt to medical and technological changes brought about by the development and introduction of new products. Competitors’ products or technologies may make our products obsolete or non-competitive. In addition, competitors or potential competitors may have substantially greater financial and other resources than we have. If competitive pathogen reduction products experience significant problems, customers and potential customers may question the safety and efficacy of all pathogen reduction technologies, including the INTERCEPT Blood System. Such questions and concerns may impair our ability to market and sell the INTERCEPT Blood System.
Several companies have, or are developing, technologies that are, or in the future may be, the basis for products that will directly compete with or reduce the market for our pathogen reduction systems. A number of companies are specifically focusing on alternative strategies for pathogen reduction in platelets and plasma. These alternative strategies may be more effective in reducing certain types of pathogens from blood products, including certain non-lipid-enveloped viruses, such as hepatitis A and E viruses or human parvovirus B-19, which our products have not demonstrated an ability to inactivate or have not demonstrated a high level of inactivation. If our customers determine that competitor’s products inactivate a broader range of pathogens that are of particular interest to the transfusion medicine community, market adoption of our platelet and plasma products may be adversely impacted. In addition, customers and prospective customers may believe that our competitors’ products are safer, more cost effective or easier to implement and incorporate into existing blood processing procedures than INTERCEPT Blood System products. Moreover, regulatory agencies may mandate use of competing products which would limit our ability to sell our products in those markets.
In addition, while we believe that IFC has many advantages over competitors, traditional cryoprecipitate and fibrinogen concentrates are well established within hospital use. Even if we are able to generate compelling data regarding the use of IFC over other products or
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traditional cryoprecipitate, hospitals may not perceive the advantage of IFC over the competing products and we may be ineffective in selling biological agents directly to hospitals or be unable to demonstrate the economic or patient advantages to customers relative to the competitors. Further, competitors may have more experience marketing and selling products directly to hospitals and may try to impede the marketability of our products. If additional BLAs are delayed or are never issued to our manufacturing partners, we may not have enough production capacity to supply demand, especially in states outside of the home states of our manufacturing partners. A byproduct of producing IFC is pathogen reduced cryoprecipitate poor plasma. If we are unable to find a commercial outlet for pathogen reduced cryoprecipitate poor plasma, we will continue to incur costs to discard the byproduct, which negatively impact our operating results.
If competitors receive regulatory approval or certification sooner or less costly than we are able to, the marketability of our products in those geographies will be at a disadvantage. Regulators may not apply the same criteria for our products or competitive products which may require us to incur additional costs, delay approval decisions, if ever, or provide a competitor with a market advantage over our products.
Our platelet and plasma products and product candidates are not compatible with some collection, production and storage methods or combinations thereof. Further, blood centers using INTERCEPT must have access to those certain devices, blood bags, assays or platelet additive solutions that are compatible with our products.
The equipment and materials used to collect platelets vary by manufacturer and by geographic region. Platelets may be collected from a single donor by apheresis using an automated collection machine. Apheresis devices currently used in the U.S. and European markets differ, among other characteristics, in their ability to collect platelets in reduced volumes of plasma. Platelet collection device manufacturers may need to modify device collection parameters or software before a prospective customer could use INTERCEPT. If these manufacturers are not cooperative or are resistant to assist their customers or do not assist with making such modifications, the potential market for our products may be limited. Platelet concentrates may also be prepared from whole blood by pooling together platelets from multiple donors. There are two commonly used methods for preparing whole blood platelets: the buffy coat method, which is used extensively in Europe, and the pooled random donor method, which is used in the U.S., though it represents the minority of collections. Outside of the U.S., our platelet systems are used to treat both apheresis and buffy coat collected platelets. Although there is currently a shortage of platelets in the U.S., until buffy coat platelets are accepted by the FDA, use of our platelet system in the U.S. will be limited to apheresis collected platelets. Our platelet system is designed to work with platelets collected and stored in storage solutions, called InterSol and SSP+, and for platelets suspended in 100% plasma. Fresenius is the exclusive manufacturer of InterSol and MacoPharma of SSP+, both widely-used PAS. Many of our customers and prospective customers use InterSol or SSP+ in connection with INTERCEPT treatment. Similarly, some of our customers combine multiple platelet or plasma components before treating the combined product with INTERCEPT. Further, blood centers using INTERCEPT must have access to those certain devices, blood bags, assays or platelet additive solutions that are compatible with our products. In the past, we have learned of concerns about manufacturers’ ability to provide an uninterrupted supply of PAS solutions to our blood center customers. Should such a supply disruption occur, our customer’s ability to treat platelets using INTERCEPT may be negatively impacted or may require us to secure approval for and supply PAS, for which we do not currently have regulatory approval.
We understand that several third-party manufacturers of pooling sets are planning to discontinue producing pooling sets due to the requirement to comply under the new European Union Regulation (EU) 2017/745, the Medical Device Regulation, or MDR. Our customers’ ability to use our INTERCEPT products may be impaired should manufacturers of those products cease production or if our customers are unable to find an alternate pooling set meeting their quality and production requirement for their production of INTERECEPT-treated blood components. Moreover, in order to alleviate any disruption to our customers, we have chosen to stockpile pooling sets, which required use of capital for a marginally profitable non-core product. In addition, should other manufacturers of collection devices, compatible assays and blood bags, pooling sets or platelet additive solutions fail to obtain or maintain regulatory approval or a CE Certificate of Conformity necessary for affixing the CE Mark to their products under the MDR, experience unexpected production disruption, or decide to cease distribution of those respective products to customers and prospective customers, or prohibitively increase costs, our ability to sell the INTERCEPT Blood System may be impaired and acceptance within the marketplace could be harmed.
In order to address the entire market in the U.S., Japan, and potentially elsewhere, we will need to develop and test additional configurations of the platelet system. For example, in the U.S., we understand a significant number of platelet concentrates are derived from larger volumes collected from apheresis donors split into three therapeutic transfusable doses, known as triple dose collections. While we have trained many customers to break down such donations to volumes and doses compatible with our products other prospective customers may not want to modify their operating practices and may therefore choose alternative compliant practices. In order to enable these customers to treat triple dose collections, we would need to develop future configurations of the platelet system, which is not in our current plans. We estimate that the majority of platelets used in the U.S. are collected by apheresis, though a significant minority is prepared from pooled random donor platelets derived from whole blood collections. Some blood centers may view pooled random donor platelets treated with INTERCEPT as an economically optimal approach. In order to gain regulatory approvals for the use of INTERCEPT in a manner compatible with triple dose collections, and random donor platelets, we will need to perform additional product development and testing, including additional clinical trials. We may also need to demonstrate the safety
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and efficacy of our platelet system using a variety of configurations before our platelet system would be approved for such configurations. Until we pursue and obtain approval of these additional product configurations, we will not be able to fully address those portions of the market, which limits our product revenue and adversely impacts our financial results. In the U.S, our approved labels for the platelet system from the FDA limit our current approvals to certain platelet collection platforms and a particular storage solution for the particular collection platform. For instance, our approved claims permit apheresis collection of platelets on the Fresenius Amicus device while stored in an additive solution or for apheresis collection of platelets collected on the Terumo Trima device and stored in 100% plasma. While we are seeking to generate acceptable data for Amicus collected platelets stored in 100% plasma, we cannot assure you that the data will be acceptable to the FDA or that we will receive timely approval, if ever. We may be required to provide the FDA with data for each permutation for which blood banking treatment practices exist which may be time consuming, costly and limit the potential size of the U.S. market that can use our products. In addition, given that there is some loss of platelets using our product, blood centers may need to increase collection volumes in order to use our product. Given the current blood component shortage, increased collection volumes may not be achievable or use of INTERCEPT may be considered less efficient than other operating practices, particularly in regions such as the U.S. where we do not maintain a seven day platelet storage claim. Platelet dose requirements vary greatly between regulatory agencies around the world. In areas where approved platelet dosage levels are relatively high, such as the U.S., any loss of platelets by using INTERCEPT may result in a lower produced yield at blood centers. Given the current shortage of platelets in the U.S., blood centers may not want to adopt or increase production of INTERCEPT-treated platelets if they feel it will impact their ability to comply with the relatively high dosage requirements required by the FDA. Similarly, to achieve market acceptance in certain geographies, we may be required to design, develop and test new product configurations for the plasma systems. In addition, we will need to continue to generate acceptable data in order to conform with the evolving collection practices such as automated whole-blood collection. If we are unable to conform to evolving collection practices our ability to address those portions of the market may be compromised. In any event, any failures or delays in obtaining FDA, CE Certificates of Conformity and other regulatory approvals for any new configurations or product improvements would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn could materially harm our product revenue and prospects for potential future profitability.
Clinical trials are costly and time consuming, may take longer than we expect or may not be completed at all, and their outcomes are uncertain. A failure to generate data in clinical trials to support expanded label claims or to support marketing approvals or certification for our product candidates could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
We are currently conducting clinical trials for our products and product candidates and plan to commence additional clinical trials of our products and product candidates in the future. We cannot be certain that the design or conduct of, or data collected from, these trials will be sufficient to support FDA approval, a CE Certificate of Conformity prior to affixing a CE Mark or any other regulatory approvals outside the U.S. If we fail to produce positive results in our ongoing or planned clinical trials, the development timeline and regulatory approval and commercialization prospects for our products and our product candidates, and, correspondingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects, would be materially adversely affected. We do not know whether we will begin or complete clinical trials on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays in obtaining regulatory approval to commence a study, delays in reaching agreement on acceptable clinical study agreement terms with prospective clinical sites, delays in obtaining institutional review board, ministry of health or ethics committee approval to conduct a study at a prospective clinical site, delays in recruiting subjects to participate in a study, delays in the conduct of the clinical trial by personnel at the clinical site or due to our inability to actively and timely monitor clinical trial sites because of travel restrictions, extreme weather or other natural forces, terrorist activity or general concerns over employee safety. For example, we experienced delays in our RedeS and ReCePI studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, some clinical sites for the RedeS study are located in areas that are subject to disruption by severe weather such as flooding, hurricanes or other natural forces such as earthquakes, which have delayed enrollment and progress of the RedeS study in the past. Moreover, clinical trial enrollment at additional RedeS clinical trial sites recently commenced later than previously anticipated, and we are continuing to assess the potential impact of that delay on the anticipated timing for completion of the RedeS study which, if that anticipated timing is delayed, would delay the timing of our planned final PMA module submission. In addition, enrollment of our ReCePI study in complex cardiovascular surgery patients was slower due to a variety of factors including low frequency of administering red blood cells to the patient population and reticence to participate in research studies. If we are unable to enroll a sufficient number of patients for the RedeS study to generate the data needed for licensure, we will need to reach agreement with the FDA on a new pathway to generate sufficient data for the red blood cell system, including the potential for additional Phase 3 clinical trials beyond what we are currently contemplating. In any event, we cannot be certain that further delays in the RedeS study or other clinical trials will not occur.
Criteria for regulatory approval in blood safety indications are evolving, reflecting competitive advances in the standard of care against which new product candidates are judged, as well as changing market needs and reimbursement levels. Clinical trial design, including enrollment criteria, endpoints and anticipated label claims are thus subject to change, even if original objectives are being met. As a result, we do not know whether any clinical trial will result in marketable products. Typically, there is a high rate of failure for product candidates in preclinical studies and clinical trials and products emerging from any successful trial may not reach the market for several years.
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Enrollment criteria for certain of our clinical trials may be quite narrow, further delaying the clinical trial process. For instance, clinical trials previously conducted using INTERCEPT-treated plasma for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura lasted approximately four years due in part to the difficulties associated with enrolling qualified patients. In addition, enrollment criteria impacted the speed with which we were able to enroll patients in our European Phase 3 red blood cell system trial in chronic anemia patients, and may impact other studies. Given the need to phenotypically match donations and patients and the existing burden of managing the production and supply to sickle-cell anemia patients, donor recruitment in chronic anemia patients may be difficult or impractical, which may be costly or significantly delay or preclude our ability to obtain any FDA approval of our red blood cell system.
We cannot rely on interim results of trials to predict their final results, and acceptable results in early trials might not be repeated in later and larger clinical trials or in the results of routine use. Any trial may fail to produce results satisfactory to the FDA, foreign regulatory authorities, or Notified Bodies. In addition, preclinical and clinical data can be interpreted in different ways, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Negative or inconclusive results from a preclinical study or clinical trial, or adverse medical events during a clinical trial could cause a preclinical study or clinical trial to be repeated, require other studies to be performed or cause a program to be terminated, even if other studies or trials relating to a program are successful.
We have conducted many toxicology studies to demonstrate the safety of the platelet and plasma systems, and we have conducted and plan to conduct toxicology studies for the red blood cell system throughout the product development process. At any time, the FDA and other regulatory authorities or Notified Bodies may require further toxicology or other studies to further demonstrate our products’ safety, which could delay or preclude regulatory approval and commercialization. Furthermore, any major changes to components used in our products or configuration changes to our products may require additional toxicology studies which may not produce acceptable results. Beyond toxicology studies, changes to our products or the manufacturing process of our products may require additional aging and stability data in order to satisfy regulators and maintain historical label claims. For instance, despite having 24 month aging for our products in many territories around the world, the FDA has limited the shelf life of our platelet product to 12 months for any platelet kit produced using a new solvent for the manufacture of a component. While we have produced and submitted stability data to support the shelf life of our products beyond twelve-months, until the FDA approves such data and allows for a longer shelf life, we will need to manage our supply chain closely which is time consuming and costly. In addition, the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may alter guidance at any time as to what constitutes acceptable clinical trial endpoints or trial design, which may necessitate a redesign of our product or proposed clinical trials and cause us to incur substantial additional expense or time in attempting to gain regulatory approval. Regulatory agencies weigh the potential risks of using our pathogen reduction products against the incremental benefits, which may be difficult or impossible to quantify.
If any additional product candidates receive approval for commercial sale in the U.S., or if we obtain approval for expanded label claims for the platelet system or plasma system, the FDA may require additional post-approval clinical or in vitro studies as a condition of approval. While we have completed the two post-approval studies required by the FDA, there is no guarantee that we will be able to complete future studies required as a condition of approval. The post-approval studies we have been required to complete and any additional studies that the FDA may require could involve significant expense, may require us to secure adequate funding to complete and may not be successful. In addition, enrollment of post-marketing studies may be difficult to complete timely if customers of blood centers are reluctant to accept conventional, non-INTERCEPT-treated products once INTERCEPT products become available to them. Other regulatory authorities or Notified Bodies outside of the U.S. may also require post-marketing studies. Failure to successfully complete post-marketing studies may place certain restrictions on the use of our products or regulators could suspend or revoke our approvals.
The red blood cell system is currently in development and may never receive any marketing approvals or CE Certificates of Conformity.
The red blood cell system has not been approved for marketing or commercialization anywhere in the world. Significant development and financial resources will be required to progress the red blood cell system into a commercially viable product and to obtain the necessary CE Certificate of Conformity and other regulatory approvals for the product or any future iterations or changes to the product. In this regard, in October 2024, we announced that the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board, or CBG, the Competent Authority for the red blood cell system, reviewed the medicinal product or active pharmaceutical ingredient data of our MDR application for conformity assessment and a CE Certificate of Conformity to affix a CE Mark to our red blood cell system and concluded that the data included in the module were insufficient to support the proposed classification of the impurity profile of the final product, necessitating the closure of our MDR application without an approval. In collaboration with TÜV-SÜD, our Notified Body for the red blood cell system, we are assessing strategies for a potential new MDR application and the associated timeline. We cannot predict with certainty when, if ever, we will be able to satisfactorily address CBGs conclusions and as such, cannot predict if or when we will submit a new MDR application for the red blood cell system and, if submitted, when a decision concerning certification would occur. In any event, given the closure of our MDR application without an approval, we do not expect to receive CE Mark approval of the red blood cell system for at least eighteen months, if ever. Moreover, regulators or Notified Bodies may require clinical data for our red blood cell system under each collection and processing method using various additive or storage solutions before they would grant approval for any such configuration. The clinical data we have generated thus far for the red blood cell system does not support multiple configurations of collection processes, storage solutions and kits. If we are required to and are ultimately unable to collect data under each configuration
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or if we limit our pursuit of certain configurations over others, our market opportunity may be limited. In any event, any failure or further delays in completing the development activities for the red blood cell system would prevent or continue to delay its commercialization, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, growth prospects and potential future market adoption of any of our products, including the red blood cell system.
In some instances, we are relying on contract research organizations and other third parties to assist us in designing, managing, monitoring and otherwise carrying out our clinical trials and development activities for the red blood cell system. We do not control these third parties and, as a result, they may not treat our activities as their highest priority, or in the manner in which we would prefer, which could result in delays, inefficient use of our resources and could distract personnel from other activities. Additionally, if we, our contract research organizations, other third parties assisting us or our study sites fail to comply with applicable good clinical practices, the clinical data generated in our trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies or Notified Bodies may require us to perform additional clinical trials before delivering a CE Certificate of Conformity or approving the red blood cell system for commercialization. We cannot assure you that, upon inspection, regulatory agencies will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with good clinical practices. We must also demonstrate to the FDA an ability to define, test, and meet acceptable specifications for our current manufactured compounds used to prepare INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells before we can initiate our planned modular PMA application submission to and seek regulatory approval of the red blood cell system from the FDA. This may require that we can demonstrate stability of our active compounds manufactured under the FDA’s cGMP regulations and similar requirements outside of the U.S. to meet release specifications. Our contracted manufacturer has had a history of failure in manufacturing the active compound of the red blood cell system. If we are unable to demonstrate an ability to manufacture according to our specifications under cGMP or similar requirements outside of the U.S. with acceptable stability data, we may be unable to satisfy regulatory questions and requirements which could prevent or delay the potential approval of or our ability to commercialize the red blood cell system. In addition, existing lots of these red blood cell compounds manufactured under cGMP may be dispositioned by regulators or ourselves as unsuitable for clinical use which would impact our ability to produce INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells for ongoing and future clinical trials and may require changes to the manufacturing process of our red blood cell compounds or new production of the compounds, all of which would be costly and time consuming and impact our ability to perform under our BARDA agreements.
In addition to the two chemical components of the INTERCEPT RBC System, amustaline and glutathione, there are additional substances contained with the Processing Set (Processing Solution and SAG-M Storage Solution) that contain substances which are considered as ancillary medicinal substances by either the Notified Body in the EU. If we are unable to provide data on the use of these ancillary medicinal substance with INTERCEPT red blood cells, our ability to satisfy the requirements for CE Certificate of Conformity under a potential new MDR application will be impaired.
In 2003, we terminated Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating a prior generation of the red blood cell system in acute and chronic anemia patients. The trials were terminated due to the detection of antibody reactivity to INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells in two patients in the 2003 chronic anemia trial. Although the antibody reactivity was not associated with any adverse events, we developed process changes designed to diminish the likelihood of antibody reactivity in red blood cells treated with our modified process. While we successfully completed the European Phase 3 acute anemia clinical trial and the European Phase 3 chronic anemia clinical trial, we cannot assure you that the adverse events observed in the terminated 2003 Phase 3 clinical trials of our earlier red blood cell system will not be observed in current and potential future clinical trials using our modified process. We also cannot assure you that patients receiving INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells will not develop allergic reactions to the transfusion.
We will need to successfully conduct and complete the ongoing RedeS study in the U.S. and continue to believe that we will also need to generate acceptable Phase 3 clinical data from chronic anemia patients in the U.S. before the FDA will consider our red blood cell system for approval. Given the need to phenotypically match donations and patients and the existing burden of managing the production and supply to sickle-cell anemia patients, donor recruitment in chronic anemia patients may be difficult or impractical, which could significantly delay or preclude our ability to submit and complete our planned modular PMA application submission on the anticipated timeline or at all and to otherwise obtain any FDA approval of our red blood cell system. In any event, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete the RedeS study or generate acceptable Phase 3 clinical data from chronic anemia patients in the U.S. We anticipate initiating a modular PMA application to the FDA, with the final PMA module submission planned upon the anticipated completion of the RedeS study. While we previously anticipated that the completion of the RedeS study and the planned final PMA module submission would occur in the second half of 2026, clinical trial enrollment at additional RedeS clinical trial sites recently commenced later than previously anticipated and we are continuing to assess the potential impact of that delay on the anticipated timing for completion of the RedeS clinical trial and the planned final PMA module submission. Any delay on the planned final PMA module submission would potentially increase our development costs and delay the potential commercialization of the red blood cell system in the U.S. In any event, for our planned modular PMA application, we will seek to introduce supplemental clinical data we obtained from European clinical trials, though we cannot assure you that we will be able to demonstrate comparability or that the FDA will allow supplemental clinical European data. In addition, if we are unable to enroll a sufficient number of patients for the RedeS study to generate the data needed for licensure, we will need to reach agreement with the FDA on a new pathway to generate sufficient data for the red blood cell system, including the potential for additional Phase 3 clinical trials beyond what we are currently contemplating. Moreover, if treatment emergent antibody reactions associated with hemolysis are observed in any of our Phase 3 trials, the FDA will require us to place a clinical hold and we will need to investigate the underlying cause. Such investigations may be difficult for us to
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assess imputability which may lead to a complete halt of the clinical trial, may irreparably harm our red blood cell product’s reputation and may force us to suspend or terminate development activities related to the red blood cell system in the U.S., which would have a material adverse effect on our business and business prospects. To date, several S-303 antibody events without evidence of hemolysis have been detected in the RedeS and ReCePI studies. Though we have not seen any clinical significance to date, we have seen antibody formation to S-303 treated red blood cells, and we will need to continue to generate data related to S-303 treatment emergent antibodies. In addition, even though we reported positive topline results from the ReCePI study in the first quarter of 2024, this does not ensure that any other clinical trials of the red blood cell system will be successful, including the RedeS study, nor does it ensure that the data from the ReCePI study will be deemed supportive of regulatory approval by the FDA. In this regard, because non-clinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, regulatory authorities, including the FDA, may disagree with our interpretation of the data from any of our completed clinical or non-clinical trials and may require additional clinical testing and/or further analyses from completed clinical or non-clinical trials before we can obtain regulatory approval and begin commercialization of the red blood cell system, if at all, any of which could result in increased costs to us, limit our ability to generate revenue and adversely affect our commercial prospects.
We completed our European Phase 3 clinical trials of our red blood cell system for acute anemia patients and separately for chronic anemia patients. We filed our application for conformity assessment and a CE Certificate of Conformity related to the red blood cell system in December 2018 under the Medical Device Directive, or MDD, and in June 2021, we completed the resubmission of our application under the new MDR. In October 2024, we announced that CBG, the Competent Authority for the red blood cell system, reviewed the medicinal product or active pharmaceutical ingredient data of our MDR application and concluded that the data included in the module were insufficient to support the proposed classification of the impurity profile of the final product, necessitating the closure of our MDR application without an approval. In collaboration with TÜV-SÜD, our notified body for the red blood cell system, we are assessing strategies for a potential new MDR application and the associated timeline. We cannot predict with certainty when, if ever, we will be able to satisfactorily address CBGs conclusions and as such, cannot predict if or when we will submit a new MDR application for the red blood cell system and, if submitted, when decision concerning certification would occur. In any event, given the closure of our MDR application without an approval, we do not expect to receive CE Mark approval of the red blood cell system for at least eighteen months, if ever. In addition, we are currently in discussions with our sole supplier of key components of the red blood cell system with respect to a dispute over its willingness to continue to supply us with such components, without changes, throughout the application process for our CE Certificate of Conformity. Because we expect that any potential new CE Certificate of Conformity application under the MDR for the red blood cell system will continue to be specific to this supplier’s existing manufacturing site and manufacturing processes, if we are unable to reach satisfactory resolution of this dispute, or if this supplier is otherwise unable or unwilling to supply us with these components using its existing manufacturing site and manufacturing processes, any potential new CE Certificate of Conformity application would be impacted, and could affect our ability to re-file a CE Certificate of Conformity application on a timely basis, and we may be required to engage and validate a new supplier for these components, which would delay the timing of filing any potential CE Certificate of Conformity application, perhaps indefinitely, and would increase our costs. We continue to work with our supplier to ensure preparedness for an inspection to support a conformity assessment and a potential new CE Certificate of Conformity application and future commercial manufacturing. However, the recent closure of our prior CE Certificate of Conformity application without an approval and the delay inherent in filing a new CE Certificate of Conformity application could impact our current supplier's willingness to continue to supply us with these components, and could hasten our plans to engage and validate a new supplier of these key components, which will be costly and time-consuming. We cannot predict with certainty when we may receive a decision on any potential new CE Certificate of Conformity application, if ever. We will need to resolve this dispute, including our current supplier’s willingness to continue to supply us with these components using its existing manufacturing site and manufacturing processes throughout any potential new CE Certificate of Conformity application and afterwards, if obtained, or alternatively, the engagement and validation of a new supplier of these key components and we cannot predict with certainty when resolution of the dispute will conclude, if ever. Moreover, we do not yet know whether the data generated from our European Phase 3 clinical trials will be sufficient to support a potential new MDR application or a CE Certificate of Conformity, even if limited to a target patient population having chronic anemia. We do not know if data from the ReCePI Phase 3 clinical trial will be accepted by TÜV or whether such data would be supportive of expanding the target patient population beyond chronic anemia patients or whether such data will be accepted at all. In addition, the European Phase 3 clinical trials in acute, and separately, chronic anemia patients, may need to be supplemented by additional, successful Phase 3 clinical trials for approval in certain countries. If such additional Phase 3 clinical trials are required, they would likely need to demonstrate non-inferiority of INTERCEPT red blood cells compared to conventional red blood cells and the significantly lower lifespan for INTERCEPT red blood cells compared to conventional red blood cells may limit our ability to obtain any regulatory approvals or certification in certain countries for the red blood cell system. A number of trial design issues that could impact efficacy, regulatory approval, certification and market acceptance will need to be resolved prior to the initiation of further clinical trials.
If we are unsuccessful in advancing the red blood cell system through clinical trials, resolving process and product design issues, providing satisfactory data surrounding classification of the medicinal product or active pharmaceutical ingredient, securing commercial manufacturing for sufficient volumes or if our manufacturers continue to fail to be able to produce sufficient volumes of the active ingredients or if we are unsuccessful in obtaining subsequent regulatory approvals or certification and acceptable reimbursement rates, we may never realize a return on our R&D expenses incurred to date for the red blood cell system program. Regulatory delays, including
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those resulting from the failure to obtain approval of our MDR application for the red blood cell system, can also materially impact our product development costs. When we experience delays in testing, conducting trials or approvals or certification, our product development costs will increase, which may exceed the budgets or timeframe under our BARDA agreements or which costs may otherwise not be reimbursable to us under the BARDA agreements. Even if we were to successfully complete and receive approval or certification for our red blood cell system, potential blood center customers may object to working with a potent chemical, like amustaline, the active compound in the red blood cell system, or may require modifications to automate the process, which would result in additional development costs, any of which could limit any market acceptance of the red blood cell system. If the red blood cell system were to face such objections from potential customers, we may choose to pay for capital assets, specialized equipment or personnel for the blood center, which would have a negative impact on any potential contribution margin from red blood cell system sales. Moreover, customers may not accept the manual configuration of the product and require us to develop a more operationally scalable version of the system which would be expensive and may not be successful. Additionally, the use of the red blood cell system may result in some processing loss of red blood cells. If the loss of red blood cells leads to increased costs, or the perception of increased costs for potential customers, or potential customers believe that the loss of red blood cells reduces the efficacy of the transfusion unit, or our process requires changes in blood center or clinical regimens, potential customers may not adopt our red blood cell system, even if approved for commercial sale.
Risks Related to Regulatory Approval, CE Certificates of Conformity, and Oversight, and Other Legal Compliance Matters
Our company, our products, and blood products treated with the INTERCEPT Blood System are subject to extensive regulation by domestic authorities, foreign authorities and Notified Bodies.
Our products, both those sold commercially and those under development are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by local, state and federal regulatory authorities in the U.S. and by foreign regulatory bodies and Notified Bodies. Our products must satisfy rigorous standards of safety and efficacy and we must adhere to quality standards regarding manufacturing and customer-facing business processes in order for the FDA and international regulatory authorities and Notified Bodies to approve them for commercial use or issue related CE Certificates of Conformities. For our product candidates, we must provide the FDA and international regulatory authorities and Notified Bodies with preclinical, clinical and manufacturing data demonstrating that our products are safe, effective and in compliance with government regulations before the products can be approved for commercial sale. The process of obtaining required regulatory approvals and certifications is expensive, uncertain and typically takes a number of years. We may continue to encounter significant delays or excessive costs in our efforts to secure necessary approvals, certifications or licenses, or we may not be successful at all. In addition, our labeling claims may not be consistent across markets. We have developed our products with the aim to standardize the volume of platelets treatable by our system, wherever possible, which may not be accepted by all regulators or customers, may require additional data to support approval or certifications or may not produce optimal transfusable blood components. For example, jurisdictions differ in the definition of what constitutes a transfusable unit of platelets and in certain jurisdictions, our approved label claims and the definition of a viable platelet unit for transfusion may allow for a significantly lower or higher platelet count per volume than certain jurisdictions may allow. This variability in platelet count per volume may result in differences in platelet quality once processed and stored using INTERCEPT, and if customers experience sub-optimal platelet quality following INTERCEPT treatment, they may limit their adoption of INTERCEPT or consider adoption of competing blood safety technologies over INTERCEPT.
Governments or regulatory authorities may impose new regulations or other changes or we may discover that we are subject to additional regulations that could further delay or preclude regulatory approval or certifications and subsequent adoption of our potential products. We cannot predict the adoption, implementation or impact of adverse governmental regulation that might arise from future legislative or administrative action.
Outside of the U.S., regulations vary by country, including the requirements for regulatory and marketing approvals, certifications or clearance, the time required for regulatory review and the sanctions imposed for violations. In addition to technical documentation supporting the certification and CE Marking of our product, countries outside the EU may require clinical data submissions, registration packages, import licenses or other documentation. Regulatory authorities in Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and elsewhere may require in-country clinical trial data, among other requirements, or that our products be widely adopted commercially in Europe and the U.S., or may delay such approval decisions until our products are more widely adopted. In addition to the regulatory requirements applicable to us and to our products, there are regulatory requirements in several countries around the world, including the U.S., Germany, Canada, Austria, Australia and other countries, applicable to prospective customers of INTERCEPT Blood System products and the blood centers that process and distribute blood and blood products. In those countries, blood centers and other customers are required to obtain approved license supplements from the appropriate regulatory authorities before making available blood products processed with our pathogen reduction systems to hospitals and transfusing physicians. Our customers may lack the resources or capability to obtain such regulatory approvals. Significant product changes or changes in the way customers use our products may require amendments or supplemental approvals to licenses already obtained. Blood centers that do submit applications, supplements or amendments for manufacturing and sale may face disapproval or delays in approval that could further delay or deter them from using our products. The regulatory impact on potential customers could slow or limit the potential sales of our products.
We recently received CE Certificate of Conformity based on the MDR for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma. We or our customers have received approval for the sale and/or use of INTERCEPT-treated platelets and plasma within Europe in France,
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Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Switzerland has accepted to unilaterally recognize CE Marked medical devices. While we are currently in the process of completing the requirements to maintain regulatory approval of our products in Switzerland, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in doing so. In addition, we or our customers may also be required to conduct additional testing in order to obtain regulatory approval in countries that do not recognize the CE Mark as being adequate for commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System in those countries. The level of additional product testing varies by country, but could be expensive or take a long time to complete. In addition, regulatory agencies are able to withdraw or suspend previously issued approvals due to changes in regulatory law, our inability to maintain compliance with regulations or other factors. In some countries, including several in Europe, we or our customers may be required to perform additional clinical studies or submit manufacturing and marketing applications in order to obtain regulatory approval. If we or our customers are unable to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals for the use and sale or continued sale and use of INTERCEPT-treated platelets or plasma, market adoption of our products will be negatively affected and our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects would be materially and adversely impacted.
The advertising and promotion of medical devices in the EU is subject to the national laws of EU Member States applying the MDR, Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising, and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, as well as other national legislation of individual EU Member States governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. EU Member State legislation may also restrict or impose limitations on our ability to advertise our products directly to the general public. In addition, voluntary EU and national industry Codes of Conduct provide guidelines on the advertising and promotion of our products to the general public and may impose limitations on our promotional activities with healthcare professionals.
Moreover, we may be required to conduct costly post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or effectiveness of our products in Europe. We must comply with medical device reporting requirements, including the reporting of serious incidents including malfunctions related to our products and field safety corrective actions, as well as adverse events occurring during clinical investigations. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, manufacturing problems, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements may result in changes to labeling, restrictions on such products or manufacturing processes, withdrawal of the products from the market, voluntary or mandatory recalls, a requirement to repair, replace or refund the cost of any medical device we manufacture or distribute, fines, suspension, variation or withdrawal of regulatory clearances, CE Certificates of Conformity or approvals, product seizures, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties which would adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
As a condition to the FDA approval of the platelet system, we were required to conduct two post-approval studies of the platelet system – a haemovigilance study to evaluate the incidence of acute lung injury following transfusion of INTERCEPT-treated platelets; and a recovery and survival study of INTERCEPT-treated platelets suspended in 100% plasma and stored for five days. The haemovigilance study was completed, met its primary endpoint and was accepted by FDA, and results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal. We have also completed the recovery and survival study for INTERCEPT-treated platelets suspended in 100% plasma and stored for five days and have submitted the study results to the FDA. Successful enrollment and completion of any other post-approval studies will require that we identify and contract with study sites or hospitals that have the desire and ability to participate and contribute to the study in a timely manner, which we may be unable to do in a timely manner or at all. In addition, the FDA may also require us to commit to perform other lengthy post-marketing studies, for which we would have to expend significant additional resources, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there is a risk that post-approval studies will be unsuccessful or show results inconsistent with our previous studies. Should this happen, potential customers may delay or choose not to adopt the INTERCEPT Blood System and existing customers may cease use of the INTERCEPT Blood System. Failure to successfully complete post-marketing studies may place certain restrictions on the use of our products or regulators could suspend or revoke our approvals.
We are also required to comply with applicable FDA and other regulatory post-approval requirements relating to, among other things, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, record-keeping and reporting of safety and other information. In addition, our manufacturers and their facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA and foreign regulatory authorities’ requirements, including, in the U.S., ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMP and current QSR requirements. We must also comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for our products. For example, our promotional materials and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the promotion of unapproved, or off-label, use. If the FDA determines that our promotional materials or training constitutes 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. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our promotional or training materials to constitute promotion of an off-label use, or a violation or any other federal or state law that applies to us, such as laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement. In addition, our reputation could be damaged and adoption of the products could be impaired.
If a regulatory authority or Notified Body suspects or discovers problems with a product, such as serious incidents, adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility or the manufacturing process at the facility where the product is manufactured, or problems with the quality of product manufactured, or disagrees with the promotion, marketing, or labeling of a product, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions on use of that product, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. For example the FDA has requested information on bacterial contamination of INTERCEPT-treated products in conjunction
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with their investigation of complaints stemming from contamination of manufacturing sites and blood centers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by regulatory agencies, which may include any of the following sanctions:
Any of these actions, in combination or alone, could prevent us from selling our products and harm our business. In addition, any government investigation of alleged violations of law could require us to expend significant time and resources in response and could generate negative publicity.
Should we obtain approval or a CE Certificate of Conformity for our red blood cell system, we will likely be required by regulators or Notified Bodies to collect additional data in patients receiving INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells. In addition, assuming approval or certification, we will be required to develop a registry of patients receiving INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells for future data collection and evaluation. To commence, enroll and complete such a registry, we may incur significant costs. Further, introducing and implementing use of such a registry may face data collection challenges or resistance from transfusing physicians, hospitals or patients. We cannot ensure that the data collected in such a registry would support continued use of INTERCEPT-treated red blood cells.
In addition, 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 carry on or expand our operations, increased operation costs or lower than anticipated sales. For example, complying with the new MDR will require considerable time, attention and effort by our manufacturers and us and may limit or delay any contemplated changes to our products or expansion of label claims. In addition, regulators have been impacted by the global staffing shortage, as well as the volume of existing and new MDR filings, all of which further constrain their ability to review submissions timely.
If we or our third-party suppliers fail to comply with the FDA’s or other regulatory authorities’ or foreign regulatory authorities' good manufacturing practice regulations, it could impair our ability to market our products in a cost-effective and timely manner.
In order to be used in clinical studies or sold in the U.S., our products are required to be manufactured in FDA-approved facilities. If any of our suppliers fail to comply with FDA’s cGMP regulations or otherwise fail to maintain FDA approval, we may be required to identify an alternate supplier for our products or components. Our products are complex and difficult to manufacture. Finding alternate facilities and obtaining FDA approval for the manufacture of the INTERCEPT Blood System at such facilities would be costly and time-consuming and would negatively impact our ability to generate product revenue from the sale of our platelet, plasma or cryoprecipitation system in the U.S. and achieve operating profitability. Our red blood cell system also needs to be manufactured in FDA-approved facilities, several of which are not currently FDA-approved. Failure of our suppliers to meet cGMP regulations and failure to obtain or maintain FDA approval will negatively impact our ability to achieve FDA approval for our products or may require that we identify, qualify and contract with alternative suppliers, if they are available, which would be time consuming, costly and result in further approval delays.
We, our third-party suppliers and third-party suppliers of products or components used by our customers in combination with our products are also required to comply with the cGMP and QSR requirements, which cover the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of products, all of which is costly and may require updating periodically. The FDA and other regulatory authorities, including international regulatory authorities and Notified Bodies, audit compliance with cGMP and QSR requirements through periodic announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing and other facilities. These audits and inspections may be conducted at any time. The manufacturing facility which produces our platelet and plasma systems was recently audited by the FDA. While there were not objectionable conditions observed during the audit, the FDA or other regulatory authorities, including third country authorities and Notified Bodies, may inspect and audit facilities manufacturing our products or components or products and components of third-party suppliers used by our customers in
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combination with our products at any time. Complying with and resolving any audit findings may result in additional costs, changes to our manufacturers’ quality management systems or both. Failure to timely resolve and comply to audit findings, if any, may result in enforcement actions and may result in a disruption to the supply of our products or other products or components used by our customers in combination with our products. In any event, if we or our suppliers fail to adhere to cGMP and QSR requirements, have significant non-compliance issues or fail to timely and adequately respond to any adverse inspectional observations or product safety issues, or if any corrective action plan that we or our suppliers propose in response to observed deficiencies is not sufficient, the FDA or other regulatory agency could take enforcement action against us, which could delay production of our products and may include:
Any of the foregoing actions could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
If we modify our FDA-approved or CE Marked products, we may need to seek additional approvals, or certification, which, if not granted, would prevent us from selling our modified products.
Any modifications to the platelet, plasma or cryoprecipitation systems could be determined to significantly affect their safety or effectiveness, including significant design and manufacturing changes, or determined to constitute a major change in their intended use, manufacture, design, components, or technology which would require approval of a new premarket approval application, or PMA, or PMA supplement. Further, any modification to our plasma system may have an impact on the cryoprecipitation system, which may similarly require approval of a new PMA supplement. However, certain changes to a PMA-approved device do not require submission and approval of a new PMA or PMA supplement and may only require notice to FDA in a PMA Annual Report. The FDA requires every supplier to make this determination in the first instance, but the FDA may review any supplier’s decision. The FDA may not agree with our decisions regarding whether new submissions or approvals are necessary. Our products could be subject to recall if the FDA determines, for any reason, that our products are not safe or effective or that appropriate regulatory submissions were not made. If new regulatory approvals are required, this could delay or preclude our ability to market the modified system. For example, we are redesigning the illuminators used in the platelet and plasma systems and may need to further redesign the illuminator. We will need to obtain regulatory approval of any future redesign of the illuminator before it can be commercialized. The FDA will require a new PMA for our platelet and plasma systems or cryoprecipitation for use with our new LED based illuminator. Generating data from the new illuminator may be time consuming, expensive or unsuccessful. In addition, in order to address the entire market in the U.S., customers will need to change their operating practices to conform to our product specifications or we will need to obtain approval for additional configurations of the platelet system, as discussed in greater detail above under “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Our platelet and plasma products and product candidates are not compatible with some collection, production and storage methods or combinations thereof.” Should we decide not to pursue or otherwise fail to obtain FDA and foreign regulatory approvals of any new configurations, our ability to generate product revenue from sales of the platelet system may be impaired and our growth prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, if the FDA or other regulatory or accrediting body were to mandate safety interventions or modify existing requirements for safety interventions, including safety interventions involving the use of pathogen reduction technology, when we had not received approval for all operational configurations, the market to which we could sell our products may be limited until we obtain such approvals, if ever, or may be permanently impaired if competing options are more broadly available.
For those products sold in the EU, we must notify our Notified Body if significant changes are made to the products or if there are substantial changes to our quality assurance systems affecting those products. Obtaining new related CE Certificates of Conformity or variation of existing Certificates can be a time-consuming process, and delays in obtaining required future clearances, certifications or approvals would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn would harm our future growth.
We are subject to federal, state and foreign laws governing our business practices which, if violated, could result in substantial penalties and harm our reputation and business.
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In the ordinary course of business, we collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, and share (collectively, processing) personal data and other sensitive information, including proprietary and confidential business data, trade secrets, intellectual property, data we collect about trial participants in connection with clinical trials, and sensitive third-party data.
Our data processing activities may subject us to numerous data privacy and security obligations established in various laws, regulations, guidance, industry standards, external and internal privacy and security policies, contractual requirements, and other obligations relating to data privacy and security, that affect our sales, marketing and other promotional activities by, among other things, limiting the kinds of financial arrangements we may have with hospitals, healthcare providers or other potential purchasers of our products. These laws are often broadly written, and it is often difficult to determine precisely how these laws will be applied to specific circumstances. For example, within the EU, the control of unlawful marketing activities is largely a matter of national law and regulations in each of the EU Member States. There are a variety of organizations and entities within EU Member States which monitor perceived unlawful marketing activities. We could face civil, criminal and administrative sanctions if it is determined that we have breached our obligations in any EU Member State in respect of our marketing activities. Industry associations also closely monitor the activities of member companies. If these organizations or authorities name us as having breached our obligations under their regulations, rules or standards, our reputation would suffer and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected.
In addition, there are numerous U.S. federal, state and local healthcare regulatory laws, and similar foreign laws, including but not limited to, anti-kickback laws, false claims laws, antitrust, privacy laws, and transparency laws. Our relationships with healthcare providers and entities, including but not limited to, hospitals, blood centers, physicians, other healthcare providers, and our customers are subject to scrutiny under these laws. Violations of these laws can subject us to significant penalties, including, but not limited to, administrative, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, or equivalent foreign programs, additional reporting requirements and/or oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment of our operations. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include, but are not limited to:
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Moreover, our business practices are also subject to regulation by national, regional, state and local agencies, including but not limited to the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, HHS Office of Inspector General and other regulatory bodies. For example, on November 29, 2022, we received a civil investigative demand, or the CID, from the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, or the Division, inquiring regarding contracting and information exchange practices related to our products and services. We are unable to predict how long this investigation will continue or its outcome. At this time, the Division has not initiated any claim or proceeding against us relating to these matters. We are working cooperatively with the Division and are currently in the process of responding to the CID. In addition, we are currently and may again in the future become subject to similar investigations by other state or federal government agencies. If the outcome of the CID or any such similar investigation is unfavorable to us, it may result in changes to our business practices, fines, penalties or administrative sanctions against us, negative publicity and/or other negative actions that could materially harm our financial performance and results of operations, as well as our stock price. In addition, we have incurred and we expect to continue to incur significant costs in connection with the CID, regardless of the outcome, and we could incur significant costs in connection with current or potential future similar investigations, which could harm our ability to achieve our financial performance objectives.
In addition, there has been a trend of increased U.S. federal, state and local regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals or entities. The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, imposes annual reporting requirements on device and biologics manufacturers and distributors for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to track and annually report to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, for payments and other transfers of value provided by them, directly or indirectly, to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their family members. Some states, such as California and Connecticut, also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs, and other states, such as Massachusetts and Vermont, impose restrictions on device and biologics manufacturer and distributor marketing practices and tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to healthcare professionals and entities. The shifting commercial compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with different compliance and reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions increase the possibility that we may fail to comply fully with one or more of these requirements.
Outside the United States, interactions between medical devices companies and health care professionals are also governed by strict laws, such as national anti-bribery laws of European countries, national sunshine rules, regulations, industry self-regulation codes of conduct and physicians’ codes of professional conduct. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in reputational risk, public reprimands, administrative penalties, fines or imprisonment.
We are also subject to domestic and foreign laws and regulations covering data privacy and the protection of health-related and other personal information. Domestic privacy and data security laws are complex and changing rapidly. Many states have enacted laws regulating the online collection, use and disclosure of personal information and requiring that companies implement reasonable data security measures. Laws in all states and U.S. territories also require businesses to notify affected individuals, governmental entities and/or credit reporting agencies of certain security breaches affecting personal information. These laws are not consistent, and compliance with them in the event of a widespread data breach is complex and costly.
In the U.S., the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or CCPA, gives California residents expanded rights related to their personal information, including the right to access and delete their personal information, and receive details about how their personal information is used and shared. These create an additional burden on us, as do the restrictions on “sales” of personal information that allow Californians to opt-out of certain sharing of their personal information. The CCPA prohibits discrimination against individuals who exercise their privacy rights, provides for civil penalties for violations and creates a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. Similarly, the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, which became effective on January 1, 2023, restricts use of certain categories of sensitive personal information; further restricts the use of cross-contextual advertising techniques; establishes restrictions on the retention of personal information; expands the types of data breaches subject to the private right of action; and establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce the new law, as well as impose administrative fines. Other states have also enacted data privacy laws. For example, Virginia passed the Consumer Data Protection Act, and Colorado passed the Colorado Privacy Act, both of which differ from the CPRA and also became effective in 2023. We are or may become subject to new, additional, different or changed data privacy laws, at the state or other levels of government, and correspondingly the risk of enforcement action against us could increase because we have or may become subject to additional obligations, and the number of individuals or entities that can initiate actions against us may increase (including individuals, via a private right of action, and state actors).
In the EEA, the General Data Protection Regulation, or EU GDPR, and in the UK the United Kingdom’s implementation of the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR, which are wide-ranging in scope, imposes detailed requirements, in particular, in relation to the control over personal data by individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information that we must provide to the individuals, the documentation we must maintain, the security and confidentiality of the personal data, data breach notification, the legal bases for processing personal data, the exceptions that allow us to process special categories of personal data and the use of third-party processors in connection with the processing of personal data. The EU GDPR and UK GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal
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data out of the EEA and United Kingdom respectively, and authorizes the imposition of large penalties for noncompliance, including the potential for fines of up to 20 million euros under the EU GDPR, 17.5 million pound sterling under the UK GDPR, or in each case, 4% of the annual global revenues of the non-compliant company, whichever is greater. In addition, companies may face private litigation related to processing of personal data brought by classes of data subjects or consumer protection organizations authorized at law to represent their interests.
In the ordinary course of business, we may transfer personal data from Europe and other jurisdictions to the United States or other countries. Europe and other jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal data to other countries. In particular, the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom have significantly restricted the transfer of personal data to the United States and other countries whose privacy laws it generally believes are inadequate. Other jurisdictions may adopt similarly stringent interpretations of their data localization and cross-border data transfer laws. Although there are currently various mechanisms that may be used to transfer personal data from the EEA and UK to the United States in compliance with law, such as the EEA standard contractual clauses, the UK’s International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum, and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the UK extension thereto (which allows for transfers to relevant U.S.-based organizations who self-certify compliance and participate in the Framework), these mechanisms are subject to legal challenges, and there is no assurance that we can satisfy or rely on these measures to lawfully transfer personal data to the United States. If there is no lawful manner for us to transfer personal data from the EEA, the UK or other jurisdictions to the United States, or if the requirements for a legally-compliant transfer are too onerous, we could face significant adverse consequences, including the interruption or degradation of our operations, the need to relocate part of or all of our business or data processing activities to other jurisdictions (such as Europe) at significant expense, increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines and penalties, the inability to transfer data and work with partners, vendors and other third parties, and injunctions against our processing or transferring of personal data necessary to operate our business. Additionally, companies that transfer personal data out of the EEA and UK to other jurisdictions, particularly to the United States, are subject to increased scrutiny from regulators, individual litigants, and activist groups. Some European regulators have ordered certain companies to suspend or permanently cease certain transfers out of Europe for allegedly violating the GDPR’s cross-border data transfer limitations.
The CCPA, CPRA and similar laws in other states, the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR and other international privacy laws have increased our responsibility and potential liability in relation to personal data that we process compared to prior law, including in clinical trials and employee data, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with these laws, which could divert management’s attention and increase our cost of doing business. However, despite our ongoing efforts to bring our practices into compliance with the EU GDPR and the UK GDPR, we may not be successful either due to various factors within our control or other factors outside our control. It is also possible that local courts and data protection authorities may have different interpretations of applicable law, leading to potential inconsistencies in application of these laws. If we are unable to implement sufficient safeguards to ensure that our transfers of personal information from the EEA or the UK are lawful, we will face increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines, and injunctions against processing personal information from the EEA or the UK.
Complying with our obligations under applicable privacy laws, regulations, amendments to or re-interpretations of existing laws and regulations, and contractual or other requirements relating to privacy, data protection, data transfers, data localization, or information security may require us to make changes to our services to enable us or our customers to meet new legal requirements, incur substantial operational costs, modify our data practices and policies, and restrict or otherwise impact our business operations. Any failure or alleged failure (including as a result of deficiencies in our policies, procedures or measures relating to privacy, data security, marketing or communications) by us or by the third parties on which we rely to comply with laws, regulations, policies, legal or contractual obligations, industry standards or regulatory guidance relating to privacy or data security, may result in governmental enforcement actions, including investigations litigation, fines, audits, inspections and other penalties or adverse publicity, additional reporting requirements and/or oversight, bans on processing personal data and orders to destroy or not use personal data. Any of these events could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, or financial condition, including but not limited to: loss of customers; interruptions or stoppages in our business operations; inability to process personal data or to operate in certain jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or inquiry; or substantial changes to our business model or operations. In addition, new regulations, legislative actions or changes in interpretation of existing laws or regulations regarding data privacy and security (together with applicable industry standards) may increase our costs of doing business.
We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-corruption laws, and similar laws with a significant anti-corruption intent in foreign countries. In general, there is a worldwide trend to strengthen anticorruption laws and their enforcement. Any violation of these laws by us or our agents, distributors or joint venture partners could create a substantial liability for us, subject our officers and directors to personal liability and also cause a loss of reputation in the market. We currently operate in many countries where the public sector is perceived as being more or highly corrupt. Our strategic business plans include expanding our business in regions and countries that are rated as higher risk for corruption activity, such as China, India and Russia. Becoming familiar with and implementing the infrastructure necessary to comply with laws, rules and regulations applicable to new business activities and mitigate and protect against corruption risks could be quite costly. In addition, failure by us or our agents, distributors or joint venture partners to comply with these laws, rules and regulations could delay our expansion into high-growth markets, could damage market perception of our business and
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could adversely affect our existing business operations. Increased business in higher risk countries could also subject us and our officers and directors to increased scrutiny and increased liability.
To enforce compliance with the healthcare regulatory laws, federal and state enforcement bodies have increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which have led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, most of these laws apply to not only the actions taken by us, but also actions taken by our distributors and other third-party agents, and healthcare providers with whom we interact. We have limited knowledge and control over the business practices of our distributors and agents, and we may face regulatory action against us as a result of their actions which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.
Legislative, regulatory, or other healthcare reforms may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory approval or CE Certificates of Conformity for our products and to produce, market and distribute our products after approval or certification is obtained.
Regulatory guidance and regulations are often revised or reinterpreted by the regulatory agencies in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new regulations or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of our products. Delays in receipt of, or failure to receive, regulatory approvals or certification for our new products or product configurations would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Federal and state governments in the U.S. have enacted legislation to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system. While the goal of healthcare reform is to expand coverage to more individuals, it also involves increased government price controls, additional regulatory mandates and other measures designed to constrain medical costs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, continues to significantly impact the health care industry. Among other things, the ACA:
There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to numerous provisions of the ACA. For example, on June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. Further, on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or IRA, into law, which among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket cost and creating a manufacturer discount program. It is unclear how any such challenges and the healthcare reform efforts of the Biden administration will impact ACA and our business. The implementation of new health care legislation could result in significant changes to the health care system, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and growth prospects.
More recently, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny in the U.S. to control the rising cost of healthcare. Such scrutiny has resulted in several recent presidential executive orders, congressional inquiries and federal and state legislative activity designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to pricing and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for healthcare products. State legislatures are also increasingly passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control the cost of healthcare, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature, or extent of health reform initiatives that may arise from future legislation or administrative action. We expect that additional U.S. federal and state and foreign healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressure.
The changes to the regulatory system implemented in the EU by the MDR include stricter requirements for clinical evidence and pre-market assessment of safety and performance, new classifications to indicate risk levels, requirements for third-party testing by Notified Bodies, additional requirements for the quality management system, traceability of products and transparency as well a refined responsibility of economic operators. We are also required to provide clinical data in the form of a clinical evaluation report. Fulfilment of the obligations imposed by the MDR may cause us to incur substantial costs. We may be unable to fulfil these obligations, or our Notified Body, where applicable, may consider that we have not adequately demonstrated compliance with our related obligations to merit a CE Certificate of Conformity on the basis of the MDR or continued certification under the MDR.
Moreover, in the EU some countries may require the completion of additional studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular medical device candidate to currently available therapies. This Health Technology Assessment, or HTA process, which is currently
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governed by the national laws of the individual EU Member States, is the procedure according to which the assessment of the public health impact, therapeutic impact and the economic and societal impact of use of a given medical device in the national healthcare systems of the individual country is conducted. The outcome of HTA regarding specific medical device will often influence the pricing and reimbursement status granted to these products by the competent authorities of individual EU Member States. On January 31, 2018, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on health technologies assessment. The proposed regulation is intended to boost cooperation among EU Member States in assessing health technologies, including new medical devices, and providing the basis for cooperation at EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. In December 2021 the HTA Regulation was adopted and entered into force on January 11, 2022. It will apply from 2025 onward. If we are unable to maintain favorable pricing and reimbursement status in EU Member States for product candidates that we may successfully develop and for which we may obtain regulatory approval, any anticipated revenue from and growth prospects for those products in the EU could be negatively affected.
Risks Related to Government Contracts
A significant portion of the funding for the development of the red blood cell system has come and is expected to continue to come from our BARDA agreements, and if BARDA were to eliminate, reduce, delay, or object to extensions for funding of our agreements, it would have a significant, negative impact on our government contract revenues and cash flows, and we may be forced to suspend or terminate our U.S. red blood cell development program or obtain alternative sources of funding. Our ability to be paid by the DoD is predicated on our ability to achieve the stated milestones in the agreement and for the DoD to agree with the successful completion of each.
We anticipate that a significant portion of the funding for the development of the red blood cell system in the United States will come from our agreements with BARDA. The original agreement that we entered into in 2016, or the 2016 Agreement, including its subsequent modifications, provides for reimbursement of certain expenses incurred by us for up to approximately $270.2 million to support the development of the red blood cell system. However, the 2016 Agreement with BARDA only reimburses certain specified development and clinical activities that have been authorized by BARDA pursuant to the base period and certain options of the 2016 Agreement and the potential exercise of subsequent option periods. To date, BARDA has exercised approximately $185.5 million under the base period of the 2016 Agreement and associated options. BARDA will no longer exercise any unexercised options under the 2016 BARDA Agreement. In September 2024, we entered into a new agreement with BARDA, the 2024 Agreement, which includes potential funding of up to approximately $248 million under a base period and subsequent option periods, similar to the 2016 Agreement. Our ability to access the full amount available under the 2024 Agreement is dependent on our success in completing required tasks under the base period and each option period, if and to the extent any option periods are exercised by BARDA, which it may do or not do in its sole discretion. In addition, BARDA is entitled to terminate either of our BARDA agreements for convenience at any time, in whole or in part, and is not required to provide continued funding beyond reimbursement of amounts currently incurred and obligated by us as a result of contract performance. We understand that the 2016 Agreement with BARDA will expire in 2026 and the 2024 Agreement with BARDA will expire in 2030. Under both BARDA agreements, activities covered under the base period and exercised option periods may ultimately take longer than is allowed or cost more than is covered by the respective BARDA agreements, and if we are unable to secure additional funding or allow for additional time for completion, we would have to bear the cost to complete the activities or terminate the activities before completion. In addition, should there be a temporary funding shortfall with any of the activities contemplated, we may need to cease, delay or defer completion of the activities until the funding shortfall is resolved, if ever. For example, we know that certain options are expected to run out of approved amounts under the 2016 Agreement in the near-term. We are uncertain how future U.S. government budgets and debt ceiling will affect BARDA funding. We have hired and maintain staffing, as well as having entered into agreements with third parties to perform activities associated with our BARDA agreements. Should we be unable to fully utilize the personnel or third parties as planned, either because of BARDA funding or time limitations, or other reasons, we may be forced to bear costs that we had anticipated would be covered under our BARDA agreements. Moreover, the continuation of our BARDA agreements depends in large part on our ability to meet development milestones previously agreed to with BARDA and on our compliance with certain operating procedures and protocols. BARDA may suspend or terminate our agreements should we fail to achieve key milestones, or fail to comply with the operating procedures and processes approved by BARDA and its audit agency. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve these milestones or continue to comply with these procedures and protocols. Our ability to meet the expectations of BARDA under our agreements is largely dependent on our ability to attract, hire and retain personnel with competencies that are in short supply. In addition, in many instances we must identify third-party suppliers, negotiate terms acceptable to us and BARDA and ensure ongoing compliance by these suppliers with the obligations covered by our BARDA agreements. If we are unable to provide adequate supplier oversight or if suppliers are unable to comply with the requirements of the agreements, our ability to meet the anticipated milestones may be impaired.
There can also be no assurance that our BARDA agreements will not be terminated, that our BARDA agreements will be extended for existing exercised options or through the exercise of subsequent option periods, that any such extensions would be on terms favorable to us, or that we will otherwise obtain the funding that we anticipate to obtain under our agreements with BARDA. In addition, access to federal contracts is subject to the authorization of funds and approval of our research plans by various organizations within the federal government, including the U.S. Congress. The general economic environment and uncertainty, coupled with tight federal budgets, and
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the lack of congressional unanimity on the national debt ceiling and budget, has led to ambiguity regarding the amount available for government funding. Moreover, changes in government budgets and agendas may result in a decreased and deprioritized emphasis on supporting the development of pathogen reduction technology. While BARDA has provided funding for and has indicated a potential for future funding, the availability and focus for any BARDA funding will likely be finite and may require us to compete with other technologies, both similar and disparate. Furthermore, funding limitations may require certain activities to slow or be deferred which may be impractical to do. In addition, if we are unable to successfully complete contemplated milestones, our agreements with BARDA will be severely limited in scope or could be terminated altogether, and our ability to complete the development activities required for licensure in the U.S. may require additional capital beyond which we currently have. If our BARDA agreements are terminated or suspended, if there is any reduction or delay in funding under our BARDA agreements, or if BARDA determines not to exercise some or all of the options provided for under the agreements, our revenues and cash flows would be significantly and negatively impacted and we may be forced to seek alternative sources of funding, which may not be available on non-dilutive terms, terms favorable to us or at all. If alternative sources of funding are not available, or if we determine that the cost of alternative available capital is too high, we may be forced to suspend or terminate development activities related to the red blood cell system in the U.S. Furthermore, should we be unable to deploy personnel or derive a benefit from fixed study costs or generate data from clinical sites and studies reimbursed by BARDA, our cash flows would be negatively impacted, or we may have to initiate furloughs and layoffs which would likely prove disruptive to our management and operations. This in turn would impair our ability to complete ongoing studies or commence new studies.
In addition, under our BARDA agreements, BARDA will regularly review our development efforts and clinical activities. Under certain circumstances, BARDA may advise us to delay certain activities and invest additional time and resources before proceeding. If we follow such BARDA advice, overall red blood cell program delays and costs associated with additional resources for which we had not planned may result. Also, the costs associated with following such advice may or may not be reimbursed by BARDA under our agreements. Finally, we may decide not to follow the advice provided by BARDA and instead pursue activities that we believe are in the best interests of our red blood cell program and our business, even if BARDA would not reimburse us under our agreements.
We are reimbursed for costs and are compensated by the DoD based on achievement of stated milestones in the agreement. In order for the DoD to pay us, they must agree on the successful completion of each milestone. Should we be unsuccessful in satisfactorily completing the stated milestones or if we encounter delays or disputes with the DoD, our cash flows and anticipated results of operations will be negatively impacted.
Unfavorable provisions in government contracts, including in our contracts with BARDA, FDA and DoD, may harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
U.S. government contracts typically contain unfavorable provisions and are subject to audit and modification by the government at its sole discretion, which will subject us to additional risks. For example, under our agreements with BARDA, the U.S. government has the power to unilaterally:
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Generally, government contracts, including our agreements with BARDA, the FDA and the DoD, contain provisions permitting unilateral termination or modification, in whole or in part, at the U.S. government’s convenience. Termination-for-convenience provisions generally enable us to recover only our costs incurred or committed (plus a portion of the agreed fee) and settlement expenses on the work completed prior to termination. Except for the amount of services received by the government, termination-for-default provisions do not permit recovery of fees. In addition, in the event of termination or upon expiration of our BARDA agreements, the U.S. government may dispute wind-down and termination costs and may question prior expenses under the contract and deny payment of those expenses. Should we choose to challenge the U.S. government for denying certain payments under our BARDA agreements, such a challenge could subject us to substantial additional expenses that we may or may not recover. Further, if any of our government contracts are terminated for convenience, or if we default by failing to perform in accordance with the contract schedule and terms, a significant negative impact on our cash flows and operations could result. Our ability to receive funding under our contract with DoD for the development of pathogen reduced, lyophilized cryoprecipitate is based on achievement of milestones which cannot be guaranteed. If we are unable to achieve any of those milestones, funding may be limited, less than expected, or non-existent for that particular milestone, which in all cases would negatively impact our cash flows and financial results.
In addition, government contracts normally contain additional requirements that may increase our costs of doing business and expose us to liability for failure to comply with these terms and conditions. These requirements include, for example:
If we fail to maintain compliance with these requirements, we may be subject to potential liability and to the termination of our government contracts.
Furthermore, we have entered into and will continue to enter into agreements and subcontracts with third parties, including suppliers, consultants and other third-party contractors, in order to satisfy our contractual obligations under our government contracts. Negotiating and entering into such arrangements can be time-consuming and we may not be able to reach agreement with such third parties. Any such agreement must also be compliant with the terms of our government contracts. Any delay or inability to enter into such arrangements or entering into such arrangements in a manner that is non-compliant with the terms of our contract, may result in violations of our government contracts.
To ensure proper administration of our government contracts, including management of third-party suppliers, consultants or contractors, we must invest and commit resources to undertake significant compliance activities. The diversion of resources from our development and commercial programs to these compliance activities, as well as the exercise by the U.S. government of any rights under these provisions, could materially harm our business.
Laws and regulations affecting government contracts, including our agreements with BARDA, FDA and DoD, make it more costly and difficult for us to successfully conduct our business. Failure to comply with laws and regulations could result in significant civil and criminal penalties and adversely affect our business.
We must comply with numerous laws and regulations relating to the administration and performance of our agreements. Among the most significant government contracting regulations are:
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In addition, as a U.S. government contractor, we are required to comply with applicable laws, regulations and standards relating to our accounting practices and are subject to periodic audits and reviews. As part of any such audit or review, the U.S. government may review the adequacy of, and our compliance with, our internal control systems and policies, including those relating to our purchasing, property, estimating, compensation and management information systems. Based on the results of its audits, the U.S. government may adjust our agreement-related costs and fees, including allocated indirect costs. This adjustment could impact the amount of revenues reported on a historic basis and could impact our cash flows under the contract prospectively. In addition, in the event that the government determines that certain costs and fees were unallowable or determines that the allocated indirect cost rate was higher than the actual indirect cost rate, the government would be entitled to recoup any overpayment from us as a result. In addition, if an audit or review uncovers any improper or illegal activity, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of our agreements, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or prohibition from doing business with the U.S. government. We could also suffer serious harm to our reputation if allegations of impropriety were made against us, which could cause our stock price to decline. In addition, under U.S. government purchasing regulations, some of our costs may not be reimbursable or allowed under our contracts. Further, as a U.S. government contractor, we are subject to an increased risk of investigations, criminal prosecution, civil fraud, whistleblower lawsuits and other legal actions and liabilities as compared to solely private sector commercial companies.
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
We rely on third parties to market, sell, distribute and maintain our products and to maintain customer relationships in certain countries.
We have entered into distribution agreements, generally on a geographically exclusive basis, with distributors in certain regions. We rely on these distributors to obtain and maintain any necessary in-country regulatory approvals, as well as market and sell the INTERCEPT Blood System, provide customer and technical product support, maintain inventories, and adhere to our quality system in all material respects, among other activities. Generally, our distribution agreements require distributors to purchase minimum quantities in a given year over the term of the agreement. Failure by our distributors to meet these minimum purchase obligations may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, failure by our distributors to provide an accurate forecast impacts our ability to predict the timing of product revenue and our ability to accurately forecast our product supply needs. While our contracts generally require distributors to exercise diligence, these distributors may fail to commercialize the INTERCEPT Blood System in their respective territories. For example, our distributors may fail to sell product inventory they have purchased from us to end customers or may sell competing products ahead of or in conjunction with INTERCEPT. In addition, initial purchases of illuminators or INTERCEPT disposable kits by these third parties may not lead to follow-on purchases of platelet and plasma systems’ disposable kits. We have a finite number of illuminators that can be produced under the current approved configuration before a redesigned and approved illuminator is available. Agreements with our distributors typically require the distributor to maintain quality standards that are compliant with standards generally accepted for medical devices. We may be unable to ensure that our distributors are compliant with such standards. Further, we have limited visibility into the identity and requirements of blood banking customers these distributors may have. Accordingly, we may be unable to ensure our distributors properly maintain illuminators sold or provide quality technical services to the blood banking customers to which they sell. In Russia and Belarus, our illuminators and related spare parts are subject to sanctions. We have a number of installed illuminators in Russia and Belarus that require routine maintenance and replacement of spare parts in order to remain in service. We are currently permitted to supply illuminators and spare parts to service existing illuminators installed in Russia and Belarus, under certain conditions and requirements under a special license exception. If the special license exception becomes unavailable to us or if we are unable to meet the conditions and requirements under the special license exception in the future, we will be unable to sell new illuminators or provide spare parts to maintain the installed devices in Russia and Belarus, which would impact our financial results. Additionally, if new sanctions restrictions are placed on our ability to continue to support our business in Russia, Belarus, or other CIS countries, then we may decide to cease that business which would have a detrimental impact on our financial results, our reputation in those countries, and the eligibility of our Russian and Belarusian distributors to participate in public contracts.
Currently, a fairly concentrated number of distributors contribute a meaningful minority of our product revenue and we may have little recourse, short of termination, in the event that a distributor fails to execute according to our expectations and contractual provisions. In the past, we have experienced weaker than expected growth due to declining performance by certain of our distributors. Periodically, we transition certain territories to new distribution partners or our direct sales force where we believe we can improve performance relative to the distributor. Because new distribution partners or our direct sales force may have limited experience marketing and selling our products in certain territories, or at all, we cannot be certain that they will perform better than the predecessor distributor. In certain cases, our distributors hold the regulatory approval to sell INTERCEPT for their particular geography. Termination, loss of exclusivity or transitioning from these distributors may require us to negotiate a transfer of the applicable regulatory approvals to us or new distributors which may be difficult to do in a timely manner, or at all. We expect that our product revenue will be adversely impacted with the loss or transition of one or more of these distributors. If we choose to terminate distributor agreements, we would either need to reach agreement with, qualify, train and supply a replacement distributor or supply and service end-user customer accounts in those territories ourselves. Although our distribution agreements generally provide that the distributor will promptly and efficiently transfer its existing customer agreements to us, there can be no assurance that this will happen in a timely manner or at all or that the distributor will honor its outstanding commitments to us. In addition, terminated distributors may own illuminators placed at customer sites and
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may necessitate us to repurchase those devices or require end-user customers to purchase new devices from us. Additionally, we may need terminated distributors to cooperate with us or a new distributor in transitioning sub-distributor relationships and contracts, hospital contracts, public tenders, or regulatory certificates or licenses held in their name. These factors may be disruptive for our customers and our reputation may be damaged as a result. In certain territories there may not be an alternate distributor capable of covering the entirety of the geography, in which case we may need to contract and manage multiple distributors for a region or a distributor and sub-distributor system. Such complexities will dilute our attention and may result in customer dissatisfaction. Our distribution partners may have more established relationships with potential end user customers than a new distributor or we may have in a particular territory, which could adversely impact our ability to successfully commercialize our products in these territories. In addition, it may take longer for us to be paid if payment timing and terms in these new arrangements are less favorable to us than those in our existing distributor arrangements. As we service end-user accounts directly rather than through distributors, we incur additional expense, our working capital is negatively impacted due to longer periods from cash collection from direct sales customers when compared to the timing of cash collection from our former distribution partners and we may be exposed to additional complexity including local statutory and tax compliance. Current or transitioning distributors may irreparably harm relationships with local existing and prospective customers and our standing with the blood banking community in general. In the event that we are unable to find alternative distributors or mobilize our own sales efforts in the territories in which a particular distributor operates, customer supply, our reputation and our operating results may be adversely affected. In addition, in territories where new distributors are responsible for servicing end-user accounts, there will be a period of transition in order to properly qualify and train these new distributors, which may disrupt the operations of our customers and adversely impact our reputation and operating results. In certain cases where a terminated distributor holds title to illuminators placed in the field, we may choose to buy back the illuminators from the distributor to ensure continuity of service to those customers. If this were to occur, our recognizable product revenue would be negatively impacted.
In February 2021, we entered into an Equity Joint Venture Contract with Shandong Zhongbaokang Medical Implements Co., Ltd., or ZBK, to establish Cerus Zhongbaokang (Shandong) Biomedical Co., LTD., or the JV, for the purpose of developing, obtaining regulatory approval for, and eventual manufacturing and commercialization of the INTERCEPT blood system for platelets and red blood cells in the People’s Republic of China. We own 51% of equity in the JV and consolidate the JV. The JV will need to obtain regulatory approval for the INTERCEPT Blood System for Platelets and Red Blood Cells before it can begin commercializing in China. In order to obtain that regulatory approval, the JV may need to run additional clinical studies in China. We cannot assure you the JV will be successful in meeting the endpoint, once defined, or be successful in meeting any other requirements or that it will ever receive regulatory approval. Furthermore, the JV will need to demonstrate compliance with cybersecurity regulations to obtain approval of the illuminator in China. The current illuminator was not designed with current cybersecurity standards and safeguards. Should the JV be unsuccessful in demonstrating compliance with the contemporary cybersecurity requirements, the ability to obtain approval for INTERCEPT platelets in China may also be impaired. If the JV is unable to obtain regulatory approval to sell INTERCEPT in China, our ability to grow our business and achieve significant revenues in China will be negatively impacted. We may be unable to realize a return on any investment in the JV or we may not be able to monetize any profit or otherwise generate meaningful value from our ownership of the JV.
Our manufacturing supply chain exposes us to significant risks.
We do not own our own manufacturing facilities, but rather manufacture our products using a number of third-party suppliers, many of whom are our sole suppliers for the particular product or component that we procure. We rely on various contracts and our relationships with these suppliers to ensure that the sourced products are manufactured in sufficient quantities, timely, to our exact specifications and at prices we agree upon with the supplier. For example, Fresenius is our sole supplier for the manufacture of finished disposable kits for the platelet and plasma systems. We also rely on other third-party suppliers for other components and products that are currently our sole qualified suppliers for such components and products. In the event Fresenius or any of our other sole qualified suppliers refuses or is unable to continue operating under our supply agreements with them, we may be unable to maintain inventory levels or otherwise meet customer demand, and our business and operating results would be materially and adversely affected. Fresenius may have financial constraints or impose additional financial conditions on us. We may also encounter unforeseen manufacturing difficulties which, at a minimum, may lead to higher than anticipated costs, scrap rates, or delays in manufacturing products. Until we are able to generate data satisfactory to the FDA regarding the stability of platelet products using a component manufactured with a new solvent, our platelet product shelf life is limited to 12 months in the U.S., straining our supply chain and distribution to customers to supply product with sufficient remaining available shelf life. In some cases, our customers have experienced increased outdated product which negatively impacts our results of operations. In addition, our product supply chain requires us to purchase certain components in minimum quantities or make last time purchases of obsolete components and may result in a production cycle of more than one year. Significant disruptions to any of the steps in our supply chain process may result in longer productions cycles which could lead to inefficient use of cash or may impair our ability to supply customers with product. Moreover, the price that we pay to some of our suppliers is dependent on the volume of products or components that we order. If we are unable to meet the volume tiers that afford the most favorable pricing, our gross margins will be negatively impacted.
Facilities at which the INTERCEPT Blood System or its components are manufactured may cease operations for planned or unplanned reasons or may unilaterally change the formulations of certain commercially available reagents that we use, causing at least temporary interruptions in supply. Certain equipment used by manufacturing partners are only used to manufacture our products and are significantly aged and maintained by a limited number of vendors. Should our partners be unable to service and maintain this equipment,
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production volume and quality of our products may be limited. Furthermore, suppliers producing third-party components which are used by our customers and are compatible for use in combination with our products may not be available for a variety of reasons, including manufacturing problems, regulatory delays or audit deficiencies. Should that happen, customers may not be able to use our product with alternate components for which our products are compatible, which in turn, may damage our business. In addition, we may need to identify, validate and qualify additional manufacturing capacity with existing or new suppliers. Further, customer demand for our platelet kits is likely to fully utilize the production capacity of our third-party manufacturer(s). Under the terms of our 2022 Agreement, Fresenius will expand manufacturing of the components and disposable sets to multiple production facilities, following qualification and licensure of such additional facilities. If Fresenius experiences any delays in the qualification and licensure for its new production facilities, then our ability to continue to grow the platelet business will be impaired and our supply and mix of platelet kits or plasma kits will be adversely impacted. Even a temporary failure to supply adequate numbers of INTERCEPT Blood System components may cause an irreparable loss of customer goodwill and potentially irreversible loss of momentum in the marketplace. Although we are actively evaluating alternate suppliers and have made and plan to continue making capital investments to operationalize additional sites within our existing supplier’s networks for certain components and finished kits, we do not have qualified additional sites or suppliers or capacity beyond those on which we currently rely, and we understand that Fresenius relies substantially on sole suppliers of certain materials for our products. In addition, suppliers from whom our contract manufacturers source components and raw materials may cease production or supply of those components to our contract manufacturers. Identification and qualification of alternate suppliers is time consuming and costly, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to demonstrate equivalency of alternate components or suppliers or that we will receive regulatory approval in the U.S. or other jurisdictions. If we conclude that supply of the INTERCEPT Blood System or components from suppliers is uncertain, we may choose to build and maintain inventories of raw materials, work-in-process components, or finished goods, which would consume capital resources faster than we anticipate and may cause our supply chain to be less efficient.
We have purchased a last time build of our current model illuminator due to obsolescence of certain components. As a result, we will not be able to continue manufacturing the current model illuminator. We are currently developing the new illuminator which may take an extended period of time to complete and obtain regulatory approval. Until such time as we obtain approval for the redesigned illuminator, if ever, the demand for illuminators may be higher than the remaining number of illuminators in inventory, resulting in possible customer allocations or loss of sales. We may seek to obtain regulatory approval in certain geographies with the current model illuminator prior to the new model illuminator becoming available. Should regulators require cybersecurity safeguards of the current model illuminator, we may be unable to satisfy such requirements. We anticipate that we will need to continue investing in subsequent versions of the illuminator to enhance functionality and manage obsolescence. We and our customers rely on the availability of spare parts and replacement components to ensure that customer platelet and plasma production is not interrupted. If we are not able to supply spare parts or replace components during the maintenance of customer illuminators, our ability to keep existing customers, increase production for existing customers or sign up new customers may be negatively impacted. We understand that components used in the currently approved illuminator design are no longer commercially available beyond what we have stockpiled or to which we have access under final buy transactions or may become unavailable in the current specifications in the near-term. As components become unavailable or obsolete, we may be required to identify and qualify replacement components for the current model illuminator and in doing so, we may be required to conduct additional studies, which could include clinical trials to demonstrate equivalency or validate any required design or component changes. In addition, our illuminators contain embedded proprietary software that runs on software code we have developed and that we own. Changes to certain components due to obsolescence, illuminator redesign or market demand, may require us to modify the existing software code or to develop new illuminator software. Our ability to develop new illuminator software, correct coding flaws and generally maintain the software code is reliant on third-party contractors who, in some cases, have sole knowledge of the software code. Our ability to develop and maintain the illuminator software may be impaired if we are not able to continue contracting with those key third-party contracted developers or if we are unable to source alternate employees or consultants to do so.
We have signed an agreement with a supplier to produce the new redesigned illuminator. Some of the new components require long order lead times and have required that we procure the components in advance of receiving regulatory approval in order to satisfy demand for our products. While we have validated this new supplier for the redesigned illuminator, until we obtain regulatory approvals and sell our newly designed illuminator, sales of illuminators will be limited to the quantity of the current model illuminator that we have on hand. Furthermore, our ability to maintain the existing installed base of current model of illuminators is limited, in some cases, to the existing stockpiled components that we have on hand and our ability to calibrate light dose on such illuminators is limited to maintaining the bulbs required to operate a calibration station and external radiometers. Any failure to, or delays in, receiving regulatory approvals for the redesigned illuminator, or increased costs associated with mitigating any such delays, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects and impair our sales and ability to penetrate new markets. Our inability to efficiently and timely convert the existing illuminators in the field to the new illuminator, if approved, could negatively impact our ability to maintain the existing installed base.
To meet the growing demand for our products, we are likely to invest in manufacturing capacity at existing or alternative manufacturing sites with existing and alternative suppliers, which could be costly and disruptive to our business. In order to increase and diversify manufacturing capacity, our manufacturing partners have in the past, and may in the future, require us to pay for capital investments in whole or in-part in order to offset the impact of cash flows and risk. In the event that alternate manufacturers or alternate manufacturing
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sites are identified and qualified, we will need to transfer know-how relevant to the manufacture of the INTERCEPT Blood System to such alternate manufacturers and manufacturing sites; however, certain of our supplier’s materials, manufacturing processes and methods are proprietary to them, which will impair our ability to establish alternate sources of supply, even if we are required to do so as a condition of regulatory approval. We may be unable to establish alternate suppliers without having to redesign certain elements of the platelet and plasma systems. Such redesign may be costly, time consuming and require further regulatory review and approvals. We may be unable to identify, select, and qualify such manufacturers or those third parties able to provide support for development and testing activities on a timely basis or enter into contracts with them on reasonable terms, if at all. Furthermore, in order to gain access to certain markets, local or regional manufacturing may be required for certain production aspects of our products. Such requirements will require additional oversight from a quality and supply chain perspective and will potentially dilute any economies of scale we would have otherwise been able to generate from existing supplier sites.
Moreover, the inclusion of components manufactured by new suppliers or by alternate sites within our current network of suppliers could require us to seek new or updated approvals from regulatory authorities, which could result in delays in product delivery. We may not receive any such required regulatory approvals. We cannot assure you that any amendments to existing manufacturing agreements or any new manufacturing agreements that we may enter into will contain terms more favorable to us than those that we currently have with our manufacturers. Many of the existing agreements we have with suppliers contain provisions that we have been operating under for an extended period of time, including pricing. Should we enter into agreements or amend agreements with any manufacturer with less favorable terms, including pricing, our results of operations may be impacted, our recourse against such manufacturers may be limited, and the quality of our products may be impacted. Furthermore, we do not have experience working with partners that are producing our products in multiple sites globally. Should we need to oversee our manufacturers producing components or finished goods for our products in multiple global plants, we may be unsuccessful in providing an adequate level of oversight, may be unable to manage the complexity of such operations, including quality, incur additional costs in managing the global supply chain including capital investments in those plants or become less efficient with our use of cash and working capital.
Raw materials, components or finished product may not meet specifications or may be subject to other non-conformities. In the past, non-conformities in certain component lots have caused delays in manufacturing of INTERCEPT disposable kits. Similarly, we have experienced non-conformities and out of specification results in certain component manufacturing needed for clinical use, commercial sale and regulatory submissions. Non-conformities can increase our expenses and reduce gross margins or result in delayed regulatory submissions or clinical trials. Any quality failure in manufacturing by our suppliers may result in a significant write down and impact to our reported gross margins. Should non-conformities occur in the future, we may be unable to manufacture products to support our red blood cell clinical trials, or to meet customer demand for our commercial products, which would result in delays for our clinical programs, or lost sales for our commercial products, and could cause irreparable damage to our customer relationships. Later discovery of problems with a product, manufacturer or facility may result in additional restrictions on the product, manufacturer or facility, including withdrawal of the product from the market.
In addition, we may not receive timely or accurate demand information from distributors or direct customers, or may not accurately forecast demand ourselves for the INTERCEPT Blood System. Should actual demand for our products exceed our own forecasts or forecasts that customers provide, we may be unable to fulfill such orders timely, if at all. Should we be unable to fulfill demand, our reputation and business prospects may be impaired.
Further, certain distributors and customers require, and potential future distributors or customers may require, product with a minimum shelf life. If customers requiring minimum shelf-lives order smaller quantities or do not purchase product as we anticipate, or at all, we may have elevated inventory levels with relatively short shelf-lives which may lead to increased write-offs and inefficient use of our cash. Should we choose not to fulfill smaller orders with minimum shelf lives, our product sales may be harmed. We will need to destroy or consume outdated inventory in product demonstration activities, which may in turn lead to elevated product demonstration costs and/or reduced gross margins. In order to meet minimum shelf-life requirements, we may need to manufacture sufficient product to meet estimated forecasted demand. As a result, we may carry excess work-in-process or finished goods inventory, which would consume capital resources and may become obsolete, or our inventory may be inadequate to meet customer demand. Our platelet and plasma systems’ disposable kits have 12 to 24 months shelf lives from the date of manufacture. Should we change or modify any of our product configurations or components, such future configurations of our products may not achieve the same shelf life that existing products have. For instance, until we are able to generate data satisfactory to the FDA regarding the stability of platelet products using a component manufactured with a new solvent, our platelet product shelf life will be limited to 12 months in the U.S. Given the short shelf life in the U.S. and logistical challenges of producing the products in Europe before shipping to the U.S., we may incur elevated air freight costs, may receive requests by customers to return expired product or we may not be able to supply product to customers in the U.S. with sufficient shelf life, each of which would negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, we may need to impair the value of any purchased inventory if we believe we will not be able to supply product to U.S. customers with sufficient shelf life. We and our distributors may be unable to ship product to customers prior to the expiration of the product shelf life, a risk that is heightened if we elect to increase our inventory levels in order to mitigate supply disruptions. We have entered into certain public tenders or may enter into commercial contracts with customers, that call for us to maintain certain minimum levels of inventory. If our suppliers fail to produce components or our finished products satisfactorily, timely, at acceptable costs, and in sufficient quantities, we may incur delays, shortfalls and additional expenses, or non-compliance with certain public tenders which may in turn result in penalty fees, permanent
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harm to our customer relations or loss of customers. In addition, certain large national prospective customers, like those in the UK or Japan, may choose to convert all of their operations to INTERCEPT. Should we or our suppliers encounter any manufacturing issues or if we and our suppliers are not able to build more manufacturing capacity, we may not be able to satisfy all of the global demand or may have to allocate available product to certain customers which may force customers to adopt competing products, which could permanently impact our ability to convert those customers to INTERCEPT users and may negatively impact our customers operations and consequently, our competitive position and reputation. Conversely, we may choose to overstock inventory in order to mitigate any unforeseen potential disruption to manufacturing which could consume our cash resources faster than we anticipate and may cause our supply chain to be less efficient.
The current conflict in the Middle East and impact on shipping routes may result in increased costs to ship our products via ocean and meet our supply chain requirements. Should the conflict continue or worsen, or if it begins to impact our costs or ability to secure shipping, or if we are unable to ship products and components to meet our supply chain demand, we may encounter delays, and/or have to rely on air freight which is significantly more expensive than ocean shipment.
Until we sell sufficient INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation kits to blood center affiliate organizations, expand the number of manufacturing partners producing IFC for us, our IFC sales will be limited. Additionally, because IFC are products derived from our INTERCEPT Blood System for plasma, any supply disruptions or failures that could impact our plasma system will have a negative direct impact on the production of IFC. The pricing for plasma derived products has become increasingly competitive and has placed a strain on the availability of plasma for production of IFC. Should this constraint escalate or be prolonged, our costs may increase, or we may be unable to meet the demand we and others have generated for IFC. Should that occur, the dependability of a consistent supply may be called into question and customers and prospective customers may choose not to use IFC for their operations. We currently have no experience with customer expectations regarding turnover or inventory levels of IFC held at either our blood center manufacturing partners or at the hospitals themselves. Our IFC product has a shelf life of five days from thaw before it expires. To mitigate product expiration, should hospitals require that we use a consigned inventory model whereby unused product at the hospital at expiration is replaced with fresh product at reduced or no cost to the hospital, we may need to keep additional inventory or manufacture IFC above levels generating an economic return, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Obsolescence or shortage of raw materials, key components of and accessories to the INTERCEPT Blood System, may impact our ability to supply our customers, may negatively impact the operational costs of our customers and may increase the prices at which we sell our products, resulting in slower than anticipated growth or negative future financial performance.
The manufacture, supply and availability of key components of, and accessories to, our products are dependent upon a limited number of third parties and the commercial adoption and success of our products is dependent upon the continued availability of these components or accessories. For example, our customers rely on continued availability of third-party sets, supplied plastics, saline and reagents for processing, storing and manufacturing blood components. If the blood product industry experiences shortages of these components or accessories, or if manufacturers cease production of these components or accessories, the availability and use of our products may be impaired.
With respect to the manufacture of our products, our third-party manufacturers source components and raw materials for the manufacture of the INTERCEPT processing sets. Certain of these components are no longer commercially available, are nearing end-of-life or are available only from a limited number of suppliers. We and our third-party manufacturers do not have guaranteed supply contracts with all of the raw material or component suppliers for our products, which magnify the risk of shortage and obsolescence and decreases our manufacturers’ ability to negotiate pricing with their suppliers. For example, a solvent used in the manufacture of the plastic beads for the compound adsorption devices used for our products is no longer available. Accordingly, we purchased all remaining existing material. We will need to qualify plastic beads produced with a new solvent prior to consuming available inventory levels. If we are unable to use all of the raw material produced during the final production run, or if the final material produces suboptimal results, we may require customers to modify their operating practices, or run out of material before an alternate material can be qualified. Moreover, we may be required to impair or write-off the value of any unused last-time-buy raw materials or components. Customers may object to changes in operating practices or changes to the instructions for use, and a potential negative impact on their operations as a result of the use of this material, could impair our reputation or customer acceptance of our products. Changes in environmental, safety or other regulations may require change to our products which would result in increased distraction of personnel and increased cost. For instance, certain plasticizers may be phased out. Should that occur, finding, validating and demonstrating comparability of an alternative may be time consuming and costly, if feasible at all. Any shortage, obsolescence or discontinuation of raw materials, components or accessories or our inability to control costs associated with raw materials, components or accessories, could increase our costs to manufacture our products or increase our costs to supply our customers. Further, if any supplier to our third-party manufacturers is unwilling or unable to provide high quality raw materials in required quantities and at acceptable prices, our manufacturers may be unable to find alternative sources or may fail to find alternative suppliers at commercially acceptable prices, on satisfactory terms, in a timely manner, or at all. Furthermore, we do not yet know whether or not certain components or accessories used by blood center operators or used in the production of INTERCEPT will comply with the new standards under the MDR. Failure to comply with the new standards timely may result in a disruption to blood center operations or the manufacture of the INTERCEPT Blood System. If any of these events were to occur, our product quality, competitive position, reputation and business could suffer, we could experience cancellations of customer
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orders, refusal by customers to accept deliveries or a reduction in our prices and margins to the detriment of our financial performance and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements
We expect to continue to generate losses and we may never achieve a profitable level of operations.
Our cost of product sold, research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses have resulted in substantial losses since our inception. While our net losses have recently narrowed, at our expected and guided sales levels of the platelet, plasma and cryoprecipitation systems, and of IFC, our costs to manufacture, distribute, market, and sell our products, support the systems and develop new products will likely be in excess of our product revenue. In particular, it is expensive and time consuming to continually address ever-changing regulatory requirements whether those changes are due to changes in the requirements or changes in our products to expand or maintain our products’ label claims. Furthermore, the cost of complying with increased oversight and changing requirements under U.S. GAAP, the SEC and PCAOB and other administrative regulators are expected to continue to increase and may be unsustainable or increase faster than the anticipated revenue growth. In addition, we expect to incur additional research and development costs associated with the development of different configurations of existing product candidates and products and our illuminator, development of new products, planning, enrolling and completing ongoing clinical and non-clinical studies, including the post-approval studies or registry studies we are and may be required to conduct in connection with the approvals of the platelet system, pursuing potential regulatory approvals in other geographies where we do not currently sell our platelet and plasma systems, planning and conducting in vitro studies and clinical development of our red blood cell system in Europe and the U.S., and completing activities to support a potential new MDR application to obtain a CE Certificate of Conformity and to affix the CE Mark to the red blood cell system in the EU. These costs could be substantial and could extend the period during which we expect to operate at a loss, particularly if we experience any difficulties or delays in completing the activities. In addition, we may be required to reduce the sales price for our products in order to make our products economically attractive to our customers and to governmental and private payors, or to compete favorably with other blood safety interventions or other pathogen reduction technologies, which may reduce or altogether eliminate any gross profit on sales.
If we fail to obtain the capital necessary to fund our future operations or if we are unable to generate positive cash flows from our operations, we will need to curtail planned development or sales and commercialization activities.
Until we are able to generate a sufficient amount of product revenue and generate positive net cash flows from operations, which we may never do, meeting our long-term capital requirements is in large part reliant on continued access to funds under our government contracts and the public and private equity and debt capital markets, as well as on collaborative arrangements with partners, augmented by cash generated from operations, if at all, and interest income earned on the investment of our cash balances. While we believe that our available cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, as well as cash received from product sales and under our agreements with BARDA, the FDA, and the DoD, will be sufficient to meet our capital requirements for at least the next 12 months, if we are unable to generate sufficient product revenue, or access sufficient funds under our government contracts or the public and private equity and debt capital markets, we may be unable to execute successfully on our operating plan. We have based our cash sufficiency estimate on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect. If our assumptions prove to be incorrect, we could consume our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect or in excess of amounts than we currently expect, which could adversely affect our commercialization and clinical development activities. In addition, while our stated goal is to achieve profitability in the future, actual results may be different than our forecasted operating plan and may require that we make certain trade-offs to potentially achieve profitability. Such trade-offs may negatively impact our commercial potential or result in deferrals in development activities.
We have borrowed and in the future may borrow additional capital from institutional and commercial banking sources to fund future growth, including pursuant to our Amended and Restated Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Term Loan), or the Amended Term Loan Credit Agreement, and our Amended and Restated Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (Revolving Loan), or the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, both with MidCap Financial Trust, or MidCap, or potentially pursuant to new arrangements with different lenders. We have borrowed and may in future borrow funds on terms that may include restrictive covenants, including covenants that restrict the operation of our business, liens on assets, high effective interest rates, financial performance covenants and repayment provisions that reduce cash resources and limit future access to capital markets. In addition, unless we restructure our credit agreements prior to April 1, 2026, the principal amounts outstanding under our Term Loan Credit Agreement will begin amortizing and will require us to pay amounts as they come due in cash, which would negatively impact our available working capital beyond the next 12 months. Should interest rates continue to increase, the rates that we are obligated to pay under our credit agreements would likely increase, potentially leading to higher interest expense. In addition, we expect to continue to opportunistically seek access to the equity capital markets to support our development efforts and operations. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration or partnering arrangements, we may be required to relinquish some of our rights to our technologies or rights to market and sell our products in certain geographies, grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us, or issue equity that may be substantially dilutive to our stockholders. Moreover, recent developments in the financial services industry could cause us to experience liquidity constraints or failures, hinder our ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, and result in further disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets. In addition, widespread investor concerns regarding the
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U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill our other obligations, result in breaches of our financial and/or contractual obligations or result in violations of federal or state wage and hour laws. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our current and/or projected business operations and financial condition and results of operations.
As a result of economic conditions, general global economic uncertainty, political change, war, the effects of inflationary pressures and other factors including recent and potential U.S. bank failures, we do not know whether additional capital will be available when needed, or that, if available, whether we will be able to obtain additional capital on reasonable terms. Specifically, monetary policies of many countries, as well as recent bank failures, have significantly disrupted global financial markets, and may limit our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. As a result of stimulus programs put in place over the past two years, the U.S. and many countries are currently experiencing an inflationary environment. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised, and may again raise, interest rates, in response to concerns about inflation. Moreover, the U.S. Federal Reserve may not lower interest rates as quickly as markets expect, if at all, which in turn could negatively impact equity values, including the value of our common stock. Furthermore, our vendors and suppliers may raise prices in an inflationary environment, costs to transport our products may increase and access to timely shipping may be limited. If we are unable to raise additional capital due to the volatile global financial markets, general economic uncertainty or other factors, we may need to curtail planned development or commercialization activities. In addition, we may need to obtain additional funds to complete development activities for the red blood cell system necessary for CE Certificates of Conformity in the EU, if costs are higher than anticipated or we encounter further delays. In this regard, our product development costs not reimbursed by our BARDA agreements will be prolonged in connection with our failure to obtain approval of our MDR application and the potential submission of a new MDR application. Development costs not covered by our BARDA agreements may increase if existing clinical data is insufficient for us to either submit or potentially obtain approval of any such new application. We may need to obtain additional funding to conduct additional randomized controlled clinical trials for existing or new products, particularly if we are unable to access any additional portions of the funding contemplated by our government contracts, and we may choose to defer such activities until we can obtain sufficient additional funding or, at such time, our existing operations provide sufficient cash flow to conduct these trials.
Covenants in our Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement can restrict our business and operations in many ways and if we do not effectively manage our covenants, our financial conditions and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, our operations may not provide sufficient cash to meet the repayment obligations of our debt incurred under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement.
As of September 30, 2024, our total indebtedness under our Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement was approximately $83.4 million. All of our current and future assets, except for intellectual property and certain investments in subsidiaries and affiliates, are secured for our borrowings under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement. The Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement require that we comply with certain covenants applicable to us and our subsidiary, including among other things, covenants restricting dispositions, changes in business, management, ownership or business locations, mergers or acquisitions, indebtedness, encumbrances, distributions, investments, transactions with affiliates and subordinated debt, any of which could restrict our business and operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in our business or to take specified actions to take advantage of certain business opportunities that may be presented to us. Our failure to comply with any of the covenants could result in a default under the Term Loan Credit Agreement or the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, which could permit the lenders to declare all or part of any outstanding borrowings to be immediately due and payable, or to refuse to permit additional borrowings under the Term Loan Credit Agreement or the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement. In addition, our failure to comply with certain financial covenants could result in the lenders obtaining a security interest in our intellectual property. If we are unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under the Term Loan Credit Agreement or the Revolving Loan Credit Agreement could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that debt, which would seriously harm our business. In addition, should we be unable to comply with these or certain other covenants or if we default on any portion of our outstanding borrowings, the lenders can also impose an exit fee of a percentage of the amount borrowed pursuant to the Term Loan Credit Agreement. Unless we prepay the principal amount due or meet the requirements for and choose to extend the interest only period of the Term Loan we will be required to make principal payments beginning in April 2026 until March 1, 2028 if not repaid sooner.
Risks Related to Managing Our Growth and Other Business Risks
We operate a complex global commercial organization, with limited experience in many countries. We have limited resources and experience complying with regulatory, legal, tax and political complexities as we expand into new and increasingly broad geographies. We may be distracted by expansion into new geographies where we do not have experience and we may be unsuccessful in monetizing such opportunities for the benefit of our organization at large.
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We are responsible for worldwide sales, marketing, distribution, maintenance and regulatory support of the INTERCEPT Blood System. If we fail in our efforts to develop or maintain such internal competencies or establish acceptable relationships with third parties to support us in these areas on a timely basis, our ability to commercialize the INTERCEPT Blood System may be irreparably harmed.
We will need to maintain and may need to increase our competence and size in a number of functions, including sales, deployment and product support, marketing, regulatory, inventory and logistics, customer service, credit and collections, risk management, and quality assurance systems in order to successfully support our commercialization activities in all of the jurisdictions we currently sell and market, or anticipate selling and marketing, our products. Many of these competencies require compliance with U.S., EU, South American, Asian and local standards and practices, including regulatory, legal and tax requirements, some of which we have limited experience. In this regard, should we obtain regulatory approval in an increased number of geographies, we will need to ensure that we maintain a sufficient number of personnel or develop new business processes to ensure ongoing compliance with the multitude of regulatory requirements in those territories. Hiring, training and retaining new personnel is costly, time consuming and distracting to existing employees and management. Currently, we, third-party suppliers and vendors and customers are experiencing an extremely tight labor market exacerbating our ability to attract and retain talent. Furthermore, a significant component of our employee compensation and retention practice involves stock-based compensation. Given the pull back in our stock price, key talent may not find our stock-based compensation to be a compelling reason to stay employed at Cerus. We have limited experience operating on a global scale and we may be unsuccessful complying with the variety and complexity of laws and regulations in a timely manner, if at all. In addition, in some cases, the cost of obtaining approval and maintaining compliance with certain regulations and laws may exceed the product revenue that we recognize from such a territory, which would adversely affect our results of operations and could adversely affect our financial condition. Furthermore, we may choose to seek alternative ways to sell or treat blood components with our products. These may include new business models, which may include selling kits to blood centers, performing inactivation ourselves, staffing blood centers or selling services or other business model changes. We have no experience with these types of business models, or the regulatory requirements or licenses needed to pursue such new business models. We cannot assure you that we will pursue such business models or if we do, that we will be successful. For example, in early 2021, we formed a joint venture with a Chinese entity with the intent to develop and commercialize blood transfusion products to enhance blood safety in the People’s Republic of China. Our involvement in the joint venture may be a distraction for our management and impair our ability to successfully and timely manage our other operations. Additionally, the operations of the joint venture may require future capital infusion from us and we may never see a return from our investment in the joint venture.
Adverse market and economic conditions may exacerbate certain risks affecting our business.
Sales of our products are dependent on purchasing decisions of and/or reimbursement from government health administration authorities, distribution partners and other organizations. As a result of adverse conditions affecting the global economy and credit and financial markets, disruptions due to political instability, terrorist attacks or war, economies and currencies largely affected by declining commodity prices, inflationary pressures or otherwise, these organizations may defer purchases, may be unable to satisfy their purchasing or reimbursement obligations, or may delay payment for the INTERCEPT Blood System, and of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
In the past, a meaningful amount of our product revenue has come from sales to distributors for the Russian and CIS country markets, as well as Middle Eastern markets. While we believe that all patients wanting access to INTERCEPT-treated blood components should have access, Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the elevated U.S. and EU sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus has made servicing our distributors in Russia and Belarus more difficult. Additionally, the state of war between Israel and Hamas, the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and the risk of a larger regional conflict may affect our business. We understand that certain of our products are now prohibited to be sold under U.S. sanctions against Russia. While we have received a license to continue ensuring that Russian and Belarusian patients can receive INTERCEPT products, we cannot assure you that the license will be effective for an extended period of time, if at all. Even though we obtained the license, banking restrictions have made transacting with Russian and Belarusian customers much more difficult. If these challenges persist or worsen, we may not be able to continue transacting with those customers. Furthermore, because of the severe devaluation of the Russian ruble in the currency markets, our products have become more costly for the Russian market. Should the situation persist or worsen, including additional sanctions in response to the war, we may be unable to service our Russian and Belarusian distributors. Furthermore, a larger portion of the Russian economy may be spent fighting the war against Ukraine which may have a negative impact on overall healthcare budgets. Weakness and/or instability in worldwide oil demand and/or prices, civil, political and economic disturbances and any potential spillover effect may have a negative impact on markets that we service.
Risks associated with our operations outside of the United States could adversely affect our business.
We have operations and conduct business outside the United States and we plan to expand these activities. Consequently, we are, and will continue to be, subject to risks related to operating in foreign countries, which include:
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For example, product sales of the INTERCEPT Blood System in many countries outside of the U.S. are typically invoiced to customers in Euros. In addition, we purchase finished INTERCEPT disposable kits for our platelet and plasma systems and incur certain operating expenses in Euros and other foreign currencies. Our exposure to foreign exchange rate volatility is a direct result of our product sales, cash collection and cash payments for expenses to support our international operations. Significant fluctuations in the volatility of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar may materially affect our results of operations. In addition, in a period where the U.S. dollar is strengthening/weakening as compared to Euros and other currencies we transact in, our product revenues and expenses denominated in Euros or other foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at a lower/higher value than they would be in an otherwise constant currency exchange rate environment. Currently we do not have a formal hedging program to mitigate the effects of foreign currency volatility. As our commercial operations grow globally, our operations are exposed to more currencies and as a result our exposure to foreign exchange risk will continue to grow.
Additionally, all of the employees of our subsidiary, Cerus Europe B.V., are employed outside the U.S., including in France, where labor and employment laws are relatively stringent and, in many cases, grant significant job protection to certain employees, including rights on termination of employment. In addition, one of our manufacturing partners that we are dependent on is located in France and may have employees that are members of unions or represented by a works council as required by law. These more stringent labor and employment laws to the extent that they are applicable, coupled with the requirement to consult with the relevant unions or works’ councils, could increase our operational costs with respect to our own employees and could result in passed through operational costs by our manufacturing partner. If the increased operational costs become significant, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted, perhaps materially.
Finally, following the result of a referendum in 2016, the UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, commonly referred to as “Brexit.” We may face new regulatory costs and challenges as a result of Brexit that could have a material adverse effect on our operations as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Altered regulations could add time and expense to the process by which our product candidates receive regulatory approval or certification in the EU. Given the lack of comparable precedent, it is unclear what financial, regulatory, trade and legal implications the withdrawal of the UK from the EU will ultimately have and how such withdrawal will affect us.
If we fail to attract, retain and motivate key personnel or to retain the members of our executive management team, our operations and our future growth may be adversely affected.
We are highly dependent upon our executive management team and other critical personnel, including our specialized research and development, regulatory and operations personnel, many of whom have been employed with us for many years and have a significant amount of institutional knowledge about us and our products. We do not carry “key person” insurance. If one or more members of our executive management team or other key personnel were to retire or resign, our ability to achieve development, regulatory or operational milestones for commercialization of our products could be adversely affected if we are unable to replace them with employees of comparable knowledge and experience. In addition, we may not be able to retain or recruit other qualified individuals, and our efforts
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at knowledge transfer could be inadequate. If knowledge transfer, recruiting and retention efforts are inadequate, significant amounts of internal historical knowledge and expertise could become unavailable to us. We also rely on our ability to attract, retain and motivate skilled and highly qualified personnel in order to grow our company. Our depressed stock price negatively impacts our ability to provide perceived valuable equity compensation to our employees, including executive management. Competition for qualified personnel in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry is very intense. Labor shortages of qualified personnel is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and has required that we broaden our searches and change the way we operate. If we are unable to attract, retain and motivate quality individuals, our business, financial condition, ability to perform under our BARDA agreements, or results of operations and growth prospects could be adversely affected. Even if we are able to identify and hire qualified personnel commensurate with our growth objectives and opportunities, the process of integrating new employees is time consuming, costly and distracting to existing employees and management. Such disruptions may have an adverse impact on our operations, our ability to service existing markets and customers, or our ability to comply with regulations and laws.
Virtually all of our research and development activities and the significant majority of our general and administrative activities are performed in or managed from a single site that may be subject to lengthy business interruption in the event of a severe earthquake. We also may suffer loss of computerized information and may be unable to make timely filings with regulatory agencies in the event of catastrophic failure of our data storage and backup systems.
Much of our research and development activities and the significant portion of our general and administrative activities are performed in or managed from our facilities in Concord, California, which are within an active earthquake fault zone and are located near a small plane airport. Should a severe earthquake occur or a plane crash into our site, we might be unable to occupy our facilities or conduct research and development and general and administrative activities in support of our business and products until such time as our facilities could be repaired and made operational. Our property and casualty and business interruption insurance in general does not cover losses caused by earthquakes. While we have taken certain measures to protect our scientific, technological and commercial assets, a lengthy or costly disruption due to an earthquake would have a material adverse effect on us. We have also taken measures to limit damage that may occur from the loss of computerized data due to power outage, system or component failure or corruption of data files. However, we may lose critical computerized data, which may be difficult or impossible to recreate, which may harm our business. We may be unable to make timely filings with regulatory agencies in the event of catastrophic failure of our data storage and backup systems, which may subject us to fines or adverse consequences, up to and including loss of our ability to conduct business.
Significant disruptions of information technology systems or actual or alleged breaches of data security could adversely affect our business.
Our business is increasingly dependent on complex and interdependent information technology systems, including internet-based systems, databases and programs, to support our business processes as well as internal and external communications. These include those that are used directly by our operations and those used by critical service providers and suppliers, including our manufacturing partners. As use of information technology systems has increased, deliberate attacks, attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and networks, and unintentional actions or inactions that expose us to security vulnerabilities and incidents have increased in frequency and sophistication. Our and our supplier’s information technology, systems and networks are potentially vulnerable to breakdown, ransomware, supply chain attacks, malicious intrusion and computer viruses which may result in the impairment of production and key business processes or loss of data or information. We and our suppliers are also potentially vulnerable to data security breaches-whether by (a) intentional or accidental actions or inactions or (b) employees or others-which may expose sensitive data to unauthorized persons. For example, we have in the past and may in the future be subject to “phishing” attacks in which third parties send emails purporting to be from reputable sources. Phishing attacks may attempt to obtain personal information, infiltrate our systems to initiate wire transfers or otherwise obtain proprietary or confidential information. Although we have not experienced any losses as a result of such attacks or any other breaches of data security, such breaches could lead to the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, or could lead to the public exposure of personal information (including sensitive personal information) of our employees, clinical trial patients, distributors, customers and others.
We may be subject to contractual, regulatory, or legal requirements that obligate us to use industry-standard or reasonable security measures to safeguard personal information. A security breach could lead to claims by our customers or other relevant stakeholders that we have failed to comply with such legal or contractual obligations. As a result, we could be subject to legal action or our customers could end their relationships with us. There can be no assurance that the limitations of liability in our contracts would be enforceable or adequate or would otherwise protect us from liabilities or damages, and in some cases our customer agreements do not limit our remediation costs or liability with respect to data breaches.
Litigation resulting from security incidents may adversely affect our business. Actual or alleged unauthorized access to our platform, systems, networks, or physical facilities, or those of our vendors, could result in litigation with our customers or other relevant stakeholders. These proceedings could force us to spend money in defense or settlement, divert management’s time and attention, increase our costs of doing business, or adversely affect our reputation. We could be required to fundamentally change our business activities and practices or modify our products and/or platform capabilities in response to such litigation, which could have an adverse effect on our business. If a security breach were to occur, and the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of personal information was
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disrupted, we could incur significant liability, or our platform, systems, or networks may be perceived as less desirable, which could negatively affect our business and damage our reputation.
We know that certain of our suppliers have been successfully attacked by certain malware aimed at extracting a ransom. Should such ransomware breaches occur in the future, production may be impacted, information exfiltrated or other records and information compromised or lost. Breaches and other inappropriate access can be difficult to detect and any delay in identifying them could increase their harm. While we have implemented security measures designed to protect our data security and information technology systems, such measures may not prevent such events. Notifications and follow-up actions related to a security breach of one of our suppliers could impact our reputation, cause us to incur significant costs, including legal expenses and remediation costs.
Any such breaches of security and inappropriate access could disrupt our operations, harm our reputation or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, the costs to respond to a security breach and/or to mitigate any security vulnerabilities that may be identified could be significant, our efforts to address these problems may not be successful, and these problems could result in interruptions, delays, cessation of service, negative publicity, loss of customer trust, less use of our products and services as well as other harms to our business and our competitive position. Remediation of any potential security breach may involve significant time, resources, and expenses, which may result in potential regulatory inquiries, litigation or other investigations, and can affect our financial and operational condition.
While we have attempted to limit our liability in our contracts, there can be no assurance that contractual limitations of liability are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations. We cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and application of existing, new and proposed tax laws and regulations could materially affect our tax obligations and effective tax rate.
The tax regimes to which we are subject or under which we operate are unsettled and may be subject to significant change. The issuance of additional guidance related to existing or future tax laws, or changes to tax laws or regulations proposed or implemented by the current or a future U.S. presidential administration, Congress, or taxing authorities in other jurisdictions, including jurisdictions outside of the United States, could materially affect our tax obligations and effective tax rate. To the extent that such changes have a negative impact on us, including as a result of related uncertainty, these changes may adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
The amount of taxes we pay in different jurisdictions depends on the application of the tax laws of various jurisdictions, including the United States, to our international business activities, tax rates, new or revised tax laws, or interpretations of tax laws and policies, and our ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. The taxing authorities of the jurisdictions in which we operate may challenge our methodologies for pricing intercompany transactions pursuant to our intercompany arrangements or disagree with our determinations as to the income and expenses attributable to specific jurisdictions. If such a challenge or disagreement were to occur, and our position was not sustained, we could be required to pay additional taxes, interest, and penalties, which could result in one-time tax charges, higher effective tax rates, reduced cash flows, and lower overall profitability of our operations. Our financial statements could fail to reflect adequate reserves to cover such a contingency. Similarly, a taxing authority could assert that we are subject to tax in a jurisdiction where we believe we have not established a taxable connection, often referred to as a “permanent establishment” under international tax treaties, and such an assertion, if successful, could increase our expected tax liability in one or more jurisdictions.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes is uncertain and may be limited.
Our ability to use our federal and state net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards to offset potential future taxable income and related income taxes that would otherwise be due is dependent upon our generation of future taxable income before the expiration dates of the NOL carryforwards (if any), and we cannot predict with certainty when, or whether, we will generate sufficient taxable income to use all of our NOL carryforwards. Under current law, U.S. federal NOL carryforwards incurred in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal NOL carryforwards in a taxable year is limited to 80% of taxable income in such year. In general, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOL carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research and development credit carryforwards) to offset its post-change taxable income or taxes may be limited. Our equity offerings and other changes in our stock ownership, some of which are outside of our control, may have resulted or could in the future result in an ownership change. Although we have completed studies to provide reasonable assurance that an ownership change limitation would not apply, we cannot be certain that a taxing authority would reach the same conclusion. If, after a review or audit, an ownership change limitation were to apply, utilization of our domestic NOL and tax credit carryforwards could be limited in future periods and a portion of such carryforwards could expire before being utilized to reduce future income tax liabilities. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of NOL carryforwards is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase
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state taxes owed. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, we may be unable to use all or a material portion of our NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us and adversely affect our future cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property or operate our business without infringing intellectual property rights of others.
Our commercial success will depend, in part, on obtaining and maintaining patent protection on our products and successfully defending our products against third-party challenges. Our technology will be protected from unauthorized use only to the extent that it is covered by valid and enforceable patents or effectively maintained as trade secrets. As a result, our success depends in part on our ability to:
We cannot be certain that our patents or patents that we license from others will be enforceable and afford protection against competitors. Our patents or patent applications, if issued, may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. Our patent rights may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages against competitors with similar technologies. Others may independently develop technologies similar to ours or independently duplicate our technologies. For example, we are aware of an expired U.S. patent issued to a third-party that covers methods to remove psoralen compounds from blood products. We have reviewed the patent and believe there exist substantial questions concerning its validity. We cannot be certain, however, that a court would hold the patent to be invalid or not infringed by our platelet or plasma systems. In this regard, whether or not we have infringed this patent will not be known with certainty unless and until a court interprets the patent in the context of litigation. In the event that we are found to have infringed any valid claim of this patent, we may, among other things, be required to pay damages. Our patents expire at various dates between 2025 and 2040. In addition, we have a license from Fresenius to U.S. and foreign patents relating to the INTERCEPT Blood System, which expire in 2024. Due to the extensive time required for development, testing and regulatory review of our potential products, our patents may expire or remain in existence for only a short period following commercialization. This would reduce or eliminate any advantage of the patents.
We cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions covered by each of our issued patents or pending patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. We may need to license the right to use third-party patents and intellectual property to continue development and commercialization of our products. We may not be able to acquire such required licenses on acceptable terms, if at all. If we do not obtain such licenses, we may need to design around other parties’ patents, or we may not be able to proceed with the development, manufacture or sale of our products.
Our patents do not cover all of the countries in which we are selling, and planning to sell, our products. We will not be able to prevent potential competitors from using our technology in countries where we do not have patent coverage. Further, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S., including the CIS countries, China and other jurisdictions where we are currently expanding or seeking to expand our commercialization efforts through distributors or otherwise. For example, we recently formed a joint venture with the intent to develop and commercialize blood transfusion products to enhance blood safety in the Peoples Republic of China. The prosecution of intellectual property infringement and trade secret theft in China is more difficult and unpredictable than in the United States, and we may also have limited legal recourse in the event our intellectual property rights are infringed. In any event, our inability to adequately enforce or protect our intellectual property rights to INTERCEPT in China and other foreign jurisdictions where we are currently expanding or seeking to expand our commercialization efforts could adversely impact our potential commercial success and harm our business.
In certain countries, including EU Member States, China and India, compulsory licensing laws exist that may be used to compel a patent owner to grant licenses to third parties, for reasons such as non-use of the patented subject matter within a certain period of time after patent grant or commercializing in a manner that is cost-prohibitive in the country. In those countries, we may have limited remedies if our patents are infringed or if we are compelled to grant a license for the INTERCEPT Blood System to a third-party, which could materially diminish the value of such patents. This could adversely impact our potential product revenue opportunities.
We may face litigation requiring us to defend against claims of infringement, assert claims of infringement, enforce our patents, protect our trade secrets or know-how or determine the scope and validity of others’ proprietary rights. Patent litigation is costly. In addition, we may require interference proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine the priority of inventions relating to our patent applications. Litigation or interference proceedings could be expensive and time consuming, and we could be unsuccessful in our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights. We may rely, in certain circumstances, on trade secrets to protect our technology. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. We protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and contractors. These agreements may be breached and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach or our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our
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employees, consultants or contractors use intellectual property owned by others, disputes also may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our stock price is volatile and your investment may suffer a decline in value.
The market price for our common stock has varied between a high of $2.42 on March 6, 2024, and a low of $1.62 on May 3, 2024, in the nine-month period ended September 30, 2024. As a result of fluctuations in the price of our common stock, you may be unable to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for them. The market price of our common stock is likely to continue to be volatile and subject to significant price and volume fluctuations in response to market, industry and other factors, including the risk factors described in this “Risk Factors” section. The market price of our common stock may also be dependent upon the valuations and recommendations of the analysts who cover our business. If the results of our business do not meet these analysts’ forecasts, the expectations of investors or the financial guidance we provide to investors in any period, the market price of our common stock could decline.
In addition, the stock markets in general, and the markets for biotechnology stocks in particular, have experienced significant volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations have in the past and may in the future adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market or significant price declines, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
The exclusive forum provisions in our amended and restated bylaws could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or employees, or our stockholders, or the underwriters of any offering giving rise to such claim, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks subject matter jurisdiction, any state court located within the State of Delaware or, if and only if all such state courts lack subject matter jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) will be the sole and exclusive forum for:
In addition, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the Federal Forum Provision, including for all causes of action asserted against any defendant named in such complaint. For the avoidance of doubt, this provision is intended to benefit and may be enforced by us, our officers and directors, the underwriters to any offering giving rise to such complaint, and any other professional entity whose profession gives authority to a statement made by that person or entity and who has prepared or certified any part of the documents underlying the offering. The application of the Federal Forum Provision means that suits brought by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act must be brought in federal court and cannot be brought in state court, and our stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid and several state trial courts have enforced such provisions and required that suits asserting Securities Act claims be filed in federal court, there is no guarantee that courts of appeal will affirm the enforceability of such provisions, and a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such an instance, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity and
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enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of our amended and restated bylaws. This may require significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which costs could be borne by stockholders, and there can be no assurance that the provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the exclusive forum provisions in our amended and restated bylaws, including the Federal Forum Provision. These provisions could limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or other employees, or our stockholders, or the underwriters of any offering giving rise to such claims, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Furthermore, if a court were to find the exclusive forum provisions contained in our bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could have a material and adverse impact on our operating results and our financial condition.
Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. Additionally, any cash dividends declared or paid would require prior written consent under the terms of our Term Loan Credit Agreement and Revolving Loan Credit Agreement. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
General Risk Factors
We are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting. In the future, we may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
We are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weakness identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting, as well as a statement that our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
Complying with Section 404 requires a rigorous compliance program as well as adequate time and resources. As a result of expanding our commercialization efforts, developing, improving and expanding our core information technology systems as well as implementing new systems to support our sales, supply chain activities and reporting capabilities, all of which require significant management time and support, we may not be able to complete our internal control evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. For example, with respect our joint venture formed with the intent to develop and commercialize blood transfusion products to enhance blood safety in the Peoples Republic of China, we had no prior experience designing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting for joint ventures or for economic entities in China. Failure to adequately maintain an effective internal control structure over the joint venture’s financial results may result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Additionally, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will not be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. Should our internal controls be deemed ineffective, our ability to obtain additional financing, or obtain additional financing on favorable terms, could be materially and adversely affected which, in turn, could materially and adversely affect our business, our financial condition and the value of our common stock. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in the future, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion or expresses an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls in the future, investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports could be further eroded, which would have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.
Provisions of our charter documents, our compensatory arrangements and Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us, even if the offer may be considered beneficial by our stockholders.
Provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay, deter or prevent a change in control. The anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law impose various impediments to the ability of a third-party to acquire control of us, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. Additionally, provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws could deter, delay or prevent a third-party from acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders, including without limitation, the authority of the board of directors to issue, without stockholder approval, preferred stock with such terms as the board of directors may determine. In addition, our executive employment agreements, change of control severance benefit plan and equity incentive plans and agreements thereunder provide for certain severance benefits in connection with a change of control of us, including single-trigger equity vesting acceleration benefits with respect to outstanding stock options, which could increase the costs to a third-party acquirer and/or deter such third-party from acquiring us.
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ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None.
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
Exhibit Number |
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Description of Exhibit |
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3.1 (1) |
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Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Cerus Corporation. |
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3.2 (1) |
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3.3 (4) |
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3.4 (5) |
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3.5 (2) |
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4.1 (3) |
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31.1 |
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31.2 |
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32.1 (6) |
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101.INS |
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Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. |
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101.SCH |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. |
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101.CAL |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. |
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101.DEF |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. |
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101.LAB |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
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101.PRE |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
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104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
(1) Incorporated by reference to the like-described exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 000-21937), for the quarter ended September 30, 2012.
(2) Incorporated by reference to the like-described exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-21937), filed with the SEC on January 5, 2024.
(3) Incorporated by reference to the like-described exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-11341) and amendments thereto.
(4) Incorporated by reference to the like-described exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 000-21937), for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.
(5) Incorporated by reference to the like-described exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 000-21937), for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
(6) This certification accompanies the Form 10-Q to which it relates, is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and is not incorporated by reference into any filing of the Registrant under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of the Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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CERUS CORPORATION |
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Date: October 31, 2024 |
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/s/ Kevin D. Green |
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Kevin D. Green |
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Chief Financial Officer (on behalf of registrant and as Principal Financial Officer) |
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Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION
I, William M. Greenman, certify that:
Date: October 31, 2024 |
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/s/ William M. Greenman |
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William M. Greenman |
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President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION
I, Kevin D. Green, certify that:
Date: October 31, 2024 |
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/s/ Kevin D. Green |
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Kevin D. Green |
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Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION
Pursuant to the requirement set forth in Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”) and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. §1350), William M. Greenman, the Chief Executive Officer of Cerus Corporation (the “Company”), and Kevin D. Green, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each hereby certifies that, to the best of their knowledge:
1. The Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2024, to which this Certification is attached as Exhibit 32.1 (the “Periodic Report”), fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and
2. The information contained in the Periodic Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have set their hands hereto as of the 31st day of October, 2024.
/s/ William M. Greenman |
William M. Greenman |
President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
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/s/ Kevin D. Green |
Kevin D. Green |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
This certification accompanies the Form 10-Q to which it relates, is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Cerus Corporation under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of the Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.