SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
| |
|
|
| þ |
|
Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2006
| |
|
|
| o |
|
Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
For the transition period from to .
Commission file number: 000 20703
Adeza Biomedical Corporation
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| |
|
|
| Delaware
|
|
77-0054952 |
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of
|
|
(I.R.S. Employer |
| Incorporation or Organization)
|
|
Identification Number) |
1240 Elko Drive, Sunnyvale, California 94089
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
(408) 745-0975
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value
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. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer,
or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated filer in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large Accelerated Filer o Accelerated Filer þ Non-Accelerated Filer o
Indicated by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
As of May 2, 2006 17,452,795 shares of the registrants common stock were outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Adeza Biomedical Corporation Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are trademarks of Adeza. Our
trademarks and trade names include the stylized A, Adeza(R), E-tegrity(R)
Test, SalEst(R), FullTermTM and TLi(IQ)(R) System.
Other service marks, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Form 10-Q are the property of
their respective owners.
2
PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited)
Adeza Biomedical Corporation
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share and per share information)
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
March 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
| |
|
(unaudited) |
|
|
(note 2) |
|
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
90,511 |
|
|
$ |
89,722 |
|
Accounts receivable, net |
|
|
8,069 |
|
|
|
9,182 |
|
Inventories |
|
|
932 |
|
|
|
849 |
|
Prepaid and other current assets |
|
|
318 |
|
|
|
292 |
|
Current deferred tax asset |
|
|
4,929 |
|
|
|
4,929 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets |
|
|
104,759 |
|
|
|
104,974 |
|
Property and equipment, net |
|
|
387 |
|
|
|
348 |
|
Noncurrent deferred tax asset |
|
|
193 |
|
|
|
193 |
|
Intangible assets, net |
|
|
116 |
|
|
|
128 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
105,455 |
|
|
$ |
105,643 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities and stockholders equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts payable |
|
$ |
2,197 |
|
|
$ |
1,994 |
|
Accrued compensation |
|
|
1,545 |
|
|
|
2,216 |
|
Accrued royalties |
|
|
671 |
|
|
|
1,427 |
|
Other accrued liabilities |
|
|
1,108 |
|
|
|
1,246 |
|
Taxes payable |
|
|
1,294 |
|
|
|
1,322 |
|
Deferred revenue |
|
|
17 |
|
|
|
33 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities |
|
|
6,832 |
|
|
|
8,238 |
|
Commitments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders equity: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common stock, $0.001 par value;
100,000,000 shares authorized;
17,446,415 and 17,376,330 shares
issued and outstanding at March 31,
2006 and December 31, 2005,
respectively |
|
|
17 |
|
|
|
17 |
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
|
131,027 |
|
|
|
132,432 |
|
Deferred compensation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,604 |
) |
Unrealized gain on investments |
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
|
(32,434 |
) |
|
|
(32,440 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total stockholders equity |
|
|
98,623 |
|
|
|
97,405 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and stockholders equity |
|
$ |
105,455 |
|
|
$ |
105,643 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
3
Adeza Biomedical Corporation
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
(in thousands, except share and per share information)
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended |
|
| |
|
March
31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
Product sales |
|
$ |
10,793 |
|
|
$ |
9,610 |
|
Cost of product sales |
|
|
1,755 |
|
|
|
1,427 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit |
|
|
9,038 |
|
|
|
8,183 |
|
Operating costs and expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling and marketing |
|
|
6,045 |
|
|
|
4,725 |
|
General and administrative |
|
|
2,302 |
|
|
|
1,537 |
|
Research and development |
|
|
1,673 |
|
|
|
864 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating costs and expenses |
|
|
10,020 |
|
|
|
7,126 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income (loss) from operations |
|
|
(982 |
) |
|
|
1,057 |
|
Interest income |
|
|
994 |
|
|
|
480 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income before provision for income taxes |
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
1,537 |
|
Provision for income taxes |
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
81 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income |
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
1,456 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic net income per share |
|
$ |
0.00 |
|
|
$ |
0.09 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted net income per share |
|
$ |
0.00 |
|
|
$ |
0.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares used to compute basic net income per share |
|
|
17,416,232 |
|
|
|
16,527,243 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares used to compute diluted net income per share |
|
|
18,235,047 |
|
|
|
17,773,973 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
4
Adeza Biomedical Corporation
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands)
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended |
|
| |
|
March
31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
Operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income |
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
1,456 |
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation and amortization |
|
|
54 |
|
|
|
44 |
|
Stock based compensation expense |
|
|
933 |
|
|
|
232 |
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable |
|
|
1,113 |
|
|
|
(707 |
) |
Inventories |
|
|
(83 |
) |
|
|
(31 |
) |
Prepaid and other assets |
|
|
(13 |
) |
|
|
(99 |
) |
Accounts payable |
|
|
203 |
|
|
|
222 |
|
Accrued compensation |
|
|
(671 |
) |
|
|
(868 |
) |
Accrued royalties |
|
|
(756 |
) |
|
|
(414 |
) |
Other accrued liabilities |
|
|
(166 |
) |
|
|
34 |
|
Deferred revenue |
|
|
(16 |
) |
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities |
|
|
604 |
|
|
|
(132 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchases of property and equipment |
|
|
(81 |
) |
|
|
(105 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
|
(81 |
) |
|
|
(105 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net proceeds from issuances of common stock |
|
|
266 |
|
|
|
98 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
266 |
|
|
|
98 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
789 |
|
|
|
(139 |
) |
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
|
|
89,722 |
|
|
|
80,118 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
|
$ |
90,511 |
|
|
$ |
79,979 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplemental cash flow information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for income taxes |
|
$ |
47 |
|
|
$ |
200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
5
Adeza Biomedical Corporation
NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)
1. Organization and business
Adeza Biomedical Corporation (Adeza or the Company) is a Delaware corporation which was
originally incorporated in the state of California on January 3, 1985 and reincorporated in
Delaware in 1996. Adeza is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, sales, and marketing
of products for womens health markets worldwide. The Companys initial focus is on reproductive
healthcare, using its proprietary technologies to predict preterm birth and assess infertility. The
Companys products consist of:
| |
|
The TLi(IQ) System and FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin
Test, which are used to assess the risk of preterm birth in pregnant
women. |
| |
| |
|
The E-tegrity Test, which is used to determine the feasibility of
embryo implantation in patients with infertility who are candidates
for in vitro fertilization (IVF). |
All of the Companys assets are located in the U.S.
2. Summary of significant accounting policies
Basis of presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles and applicable Securities and Exchange Commission
regulations for interim financial information. These financial statements do not include all of the
information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete
financial statements. The condensed balance sheet at December 31, 2005 has been derived from the
audited financial statements at that date. The accompanying unaudited condensed financial
statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal, recurring adjustments) that, in our
opinion, are necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented.
The results of operations for such periods are not necessarily indicative of the results expected
for the full year or for any future periods. The accompanying condensed financial statements and
related notes should be read in conjunction with the Companys audited financial statements and
notes included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 as filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Use of estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported
in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
Stock-based compensation
Beginning as of January 1, 2006 we account for our employee stock option plans under the provisions
of SFAS No. 123R. SFAS No. 123R requires the recognition of the fair value of stock-based
compensation in net income. The fair value of our stock options was estimated using a Black-Scholes
option valuation model. This model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions and
elections in adopting and implementing SFAS No. 123R, including expected stock price volatility and
the estimated life of each award. The fair value of stock-based awards is amortized over the
vesting period of the award. We have elected to use the straight-line method for awards granted
after the adoption of SFAS No. 123R and continue to use a graded vesting method for awards granted
prior to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R. We make quarterly assessments of the adequacy of our tax
credit pool to determine if there are any deficiencies which require recognition in our condensed
statements of operations. Prior to adoption of SFAS No. 123R, we accounted for our stock option
plans under the provisions of Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25 Accounting For
Stock Issued to Employees (APB No. 25) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
Interpretation No. 44, Accounting for Certain Transactions Involving Stock Compensation an
Interpretation of APB Opinion No. 25 and made pro forma footnote disclosures as required by
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 148, Accounting For Stock-Based
Compensation Transition and Disclosure, which amends SFAS No. 123, Accounting For Stock-Based
Compensation. Pro forma net income and pro forma net income per share disclosed in the footnotes
to our condensed financial statements were estimated using a Black-Scholes option valuation model.
Recent accounting pronouncements
In November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, Inventory Costs, an amendment of ARB No. 43,
Chapter 4 (SFAS No. 151). SFAS No. 151 clarifies that abnormal inventory costs such as costs of
idle facilities, excess freight and handling costs, and wasted materials (spoilage) are required to
be recognized as current period charges. The provisions of SFAS No. 151 are effective for fiscal
years beginning after June 15, 2005. The Company does not expect that the adoption of SFAS No. 151
will have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
6
3. Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market and consists of the following (in thousands):
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
March 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
Raw materials |
|
$ |
548 |
|
|
$ |
386 |
|
Work in process |
|
|
189 |
|
|
|
197 |
|
Finished goods |
|
|
195 |
|
|
|
266 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
932 |
|
|
$ |
849 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. Intangible assets
Intangible assets consist of purchased patents. Accumulated amortization at March 31, 2006 and
December 31, 2005 was $124,000 and $112,000, respectively. Intangible assets are amortized on a
straight line basis over their estimated useful lives of five years. Amortization expense is
expected to be $48,000 per year in 2006 through 2007 and $32,000 for the year ending December 31,
2008.
5. Net income per share
Basic net income per share is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of
common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per share is computed by dividing net
income by the weighted-average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares
outstanding for the period. For purposes of this calculation, options, and
warrants are considered to be potential common shares and are only included in the calculation of
diluted net income per share when their effect is dilutive. The calculation of net income per share
is as follows (in thousands, except share and per share information):
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three Months Ended |
|
| |
|
March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
Numerator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income |
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
1,456 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator for basic earnings per share-weighted-average common shares outstanding |
|
|
17,416,232 |
|
|
|
16,527,243 |
|
Effect of dilutive securities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock options |
|
|
735,701 |
|
|
|
1,083,573 |
|
Warrants |
|
|
83,114 |
|
|
|
163,157 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dilutive potential common shares |
|
|
818,815 |
|
|
|
1,246,730 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator for diluted earnings per share-weighted-average common shares and
dilutive potential common shares |
|
|
18,235,047 |
|
|
|
17,773,973 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic net income per share |
|
$ |
0.00 |
|
|
$ |
0.09 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted net income per share |
|
$ |
0.00 |
|
|
$ |
0.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6. Comprehensive income
Comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005 equaled the net income in
each period.
7. Stock based compensation
Effective January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the provisions of SFAS No. 123R. SFAS No. 123R
establishes accounting for stock-based awards exchanged for employee services. Accordingly,
stock-based compensation cost is measured on the grant date, based on the fair value of the award
and is recognized as an expense over the employee requisite service period. Prior to January 1,
2006, the Company accounted for its stock-based awards under the recognition and measurement
provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25 Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees
and related Interpretations as permitted by SFAS No. 123.
At March 31, 2006, the Company had one stock-based employee compensation plan which is described in
more detail below.
Prior to the Adoption of SFAS No. 123R. Prior to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, the Company
provided disclosures required under SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, (SFAS
No. 123) as amended by SFAS No.148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Transition and
Disclosures. $0.2 million of employee stock-based
compensation expense was reflected in net income for the
period ended March 31, 2005.
During the preparation of the notes to the consolidated condensed financial statements for the
quarter ended March 31, 2006, we determined that the calculation of our pro forma net loss reported
under SFAS 123 for the year ended December 31, 2005, as previously reported, was understated
primarily as a result of an incorrect change in the fair value calculation (and, therefore, the
amortization expense related to) options granted in August 2004. Accordingly, pro forma net loss
reported under SFAS 123 for the
7
year ended December 31, 2005, for the three months ended March 31, 2005, presented in the tables
below, has been revised. These revisions had no effect on our previously reported results of
operations or financial condition.
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three Months |
|
| |
|
Ended |
|
| |
|
March 31, 2005 |
|
| |
|
(in thousands, except per |
|
| |
|
share data) |
|
Net income: |
|
|
|
|
As reported |
|
$ |
1,456 |
|
Add: Total stock based employee and
director compensation expense determined
under intrinsic value method for all
awards |
|
|
226 |
|
Less: Total stock based employee and
director compensation expense determined
under the fair value method for all awards |
|
|
(1,476 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net income pro forma |
|
$ |
206 |
|
|
|
|
|
Reported basic net income per share |
|
$ |
0.09 |
|
|
|
|
|
Reported diluted net income per share |
|
$ |
0.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma basic net income per share |
|
$ |
0.01 |
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma diluted net income per share |
|
$ |
0.01 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Year Ended |
|
| |
|
December 31, |
|
| |
|
2005 |
|
| |
|
(in thousands, except |
|
| |
|
per share data) |
|
Net income: |
|
|
|
|
As reported |
|
$ |
12,328 |
|
Add: Total stock-based employee and director
compensation expense determined under
intrinsic value method for all awards |
|
|
1,039 |
|
Less: Total stock-based employee and director
compensation expense determined under fair
value method for all awards |
|
|
(4,856 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net income
pro forma |
|
$ |
8,511 |
|
|
|
|
|
Reported basic net income per share |
|
$ |
0.73 |
|
|
|
|
|
Reported diluted net income per share |
|
$ |
0.69 |
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma basic net income per share |
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma diluted net income per share |
|
$ |
0.48 |
|
|
|
|
|
Impact of Adoption of SFAS No. 123R. The Company elected to adopt the modified prospective
application method as provided by SFAS No. 123R. Under that transition method, compensation costs
recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2006, include (a) compensation cost for all
share-based payments granted prior to, but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the
grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the original provisions of SFAS No. 123, and (b)
compensation costs for all share-based payments granted subsequent to January 1, 2006, based on the
grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
Previously
reported amounts have not been restated, except as noted above.
In the three months ended March 31, 2006, we recognized stock-based compensation of $915,000.
As a result of adopting FAS 123R, our income before income taxes and net income for the
quarter ended March 31, 2006, are $689,000 and $353,000 lower, respectively, than if we had
continued to account for share-based compensation under Opinion 25. Basic and diluted earnings per
share for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 would have been $0.02 if the company had not adopted FAS
123R, compared to reported basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.00.
8
As of March 31, 2006 the stock-based compensation capitalized as inventory was minimal.
Equity Incentive Program. The Companys equity incentive program is a long-term retention program
that is intended to attract and retain qualified management and technical employees and align
stockholder and employee interests. At March 31, 2006, the equity incentive program consisted of
the 2004 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2004 Plan). Under the 2004 Plan, options, stock appreciation
rights, stock purchase rights and restricted stock may be issued to employees, officers, directors,
and consultants of Adeza. The 2004 Plan permits the grant of share options for up to 1,875,000
shares of common stock. The 2004 Plan provides that the exercise price for incentive stock options
will be no less than 100% of fair value of Adezas common stock on the date of grant. Generally,
these options vest ratably over four years and have a term of 10 years. No restricted stock, stock
appreciation or purchase rights have been issued as of March 31, 2006.
The following table provides certain information with respect to the 2004 Plan in effect as of
March 31, 2006:
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Securities |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remaining Available |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
for Future Issuance |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Under Equity |
|
| |
|
Number of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation Plan |
|
| |
|
Securities to be |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Excluding |
|
| |
|
Issued upon |
|
|
Weighted-Average |
|
|
Securities |
|
| |
|
Exercise of |
|
|
Exercise Price of |
|
|
Reflected in |
|
| |
|
Outstanding Options |
|
|
Outstanding Options |
|
|
Column (a)) |
|
| |
|
(a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
(c) |
|
| |
Equity compensation
plan approved by
security holders |
|
|
1,616,259 |
|
|
$ |
8.95 |
|
|
|
2,538,842 |
|
The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes
valuation model, consistent with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R, SEC SAB No. 107 and the Companys
prior period pro forma disclosures of net earnings, including stock-based compensation (determined
under a fair value method as prescribed by SFAS No. 123). Expected
volatilities used in 2006 are based on volatilities from the
Companys peer group, which is consistent with the technique we
used prior to
the adoption of SFAS No. 123R. Due to the Companys short
public trading history the Company determined
that the use of a peer group is more reflective of market conditions and a better indicator of
expected volatility than a historical volatility. The Company uses historical data to estimate
option exercise and employee termination within the valuation model. The expected term of options
granted is derived from analysis of the Companys peer group and
historical data. The risk-free rate for periods within
the contractual life of the option is based on a risk-free zero-coupon spot interest rate at the
end of the reporting period. The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends and does not
presently plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The fair value of each option grant
in the three month periods ended March 31, 2006 and 2005 used the following weighted-average
assumptions:
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three Months Ended |
|
| |
|
March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
Expected volatility |
|
|
70 |
% |
|
|
72 |
% |
Risk-free rate |
|
|
4.8 |
% |
|
|
4.1 |
% |
Expected term (in years) |
|
|
5.0 |
|
|
|
4.6 |
|
SFAS No. 123R requires the use of option pricing models that were not developed for use in valuing
employee stock options. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model was developed for use in estimating
the fair value of short-lived exchange traded options that have no vesting restrictions and are
fully transferable. In addition, option-pricing models require the input of highly subjective
assumptions, including the options expected life and the price volatility of the underlying stock.
9
The following table summarizes the combined activity under the equity incentive plans for the
indicated periods:
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted- |
|
|
Weighted-Average |
|
|
Aggregate |
|
| |
|
Available |
|
|
Options |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Remaining Contract |
|
|
Intrinsic Value |
|
| |
|
for Grant |
|
|
Outstanding |
|
|
Exercise Price |
|
|
Term (in years) |
|
|
(in thousands) |
|
| |
|
|
Balances at December 31, 2005 |
|
|
2,035,208 |
|
|
|
1,668,688 |
|
|
$ |
8.53 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares authorized |
|
|
521,290 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options granted |
|
|
(28,750 |
) |
|
|
28,750 |
|
|
|
22.20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options exercised |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(70,085 |
) |
|
|
3.79 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options cancelled |
|
|
11,094 |
|
|
|
(11,094 |
) |
|
|
12.41 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Balance at March 31, 2006 |
|
|
2,538,842 |
|
|
|
1,616,259 |
|
|
$ |
8.95 |
|
|
|
7.4 |
|
|
$ |
19,709 |
|
| |
|
|
Vested and expected to vest
at March 31, 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,556,963 |
|
|
$ |
8.77 |
|
|
|
7.4 |
|
|
$ |
19,263 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercisable at March 31, 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
903,537 |
|
|
$ |
5.74 |
|
|
|
6.3 |
|
|
$ |
13,905 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value, based
on the Companys closing stock price of $21.13 as of March 31, 2006, which would have been received
by the option holders had all option holders with in-the-money options exercised their options as
of that date.
The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted during the three months ended March
31,2006 was $13.68 per share. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three
month period ended March 31, 2006 was approximately $401,000. The total cash received from
employees as a result of stock option exercises during the three months ended March 31, 2006 was
approximately $108,000. In connection with these exercises, the tax benefits realized by the
Company for the three months ended March 31, 2006 was minimal.
The Company settles employee stock option exercises with newly issued common shares.
As of March 31, 2006, the unrecorded deferred stock-based compensation balance related to stock
options was $5.3 million and will be recognized over an estimated weighted average amortization
period of 1.7 years.
We make quarterly assessments of the adequacy of our tax credit pool to determine if there are any
deficiencies which require recognition in our condensed statements of operations.
8. Provision for income taxes
We recorded a provision for income taxes of $6,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2006, related to
federal and state taxes compared to a provision of approximately $81,000 for the same period in
2005. Our effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 and 2005 was 48.8% and 5.3%,
respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005, the provision for income taxes
is based on our annual effective tax rate in compliance with SFAS 109. The annual effective tax
rate was calculated on the basis of our expected level of profitability that results in federal and
state income taxes. To the extent our expected profitability changes during the year, the
effective tax rate would be revised to reflect any changes in the projected profitability. For the
period ended March 31, 2006, the difference between the provision for income tax that would be
derived by applying the statutory rate to our income before tax and the provision actually recorded
is primarily due to the impact of non-deductible 123R stock option compensation expenses. For the
period ended March 31, 2005, the difference between the provision for income tax that would be
derived by applying the statutory rate to our income before tax and the provision actually recorded
is primarily due to the benefit of operating loss carryforwards that reduced the provision to
federal alternative minimum tax and state income tax.
We account for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes, which
requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be recognized using enacted tax rates for the
effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities.
SFAS No. 109 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is
more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We evaluate
quarterly the realizability of our deferred tax assets by assessing our valuation allowance and, if
necessary, we adjust the amount of such allowance. The factors used to assess the likelihood of
realization include our forecast of future taxable income and available tax planning strategies
that could be implemented to realize the net deferred tax assets. We assessed our deferred tax
assets at the end of 2005 and determined that it was more likely than not that we would be able to
realize approximately $5,122,000 of net deferred tax assets based upon our forecast of future
taxable income and other relevant factors. Changes to the realization of the net deferred tax
assets would have an impact to our tax provision and in turn would affect net income.
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in
conjunction with the condensed financial statements and the notes thereto included in Item 1 of
this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Statements in this Managements Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations and elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q
which express that we believe, anticipate, expect or plan to as well as other statements
which are not historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of forward-looking statements include, without
limitation, statements regarding expected financial results, tax rates and stock-based compensation
expense, the expansion of products, markets and offerings and additional product indications.
Actual events or results may differ materially as a result of the risks and uncertainties described
herein and elsewhere including, but not limited to, those factors described under Factors That May
Affect Future Results below and those described under Business set forth in Part I of our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2005.
OVERVIEW
We design, develop, manufacture and market innovative products for womens health. Our initial
focus is on reproductive healthcare, using our proprietary technologies to predict preterm birth
and assess infertility. Our principal product is a patented diagnostic test FullTerm, The Fetal
Fibronectin Test, that utilizes a single-use, disposable cassette and is analyzed on our patented
instrument, the TLi(IQ) System. This FDA-approved product is designed to objectively
determine a womans risk of preterm birth by detecting the presence of a specific protein, fetal
fibronectin, in vaginal secretions during pregnancy. We began selling our single-use, disposable
FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test in 1999 and launched our second-generation system, the
TLi(IQ) System, in 2001. Sales of TLi(IQ) Systems to hospital and clinical
laboratories allow healthcare providers access to our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test,
resulting in the potential for better patient care and for significant cost savings by avoiding
unnecessary medical treatment. We also have submitted to the FDA a New Drug Application, or NDA,
for GestivaTM, our product candidate to prevent recurrent preterm birth.
10
We believe the key factors underlying our growth since 1999 include greater healthcare provider
acceptance, demonstrated cost savings from the use of our tests, expanded reimbursement coverage by
insurance companies, expansion of our sales force and increased marketing efforts. Continued growth
in test volume and revenue will depend on the above and a number of factors, including placing
additional TLi(IQ) Systems in hospitals and clinical laboratories, increasing
utilization of existing TLi(IQ) Systems, increasing healthcare provider acceptance for
other FDA-approved uses of the product and developing additional applications or products.
Product sales
Our product sales are derived primarily from the sale of our disposable FullTerm, The Fetal
Fibronectin Test. In addition, we derive a small portion of our revenues from the sale of
TLi(IQ) Systems and other consumables. Sales in the United States accounted for
approximately 98% of our product sales in both three-month periods ended March 31, 2006 and March
31, 2005. International sales accounted for approximately 2% of our product sales in both
three-month periods ended March 31, 2006 and March 31, 2005. We currently use distributors for
sales outside of the United States and Canada. Our business has been in the past and may continue
to be seasonal and is affected by customer ordering patterns, which may involve quarterly or
semi-annual orders, as well as other factors which may cause quarterly variances in our revenue. As
such, revenue may not increase in sequential quarters and our net income may fluctuate
significantly.
Cost of product sales
Our cost of product sales represents the cost of materials, direct labor and overhead associated
with the manufacture of our products, and delivery charges, lab services and royalties.
Royalty costs for the three months ended March 31, 2006 were $0.7 million or 6.2% of product sales,
an increase of $0.1 million from the $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005. The
increase in royalty costs for the three months ended March 31, 2006 was primarily the result of
increased sales volume period-over-period. Although royalty costs as a percentage of product sales
is expected to fluctuate as it is dependent on several factors, including the level and type of
sales and the level of allowed deductions, we believe royalty costs as a percentage of revenue will
remain below 7.5% for the year ended December 31, 2006, assuming no new licenses involving
royalties are required.
Selling and marketing expenses
Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of sales and marketing personnel and sales force
incentive compensation and costs related to travel, tradeshows, promotional materials and programs,
advertising and healthcare provider education materials and events.
General and administrative expenses
Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel expenses for accounting,
human resources, information technology and corporate administration functions. Other costs include
facility costs, professional fees for legal and accounting services including patent expenses.
Research and development expenses
Our research and development expenses consist of costs incurred for company-sponsored and
collaborative research and development activities. These expenses consist primarily of direct and
research-related allocated overhead expenses such as facilities costs, salaries and benefits, and
material and supply costs and include costs associated with clinical trials.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and
judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We base
our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be
reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about
the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.
Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Except as
stated below regarding SFAS No. 123R, our critical accounting policies and estimates have not
changed significantly from the critical accounting policies and estimates discussed in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.
11
Stock-based compensation
Beginning as of January 1, 2006 we account for our employee stock option plans under the provisions
of SFAS No. 123R. SFAS No. 123R requires the recognition of the fair value of stock-based
compensation in net income. The fair value of our stock options was estimated using a Black-Scholes
option valuation model. This model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions and
elections in adopting and implementing SFAS No. 123R, including expected stock price volatility and
the estimated life of each award. The fair value of stock-based awards is amortized over the
vesting period of the award. We have elected to use the straight-line method for awards granted
after the adoption of SFAS No. 123R and continue to use a graded vesting method for awards granted
prior to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R. We make quarterly assessments of the adequacy of our tax
credit pool to determine if there are any deficiencies which require recognition in our condensed
statements of operations. Prior to adoption of SFAS No. 123R, we accounted for our stock option
plans under the provisions of Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25 Accounting For
Stock Issued to Employees (APB No. 25) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
Interpretation No. 44, Accounting for Certain Transactions Involving Stock Compensation an
Interpretation of APB Opinion No. 25 and made pro forma footnote disclosures as required by
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 148, Accounting For Stock-Based
Compensation Transition and Disclosure, which amends SFAS No. 123, Accounting For Stock-Based
Compensation. Pro forma net income and pro forma net income per share disclosed in the footnotes
to our condensed financial statements were estimated using a Black-Scholes option valuation model.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Product sales
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Cost of product sales |
|
$ |
10.8 |
|
|
$ |
9.6 |
|
|
$ |
1.2 |
|
|
|
12.3 |
% |
The growth in sales of 12% for the three months ended March 31, 2006 compared to the quarter ended
March 31, 2005 is primarily due to an approximate $1.2 million increase in sales volume of Fetal
Fibronectin Test cassettes, partially offset by a slight decrease in average selling prices and
slight decreases in revenue from the sale of other products.
Cost of product sales
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Cost of product sales |
|
$ |
1.7 |
|
|
$ |
1.4 |
|
|
$ |
0.3 |
|
|
|
23.0 |
% |
Percent of product sales |
|
|
16.3 |
% |
|
|
14.8 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The increase in cost of product sales in 2006 as compared to 2005 was primarily the result of
increased sales period-over-period and to an increase of $50,000 due to stock-based compensation
expense associated with the adoption of SFAS No. 123R.
Gross profit
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Gross profit |
|
$ |
9.0 |
|
|
$ |
8.2 |
|
|
$ |
0.8 |
|
|
|
10.4 |
% |
Percent of product sales |
|
|
83.7 |
% |
|
|
85.2 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The gross profit increase was primarily due to increased sales and increased standard product
costs from increased unit sales.
Selling and marketing expenses
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Selling and marketing expenses |
|
$ |
6.0 |
|
|
$ |
4.7 |
|
|
$ |
1.3 |
|
|
|
27.9 |
% |
Percent of product sales |
|
|
56.0 |
% |
|
|
49.2 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12
The increase in expense was largely attributable to $1.1 million related to the expansion of
our direct sales force and associated costs, $0.4 million increase due to stock-based compensation
expense associated with the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, partially offset by a $0.2 million decrease
in marketing programs expense primarily due to timing of these programs. We expect our selling and
marketing expenditures to increase as we continue our efforts to
increase our market penetration, commence any marketing and selling
efforts related to Gestiva and the costs associated with any new
stock-based compensation expense.
General and administrative expenses
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
General and administrative expenses |
|
$ |
2.3 |
|
|
$ |
1.5 |
|
|
$ |
0.8 |
|
|
|
49.8 |
% |
Percent of product sales |
|
|
21.3 |
% |
|
|
16.0 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The increases were primarily attributable to costs associated with being a public company of
$0.4 million, stock-based compensation expense associated with the adoption of SFAS No. 123R of
$0.3 million and other general costs of $0.1 million. We expect our general and administrative
expenses to increase primarily related to costs associated with being a public company, stock-based
compensation expense and anticipated increased headcount.
Research and development expenses
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Research and development expenses |
|
$ |
1.7 |
|
|
$ |
0.9 |
|
|
$ |
0.8 |
|
|
|
93.6 |
% |
Percent of product sales |
|
|
15.5 |
% |
|
|
9.0 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The increase is primarily due to costs associated with our continued product development
efforts, including costs related to Gestiva, our drug candidate for the prevention of
preterm birth in women who have a history of preterm delivery, of $0.8 million. We expect that our
research and development costs will increase as we continue our
product development efforts and any new stock-based compensation
expense.
Interest income
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Interest income |
|
$ |
1.0 |
|
|
$ |
0.5 |
|
|
$ |
0.5 |
|
|
|
107.1 |
% |
The increase is primarily due to higher cash balances earning interest. We expect interest income
to fluctuate based on prevailing interest rates and changes in our cash balances.
Provision for income taxes
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Three months ended March 31, |
|
| |
|
2006 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
Change ($) |
|
|
Change (%) |
|
Provision for Income Taxes |
|
$ |
6.0 |
|
|
$ |
81.0 |
|
|
$ |
(75.0 |
) |
|
|
(92.6 |
)% |
We recorded a provision for income taxes of $6,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2006, related
to federal and state taxes compared to a provision of approximately $81,000 for the same period in
2005. Our effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 and 2005 was 48.8% and 5.3%,
respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005, the provision for income taxes
is based on our annual effective tax rate in compliance with SFAS 109. The annual effective tax
rate was calculated on the basis of our expected level of profitability that results in federal and
state income taxes. To the extent our expected profitability changes during the year, the
effective tax rate would be revised to reflect any changes in the projected profitability. For the
period ended March 31, 2006, the difference between the provision for income tax that would be
derived by applying the statutory rate to our income before tax and the provision actually recorded
is primarily due to the impact of non-deductible 123R stock option compensation expenses.
For the period ended March 31, 2005, the difference between the provision for income tax that
would be derived by applying the statutory rate to our income before tax and the provision actually
recorded is primarily due to the benefit of operating loss carryforwards that reduced the provision
to federal alternative minimum tax and state income tax.
13
We account for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes,
which requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be recognized using enacted tax rates for
the effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and
liabilities. SFAS No. 109 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation
allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be
realized. We evaluate quarterly the realizability of our deferred tax assets by assessing our
valuation allowance and, if necessary, we adjust the amount of such allowance. The factors used to
assess the likelihood of realization include our forecast of future taxable income and available
tax planning strategies that could be implemented to realize the net deferred tax assets. We
assessed our deferred tax assets at the end of 2005 and determined that it was more likely than not
that we would be able to realize approximately $5,122,000 of net deferred tax assets based upon our
forecast of future taxable income and other relevant factors. Changes to the realization of the
net deferred tax assets would have an impact to our tax provision and in turn would affect net
income.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Since our inception, our operations have been primarily financed through public and private
equity investments, working capital provided by our product sales, capital leases, and research and
development contracts. As of March 31, 2006 our cash and cash equivalents were $90.5 million. All
of our cash equivalents have original maturities of three months or less. During the quarter ended
March 31, 2006, our operating activities provided cash of approximately $0.6 million, compared to
cash used of approximately $0.1 million for the same quarter in 2005. The increase is primarily
related to a decrease in accounts receivable primarily due to collection efforts and increased
sales.
Our investing activities remained relatively the same in the use of cash of approximately $0.1
million during the quarter ended March 31, 2006 and March 31, 2005. Investing activities in for
both periods were related to purchases of equipment.
Net cash provided by financing activities of approximately $0.3 million during the quarter
ended March 31, 2006, as compared to $0.1 million during the same quarter in 2005, were related to
cash generated from stock option exercises.
As of March 31, 2006, we had no long-term debt, capital lease obligations or long-term purchase
agreements or commitments other than two facility lease which we have for a one-year term with two
one-year renewal options and an operating lease for a telephone system.
In addition to cash generated from product sales, we believe our existing cash and cash equivalents
will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next two years.
However, future research and development, clinical trials and sales and marketing expenses, as well
as administration support, or licensing or acquisition of other products may require additional
capital resources. We may raise additional funds through public or private equity offerings, debt
financings, capital lease transactions, corporate collaborations or other means. Due to the
uncertainty of financial markets, financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at
all. Therefore, we may raise additional capital from time to time due to favorable market
conditions or strategic considerations even if we have sufficient funds for planned operations.
Our future capital requirements are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors,
including:
| |
|
success of our product sales and related collections; |
| |
| |
|
future expenses to expand and support our sales and marketing activities; |
| |
| |
|
costs relating to changes in regulatory policies or laws that affect our operations; |
| |
| |
|
maintaining and expanding our manufacturing capacity; |
| |
| |
|
the level of investment in research and development and clinical trials required to maintain and improve our technology
position; |
| |
| |
|
costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights; and |
| |
| |
|
our need or decision to acquire or license businesses, products or technologies. |
14
If at any time sufficient capital is not available, either through existing capital resources or
through raising additional funds, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, eliminate or
divest one or more of our research, clinical or sales and marketing programs or our entire
business.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
There have been no significant changes in our market risk compared to the disclosures in Item 7A of
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures. As required by Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b), as of
the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q, we carried out an evaluation, under the
supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and
our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure
controls and procedures as defined in Rule 13a-15(c). Based upon that evaluation, our Chief
Executive Officer along with our Chief Financial Officer, concluded that our disclosure controls
and procedures are effective at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes in internal controls. There were no changes in our internal controls over financial
reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2006 that have materially affected, or are reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Limitations on Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls. We intend to review and evaluate the design
and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures on an ongoing basis and to correct any
material deficiencies that we may discover. Our goal is to ensure that our senior management has
timely access to material information that could affect our business. While we believe the present
design of our disclosure controls and procedures is effective to achieve our goal, future events
affecting our business may cause us to modify our disclosure controls and procedures. The
effectiveness of controls cannot be absolute because the cost to design and implement a control to
identify errors or mitigate the risk of errors occurring should not outweigh the potential loss
caused by errors that would likely be detected by the control. Moverover, we believe that
disclosure controls and procedures cannot be guaranteed to be 100% effective all of the time.
Accordingly, a control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only
reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control systems objectives will be met.
15
PART II OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
None.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to other information in this report, the following factors should be considered
carefully in evaluating our company. If any of the risks or uncertainties described in this Form
10-Q or in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 actually occurs, our
business, results of operations or financial condition could be materially adversely affected. The
risks and uncertainties described in this Form 10-Q are not the only ones facing the company.
Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are unaware or currently deem immaterial may also
become important factors that may harm our business. The risk factors set forth below contain a
number of material changes relative to those set forth in the RISK FACTORS section of our annual
report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 21, 2005. The changes relate primarily to Gestiva,
our therapeutic product candidate for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS
Because our revenues and financial results depend significantly on a limited product line, if we
are unable to manufacture or sell our products in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner, our
business will suffer.
To date, substantially all of our revenue has resulted from sales of our principal product line,
our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test, the TLiIQ System (and its predecessor, the TLi
System) and related consumables. Although we intend to introduce additional products, we expect
sales of the Fetal Fibronectin Test to account for substantially all of our near-term revenue.
Because our business is highly dependent on our Fetal Fibronectin Tests, the TLiIQ
System and the related consumables, factors adversely affecting the pricing of or demand for these
products could have a material and adverse effect on our business and cause the value of our
securities to decline substantially. We will lose revenue if alternative diagnostic products or
technologies gain commercial acceptance or if reimbursement is limited. We cannot assure you that
we will be able to continue to manufacture these products in commercial quantities at acceptable
costs. Our inability to do so would adversely affect our operating results and cause our business
to suffer.
If our products do not achieve and sustain market acceptance, we may fail to generate sufficient
revenue to maintain our business.
Our commercial success depends in large part on our ability to achieve and sustain market
acceptance of our principal product line, FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test and the
TLiIQ System. A key element of our business plan calls for us to expand sales of our
TLiIQ System in hospitals and clinical laboratories and increase the related sales of
the Fetal Fibronectin Test and other consumables used in conjunction with the TLiIQ
System. To accomplish this, we will need to convince healthcare providers of the benefits of our
products through various means, including through published papers, presentations at scientific
conferences and additional clinical trials. If existing users of our products determine that these
products do not satisfy their requirements, or if our competitors develop a product perceived to
better satisfy their requirements, our sales of Fetal Fibronectin Tests and other consumables may
decline, and our revenues may correspondingly decline.
In addition, our commercial success may depend on our ability to gain market acceptance for our
other products and product candidates. Market acceptance of our product portfolio will depend on
our ability to develop additional applications of our existing products and to introduce new
products to additional markets, including the oncology diagnostic market, the reproductive
endocrinology and infertility markets and other womens health markets.
Other factors that might influence market acceptance of our products and product candidates include
the following:
| |
|
|
evidence of clinical utility; |
| |
| |
|
|
convenience and ease of use; |
| |
| |
|
|
availability of alternative and competing diagnostic products; |
16
| |
|
|
cost-effectiveness; |
| |
| |
|
|
effectiveness of marketing, distribution and pricing strategy; |
| |
| |
|
|
publicity concerning these products or competitive products and |
| |
| |
|
|
reimbursement. |
Our marketing and development efforts could require us to expend significant time and resources,
and we may not succeed in these efforts. If our products are unable to achieve or maintain broad
market acceptance, our revenues and operating results may be negatively impacted and our business
would suffer.
Our quarterly revenues and operating results are subject to significant fluctuations, and our stock
price may decline if we do not meet the expectations of investors and analysts.
As of March 31, 2006, we had an accumulated deficit of $32.4 million. For the quarter ended March
31, 2006, we had net income of $6,000. However, we may not sustain profitability and cannot
guarantee losses will not occur in the future. Our quarterly revenues and operating results are
difficult to predict and have in the past and may in the future fluctuate significantly from
quarter to quarter due to a number of factors, many of which are outside our control. These factors
include, but are not limited to:
| |
|
|
our ability to increase market acceptance of womens health diagnostics generally and of
our products in particular, as discussed under Risk Factors If our products do not achieve
and sustain market acceptance, we may fail to generate sufficient revenue to maintain our
business; |
| |
| |
|
|
our need and ability to generate and manage growth as discussed under Risk Factors If
we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth in the United States or abroad, we may
incur significant additional costs and expenses and our operating results may suffer; |
| |
| |
|
|
delays in, or failure of, delivery of components by our suppliers as more fully described
in Risk Factors We rely on a limited number of suppliers, and if these suppliers fail or
are unable to perform in a timely and satisfactory manner, we may be unable to manufacture
our products or satisfy product demand in a timely manner, which could delay the production
or sale of these products; |
| |
| |
|
|
risks related to Gestiva described below, including those discussed under Risk Factors
If we are unable to obtain or maintain regulatory approval for Gestiva, we will be limited
in our ability to commercialize Gestiva, and our business will be harmed, The market for
Gestiva may be very competitive because we have no patent protection for Gestiva, and we may
not obtain regulatory exclusivity for Gestiva, and We rely on a limited number of
suppliers, and if these suppliers fail or are unable to perform in a timely and satisfactory
manner, we may be unable to manufacture our products or satisfy product demand in a timely
manner, which could delay the production or sale of our products. |
| |
| |
|
|
the quarterly variations and seasonal nature of our business in demand for our products
based on procurement cycles of our customers; |
| |
| |
|
|
changes in the manner in which our operations are regulated; |
| |
| |
|
|
the adoption of new accounting policies; |
| |
| |
|
|
increases in the length of our sales cycle; |
| |
| |
|
|
fluctuations in gross margins; and |
| |
| |
|
|
difficult political and economic conditions. |
These and other factors make it difficult for us to predict sales for subsequent periods and future
performance. If our quarterly operating results fail to meet or exceed the expectations of
securities analysts or investors, our stock price could drop suddenly and
17
significantly. We believe quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily
meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
In addition, we expect to incur additional expenses to execute our business plan, and these
expenses will increase as we expand our marketing efforts, research and development activities,
clinical testing and manufacturing capacity. These expenses, among other things, may cause our net
income and working capital to decrease or result in a net loss. If sales do not continue to grow,
we may not be able to maintain profitability. Our expansion efforts may prove more expensive than
we currently anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenues sufficiently to offset
these higher expenses. If we fail to do so, the market price for our common stock will likely
decline.
If third-party payors do not adequately reimburse our customers, market acceptance of our products
may be impaired, which may adversely affect our revenues and our operating results.
Market acceptance of our products and the majority of our sales depend, in large part, on the
availability of adequate reimbursement for the use of our products from government insurance plans,
including Medicare and Medicaid, managed care organizations, private insurance plans and other
third-party payors primarily in the United States and, to a lesser extent abroad. Third-party
payors are often reluctant to reimburse healthcare providers for the use of medical diagnostic
products incorporating new technology.
Because each third-party payor individually approves reimbursement, obtaining these approvals can
be a time-consuming and costly process that requires us to provide scientific and clinical support
for the use of each of these products to each third-party payor separately with no assurance that
approval will be obtained. For example, the policies of some third-party payors limit reimbursement
for the use of our Fetal Fibronectin Test to women with signs and symptoms of preterm labor. In
addition, if Gestiva is approved, we will need dedicate considerable resources to obtaining
approvals for reimbursement. This individualized process can delay the market acceptance of new
products and may have a negative effect on our revenues and operating results.
Market acceptance of our products internationally may depend in part upon the availability of
reimbursement within prevailing healthcare payment systems. Reimbursement and healthcare payment
systems in international markets vary significantly by country and include both government
sponsored healthcare and private insurance. We may not obtain international reimbursement approvals
in a timely manner, if at all. Our failure to receive international reimbursement approvals may
negatively impact market acceptance of our products in the international markets in which those
approvals are sought.
We believe third-party payors are increasingly limiting coverage for medical diagnostic and
pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally, and in many instances are
exerting pressure on product suppliers to reduce their prices. Consequently, third-party
reimbursement may not be consistently available or adequate to cover the cost of our products.
Additionally, third-party payors who have previously approved a specific level of reimbursement may
reduce that level. Under prospective payment systems, in which healthcare providers may be
reimbursed a set amount based on the type of diagnostic procedure performed, such as those utilized
by Medicare and in many privately managed care systems, the cost of our diagnostic products may not
be justified and reimbursed. Any limitations on reimbursement for our products could limit our
ability to commercialize and sell new products and continue to sell our existing products, or may
cause the prices of our existing products to be reduced, which may adversely affect our revenues
and operating results.
If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth in the US or abroad, we may incur significant
additional costs and expenses and our operating results may suffer.
Growth of our business is likely to place a significant strain on our managerial, operational and
financial resources and systems. In the United States, while we anticipate hiring additional
personnel to assist in the planned expansion of sales efforts for our current products and the
development of future products, we may not be able to successfully increase sales of current
products or introduce new products and meet our growth goals. The strain on our management and
staff may be particularly acute as we expand into the therapeutic business as well as the
diagnostic business. To manage our anticipated growth, we must attract and retain qualified
personnel and manage and train them effectively. We will depend on our personnel and third parties
to effectively market our products to an increasing number of hospitals, physicians and other
healthcare providers. We will also depend on our personnel to develop next generation technologies.
Further, our anticipated growth will place additional strain on our suppliers and manufacturers, as
well as our own internal manufacturing processes, resulting in an increased need for us to
carefully monitor for quality assurance. In addition, we may choose or be required to relocate or
expand our manufacturing facility to accommodate potential growth in our business. Any failure by
us to manage our growth effectively could have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our
revenue and profitability goals.
18
Our plans to expand our presence in international markets will cause us to incur various costs and
expenses and may strain our operating and financial systems and resources in a manner that could
materially and adversely affect our operating results. We will be subject to the regulatory
oversight of additional authorities as we expand internationally. These authorities may impose
regulations and restrictions on the sales and marketing of our products that are different and
potentially more restrictive than those placed on us by regulators in the US. We may be required to
expend considerable resources to comply with these requirements. Ultimately, we may not be able to
comply with such regulations in a timely manner, if at all. If we are unable to satisfy these
requirements on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to commercialize our products would be
hampered and our revenues may be adversely affected.
We will need to devote considerable resources to comply with federal, state and foreign regulations
and, if we are unable to fully comply, we could face substantial penalties.
We are directly or indirectly through our customers subject to extensive regulation by both the
federal government and the states and foreign countries where we conduct our business. Companies
such as ours are required to expend considerable resources complying, in particular, with laws such
as the following:
| |
|
|
the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which regulates the design, testing,
manufacture, labeling, marketing, distribution and sale of medical devices; |
| |
| |
|
|
the Federal Anti-Kickback Law, which prohibits the illegal inducement of referrals for
which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as the Medicare and
Medicaid Programs; |
| |
| |
|
|
Medicare laws and regulations that prescribe the requirements for coverage and payment,
including the amount of such payment, and laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement
under Medicare and Medicaid; |
| |
| |
|
|
CE mark which could limit our ability to sell in Europe; and |
| |
| |
|
|
ISO 13485 which could limit our ability to sell in Canada. |
Companies such as ours are also required to comply with laws and regulations regarding the practice
of medicine by non-physicians, consumer protection and Medicare and Medicaid payments. If our past
or present operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or the other
governmental regulations to which we or our customers are subject, we may be subject to the
applicable penalty associated with the violation, including civil and criminal penalties, damages,
fines, exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the curtailment or restructuring of
our operations. If we are required to obtain permits or licenses under these laws that we do not
already possess, we may become subject to substantial additional regulation or incur significant
expense. Any penalties, damages, fines, curtailment or restructuring of our operations may
adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Because many of
these laws have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their
provisions are open to a variety of interpretations and additional legal or regulatory change, we
may be at a heightened risk of being found to be in violation of these laws. As we expand our
business beyond diagnostic products, we will need to comply with laws and regulations in addition
to those applicable to diagnostic products. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even
if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses, divert
our managements attention from the operation of our business and damage our reputation.
If we are unable to maintain our existing regulatory approvals and clearances for our existing
diagnostic products, or obtain new regulatory approvals and clearances for our diagnostic product
candidates, our ability to commercially distribute our products and our business may be
significantly harmed.
The FDA, and comparable agencies of other countries generally regulate our diagnostic products as
medical devices. In the United States, FDA regulations govern, among other things, the activities
that we perform, including product development, product testing, product labeling, product storage,
manufacturing, advertising, promotion, product sales, reporting of certain product failures and
distribution. Most of the new products that we plan to develop and commercialize in the United
States will require either pre-market notification, also known as 510(k) clearance, or pre-market
approval, from the FDA prior to marketing. The 510(k) clearance process requires us to notify the
FDA of our intent to market a medical device. The overall 510(k) clearance process usually takes
from three to twelve months from the time of submission to the time that you can begin to sell a
product in the market, but can take significantly longer. The pre-market approval process, often
referred to as the PMA process, is much more costly, lengthy and uncertain and
19
generally takes between one and three years from submission to PMA approval, but may take
significantly longer and such clearance or approval may never be obtained.
All of the diagnostic products that we have submitted and may submit in the future for FDA
clearance or approval are or will be subject to substantial restrictions, including, among other
things, restrictions on the indications for which we may market our products, which could result in
reductions in or an inability to grow our revenues. Even if regulatory approval of a product is
granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may
be marketed or certain requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor
the performance and clinical utility of the product. For example, any of our products that have
received FDA approval, such as our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test or TLiIQ System,
remain subject to ongoing post-marketing regulation and oversight by the FDA. The marketing claims
that we are permitted to make in labeling our diagnostic products, if cleared or approved by the
FDA, are limited to those specified in any clearance or approval. Our intention to expand the use
of our products into new areas such as the prediction of successful induction of labor and oncology
will require us to make new submissions to the FDA.
In addition, we are subject to review, periodic inspection and marketing surveillance by the FDA to
determine our compliance with regulatory requirements for any product for which we obtain marketing
approval. Following approval, our manufacturing processes, subsequent clinical data and promotional
activities are subject to ongoing regulatory obligations. If the FDA finds that we have failed to
comply with these requirements or later discovers previously unknown problems with our products,
including unanticipated adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, manufacture or
manufacturing processes or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, it can institute a wide
variety of enforcement actions, ranging from a public warning letter to more severe sanctions,
including:
| |
|
|
fines, injunctions and civil penalties; |
| |
| |
|
|
recall or seizure of our products; |
| |
| |
|
|
restrictions on our products or manufacturing processes, including operating
restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production; |
| |
| |
|
|
denial of requests for 510(k) clearances or PMAs of product candidates; |
| |
| |
|
|
withdrawal of 510(k) clearances or PMAs already granted; |
| |
| |
|
|
disgorgement of profits; and |
| |
| |
|
|
criminal prosecution. |
Any of these enforcement actions could affect our ability to commercially distribute our products
in the United States and may also harm our ability to conduct the clinical trials necessary to
support the marketing, clearance or approval of these products and could materially and adversely
affect our business.
Our PMA supplement seeking approval for use of our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test in
predicting successful induction of labor has been submitted to the FDA. The FDA initially placed
its review of the application on hold while a third party we have engaged conducts an audit of all
of the clinical study sites because of the number of protocol deviations, in order to confirm the
accuracy of the data. The audit has been completed and we will need to submit new analyses of the
data and a corrective action plan to the FDA before it will resume its review of the application.
The new analyses of the data or the corrective action plan may not be acceptable to us or to the
FDA and we may not continue to pursue or obtain FDA approval for this application.
We rely on our CLIA-certified laboratory located at our facility in Sunnyvale, California to
process E-tegrity Tests. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or the CMS, requires that
operators of CLIA-certified laboratories submit to surveillance and follow-up inspections. If we
are unable to meet the CMSs requirements for continued operation pursuant to CLIA, our laboratory
may lose its CLIA certification, and we may be unable to continue to process E-tegrity Tests. As a
result, our business may be harmed.
If we modify our marketed diagnostic products, we may be required to obtain new 510(k) clearances
or PMAs, or we may be required to cease marketing or recall the modified products until clearances
are obtained.
20
Any modification to a 510(k)-cleared or pre-market approved diagnostic device that could
significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its
intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance or PMA, such as the development of our FullTerm, The
Fetal Fibronectin Test as a diagnostic test for the induction of labor. The FDA requires every
manufacturer to make the determination of whether new clearance or approval is required for
510(k)-cleared devices. The FDA may review any manufacturers decision. The FDA may not agree with
our decisions regarding whether new clearances or approvals are necessary. If the FDA requires us
to seek 510(k) clearance or PMA for any modification to a previously cleared or approved product,
we may be required to cease marketing or to recall the modified product until we obtain clearance
or approval, and we may be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties. Any recall or FDA
requirement that we seek additional approvals or clearances could result in delays, fines, costs
associated with modification of a product, loss of revenue and potential operating restrictions
imposed by the FDA.
If we are unable to obtain or maintain regulatory approval for Gestiva, we will be limited in our
ability to commercialize Gestiva, and our business will be harmed.
The research, testing, manufacturing, selling and marketing of pharmaceutical product candidates
are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the United
States and other countries, which regulations differ from country to country. Obtaining and
maintaining regulatory approval typically is an uncertain process, is costly and takes many years.
In addition, failure to comply with the FDA and other applicable foreign and U.S. regulatory
requirements may subject us to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions. These include
warning letters, civil and criminal penalties, injunctions, product seizure or detention, product
recalls, total or partial suspension of production, and refusal to approve pending NDAs, or
supplements to approved NDAs.
Regulatory approval of an NDA or NDA supplement is never guaranteed. Despite the time, resources
and effort expended, failure can occur at any stage. The FDA has substantial discretion in the
approval process for human medicines. The FDA can deny, delay or limit approval of a product
candidate for many reasons including:
| |
|
|
the FDA may not find that the candidate is safe; |
| |
| |
|
|
the FDA may not find data from the clinical or preclinical testing to be sufficient; or |
| |
| |
|
|
the FDA may not approve our or our third party manufacturers processes or facilities. |
Future governmental action or changes in FDA policy or personnel may also result in delays or
rejection of an NDA in the United States. If we receive regulatory approval for Gestiva, we will
also be subject to ongoing FDA obligations and continued regulatory oversight and review, such as
continued safety reporting requirements; and we may also be subject to additional FDA
post-marketing obligations. If we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may not be
permitted to market Gestiva or any other therapeutic product candidates.
Any regulatory approvals that we receive for Gestiva or any other product candidates may also be
subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the medicine may be marketed or contain
requirements for potentially costly post-marketing follow-up studies. In addition, if the FDA
approves any of our product candidates, the labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage,
advertising, promotion and record-keeping for the medicine will be subject to extensive regulatory
requirements. The subsequent discovery of previously unknown problems with the medicine, including
adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, may result in restrictions on the marketing
of the medicine, and could include withdrawal of the medicine from the market.
Even if we receive approval for the marketing and sale of Gestiva for the prevention of recurrent
preterm birth, it may never be accepted as a treatment for recurrent preterm birth.
Many factors may affect the market acceptance and commercial success of Gestiva for the prevention
of recurrent preterm birth. Although there is currently no FDA-approved treatment for the
prevention of recurrent preterm birth, the comparable formulation to Gestiva, 17
alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (or 17P), is available from compounding pharmacies, and there is
one other company developing a different formulation of progesterone
applied via a vaginal gel. Even if the FDA approves
Gestiva, physicians may adopt Gestiva only if they determine, based on experience, clinical data,
side effect profiles and other factors, that it is preferable to other products or treatments then
in use. Acceptance of Gestiva among influential practitioners will be essential for market
acceptance of Gestiva.
Other factors that may affect the market acceptance and commercial success of Gestiva include:
21
| |
|
|
the effectiveness of Gestiva, including any side effects, as compared to alternative treatment methods; |
| |
| |
|
|
the product labeling or product insert required by the FDA for Gestiva; |
| |
| |
|
|
the cost-effectiveness of Gestiva and the availability of insurance or other third-party
reimbursement for patients using Gestiva; |
| |
| |
|
|
the timing of market entry of Gestiva relative to competitive products; |
| |
| |
|
|
the extent and success of our sales and marketing efforts; and |
| |
| |
|
|
the rate of adoption of Gestiva by physicians and by target patient population. |
The failure of Gestiva to achieve market acceptance would prevent us from generating meaningful
product revenue from Gestiva.
We have limited experience marketing pharmaceutical products, and will need to develop
pharmaceutical sales and marketing capabilities to successfully commercialize Gestiva.
We plan to use our existing sales force to market Gestiva. However, our management and sales force
have limited experience in marketing or selling pharmaceutical products. To achieve commercial
success for Gestiva, we must invest considerable time and resources in educating and training our
management and sales force in pharmaceutical marketing generally, and in the marketing of Gestiva
specifically. However, our Gestiva sales and marketing efforts may not be successful or
cost-effective. For example, in the event that the commercial launch of Gestiva is delayed due to
FDA requirements or other reasons, we may make investments in Gestiva marketing and sales too early
relative to the launch of Gestiva. If our Gestiva sales and marketing efforts are not successful,
cost-effective and timely, our profitability may be adversely affected.
If we experience delays in the development of new products or delays in planned improvements to our
products, our commercial opportunities will be reduced and our future competitive position may be
adversely affected.
To improve our competitive position, we believe that we will need to develop new diagnostic and
therapeutic products, as well as improve our existing instruments, reagents and ancillary products.
Improvements in automation and the number of tests that can be performed in a specified period of
time will be important to the competitive position of our products as we market to a broader,
perhaps less technically proficient, group of customers. Our ability to develop new products and
make improvements in our products may face difficult technological challenges leading to delays in
development, particularly as we expand our business beyond diagnostic products. If we are unable to
successfully complete development of new products or if we are unable to successfully complete the
planned enhancements to our products, in each case without significant delays, our future
competitive position may be adversely affected.
If other companies develop and market technologies or products faster than we do, or if those
products are more cost effective or useful than our products, our commercial opportunities will be
reduced or eliminated.
The extent to which any of our technologies and products achieve and sustain market acceptance will
depend on numerous competitive factors, many of which are beyond our control. Competition in the
medical device, diagnostic product and pharmaceutical industries is intense and has been
accentuated by a rapid pace of technological development.
While no company directly competes with us in our core diagnostic markets, there are other
diagnostic techniques currently in use to diagnose the likelihood of preterm birth, such as
ultrasound. In addition, other companies may develop new diagnostic products or technologies that
could compete with or entirely displace our products and technologies. For example, other
biomarkers, including cytokines and other proteins indicative of infection, and proteomics are the
subject of research that may yield new products or technologies. The effectiveness of these
alternative techniques may improve with time and additional research by clinicians or
manufacturers. The medical devices and diagnostic products industries include large diagnostics and
life sciences companies. Most of these entities have substantially greater research and development
capabilities and financial, scientific, manufacturing, marketing, sales and service resources than
we do.
Gestiva, if approved for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth, will compete with compounding
pharmacies selling 17P for the prevention of preterm birth, such as
Wedgewood Pharmacy. We are also aware of another company, Columbia Laboratories, that is
currently enrolling patients in a clinical trial for a product candidate for the prevention of preterm birth. Any regulatory exclusivity we
obtain with respect to Gestiva will not block the Columbia product candidate, because the product
candidate being developed by Columbia contains a different active
ingredient and is applied differently than Gestiva.
Some of our actual and potential competitors have more experience than we do in research and
development, clinical trials, regulatory matters, manufacturing, marketing and sales.
These organizations also compete with us to:
| |
|
|
pursue acquisitions, joint ventures or other collaborations; |
22
| |
|
|
license proprietary technologies that are competitive with our technologies; |
| |
| |
|
|
attract funding; and |
| |
| |
|
|
attract and hire scientific and other talent. |
If we cannot successfully compete with new products or technologies, sales of our products and our
competitive position will suffer, and our stock price might be adversely affected. Because of their
greater experience with commercializing technologies and larger research and development
capabilities, other companies might succeed in developing and commercializing technologies or
products earlier and obtaining regulatory approvals and clearances from the FDA more rapidly than
we do. Other companies also might develop more effective technologies or products that are more
predictive, more highly automated or more cost-effective, which may render our technologies or
products obsolete or non-competitive.
If we or any of our third-party manufacturers for our diagnostic do not operate in accordance with
Quality System Regulations, we could be subject to FDA enforcement actions, including the seizure
of our products and the halt of our production.
We and any third-party manufacturers that we currently rely on or will rely on in the future for
our diagnostic products, including those we rely on to produce components of our products, must
continuously adhere to the current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP, set forth in the FDAs
Quality System Regulations, or QSR, and enforced by the FDA through its facilities inspection
program. In complying with QSR, we and our third-party manufacturers must expend significant time,
money and effort in design and development, testing, production, record keeping and quality control
to assure that our products meet applicable specifications and other regulatory requirements. The
failure to comply with these specifications and other requirements could result in an FDA
enforcement action, including the seizure of products and shutting down of production. We or any of
these third-party manufacturers may also be subject to comparable or more stringent regulations of
foreign regulatory authorities. In any of these circumstances, our ability to develop, produce and
sell our products could be impaired.
We have received regulatory approvals for some of the operations located at our Sunnyvale,
California headquarters, including our CLIA-certified laboratory. Should we choose to relocate, or
if for some reason we are required to relocate some or all of our facilities from this location, we
may be required to apply for regulatory approvals for the new location. It may be difficult or
impossible for us to obtain the necessary approvals to continue our business in its present form at
any such new location, and our business may be harmed as a result.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers, and if these suppliers fail or are unable to perform in a
timely and satisfactory manner, we may be unable to manufacture our products or satisfy product
demand in a timely manner, which could delay the production or sale of our products.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for both raw materials and components necessary for the
manufacture of our diagnostic products, including our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test and
TLiIQ System. We acquire all of these components, assemblies and raw materials on a
purchase-order basis, which means that the supplier is not required to supply us with specified
quantities over a certain period of time or to set aside part of its inventory for our forecasted
requirements. If we need alternative sources for key components, assemblies or raw materials for
any reason, such components, assemblies or raw materials may not be immediately available. If
alternative suppliers are not immediately available, we will have to identify and qualify
alternative suppliers, and delivery of such components, assemblies or raw materials may be delayed.
Consequently, if we do not forecast properly, or if our suppliers are unable or unwilling to supply
us in sufficient quantities or on commercially acceptable terms, we may not have access to
sufficient quantities of these components, assemblies and raw materials on a timely basis and may
not be able to satisfy product demand. We may not be able to find an adequate alternative supplier
if required, in a reasonable time period, or on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. Our
inability to obtain a supplier for the manufacture of our products may force us to curtail or cease
operations, which would have a material adverse effect on our product sales and profitability. We
also relied upon a fulfillment provider to process orders for our products, coordinate invoicing
and collections, as well as ship our products to customers in the United States through September
30, 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2005, we transferred the fulfillment operation back to Adeza.
Any problems with this transition may have a material adverse effect on our product sales and
profitability.
In addition, if any of these components, assemblies or raw materials are no longer available in the
marketplace, we will be forced to further develop our technologies to incorporate alternate
components, assemblies and raw materials and to do so in compliance with
23
QSR. If we incorporate new components, assemblies or raw materials into our products, we may need
to seek and obtain additional approvals or clearances from the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies,
which could delay the commercialization of these products.
We have no manufacturing capabilities for Gestiva and we may depend on third parties who are single
source suppliers to manufacture Gestiva. If these suppliers are unable to continue manufacturing
Gestiva and we are unable to contract quickly with alternative sources, our business will be
harmed.
We currently have no experience in, and we do not own facilities for, nor do we plan to develop
our own facilities for, manufacturing Gestiva. To date, our need for Gestiva has been limited to the
amounts required in connection with our Gestiva NDA submission, which
includes, among others and
stability studies related to Gestiva. We have obtained our supply of Gestiva
pursuant to a clinical supply agreement with a contract manufacturer, and we have obtained
our supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Gestiva on a purchase order basis. We do not intend to establish our own
manufacturing facilities for Gestiva, and we are in the process of negotiating commercial supply
agreements with the contract manufacturer and the supplier of the
active ingredient. If we are successful in negotiating commercial supply
agreements with those parties, each of them may be a single source supplier to us. In the
event we are unable, for whatever reason, to obtain Gestiva or the active
pharmaceutical ingredient in Gestiva, we may not be able to identify alternate
manufacturers able to meet our needs on commercially reasonable terms and in a timely manner, or at
all. If we are unable, for whatever reason, to obtain Gestiva from our contract manufacturers, we
may not be able to manufacture in a timely manner, if at all.
If our third party manufacturers of Gestiva fail to comply with FDA regulations or otherwise fail
to meet our requirements, our product development and commercialization efforts may be delayed.
We depend on third party manufacturers to supply Gestiva. Our suppliers and manufacturers must
comply with the FDAs current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, regulations and guidelines.
Our suppliers and manufacturers may encounter difficulties in achieving quality control and quality
assurance and may experience shortages of qualified personnel. Their failure to follow cGMP or
other regulatory requirements and to document their compliance with cGMP may lead to significant
delays in the availability of products for commercial use or clinical study or the termination or
hold on a clinical study, or may delay or prevent filing or approval of marketing applications for
Gestiva.
Failure of our third party suppliers and manufacturers or us to comply with applicable regulations
could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties,
failure of regulatory authorities to grant marketing approval of our products, delays, suspension
or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of products, operating
restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could harm our business. If the operations of
any current or future supplier or manufacturer were to become unavailable for any reason,
commercialization of Gestiva could be delayed and our revenue from product sales could be reduced.
If we use a different third-party manufacturer to produce commercial quantities of Gestiva than we
used for the studies we conducted in connection with the Gestiva NDA submission, the FDA may
require us to conduct a study to demonstrate that the product used in our studies are equivalent to
the final commercial product. If we are unable to establish that the product is equivalent, or if
the FDA disagrees with the results of our study, commercial launch of Gestiva would be delayed.
We depend on distributors to market and sell our products in overseas markets, and if our foreign
distributors fail in their efforts or are unwilling or unable to devote sufficient resources to
market and sell our products, our ability to effectively market our products and our business will
be harmed.
Our international sales, which totaled $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006, $1.0
million in the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, and $0.8 million in the year ended December
31, 2003, currently depend upon the marketing efforts of and sales by certain distributors in
Europe, Australia, the Pacific Rim region and South America. In most instances, our distribution
arrangements are governed by short-term purchase orders. We also rely upon certain of these
distributors to assist in obtaining product registration and reimbursement approvals in certain
international markets, and we may not be able to engage qualified distributors in our targeted
markets. The distributors that we are able to obtain may not perform their obligations. If a
distributor fails to invest adequate resources and support in promoting our products and training
physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers in the proper techniques for using our
products or in awareness of our products, or if a distributor ceases operations, we would likely be
unable to achieve significant sales in the territory represented by the distributor. If we decide
to market new products abroad, we will likely need to educate our existing or new distributors
about these new products and convince them to distribute the new products. If these distributors
are unwilling or unable to market and sell our products, we may experience delayed or reduced
market acceptance
24
and sales of our products outside the United States. Our failure to engage adequate distributors,
or the failure of the distributors to perform their obligations as expected, may harm our ability
to effectively market our products and our business.
The regulatory approval process outside the United States varies depending on foreign regulatory
requirements and may limit our ability to develop, manufacture and sell our products
internationally.
To market any of our products outside of the United States, we and certain of our distributors, are
subject to numerous and varying foreign regulatory requirements, implemented by foreign health
authorities, governing the design and conduct of human clinical trials and marketing approval for
pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. The approval procedure varies among countries and can
involve additional testing, and the time required to obtain approval may differ from that required
to obtain FDA approval. The foreign regulatory approval process includes all of the risks
associated with obtaining FDA approval set forth above, and approval by the FDA does not ensure
approval by the health authorities of any other country, nor does the approval by foreign health
authorities ensure approval by the FDA.
If our products do not perform as expected, we may experience reduced revenue, delayed or reduced
market acceptance of our products, increased costs and damage to our reputation.
Our success depends on the markets confidence that we can provide reliable, high quality medical
diagnostic devices. Our customers are particularly sensitive to product defects and errors because
of the use of our products in medical practice. Our reputation and the public image of our products
may be impaired for any of the following reasons:
| |
|
|
failure of our products to perform as expected; |
| |
| |
|
|
a perception that our products are difficult to use; and |
| |
| |
|
|
litigation concerning the performance of our products. |
Even after any underlying problems are resolved, any manufacturing defects or performance errors in
our products could result in lost revenue, delay in market acceptance, damage to our reputation,
increased service and warranty costs and claims against us.
If product liability suits or other claims and product field actions are initiated against us, we
may be required to engage in expensive and time-consuming litigation, pay substantial damages, face
increased insurance rates and sustain damage to our reputation, which would significantly impair
our financial condition.
Our business exposes us to potential product liability claims and field action risks that are
inherent in the testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceutical and diagnostic
products. We may be unable to avoid product liability claims or field actions, including those
based on claims that the use or failure of our products resulted in a misdiagnosis or harm to a
patient. Although we believe that our liability coverage is adequate for our current needs, and
while we intend to expand our product liability insurance coverage to any products for which we
obtain marketing approval, including Gestiva, insurance may be unavailable, prohibitively expensive
or may not fully cover our potential liabilities. If we are unable to maintain sufficient insurance
coverage on reasonable terms or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims or
field actions, we may be unable to continue to market our products and develop new markets.
Defending a lawsuit could be costly and significantly divert managements attention from conducting
our business. A successful product liability claim brought against us in excess of any insurance
coverage we have at that time could cause us to incur substantial liabilities, potentially in
excess of our total assets, and our business to fail. In addition, we are a specialty company
focused on womens health. We have a narrow customer base that is subject to significant
malpractice litigation that may place us at risk of the same. Product liability claims, product
field actions or other regulatory proceedings may damage our reputation by raising questions about
our products safety and efficacy, could significantly harm our reputation, interfere with our
efforts to market our products and make it more difficult to obtain the funding and commercial
relationships necessary to maintain our business.
If we or others identify side effects after our therapeutic products are on the market, we may be
required to perform lengthy additional clinical trials, change the labeling of our products or
withdraw our products from the market, any of which would hinder or preclude our ability to
generate revenues.
If we or others identify side effects after any of our therapeutic products are on the market:
25
| |
|
|
regulatory authorities may withdraw their approvals; |
| |
| |
|
|
we may be required to reformulate our products, conduct additional clinical trials, make
changes in labeling of our products or implement changes to or obtain re-approvals of our
manufacturing facilities; |
| |
| |
|
|
we may experience a significant drop in the sales of the affected products; |
| |
| |
|
|
our reputation in the marketplace may suffer; and |
| |
| |
|
|
we may become the target of lawsuits, including class action lawsuits. |
Any of these events could harm or prevent sales of the affected products or could increase the
costs and expenses of commercializing and marketing these products.
We depend on the services of key personnel to implement our strategy, and if we lose key management
or scientific personnel, scientific collaborators or other advisors or are unable to attract and
retain other qualified personnel, we may be unable to execute our business plan and our operations
and business would suffer.
Our success depends, in large part, on the efforts and abilities of Emory Anderson, who is our
President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Durlin Hickok, who is our Vice President, Medical
Affairs, Dr. Robert Hussa, our Vice President, Research and Development, Mark Fischer-Colbrie, who
is our Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer, and Marian Sacco,
our Vice President, Sales and Marketing, as well as the other members of our senior management and
our scientific and technical personnel. While we have executed management continuity agreements, we
do not currently have employment agreements with any of these individuals. We do not currently
carry key person insurance on the lives of any of these executives. Many of these people have been
members of our executive team for several years, and their knowledge of our business would be
difficult or time-consuming to replace. We also depend on our scientific collaborators and other
advisors, particularly with respect to our research and development efforts. If we lose the
services of one or more of our key officers, employees or consultants, or are unable to retain or
attract the services of existing or new scientific collaborators and other advisors, our research
and development and product development efforts could be delayed or curtailed, our ability to
execute our business strategy would be impaired, and our stock price might be adversely affected.
Most of our operations are currently conducted at a single location that may be at risk from
earthquakes and other natural or unforeseen disasters.
We currently conduct all of our manufacturing, development and management activities at a single
location in Sunnyvale, California near known fault zones. In addition, our E-tegrity Tests are
currently processed solely through our CLIA-certified laboratory located at our Sunnyvale facility.
Despite precautions taken by us, any future natural or man-made disaster, such as a fire,
earthquake or terrorist activity, could cause substantial delays in our operations, damage or
destroy our equipment or inventory, and reduce our sales or cause us to incur additional expenses.
In addition, the facility and some pieces of manufacturing equipment would be difficult to replace
and could require substantial replacement lead-time. A disaster could seriously harm our business
and results of operations. While we carry insurance for certain business interruptions, some
natural and man-made disasters are excluded from our insurance policies, including those caused by
terrorist acts or earthquakes. We believe that our insurance coverage is generally adequate for our
current needs in the event of losses not caused by excluded events, but we may be subject to
interruptions caused by excluded events or extraordinary events resulting in losses in excess of
our insurance coverage or for which we have no coverage. This could impair our operating results
and financial condition.
If we use biological and hazardous materials in a manner that causes injury, we could be liable for
damages.
Our research and development activities sometimes involve the controlled use of potentially harmful
biological materials, hazardous materials and chemicals that are dangerous to human health and
safety or the environment. We are subject on an ongoing basis to federal, state and local laws and
regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specified
waste products. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations might be significant and
could negatively affect our profitability. We believe our safety procedures for handling and
disposing of these materials comply in all material aspects with federal, state and local laws and
regulations and to date, we have not been required to take any action to correct any noncompliance.
However, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury to third
parties from the use, storage, handling or disposal of these
26
materials. Although we believe our insurance coverage is adequate for our current needs, in the
event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any
liability could exceed our resources or any applicable insurance coverage we may have.
Potential business combinations could require significant management attention and prove difficult
to integrate with our business, which could distract our management, disrupt our business, dilute
stockholder value and adversely affect our operating results.
If we become aware of potential business combination candidates to our business, which could
include license, co-promote, joint venture, and other types of arrangements, we may decide to
combine with such businesses or acquire their assets in the future. We have acquired businesses or
product lines in the past. For example, we acquired exclusive rights to the SalEst Test in 2003.
While we have not encountered such difficulties following our prior acquisitions, business
combinations generally involve a number of additional difficulties and risks to our business,
including:
| |
|
|
failure to integrate management information systems, personnel, research and development
and marketing, operations, sales and support; |
| |
| |
|
|
potential loss of key current employees or employees of the other company; |
| |
| |
|
|
disruption of our ongoing business and diversion of managements attention from other business concerns; |
| |
| |
|
|
potential loss of the other companys customers; |
| |
| |
|
|
failure to develop further the other companys technology successfully; |
| |
| |
|
|
unanticipated costs and liabilities; and |
| |
| |
|
|
other accounting consequences. |
In addition, we may not realize benefits from any business combination we may undertake in the
future. If we fail to successfully integrate such businesses, or the technologies associated with
such business combinations into our company, the revenue and operating results of the combined
company could be adversely affected. Any integration process would require significant time and
resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully. If our customers are
uncertain about our ability to operate on a combined basis, they could delay or cancel orders for
our products. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired technology or accurately
forecast the financial impact of a combination, including accounting charges or volatility in the
stock price of the combined entity. We may find challenges associated with integration particularly
difficult if we acquire a business in an area unfamiliar to us or our senior management team. If we
fail to successfully integrate other companies with which we may combine in the future, our
business could be harmed.
If we fail to obtain necessary funds for our operations, we will be unable to continue to develop
and commercialize new products and technologies and we may need to downsize or halt our operations.
We expect capital outlays and operating expenditures to increase over the next several years as we
expand our infrastructure, commercialization, manufacturing, clinical trials and research and
development activities. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents, will be sufficient to meet
our operating and capital requirements for at least the next two years. However, our present and
future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, among other things:
| |
|
|
the level of research and development investment required to maintain and improve our technology position; |
| |
| |
|
|
costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights; |
| |
| |
|
|
the success of our product sales and related collections; |
| |
| |
|
|
our need or decision to acquire or license businesses, products or technologies; |
| |
| |
|
|
maintaining or expanding our manufacturing or commercialization capacity; |
27
| |
|
|
greater than expected costs associated with Gestiva; |
| |
| |
|
|
competing technological and market developments; and |
| |
| |
|
|
costs relating to changes in regulatory policies or laws that affect our operations. |
As a result of these factors, we may need to raise additional funds, and we cannot be certain that
such funds will be available to us on acceptable terms when needed, if at all. In addition, if we
raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be
necessary to relinquish potentially valuable rights to our future products or proprietary
technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we cannot raise funds on
acceptable terms, we may not be able to expand our operations, develop new products, take advantage
of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated customer requirements
and may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, eliminate or divest one or more of our research,
clinical or sales and marketing programs or our entire business.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
If we are unable to protect our proprietary rights, we may not be able to compete effectively.
Our success depends significantly on our ability to protect our proprietary rights to the
technologies used in our products. We rely on patent protection, as well as a combination of
copyright, trade secret and trademark laws, and nondisclosure, confidentiality and other
contractual restrictions, to protect our proprietary technology. However, these legal means afford
only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any
competitive advantage. For example, our pending US and foreign patent applications may not issue as
patents at all, or if they do, they may not issue as patents in a form that will be advantageous to
us or may issue and be subsequently successfully challenged by others and invalidated.
Additionally, our family of issued patents and patent applications, if and when issued, relating to
our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test and TLiIQ System, have a range of expiration
dates from 2007 to 2025. Upon the expiration of one or more patents relating to our FullTerm, The
Fetal Fibronectin Test and TLiIQ System, we may not be able to protect our proprietary
rights relating to the technologies used in these products. In addition, our pending patent
applications include claims to material aspects of our products and procedures that are not
currently protected by issued patents. Both the patent application process and the process of
managing patent disputes can be time-consuming and expensive. Competitors may be able to design
around our patents or develop products that provide outcomes comparable to ours. Although we have
taken steps to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology, including entering
into confidentiality agreements and intellectual property assignment agreements with our employees,
consultants and advisors, such agreements may not be enforceable or may not provide meaningful
protection for our trade secrets or other proprietary information in the event of unauthorized use
or disclosure or other breaches of the agreements. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries
may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United
States.
If any of these events occur, our business will suffer and the market price of our common stock may
decline.
Although we may initiate litigation to stop the infringement of our patent claims or to attempt to
force an unauthorized user of our patented inventions or trade secrets to compensate us for the
infringement or unauthorized use, patent and trade secret litigation is complex and often difficult
and expensive, and would consume the time of our management and other significant resources. If the
outcome of litigation is adverse to us, third parties may be able to use our technologies without
payments to us. Moreover, other companies against whom we might initiate litigation may be better
able to sustain the costs of litigation because they have substantially greater resources. Because
of these factors relating to litigation, we may be effectively unable to prevent misappropriation
of our patent and other proprietary rights.
Our rights to use technologies and patents licensed to us by third parties are not within our
control, and we may not be able to commercialize our products without these technologies.
We have licensed a number of patents, including patents related to our FullTerm, The Fetal
Fibronectin Test and our E-tegrity Test from third parties, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center, Inverness Medical and the University of Pennsylvania. Our business may
significantly suffer if one or more of these licenses terminate or expire, if we or our licensors
fail to abide by the terms of the licenses or fail to prevent infringement by third parties or if
the licensed patents are found to be invalid.
28
If we violate the terms of our licenses, or otherwise lose our rights to these patents, we may be
unable to continue developing and selling our products. Our licensors or others may dispute the
scope of our rights under any of these licenses. The licensors under these licenses may breach the
terms of their respective agreements or fail to prevent infringement of the licensed patents by
third parties. Loss of any of these licenses for any reason could materially harm our financial
condition and operating results.
In addition, if we determine that our products do not incorporate the patented technology that we
have licensed from third parties, or that one or more of the patents that we have licensed is not
valid, we may dispute our obligation to pay royalties to our licensors.
Any dispute with a licensor could be complex, expensive and time-consuming and an outcome adverse
to us could materially harm our business and impair our ability to commercialize our products,
including our FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test. As a result, our stock price might be adversely
affected.
If the use of our technologies conflicts with the intellectual property rights of third parties, we
may incur substantial liabilities, and we may be unable to commercialize products based on these
technologies in a profitable manner, if at all.
Other companies may have or acquire patent rights that they could enforce against us. If they do
so, we may be required to alter our technologies, pay licensing fees or cease activities. If our
technologies conflict with patent rights of others, third parties could bring legal action against
us or our licensees, suppliers, customers or collaborators, claiming damages and seeking to enjoin
manufacturing and marketing of the affected products. If these legal actions are successful, in
addition to any potential liability for damages, we might have to obtain a license in order to
continue to manufacture or market the affected products. A required license under the related
patent may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.
Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending
applications unknown to us or reissuance applications that may later result in issued patents upon
which our technologies may infringe. There could also be existing patents of which we are unaware
that our technologies may infringe. In addition, if third parties file patent applications or
obtain patents claiming technology also claimed by us in pending applications, we may have to
participate in interference proceedings in the US Patent and Trademark Office to determine priority
of invention. If third parties file oppositions in foreign countries, we may also have to
participate in opposition proceedings in foreign tribunals to defend the patentability of the filed
foreign patent applications. We may have to participate in interference proceedings involving our
issued patents or our pending applications.
If a third party claims that we infringe upon its proprietary rights, it could cause our business
to suffer in a number of ways, including:
| |
|
|
we may become involved in time-consuming and expensive litigation, even if the claim is
without merit; |
| |
| |
|
|
we may become liable for substantial damages for past infringement if a court decides
that our technologies infringe upon a competitors patent; |
| |
| |
|
|
a court may prohibit us from selling or licensing our product without a license from the
patent holder, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, or
which may require us to pay substantial royalties or grant cross-licenses to our patents;
and |
| |
| |
|
|
we may have to redesign our product so that it does not infringe upon others patent
rights, which may not be possible or could require substantial funds or time. |
If any of these events occur, our business will suffer and the market price of our common stock may
decline.
If we are involved in intellectual property claims and litigation, the proceedings may divert our
resources and subject us to significant liability for damages, substantial litigation expense and
the loss of our proprietary rights.
In order to protect or enforce our patent rights, we may initiate patent litigation. In addition,
others may initiate patent litigation against us. We may become subject to interference proceedings
conducted in patent and trademark offices to determine the priority of inventions. There are
numerous issued and pending patents in the medical device field. The validity and breadth of
medical technology patents may involve complex legal and factual questions for which important
legal principles may remain unresolved.
Litigation may be necessary to assert or defend against infringement claims, enforce our issued and
licensed patents, protect our trade secrets or know-how or determine the enforceability, scope and
validity of the proprietary rights of others. Our involvement in intellectual property claims and
litigation could:
| |
|
|
divert existing management, scientific and financial resources; |
29
| |
|
|
subject us to significant liabilities; |
| |
| |
|
|
allow our competitors to market competitive products without obtaining a license from us; |
| |
| |
|
|
cause product shipment delays and lost sales; |
| |
| |
|
|
require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all; or |
| |
| |
|
|
force us to discontinue selling or modify our products, or to develop new products. |
The market for Gestiva may be very competitive because we have no patent protection for Gestiva,
and we may not obtain regulatory exclusivity for Gestiva.
There is no United States patent covering either the formulation of 17P, or the use of 17P for the
prevention of recurrent preterm birth. Accordingly, we currently have no patent protection with
respect to Gestiva.
We will have marketing exclusivity for Gestiva only if we obtain either Orphan Drug designation or
three year regulatory exclusivity for Gestiva. As noted above, Gestiva, if approved for the
prevention of recurrent preterm birth, will compete with compounding pharmacies selling 17P for the
prevention of preterm birth, and, possibly, another company that is developing a product candidate
for the prevention of preterm birth. Our present and potential competitors include large
compounding pharmacies and major pharmaceutical companies which have considerably greater
financial, technical and marketing resources than we do.
Because we have no patent covering the composition of 17P or the use of 17P for the prevention of
recurrent pre-term birth, if an NDA covering the use of 17P for another indication is approved by
the FDA, physicians could prescribe 17P labeled for other indications for patients at risk for
recurrent preterm birth. Monitoring and ensuring that recurrent preterm birth patients receive
Gestiva rather than another form of 17P may be difficult and costly.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or
disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
Many of our employees were previously employed at universities or other diagnostic or biotechnology
companies, including our potential competitors. Although no claims against us are currently
pending, we may be subject to claims that these employees or we have inadvertently or otherwise
used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers.
Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending
against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to
management. If we fail in defending such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may
lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. A loss of key research personnel or their
work product could hamper or prevent our ability to market existing or new products, which could
severely harm our business.
If we cannot obtain additional licenses to intellectual property owned by third parties that we
desire to incorporate into new products we plan to develop, we may not be able to develop or
commercialize these future products.
We are developing diagnostic products designed to expand the utility of fetal fibronectin in
multiple applications. The technology that we ultimately may use in the development and
commercialization of these future products may be protected by patent and other intellectual
property rights owned by third parties. If we are unable to obtain rights to use necessary
third-party intellectual property under commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we may be unable
to develop these products, and this could harm our ability to expand our commercial product
offerings and to generate additional revenue from these products.
30
RISKS RELATING TO OUR COMMON STOCK
If we are unable to timely satisfy new regulatory requirements relating to internal controls, our
stock price could suffer.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that certain companies perform a
comprehensive evaluation of their internal control over financial reporting. At the end of each
fiscal year, we must perform an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting,
include in our annual report the results of the evaluation, and have our independent auditors
attest to such evaluation. If we fail to complete future evaluations on time, or if our independent
auditors cannot attest to our future evaluations, we could fail to meet our regulatory reporting
requirements and be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence in our internal
controls, which could have an adverse effect on our stock price.
If our principal stockholders, executive officers and directors choose to act together, they may be
able to control our management and operations, which may prevent us from taking actions that may be
favorable to our stockholders.
Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders, and entities affiliated with them,
beneficially owned in the aggregate approximately 34% of our common stock as of March 31, 2006.
This significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our
common stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies with
controlling stockholders. These stockholders, acting together, have the ability to exert
substantial influence over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the
election and removal of directors and any proposed merger, consolidation or sale of all or
substantially all of our assets. In addition, they could dictate the management of our business and
affairs. This concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing
a change in control of us or impeding a merger or consolidation, takeover or other business
combination that could be favorable to our stockholders.
The future sale of our securities could dilute our common stockholders investments and negatively
affect our stock price.
If our common stockholders sell substantial amounts of common stock in the public market, or the
market perceives that such sales may occur, the market price of our common stock could fall. The
holders of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, subject to some conditions, could
require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in
registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. Furthermore, if we
were to include in a company-initiated registration statement shares held by those holders pursuant
to the exercise of their registration rights, the sale of those shares could impair our ability to
raise needed capital by depressing the price at which we could sell our common stock. If we issue
equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders may experience
dilution and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior
to those of our existing stockholders. Furthermore, we may enter into financing transactions at
prices that represent a substantial discount to market price. Raising funds through the issuance of
equity securities will dilute the ownership of our existing stockholders. A negative reaction by
investors and securities analysts to any sale of debt or our equity securities could result in a
decline in the trading price of our common stock.
The price and volume of our common stock experience fluctuations, which could lead to costly
litigation for us.
Our stock price has been volatile. From December 10, 2004, the date of our initial public offering,
through May 8, 2005, our stock has traded as high as $23.35 and as low as $10.97. The market price
of our common stock may fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including:
| |
|
|
media reports and publications and announcements about womens health and cancer
diagnostic products or new cancer treatments or innovations that could compete with our
products; |
| |
| |
|
|
new regulatory pronouncements, changes in regulatory guidelines, such as adverse changes
in reimbursement for womens health and cancer diagnostic products, and the timing of
regulatory approvals concerning the products in our pipeline; |
| |
| |
|
|
market conditions or trends related to the medical devices and diagnostic products industries or the market in general; |
| |
| |
|
|
changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts; |
| |
| |
|
|
the seasonal nature of our revenues and expenses; |
31
| |
|
|
analysts perceptions of our ability to compete successfully in both the diagnostic and therapeutic businesses; |
| |
| |
|
|
variations in our quarterly operating results; and |
| |
| |
|
|
changes in accounting principles. |
The market prices of the securities of medical devices and diagnostic products companies,
particularly companies like ours without a long history of product sales and earnings, have been
highly volatile and are likely to remain highly volatile in the future. This volatility has often
been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. Moreover, market prices for
stocks of biotechnology and medical diagnostic related companies, particularly following an initial
public offering, frequently reach levels that bear no relationship to the operating performance of
these companies. These market prices may not be sustainable and are highly volatile. In the past,
companies that experience volatility in the market price of their securities have often faced
securities class action litigation. Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought against us could
result in substantial costs, divert our managements attention and resources and harm our ability
to grow our business.
Anti-takeover provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and under Delaware law may
inhibit a change in control or a change in management that our stockholders consider favorable.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could delay or prevent a change of
control or change in management that would provide our stockholders with a premium to the market
price of our common stock. These provisions include those:
| |
|
|
authorizing the issuance without further approval of blank check preferred stock that could be issued by our board of
directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt; |
| |
| |
|
|
prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors, which would otherwise allow less than a majority of
stockholders to elect director candidates; |
| |
| |
|
|
limiting the ability to remove directors; |
| |
| |
|
|
limiting the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders; |
| |
| |
|
|
prohibiting stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of
stockholders; and |
| |
| |
|
|
establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters
that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings. |
In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law limits business combination
transactions with 15% stockholders that have not been approved by our board of directors. These
provisions and others could make it difficult for a third party to acquire us, or for members of
our board of directors to be replaced, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders.
Because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team,
these provisions could in turn affect any attempt to replace the current management team. If a
change of control or change in management is delayed or prevented, our stockholders may lose an
opportunity to realize a premium on their shares of common stock or the market price of our common
stock could decline.
We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, our stockholders must
rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment in our common stock
We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any
payment of cash dividends will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital
requirements and other factors and will be at the discretion of our board of directors.
Accordingly, our stockholders will have to rely on capital appreciation, if any, to earn a return
on their investment in our common stock. Furthermore, we may, in the future, become subject to
contractual restrictions on, or prohibitions against, the payment of dividends.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
32
On December 10, 2004, we completed an initial public offering of 3,750,000 shares of our common
stock. The common stock sold in the offering was registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, on the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Reg. No. 333-118012) that was declared
effective by the SEC on December 9, 2004. The offering commenced on December 10, 2004. On December
21, 2004, the underwriters in the offering exercised their over-allotment option to purchase an
additional 562,500 shares of our common stock to cover over-allotments. All 4,312,500 of the shares
sold in the offering were sold at the initial public offering price of $16.00 per share. After
deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, we received net proceeds
form the offering of approximately $61.9 million.
During the three months ended March 31, 2006, we spent (i) approximately $6.0 million of the
proceeds from the offering on sales and marketing efforts, (ii) approximately $1.7 million on
research and development activities related to product development, clinical trials and regulatory
approvals for additional indications for our Fetal Fibronectin Test, and (iii) approximately $2.3
million on other general corporate purposes. The remaining proceeds from the offering have been
placed in temporary investments of marketable securities for future use as needed.
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None.
Item 5. Other Information
Gestiva
General. We have submitted a New Drug Application, or NDA, with the FDA for Gestiva, our product
candidate to prevent preterm birth in women with a history of preterm birth, which is known as
recurrent preterm birth.
Clinical Study. Our NDA submission includes data from a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled clinical study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, or NICHD, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003. Data from
this study demonstrated a 34% reduction in the rate of recurrent preterm birth among women who were
treated with the active ingredient in Gestiva, an injectable long-acting, naturally occurring form
of progesterone known as 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, or 17P, as compared to placebo.
NICHD, which is one of the National Institutes of Health, used 17P in a multi-center trial that
enrolled 463 women with a prior history of preterm birth. Patients
were enrolled at 16 to 21 weeks
of gestation and randomly assigned to receive weekly injections of 17P or placebo. The most common
side effects were local injection-site reactions. Treatment continued until delivery or 36 weeks
of gestation, resulting in a reduction in the preterm birth rate of 34% among women treated with
17P. In addition, infants born to women treated with 17P had significantly lower rates of
necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, supplemental oxygen
need, and days of respiratory therapy.
Priority Review. We have requested priority review for the Gestiva NDA, which if granted, would
set a six month goal for FDA review of the NDA. Priority review may be granted by the FDA if the
subject drug product, if approved, would be a significant improvement compared to marketed approved
products in the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of a disease. At present, no drug product is
approved by the FDA for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. There is no effective NDA
covering 17P for any indication. 17P was previously approved and marketed for various indications
such as uterine cancer. Currently, the only commercially available source of 17P is compounding
pharmacies, which are not required to follow strict FDA guidelines covering manufacturing, product
quality and labeling.
Orphan Drug Designation; Regulatory Exclusivity. We have submitted an application to the FDA
requesting Orphan Drug designation for Gestiva. The FDA Orphan Drug designation is reserved for
promising new therapies being developed to treat life-threatening or very serious diseases that
affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. The Orphan Drug Act
guarantees market exclusivity from any other companies, other than
potentially compounding pharmacies, which are not regulated by the FDA for
the FDA approved indication for seven years to the first sponsor that obtains market approval for an
orphan-designated product. There can be no assurance that our Orphan Drug designation request will
be approved.
33
If the FDA approves the Gestiva NDA but does not approve our Orphan Drug application for Gestiva,
we may be granted regulatory exclusivity for three years from approval of the Gestiva NDA because
the use of 17P for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth would be a new indication of a
previously approved active ingredient. An award of three years of exclusivity to a drug product
means that the FDA cannot approve an application submitted under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act or an abbreviated new drug application for the same product for the
same indication for three years. To obtain three-year exclusivity, the NDA covering a
subject drug must include reports of new clinical investigations conducted by the sponsor that are
essential to FDA approval of the new indication or dosage form. As we
may not meet the guidelines for obtaining exclusivity there can be no assurance that we will receive three
years of exclusivity.
Marketing. If Gestiva is approved for marketing in the United States, we plan to use our existing
sales force to market the product.
Manufacturing. To date, our need for Gestiva has been limited to the amounts required in
connection with our Gestiva NDA submission, which includes, among others, stability and toxicology
studies related to Gestiva. We have obtained our supply of Gestiva pursuant to a clinical supply
agreement with a contract manufacturer, and we have obtained our supply of the active
pharmaceutical ingredient in Gestiva on a purchase order basis. We do not intend to establish our own manufacturing facilities for
Gestiva, and we are in the process of negotiating commercial supply
agreements with the contract manufacturer and the supplier of the
active ingredient. If we are successful in negotiating commercial
supply agreement with those parties, each of them may be a single source supplier to us. In the event we are unable, for
whatever reason, to obtain Gestiva or the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Gestiva, we may not be able to identify alternate manufacturers able to meet our needs on
commercially reasonable terms and in a timely manner, or at all.
Intellectual Property. There is no United States patent covering either the formulation of 17P, or
the use of 17P for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. Accordingly, we currently have no patent
protection with respect to Gestiva. We will have marketing exclusivity for Gestiva only if we
obtain either Orphan Drug designation or three year regulatory exclusivity, as described above
under Orphan Drug Designation; Regulatory Exclusivity.
Competition. Gestiva, if approved for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth, will compete with
compounding pharmacies selling 17P for the prevention of preterm
birth, such as Wedgewood
Pharmacy. We are also aware of another company, Columbia Laboratories,
that is developing a product candidate for the prevention of preterm
birth and is currently enrolling patients in a clinical trial. Any regulatory
exclusivity we obtain with respect to Gestiva will not block the Columbia product candidate,
because the product candidate being developed by Columbia is a
vaginal gel formulation with progesterone. In addition, other forms of
progesterone administration could be developed.
Our present and potential competitors include large compounding pharmacies and major pharmaceutical
companies which have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do.
As noted above, although we may receive regulatory exclusivity for the use of 17P for the
prevention of recurrent preterm birth, we do not have a patent covering the composition of 17P or
the use of 17P for the prevention of recurrent pre-term birth. If an NDA covering the use of 17P
for another indication is approved by the FDA, physicians could prescribe 17P labeled for other
indications for patients at risk for recurrent preterm birth. Monitoring and ensuring that
recurrent preterm birth patients receive Gestiva rather than another form of 17P may be difficult
and costly.
United States Government Regulation. Prescription pharmaceutical products and product candidates
such as Gestiva are subject to extensive pre- and post-market regulation, including regulations
that govern the testing, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, storage, distribution, record
keeping, advertising, and promotion of the products under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
The process of complying with federal and state statutes and regulations in order to obtain the
necessary approvals and subsequently complying with federal and state statutes and regulations
involves significant time and expense.
The Gestiva NDA must be approved by the FDA prior to commercialization. The FDA reviews all NDAs
submitted before it accepts them for filing. The Gestiva NDA has not been accepted for filing. If
the agency accepts an NDA for filing, the FDA may grant marketing approval, request additional
information or deny the application if it determines that the application does not meet regulatory
approval criteria. The FDA may seek the input and recommendations of a public advisory committee
of outside experts in its review of an NDA. FDA approval may not be granted on a timely basis, or
at all.
34
If the FDA approves an NDA, the subject drug becomes available for physicians to prescribe in the
United States. Once approved, the FDA may withdraw the product approval if compliance with pre- and
post-market regulatory standards is not maintained. The drug developer must submit periodic reports
to the FDA. Adverse experiences with the product must be reported to the FDA and could result in
the imposition of marketing restrictions through labeling changes or product removal. Product
approvals may be withdrawn if problems with safety or efficacy occur after the product reaches the
marketplace. In addition, the FDA may require post-marketing studies, referred to as Phase 4
studies, to monitor the long term safety and effectiveness of approved products in larger
populations, and may limit further marketing of the product based on the results of these
post-market studies.
Facilities used to manufacture drugs are subject to periodic inspection by the FDA and other
authorities where applicable, and must comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices
regulations, or cGMP. Failure to comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements subjects
the manufacturer to possible legal or regulatory action, such as suspension of manufacturing,
seizure of product or voluntary recall of a product.
With respect to post-market product advertising and promotion, the FDA imposes a number of complex
regulations on entities that advertise and promote pharmaceuticals, which include, among others,
standards and regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising, off-label promotion, industry
sponsored scientific and educational activities, and promotional activities involving the Internet.
The FDA has very broad enforcement authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and
failure to abide by these regulations can result in penalties including the issuance of a warning
letter directing a company to correct deviations from FDA standards, a requirement that future
advertising and promotional materials be pre-cleared by the FDA, and state and federal civil and
criminal investigations and prosecutions.
In addition to studies requested by the FDA after approval, a drug developer may conduct other
trials and studies to explore use of the approved product for treatment of new indications. The
purpose of these trials and studies and related publications is to broaden the application and use
of the drug and its acceptance in the medical community. Data supporting the use of a drug for
these new indications must be submitted to the FDA in a new or supplemental NDA that must be
approved by the FDA before the drug can be marketed for the new indications. Even if the Gestiva
NDA is approved, other drug developers may conduct trials on 17P for recurrent preterm birth or
other indications.
Regulatory Approvals outside the United States. We have not started the regulatory approval
process for Gestiva in any jurisdiction other than the United States and we are unable to estimate
when, if ever, we will commence the regulatory approval process in any foreign jurisdiction. We
will have to complete an approval process similar to the U.S. approval process in foreign target
markets for Gestiva before we can commercialize it in those countries. The approval procedure and
the time required for approval vary from country to country and can involve additional testing.
Foreign approvals may not be granted on a timely basis, or at all. Regulatory approval of prices is
required in most countries other than the United States. The prices approved may be too low to
generate an acceptable return to us.
Quest Diagnostics
We have entered into an arrangement with Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the nations leading
provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, whereby Quest Diagnostics is offering
national reference laboratory service for FullTerm, The Fetal Fibronectin Test, to physicians and
obstetric healthcare professionals. Through its network of laboratories and patient service
centers, Quest Diagnostics will collect fetal fibronectin test samples directly from physicians
offices and clinics throughout the United States.
Item 6. Exhibits
| |
|
|
| Exhibit |
|
|
| number |
|
Description |
31.1
|
|
Certificate pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended of Emory V. Anderson. |
|
|
|
31.2
|
|
Certificate pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended of Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie. |
|
|
|
32.1
|
|
Certificate pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of Emory V. Anderson. |
|
|
|
32.2
|
|
Certificate pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie. |
35
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, on this 10th
day of May 2006.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
ADEZA BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
/s/ Emory V. Anderson
Emory V. Anderson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President and Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
/s/ Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie
Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vice President, Finance and Administration and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
36
EXHIBIT INDEX
| |
|
|
| Exhibit |
|
|
| number |
|
Description |
31.1
|
|
Certificate pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended of Emory V. Anderson. |
|
|
|
31.2
|
|
Certificate pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended of Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie. |
|
|
|
32.1
|
|
Certificate pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of Emory V. Anderson. |
|
|
|
32.2
|
|
Certificate pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie. |
37