Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item
1A. Risk Factors
Our
business is subject to many risks and uncertainties, which may affect our future financial performance. If any of the events or circumstances
described below occur, our business and financial performance could be adversely affected, our actual results could differ materially
from our expectations, and the price of our stock could decline. The risks and uncertainties discussed below are not the only ones we
face. There may be additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe are material that
may adversely affect our business and financial performance. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all
other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements and related notes, before making an
investment decision. If any of the adverse developments described in the following risk factors actually occur, our business, financial
condition, or results of operations could be harmed. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and investors
in our securities may lose all or part of their investment.
Risks
Related to Our Business and Operations
We
have incurred losses in the past, our financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis and we may be unable to achieve
or sustain profitability in the future.
To
date, we have financed our operations primarily through the issuance of public and private equity and convertible notes. We have devoted
substantially all of our resources to research and development, creating the infrastructure for a publicly traded medical device company,
preparing for our national commercial launch, and clinical and regulatory matters for our products. There can be no assurances that we
will be able to generate sufficient revenue from our existing products or from any future product candidates to transition to profitability
and generate consistent positive cash flows. We expect that our operating expenses will continue to increase as we continue to build
our commercial infrastructure, develop, enhance, and commercialize our existing and new products and incur additional operating and reporting
costs associated with being a public company. As a result, we expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future
and may never achieve profitability. Furthermore, even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability
on an ongoing basis. If we do not achieve profitability, it will be more difficult for us to finance our business and accomplish our
strategic objectives.
Our
recurring losses from operations and negative cash flows raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. As
a result, our independent registered public accounting firm included an explanatory paragraph in its report on our financial statements
for the fiscal year ended, December 31, 2025, describing the existence of substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going
concern. Our expected future capital requirements may depend on many factors including expanding our clinician base, increasing the rate
at which we train clinicians, the number of additional clinical papers initiated, and the timing and extent of spending on the development
of our technology to increase our product offerings. We may need additional funding to fund our operations, but additional funds may
not be available to us on acceptable terms on a timely basis, if at all. We may seek funds through borrowings or through additional rounds
of financing, including private or public equity or debt offerings. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders
may experience dilution. Any future debt financing into which we enter may impose upon us additional covenants that restrict our operations,
including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, repurchase our common stock, make certain investments,
and engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions. Any future debt financing or additional equity that we raise
may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. Furthermore, we cannot be certain that additional funding will be
available on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital or generate sufficient cash from operations to
adequately fund our operations, we will need to curtail planned activities to reduce costs, which will likely harm our ability to execute
on our business plan and continue operations.
If
hospitals, clinicians, and other healthcare providers are unable to obtain coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for procedures
performed using our products, adoption of our products may be delayed, and it is unlikely that they will gain further acceptance.
Growing
sales of our products depend on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors, including government
programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private insurance plans, and managed care programs. Hospitals, clinicians, and other healthcare
providers that purchase or use medical devices generally rely on third-party payors to pay for all or part of the costs and fees associated
with the procedures performed with these devices.
Adequate
coverage and reimbursement for procedures performed with our products is central to the acceptance of our current and future products.
We may be unable to sell our products on a profitable basis if third-party payors deny coverage, continue to deny coverage or reduce
their current levels of payment, or if our costs for the products increase faster than increases in reimbursement levels.
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Many
private payors refer to coverage decisions and payment amounts determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS,
which administers the Medicare program, as guidelines for setting their coverage and reimbursement policies. By June 30, 2016, all
Medicare Administrative Contractors were regularly reimbursing for minimally invasive and/or open SI Joint fusion. Private payors that
do not follow the Medicare guidelines may adopt different coverage and reimbursement policies for procedures performed with our products.
Private commercial payors have been slower to adopt positive coverage policies for minimally invasive and/or open SI Joint fusion, and
many private payors still have policies that treat the procedure as experimental or investigational and do not regularly reimburse for
the procedure. Future action by CMS or third-party payors may further reduce the availability of payments to physicians, outpatient surgery
centers, and/or hospitals for procedures using our products.
The
healthcare industry in the United States has experienced a trend toward cost containment as government and private insurers seek to control
healthcare costs. Payors are imposing lower payment rates and negotiating reduced contract rates with service providers and being increasingly
selective about the technologies and procedures they choose to cover. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to provide the scientific
and clinical data necessary to overcome these policies. Payors may adopt policies in the future restricting access to medical technologies
like ours and/or the procedures performed using such technologies. Therefore, we cannot be certain that the procedures performed with
each of our products will be reimbursed. There can be no guarantee that, should we introduce additional products in the future, payors
will cover those products or the procedures in which they are used.
If
the reimbursement provided by third-party payors to hospitals, clinicians, and other healthcare providers for procedures performed using
our products is insufficient, adoption and use of our products and the prices paid for our implants may decline.
When
a Tenon procedure utilizing The Catamaran System or The SImmetry + System is performed, both the clinician and the healthcare
facility, a hospital (inpatient or outpatient clinic), submit claims for reimbursement to the patient’s insurer. Generally, the
facility obtains a lump sum payment, or facility fee, for SI Joint fusions. Our products are purchased by the facility, along with other
supplies used in the procedure. The facility must also pay for its own fixed costs of operation, including certain operating room personnel
involved in the procedure, and other medical services care. If these costs exceed the facility reimbursement, the facility’s managers
may discourage or restrict clinicians from performing the procedure in the facility or using certain technologies, such as The Catamaran
System or The SImmetry + System, to perform the procedure.
The
Medicare 2025 national average hospital outpatient clinic payment is $17,914. We believe that insurer payments to facilities are generally
adequate for these facilities to offer The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System. However, there can be no guarantee that
these facility payments will not decline in the future. The number of procedures performed, and the prices paid for our implants
may decline in the future if payments to facilities for SI Joint fusions decline.
Clinicians
are reimbursed separately for their professional time and effort to perform a surgical procedure. Depending on the surgical approach,
the incision size, type and extent of imaging guidance, indication for procedure, and the insurer, The Catamaran System and The SImmetry +
System procedures may be reported by the clinician using CPT® codes 27279 and 27280. The Medicare 2026 payment rates for CPT®
codes 27279 and 27280 are $759 and $1,284, respectively.
For
some governmental programs, such as Medicaid, coverage and reimbursement differ from state to state, and some state Medicaid programs
may not pay an adequate amount for the procedures performed with our products, if any payment is made at all. Similar to Medicaid, many
private payors’ coverage and payment may differ from one payer to another as well.
We
believe that some clinicians view the current Medicare reimbursement amount as insufficient for the procedure, given the work effort
involved with the procedure, including the time to diagnose the patient and obtain prior authorization from the patient’s health
insurer when necessary. Many private payors require extensive documentation of a multi-step diagnosis before authorizing SI Joint fusion
for a patient. We believe that some private payors apply their own coverage policies and criteria inconsistently, and clinicians may
experience difficulties in securing approval and coverage for sacroiliac fusion procedures. Additionally, many private payors limit coverage
for open SI Joint fusion to trauma, tumors or extensive spine fusion procedures involving multiple levels. The perception by physicians
that the reimbursement for SI Joint fusion is insufficient to compensate them for the work required, including diagnosis, documentation,
obtaining payor approval for the procedure, and burden on their office staff, may negatively affect the number of procedures performed
and may therefore impede the growth of our revenues or cause them to decline.
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We
may not be able to convince physicians that The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System are attractive alternatives to our
competitors’ products and that our procedures are an attractive alternative to existing surgical and non-surgical treatments of
the SI Joint.
Clinicians
play the primary role in determining the course of treatment in consultation with their patients and, ultimately, the product that will
be used to treat a patient. In order for us to sell The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System successfully, we must convince
clinicians through education and training that treatment with The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System is beneficial,
safe, and cost-effective for patients as compared to our competitors’ products. If we are not successful in convincing clinicians
of the merits of The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System, they may not use our product, and we will be unable to increase
our sales and achieve or grow profitability.
Historically,
most spine clinicians did not include SI Joint pain in their diagnostic work-up because they did not have an adequate surgical procedure
to perform for patients diagnosed with the condition. As a result, some patients with lower back pain resulting from SI Joint dysfunction
are misdiagnosed. We believe that educating clinicians and other healthcare professionals about the clinical merits and patient benefits
of The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System is an important element of our growth. If we fail to effectively educate
clinicians and other medical professionals, they may not include a SI Joint evaluation as part of their diagnosis and, as a result, those
patients may continue to receive unnecessary or only non-surgical treatment.
Clinicians
may also hesitate to change their medical treatment practices for other reasons, including the following:
● Lack
of experience with minimally invasive procedures;
● Perceived
liability risks generally associated with the use of new products and procedures;
● Costs
associated with the purchase of new products; and
● Time
commitment that may be required for training.
Furthermore,
we believe clinicians may not widely adopt The Catamaran System or The SImmetry + System unless they determine, based on experience,
clinical data, and published peer-reviewed publications, that surgical intervention provides benefits or is an attractive alternative
to non-surgical treatments of SI Joint dysfunction. In addition, we believe support of our products relies heavily on long-term data
showing the benefits of using our product. If we are unable to provide that data, clinicians may not use our product. In such circumstances,
we may not achieve expected sales and may be unable to achieve profitability.
Clinicians
and payors may not find our clinical evidence to be compelling, which could limit our sales, and on-going and future research may prove
our products to be less safe and effective than initially anticipated.
All
of the component parts of The Catamaran System and The SImmetry + System have either received premarket clearance under Section 510(k)
of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, or are exempt from premarket review. The 510(k) clearance process of the FDA
requires us to document that our products are “substantially equivalent” to another 510(k) -cleared product. The 510(k) process
is shorter and typically requires the submission of less supporting documentation than other FDA approval processes, such as a premarket
approval, or PMA, and does not usually require pre-clinical or clinical studies. Additionally, to date, we have not been required to
complete clinical studies in connection with the sale of our product. For these reasons, clinicians may be slow to adopt our product,
third-party payors may be slow to provide coverage, and we may be subject to greater regulatory and product liability risks. Further,
future patient studies or clinical experience may indicate that treatment with our products does not improve patient outcomes. Such results
would slow the adoption of our products by clinicians, significantly reduce our ability to achieve expected sales, and could prevent
us from achieving profitability. Moreover, if future results and experience indicate that our products cause unexpected or serious complications
or other unforeseen negative effects, we could be subject to mandatory product recalls, suspension, or withdrawal of FDA clearance.
Pricing
pressure from our competitors, changes in third-party coverage and reimbursement, healthcare provider consolidation, payor consolidation
and the proliferation of “physician-owned distributorships” may impact our ability to sell our products at prices necessary
to support our current business strategies.
If
competitive forces drive down the prices we are able to charge for our products, our profit margins will shrink, which will adversely
affect our ability to invest in and grow our business. The SI Joint fusion market has attracted numerous new companies and technologies.
As a result of this increased competition, we believe there will be continued and increased pricing pressure, resulting in lower gross
margins, with respect to our product.
Even
to the extent our products and procedures using our products are currently covered and reimbursed by third-party private and public payors,
adverse changes in coverage and reimbursement policies that affect our product, discounts, and number of implants used may also drive
our prices down and harm our ability to market and sell our product.
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We
are unable to predict what changes will be made to the reimbursement methodologies used by third-party payors. We cannot be certain that
under current and future payment systems, in which healthcare providers may be reimbursed a set amount based on the type of procedure
performed, such as those utilized by Medicare and in many privately managed care systems, the cost of our products will be justified
and incorporated into the overall cost of the procedure. In addition, to the extent there is a shift from inpatient setting to outpatient
settings, we may experience pricing pressure and a reduction in the number of The Catamaran System procedures performed.
Consolidation
in the healthcare industry, including both third-party payors and healthcare providers, could lead to demands for price concessions or
to the exclusion of some suppliers from certain of our markets, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations,
or financial condition. Because healthcare costs have risen significantly over the past several years, numerous initiatives and reforms
initiated by legislators, regulators, and third-party payors to curb these costs have resulted in a consolidation trend in the healthcare
industry to aggregate purchasing power. As the healthcare industry consolidates, competition to provide products and services to industry
participants has become and will continue to become more intense. This in turn has resulted and will likely continue to result in greater
pricing pressures and the exclusion of certain suppliers from important market segments as group purchasing organizations, independent
delivery networks, and large single accounts continue to use their market power to consolidate purchasing decisions for hospitals. We
expect that market demand, government regulation, third-party coverage, and reimbursement policies and societal pressures will continue
to change the worldwide healthcare industry, resulting in further business consolidations and alliances among our customers, which may
reduce competition, exert further downward pressure on the price of our product, and adversely impact our business, results of operations,
or financial condition. As we continue to expand into international markets, we will face similar risks relating to adverse changes in
coverage and reimbursement procedures and policies in those markets.
We
operate in a very competitive business environment and if we are unable to compete successfully against our existing or potential competitors,
our sales and operating results may be negatively affected and we may not grow.
The
Company’s products are subject to intense competition. Many of our competitors are major medical device companies that have substantially
greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we do, and they may succeed in developing products that would render our products
obsolete or non-competitive. In addition, many of these competitors have significantly longer operating histories and more established
reputations than we do. Our field is intensely competitive, subject to rapid change and highly sensitive to the introduction of new products
or other market activities of industry participants. Our ability to compete successfully will depend on our ability to develop proprietary
products that reach the market in a timely manner, receive adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors, and are safer,
less invasive, and more effective than alternatives available for similar purposes as demonstrated in peer-reviewed clinical publications.
Because of the size of the potential market, we anticipate that other companies will dedicate significant resources to developing competing
products.
In
the United States, we believe that our primary competitors are currently SI-bone, Inc., Globus Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, XTant Medical
Holdings, Inc., and RTI Surgical, Inc. At any time, these or other industry participants may develop alternative treatments, products
or procedures for the treatment of the SI Joint that compete directly or indirectly with our product. If alternative treatments are,
or are perceived to be, superior to our product, sales of our products and our results of operations could be negatively affected. Some
of our larger competitors are either publicly traded or divisions or subsidiaries of publicly traded companies. These competitors may
enjoy several competitive advantages over us, including:
● greater
financial, human, and other resources for product research and development, sales and marketing,
and legal matters;
● significantly
greater name recognition;
● established
relationships with clinicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers;
● large
and established sales and marketing and distribution networks;
● greater
experience in obtaining and maintaining domestic and international regulatory clearances
or approvals, or CE Certificates of Conformity for products and product enhancements;
● more
expansive portfolios of intellectual property rights; and
● greater
ability to cross-sell their products or to incentivize hospitals or clinicians to use their
products.
New
participants have increasingly entered the medical device industry. Many of these new competitors specialize in a specific product or
focus on a particular market segment, making it more difficult for us to increase our overall market position. The frequent introduction
by competitors of products that are or claim to be superior to our products or that are alternatives to our existing or planned products
may make it difficult to differentiate the benefits of our products over competing products. In addition, the entry of multiple new products
and competitors may lead some of our competitors to employ pricing strategies that could adversely affect the pricing of our products
and pricing in the market generally.
As
a result, without the timely introduction of new products and enhancements, our products may become obsolete over time. If we are unable
to develop innovative new products, maintain competitive pricing, and offer products that clinicians and other physicians perceive to
be as reliable as those of our competitors, our sales or margins could decrease, thereby harming our business.
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We
currently manufacture (through third parties) and sell products used in a single procedure, which could negatively affect our operations
and financial condition.
Presently
we do not sell any products other than The Catamaran System, The SImmetry + System, and related tools and instruments. Therefore,
we are solely dependent on widespread market adoption of these products and we will continue to be dependent on the success of these
products for the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that either system will gain a substantial degree of market acceptance
among clinicians, patients or healthcare providers. Our failure to successfully increase sales of these products or any other event impeding
our ability to sell them, would result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and continuing
operations.
We
have a limited operating history and may face difficulties encountered by early-stage companies in new and rapidly evolving markets.
Even
though we were formed in 2012, we have recently built the infrastructure necessary to commercialize The Catamaran System and The SImmetry +
System. Accordingly, we have a limited operating history upon which to base an evaluation of our business and prospects. In assessing
our prospects, you must consider the risks and difficulties frequently encountered by early-stage companies in new and rapidly evolving
markets, particularly companies engaged in the development and sales of medical devices. These risks include our inability to:
● obtain
coverage by third-party, private, and government payors;
● establish
and increase awareness of our brand and strengthen customer loyalty;
● attract
and retain qualified personnel;
● find
and develop relationships with contract manufacturers that can manufacture the necessary
volume of product;
● manage
our independent sales representatives to achieve our sales growth objectives;
● commercialize
new products and enhance our existing product;
● manage
rapidly changing and expanding operations;
● implement
and successfully execute our business and marketing strategy; and
● respond
effectively to competitive pressures and developments.
We
can also be negatively affected by general economic conditions. Because of our limited operating history, we may not have insight into
trends that could emerge and negatively affect our business. As a result of these or other risks, our business strategy might not be
successful.
Our
sales volumes and our operating results may fluctuate over the course of the year.
Since
we had our first sales of the Catamaran System in April 2021, our official national launch of the Catamaran System in October 2022 and
acquired The SImmetry + System in August 2025, we have limited history with respect to how rapidly adoption of our products
will occur. Sales growth could be slower than we have projected. Our sales and results of operations will be affected by numerous factors,
including, among other things:
● payor
coverage and reimbursement;
● maintaining
our training schedule with clinicians;
● the
number of procedures performed in the quarter and our ability to drive increased sales of
our product;
● our
ability to identify and sign-up independent sales representatives and their performance;
● pricing
pressure applicable to our product, including adverse third-party coverage and reimbursement
outcomes;
● timing
of new product offerings, acquisitions, licenses or other significant events by us or our
competitors;
● our
ability to find and develop relationships with contract manufacturers and their ability to
timely provide us with an adequate supply of products;
● the
evolving product offerings of our competitors;
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● the
demand for, and pricing of, our products and the products of our competitors;
● factors
that may affect the sale of our product, including seasonality and budgets of our customers;
● interruption
in the manufacturing or distribution of our product;
● the
effect of competing technological, industry and market developments;
● our
ability to expand the geographic reach of our sales and marketing efforts;
● the
costs of maintaining adequate insurance coverage, including product liability insurance;
● the
availability and cost of components and materials needed by our contract manufacturers;
● the
number of selling days in the quarter; and
● impairment
and other special charges.
Some
of the products we may seek to develop and introduce in the future will require FDA clearance or approval before commercialization in
the United States. As a result, it will be difficult for us to forecast demand for these products with any degree of certainty. In addition,
we will be increasing our operating expenses as we expand our commercial capabilities. Accordingly, we may experience significant, unanticipated
quarterly losses. If our quarterly or annual operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price
of our common stock could decline substantially. Furthermore, any quarterly or annual fluctuations in our operating results may, in turn,
cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. Quarterly comparisons of our financial results may not always be meaningful
and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
If
we do not successfully implement our business strategy, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Our
business strategy was based on assumptions about the market that might prove wrong. We believe that various demographics and industry-specific
trends will help drive growth in the market and our business, but these demographics and trends have been and will continue to be uncertain.
Actual demand for our products could differ materially from projected demand if our assumptions regarding these factors prove to be incorrect
or do not materialize, or if alternative treatments to those offered by our products gain widespread acceptance. Also, our strategy of
focusing exclusively on the SI Joint market may limit our ability to grow. In addition, in order to increase our sales, we will need
to identify and contract with independent sales representatives in existing and new regions as well, and in the future, commercialize
new products. Moreover, we may decide to alter or discontinue aspects of our business strategy and may adopt different strategies due
to business or competitive factors not currently foreseen, such as new medical technologies that would make our products obsolete. Any
failure to implement our business strategy may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our
business could suffer if we lose the services of key members of our senior management, key advisors or personnel.
We
are dependent upon the continued services of key members of our senior management and a number of key advisors and personnel. The loss
of members of our senior management team, key advisors or personnel, or our inability to attract or retain other qualified personnel
or advisors, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We do not maintain
“key person” insurance for any of our executives or employees. In addition, several of the members of our executive management
team are not subject to non-competition agreements that restrict their ability to compete with us. Accordingly, the adverse effect resulting
from the loss of certain executives could be compounded by our inability to prevent them from competing with us.
Various
factors outside our direct control may adversely affect manufacturing and distribution of our product.
The
manufacture and distribution of our products is challenging. Changes that our contract manufacturers may make outside the purview of
our direct control can have an impact on our processes, quality of our product, and the successful delivery of products to our customers.
Mistakes and mishandling are not uncommon and can affect supply and delivery. Some of these risks include:
● failure
to manufacture in compliance with the required regulatory standards;
● transportation
risk;
● the
cost and availability of components and supplies required by our contract manufacturers to
manufacture our products;
● delays
in analytical results or failure of analytical techniques that we will depend on for quality
control and release of products;
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● natural
disasters, labor disputes, financial distress, raw material availability, issues with facilities
and equipment, or other forms of disruption to business operations affecting our manufacturers
or their suppliers; and
● latent
defects that may become apparent after products have been released and that may result in
a recall of such products.
If
any of these risks were to materialize, our ability to provide our products to customers on a timely basis would be adversely impacted.
We
are dependent on a limited number of contract manufacturers, some of them single-source and some of them in single locations, for our
products, and the loss of any of these contract manufacturers, or their inability to provide us with an adequate supply of products in
a timely and cost-effective manner, could materially adversely affect our business.
We
rely on contract manufacturers to supply our products. For us to be successful, our contract manufacturers must be able to provide us
with product in substantial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at
acceptable prices, and on a timely basis. We have a limited history with our current contract manufacturers and do not have long-term
supply contracts with them. We are in the process of identifying and evaluating new contract manufacturers for our product. The inability
to find the required contract manufacturers or the time required to switch contract manufacturers could adversely affect sales.
In
addition, our anticipated growth could strain the ability of our contract manufacturers to deliver an increasingly large supply of product.
Contract manufacturers often experience difficulties in scaling up production, including financial issues, or problems with production
yields and quality control and assurance.
We
use a small number of contract manufacturers for our instruments. Our dependence on such a limited number of contract manufacturers exposes
us to risks, including, among other things:
● contract
manufacturers may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or make errors in manufacturing
that could negatively affect the safety or effectiveness of our products or cause delays
in shipments of our product;
● some
of our contract manufacturers have long lead times of 12 to 16 weeks and we may not be able
to respond to unanticipated changes in customer orders, and if orders do not match forecasts,
we or our contract manufacturers may have excess or inadequate inventory of materials and
components;
● our
contract manufacturers may be subject to price fluctuations due to a lack of long-term supply
arrangements for key components;
● our
contract manufacturers may lose access to critical services and components, resulting in
an interruption in the manufacture, assembly and shipment of our product;
● we
may experience delays in delivery by our contract manufacturers due to changes in demand
from us or their other customers;
● fluctuations
in demand for products that our contract manufacturers manufacture for others may affect
their ability or willingness to deliver our products to us in a timely manner;
● our
contract manufacturers may wish to discontinue supplying products or services to us for risk
management reasons;
● we
may not be able to find new or alternative contract manufacturers in a timely manner if our
current contract manufacturers stop producing products; and
● our
contract manufacturers may encounter financial hardships unrelated to our demand, which could
inhibit their ability to fulfil our orders and meet our requirements.
If
any one or more of these risks materialize, it could significantly increase our costs and impact our ability to meet demand for our product.
If we are unable to satisfy commercial demand for our products in a timely manner, our ability to generate revenue would be impaired,
market acceptance of our products could be adversely affected, and customers may instead purchase or use our competitors’ products.
Additionally, we could be forced to seek alternative sources of supply.
Because
of the nature of our internal quality control requirements, regulatory requirements, and the custom and proprietary nature of our product,
we may not be able to quickly engage additional or replacement contract manufacturers for our products and accessories. We may also be
required to assess any potential new contract manufacturer’s compliance with all applicable regulations and guidelines, which could
further impede our ability to obtain our products in a timely manner. As a result, we could incur increased product costs, experience
delays in deliveries of our product, suffer damage to our reputation, and experience an adverse effect on our business and financial
results. Failure of any of our contract manufacturers to meet our product demand level would limit our ability to meet our sales commitments
to our customers and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
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We
may also have difficulty obtaining similar product from other contract manufacturers that are acceptable to the FDA and the failure of
our contract manufacturers to comply with strictly enforced regulatory requirements could expose us to delays in obtaining clearances
or approvals, regulatory action including warning letters, product recalls, termination of distribution, product seizures, civil, administrative,
or criminal penalties. We could incur delays while we locate and engage qualified alternative contract manufacturers, and we may be unable
to engage alternative contract manufacturers on favorable terms or at all. Any such disruption or increased expenses could harm our commercialization
efforts and adversely affect our ability to generate sales.
In
addition, we expect that most of our contract manufacturers will operate at a facility in a single location and substantially all their
inventory of component supplies and finished goods will be held at these locations. We, and our contract manufacturers, will take precautions
to safeguard facilities, including acquiring insurance, adopting health and safety protocols, and utilizing off-site storage of computer
data. However, vandalism, terrorism, or a natural or other disaster, such as an earthquake, fire, or flood, could damage or destroy equipment
or component supplies or finished product, cause substantial delays in our operations, result in the loss of key information, and cause
us to incur additional expenses. Our insurance may not cover our losses in any particular case. In addition, regardless of the level
of insurance coverage, damage to our or our contract manufacturers’ facilities could harm our business, financial condition, and
operating results.
As
our sales grow, our contract manufacturers may encounter problems or delays in the manufacturing of our products or fail to meet certain
regulatory requirements which could result in an adverse effect on our business and financial results.
To
become profitable, our contract manufactures must manufacture our products in adequate quantities in compliance with regulatory requirements
and at an acceptable cost. Increasing their capacity to manufacture and inspect our products may require them to improve internal efficiencies
or require us to re-design or change the specifications of our product. Our contract manufacturers may encounter several difficulties
in increasing this capacity, including:
● managing
production yields;
● maintaining
quality control and assurance;
● providing
component and service availability;
● maintaining
adequate control policies and procedures;
● hiring
and retaining qualified personnel; and
● complying
with state, federal, and foreign regulations.
If
we are unable to satisfy commercial demand for our products due to our contract manufacturer’s inability to manufacture and inspect
our products, our ability to generate revenue would be impaired, market acceptance of our products could be adversely affected and customers
may instead purchase or use our competitors’ products.
The
size and future growth in the market for the SI Joint fixation market have not been established based on market reports and our estimates
are based on our own review and analysis of public information and may be smaller than we estimate, possibly materially. In addition,
our estimates of cost savings to the economy and healthcare system as a result of our products are based on our internal estimates and
market research and could also be smaller than we estimate, possibly materially. If our estimates and projections overestimate the size
of this market or cost savings, our sales growth may be adversely affected.
We
are not aware of an independent third-party study that reliably reports the potential market size for the SI Joint fixation market. Therefore,
our estimates of the size and future growth in the market for our products, including cost savings to the economy overall, including
patients and employers, and to the healthcare system and the number of people currently suffering from lower back pain who may benefit
from and be amenable to our procedure, is based on a number of internal and third-party studies, surveys, reports, and estimates. While
we believe these factors have historically provided and may continue to provide us with effective tools in estimating the total market
for our products and procedures and health cost savings, these estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our estimates
may change at any time, thereby reducing the predictive accuracy of these underlying factors. For example, we have consulted with our
clinical advisors and utilized public information as the basis for our market projections. Additionally, the surveys we have conducted
are based on a small number of respondents and are not statistically significant and may have other limitations. The actual incidence
of lower back pain, and the actual demand for our products or competitive products, could differ materially from our projections if our
assumptions and estimates are incorrect. As a result, our estimates of the size and future growth in the market for our products may
prove to be incorrect. In addition, actual health cost savings to the healthcare system as a result of our products may materially differ
from those presented in this report. If the actual number of people with lower back pain who would benefit from our products and the
size and future growth in the market and related costs savings to the healthcare system is smaller than we have estimated, it may impair
our projected sales growth and have an adverse impact on our business.
23
In
the future our products may become obsolete, which would negatively affect operations and financial condition.
The
medical device industry is characterized by rapid and significant change. There can be no assurance that other companies will not succeed
in developing or marketing devices, and products that are more effective than The Catamaran System or The SImmetry+ System or that would
render them obsolete or non-competitive. Additionally, new surgical procedures, medications and other therapies could be developed that
replace or reduce the importance of our product. Accordingly, our success will depend in part on our ability to respond quickly to medical
and changes through the development and introduction of new products. Product development involves a high degree of risk and there can
be no assurance that our new product development efforts will result in any commercially successful products.
If
we experience significant disruptions in our information technology systems , our business, results of operations, and financial
condition could be adversely affected.
The
efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. We will rely on our information technology systems
to effectively manage:
● sales
and marketing, accounting, and financial functions;
● inventory
management;
● engineering
and product development tasks; and
● our
research and development data.
Our
information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from:
● earthquakes,
fires, floods, and other natural disasters;
● terrorist
attacks and attacks by computer viruses or hackers;
● power
losses; and
● computer
systems, or Internet, telecommunications, or data network failures.
The
failure of our information technology systems to perform as we anticipate or our failure to effectively implement new systems could disrupt
our entire operation and could result in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, excess inventory and product shortages, and legal
liability issues, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, and financial
condition.
We
may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of or investments in new or complementary businesses, products or technologies, and
the failure to manage acquisitions or investments, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could have a material
adverse effect on us.
In
August 2025, we acquired substantially all of the assets of SiVantage, Inc. and SIMPL Medical, LLC, including The SImmetry+ System. From
time to time, we expect to consider further opportunities to acquire or make investments in other technologies, products, and businesses
that may enhance our capabilities, complement our current product, or expand the breadth of our markets or customer base. Potential and
completed acquisitions and strategic investments involve numerous risks, including:
● problems
assimilating the purchased technologies, products, or business operations;
● issues
maintaining uniform standards, procedures, controls, and policies;
● unanticipated
costs and liabilities associated with acquisitions;
● diversion
of management’s attention from our core business;
● adverse
effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers;
● risks
associated with entering new markets in which we have limited or no experience;
● potential
loss of key employees of acquired businesses; and
● increased
legal and accounting compliance costs.
24
We
have no current commitments with respect to any such acquisition or investment. We do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions,
we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such acquisitions on favorable terms or at all, or whether we
will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, product, or technology into our business or retain any key personnel, suppliers,
or distributors. Our ability to successfully grow through acquisitions depends upon our ability to identify, negotiate, complete, and
integrate suitable target businesses and to obtain any necessary financing. These efforts could be expensive and time consuming and may
disrupt our ongoing business and prevent management from focusing on our operations. If we are unable to successfully integrate any acquired
businesses, products, or technologies effectively, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially adversely
affected.
We
may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, or partnerships with third-parties that
may not result in the development of commercially viable products or the generation of significant future revenue.
In
the ordinary course of our business, we may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances,
partnerships, or other arrangements to develop products and to pursue new markets. We have not entered into any collaboration arrangements
to date. Proposing, negotiating, and implementing collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, or
partnerships may be a lengthy and complex process. Other companies, including those with substantially greater financial, marketing,
sales, technology, or other business resources, may compete with us for these opportunities or arrangements. We may not identify, secure,
or complete any such transactions or arrangements in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, on acceptable terms or at all. We have
limited institutional knowledge and experience with respect to these business development activities, and we may also not realize the
anticipated benefits of any such transaction or arrangement. These collaborations may not result in the development of products that
achieve commercial success or result in significant revenue and could be terminated prior to developing any products.
Additionally,
we may not be able to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the transaction or arrangement, which could create the potential
risk of creating impasses on decisions, and our future collaborators may have economic or business interests or goals that are, or that
may become, inconsistent with our business interests or goals. It is possible that conflicts may arise with our collaborators, such as
conflicts concerning the achievement of performance milestones, or the interpretation of significant terms under any agreement, such
as those related to financial obligations or the ownership or control of intellectual property developed during the collaboration. If
any conflicts arise with any future collaborators, they may act in their self- interest, which may be adverse to our best interest, and
they may breach their obligations to us. In addition, we may have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that any future
collaborators devote to our or their future products.
Disputes
between us and our collaborators may result in litigation or arbitration which would increase our expenses and divert the attention of
our management. Further, these transactions and arrangements will be contractual in nature and will generally be terminable under the
terms of the applicable agreements and, in such event, we may not continue to have rights to the products relating to such transaction
or arrangement or may need to purchase such rights at a premium. If we enter into in-bound intellectual property license agreements,
we may not be able to fully protect the licensed intellectual property rights or maintain those licenses. Future licensors could retain
the right to prosecute and defend the intellectual property rights licensed to us, in which case we would depend on the ability of our
licensors to obtain, maintain and enforce intellectual property protection for the licensed intellectual property. These licensors may
determine not to pursue litigation against other companies or may pursue such litigation less aggressively than we would. Further, entering
into such license agreements could impose various diligence, commercialization, royalty, or other obligations on us. Future licensors
may allege that we have breached our license agreement with them, and accordingly seek to terminate our license, which could adversely
affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects.
We
are increasingly dependent on information technology, and our systems and infrastructure face certain risks, including cybersecurity
and data leakage risks.
Significant
disruptions to our information technology systems or breaches of information security could adversely affect our business. In the ordinary
course of business, we will collect, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information, and it is critical that we do so in
a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such information. We have also outsourced significant elements of our
information technology infrastructure; as a result, we manage independent vendor relationships with third parties who are responsible
for maintaining significant elements of our information technology systems and infrastructure and who may or could have access to our
confidential information. The size and complexity of our information technology systems, and those of our third-party vendors, make such
systems potentially vulnerable to service interruptions and security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees,
partners or vendors. These systems are also vulnerable to attacks by malicious third parties and may be susceptible to intentional or
accidental physical damage to the infrastructure maintained by us or by third parties. Maintaining the secrecy of confidential, proprietary
and/or trade secret information is important to our competitive business position. While we have taken steps to protect such information
and have invested in systems and infrastructures to do so, there can be no guarantee that our efforts will prevent service interruptions
or security breaches in our systems or the unauthorized or inadvertent wrongful use or disclosure of confidential information that could
adversely affect our business operations or result in the loss, dissemination or misuse of critical or sensitive information. The increasing
sophistication and frequency of cybersecurity threats, including targeted data breaches, ransomware attacks designed to encrypt our data
for ransom and other malicious cyber activities, pose a significant risk to the integrity and confidentiality of our data systems. A
breach our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure, unapproved dissemination, misappropriation or misuse of
trade secrets, proprietary information or other confidential information, whether as a result of theft, hacking, fraud, trickery or other
forms of deception, or for any other cause, could enable others to produce competing products, use our proprietary technology or information,
and/or adversely affect our business position. Further, any such interruption, security breach, loss or disclosure of confidential information
could result in financial, legal, business and reputational harm to us and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
position, results of operations and/or cash flow.
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Geopolitical
conditions, including trade disputes and direct or indirect acts of war or terrorism, could have an adverse effect on our operations
and financial results.
Our
operations could be disrupted by geopolitical conditions, political and social instability, acts of war, terrorist activity or other
similar events. In February 2022, Russia initiated significant military action against Ukraine. In response, the U.S. and certain other
countries imposed significant sanctions and export controls against Russia, Belarus and certain individuals and entities connected to
Russian or Belarusian political, business, and financial organizations, and the U.S. and certain other countries could impose further
sanctions, trade restrictions, and other retaliatory actions should the conflict continue or worsen. On February 28, 2026, the U.S. and
Israel launched joint strikes against Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader and several additional government officials. Iran launched
retaliatory missiles and drones targeting Israel and a number of countries that host United States military bases, including Bahrain,
the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with Hezbollah firing additional projectiles towards Israel. These current
military conflicts, as well as the armed conflicts in Israel and the Gaza Strip, could disrupt or otherwise adversely impact our operations
and those of third parties upon which we rely.
It
is not possible to predict the broader consequences of these conflicts, including related geopolitical tensions, and the measures and
retaliatory actions taken by the U.S. and other countries in respect thereof as well as any counter measures or retaliatory actions in
response, including, for example, potential cyberattacks or the disruption of energy exports, is likely to cause regional instability,
geopolitical shifts, and could materially adversely affect global trade, currency exchange rates, regional economies and the global economy.
These conflicts may impact our business costs, including, but not limited to, the costs of freight and energy. In addition, the ongoing
conflicts in the Middle East may further impact global economic conditions and market sentiments. This, in turn, could adversely affect
the trading price of our shares of common stock and investor interest in us. The outcome of the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the
Middle East remain uncertain, and while it is difficult to predict the impact of any of the foregoing, the conflict and actions taken
in response to the conflict could increase our costs, disrupt our supply chain, reduce our sales and earnings, impair our ability to
raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition,
and results of operations.
Inflation
may adversely affect our operations and financial results.
In
periods of rising inflation, the cost of raw materials, components and labor essential for manufacturing our products may increase and
as a consequence, our overall profit margin may be adversely affected. In addition, inflation may result in limitations on healthcare
spending, specifically for procedures that are deemed elective or non-critical, which may include treatments utilizing our products.
A decrease in demand for these procedures may significantly impact our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks
Related to Our Legal and Regulatory Environment
We
and our contract manufacturers are subject to extensive governmental regulation both in the United States and abroad, and failure to
comply with applicable requirements could cause our business to suffer.
The
medical device industry is regulated extensively by governmental authorities, principally the FDA and corresponding state and foreign
regulatory agencies. The FDA and other U.S. and foreign governmental agencies regulate, among other things, with respect to medical devices:
● design,
development, and manufacturing;
● testing,
labeling, content, and language of instructions for use and storage;
● clinical
trials;
● product
safety;
● marketing,
sales, and distribution;
● premarket
clearance and approval;
● conformity
assessment procedures;
● record
keeping procedures;
● advertising
and promotion;
● compliance
with good manufacturing practices requirements;
● recalls
and field safety corrective actions;
● post-market
surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and malfunctions that, if
they were to recur, could lead to death or serious injury;
26
● post-market
approval studies; and
● product
import and export.
The
regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in
restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, difficulties achieving new product clearances, higher than anticipated
costs or lower than anticipated sales.
Before
we can market or sell a new regulated product or make a significant modification to an existing product in the United States, with very
limited exception, we must obtain either clearance under Section 510(k) of the FDCA for Class II devices or approval of a premarket approval
application from the FDA for a Class III device. In the 510(k) clearance process, the FDA must determine that a proposed device is “substantially
equivalent” to a device legally on the market, known as a “predicate” device, with respect to intended use, technology,
and safety and effectiveness, in order to clear the proposed device for marketing. Clinical data is sometimes required to support substantial
equivalence. The PMA pathway requires an applicant to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device based, in part, on extensive
data, including, but not limited to, technical, preclinical, clinical trial, manufacturing, and labeling data. The PMA process is typically
required for devices that are deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting, or implantable devices. Products
that are approved through a PMA application generally need FDA approval before they can be modified. Similarly, some modifications made
to products cleared through a 510(k) may require a new 510(k). Both the 510(k) and PMA processes can be expensive and lengthy and require
the payment of significant fees, unless exempt. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to 12 months but may
last longer. The process of obtaining a PMA is much more costly and uncertain than the 510(k) clearance process and generally takes from
one to three years, or even longer, from the time the application is submitted to the FDA until an approval is obtained. The process
of obtaining domestic and international regulatory clearances or approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time consuming,
and we may not be able to obtain these clearances or approvals on a timely basis, if at all.
In
the United States, all of the components to The Catamaran System and The SImmetry+ System have either received premarket clearance under
Section 510(k) of the FDCA or are exempt from premarket review. If the FDA requires us to go through a lengthier, more rigorous examination
for future products or modifications to existing products than we had expected, our product introductions or modifications could be delayed
or canceled, which could cause our sales to decline. In addition, the FDA may determine that future products will require the more costly,
lengthy, and uncertain PMA process. Although we do not currently market any devices under PMA, the FDA may demand that we obtain a PMA
prior to marketing certain of our future products. In addition, if the FDA disagrees with our determination that a product, we currently
market is subject to an exemption from premarket review, the FDA may require us to submit a 510(k) or PMA in order to continue marketing
the product. Further, even with respect to those future products where a PMA is not required, we cannot assure you that we will be able
to obtain the 510(k) clearances with respect to those products.
The
FDA can delay, limit or deny clearance or approval of a device for many reasons, including:
● we
may not be able to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction that our products are safe
and effective for their intended users;
● the
data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support clearance
or approval, where required; and
● the
manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements.
In
addition, the FDA may change its clearance and approval policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take
other actions which may prevent or delay clearance or approval of our products under development or impact our ability to modify our
currently approved or cleared products on a timely basis.
Any
delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, clearance or approval for our products under development could prevent us from generating
revenue from these products or achieving profitability.
In
addition, even after we have obtained the proper regulatory clearance or approval to market a product, the FDA has the power to require
us to conduct post-market surveillance on our product. These studies can be very expensive and time consuming to conduct. Failure to
comply with those studies in a timely manner could result in the revocation of the 510(k) clearance for a product that is subject to
such surveillance and the recall or withdrawal of the product, which could prevent us from generating sales from that product in the
United States.
Additionally,
as part of the conformity assessment process, medical device manufacturers must carry out a clinical evaluation of their medical devices
to verify that they comply with the relevant Essential Requirements covering safety and performance. A clinical evaluation includes an
assessment of whether a medical device’s performance is in accordance with its intended use and that the known and foreseeable
risks linked to the use of the device under normal conditions are minimized and acceptable when weighed against the benefits of its intended
purpose. The clinical evaluation conducted by the manufacturer must also address any clinical claims, the adequacy of the device labeling
and information (particularly claims, contraindications, precautions/ warnings) and the suitability of related Instructions for Use.
This assessment must be based on clinical data, which can be obtained from (i) clinical studies conducted on the devices being assessed;
(ii) scientific literature from similar devices whose equivalence with the assessed device can be demonstrated; or (iii) both clinical
studies and scientific literature.
27
The
FDA and other regulatory authorities have broad enforcement powers. Regulatory enforcement or inquiries, or other increased scrutiny
on us, could dissuade some clinicians from using our products and adversely affect our reputation and the perceived safety and effectiveness
of our product.
Failure
to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions such as:
● warning
letters;
● fines;
● injunctions;
● civil
penalties;
● termination
of distribution;
● recalls
or seizures of products;
● delays
in the introduction of products into the market;
● total
or partial suspension of production;
● facility
closures;
● refusal
of the FDA other regulators to grant future clearances or approvals; or
● in
the most serious cases, criminal penalties.
Adverse
action by an applicable regulatory agency the FDA could result in inability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner,
or at all, decreased sales, higher prices, lower margins, additional unplanned costs or actions, damage to our reputation, and could
have material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We
and our independent sales representatives must comply with U.S. federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including those relating to physician
kickbacks and false claims for reimbursement.
Healthcare
providers, distributors, physicians, and third-party payors play a primary role in the distribution, recommendation, ordering, and purchasing
of any implant or other medical device for which we have or obtain marketing clearance or approval. Through our arrangements with customers
and third-party payors, we are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants,
vendors, or independent sales representatives may engage in fraudulent or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include,
among other infractions or violations, intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or unauthorized activity that violates FDA regulations,
manufacturing standards, federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations, laws that require the true, complete, and
accurate reporting of financial information or data, other commercial or regulatory laws or requirements, and equivalent foreign rules.
We plan to implement a compliance program, code of conduct, and associated policies and procedures, but it is not always possible to
identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions we plan to take to detect and prevent this
activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations
or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations, and government authorities may
conclude that our business practices do not comply with applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations or guidance
despite our good faith efforts to comply.
There
are numerous U.S. federal and state laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including anti-kickback and false claims laws. Our
relationships with clinicians, other healthcare professionals, and hospitals are subject to scrutiny under these laws.
Healthcare
fraud and abuse laws and related regulations are complex, and even minor irregularities can potentially give rise to claims that a statute
or prohibition has been violated. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:
● the
federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully
soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or
in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order
or recommendation of, items or services for which payment may be made, in whole or in part,
under federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
28
● the
federal False Claims Act, which prohibits, among other things, individuals or entities from
knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, false or fraudulent claims for payment
of government funds; knowingly making, using, or causing to be made or used, a false record
or statement to get a false claim paid or to avoid, decrease, or conceal an obligation to
pay money to the federal government. A claim including items or services resulting from a
violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for
purposes of the False Claims Act. There are also criminal penalties for making or presenting
a false or fictitious or fraudulent claim to the federal government;
● the
federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which imposes criminal
and civil liability for, among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting
to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program including private third-party
payors, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing, or covering up a material fact
or making a materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, or making
or using any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false,
fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry in connection with the delivery of or payment
for healthcare benefits, items, or services;
● the
federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act, which requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics
and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s
Health Insurance Program to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
information related to payments or other “transfers of value” made to physicians
and teaching hospitals, and requires applicable manufacturers to report annually to CMS ownership
and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members and payments
or other “transfers of value” to such physician owners; and
● analogous
state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false
claims laws, which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including
commercial insurers; state laws that require device companies to comply with the industry’s
voluntary compliance guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by the
federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers
and other potential referral sources; state beneficiary inducement laws, and state laws that
require device manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers
of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, many of
which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating
compliance efforts.
If
we or our employees are found to have violated any of the above laws we may be subjected to administrative, civil and criminal penalties,
including imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and significant fines,
monetary penalties and damages, and damage to our reputation. Additional information about these laws is provided in “ Business—Regulation .”
We
have entered into consulting agreements with clinicians who are also customers. We anticipate entering into additional agreements with
clinicians who use our products as we continue to commercialize our product. The primary mission of these clinician advisors is research
and development and clinician education. Medical device technology development requires thoughtful clinician input from experienced healthcare
professionals. Medical device clinician education requires experienced faculty for didactic and anatomic lab activities in a peer-to-peer
setting. We believe these engagements will allow us to successfully meet the expectations of the physician community. In addition, a
small number of clinicians (which are or may become customers) own less than 1.0% of our stock, or were granted stock options which they
either purchased in an arm’s length transaction on terms identical to those offered to others or received from us as fair market
value consideration for consulting services performed. While all of these transactions were structured with the intention of complying
with all applicable laws, including the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, state anti-kickback laws and other applicable laws, to the extent
applicable, it is possible that regulatory agencies may view these transactions as prohibited arrangements that must be restructured,
or discontinued, or for which we could be subject to significant penalties. We would be materially and adversely affected if regulatory
agencies interpret our financial relationships with clinicians who order our products to be in violation of applicable laws and we were
unable to comply with such laws, which could subject us to, among other things, monetary penalties for non-compliance, the cost of which
could be substantial.
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In
certain cases, federal and state authorities pursue actions for false claims on the basis that manufacturers and distributors are promoting
unapproved, or “off-label” uses of their products. Pursuant to FDA regulations, we can only market our products for cleared
or approved uses. Although clinicians are permitted to use medical devices for indications other than those cleared or approved by the
FDA, we are prohibited from promoting products for “off-label” uses. We market our products and provide promotional materials
and training programs to clinicians regarding the use of our product. If it is determined that our marketing, promotional materials or
training programs constitute promotion of unapproved uses, we could be subject to significant fines in addition to regulatory enforcement
actions, including the issuance of a warning letter, injunction, seizure, criminal penalty, and damage to our reputation. Federal and
state authorities also pursue actions for false claims based upon improper billing and coding advice or recommendations, as well as decisions
related to the medical necessity of procedures, including the site-of-service where procedures are performed. Actions under the federal
False Claims Act may also be brought by whistleblowers under its qui tam provisions.
To
enforce compliance with the federal laws, the U.S. Department of Justice has increased its scrutiny of interactions between healthcare
companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare
industry. Dealing with investigations can be time and resource consuming and can divert management’s attention from the business.
Additionally, if a healthcare company settles an investigation with the Department of Justice or other law enforcement agencies, it may
need to agree to additional onerous compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree or corporate integrity agreement.
Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business. Even if we are not
determined to have violated these laws, government investigations into these issues typically require the expenditure of significant
resources and generate negative publicity, which could harm our financial condition and divert resources and the attention of our management
from operating our business.
The
scope and enforcement of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change. The shifting compliance environment and the need to build
and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with different compliance and/or reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions
increase the possibility that we may run afoul of one or more of the requirements or that federal or state regulatory authorities might
challenge our current or future activities under these laws. Additionally, we cannot predict the impact of any changes in these laws,
whether or not retroactive.
Significant
developments or changes in national laws or policies to protect or promote domestic interests and/or address foreign competition can
have an adverse effect on our business and financial statements.
Significant
developments or changes in national laws or policies to protect or promote domestic interests and/or address foreign competition, including
laws and policies in areas such as trade, manufacturing, government purchasing, healthcare, intellectual property, regulatory enforcement
and investment/development, can adversely affect our business and financial statements. The U.S. has announced and/or implemented significant
new tariffs on imports from a wide range of countries, which has prompted retaliatory tariffs by a number of countries and a cycle of
retaliatory tariffs by both the U.S. and other countries. Subsequently, actions have been taken by the U.S. and certain other countries
to modify certain of these tariffs and/or delay their effective dates, and the U.S. has entered into trade agreements with certain countries
implementing new tariffs. In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”),
which the U.S. administration relied on to impose certain tariffs, does not authorize the administration to impose tariffs. In response,
the administration announced plans to implement new tariffs under alternative statutory authority. The full impact of the U.S. Supreme
Court’s ruling and the administration’s response remain uncertain; as of the date of this Annual Report, a number of tariffs
issued by the United States and other countries remain in effect.
Certain
materials that we use in research and development and manufacturing of our products have exposure to tariff impacts. To date such impact
has been immaterial. However, collectively, these tariffs may increase the cost to us of supplies and components we import, which in
turn has required and will require us to implement surcharges and/or increase the price of certain of our products, among other countermeasures;
can increase the cost to our customers of certain of our finished products, which together with the surcharges and price increases noted
above can adversely impact demand for our products and our competitive positioning; could adversely impact the availability to us of
certain products in certain countries and disrupt our supply chains, with related impacts to our operations; and could exacerbate inflation,
diminish investment and result in broader negative impacts including increased political and economic instability and capital markets
dislocation that may adversely impact demand for our products.
30
In
addition, whenever we are unable to fully recover higher costs, or whenever there is a time delay between the increase in costs and our
ability to recover these costs, our margins and profitability are adversely affected. The full impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s
February 2026 ruling and the administration’s response remain uncertain, the U.S. may implement additional tariffs and other measures,
further retaliatory tariffs and other retaliatory actions may follow and the risks and adverse effects noted above may increase. Though
the risks identified above in certain cases have already adversely impacted parts of our business, so far such impact has been immaterial.
The full impact of these tariffs and other actions on the Company and on our business partners remains highly uncertain and subject to
rapid change.
Our
failure to adequately protect personal information in compliance with evolving legal requirements could harm our business.
In
the ordinary course of our business, we plan to collect and store sensitive data, including legally protected personally identifiable
information. We may collect this kind of information during the course of future clinical trials and for possible post-marketing safety
vigilance, helping enable clinicians and their patients to pursue claims for reimbursement for procedures using The Catamaran System
and servicing potential warranty claims.
There
are a number of state, federal, and international laws protecting the privacy and security of health information and personal data. These
data protection and privacy-related laws and regulations are evolving and may result in ever-increasing regulatory and public scrutiny
of companies’ data practices and escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act 2009, or ARRA, Congress amended the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or
HIPAA. HIPAA imposes certain requirements regarding the privacy, security, use, and disclosure of an individual’s protected health
information, or PHI, by certain health care providers, health care clearinghouses, and health insurance plans, collectively referred
to as “covered entities,” and their “business associates,” or subcontractors who provide services to covered
entities that involve the creation, use, maintenance, or disclosure of PHI. ARRA included significant increases in the penalties for
improper use or disclosure of an individual’s PHI under HIPAA and extended enforcement authority to state attorneys general. The
amendments also created notification requirements applicable to covered entities and business associates in certain cases when PHI in
their control has been inappropriately accessed or disclosed. In the case of a breach of unsecured PHI, covered entities may be required
to provide notification to individuals affected by the breach, federal regulators, and, in some cases, local and national media. In addition
to HIPAA, most states have laws requiring notification of affected individuals and state regulators in the event of a breach of “personal
information,” which is a broader class of information than the PHI protected by HIPAA. Certain states also have data privacy requirements
applicable to individually identifiable health information. Privacy laws in different states may contain different requirements, and
such laws may not be pre-empted by HIPAA, which could complicate our efforts to comply.
In
addition, even when HIPAA does not apply, according to the FTC, failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers’ personal information
secure constitutes unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the FTCA, 15 U.S.C § 45(a).
The FTC expects a company’s data security measures to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the sensitivity and volume of consumer
information it holds, the size and complexity of its business, and the cost of available tools to improve security and reduce vulnerabilities.
Medical data is considered sensitive data that merits stronger safeguards. The FTC’s guidance for appropriately securing consumers’
personal information is similar to what is required by the HIPAA Security Rule.
Our
failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or to protect such data, could result in enforcement actions against us, including
fines, imprisonment of company officials and public censure, claims for damages by end-customers, and other affected individuals, and
the imposition of integrity obligations and agency oversight, damage to our reputation, and loss of goodwill, any of which could harm
on our operations, financial performance, and business. Evolving and changing definitions of personal data and personal information,
within the United States, and elsewhere, may limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our business, including limiting strategic
partnerships that may involve the sharing of data. Moreover, if the relevant laws and regulations change, or are interpreted and applied
in a manner that is inconsistent with our data practices or the operation of our product, or if we expand into new regions and are required
to comply with new requirements, we may need to expend resources in order to change our business operations, data practices, or the manner
in which our products operate. Even the perception of privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation and inhibit adoption
of our product.
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Even though
our products are approved by regulatory authorities, if our contract manufacturers fail to comply with ongoing FDA requirements, or if
we experience unanticipated problems with our products, these products could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market.
Any
product for which we obtain regulatory clearance or approval, and the manufacturing processes, reporting requirements, post-approval
clinical data, and promotional activities for such product, will be subject to continued regulatory review, oversight and periodic inspections
by the FDA and other domestic bodies. In particular, we and our contract manufacturers are required to comply with FDA’s Quality
System Regulations (“QSR”) for the manufacture of our products and other regulations which cover the methods and documentation
of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, storage, and shipping of any product for which we
obtain regulatory clearance or approval.
The
failure by us or one of our contract manufacturers to comply with applicable statutes and regulations, or the failure to timely and adequately
respond to any adverse inspectional observations or product safety issues, could result in, among other things, any of the following
enforcement actions:
● untitled
letters, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent, and civil penalties;
● unanticipated
expenditures to address or defend such actions;
● customer
notifications for repair, replacement, refunds;
● recall,
detention, or seizure of our product;
● operating
restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
● refusing
or delaying our requests for 510(k) clearance or premarket approval and conformity assessments
of new products or modified products;
● limitations
on the intended uses for which the product may be marketed;
● operating
restrictions;
● withdrawing
510(k) clearances or PMA approvals that have already been granted; or
● criminal
prosecution.
In
addition, we may be required to conduct costly post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or effectiveness of our product,
and we must comply with medical device reporting requirements, including the reporting of adverse events and malfunctions related to
our product. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our product, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events
of unanticipated severity or frequency, manufacturing problems, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements such as QSR, may result
in changes to labeling, restrictions on such products or manufacturing processes, withdrawal of the products from the market, voluntary
or mandatory recalls, a requirement to repair, replace, or refund the cost of any medical device we manufacture or distribute, fines,
suspension, variation, or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product seizures, injunctions, or the imposition of civil, administrative,
or criminal penalties which would adversely affect our business, operating results, and prospects.
If
the FDA determines that our promotional materials, labeling, training or other marketing or educational activities constitute promotion
of an unapproved use, it could request that we cease or modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory enforcement
actions. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our training
or other promotional materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties under
other statutory authorities, such as laws prohibiting false or fraudulent claims for payment of government funds.
If
any of these actions were to occur it would harm our reputation and cause our product sales and profitability to suffer and may prevent
us from generating revenue. Furthermore, our key component suppliers may not currently be or may not continue to be in compliance with
all applicable regulatory requirements, which could result in our failure to produce our products on a timely basis and in the required
quantities, if at all.
The
FDA has not yet inspected our facility, but we expect an inspection in the future.
32
Our
employees, independent contractors, consultants, contract manufacturers, and our independent sales representatives may engage in misconduct
or other improper activities, relating to regulatory standards and requirements.
We
are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, contract manufacturers, and our independent sales representatives
may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent
conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates FDA regulations, including those laws requiring the reporting of
true, complete and accurate information to the FDA, manufacturing standards, federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, and laws
that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit
a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs, and other business arrangements.
Misconduct by these parties could also involve the improper use of individually identifiable information, including, without limitation,
information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation.
We plan to implement a compliance program, code of conduct and associated policies and procedures, but it is not always possible to identify
and deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or
unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to
be in compliance with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending
ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant
civil, criminal, and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, disgorgement of profits, imprisonment,
exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of
our operations.
We
may be subject to enforcement action, including fines, penalties or injunctions, if we are determined to be engaging in the off-label
promotion of our product.
Our
promotional materials and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition
of the promotion of off-label use. Physicians may use our products off-label, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician’s
choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. In the United States, the full indication for The Catamaran System is: “The
Tenon Medical Catamaran SI Joint Fusion System is intended for sacroiliac joint fusion for conditions including: Sacroiliac joint disruptions
and degenerative sacroiliitis and to augment immobilization and stabilization of the sacroiliac joint in skeletally mature patients undergoing
sacropelvic fixation as part of a lumbar or thoracolumbar fusion.” The full indication for The SImmetry+System is “The SImmetry
Sacroiliac Joint Fusion System is intended for sacroiliac joint fusion for conditions including sacroiliac joint disruptions and degenerative
sacroiliitis.” Contraindications are patients with the following conditions: skeletally immature spines; deformities; severe osteoporosis;
morbid obesity, tumor resection and active infection at treatment site.
We
believe that the specific surgical procedures for which our products are marketed fall within the scope of the surgical applications
that have been cleared by the FDA. However, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials or training constitutes promotion of
an off-label use, it could request that we modify our training or promotional materials, require us to stop promoting our products for
those specific procedures until we obtain FDA clearance or approval for them, or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including
the issuance of an untitled letter, a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fines, and criminal penalties. It is also possible that
other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our promotional or training materials to constitute
promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties under other statutory authorities, such as laws
prohibiting false or fraudulent claims for payment of government fund. In that event, our reputation could be damaged, and adoption of
our products would be impaired. Although our policy is to refrain from statements that could be considered off-label promotion of our
product, the FDA or another regulatory agency could disagree and conclude that we have engaged in off-label promotion. In addition, the
off-label use of our products may increase the risk of injury to patients, and, in turn, the risk of product liability claims. Product
liability claims are expensive to defend and could divert our management’s attention, result in substantial damage awards against
us and harm our reputation.
We
are required to report certain malfunctions, deaths, and serious injuries associated with our products, which can result in voluntary
corrective actions or agency enforcement actions.
Under
the FDA’s medical device reporting regulations, we are required to report to the FDA any information that our products may have
caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or in which our products malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur, would
likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury. If we fail to report these events to the FDA within the required timeframes, or
at all, FDA could take enforcement action against us. Any such adverse event involving our products or repeated product malfunctions
may result in a voluntary or involuntary corrective actions, such as recalls or customer notifications, or agency action, such as inspection
or enforcement action. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, as well as defending ourselves in a lawsuit could divert
managerial and financial resources, impair our ability to manufacture our products in a cost-effective and timely manner, and have an
adverse effect on our reputation, results of operations, and financial condition.
Any
adverse event involving our products in the United States could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls, including
corrections, or customer notifications, or agency action, such as inspection or enforcement actions. If malfunctions do occur, we may
be unable to correct the malfunctions adequately or prevent further malfunctions, in which case we may need to cease manufacture and
distribution of the affected products, initiate voluntary recalls, and redesign the products. Regulatory authorities may also take actions
against us, such as ordering recalls, imposing fines, or seizing the affected products. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary,
will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business, and may harm our reputation and
financial results.
33
A
recall of our products, either voluntarily or at the direction of the FDA or the discovery of serious safety issues or malfunctions with
our products, can result in voluntary corrective actions or agency enforcement actions, which could have a significant adverse impact
on us.
The
FDA has the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or
manufacture or in the event that a product poses an unacceptable risk to health. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, recall
a product if any material deficiency in a device is found.
In
the case of the FDA, the authority to require a recall must be based on an FDA finding that there is an unreasonable risk of substantial
public harm. In addition, foreign governmental bodies have the authority to require the recall of our products in the event of material
deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us or one of the independent sales representatives
could occur as a result of an unacceptable risk to health, component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects, or other
deficiencies and issues. Recalls of any of our products would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on
our reputation, results of operations, and financial condition, which could impair our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective
and timely manner in order to meet our customers’ demands. We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that
may have a negative impact on our future sales and our ability to generate profits.
The
FDA requires that certain classifications of recalls be reported to FDA within 10 working days after the recall is initiated. Companies
are required to maintain certain records of recalls, even if they are not reportable to the FDA. We may initiate voluntary recalls involving
our products in the future that we determine do not require notification of the FDA. If the FDA disagrees with our determinations, they
could require us to report those actions as recalls. A future recall announcement could harm our reputation with customers and negatively
affect our sales. In addition, the FDA could take enforcement action for failing to report the recalls when they were conducted.
Modifications
to our products may require new 510(k) clearances or premarket approvals may require us to cease marketing or recall the products until
clearances are received.
Any
modification to a 510(k)-cleared device that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major
change in its intended use, design, or manufacture, requires a new 510(k) clearance or, possibly, a PMA. The FDA requires every manufacturer
make and document this determination in the first instance. A manufacturer may determine that a modification could not significantly
affect safety or effectiveness and does not represent a major change in its intended use, so that no new 510(k) clearance is necessary.
FDA may review any manufacturer’s decision and may not agree with our decisions regarding whether new clearances or approvals are
necessary. The FDA may also on its own initiative determine that a new clearance or approval is required.
We
have modified our products and have determined based on our review of the applicable FDA guidance that a new 510(k) clearances or PMAs
is not required. If the FDA disagrees with our determination and requires us to submit new 510(k) clearances or PMAs for modifications
to our previously cleared products for which we have concluded that new clearances or approvals are unnecessary, we may be required to
cease marketing or to recall the modified products until we obtain clearance or approval, and we may be subject to significant enforcement
action, regulatory fines, or penalties.
If
a manufacturer determines that a modification to an FDA-cleared device could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness or would
constitute a major change in its intended use, then the manufacturer must file for a new 510(k) clearance or possibly a premarket approval
application. Where we determine that modifications to our products require a new 510(k) clearance or premarket approval application,
we may not be able to obtain those additional clearances or approvals for the modifications or additional indications in a timely manner,
or at all. FDA’s ongoing review of the 510(k) programs may make it more difficult for us to make modifications to our previously
cleared products, either by imposing more strict requirements on when a new 510(k) for a modification to a previously cleared product
must be submitted or applying more onerous review criteria to such submissions.
Clinical
trials necessary to support a 510(k) or reimbursement may require the enrollment of large numbers of patients, and suitable patients
may be difficult to identify and recruit. Delays or failures in our clinical trials could affect third party reimbursement as many of
the payors want to see peer reviewed articles to maintain coverage and lack of changes in reimbursement could materially slow down our
commercial efforts and affect our revenue projections.
The results
of our clinical trials may not support our product candidate claims or may result in the discovery of adverse side effects.
If
our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their results will support our product marketing claims or third
party reimbursors will agree with our conclusions regarding them. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate efficacy and cost
effectiveness of our products and may hinder the adoption of our products or ability to obtain payor coverage. It is also possible that
patients enrolled in clinical trials will experience adverse side effects that are not currently part of the product candidate’s
profile.
34
We
may incur product liability losses, and insurance coverage may be inadequate or unavailable to cover these losses.
Our
business exposes us to potential product liability claims that are inherent in the testing, design, manufacture, and sale of medical
devices for SI Joint surgery procedures. SI Joint surgery involves significant risk of serious complications, including bleeding, nerve
injury, paralysis, and even death. In addition, if longer-term patient results and experience indicates that our products or any component
of such products cause tissue damage, motor impairment, or other adverse effects, we could be subject to significant liability. Clinicians
may misuse or ineffectively use our product, which may result in unsatisfactory patient outcomes or patient injury. We could become the
subject of product liability lawsuits alleging that component failures, manufacturing flaws, design defects, or inadequate disclosure
of product-related risks or product-related information resulted in an unsafe condition or injury to patients. Product liability lawsuits
and claims, safety alerts, or product recalls, regardless of their ultimate outcome, could have a material adverse effect on our business
and reputation, our ability to attract and retain customers and our results of operations or financial condition.
Although
we maintain third-party product liability insurance coverage, it is possible that claims against us may exceed the coverage limits of
our insurance policies or cause us to record a self-insured loss. Even if any product liability loss is covered by an insurance policy,
these policies typically have substantial retentions or deductibles that we are responsible for. Product liability claims in excess of
applicable insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
In
addition, any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could result in an increase of our product liability
insurance rates. Insurance coverage varies in cost and can be difficult to obtain, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain
insurance coverage in the future on terms acceptable to us or at all.
We
are subject to environmental laws and regulations that can impose significant costs and expose us to potential financial liabilities.
Our
business and facility and those of our contract manufacturer are subject to foreign, federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating
to the protection of human health and the environment, including those governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling, and disposal
of, and exposure to, such materials and wastes. In addition, under some environmental laws and regulations, we could be held responsible
for costs relating to any contamination at our past or present facilities and at third-party waste disposal sites even if such contamination
was not caused by us. A failure to comply with current or future environmental laws and regulations could result in severe fines or penalties.
Any such expenses or liability could have a significant negative impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
U.S.
tax legislation may materially affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) has significantly changed the U.S. federal income taxation of U.S. businesses, including
by reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate, limiting interest deductions, permitting immediate expensing of certain capital expenditures,
modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits.
The
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) modifies certain provisions of the Tax Act, including
increasing the amount of interest expense that may be deducted.
The
Tax Act as modified by the CARES Act is unclear in many respects and could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections,
as well as interpretations and implementing regulations by the Treasury and IRS, any of which could lessen or increase certain adverse
impacts of the legislation. In addition, it is unclear how these U.S. federal income tax changes will affect state and local taxation,
which often uses federal taxable income as a starting point for computing state and local tax liabilities. Our analysis and interpretation
of this legislation is preliminary and ongoing and there may be material adverse effects resulting from the legislation that we have
not yet identified. While some of the changes made by the tax legislation may adversely affect us, other changes may be beneficial. We
continue to work with our tax advisors to determine the full impact that the recent tax legislation as a whole will have on us. We urge
our investors to consult with their legal and tax advisors with respect to such legislation and its potential effect on an investment
in our common stock.
35
Risks
Related to Our Intellectual Property
Our
ability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology is uncertain.
We
rely primarily on patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality and non- disclosure agreements and other
methods, to protect our proprietary technologies and know-how. As of March 27, 2026, we owned 40 issued patents (31 domestic and 9 foreign),
32 pending patent applications (21 domestic and 19 foreign), 20 registered trademarks (21 domestic and 6 foreign) and 1 pending domestic
trademark application.
We
have applied for patent protection relating to certain existing and proposed products and processes. While we generally apply for patents
in those countries where we intend to make, have made, use, or sell patented products, we may not accurately predict all the countries
where patent protection will ultimately be desirable. If we fail to timely file a patent application in any such country, we may be precluded
from doing so later. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that any of our patent applications will be approved. The rights granted to us
under our patents, including prospective rights sought in our pending patent applications, may not be meaningful or provide us with any
commercial advantage. In addition, those rights could be opposed, contested, or circumvented by our competitors or be declared invalid
or unenforceable in judicial or administrative proceedings. The failure of our patents to adequately protect our technology might make
it easier for our competitors to offer the same or similar products or technologies. Competitors may be able to design around our patents
or develop products that provide outcomes which are comparable to ours without infringing on our intellectual property rights. Due to
differences between foreign and U.S. patent laws, our patented intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection
in foreign countries as they would in the United States. Even if patents are granted outside the United States, effective enforcement
in those countries may not be available. Since most of our issued patents are for the United States only, we lack a corresponding scope
of patent protection in other countries. In countries where we do not have significant patent protection, we may not be able to stop
a competitor from marketing products in such countries that are the same as or similar to our product.
We
plan to rely on our trademarks, trade names and brand names to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors and have
registered or applied to register many of these trademarks. We cannot assure you that our trademark applications will be approved. Third
parties may also oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks
are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our product, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require
us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe upon
our trademarks, or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.
We
also rely on trade secrets, know-how, and technology, which are not protected by patents, to maintain our competitive position. We try
to protect this information by entering into confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements with parties that develop
intellectual property for us and/or have access to it, such as our officers, employees, consultants, contract manufacturers and advisors.
However, in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure or other breaches of such agreements, we may not be provided with meaningful
protection for our trade secrets or other proprietary information. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently
discovered by competitors. To the extent that our commercial partners, collaborators, employees, and consultants use intellectual property
owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions. If any of
our trade secrets, know-how or other technologies not protected by a patent were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor,
our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
In
the future, we may enter into licensing agreements to maintain our competitive position. If we enter into in-bound intellectual property
license agreements, we may not be able to fully protect the licensed intellectual property rights or maintain those licenses. Future
licensors could retain the right to prosecute and defend the intellectual property rights licensed to us, in which case we would depend
on the ability of our licensors to obtain, maintain, and enforce intellectual property protection for the licensed intellectual property.
These licensors may determine not to pursue litigation against other companies or may pursue such litigation less aggressively than we
would. Further, entering into such license agreements could impose various diligence, commercialization, royalty, or other obligations
on us. Future licensors may allege that we have breached our license agreement with them, and accordingly seek damages or to terminate
our license, which could adversely affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects.
If
a competitor infringes upon one of our patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights, enforcing those patents, trademarks,
and other rights may be difficult and time consuming. Even if successful, litigation to defend our patents and trademarks against challenges
or to enforce our intellectual property rights could be expensive and time consuming and could divert management’s attention from
managing our business. Moreover, we may not have sufficient resources to defend our patents or trademarks against challenges or to enforce
our intellectual property rights. In addition, if third parties infringe any intellectual property that is not material to the products
that we make, have made, use, or sell, it may be impractical for us to enforce this intellectual property against those third parties.
36
We
may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we, our employees, or independent distributors along with their independent sales
representatives have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation
agreements with our competitors.
Many
of our employees were previously employed at other medical device companies, including our competitors or potential competitors, in some
cases until recently. Some independent distributors and their independent sales representatives sell, or in the past have sold, products
of our competitors. We may be subject to claims that we, our employees or independent sales personnel have inadvertently or otherwise
used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of these former employers or competitors. In addition, we have been
and may in the future be subject to claims that we caused an employee to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation
agreement. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs, divert the attention
of management from our core business and harm our reputation. If our defense to those claims fails, in addition to paying monetary damages,
we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. There can be no assurance that this type of litigation will not continue,
and any future litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire additional direct sales representatives. A loss
of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize product candidates, which could have an adverse
effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
The
medical device industry is characterized by patent litigation, and we could become subject to litigation that could be costly, result
in the diversion of management’s time and efforts, require us to pay damages, and/or prevent us from developing or marketing our
existing or future products.
Our
commercial success will depend in part on not infringing the patents or violating the other proprietary rights of third parties. Significant
litigation regarding patent rights exists in our industry. Our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially
greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future
apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with our ability to make and sell our product. We have
conducted a limited review of patents issued to third parties. The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent issuances, the
complexities of the technology involved, and the uncertainty of litigation increase the risk of business assets and management’s
attention being diverted to patent litigation. Any litigation or claim against us, even those without merit, may cause us to incur substantial
costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business, and
harm our reputation. Further, as the number of participants in the medical device industry grows, the possibility of intellectual property
infringement claims against us increases. If we are found to infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, we could be
required to pay substantial damages, including treble, or triple, damages if an infringement is found to be willful, and/or royalties
and could be prevented from selling our products unless we obtain a license or are able to redesign our products to avoid infringement.
Any such license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all, and there can be no assurance that we would be able to redesign
our products in a way that would not infringe the intellectual property rights of others. If we fail to obtain any required licenses
or make any necessary changes to our products or technologies, we may have to withdraw our existing products from the market or may be
unable to commercialize one or more of our future products, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results
of operations, and financial condition. If passed into law, patent reform legislation currently pending in the U.S. Congress could significantly
change the risks associated with bringing or defending a patent infringement lawsuit. For example, fee shifting legislation could require
a non-prevailing party to pay the attorney fees of the prevailing party in some circumstances.
Patent
terms are limited, and we may not be able to effectively protect our products and business.
Patents
have a limited lifespan. In the U.S., the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after it is filed. Although various extensions
may be available, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. In addition, upon issuance in the U.S., the patent
term may be extended based on certain delays caused by the applicant(s) or the USPTO. Even if we obtain effective patent rights for all
our current patent applications, we may not have sufficient patent terms or regulatory exclusivity to protect our product, and our business
and results of operations would be adversely affected.
Changes
in U.S. patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product.
As
is the case with other medical devices companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining
and enforcing patents in the medical devices industry involves both technological and legal complexity. Therefore, obtaining and enforcing
patents is costly, time-consuming, and inherently uncertain. In addition, the U.S. has recently enacted and is currently implementing
wide-ranging patent reform legislation. Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain
circumstances and weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our
ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once
obtained. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents
could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents
that we might obtain in the future.
37
We
may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing,
prosecuting, and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and
our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the U.S. can be less extensive than those in the U.S. In addition, the laws
of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the U.S. Competitors
may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may also export
otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the U.S. These
products may compete with our products and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent
them from competing.
Many
companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The
legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets
and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology products, which could make it difficult for
us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings
to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts
and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our
patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits
that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to
enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual
property that we develop or license.
If
we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position could be harmed.
In
addition to patent protection, we also rely upon copyright and trade secret protection, as well as non-disclosure agreements and invention
assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, contract manufacturers and third parties, to protect our confidential and proprietary
information. In addition to contractual measures, we try to protect the confidential nature of our proprietary information using commonly
accepted physical and technological security measures. Such measures may not, for example, in the case of misappropriation of a trade
secret by an employee or third party with authorized access, provide adequate protection for our proprietary information. Our security
measures may not prevent an employee or consultant from misappropriating our trade secrets and providing them to a competitor, and recourse
we take against such misconduct may not provide an adequate remedy to protect our interests fully. Unauthorized parties may also attempt
to copy or reverse engineer certain aspects of our products that we consider proprietary. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed
or misappropriated a trade secret can be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. Even though we use
commonly accepted security measures, trade secret violations are often a matter of state law, and the criteria for protection of trade
secrets can vary among different jurisdictions. In addition, trade secrets may be independently developed by others in a manner that
could prevent legal recourse by us. If any of our confidential or proprietary information, such as our trade secrets, were to be disclosed
or misappropriated, or if any such information was independently developed by a competitor, our business and competitive position could
be harmed.
Third
parties may assert that our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information or misappropriated trade
secrets.
We
employ individuals who previously worked with other companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to
ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be
subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed
intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of a former employer or other third party. Litigation
may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims or settling those claims, in addition to paying
monetary damages or a settlement payment, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in
defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.
38
Risks
Related to the Ownership of our Common Stock and Warrants
An
active trading market for our shares may not be sustained.
Although
our shares are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, the market for our shares has demonstrated varying levels of trading activity.
The current level of trading may not be sustained in the future. The lack of an active market for our shares may impair investors’
ability to sell their shares at the time they wish to sell them or at a price that they consider reasonable, may reduce the fair market
value of their shares and may impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares and may impair our
ability to acquire additional intellectual property assets by using our shares as consideration.
Future
sales of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We
may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds
for our current or future operating plans. If additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities,
or perceptions that those sales could occur, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to investors purchasing
our common stock in this offering or result in downward pressure on the price of our common stock, and our ability to raise capital in
the future.
We
are currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Failure to maintain our compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing standards
or other requirements could result in our common stock being delisted from Nasdaq, which could adversely affect our liquidity and the
trading volume and market price of our common stock and decrease or eliminate your investment.
Our
common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market on Nasdaq under the symbol “TNON.” Nasdaq requires listed issuers
to comply with certain standards in order to remain listed on its exchange. We must meet certain standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market
LLC (“Nasdaq”) including, but not limited to financial and liquidity criteria, to maintain the listing of our common stock
on Nasdaq. If we violate the maintenance requirements for continued listing of our common stock, our common stock may be delisted. In
addition, our board of directors may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the
benefits of such listing. A delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq for any reason may materially impair our stockholders’ ability
to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for,
our common stock. In addition, the delisting of our common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital.
On
February 25, 2026, we received a letter (the “Notification Letter”) from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff of Nasdaq
stating that for the 30 consecutive business day period between January 9, 2026 and February 24, 2026, our common stock had not maintained
a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share which is required for continued listing on Nasdaq. We were provided an initial period
of 180 calendar days, or until August 24, 2026 (the “Compliance Period”), to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. To
regain compliance, the closing bid price of the our common stock must be at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business
days during the Compliance Period.
If
we do not regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule by August 24, 2026, we may be eligible for an additional 180-day period to regain
compliance. To qualify, the we would have to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all
other initial listing standards for Nasdaq, with the exception of the Bid Price Rule, and would need to provide written notice of its
intention to cure the bid price deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. If
we cannot regain compliance during the Compliance Period or any subsequently granted compliance period, our common stock will be subject
to delisting. At that time, we may appeal the delisting determination to a Nasdaq hearings panel.
39
The
notice from Nasdaq has no immediate effect on the listing of our common stock, which will continue to be listed Nasdaq under the symbol
“TNON.” We are currently evaluating our options for regaining compliance with the Bid Price Rule. There can be no assurance
that we will regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule or maintain compliance with any of the other Nasdaq continued listing requirements.
Additionally, in January 2026, Nasdaq proposed a rule change that would
require companies listed on the Nasdaq Global and Capital Markets to maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (“MVLS”)
of at least $5 million. If adopted, this requirement would represent an additional continued listing standard applicable to our common
stock. Under the proposed rule, if a company’s MVLS falls below $5 million for 30 consecutive business days, Nasdaq would immediately
suspend trading and delist the company’s securities, with no compliance or cure period. Unlike some other Nasdaq listing deficiencies,
the proposed rule would not provide an opportunity to regain compliance prior to suspension, and a hearing request would not stay the
suspension of trading.
The
market value of our common stock may fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including
market conditions, investor sentiment toward small-cap companies, our operating performance, and general economic conditions. As a result,
we may be unable to maintain the required MVLS threshold at all times. If this proposed rule is approved and adopted, any sustained decline in our MVLS below $5 million could result
in the immediate suspension and delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq.
A
delisting of our common stock and our inability to list on another national securities market could negatively impact us by: (i) reducing
the liquidity and market price of our common stock; (ii) reducing the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our common stock,
which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity financing; (iii) limiting our ability to use certain registration statements
to offer and sell freely tradable securities, thereby limiting our ability to access the public capital markets; and (iv) impairing our
ability to provide equity incentives to our employees.
Any
delisting determination by Nasdaq could seriously decrease or eliminate the value of an investment in our common stock and other securities
linked to our common stock. While a listing on an over-the-counter exchange could maintain some degree of a market in our common stock,
we could face substantial material adverse consequences, including, but not limited to, the following:
● limited
availability for market quotations for our common stock;
● reduced
liquidity with respect to and decreased trading prices of our common stock;
● a
determination that shares of our common stock are “penny stock” under SEC rules,
subjecting brokers trading our common stock to more stringent rules on disclosure and the
class of investors to which the broker may sell the common stock;
● limited
news and analyst coverage for our Company, in part due to the “penny stock” rules;
● decreased
ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future; and
● potential
breaches under or terminations of our agreements with current or prospective large stockholders,
strategic investors and banks.
The
perception among investors that we are at heightened risk of delisting could also negatively affect the market price of our securities
and trading volume of our common stock.
Furthermore,
on March 26, 2026, the closing price of our common stock was $0.7342 per share. Pursuant to Nasdaq Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(iii), if the closing price
of our common stock is $0.10 or less for 10 consecutive trading days, we will be issued a Staff Delisting Determination by Nasdaq. If
we receive a Staff Delisting Determination Letter resulting from our common stock trading at or below $0.10 for 10 consecutive trading
days, we will have 7 calendar days to request a hearing before a Nasdaq hearings panel to review the Staff Delisting Determination, which
will determine the delisting of our common stock by Nasdaq. A hearing would then take place within 45 days of the hearing request to
determine whether or not our common stock would be delisted. If, in the future, we receive a Staff Delisting Determination there can
be no assurance that we would be successful in preventing a determination by the Nasdaq hearing panel that our stock will be delisted.
The
trading price of our common stock has been and is likely to continue to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations
in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control.
Our
share price is highly volatile. During the period from January 1, 2024, to March 27, 2026 the closing price of our common stock ranged
from a high of $12.80 per share to a low of $0.6659 per share. The stock market in general has experienced extreme volatility that has
often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell
your common stock at or above the public offering price and you may lose some or all of your investment.
Our
Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock rank senior to our common stock.
Our
Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock rank, with respect to rights on the distribution of assets on any voluntary or
involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of our company, and redemption rights, senior to our common stock and
each other class or series of securities now existing or hereafter authorized classified or reclassified, the terms of which do not expressly
provide that such class or series ranks on a parity basis with or senior to the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock
as to rights on the distribution of assets on any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of our
company, and redemption rights.
40
Conversion
of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock or the Convertible Promissory Notes or the exercise of the Offering Warrants, Note
Warrants, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants, Series C Warrants, Series D Warrants (as defined below), Series E Warrants (as defined
below) or PIPE Warrants may cause significant dilution to our stockholders.
As
of March 27, 2026, we have issued 204,159 shares of Series A Preferred Stock, which are convertible into 1,553,456 shares of common stock,
86,454 shares of Series B Preferred Stock, which are convertible into 268,624 shares of common stock and $5.16 million of Convertible
Promissory Notes, which are convertible into up to 32,929,164 shares of our common stock. We also have the following outstanding warrants:
● In
June 2023, in connection with a registered offering of stock, we issued warrants to purchase
a total of 250,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price which was reset on July
16, 2023 to $25.168 per share (the “Offering Warrants”). The Offering Warrants
were exercisable upon issuance and will expire five years from the date of issuance. Warrants
to purchase a total of 207,484 are outstanding at March 27, 2026.
● In
November 2023, in connection with the issuance of convertible notes, we issued warrants to
purchase a total of 5,625 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal to $15.52
per share (the “Note Warrants”). The Note Warrants expire five years from the
issuance date.
● On
February 20, 2024, in connection with the issuance of Series A Preferred Stock, we issued
warrants to purchase a total of 51,937 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal
to $4.28 per share (the “Series A Warrants”). The Series A Warrants were exercisable
upon issuance and expire five years from the date of issuance.
● On
September 5, 2024, in connection with the issuance of Series B Preferred Stock, we issued
warrants to purchase a total of 16,214 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal
to $4.28 per share (the “Series B Warrants”). The Series B Warrants were exercisable
upon issuance and expire five years from the date of issuance.
● On
March 11, 2025, in connection with a warrant inducement agreement, we issued unregistered
five-year warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,445,700 shares of our common stock
at an exercise price of $1.25 per share and unregistered three-year warrants to purchase
up to an aggregate of 1,222,850 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25 per
share (the “Series C Warrants”). The Series C Warrants were exercisable and their
exercise period commenced when approval by our stockholders was received on September 18,
2025.
● On
March 26, 2025, in connection with a securities purchase agreement, we issued warrants to
purchase up to 733,500 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.00 per share
(the “Series D Warrants”), which were exercisable upon issuance, and will expire
five years following the date of issuance.
● On
March 27, 2025, in connection with a securities purchase agreement, we issued warrants to
purchase up to 1,271,500 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.00 per share
(the “Series E Warrants”), which were exercisable upon issuance, and will expire
five years following the date of issuance.
● On
November 11, 2025, in connection with the PIPE, we issued warrants to purchase 2,217,904
shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.16 per share, with an expiration date
of 3 years from the date of issuance (the “PIPE Warrants”).
41
The
issuance of shares of common stock upon the conversion of such shares of preferred stock or exercise of any of our outstanding warrants
would dilute the percentage ownership interest of holders of our common stock, dilute the book value per share of our common stock, and
increase the number of our publicly traded shares, which could further depress the market price of our common stock.
In
addition, the Series A Preferred Stock, the Series B Preferred Stock, the Series A Warrants, the Series B Warrants and the Note Warrants
contain weighted average anti-dilution provisions which, subject to limited exceptions, would increase the number of shares issuable
upon exercise of such securities (by reducing the exercise price) in the event that we in the future issue common stock, or securities
convertible into or exercisable to purchase common stock, at a price per share lower than the exercise price then in effect.
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price
and trading volume could decline.
The
trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about
us or our business. If too few securities or industry analysts provide coverage or if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade
our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our stock would likely decline. If one or more
of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause
the price of our stock and trading volume to decline.
The
price of our common stock may be volatile, and you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the price paid.
The
trading price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate higher or lower, depending
on many factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. These fluctuations could cause
you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our common
stock include the following:
● actual
or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;
● actual
or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;
● commercial
success and market acceptance of our product;
● success
of our competitors in developing or commercializing products;
● ability
to commercialize or obtain regulatory approvals for our product, or delays in commercializing
or obtaining regulatory approvals;
● strategic
transactions undertaken by us;
● additions
or departures of key personnel;
● product
liability claims;
● prevailing
economic conditions;
● disputes
concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;
● FDA
or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or the healthcare industry;
● healthcare
reform measures in the United States;
42
● sales
of our common stock by our officers, directors or significant stockholders;
● future
sales or issuances of equity or debt securities by us;
● business
disruptions caused by earthquakes, fires or other natural disasters;
● the
exercise and sale of any outstanding warrants or options;
● issuance
of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations regarding us;
● changes
in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities;
● short
sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock; and
● general
economic and geopolitical conditions, including the current or anticipated impact of military
conflict and related sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other countries
due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In
addition, if the market for medical device or healthcare stocks or the stock market, in general, experience a loss of investor confidence,
the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
The trading price of our common stock might also decline in reaction to events that affect other companies in our industry even if these
events do not directly affect us. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities
class action litigation has often been brought against that company. If our stock price is volatile, we may become the target of securities
litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources from our
business. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our
failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have an adverse impact on us .
We
are required to establish and maintain appropriate internal control over financial reporting. Failure to establish those controls, or
any failure of those controls once established, could adversely impact our public disclosures regarding our business, financial condition,
or results of operations. In addition, management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting may identify weaknesses
and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting or other matters that may raise concerns for
investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting,
disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure of our public accounting firm’s
attestation to our report on management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting may have an adverse impact
on the price of our common stock.
A
control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of
the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and
the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no system of controls
can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our Company have been detected. These inherent
limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error
or mistake. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more persons, or by management
override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of
future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may
deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may
not be detected.
We
have put in place policies and procedures to ensure that proper documentation is established and maintained for transactions that we
enter into.
However,
our management has identified a material weakness due to lack of segregation of duties. Our size has prevented us from being able to
employ sufficient resources to enable us to have an adequate level of supervision and segregation of duties. Therefore, it is difficult
to effectively segregate accounting duties which comprises a material weakness in internal controls. This lack of segregation of duties
leads management to conclude that our disclosure controls and procedures are not effective to give reasonable assurance that the information
required to be disclosed in reports that we file under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported as and when required.
We have implemented controls using
the resources which we do have in an effort to compensate for the material weakness. While we believe our efforts have improved our internal
controls, our material weakness will not be completely remediated until we have sufficient resources to enable us to have an adequate
segregation of duties. We cannot be certain that the steps we are taking will be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that
led to our material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting or prevent future material weaknesses or control deficiencies
from occurring.
While we are working to remediate
the material weakness as timely and efficiently as possible, at this time we cannot provide an estimate of costs expected to be incurred
in connection with the implementation of this remediation plan, nor can we provide an estimate of the time it will take to complete this
remediation plan. Even if management does establish effective remedial measures, we cannot guarantee that those internal controls and
disclosure controls that we put in place will prevent all possible errors, mistakes, or all fraud.
43
Our
financial controls and procedures may not be sufficient to ensure timely and reliable reporting of financial information, which, as a
public company, could materially harm our stock price.
We
will require significant financial resources to maintain our public reporting status. We cannot assure you we will be able to maintain
adequate resources to ensure that we will not have any future material weakness in our system of internal controls. The effectiveness
of our controls and procedures may in the future be limited by a variety of factors including:
● faulty
human judgment and simple errors, omissions or mistakes;
● fraudulent
action of an individual or collusion of two or more people;
● inappropriate
management override of procedures; and
● the
possibility that any enhancements to controls and procedures may still not be adequate to
assure timely and accurate financial information.
Our
internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
in the United States of America. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets
of the Company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention
or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect
on the financial statements.
Despite
these anticipated controls, because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their control
objectives. Furthermore, smaller reporting companies like us face additional limitations. Smaller reporting companies employ fewer individuals
and can find it difficult to employ resources for complicated transactions and effective risk management. Additionally, smaller reporting
companies tend to utilize general accounting software packages that lack a rigorous set of software controls.
If
we fail to have effective controls and procedures for financial reporting in place, we could be unable to provide timely and accurate
financial information and be subject to investigation by the SEC and civil or criminal sanctions.
We
must implement additional and expensive procedures and controls in order to grow our business and organization and to satisfy reporting
requirements, which will increase our costs and require additional management resources.
As
a public company, we are required to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the related
rules and regulations of the SEC, including the requirements that we maintain disclosure controls and procedures and adequate internal
control over financial reporting. Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other SEC and national exchange requirements will increase
our costs and require additional management resources. We have begun the process of upgrading our procedures and controls and will need
to begin implementing additional procedures and controls as we grow our business and organization and to satisfy new reporting requirements.
If we are unable to complete the required assessment as to the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as required
by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or if we fail to establish and maintain internal control over financial reporting, our ability
to produce timely, accurate and reliable periodic financial statements could be impaired.
If
we do not establish and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy
of our periodic reports filed under the Exchange Act. Additionally, our ability to obtain additional financing could be impaired or a
lack of investor confidence in the reliability and accuracy of our public reporting could cause our stock price to decline.
We
may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert our management’s attention.
The
market price of our securities may be volatile, and in the past companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their
securities have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities
litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns.
44
We
are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act of 2012 and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements
applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We
are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”),
and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that
are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic
reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and
shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock
less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may
be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended
transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other
words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise
apply to private companies. We are choosing to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting
standards.
We
will remain an “emerging growth company” until the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date
of the first sale of our common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, although we will lose
that status sooner if our revenues exceed $1.235 billion, if we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in a three year period,
or we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under applicable SEC rules.
Our
status as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act may make it more difficult to raise capital as and when we need
it.
Because
of the exemptions from various reporting requirements provided to us as an “emerging growth company” and because we will
have an extended transition period for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards, we may be less attractive to investors,
and it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital as and when we need it. Investors may be unable to compare our business with
other companies in our industry if they believe that our financial accounting is not as transparent as other companies in our industry.
If we are unable to raise additional capital as and when we need it, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially
and adversely affected.
We
have not paid dividends in the past and do not expect to pay dividends in the future, and any return on investment may be limited to
the value of our stock.
We
have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to support the development of our business and do not anticipate paying cash
dividends in the foreseeable future. Our payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking
into account various factors, including, but not limited to, our financial condition, operating results, cash needs, growth plans and
the terms of any credit agreements that we may be a party to at the time. In addition, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock
may be limited by Delaware state law. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which
may never occur, as the only way to realize a return on their investment. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common
stock.
The
elimination of personal liability against our directors and officers under Delaware law and the existence of indemnification rights held
by our directors, officers and employees may result in substantial expenses.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended (“Certificate of Incorporation”), and our bylaws (“Bylaws”)
eliminate the personal liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as
a director or officer to the extent permissible under Delaware law. Further, our Certificate of Incorporation allows for us to and our
Bylaws provide that we are obligated to indemnify each of our directors or officers to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law
and, subject to certain conditions, advance the expenses incurred by any director or officer in defending any action, suit or proceeding
prior to its final disposition. Those indemnification obligations could expose us to substantial expenditures to cover the cost of settlement
or damage awards against our directors or officers, which we may be unable to afford. Further, those provisions and resulting costs may
discourage us or our stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against any of our current or former directors or officers for breaches of
their fiduciary duties, even if such actions might otherwise benefit our stockholders.
45
Our
Certificate of Incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain litigation
that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for
disputes with us.
Our
Certificate of Incorporation specifies that, except for claims arising under federal securities laws, unless we consent in writing to
the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any
derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed
by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (c) any action asserting
a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, or (d)
any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to said Court of Chancery having personal
jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest
in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation
as described above.
This
choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes
with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims.
As such, stockholders of the Company seeking to bring a claim regarding the internal affairs of the Company may be subject to increased
costs associated with litigating in Delaware as opposed to their home state or other forum, precluded from bringing such a claim in a
forum they otherwise consider to be more favorable, and discouraged from bringing such claims as a result of the foregoing or other factors
related to forum selection. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Certificate of Incorporation
to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions,
which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
We
believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law by chancellors particularly
experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums
and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against
our directors, officers, employees, and agents as it may limit any stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that
such stockholder finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents. The enforceability of similar
choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is
possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained
in our Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If a court were to find the choice of forum provision
contained in our Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated
with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.