Vivos Therapeutics, Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business. Overview We are a revenue stage medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of a suite of innovative diagnostic and multi-disciplinary treatment modalities for patients with dentofacial abnormalities and the wide array of medical conditions that may result from them, including mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea (known as OSA) and snoring in adults. We believe our proprietary oral appliances, diagnostic tools, myofunctional therapy, clinical treatments, continuing education, and practice solutions represent a powerful and highly effective set of resources for healthcare providers of all disciplines who treat patients suffering from debilitating and even life-threatening breathing and sleep disorders and their comorbidities. Up to this point, our primary focus has been on expanding awareness of, and providing treatment options for OSA for and through the dental industry, which we believe represents a large and relatively untapped market for OSA treatment. As our business has evolved, we have expanded our marketing, provider outreach, and treatment programs to encompass a broader more multidisciplinary approach, with a greater emphasis on working with medical doctors and other healthcare providers beyond dentists. Now that we have established a national network of Vivos-trained dentists, it is time to focus our resources and efforts on the source of where the vast majority of OSA patients are first diagnosed and treated—the medical profession and durable medical equipment (DME) companies. In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we sometimes refer to dentists and other medical professionals who treat OSA as “providers” (including our own Vivos-trained dentists). Studies have shown our comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach represents a significant improvement in the treatment of mild to severe OSA in comparison to or when combined with other largely palliative treatments such as continuous positive airway pressure (or CPAP) or oral myofunctional therapy. We call our solution The Vivos Method . Our Products and Services Currently, The Vivos Method comprises the following products and services: ● Vivos Complete Airway Repositioning and/or Expansion (CARE) oral appliance therapy including our: ○ Daytime Nighttime Appliance (or DNA appliance ® ) was granted 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (or FDA) as a Class II medical device in December 2022 for the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate OSA, jaw repositioning and snoring in adults. It is the only oral appliance ever to receive FDA clearance to treat OSA without mandibular advancement as its primary mechanism of action. In November 2023, our DNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. ○ Mandibular Repositioning Nighttime Appliance (or mRNA appliance ® ) has 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate OSA in adults. In November 2023, our mRNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. ○ Modified Mandibular Repositioning Nighttime Appliance (or mmRNA appliance), for which we were granted FDA Class II market clearance in August 2021 for treating mild to moderate OSA, jaw reposition and snoring in adults. In November 2023, our mmRNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. The November 2023 clearance of our CARE appliances for the indication described above represents the first time the FDA has ever granted an oral appliance a clearance to treat severe OSA. We believe this unprecedented decision by the FDA will generate broader acceptance throughout the medical community for our treatment options, leading to the potential for higher patient referrals and case starts as well as collaboration with medical professionals. We also believe it will enhance our value proposition to third-party distribution partners such as DME companies. This approval could also clear the way for greater reimbursement levels from medical insurance payors and Medicare. - 1 - ● Vivos oral appliances and therapies outside of CARE system include: ○ Vivos Guides are pre-formed, flexible, BPA-free, base polymer, monoblock intraoral guide and rescue appliances. The Guides are FDA Class I registered product for orthodontic tooth positioning typically used by dentists in children to address malocclusions and promote proper guided growth and development of the mouth and jaws. ○ Vivos Versa TM is an FDA 510(k) cleared Class II device for treating mild to moderate OSA in adults. It is a comfortable, easy-to-wear, medical grade nylon, 3D printed oral appliance featuring mandibular advancement as its mechanism of action. It is priced to be very cost effective and offers Vivos providers and patients a comfortable and effective product at a much lower price point for treatment. As with all other non-CARE oral appliances, the Vivos Versa must be worn nightly for life in order to remain clinically effective. We believe many Vivos Versa patients will eventually migrate up to our proprietary Vivos CARE products. While we do not own this product, we are a reseller of this product. ○ Vivos MyoCorrect oral myofunctional therapy (OMT) services. Studies have shown OMT to be a clinically valuable adjunctive treatment for patients with breathing and sleep disorders. When combined with Vivos’ CARE products and treatments, OMT can deliver an enhanced effect in many patients using our appliances. MyoCorrect treatment services are cost-effective for providers and convenient for patients. MyoCorrect is billable to medical insurance in most cases and constitutes an additional profit center for both Vivos and providers. ○ Vivos Vida ™ is an FDA cleared appliance as unspecified classification for the alleviation of TMD symptoms, and aids in treating bruxism and TMJ Dysfunction. The Vivos Vida help to alleviate symptoms such as TMJ/TMD, headaches and facial muscle pain. The Vivos Vida is worn during sleep, and serves to protect the teeth and restorations from destructive forces of bruxism. It is a custom fabricated appliance, designed for patient comfort. ○ Vivos Vida Sleep ™ is an FDA 510(k) cleared Class II for treating mild to moderate OSA in adults. It uses the Vivos Unilateral BiteBlock Technology and is designed to advance the mandible incrementally to stabilize the patient’s oropharyngeal airway. It is highly efficient and has a sleep design which promotes space for the tongue to sit in the roof of the palate. It’s novel design decreases contact points between the maxillary and mandibular teeth that may help reduce clenching and overall bite forces that occur during sleep. ● VivoScore (from SleepImage), Rhinomanometry (from GM Instruments), Cone Beam Computerized Tomography or CBCT (from multiple vendors), Joint Vibration Analysis (from BioResearch) and other key diagnostic technologies play an essential role as part of The Vivos Method in patient assessment, proper clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, progress measurement, and optimal outcome facilitation. We believe the combination and integration of such diagnostic tools and equipment as particularly taught to and practiced by Vivos-trained providers constitutes a key trade secret of our company. ● Vivos AireO 2 is an Electronic Health Record (EHR) software program specifically designed for use as a full practice management software program in a medical or dental practice environment where treating breathing and sleep disorders is performed. The program is very well suited to handle both medical and dental billing and is integral in our Treatment Navigator program. ● Adjunctive Treatment from specialty chiropractors and other healthcare providers according to a very specific set of particular integrated protocols has also proven to enhance and improve clinical outcomes using CARE and other Vivos devices. ● Treatment Navigator is our most recent program to assist a clinician’s patients who may have a breathing or sleep disorder to get screened, diagnosed by a board-certified sleep specialist, obtain insurance verification of benefits and preauthorization (where required), have their questions answered, and receive assistance with scheduling, financing, medical billing or any other concerns regarding treatment options best suited to their individual situation. Dentists typically pay set fees to us for this service. - 2 - ● Vivos Billing Intelligence Service (BIS) is our medical and dental billing service. It is both a subscription and fee for service program for healthcare practitioners who wish to optimize their insurance reimbursement by leveraging both medical and dental benefits. We are unaware of any other software platform or service on the market that offers the same set of features or capabilities. ● Vivos Airway Intelligence Service (AIS) is our technical support and advisory service that supports clinicians in their patient data analysis, case selection, treatment planning and treatment implementation. AIS reports and services are priced into the cost of appliances to providers. ● The Vivos Institute® (TVI) is widely regarded as one of the top educational and learning centers for dentofacial related breathing and sleep disorders in North America. Opened in 2021, TVI is housed in a state-of-the-art 18,000 square foot facility near the Denver International Airport where doctors from around the world come to receive instruction and advanced clinical training in a wide range of topics delivered by leading national and international medical sleep specialists, cardiologists, pediatric sleep specialists, dentists, orthodontists, specially trained chiropractors, nutritionists, key industry business leaders, and university-based clinical researchers. These products and services are used in a collaborative multidisciplinary treatment model comprising dentists, general practice physicians, sleep specialist physicians, myofunctional therapists, nutritionists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and healthcare professionals. Our subscription-based program to train dentists and offer them other value-added services is called the Vivos Integrated Practice (VIP) program. During 2023, we expanded our product portfolio by acquiring certain devices (now known as Vivos Vida , Vivos Versa and Vivos Vida Sleep ) from Advanced Facialdontics, LLC. During 2022, we continued to expand and grow our screening and home sleep test (or HST) program (which we call our VivoScore Program ) featuring SleepImage ® technology, a 510(k) cleared ring-based recorder and diagnostic platform for home sleep apnea testing. We market and distribute our SleepImage HST in the U.S. and Canada pursuant to a licensing agreement with MyCardio LLC. Based on our direct experience with our Vivos-trained providers, approximately 61,000 VivoScore HSTs were performed during 2023. Due to the volume of business that we have generated with MyCardio LLC, we now receive pricing and terms for SleepImage ® products and services that are well below their published retail prices. We believe the rapid growth of our VivoScore program confirms our belief that the SleepImage ® HST offers significant commercial advantages over existing home sleep apnea products and technologies in the market and allows healthcare providers to more efficiently screen, diagnose and initiate treatment for OSA in their patients. We have not yet seen a corresponding increase in patient enrollment in The Vivos Method treatment, however, and based on feedback from our Vivos-trained providers, we believe this to be a function of staffing turnover and labor shortages that continue to plague the dental workplace. Throughout 2023, we continued to address this by conducting additional regional dental team training sessions on integrating Vivos products and treatments. In addition, we drastically reduced the number of Practice Advisors who had previously been dispatched as “boots on the ground” to help facilitate case starts and provide Vivos-trained providers with support, and we replaced them with a new service called Treatment Navigator which we piloted and rolled out in the late summer and fall of 2022. Treatment Navigators work effectively as extensions of the dental office, working directly with perspective patients to provide them information on The Vivos Method, aiding in education, screening, insurance verification of benefits and preauthorization, coordination among various professional practitioners, recordkeeping, problem solving, as well as, delivering a home sleep test and following up with scheduling an appointment with a VIP in their area. Dental offices who wish to avail themselves of this service pay Vivos enrollment fees and per case fees for the service, thus adding an important new revenue line and profit center to the business. As of December 31, 2023, there were 57 Vivos-trained (VIP) dental offices who are at some stage of onboarding with our Treatment Navigator program. Based on our evaluation of the program, we will restructure the Treatment Navigator program into a monthly subscription-based model. We expect that this will grow into a material and important revenue stream as we move forward. - 3 - Background on OSA OSA is a serious and chronic disease that negatively impacts a patient’s sleep, health, and quality of life. According to a 2019 article published in Chest Physician, it is estimated that OSA afflicts 54 million adults in the U.S. alone. According to a 2016 report by Frost & Sullivan, OSA has an annual societal cost of over $149.6 billion. According to the study “ Global Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) ” conducted by an international panel of leading researchers, nearly 1 billion people worldwide have sleep apnea, and as many as 80% remain undiagnosed. Research has shown that when left untreated, OSA can increase the risk of comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, dementia, chronic pain and other debilitating, life-threatening diseases. Unfortunately for OSA patients, the medical profession has not been able to provide them with solutions that are both effective and desirable. CPAP is the “gold standard” treatment for over 90% of OSA patients, but no one wants to wear those devices to bed every night for life, rendering long-term compliance rates low. Traditional oral appliances can be effective over limited time frames, but often create other problems with temporomandibular joint (or TMJ) dysfunction, open bites, infections, and more. As with CPAP, they too must be worn every night for life to be effective. More radical and invasive options such as neuro-stimulation devices, or maxillomandibular advancement surgery are likewise viewed more as treatments of last resort. When The Vivos Method is presented as a viable treatment option against the alternatives discussed above, we believe it will be the preferred choice of most patients. We believe our proprietary products comprising the Vivos CARE oral appliances represent the first non-surgical, non-invasive treatment option for patients diagnosed with mild to severe OSA that offers cost-effective treatment featuring (i) limited treatment times; with (ii) lasting or durable effects; and (iii) the prospect of seeing a complete reversal of symptoms. Combining treatment technologies that impact the upper airway by altering the size, shape, patency and position of corresponding hard and soft tissues, Vivos CARE represents a completely new treatment modality in the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities that often lead to OSA and many other health conditions. The Vivos Method is estimated to be indicated and potentially effective (within the scope of the FDA cleared uses) in approximately 80% of cases of OSA where patients are compliant with clinical treatments. Our patented oral appliances have been utilized in over 42,000 patients treated worldwide by more than 1,900 trained dentists. Our Target Customers The House of Delegates of the American Dental Association in 2017 adopted a policy statement describing the important role dentists can play in helping identify patients at greater risk of sleep related breathing disorders. By virtue of the close connection and relationship between the oral cavity and airway form and function, properly trained dentists can play a pivotal and even leading role in the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities which are known to impact breathing and sleep, which in turn can lead to serious health conditions. The VIP program provides dentists with compelling clinical reasons coupled with strong economic incentives to provide their breathing and sleep disordered patients the best care possible. We have recently expanded our mission and product line positioning to extend the reach and scope of The Vivos Method beyond the dental profession and to allow for greater collaboration and mutual referrals from other healthcare practitioners, including primary care physicians, medical specialists, chiropractors, nutritionists, physical therapists, and others who see and treat patients with breathing and sleep disorders. We believe this extension of our approach will broaden the knowledge among various professions as to what our technology and products can do for their patients, ultimately leading more patients into treatment with Vivos products and services. We also incorporate courses and curricula at The Vivos Institute into our Vivos Method training that provides information, tools, techniques, and systems that enable other healthcare professionals to engage directly with dentists and actively contribute to the best possible clinical outcome for patients. During the second half of 2021, we increased our efforts to market The Vivos Method and related products and services to larger dental support organizations (or DSOs). Marketing to DSOs creates an opportunity to enroll and onboard multiple dental practices as VIPs under one common ownership structure. This would allow us to leverage training and support across multiple VIP practices and gain economies of scale with the goal of faster growth, both in VIP enrollments and in Vivos case starts. As of December 31, 2023, we believe we have made important progress in penetrating this market, but as we cautioned previously, DSOs tend to move slowly when adopting new technologies or programs. - 4 - During 2023, we further extended our market reach by executing a U.S. nationwide distribution agreement with Lincare, a leading supplier of in-home respiratory therapy products and services for approximately 1.8 million patients. The agreement follows the conclusion of a distribution pilot with Lincare, and marks an important milestone in our strategy to engage with leading durable medical equipment (DME) companies in the United States. Under the agreement, Lincare will have a six-month exclusivity period to distribute certain designated devices in our portfolio. We also executed distribution and other strategic collaborations during 2023 to help drive sales of our expanding portfolio of products. Our Mission Our mission is to rid the world of sleep apnea by being a leading technology platform and go-to resource for the latest and most effective treatment modalities, products, and clinical education available to healthcare providers of all specialties who treat patients suffering from breathing and sleep disorders and their comorbidities. We fully recognize that breathing and sleep disorders, including OSA, are often complex conditions with multiple contributing factors that require more than a single solution. To that end, we have broadened our product and services lines that comprise The Vivos Method to go beyond the proprietary technologies featured in our CARE oral appliances, and now offer providers far greater optionality in selecting a diagnostic or treatment solution that is best for their patients. This approach recognizes that there is no “one size fits all” solution for patients, and that both providers and patients are best served by offering a variety of solutions at various price points that can meet the needs of a larger segment of the population. We believe this evolution of our mission (which was originally focused almost exclusively on the dental community) will appeal to a much broader array of healthcare professionals, including chiropractors, nutritionists, primary care physicians, cardiologists, physical therapists, dentists and others, all of whom have a strong vested interest in the overall health and wellbeing of their patients, and each of whom has something meaningful to contribute when properly educated and trained. As word spreads among a broader array of professionals and their patients, we expect more people to come to know and understand the compelling advantages of The Vivos Method. We believe this will allow us to scale our business and grow our company more rapidly. Our Market Opportunity According to a March 2021 Sleep Apnea Devices Market Size & Share Report, the global sleep apnea devices market size was valued at $3.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2021 to 2028. According to an American Sleep Association study published in 2020, an estimated 50 million to 70 million people in the U.S. are suffering from some form of sleep disorders. Moreover, according to Canadian Respiratory Journal in 2014, around 5.4 million adults in Canada were diagnosed with sleep apnea or were at higher risk of developing OSA. According to a study conducted by ResMed in 2018, around 175 million people in Europe were suffering from sleep apnea. We therefore believe that effective diagnostic and treatment strategies are needed to minimize the negative health impacts of OSA and to maximize cost-effectiveness. Based on our direct experience with our Vivos-trained providers, approximately 61,000 VivoScore HSTs were performed during 2023. We strongly believe the published estimates from available public information, which range from 12% to 20% of the population, seriously underestimate the extent of the condition and scope of the problem in the United States and Canada. Our VivoScore testing routinely results in approximately 50% of patients testing positive OSA, a number consistent with a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on a sample consisting of ~2000 middle-aged to older adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), where 47 percent had moderate-to-severe OSA. We therefore believe our prior estimate that approximately 15% of the adult population in the United States and Canada suffers from OSA to be extremely conservative. Based on the estimated total adult population of 284 million in the United States and Canada, we believe the total addressable United States and Canadian market could be as high as 80 million adults. To be conservative and based on available data and our internal market analysis, we estimate that over 80% of individuals diagnosed with OSA in the North American addressable market may be candidates for The Vivos Method, leaving us with a total addressable consumer market of approximately 64 million adults. - 5 - We currently charge clinicians an average sales price of approximately $1,500 per adult case for The Vivos Method. There are approximately 200,000 general dentists and dental specialists in the United States and another 30,000 in Canada who could potentially offer the Vivos Method to their patients. Add to that the nearly 80,000 licensed chiropractors and over 1.1 million medical doctors across all specialties who routinely see and treat patients with OSA. Each of them see and treat patients with OSA for many related conditions on a regular basis even though the vast majority remain undiagnosed with respect to their OSA. As we raise awareness, and now that new technologies such as SleepImage have driven the cost of diagnosis down dramatically, more providers will be able to integrate evaluations of breathing and sleep into their basic clinical treatments, and more patients will get diagnosed and seek treatment. Therefore, based on the addressable U.S. and Canadian consumer market described above and average sales price, we believe the addressable consumer market for adults in the United States and Canada is approximately $96 billion. Our Treatment Alternative for OSA – The Vivos Method The Vivos Method is a non-invasive, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical, multi-disciplinary treatment modality for the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild, moderate and severe OSA and snoring in adults. Proprietary and virtually painless, The Vivos Method has been shown to typically expand the upper airway and offers patients what we believe to be an effective treatment alternative based on published peer-reviewed retrospective clinical data. Based on feedback from independent VIPs and their patients, we believe initial therapeutic benefits from using the treatment guidance’s and devices are often achieved relatively quickly (in days or weeks) and final clinical results are typically achieved in 12 to 18 months), all at a relatively low cost to consumers ranging between $7,000 and $10,000 for adults (costs vary by provider) when compared to other options such as lifetime CPAP or surgery. The Vivos Method alters the size, shape and position of the tissues that surround and define the functional space known as the upper airway. Our treatment also improves nasal breathing, reduces mouth breathing, reduces Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) scores, and generally facilitates better breathing and sleep. These statements are based on retrospective raw data with validated before and after sleep studies, rhinomanometry testing before and after treatment, Cone Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT) scans from treating clinicians and patient testimony. As The Vivos Method treatment process progresses, the airway typically expands, with many patients reporting a significant reduction of their OSA and snoring symptoms. The primary products used in The Vivos Method are our CARE devices – the DNA appliance ® , the mRNA appliance ® , and the mmRNA appliance ® – each of which is a specifically designed, customized oral appliance that is worn primarily in the evening hours and overnight. The treatment time may range from 9 to 18 months, with 12 to 15 months being typical. Our appliances may require periodic adjustments some of which can be performed by the patient and others that are typically rendered at the dental office where treatment was initiated. Our Growth Strategy Our goal is to be the global leader in providing a clinically effective non-surgical, non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical, and low-cost alternative for patients with dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to severe OSA and snoring in adults. We believe the following strategies will play a critical role in achieving this goal and in establishing more predictable and growing revenue leading, ultimately, to cash flow positive and profitable operations: ● Expand public awareness of the life-threatening and debilitating nature of OSA and its prevalence throughout the world, while letting the world know of our proprietary and highly effective treatment as an alternative to CPAP. ● Cultivate Active Referral Sources Among Physicians, Sleep Specialists, Dentists and Other Healthcare Providers. ● Drive more qualified new patients to our VIP practices and teach VIPs how to better present and close Vivos treatment via the “Boost” and “Kick-Off” programs. ● Achieve full payment by in network major insurance carriers for Vivos Method treatment. ● Make it easy for both dental and medical professionals to interact and do business with Vivos. - 6 - ● Continue to drive medical and dental community awareness of The Vivos Method and build bridges between medical doctors and dentists through DSO marketing and our Medical Integration Division. ● Expand our market penetration with DME distribution agreements. ● Invest in research and development to drive innovation and expand indications. ● Pursue strategically adjacent markets and international opportunities. Our Revenue Model Our revenue is currently derived from the following primary sources: ● VIP office training and enrollment fees . These fees are comprised of one-time, up-front fees, as well as optional renewal fees after 12 months. ● Recurring Vivos appliance sales . Once we train the VIP on how dentists can help treat OSA, the goal is to have them initiate “new case starts” with patients, which leads to sales of our appliances and guides. We are also seeking to drive appliance sales through our distribution arrangements with DMEs. ● Recurring VIP subscription fees. These are recurring fees that a portion of our VIPs pay us to receive additional value-added services and training. ● SleepImage HST revenue . In 2022, we modified our agreement with MyCardio LLC relating to our SleepImage HST for sleep apnea, which creates the potential for revenue from our leasing of SleepImage HST ring recorders to our VIPs as part of the VivoScore Program. ● The Vivos Institute. Our TVI provides product-specific training for the use of our products and services. Revenue from such courses is not material at the present time, but our expectation is that increased training awareness of OSA and the promotion of our products and services will be enhanced by our TVI. ● The Airway Intelligence Service (AIS). This service provides a complete resource for VIPs to help simplify the diagnostic and appliance design matrix and expedite the treatment planning process. AIS is provided as part of the price of each appliance and is not a separate revenue stream. ● Billing Intelligence Services (BIS). This complete third-party billing solution includes a comprehensive integrated revenue cycle management software system that allows dentists to focus on running their practice and delivering the best care for their patients. This medical billing service generates recurring subscription fees from participating VIPs and independent dentists in the United States. ● AireO2 Patient Management Software . This management software enables healthcare professionals to diagnose, treat and monitor patients with OSA and its related conditions more effectively. Developed in collaboration with Lyon Dental, AireO2 contains features that enhance a VIP’s billing services and practice management systems. AireO2 is a complement to our BIS software system. ● Medical Integration Division (MID) . In late 2020, we launched our MID to assist VIP practices to establish clinical collaboration ties to local primary care physicians, sleep specialists, ear, nose a throat doctors (ENTs), cardiologists, pediatricians, pulmonologists and other healthcare providers who routinely see or treat patients with sleep and breathing disorders. The primary objective of our MID is to promote The Vivos Method to medical providers and thus facilitate the potential for additional mild to severe OSA patients gaining access to The Vivos Method while offering continuum of care. The MID seeks to fulfill that objective by meeting with VIP dentists and medical providers in their local areas to establish physician practices using the trademarked name “Pneusomnia Sleep Reimagined Center” (which are referred to as Pneusomnia Centers). These independent medical practices will be managed by our company under a management and development agreement which pays us six (6% to 8%) percent of all net revenue from sleep-related services. We also collect a development fee for each clinic prior to opening establishing all operational treatments. - 7 - ● MyoCorrect (Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy) Program . In March 2021, we introduced orofacial myofunctional therapy (or OMT) as a service that is part of The Vivos Method, under the name MyoCorrect. Through MyoCorrect, dentists enrolled in the VIP program will have access to trained therapists who provide OMT via telemedicine technology. Our CARE appliances are cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. Our Competitive Strengths We believe that The Vivos Method has numerous advantages that, taken together, set us apart from the competition and position us for success in the marketplace: ● Significant barriers to entry. ● Vivos Method insurance reimbursement. ● Body of published research and strong patient outcomes. ● First mover advantage. ● Differentiated products. ● Intellectual property portfolio and research and development capabilities. ● Extensive Training and Support Systems. ● Targeted approach to market development. ● Marketplace acceptance. Sales and Marketing We have established a methodical approach to market development which centers on active engagement directly with members of the medical community, including general dentists and medical doctors who treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to severe OSA and snoring, to educate them on The Vivos Method and its benefits. The goals of our sales and marketing efforts are (i) to secure new patient referrals for our VIP dentists from medical doctors and other healthcare professionals; (ii) provide them with the tools to treat patients with our products; and (iii) more broadly educate the medical community regarding our products with a view towards expanding our number of VIPs as well as medical professionals who could refer patients to our VIPs for treatment. We have recently restructured the VIP Program to include a Kick-Off program as an essential part of the value proposition. With a properly executed Kick-Off, led by specially trained Vivos corporate staff, a newly enrolled VIP could easily recoup 100% or more of his or her initial enrollment fees, thus making the decision to enroll much easier and attractive. We continue to sell the VIP Program to dentists through a direct sales force that primarily targets general dentists in the United States and Canada. Our sales effort is developed through social media initiatives, and our new website with over 150 videos, and the production of over 350 new content creation projects. Our VIP program was developed to train independent dentists to identify and treat dental conditions that may be associated with OSA. Our sales program to target medical doctors is our MID program, which was developed to assist VIP practices to establish clinical collaboration ties to local primary care physicians, sleep specialists, ENTs, pediatricians, pulmonologists and other healthcare professionals who routinely see or treat patients with sleep and breathing disorders. - 8 - In countries outside of North America we typically offer a modified training and support program at a lower cost. We currently have approximately 15 direct sales and support representatives in the United States and Canada. Our direct sales force engages in sales efforts and promotional activities focused on referring physicians, as well as directly to the over 200,000 professionally active general dentists in the United States and 20,000 general dentists in Canada. Our current sales organization is comprised of individuals performing various roles consisting of: ● Three Enrollment Specialists , who are the primary salespeople responsible for enrolling new VIPs; ● One Enrollment Support Staff member, who is responsible for organizing potential VIP appointments for the Enrollment Specialist; ● Three Area Business Managers , who are responsible for cultivating new business leads which are referred to the Enrollment Specialists; Area Business Managers are responsible for cultivating new leads, sales of new products, coordinating local Clinical Education events. ● One Practice Advisory Onboarding Specialist , who is responsible for onboarding new VIPs to our training programs. Our MID is comprised of a Senior Vice President that leads the MID sales, marketing, operations and finance efforts with one Director of Operations and one Senior Market Manager. We plan on growing our MID organization by recruiting candidates that have extensive healthcare backgrounds, strong business development experience setting up physician owned medical facilities/practices and significant healthcare regulatory knowledge. In 2021, we launched our sales initiative targeting the large and rapidly growing segment of private equity and corporate sponsored dental groups known as Dental Service Organizations (or DSOs). With an estimated 2,600 DSO groups in the U.S. and Canada covering total office locations in excess of 40,000, DSOs provide business management and support to dental practices, including non-clinical operations. In many ways, DSO’s represent the most patient centric and profit motivated model to scale in dentistry, which we believe makes the integration of sleep medicine as part of the DSO offering an ideal fit for Vivos to help drive awareness of OSA, new VIP subscriptions and sales of our products and services. Our early experience in working with DSOs has been that while some DSO-participating dentists have become VIPs and direct customers of ours, most DSOs are slow and deliberate in their approach to introducing sleep dentistry programs. We utilize indirect and direct marketing channels to inform and educate dentists, medical doctors and healthcare professionals about The Vivos Method. Our indirect marketing channels include strategic partners, key industry opinion leaders, trade shows and our own clinical advisor network. In 2021, we made strides by establishing the following strategic partnerships aimed and broadening awareness of and selling efforts for The Vivos Method: ● In October 2021, we announced a new collaboration with Candid Care Co., a digital platform for oral healthcare, which will seek to provide patients with a comprehensive, whole-mouth solution to diagnose and treat OSA in adult patients and provide orthodontic treatment from the same provider network. Over the course of time, the Candid collaboration proved to be unsustainable and unprofitable to the point where it was cancelled by Vivos in the early part of 2023. ● In October, 2023, we announced two key strategic agreements to expand our current product line, and thus create exciting new revenue opportunities. The first was with Ormco, a division of publicly traded Envista Holdings Corporation, purveyors of Spark Clear Aligners. Spark Aligners are rapidly becoming the “go to” clear aligners of choice for orthodontic specialists. The majority of our VIPs use clear aligners as a key component of their Vivos treatment. This agreement will provide pricing discounts to the VIPs and profit margin for Vivos. The second key agreement announced in early October was with On Demand Orthodontist (ODO) and represents an exciting new service to our VIPs, featuring direct access and case collaboration with airway-focused orthodontic specialists who are available to help optimize clinical outcomes for Vivos cases. ODO orthodontists strongly prefer Spark aligners due to their many proven clinical capabilities and advantages over other aligner brands such as Candid. Vivos-trained dentists will now benefit from better overall pricing, while Vivos benefits from a distribution margin associated with each case. - 9 - Our direct marketing channels include outreach to prospective VIPs using digital advertising platforms including Facebook and Google ad placements. The objective of our indirect and direct marketing efforts are to bring dentists, medical doctors and healthcare professionals to our educational and training websites to learn about OSA and its treatment alternatives. We further believe our dentist and medical doctor marketing efforts have been effective in facilitating contact via our Vivos introduction and online training webinars, despite significant headwinds throughout our core customer base, mostly driven by COVID-19 Delta and Omicron variant resurgences in the middle and latter part of the year. Insurance Reimbursement Insurance reimbursement is available across the full spectrum of Vivos appliances. Medical coverage and benefits are subject to medical necessity and payer guidelines. Although medical insurance is never a guarantee of payment, the average reimbursement seen is approximately 50% (ranging from 5% to 70%). Benefits payable are subject to deductibles and policy limitations that may vary. A verification of benefits (VOB) is generally required for all medical policies to check for validity of billable coding for oral appliance therapy (OAT) and need for pre-authorization that may be required for reimbursement. Vivos Integrated Practices (VIPs) typically remain out-of-network with commercial health insurance, but this depends on the individual practice and the commercial payer guidelines in each state. As out-of-network providers, dentists can set their own fees and balance bill the patient for the cost of care not covered by the patient’s health insurance. Although many patients pay for treatment out of pocket on a fee for service basis, the availability of health insurance coverage is an important consideration for many patients who desire treatment so that billing guidance is an important component of support provided by Vivos to VIPs. Our mRNA appliance® and mmRNA appliance® are custom fabricated mandibular advancement appliances indicated to treat mild to severe OSA and snoring in adults (and in the case of severe OSA, along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed). The mRNA and mmRNA can be billed in- and out-of-network to most commercial payers under the E0486 CPT code. The E0486 code is reimbursable by many major commercial medical payers following a medical diagnosis of OSA and adherence to payer guidelines for alternative OSA therapy. Pre-authorization may also be required for reimbursement of these appliances and the pre-authorization requirements may vary based on the payer policies and patient’s insurance coverage. As described above, the same VOB and pre-authorization/LMN process is employed in the billing practices for these appliances to navigate the pathway to payment of medical benefits. To meet the billing requirements of CMS for custom mandibular advancement oral appliances, the mmRNA appliance® (Modified Mandibular Repositioning Nighttime Appliance) was developed based on the original design of the mRNA appliance. In August 2021 510(k) for Class II clearance from the FDA for the mmRNA appliance with indications to treat mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults was approved. In November 2023, the mmRNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. In December 2021, the mmRNA was accepted by the CMS Pricing, Data Analysis and Coding (“PDAC”). This acceptance places the mmRNA device on the PDAC list of oral appliances covered by and billable to Medicare, making the benefits of the mmRNA device available to millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Notwithstanding this important achievement, in general we have found the lack of inclusion on the current CMS Medicare PDAC list does not hinder market distribution or acceptance of Vivos appliances. This is due to the fact that most dentists who work with The Vivos Method are out-of-network with commercial payers and do not typically file for reimbursement under Medicare. When Medicare reimbursement is desired by Vivos providers they are typically registered with Medicare DME as a non-participating DME supplier, allowing the provider to balance bill patients like they would when billing as an out-of- network provider to commercial policies and are not limited to accepting Medicare reimbursement rates as payment in full. - 10 - We have seen an increase in the ability for Reimbursement for our other FDA registered oral appliances such as the Vivos Guides for children and the DNA appliance for adults. When preauthorizing and billing the Vivos Guides and DNA appliance an undefined CPT code can be utilized only when medical necessity is present and documented properly. A dentist billing an undefined CPT code for a Class I or Class II oral appliance must proceed with caution. These preauthorization and billing requirements pertain to all valid and billable codes and must be supported with documented medical necessity reviewed by the medical director at the payor before being submitted for possible reimbursement. Pre-authorization with medical review is accomplished via a “letter of medical necessity” (LMN) used to summarize and communicate the existing medical necessity. The plan’s medical director will then review the LMN, supporting clinical documentation of dentofacial abnormalities present, CT images, co-morbidities, and any other related medical conditions diagnosed by a medical doctor. Once authorized the OAT can be billed for benefit calculation and payment. In December 2022 the DNA appliance received 510(k) clearance with indications to treat mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults. In November 2023, the DNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. While the DNA appliance can still be pre-authorized and billed using an undefined CPT code, the newly issued 510(k) clearance for the DNA appliance allows for additional code types to be utilized when OSA is present and diagnosed by a Medical Doctor. The DNA appliance can be pre-authorized and billed using a HCPCS Code designated for use by reducing upper airway collapsibility, that is custom fabricated, without a fixed mechanical hinge. While the use of this designated HCPCS code is new there is a potential pathway for additional registrations with Vivos appliances on the PDAC list of oral appliances covered by and billable to Medicare. Dental Insurance Coverage Dental insurance coverage for Vivos appliances also exists. Codes for sleep apnea appliances were added to the CDT code set in 2022. Vivos appliances with indications for treatment of OSA are billable with these codes, however dental benefits for these codes are nascent at present and secondary to medical coverage. Orthodontic coverage and benefits are also available for Vivos appliances registered with indication of jaw expansion and tooth movement. Published Research There are several studies in the medical literature on upper airway remodeling in pathologic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and similar conditions. In contrast, there is a dearth of studies that have documented pneumatization and physiologic upper airway remodeling. Advances in 3D digital imaging, adjunctive treatments from chiropractic and other specialists, and applied diagnostic technologies such as rhinomanometry, combined with real-world experience in many thousands of cases, has allowed us to make further advances in the understanding of dentofacial phenomena and how to activate and optimize dentofacial development for improved airway form and function. For example, while it was believed that cranial sutures undergo closure in early adulthood, it is now thought that populations of stem cells may persist to permit continued growth and development. Using this premise, the midfacial bone volume may be increased surgically or non-surgically. Since the roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose, the volume of the nasal airway can also be increased surgically or non-surgically. Our experience continues to be that using our patented, non-surgical treatment we are able to target and evoke a resizing of the oral cavity and upper airways to address dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to severe OSA and snoring. Using various assessment techniques, we have previously reported surface area, volumetric and functional changes of the upper airway. Since 2009, our technology has been the subject of over 60 peer-reviewed articles in the medical, dental and orthodontic literature. While most of these papers have been small uncontrolled case series’, their results were reflected in our retrospective database review of 220 patients undergoing CARE treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea recently published in Sleep Medicine . Several more retrospective data sets have been presented at scientific meetings in the past year that further corroborate clinical efficacy in adult OSA, pediatric OSA, and also in adult headache severity. The results of these presentations are in various stages of medical journal submission. The results published have illustrated that CARE therapy when provided as part of the Vivos Method can provide a significant change in the severity of patients’ dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to severe OSA and snoring (as measured by industry standard indices such as the AHI, among others), improvement in oral conditions, sleep-related quality of life, reduction in snoring, high patient compliance rates and a strong safety profile. - 11 - Intellectual Property To establish and protect our proprietary rights, we rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, including know-how, license agreements, confidentiality procedures, non-disclosure agreements with third parties, employee disclosure and invention assignment agreements, and other contractual rights. Our intellectual property is important in achieving and maintaining our position in the market. We currently own five design patents that expire between 2023 through 2029 and two utility patents expiring in 2029 and 2030. We also own two Canadian patents and a European patent that has been validated in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands, all of which expire in 2029. Our U.S. trademark portfolio consists of 13 registered marks. Extensive online and in-person training, multiple touch point support systems, specific fabrication materials, customized appliance designs, and multi-disciplinary treatment modalities are all considered proprietary trade secrets and competitive advantages with no known counterparts. FDA Regulatory Status The Vivos Method offers treatment modalities that uses nonsurgical, noninvasive, and cost-effective oral appliance technology prescribed by trained dentists and medical professionals to treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to severe OSA and snoring. The Vivos Method includes a customized treatment plan that may begin with a simple and easy at-home sleep apnea screening using proprietary HST technology from SleepImage. We offer three Class II devices cleared by the FDA ( DNA , mRNA and mmRNA ). We offer our own specially designed pre-formed Vivos Guides. We also offer the Vivos Versa , and two devices that use a unilateral bite block technique, the Vivos Vida and the Vivos Vida Sleep . The regulatory status of our products is as follows: ● Our mmRNA appliance® has a 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for the treatment of jaw repositioning, snoring and mild to moderate OSA in adults. In November 2023, our mmRNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. ● Our mRNA appliance ® has a 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate OSA in adults. In November 2023, our mRNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. ● The DNA appliance ® has a 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for the treatment of jaw repositioning snoring and mild to moderate OSA in adults. In November 2023, our DNA appliance was cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. ● The Vivos Guides are an FDA-registered Class I product for orthodontic tooth positioning. In October 2021, we announced that results from a peer-reviewed, published study by an independent dentist found a significant reduction of tooth decay in pediatric patients after undergoing treatment using our Vivos Guides. A second study was peer reviewed and published in 2022 showing a 97.4% resolution of nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) in children within 60 days of starting treatment with Vivos Guides. Other papers and studies on the use of Vivos Guides have been submitted to various journals and are awaiting acceptance and publication. ● Vivos Vida™ is an FDA cleared appliance as an unspecified classification to treat symptoms such as TMJ/TMD, headaches and facial muscle pain. ● Vivos Vida Sleep™ is an FDA 510(k) cleared Class II for treating mild to moderate OSA in adults. ● Vivos Versa™ is an FDA 510(k) cleared Class II device for treating mild to moderate OSA in adults. - 12 - All of the oral appliances that comprise our CARE system (our DNA appliance ® , mRNA appliance and mmRNA appliance ® ) are cleared by the FDA as Class II sleep appliances to treat mild to severe OSA and snoring in adults. In October of 2022, we underwent our 2-year FDA regulatory inspection. This inspection resulted in our receipt of an FDA Form 483 with three observations, none of which were repeat offenses from previous inspections. These observations were corrected and responded to according to the Code of Federal Regulations. The FDA delivered a final report of the October 2022 inspection to us in January 2023. Manufacturing and Supply We rely on third-party suppliers and manufacturers on a per order, or per item basis. Outsourcing manufacturing reduces our need for capital investment and reduces operational expenses. Additionally, outsourcing provides expertise and capacity necessary to scale up or down based on demand for our appliances. We select our manufacturing labs so we can ensure that our appliances are safe and effective, adhere to all applicable regulations, are of the highest quality, and meet our supply needs. We also rely on third-party carriers and freight forwarders for product shipments, including shipments to and from our manufactures’ distribution facilities and customer distribution facilities. Our Ongoing Clinical Research We are committed to ongoing research and development, and we have and intend in the future to invest in our clinical trial work to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, increase patient acceptance and comfort and broaden the patient population that can benefit from The Vivos Method. The following is summary of our currently active clinical trials:. ● Protocol approved February 2021 – Daytime Nighttime Appliance (DNA) therapy for the treatment of OSA . The aim of this randomized clinical trial conducted with Stanford University is to investigate structural and functional effects of using the DNA appliance ® in the treatment of mild to moderate OSA in adults. This study will test the hypothesis that treatment of the upper airway associated with functional improvements of sleep parameters in adults with mild to moderate OSA. ● Treatment of SDB with an intraoral device in a pediatric population. Approved by the Western Copernicus Group Institutional Review Board (WCG IRB) as non-significant controlled clinical trials, we are conducting a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Vivos Guides (which in this context we call the Vivos Grow and Vivos Way appliances) to reduce sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children, including snoring, mild to moderate OSA, and Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). The children enrolled in this study will be using the Vivos Grow/Vivos Way appliance to correct orthodontic issues. They will also present with midfacial hypoplasia suitable for palatal expansion. During orthodontic treatment and palatal expansion, the devices will be studied to determine whether they can also reduce symptoms of SDB in children. The study will recruit pediatric subjects who have already elected to utilize the study device for their orthodontic treatment. If they meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria they can be included in the study. Specially, this study will be examining the potential for reduction in sleep apnea and UARS using the AHI, Epworth Sleepiness Scale for Children and Adolescents, and changes in upper airway volume. ● Treatment of ADHD and other child behavioral issues. We also began a separate trial in March 2023 relating to our Vivos Guides. The purpose of the third trial is to establish a connection and treatment between children and behavior issues such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (known as ADHD), bed wetting, problems at school, crowded teeth that may be associated with lack of sleep and or teeth grinding with underdeveloped growth of the jaw and teeth positioning. Upon completion of the second and third pediatric clinical trial described above, which is expected to be completed in the during 2024, we plan to submit a 510(k) application to the FDA requesting pediatric clearances and indications of use for the Vivos Guides. - 13 - In addition, we are aggressively pursuing head-to-head comparisons of (i) our DNA device versus tonsillectomy in pediatric OSA, and (ii) our DNA device vs. routine management of veterans with OSA and post-traumatic stress disorder with potential sites identified and preliminary work underway. Government Regulation Our products and our operations are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state authorities in the United States, as well as comparable authorities in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). Our products are subject to regulation as medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, as implemented and enforced by the FDA. The FDA regulates the development, design, non-clinical and clinical research, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, installation, servicing, recordkeeping, premarket clearance or approval, import, export, adverse event reporting, advertising, promotion, marketing and distribution, and import and export of medical devices to ensure that medical devices distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses and otherwise meet the requirements of the FDCA. In addition to U.S. regulations, we are subject to a variety of regulations in the EEA governing clinical trials and the commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we have or are required to obtain FDA clearance or approval for a product, we will be required to obtain authorization before commencing clinical trials and to obtain marketing authorization or approval of our products under the comparable regulatory authorities of countries outside of the United States before we can commence clinical trials or commercialize our products in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA clearance or approval. FDA Premarket Clearance and Approval Requirements Unless an exemption applies, each medical device commercially distributed in the United States requires either FDA clearance of a 510(k) premarket notification or pre-market approval (PMA). Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes—Class I, Class II or Class III—depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of manufacturer and regulatory control needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Class I includes devices with the lowest risk to the patient and are those for which safety and effectiveness can be assured by adherence to the FDA’s General Controls for medical devices, which include compliance with the applicable portions of the QSR, facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse medical events, and truthful and non-misleading labeling, advertising, and promotional materials. Class II devices are subject to the FDA’s General Controls, and special controls as deemed necessary by the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. These special controls can include performance standards, post-market surveillance, patient registries and FDA guidance documents. While most Class I devices are exempt from the 510(k) premarket notification requirement, manufacturers of most Class II devices are required to submit to the FDA a premarket notification under Section 510(k) of the FDCA requesting permission to commercially distribute the device. The FDA’s permission to commercially distribute a device subject to a 510(k) premarket notification is generally known as 510(k) clearance. Under the 510(k) process, the manufacturer must submit to the FDA a premarket notification demonstrating that the device is “substantially equivalent” to either a device that was legally marketed (for which the FDA has not required a PMA submission) prior to May 28, 1976, the date upon which the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 were enacted, or another commercially available device that was cleared to through the 510(k) process. The FDA has 90 days from the date of the pre-market equivalence acceptance to authorize or decline commercial distribution of the device. However, similar to the PMA process, clearance may take longer than this three-month window, as the FDA can request additional data. If the FDA resolves that the product is not substantially equivalent to a predicate device, then the device acquires a Class III designation, and a PMA must be approved before the device can be commercialized. The Vivos Guides are registered with the FDA as Class I devices for orthodontic tooth positioning. On December 30, 2022 the FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the DNA appliance ® to treat mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and snoring in adults. This approval was the first time the FDA has granted such a clearance on an oral appliance with a mechanism of action other than mandibular advancement. The mRNA appliance® has 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for the treatment of snoring, and mild-to-moderate OSA in adults. The mmRNA appliance® has 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for jaw repositioning, and for the treatment of snoring, and mild-to-moderate OSA in adults. In November 2023, our DNA, mRNA and mmRNA appliances were cleared by the FDA to treat moderate and severe OSA in adults, 18 years of age and older along with positive airway pressure (PAP) and/or myofunctional therapy, as needed. - 14 - Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risks, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or some implantable devices, or devices that have a new intended use, or use advanced technology that is not substantially equivalent to that of a legally marketed device, are placed in Class III, requiring approval of a PMA. Some pre-amendment devices are unclassified but are subject to the FDA’s premarket notification and clearance process in order to be commercially distributed. We do not have any Class III devices. PMA Pathway Class III devices require PMA approval before they can be marketed although some pre-amendment Class III devices for which the FDA has not yet required a PMA are cleared through the 510(k) process. The PMA process is more demanding than the 510(k) premarket notification process. In a PMA application, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the device is safe and effective, and the PMA application must be supported by extensive data, including data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. The PMA must also contain a full description of the device and its components, a full description of the methods, facilities and controls used for manufacturing, and proposed labeling. Following receipt of a PMA application, the FDA determines whether the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If the FDA accepts the application for review, it has 180 days under the FDCA to complete its review of a PMA application, although in practice, the FDA’s review often takes significantly longer, and can take up to several years. An advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA as to the approvability of the device. The FDA may or may not accept the panel’s recommendation. In addition, the FDA will generally conduct a preapproval inspection of the applicant or its third-party manufacturers. The FDA will approve the new device for commercial distribution if it determines that the data and information in the PMA application constitute valid scientific evidence and that there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use(s). The FDA may approve a PMA application with post-approval conditions intended to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution, and collection of long-term follow-up data from patients in the clinical study that supported a PMA approval or requirements to conduct additional clinical studies post-approval. The FDA may condition a PMA approval on some form of post-market surveillance when deemed necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and efficacy data for the device in a larger population or for a longer period of use. In such cases, the manufacturer might be required to follow certain patient groups for a number of years and to make periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval. Certain changes to an approved device, such as changes in manufacturing facilities, methods, or quality control procedures, or changes in the design performance specifications, which affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, require submission of a new PMA application or a PMA supplement. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as a PMA application, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the original PMA application and may not require as extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel. Certain other changes to an approved device require the submission of a new PMA application, such as when the design change causes a different intended use, mode of operation, and technical basis of operation, or when the design change is so significant that a new generation of the device will be developed, and the data that were submitted with the original PMA application are not applicable for the change in demonstrating a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Clinical Trials Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA application and are sometimes required to support a 510(k) submission. All clinical investigations of investigational devices to determine safety and effectiveness must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s investigational device exemption, or IDE, regulations which govern investigational device labeling, prohibit promotion of the investigational device, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. If the device presents a “significant risk” to human health, as defined by the FDA, the FDA requires the device sponsor to submit an IDE application to the FDA, which must become effective prior to commencing human clinical trials. A significant risk device is one that presents a potential for serious risk to the health, safety, or welfare of a patient and either is implanted, used in supporting or sustaining human life, substantially important in diagnosing, curing, mitigating or treating disease or otherwise preventing impairment of human health, or otherwise presents a potential for serious risk to a subject. An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory test results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless the FDA notifies us that the investigation may not begin. If the FDA determines that there are deficiencies or other concerns with an IDE for which it requires modification, the FDA may require a response on such deficiencies or permit a clinical trial to proceed under a conditional approval. - 15 - In addition, the study must be approved by, and conducted under the oversight of, an Institutional Review Board, or IRB, for each clinical site. The IRB is responsible for the initial and continuing review of the IDE, and may pose additional requirements for the conduct of the study. If an IDE application is approved by the FDA and one or more IRBs, human clinical trials may begin at a specific number of investigational sites with a specific number of patients, as approved by the FDA. If the device presents a non-significant risk to the patient, a sponsor may begin the clinical trial after obtaining approval for the trial by one or more IRBs without separate approval from the FDA, but must still follow abbreviated IDE requirements, such as monitoring the investigation, ensuring that the investigators obtain informed consent, and labeling and record-keeping requirements. Acceptance of an IDE application for review does not guarantee that the FDA will allow the IDE to become effective and, if it does become effective, the FDA may or may not determine that the data derived from the trials support the safety and effectiveness of the device or warrant the continuation of clinical trials. An IDE supplement must be submitted to, and approved by, the FDA before a sponsor or investigator may make a change to the investigational plan that may affect its scientific soundness, study plan or the rights, safety or welfare of human subjects. During a study, the sponsor is required to comply with the applicable FDA requirements, including, for example, trial monitoring, selecting clinical investigators and providing them with the investigational plan, ensuring IRB review, adverse event reporting, record keeping and prohibitions on the promotion of investigational devices or on making safety or effectiveness claims for them. The clinical investigators in the clinical study are also subject to FDA regulations and must obtain patient informed consent, rigorously follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of the investigational device, and comply with all reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Additionally, after a trial begins, we, the FDA or the IRB could suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the anticipated benefits. Post-market Regulation After a device is cleared or approved for marketing, numerous and pervasive regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include: ● establishment registration and device listing with the FDA; ● QSR requirements, which require manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation, and other quality assurance procedures during all aspects of the design and manufacturing process; ● labeling and marketing regulations, which require that promotion is truthful, not misleading, fairly balanced and provide adequate directions for use and that all claims are substantiated, and also prohibit the promotion of products for unapproved or off-label uses and impose other restrictions on labeling; FDA guidance on off-label dissemination of information and responding to unsolicited requests for information; ● the federal Physician Sunshine Act and various state and foreign laws on reporting remunerative relationships with health care customers; ● the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (and similar state laws) prohibiting, among other things, soliciting, receiving, offering or providing remuneration intended to induce the purchase or recommendation of an item or service reimbursable under a federal healthcare program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. A person or entity does not have to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation; - 16 - ● the federal False Claims Act (and similar state laws) prohibiting, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment or approval to the federal government that are false or fraudulent, knowingly making a false statement material to an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government or knowingly concealing, or knowingly and improperly avoiding or decreasing, an obligation to pay or transmit money to the federal government. The government may assert that claim includes 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 statute; ● clearance or approval of product modifications to 510(k)-cleared devices that could significantly affect safety or effectiveness or that would constitute a major change in intended use of one of our cleared devices, or approval of a supplement for certain modifications to PMA devices; ● medical device reporting regulations, which require that a manufacturer report to the FDA if a device it markets may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or has malfunctioned and the device or a similar device that it markets would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury, if the malfunction were to recur; ● correction, removal and recall reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and product recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA that may present a risk to health; ● complying with the new federal law and regulations requiring Unique Device Identifiers (UDI) on devices and also requiring the submission of certain information about each device to the FDA’s Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID); ● the FDA’s recall authority, whereby the agency can order device manufacturers to recall from the market a product that is in violation of governing laws and regulations; and ● post-market surveillance activities and regulations, which apply when deemed by the FDA to be necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and effectiveness data for the device. We may be subject to similar foreign laws that may include applicable post-marketing requirements such as safety surveillance. Our manufacturing processes are required to comply with the applicable portions of the quality system regulation (“QSR”), which cover the methods and the facilities and controls for the design, manufacture, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, distribution, installation, and servicing of finished devices intended for human use. The QSR also requires, among other things, maintenance of a device master file, device history file, and complaint files. As a manufacturer, our facilities, records, and manufacturing processes are subject to periodic scheduled or unscheduled inspections by the FDA. Our failure to maintain compliance with the QSR or other applicable regulatory requirements could result in the shut-down of, or restrictions on, our manufacturing operations and the recall or seizure of our products. The discovery of previously unknown problems with any of our products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of increasing severity or frequency, whether resulting from the use of the device within the scope of its clearance or off-label by a physician in the practice of medicine, could result in restrictions on the device, including the removal of the product from the market or voluntary or mandatory device recalls or a public warning letter that could harm both our reputation and sales. Any potential consequences of off-label use of the DNA appliance are the responsibility of the treating independent dentist; however, we may face consequences related to such off-label use. See “ Risk Factors— The misuse or off-label use of The Vivos Method may harm our reputation in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits or result in costly investigations, fines or sanctions by regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in the promotion of these uses, any of which could be costly to our business.” - 17 - The FDA has broad regulatory compliance and enforcement powers. If the FDA determines that we failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, it can take a variety of compliance or enforcement actions, which may result in any of the following sanctions: ● warning letters, untitled letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties; ● recalls, withdrawals, or administrative detention or seizure of our products; ● operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production; ● refusing or delaying requests for 510(k) marketing clearance or PMA approvals of new products or modified products; ● withdrawing 510(k) clearances or PMAs that have already been granted; ● refusal to grant export or import approvals for our products; or ● criminal prosecution. In addition to all of the above, the FDA regulates and monitors manufacturers engaged in the fabrication of FDA regulated medical devices such as those offered by Vivos. Vivos intends to convert its FDA status from an FDA designated “Spec Developer” to a “Manufacturer,” and as such will become subject to a new level of regulatory compliance and oversight. The company has spent many months in preparation for this transition, including the adoption of the requisite workflow processes, documentation procedures, and other current good manufacturing practices. The company expects to be subject to a third-party inspection and readiness evaluation to gain a certification to proceed forward as a duly approved and compliant manufacturer sometime prior to the end of the first quarter of 2024. Regulation of Medical Devices in Canada Canada regulates the import and sale of medical devices through Health Canada (or HC). HC reviews medical devices to assess their safety, effectiveness, and quality before being authorized for sale in Canada. HC classifies medical devices into four classifications, with Class I being the lowest risk and Class IV being the highest. Class I and II devices are often cleared for sale after they are CE marked or listed on the company’s ISO certification and filed via fax-back applications for a Medical Device License (MDL). Obtaining an MDL is comparable to the FDA 510(k) process. Higher classification risk devices (Class III and IV) require filing dossiers that resemble FDA 510(k) applications. These applications can range in cost and typically take longer for approval. Regulation of Medical Devices in Australia Australia regulates the import and sale of medical devices through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia, a Tier 1 regulatory body. Registering a medical device with the TGA entails risk-based classification; compliance with quality, safety and performance principles; compliance with regulatory controls for manufacturing processes; listing in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods; and post-market vigilance programs. Australia follows the standards applied by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) which is currently made up of 165 members/countries. Equivalent to the FDA in the United States, the TGA regulates the manufacturing and distribution of therapeutic goods in Australia. Federal, State and Foreign Fraud and Abuse and Physician Payment Transparency Laws In addition to FDA restrictions on marketing and promotion of drugs and devices, other federal and state laws restrict our business practices. These laws include, without limitation, foreign, federal, and state anti-kickback and false claims laws, as well as transparency laws regarding payments or other items of value provided to healthcare providers. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of any good, facility, item or service reimbursable, in whole or in part, under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, including stock, stock options, and the compensation derived through ownership interests. - 18 - Recognizing that the federal Anti-Kickback Statute is broad and may prohibit many innocuous or beneficial arrangements within the healthcare industry, the United State Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”) issued regulations in July 1991, which DHHS has referred to as “safe harbors.” These safe harbor regulations set forth certain provisions which, if met in form and substance, will assure medical device manufacturers, healthcare providers and other parties that they will not be prosecuted under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Additional safe harbor provisions providing similar protections have been published intermittently since 1991. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly. Our arrangements with physicians, hospitals and other persons or entities who are in a position to refer may not fully meet the stringent criteria specified in the various safe harbors. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not fall within an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all its facts and circumstances. Several courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean that if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been violated. In addition, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. Moreover, 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 federal civil False Claims Act (described below). Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in civil monetary penalties up to $100,000 for each violation, plus up to three times the remuneration involved. Civil penalties for such conduct can further be assessed under the federal False Claims Act. Violations can also result in criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years. Similarly, violations can result in exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Liability under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may also arise because of the intentions or actions of the parties with whom we do business. While we are not aware of any such intentions or actions, we have only limited knowledge regarding the intentions or actions underlying those arrangements. Conduct and business arrangements that do not fully satisfy one of these safe harbor provisions may result in increased scrutiny by government enforcement authorities. The majority of states also have anti-kickback laws which establish similar prohibitions and, in some cases, may apply more broadly to items or services covered by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers and self-pay patients. The federal civil False Claims Act prohibits, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval to the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. The federal civil False Claims Act also applies to false submissions that cause the government to be paid less than the amount to which it is entitled, such as a rebate. Intent to deceive is not required to establish liability under the civil federal civil False Claims Act. In addition, private parties may initiate “qui tam” whistleblower lawsuits against any person or entity under the federal civil False Claims Act in the name of the government and share in the proceeds of the lawsuit. Penalties for federal civil False Claim Act violations include fines for each false claim, plus up to three times the amount of damages sustained by the federal government and, most critically, may provide the basis for exclusion from government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. On May 20, 2009, the Fraud Enforcement Recovery Act of 2009 (FERA), was enacted, which modifies and clarifies certain provisions of the federal civil False Claims Act. In part, the FERA amends the federal civil False Claims Act such that penalties may now apply to any person, including an organization that does not contract directly with the government, who knowingly makes, uses or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim paid in part by the federal government. The government may further prosecute conduct constituting a false claim under the federal criminal False Claims Act. The criminal False Claims Act prohibits the making or presenting of a claim to the government knowing such claim to be false, fictitious or fraudulent and, unlike the federal civil False Claims Act, requires proof of intent to submit a false claim. When an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose civil fines and penalties ranging from $11,181 to $22,363 for each false claim, plus treble damages, and exclude the entity from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs. - 19 - The Civil Monetary Penalty Act of 1981 imposes penalties against any person or entity that, among other things, is determined to have presented or caused to be presented a claim to a federal healthcare program that the person knows or should know is for an item or service that was not provided as claimed or is false or fraudulent, or offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier. HIPAA also created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors, knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. Many foreign countries have similar laws relating to healthcare fraud and abuse. Foreign laws and regulations may vary greatly from country to country. For example, the advertising and promotion of our products is subject to EU Directives concerning misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices, as well as other EEA Member State legislation governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. These laws may limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of our products to the general public and may impose limitations on our promotional activities with healthcare professionals. Also, many U.S. states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that may be broader in scope and may apply regardless of payor, in addition to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. Additionally, there has been a recent trend of increased foreign, federal, and state regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals or entities. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act imposes annual reporting requirements on certain drug, biologics, medical supplies and device manufacturers for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”), for payments and other transfers of value provided by them, directly or indirectly, to physicians (including physician family members), certain other healthcare providers, and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. A manufacturer’s failure to submit timely, accurately and completely the required information for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests may result in civil monetary penalties ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for each payment or other transfer of value that Is not reported (up to a maximum per annual report of $150,000) and from $10,000 to $100,000 for each knowing failure to report (up to a maximum per annual report of $1,150,000). Manufacturers must submit reports by the 90 th day of each calendar year. Certain foreign countries and U.S. states also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs, impose restrictions on device manufacturer marketing practices and require tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to healthcare professionals and entities. Additionally, there are criminal penalties if an entity intentionally makes false statement in such reports. With some exceptions, the information that manufacturers report is made publicly available. Data Privacy and Security Laws We are also subject to various federal, state and foreign laws that protect the confidentiality of certain patient health information, including patient medical records, and restrict the use and disclosure of patient health information by healthcare providers, such as HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, in the United States. HIPAA established uniform standards governing the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and requires certain entities, called covered entities, to comply with standards that include the privacy and security of protected health information, or PHI. HIPAA also requires business associates, such as independent contractors or agents of covered entities that have access to PHI in connection with providing a service to or on behalf of a covered entity, of covered entities to enter into business associate agreements with the covered entity and to safeguard the covered entity’s PHI against improper use and disclosure. - 20 - The HIPAA privacy regulations cover the use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities as well as business associates, which are defined to include subcontractors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit protected health information on behalf of a business associate. They also set forth certain rights that an individual has with respect to his or her protected health information maintained by a covered entity, including the right to access or amend certain records containing protected health information, or to request restrictions on the use or disclosure of protected health information. The security regulations establish requirements for safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information that is electronically transmitted or electronically stored. HITECH, among other things, established certain health information security breach notification requirements. A covered entity must notify any individual whose protected health information is breached according to the specifications set forth in the breach notification rule. The HIPAA privacy and security regulations establish a uniform federal “floor” and do not supersede state laws that are more stringent or provide individuals with greater rights with respect to the privacy or security of, and access to, their records containing protected health information or insofar as such state laws apply to personal information that is broader in scope than protected health information as defined under HIPAA. HIPAA requires the notification of patients, and other compliance actions, in the event of a breach of unsecured protected health information, or PHI. If notification to patients of a breach is required, such notification must be provided without unreasonable delay and in no event later than 60 calendar days after discovery of the breach. In addition, if the PHI of 500 or more individuals is improperly used or disclosed, we would be required to report the improper use or disclosure to DHHS, Office of Civil Rights, which would post the violation on its website, and to the media. Failure to comply with the HIPAA privacy and security standards can result in civil monetary penalties up to $59,522 per violation, not to exceed $1,785,651 per calendar year for non-compliance of an identical provision, and, in certain circumstances, criminal penalties with fines up to $250,000 per violation and/or imprisonment. HIPAA authorizes state attorneys general to file suit on behalf of their residents for violations. Courts are able to award damages, costs and attorneys’ fees related to violations of HIPAA in such cases. While HIPAA does not create a private right of action allowing individuals to file suit against us in civil court for violations of HIPAA, its standards have been used as the basis for duty of care cases in state civil suits such as those for negligence or recklessness in the misuse or breach of PHI. In addition, HIPAA mandates that the Secretary of DHHS conduct periodic compliance audits of HIPAA covered entities, such as us, and their business associates for compliance with the HIPAA privacy and security standards. It also tasks DHHS with establishing a methodology whereby harmed individuals who were the victims of breaches of unsecured PHI may receive a percentage of the civil monetary penalty paid by the violator. Healthcare Reform Economic, political and regulatory influences are continuously causing fundamental changes in the healthcare industry in the United States. In 2010, the U.S. Congress enacted and President Obama signed into law, significant reforms to the U.S. healthcare system. These reforms, contained primarily in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (the “PPACA”) and its companion act, the Health Care Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “Health Reform Laws”), significantly altered the U.S. healthcare system by authorizing, among many other things: (i) increased access to health insurance benefits for the uninsured and underinsured populations; (ii) new facilitators and providers of health insurance, as well as new health insurance purchasing access points (i.e., exchanges); (iii) incentives for certain employer groups to purchase health insurance for their employees; (iv) opportunities for subsidies to certain qualifying individuals to help defray the cost of premiums and other out-of-pocket costs associated with the purchase of health insurance, and over the longer term; and (v) mechanisms to foster alternative payment and reimbursement methodologies focused on outcomes, quality and care coordination. In addition, certain states in which we operate are periodically considering various healthcare reform proposals. Since their passage in 2010, the Health Reform Laws have triggered many changes to the U.S. healthcare system, some of which took effect (e.g., the subsequently eliminated individual mandate penalty) while others have continued to be delayed and subsequently repealed (e.g., the medical device tax). The Health Reform Laws also have faced several challenges and remain subject to ongoing efforts to repeal or modify the laws. For example, President Trump issued an Executive Order 13765 (Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal) on January 20, 2017 granting authority to certain executive departments and agencies to minimize the economic burden of the PPACA. However, President Biden revoked this Executive Order on January 28, 2021 (as part of President Biden’s Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act) and directed heads of departments to “consider whether to suspend, revise, or rescind — and, as applicable, publish for notice and comment proposed rules suspending, revising, or rescinding” actions taken by the Trump Administration which may hinder the operation of the Health Reform Laws. - 21 - Nevertheless, the core tenets of the Health Reform Laws remain in effect with several exceptions. The individual mandate penalty was eliminated beginning in 2019 through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In addition, on December 20, 2019, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 was signed into law which repealed several provisions that were included in the Health Reform Laws to pay for the increased federal spending associated with the Health Reform Laws. Specifically, Congress: (i) repealed the Medical Device Excise Tax, which imposed a 2.3% excise tax on manufacturers, producers and importers of certain medical devices; (ii) repealed the health insurance tax, which applies to most fully insured plans, beginning in 2021; and (iii) repealed the so-called Cadillac Tax, which imposed an excise tax of 40% on premiums for employer-sponsored individuals and families that exceeded a certain minimum threshold. Prior to these changes Congress had passed a short-term spending bill as part of the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2018 that delayed the implementation of these provisions and eliminated the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was a 15- member panel of healthcare experts created by the Health Reform Laws and tasked with making annual cost-cutting recommendations for Medicare if Medicare spending exceeded a specified growth rate. The Health Reform Laws have also been the subject of litigation. In particular, in 2019, a collection of 20 state governors and state attorneys general (subsequently two states have dropped out) filed a lawsuit against the federal government in the Northern District of Texas seeking to enjoin the entire Health Reform Laws following the elimination of the individual mandate penalty. The District Court ruled that without the penalty the individual mandate was unconstitutional and further held that all other provisions of the Health Reform Laws should be overturned as well. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit affirmed the trial court’s decision; however, instead of deciding whether the rest of the PPACA must be struck down, the 5th Circuit sent the case back to the trial court for additional analysis. In March of 2020 the United States Supreme Court agreed to review the case and heard oral arguments on November 10, 2020. On June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing and reversed the Fifth Circuit’s judgment in respect to standing, vacated the Fifth Circuit’s judgment, and remanded the case with instructions to dismiss the case. Subsequently the Fifth Circuit vacated the judgement of the District Court in its entirety and remanded the case to the District Court with instructions to dismiss. The District Court finally dismissed the case on July 27, 2021. In 2021 President Biden issued an Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, directing heads of departments to review and potentially revoke or revise these Trump-era actions. In light of the ongoing efforts to alter the Health Reform Laws, we are unable at this time to predict the full impact that potential changes will have on our business, including provisions in the Health Reform Laws related to Medicare payments, mechanisms to foster alternative payment and reimbursement methodologies focused on outcomes, quality and care coordination, Medicare enrollment and claims submission requirements and revisions to other federal healthcare laws such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law and the federal False Claims Act. We anticipate, however, that federal and state governments will continue to review and assess alternative healthcare delivery systems and payment methodologies, and that public debate regarding these issues will continue in the future. Changes in the law or new interpretations of existing laws can have a substantial effect on permissible activities, the relative costs associated with doing business in the healthcare industry, and the amount of reimbursement available from government and other payors. Any repeal or modification of the Health Reform Laws may materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, capital resources and liquidity. In addition, the potential proposals for alternative legislation to replace the Health Reform Laws may have an adverse impact on our business. Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). We are required to comply with the FCPA, which generally prohibits covered entities and their intermediaries from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other benefits. In addition, the FCPA imposes accounting standards and requirements on publicly traded U.S. corporations and their foreign affiliates, which are intended to prevent the diversion of corporate funds to the payment of bribes and other improper payments, and to prevent the establishment of “off books” slush funds from which such improper payments can be made. We also are subject to similar anticorruption legislation implemented in Europe under the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. - 22 - Human Capital Resources As of December 31, 2023, we had 114 full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by a union. We consider our relations with our employees to be good but we do have a Whistleblower Hotline setup for employees to confidentially report concerns. Of our current employees, approximately three are part of finance and accounting, nine are involved in senior management, 10 in sales and marketing, one in research, development and regulatory and 91 in operations. Our headcount has been significantly reduced in the past year as part of our cost cutting initiatives, and restructuring of our operations. We value the importance of retention, growth and development of our employees and we believe we offer competitive compensation (including salary, incentive bonus, and equity) and benefits packages. We traditionally will benchmark compensation with external sources to verify that positions are paid in-line with the market. Our corporate culture is built on passion – we believe in the company’s vision of ridding the world of sleep apnea and hire employees who want to share that same passion. We hold annual company-wide training courses and host regularly scheduled management meetings where management communicates notable corporate developments to be disseminated to employees, as well as periodic corporate all hands meetings. We are always looking for additional ways to diversify our workforce. We will continue to promote a work environment that is based on the fundamental principles of human dignity, equality and mutual respect. In addition, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all of our employees. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have required personal protective equipment for patient-facing employees in addition to requiring daily health questionnaires and temperature checks. Many employees work remotely, and we have limited travel as a result of the pandemic. We will continue to support our workforce during these unprecedented circumstances to ensure their safety and well-being. Corporate History Formation We were originally organized on July 7, 2016 in Wyoming as Corrective BioTechnologies, Inc. On September 6, 2016, we changed our name from Corrective BioTechnologies, Inc. to Vivos BioTechnologies, Inc. On March 2, 2018, we changed our name from Vivos BioTechnologies, Inc. to Vivos Therapeutics, Inc. During our formation in 2016, we issued an aggregate of 37,334 shares of common stock to a group of our founders, including Summit Capital USA (now Upeva, Inc., 26,667 shares), Regal Capital Venture Partners LLC (6,667 shares) and Thomas P. Madden (4,000 shares) at a purchase price of $0.01 per share (for an aggregate of $280 of proceeds). Acquisition of BioModeling Solutions, Inc. and First Vivos, Inc. In August and September 2016, we completed, by way of a share exchange, an agreement to acquire the business and operations of (1) BMS (now a wholly-owned subsidiary), which was engaged in the manufacture and sale of our patented DNA appliance ® and FDA cleared mRNA appliance ® (collectively with special proprietary treatment modalities that comprises The Vivos Method), and (2) First Vivos, Inc., a Texas corporation (“First Vivos”), which proposed to develop and operate a retail chain of Vivos Centers with specially trained dentists that offer The Vivos Method and corroborating physicians. In connection with the share exchange with BMS, we issued 3,333,334 shares of common stock to the shareholders of BMS (including, but not limited to, Dr. G. Dave Singh, our founder and former Chief Medical Officer and director, who received 3,219,705 shares) in exchange for 12,423,500 shares of BMS, which constitutes 100% ownership interest in BMS. In connection with the share exchange with First Vivos, we issued 3,333,334 shares of common stock to the shareholders of First Vivos (including, but not limited to, R. Kirk Huntsman, our co-founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, who received 1,833,334 shares) in exchange for 5,000 shares of First Vivos, which constitutes 100% ownership interest in First Vivos. The transaction was accounted for as a reverse acquisition and recapitalization, with BMS as the acquirer for financial reporting and accounting purposes. Upon the consummation of the acquisition, the historical financial statements of BMS became our historical financial statements and continued to be recorded at their historical carrying amounts. - 23 - Adoption of Stock and Option Award Plan On April 18, 2019, our stockholders approved the adoption of a stock and option award plan (the “2019 Plan”), under which 13,334 shares were reserved for future issuance for options, restricted stock awards and other equity awards. On June 18, 2020, our stockholders approved an amendment and restatement of the 2019 Plan to increase the number shares or our common stock available for issuance thereunder by 33,334 share of common stock such that, after amendment and restatement of the 2019 Plan, for a total of 46,667 shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2019 Plan. On September 22, 2023, our stockholders approved an amendment and restatement of the 2019 Plan to increase the number shares or our common stock available for issuance thereunder by 80,000 shares of common stock such that, after amendment and restatement of the 2019 Plan, 126,667 shares of common stock are available for issuance under the 2019 Plan. As of December 31, 2023, awards (in the form of options) for an aggregate of 73,917 shares of common stock have been issued under our 2019 Plan. Approval of Transfer of Corporate Domicile and Reverse Stock Split On April 18, 2019, our stockholders voted to authorize our board of directors to recapitalize our common stock by way of reverse stock split at a ratio of up to one for three. In addition, on such date, our shareholders also authorized our board of directors to transfer our corporate domicile from Wyoming to another U.S. state. Our board of directors elected not to implement the reverse stock split transfer of corporate domicile at that time. Effective August 12, 2020, we transferred our corporate domicile and became a Delaware corporation pursuant to Section 17-16-1720 of the Wyoming Business Corporation Act and Section 265 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. As a result of the transfer of corporate domicile, each share of capital stock of Vivos Wyoming became a share of capital stock of Vivos Delaware on a one-to-one basis, and such shares shall carry the same terms in all material respects as the shares of Vivos Wyoming. The transfer of corporate domicile has heretofore been approved by the board of directors and majority shareholders of Vivos Wyoming. On July 30, 2020, prior to the transfer of our corporate domicile from Wyoming to Delaware, we implemented a one-for-three reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock pursuant to which holders of Vivos Wyoming’s outstanding common stock received one share of common stock for every three shares of common stock held. Unless the context expressly dictates otherwise, all references to share and per share amounts referred to in the Annual Report reflect the reverse stock split. On October 25, 2023, we effected a reverse stock split of outstanding shares of common stock at a ratio of 1-for-25. The reverse stock split, which was approved by the Company’s Board of Directors under authority granted by the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on September 22, 2023, was consummated pursuant to a Certificate of Amendment filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on October 25, 2023. Unless the context expressly dictates otherwise, all references to share and per share amounts referred to in the Annual Report reflect the reverse stock split. Segment Information We manage our business within one reportable segment. Segment information is consistent with how management reviews our business, makes investing and resource allocation decisions, and assesses our operating performance. Corporate Information Our principal offices are located at 7921 Southpark Plaza, Suite 210, Littleton, Colorado 80120, and our telephone number is (844) 672-4357. Our website is www.vivos.com . Our website and the information on or that can be accessed through such website are not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. - 24 - Available Information We maintain a website at www.vivos.com . You may access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act with the SEC free of charge at our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on our website, and you should not consider the contents of our website in making an investment decision with respect to our common stock.