UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021

or

For the transition period from                      to                      .

Commission File Number 001-38109 

 

MYOMO, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

 

(617) 996-9058

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes:  ☒    No:  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

At May 1, 2021, the registrant has 5,604,023  shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding.

 

 

 

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Summary of the Material Risks Associated with Our Business

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “should,” “will” and “would” or the negatives of these terms or other comparable terminology.

You should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. The cautionary statements set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere, identify important factors which you should consider in evaluating our forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things:

Although the forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations, taking into account all information currently available to us, we cannot guarantee future transactions, results, performance, achievements or outcomes. No assurance can be made to any investor by anyone that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements will be attained, or that deviations from them will not be material and adverse. We undertake no obligation, other than as may be required by law, to re-issue this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or otherwise make public statements updating our forward-looking statements.

 

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TABLE of CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

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Part 1. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

MYOMO, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements. 

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MYOMO, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

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MYOMO, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (unaudited)

 

 

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MYOMO, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MYOMO, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited)

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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MYOMO, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Description of Business

Myomo Inc. (“Myomo” or the Company”) is a wearable medical robotics company that develops, designs, and produces myoelectric orthotics for people with neuromuscular disorders. The MyoPro ® myoelectric upper limb orthosis product is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a Class II medical device. The Company sells its products directly to patients, to orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) providers, the Veterans Health Administration, rehabilitation hospitals, and through distributors. When we provide devices directly to patients and bill their insurance companies directly, we may evaluate, cast and fit the MyoPro devices using our own clinical staff or utilize the clinical consulting services of O&P professionals for which they are paid a fee. The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware on September 1, 2004 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Liquidity

The company has incurred recurring losses to date and had net losses of approximately $3.0 million and $3.8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Cash used in operating activities was approximately $2.1 million and $2.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.  The Company has historically funded its operations through financing activities, including raising equity and debt capital.

The Company’s operating plans are primarily focused on scaling up its operations, increasing the proportion of patients carrying commercial health insurance with payers that have historically reimbursed for the Company’s products and continued work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and their administrative contractors regarding reimbursement of its products. In addition, the Company believes that it has access to capital resources through payment of a license fee associated with the Company’s entry into a joint venture and technology license agreement with Beijing Ryzur Medical Investment Co., Ltd. possible public or private equity offerings, exercises of outstanding warrants, debt financings, or other means.  Debt financing may require the Company to pledge other assets and enter into covenants that could restrict certain business activities or its ability to incur further indebtedness; and may contain other terms that are not favorable to the Company or its stockholders.

During the first quarter of 2021, the Company received approximately $7.3 million from the exercise of outstanding warrants.  Based on the Company’s cash balance of approximately $17.4 million as of March 31, 2021and its expected cash flows, the Company believes that its available cash will fund its operations for at least the next twelve months from the issuance date of these financial statements.

 

 

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Interim Financial Statements

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes are representations of the Company’s management, who are responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information pursuant to Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, such statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring items) that are considered necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company as of March 31, 2021 and for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, or any other period. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related disclosures of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for the years then ended, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

 

Basis of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary Myomo Europe GmbH. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated.

 

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss includes all changes in equity during a period, except those resulting from investments by stockholders and distributions to stockholders. The Company's comprehensive loss includes changes in foreign currency translation adjustments. There were no reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss in the periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. 

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Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. These estimates and assumptions are reviewed on an on-going basis and updated as appropriate. Actual results could differ from these estimates. The Company’s significant estimates include the allowance for doubtful accounts, deferred tax valuation allowances and warranty obligations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist principally of deposit accounts and money market accounts at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

Cash and cash equivalents are reported in the condensed consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same amounts shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

 

Accounts Payable and Other Accrued Expenses:

 

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Revenues under ASC 606 and related amendments (Topic 606) are required to be recognized either at a “point in time” or “over time,” depending on the facts and circumstances of the arrangement, and are evaluated using a five-step model.

 

The Company recognizes revenue after applying the following five steps:

Revenue is recognized when control of these services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services.

Increasingly, the Company derives its revenue from direct billing.  The Company also derives revenue from the sale of its products to O&P providers in the United States and internationally, the VA and rehabilitation hospitals. Under direct billing, the Company recognizes revenue when all of the following criteria are met:

For revenue derived from certain insurance companies where the Company has demonstrated sufficient payment history, the Company recognizes revenue when it receives a pre-authorization from the insurance company and control passes to the patient upon delivery of the device in an amount the reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for the device.  During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company made such a determination for certain insurers.  These insurers represented approximately 36% of direct billing channel revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2021.

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Depending on the timing of product deliveries to customers, which is when cost of revenue must be recorded, and when the Company meets the criteria to record revenue, there may be fluctuations in gross margin.  During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized revenue of approximately $1,131,400 and $389,500, respectively     from O&P providers or third-party payers for which costs related to the completion of the Company’s performance obligations were recorded in a prior period.

 

For revenues derived from O&P providers, the VA and rehabilitation hospitals, the Company recognizes revenue when control passes to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. Revenues may be recognized upon shipment or upon delivery, depending on the terms of the arrangement, provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, there are no uncertainties regarding customer acceptance and collectability is deemed probable. In certain cases, the Company ships its products to O&P providers pending reimbursement from non-government, third party payers. As a result of this arrangement, elements of the revenue recognition criteria have not been met upon shipment. In this instance, the Company recognizes revenue when the amount is estimable and the Company determines it is probable that payment will be received.  In many cases, the Company is not able to recognize revenue in these situations until payment is received, as then all of the revenue recognition criteria have been met.

The Company has elected to record taxes collected from customers on a net basis and does not include tax amounts in revenue or cost of revenue.

 

 

Contract Balances

 

The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of payment by customers. The Company records a receivable when revenue is recognized prior to payment and there is an unconditional right to payment. Alternatively, when payment precedes the provision of the related services, the Company records deferred revenue until the performance obligations are satisfied. The Company had approximately $1,500 and $4,000 deferred revenue as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

 

Disaggregated Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The following table presents revenue by major source:

 

 

Cost of Revenue

In conjunction with the adoption of ASC 606, there are certain cases in which the Company will expense costs when incurred as required by ASC 340-40-25. In certain cases, the Company ships the MyoPro device to O&P providers, or provides the device directly to patients, pending reimbursement from third-party payers.  Under ASC 340-40-25, this inventory is expensed to cost of revenue as of the date of shipment. Under direct billing, fees paid to O&P providers for services they provide in conjunction with patient evaluations are expensed as incurred as required by ASC 340-40-25, as a cost of obtaining a contract. These costs are recorded as sales and marketing expense. Internal costs incurred and fees paid to O&P providers to cast, fit and deliver the device to patients are expensed to cost of revenue upon delivery to the patient.

 

Foreign Currency Translation

 

The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiary, Myomo Europe GmbH, is the Euro during the three months ended March 31, 2021.  Net foreign currency gains and losses during the three months ended March 31, 2021 were immaterial and included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.  Transaction foreign exchange gains and losses are included in net loss.  Foreign exchange translation gains and losses from the functional currency, the Euro, to U.S. dollars are captured in other comprehensive loss.  During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the functional currency of Myomo Europe GmbH was the U.S dollar.  Net foreign currency gains and losses during the three months ended March 31, 2020 were immaterial and included in interest (income) expense and other expense, net, in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.   The balance sheet is translated using the spot rate on the day of reporting and the income statement is translated monthly using the average rate for the month.  

 

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Net Loss per Share

Basic net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, plus potentially dilutive common shares. Convertible debt, preferred stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock options and warrants are excluded from the diluted net loss per share calculation when their impact is antidilutive. The Company reported a net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, and as a result, all potentially dilutive common shares are considered antidilutive for these periods.

Potential common shares issuable consist of the following at:

 

 

Recent Accounting Standards

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 “Income Taxes (Topic 740) -- Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes.  This ASU modifies certain provisions of ASC 740 to simplify the accounting for income taxes.  The amendments in ASU 2019-12 are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods therein. Early adoption of the standard is permitted, including adoption in interim or annual periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued.  The Company adopted the new standard on January 1, 2021, and there was no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

Subsequent Events

The Company evaluated subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued and determined that there have been no subsequent events that would require recognition in the financial statements or disclosure in the notes to the financial statements.

Note 3 — Inventories

Inventories consist of the following at:

 

 

 

Note 4 — Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company measures the fair value of financial assets and liabilities based on the guidance of ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and establishes disclosures about fair value measurements.

ASC 820 defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy, which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. ASC 820 describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

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The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments such as cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable, approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Cash equivalents are a money market fund that limits its investments to only short-term U.S. Treasury securities and repurchase agreements related to these securities.

Cash equivalents and derivative liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at March 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

 

The following table presents the fair value reconciliation of Level 3 liabilities measured at fair value during the three months ended March 31, 2020:

 

 

See Note 5 for further discussion of the debt derivative liability and Note 7 for further discussion of the valuation of the warrant liability.

Note 5 - Debt

 

On October 22, 2019, the Company entered into a term loan (the “Term Loan”) with Chicago Venture Partners (“CVP”). Under the Term Loan, the Company received gross proceeds of $3.0 million (excluding fees and expenses). Including an original issue discount, the Company repaid CVP $3.3 million. The Term Loan bore interest at a rate of 10% and matured 18 months from the issuance date. Monthly redemptions of up to $300,000 began six months from the inception date, with the actual amount to be determined by CVP.                  

 

On February 14, 2020, the Company paid 50% of the then outstanding balance of the Term Loan from the proceeds from the Company’s underwritten public offering.  In addition, the Company paid a prepayment penalty of approximately $256,000.  In connection with the partial extinguishment of the debt, the Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $159,200 during the three months ended March 31, 2020.  

On May 12, 2020, the Company amended the Term Loan (the “Amendment”) to provide for the conversion of outstanding amounts into shares of common stock in satisfaction of its repayment obligations at the Company’s option (as amended, the convertible instrument is referred to herein as the “Note”). The Company concluded that the Note should be accounted for as a modification as a result of not meeting the criteria in the two-step approach defined in ASC 470-20 and the determination that conversion option is non-substantive, as it is at the Company’s option. Pursuant to the terms of the Note, CVP had the right to redeem up to $400,000 of the Borrowings per calendar month for the first three redemptions after the inception date, and $300,000 per calendar month thereafter by submitting a notice to the Company (a “Redemption Notice”). Upon receipt of a Redemption Notice, the Company could, at its election, either (i) pay the amount set forth in the Redemption Notice in cash within seven trading days of Company’s receipt of such Redemption Notice, or (ii) convert the amount set forth in the Redemption Notice into shares of common stock within three trading days of Company’s receipt of such Redemption Notice. CVP’s per share conversion price was 91% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price per share of the common stock on the NYSE American for the ten trading days immediately preceding such conversion. The Company could not make redemptions in shares of common stock and was required to satisfy such redemption in cash within three trading days of receipt of the redemption notice if there was an Equity Conditions Failure (as defined in the Amendment). The Company retained the ability to defer up to three redemptions for up to thirty days as discussed above. In addition, the Company could not issue shares of common stock to CVP if such issuance would cause CVP to beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the Company’s common stock outstanding on the date of such issuance. The Company was also prohibited from issuing shares of common stock to the extent that such issuance would exceed the amounts described in Section 713 of the NYSE American LLC Company Guide that would require stockholder approval of the Company.

The Company also agreed to pay to CVP a fee of $105,000 in consideration of the CVP’s agreement to make the Note convertible, which fee was added onto the outstanding balance of the Note.        

 

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The note was repaid in full during the three months ended December 31, 2020.      

 

The provision in the Note that the Company must pay CVP 50% of the outstanding balance of the Note plus a 15% prepayment fee from the net proceeds it receives from an equity offering as discussed above, was determined by the Company to not be clearly and closely related to the host instrument.  Therefore, the Company bifurcated the embedded component from the Note and accounted for it separately as a derivative liability with an offsetting increase in the debt discount.  To determine the fair value of the entire Note, the debt component was separated from the equity payment derivative liability component.  The cash flows of both components were then discounted using fair value assumptions.  The Company recorded a derivative liability and corresponding debt discount of approximately $372,800 at the inception date of the Note.  The Company amortized the debt discount associated with the derivative liability using the effective interest method over the estimated remaining term of the Note.

    

Interest expense under the Note, including amortization of the debt discount was approximately $318,900 for the three months ended March 31, 2020, of which approximately $166,600 was non-cash interest expense.

Note 6 — Common Stock

On February 13, 2020, the Company completed an underwritten public offering (the “ February 2020 Offering”) in which the Company sold 1,660,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $7.00 per share and 483,000 pre-funded warrants at a price of $6.9999 per share, generating net proceeds (including paid and unpaid offering expenses) of approximately $13,475,500. The pre-funded warrants had a nominal exercise price of $0.0001 per share.  Investors also received 2,143,000 warrants (“Investor Warrants”), each entitling the holder to purchase one share of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. The Investor Warrants expire on February 13, 2025.  The underwriters in the February 2020 Offering were entitled to an over-allotment option to purchase to up to 321,450 shares of common stock at $6.99 per share, and 321,450 Investor Warrants at a price of $0.01 per share. The underwriters exercised their option to purchase the additional Investor Warrants concurrent with the closing of the transaction.  All pre-funded warrants issued in the February 2020 Offering were exercised as of March 31, 2020.  

As part of the February 2020 offering, the Company issued to the underwriters, warrants (the “Underwriter Warrants”) to purchase 214,300 shares of common stock. The Underwriter Warrants have an exercise price $7.00 per share. The Underwriter Warrants expire on February 13, 2025.

The Investor Warrants and Underwriter Warrants are being accounted for as equity.   During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, 826,700 and 21,500 Investor Warrants were exercised.  During the three months ended March 31, 2021, 162,575 Underwriter Warrants were exercised.   Proceeds received from the exercise of warrants were approximately $7,288,300 and $161,200 during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

         

During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, 10 and 16 shares of restricted stock vested.  During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020,  11,397 and 1,033 restricted stock units vested.

Note 7 — Warrants

On February 8, 2019, the Company issued a warrant for the purchase of 12,113 shares of common stock to its February 2019 Offering selling agent (the “February 2019 Warrants”). The February 2019 Warrants are exercisable at any time after August 8, 2019 by the holder at an exercise price of $52.50 per share and have a life of four years. The warrants include a fundamental transaction clause that include transactions that may not require approval by the Company, such as a hostile tender offer. These transactions could require the Company to settle in cash upon exercise. Upon a fundamental transaction, the warrant holder would receive the equivalent securities or alternate considerations just prior to the triggering event by apportioning the exercise price among the equivalent securities. Accordingly, under ASC 815 Derivative and Hedging the warrants were deemed to be a derivative liability and marked-to-market at each reporting period The Company computed the fair value of the derivative liability using the Black-Scholes Option Valuation Model. The Company determined that the Binomial Lattice Model was not materially different to the Black Scholes Option Valuation Model. The derivative liability was written off during the three months ended September 30, 2020

Assumptions utilized in the valuation of the February 2019 Warrant as of March 31, 2020 were as follows:

 

 

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The expected stock price volatility for the Company’s common stock warrant liabilities was determined by a blend of the historical volatilities for industry peers and using an average of those volatilities, combined with the historical volatility of the Company. Risk free interest rates were obtained from U.S. Treasury rates for the applicable periods. The expected term used is the contractual life of the instrument being valued. The expected dividend yield was not considered in the valuation of the common stock liabilities as the Company has never paid, nor has the intention to pay, cash dividends.

 

The Company issued 160,041 warrants to purchase shares of its common stock in its December 2017 public offering (the “Roth 2017 Warrants”), of which 118,696 warrants were outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Company’s 2020 Offering and 1,191 warrants remain outstanding as of March 31, 2021. These common stock warrants that were issued in the Company’s December 2017 public offering had an original exercise price of $88.50 per share with such exercise price adjustable if we effect a stock split or combination or similar transaction, depending on the relative trading prices before and after the transaction. The Roth 2017 Warrants also have anti-dilution protection in the event that the Company issues equity securities in the future below the then-exercise price of such warrants.  Though the Roth 2017 Warrants contain a price reset provision in the event of a dilutive issuance of the Company’s securities, because the Roth 2017 Warrants can only be settled in shares of common stock, they were recorded as a component of stockholders’ equity at issuance. As a result of the company’s February 2019 Offering, the exercise price of the Roth 2017 Warrants was reset to $42.00 per share, and as a result of the Company’s February 2020 Offering, the exercise price of these warrants was further repriced to $0.0001 per share. Since the exercise price of the Roth 2017 Warrants is the par value of the Company’s stock, these warrants have been included in weighted average shares outstanding as of the closing of the 2020 Offering.

The price reset provision required the Company to compute a deemed dividend on the exercise price reduction of the Roth 2017 Warrants as a result of the February 2020 Offering.  The Company utilized the Black-Scholes valuation model to calculate the fair value of the Roth 2017 Warrants upon the pricing of the February 2020 Offering at the previous and new exercise prices.  The deemed dividends as a result of the February 2020 Offering are as follows:

 

 

Because the Company has an accumulated deficit, the dividend was recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital and a deduction from net loss to determine net loss attributable to common stockholders in the statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Assumptions utilized in the valuations of the Roth 2017 Warrant upon the pricing of the February 2020 Offering, were as follows:

 

 

Note 8 — Stock Award Plans and Stock-based Compensation

Stock Option Awards

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the grant date fair value of its stock options. There was no income tax benefit recognized in the financial statements for share-based compensation arrangements for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.  

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There were 616 stock options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2021.  There were no stock options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2020.  The assumptions underlying the calculation of grant date fair value per share for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are as follows:

 

 

The stock price volatility for the Company’s options was determined using a blend of the Company’s historical volatility since its initial public offering in June 2017 and the historical volatilities for industry peers. The risk-free interest rate was derived from U.S. Treasury rates existing on the date of grant for the applicable expected option term. The expected term represents the period of time that options are expected to be outstanding. Because the Company has only very limited historical exercise behavior, it determines the expected life assumption using the simplified method, which is an average of the contractual term of the option and its ordinary vesting period. The expected dividend yield assumption is based on the fact that the Company has never paid, nor has any intention to pay, cash dividends.

 

As of March 31, 2021, there were 266,031 shares available for issuance under the Myomo, Inc. 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”).  On January 1, 2021, the number of shares reserved and available for issuance under the 2018 Plan increased by 183,726 shares pursuant to a provision in the 2018 Plan that provides that the number of shares of common stock reserved and available for issuance under the 2018 Plan will be cumulatively increased each January 1 by 4% of the number shares of common stock outstanding on the immediately preceding December 31 or such lesser number of shares of common stock determined by management in consultation with members of the Board of Directors, including the compensation committee.  

 

 

Awards of restricted stock units may be net share settled upon vesting to cover the required employee statutory withholding taxes and the remaining amount is converted into shares based upon their share-value on the date the award vests. These payments of employee withholding taxes are presented in the statements of cash flows as a financing activity.

Share-Based Compensation Expense

The Company accounts for stock awards to employees and non-employees based upon the fair value of the award on the date of grant. The fair value of that award is then ratably recognized as expense over the period during which the recipient is required to provide services in exchange for that award.

The Company attributes the value of stock-based compensation to operations on the straight-line method such that the expense associated with awards is evenly recognized over the vesting period.

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense related to the issuance of stock option awards, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units to employees, non-employees and directors in the statements of operations as follows:

 

 

As of March 31, 2021, there was approximately $117,500 of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options that is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.03 years.

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As of March 31, 2021, there was approximately $3,000 of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock awards that is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.37 years.

As of March 31, 2021, there was approximately $972,200 of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock units that is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.36 years.

 

 

Note 9 — Related Party Transactions

The Company sells its products to an orthotics and prosthetics practice whose ownership includes an individual who is both a shareholder and executive officer of the Company. Sales to this related party are sold at standard list prices. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, approximately $25,900  of revenues were recognized from this related party. There were no revenues recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2020.  There was approximately $25,900 and $44,900 due from this related party as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.  

The Company also obtains consulting and fabrication services, reported in cost of goods sold, from the same related party. Charges for these services amounted to approximately $112,900 and $103,500 during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively,    Included in accounts payable and accrued expenses at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 is approximately $44,100 and $29,600, respectively, due to the related party.

Note 10 — Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

In the normal course of business, the Company may be involved in legal proceedings, claims and assessments arising from the ordinary course of business. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties, and outcomes are not predictable with assurance. Currently, there is no litigation against the Company.

 

Operating Leases

 

The company has a non-cancelable sublease agreement for its corporate headquarters in Boston, MA expiring in 2023, and it has a non-cancelable lease agreement for its office space in Fort Worth, TX expiring in 2025 with early termination available at the company’s discretion in 2023. Termination options were not included in the lease term for the Company’s existing operating leases. Certain arrangements have discounted rent periods or escalating rent payment provisions. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. We recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

 

As of March 31, 2021, operating lease assets were approximately 783,800 and operating lease liabilities were approximately $848,600. The maturity of the Company’s operating lease liabilities as of March 31, 2021, are as follows:  

 

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, the total lease cost is comprised of the following amounts:

 

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The following summarizes additional information related to operating leases:

 

 

Major Customers

 

At March 31, 2021, one insurance company and their affiliates accounted for approximately 45% of accounts receivable.

 

Note 11 — Subsequent Events

The Company evaluated subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued, and determined that, except as disclosed herein, there have been no other subsequent events that would require recognition in the financial statements or disclosure in the notes to the financial statements.

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The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The following discussion may contain predictions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors”, “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future performance suggested below.

Overview

We are a wearable medical robotics company, specializing in myoelectric braces, or orthotics, for people with neuromuscular disorders. We develop and market the MyoPro product line, which is a myoelectric-controlled upper limb brace, or orthosis. The orthosis is a brace used for the purpose of supporting a patient’s weak or deformed arm to enable and improve functional activities of daily living, (“ADLs”), in the home and community. It is custom constructed by a trained professional during a custom fabrication process for each individual user to meet their specific needs. Our products are designed to help restore function in individuals with neuromuscular conditions due to brachial plexus injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.

We utilize digital ads on various platforms to reach patients who are potential candidates for our product. Once the prospective patient contacts us or is referred to us, either our trained clinical staff or a trained O&P provider will evaluate the patient for their suitability as a candidate. Initial evaluations by our trained clinical staff are conducted using telehealth techniques. Prior to obtaining authorizations from commercial insurance companies, the patient’s medical records are collected and reviewed to make sure the device is appropriate for their condition and a prescription is always obtained from a physician. Once these documents are obtained, our patient advocacy team submit a pre-authorization request to the patient’s insurer. If we receive a pre-authorization, we proceed to cast the patient’s arm, then fabricate the MyoPro, and deliver it to the patient. Since we are directly providing the device to the patient and then billing insurance ourselves, we refer to this process as direct billing. We also call on hospitals and O&P practices that provide our products to their patients as well as generate indirect sales through distributors in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. The MyoPro product line has been approved by the Veterans Administration (“VA”) system for impaired veterans, and over forty VA facilities have already ordered devices for their patients

Our myoelectric orthoses have been clinically shown in peer reviewed published research studies to help restore the ability to complete functional tasks by supporting the affected joint and enabling individuals to self-initiate and control movement of their partially paralyzed limbs by using their own muscle signals.

Our technology was originally developed at MIT in collaboration with medical experts affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Myomo was incorporated in 2004 and completed licensing of its technology from MIT in 2006.

Other historical milestones include:

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Recent Developments

China Joint Venture

 

On January 21, 2021, we entered into a definitive agreement with Beijing Ryzur Medical Investment Co., Ltd. (“Ryzur Medical”), a medical device manufacturer based in Beijing, to form a joint venture (the “JV”) to manufacture and sell our current and future products in greater China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan (the “JV Agreement”).

 

Majority ownership in the JV, to be named Jiangxi Myomo Medical Assistive Appliance Co., Ltd., will be held by Ryzur Medical and Chinaleaf Capital Management Co., Ltd., a private fund based in Shanghai that invests in growth opportunities in new technologies. We will own a minimum 19.9% stake in the JV. Ryzur Medical and its partners have committed to invest a minimum of $8 million and up to $20 million in the JV over five years. The establishment of the JV is subject to governmental filings and approvals in China.

As of March 31, 2021, the JV company has not yet been established. Once established, the JV Agreement contemplates that we and JV will enter into a ten-year agreement to license our intellectual property and purchase MyoPro Control System units from us (the “Technology License Agreement”). Under the Technology License Agreement, we will be entitled to receive an upfront license fee of $2.5 million. Pursuant to the JV Agreement, the JV has agreed to an escalating purchase commitment for a minimum of $10.75 million in MyoPro Control System Units during the next ten years, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals necessary to permit sales of the product in the greater China territory.  Payment of the license fee and transfer of technology requires the completion of certain milestones by the parties to the JV Agreement, which are expected to be completed before the end of 2021. In addition, the JV Agreement contemplates that we and the JV will enter into a trademark license agreement to license of certain of the Company’s trademarks (the “Trademark License Agreement”).

 

Results of Operations

We have been growing revenues while incurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and anticipate this to continue as we focus our efforts on continuing to expand our sales and marketing efforts to expand into new geographic markets, invest in development of our MyoPro products, and the funding of clinical research studies to support our reimbursement efforts.

 

The following table sets forth our revenue, cost of revenue, gross profit and gross margin for each of the periods presented.

 

 

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Revenues

We derive revenue primarily from providing devices directly to patients and billing insurance companies directly. We also sell our products to O&P providers, to the VA, to rehabilitation hospitals, and through distributors. Though we increasingly provide devices directly to patients, we sometimes utilize the clinical services of O&P providers for which they are paid a fee.

We expect that our revenues will continue to grow, primarily as a result of our increased direct-to-patient marketing efforts, while continuing our selling and marketing efforts through O&P channel providers, both domestically and internationally.

Total revenues increased by approximately $1,300,000 or 132% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. The revenue increase for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was driven by both a higher average selling price, and higher revenue units.  

Gross margin

Cost of revenue consists of direct costs for the manufacturing and fabrication and delivery of our products, fixed costs, such for our quality and fulfillment organizations, changes in inventory reserves, warranty costs and royalties associated with licensed technologies.

Gross margin was 73% and 68% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in gross margin was driven by increased average selling price as well as a higher amount of revenues recorded in the first quarter of 2021 where corresponding cost of revenues were recorded in a prior period.  

Operating expenses

The following table sets forth our operating expenses for each of the periods presented.

 

 

Research and development

Research and development (“R&D”) expenses consist of costs for our R&D personnel, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation, product development costs, and the cost of certain third-party contractors and travel expense. R&D costs are expensed as they are incurred. We intend to continue to develop additional products and enhance our existing products and expect R&D costs to continue to increase on an annual basis, despite the delay in the launch of our pediatric device, which we refer to as MyoPal, due to the impact of COVID-19.

R&D expenses increased by approximately $19,000, or 4% during the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. The increase was driven primarily by higher payroll and stock compensation costs offset by lower product development costs.  

Selling, general and administrative

Selling expenses consist of costs for our field clinical staff, clinical training organization, and marketing personnel, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, stock-based compensation and sales commissions, costs of digital advertising, marketing and promotional events, clinical studies, corporate communications, product marketing and travel expenses. Variable compensation for personnel engaged in sales and marketing activities is generally earned and recorded as expense when the product is delivered. We expect sales and marketing expenses to increase as we expand our sales and marketing efforts.

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of costs for administrative, reimbursement, and finance personnel, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation, professional fees associated with legal matters, consulting expenses, costs for pursuing insurance reimbursements for our products and costs required to comply with the regulatory requirements of the SEC, as well as costs associated with accounting systems, insurance premiums and other corporate expenses. We expect that general and administrative expenses will increase as we pursue an increased number of insurance reimbursements and seek expanded payer coverage for our products and add administrative and accounting support for our growing business.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by approximately $514,800, or 14%, during the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher payroll costs, particularly in support of our reimbursement efforts and higher advertising, franchise tax, and insurance costs, which were partially offset by lower travel expenses as a result of cost reductions from implementing telehealth techniques for patient evaluations.  

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Other expenses (income)

The following table sets forth our interest (income) expense and other expense, net for each of the periods presented.

 

 

During 2020, the Term Loan was extinguished and the derivative liabilities were written down to $0 resulting in no related expenses in 2021.

 

Income tax expense

 

Income tax expense recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 represents the provision for income taxes for our wholly-owned subsidiary, Myomo Europe GmbH, which was established on January 30, 2020.

Adjusted EBITDA

We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, provides investors with additional information about our financial results. Adjusted EBITDA is an important supplemental measure used by our board of directors and management to evaluate our operating performance from period-to-period on a consistent basis and as a measure for planning and forecasting overall expectations and for evaluating actual results against such expectations.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest and other income (expense), taxes, depreciation and amortization adjusted for, stock- based compensation and the impact of the fair value revaluation of our derivative liabilities and other unusual items.

Adjusted EBITDA is not in accordance with, or an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, this non-GAAP measure is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. As a non-GAAP measure, Adjusted EBITDA has limitations in that it does not reflect all of the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In particular:

 

Because of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures including net income (loss) and our financial results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

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The following table provides a reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the periods indicated:

 

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity

We measure our liquidity in a number of ways, including the following:

 

 

We had working capital and stockholders’ equity of approximately $15.8 million and $16.1 million, respectively, at March 31, 2021. We used approximately $2.1 million in cash for operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2021.  We have historically funded our operations through financing activities, including raising equity and debt capital.  In February 2020, we completed a follow-on offering of our common stock, generating net proceeds of approximately $13.5 million. The purpose of this offering was to provide additional capital to allow us to execute on our strategy to achieve cash flow breakeven.  This funding, in addition to funding of $5.0 million received under our ATM facility during 2020 and $7.3 million received from the exercise of warrants during the first quarter of 2021 is helping us to sustain our operations.  Based upon our expected cash flows, we believe that our available cash will fund our operations for at least the next twelve months from the issuance date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Our operating plans are primarily focused on scaling up our operations, increasing the proportion of patients covered by commercial health insurance companies which reimburse for the MyoPro and continued work with CMS and their administrative contractors regarding reimbursement of our products. Our success is dependent upon reimbursement of our products by insurance companies and government-controlled health care plans such as Medicare and Medicaid, which if not achieved, could prevent our revenues from growing to the level necessary to achieve cash flow breakeven.    If public health restrictions on travel and patient interaction are broadly reinstated in 2021 due to the inability to control the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccinations, that will have an adverse effect on our business and it is likely that we will need to raise additional capital to sustain our operations. We believe that we have access to capital resources through possible public or private equity offerings, exercises of outstanding warrants, debt financings, and through payment of the technology license fee associated with our JV in China, or other means; however, we may be unable to raise sufficient additional capital when we need it or raise capital on favorable terms. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, approximately 999,400 shares were issued for the exercise of warrants, which generated proceeds of $7.3 million.  Further, additional debt financing may require us to pledge certain assets and enter into covenants that could restrict certain business activities or our ability to incur further indebtedness and may contain other terms that are not favorable to our stockholders or us.

Cash Flows

 

 

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Operating Activities. The net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was primarily used to fund a net loss of approximately $3.0 million, adjusted for non-cash expenses in the aggregate amount of approximately $0.2 million, and by approximately $0.8 million of cash generated by net changes in the levels of operating assets and liabilities, primarily related to a decrease in accounts receivable and an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses, partially offset by an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets. This increase was driven by a deposit of $0.5 million made to one of our subcontractors toward 2021 inventory purchases.  

The net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was primarily used to fund a net loss of approximately $3.8 million, adjusted for non-cash expenses in the aggregate amount of approximately $0.5 million, and by approximately $0.9 million of cash provided by changes in the levels of operating assets and liabilities, primarily related to an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Investing Activities. During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, our cash used in investing activities was for the purchase of equipment and leasehold improvements for our new headquarters office in Boston, MA.

Financing Activities. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, cash provided by financing activities of approximately $7.3 million was primarily due to proceeds received from the exercise of warrants.  Cash provided by financing activities of approximately $11.7 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020 was primarily due to $13.5 million of net proceeds from our underwritten public offering in February 2020 and approximately $0.2 million received from the exercise of warrants, partially offset by a payment of 50% of the outstanding balance of our term loan of approximately $1.7 million and payment of a prepayment penalty on our Term Loan of approximately $0.3 million.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements and did not have any such arrangements in the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. These estimates and assumptions are reviewed on an on-going basis and updated as appropriate. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Our significant estimates include the allowance for doubtful accounts, the valuation of our deferred tax asset, the fair value of our derivative liabilities and reserves for slow moving inventory.

Other

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies from those described in our audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Recent Accounting Standards

Information regarding new accounting standards is included in Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contained in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

This item is not applicable to us as a smaller reporting company.

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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), refers to controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to a company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer, our principal executive officer, and our Chief Financial Officer, our principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2021. Based upon such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of such date.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

As a result of COVID-19, most of our employees are working remotely.  Despite working remotely, we continue to maintain our internal control environment.  There were no other changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) identified in connection with the evaluation of our internal control that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2021 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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Part II. OTHER INFORMATION

There are no legal proceedings material to our business or financial condition pending, and to the best of our knowledge, there are no such legal proceedings contemplated or threatened.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Careful consideration should be given to the following risk factors, in addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in other documents that we file with the SEC, in evaluating us and our business. If any of the following risks and uncertainties actually occurs, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. The risks summarized and described below are not intended to be exhaustive and are not the only risks facing us. New risk factors can emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict the impact that any factor or combination of factors may have on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Associated with Our Business

Risks Related to COVID-19

The outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, could adversely impact our business.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), has evolved into a global pandemic. The coronavirus has spread to many regions of the world, including the United States and Europe. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, we have experienced and may continue to experience disruptions that could materially impact our business. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our business and operating results will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the coronavirus and the actions taken to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others.

 

As a result of COVID-19, various aspects of our business operations have been, and could continue to be, disrupted. For example, because we provide a custom-fabricated device to each patient, the in-person contact required as part of the fabrication and delivery process has been impacted and likely will continue to be impacted if COVID-19-related public health restrictions on travel and personal interaction are broadly reinstated. As a result of COVID-19-related public health restrictions on travel and personal interaction, fabrication and delivery processes were suspended during the majority of the second quarter of 2020. As a result of these restrictions, our ability to deliver our products to patients and to generate revenues was negatively affected. Similarly, the impairment in the ability for patient consultation and fittings has caused us to delay and re-prioritize in our launch of MyoPal, our product for pediatric patients. While we continued in-person interactions with, and deliveries to, patients during the first quarter of 2021, the virus and its variants are still prevalent despite vaccination efforts.  It is possible the public health restrictions may be reinstated in the future depending on the efficacy of the various vaccines. While insurance reimbursement practices of government and third-party payers are so far largely unaffected by the pandemic, we can provide no assurance that will continue in the future. Similarly, it is unclear to what extent an extended period of significant unemployment will reduce the number of prospective candidates due to loss of health insurance. While we currently believe we have sufficient inventory in our supply chain and currently expect to have sufficient fabrication capacity available to manufacture and deliver devices to patients, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so. If we, or any third parties in our supply chain for materials which are used in either the manufacture of our products are adversely impacted by infections or restrictions resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, our supply chain may be disrupted and our ability to manufacture and ship our products may be limited. While many companies are experiencing shortages of certain electronic components, so far we and our contract manufacturing partners have been able to procure the electronic components necessary for the manufacture of our products, but there can be no assurance that such supplies will not become constrained in the future. In addition, as a result of shelter-in-place orders, workplace capacity restrictions, or other mandated travel restrictions, our on-site staff conducting sales and marketing and engineering activities may not be able to access our office or laboratory space, and these restrictions may adversely impact our contract manufacturing partners as well. Further, these core activities may be significantly limited or curtailed, possibly for an extended period of time.

 

In response to COVID-19, we have implemented a work from home policy, with many of our employees continuing their work outside of our offices. The increase in working remotely could increase our cyber security risk, create data accessibility concerns, and make us more susceptible to communication disruptions, any of which could adversely impact our business operations or delay necessary interactions with local and federal regulators and manufacturing sites.

 

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In addition, the trading prices for our common stock and other companies in the life sciences industry have been highly volatile as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, if we needed to raise additional capital, we may face difficulties raising capital through equity or debt financings, or such financing transactions may be on unfavorable terms. While the potential economic impact brought by and the duration of the pandemic may be difficult to assess or predict, it has already caused, and is likely to result in further, significant disruption of global financial markets, which may reduce our ability to access capital either at all or on favorable terms. In addition, a recession, depression or other sustained adverse market event resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially and adversely affect our business and the value of our common stock.

The ultimate impact of the current pandemic, or any other health epidemic, is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our commercialization, sales and marketing, research, manufacturing, and regulatory activities, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole. However, these effects could have a material adverse impact on our operations, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Risks Related to Our Operating and Financial Results

We may experience significant fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results.

Fluctuations in our quarterly and annual financial results have resulted and will continue to result from numerous factors, including:

These factors, some of which are not within our control, may cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. If our quarterly operating results fail to meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors, our stock price could drop suddenly and significantly. We believe quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not always meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.

We currently rely, and in the future will rely, on sales of our MyoPro products for our revenue, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain market acceptance.

We currently rely, and in the future will rely, on sales of our MyoPro products for our revenue. MyoPro products are relatively new products, and market acceptance and adoption depend on educating people with limited upper extremity mobility and healthcare providers as to the distinct features, ease-of-use, improved quality of life and other benefits of MyoPro systems compared to alternative technologies and treatments. MyoPro products may not be perceived to have sufficient potential benefits compared with these alternatives, which include rehabilitation therapy or amputation with a prosthetic replacement. Also, we believe that healthcare providers tend to be slow to change their medical treatment practices because of perceived liability risks arising from the use of new products and the uncertainty of third-party reimbursement. Accordingly, healthcare providers may not recommend the MyoPro until there is sufficient evidence to convince them to alter the treatment methods they typically recommend. This evidence may include prominent healthcare providers or other key opinion leaders in the upper extremity paralysis community recommending the MyoPro as effective in providing identifiable immediate and long-term health benefits, and the publication of additional peer-reviewed clinical studies demonstrating its value. Additionally, because the MyoPro is a prescription device, patients require the prescription of a healthcare provider to access our products and to have the device reimbursed by insurance.

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Achieving and maintaining market acceptance of MyoPro products could be negatively impacted by many other factors, including, but not limited to:

Any factors that negatively impact sales of MyoPro would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

If CMS does not allow coverage for the MyoPro, insurers offering Medicare Advantage insurance plans may no longer reimburse for the MyoPro, which could have an adverse effect on our business.  

Revenues from patients who are covered by Medicare Advantage insurance plans are becoming an increasingly significant portion of our overall revenues.  For the three months ended March 31, 2021, approximately 56% of our revenues were derived from patients with Medicare Advantage insurance plans. If CMS does not allow coverage for the MyoPro,or if such coverage is obtained and is subsequently retracted, insurers offering Medicare Advantage insurance plans may no longer reimburse for the MyoPro.  As a result, our revenues and cash flows would be negatively impacted, which could have an adverse effect on our business. See “-Risks Related to our Reliance on Third Parties—We may not be able to obtain third-party payer reimbursement, including reimbursement by Medicare, for our products” for additional information about CMS coverage decisions.

Risks Related to our Reliance on Third Parties

We may not be able to obtain third-party payer reimbursement, including reimbursement by Medicare, for our products.

Currently, we are almost entirely dependent on third parties to cover the cost of our products to patients and heavily rely on our distributors’ ability to obtain reimbursement for the cost of our products. If the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or the VA, health insurance companies and other third-party payers do not provide adequate coverage or reimbursement for our products, then our sales will be limited to clinical facilities and individuals who can pay for our devices without reimbursement. To our knowledge, since inception through the quarter ended March 31, 2021, fewer than 20 units have been self-paid or funded by non-profit foundations. Some commercial health insurance plans have published statements that they will not cover the cost of the MyoPro for their members, so we have conducted and will continue to conduct appeals for patients covered by such policies to obtain payment authorizations on a case-by-case basis. In the event we are unsuccessful in obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement for our products from third-party payers, our sales will be significantly constrained. Currently, reimbursement for the cost of our products is obtained primarily on a case-by-case basis until such time, if any, we obtain broad coverage policies with Medicare and third-party payers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain these broad coverage policies.

In connection with Medicare reimbursement, we filed the application for a unique Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, or HCPCS, code applicable to our product line in December 2017. We received a preliminary decision on our application in May 2018 and in November 2018 we announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, had published two new codes pursuant to our application for HCPCS codes, which became effective in January 1, 2019. However, at this time, CMS has not released coverage criteria or the allowed charge amount for the two new codes.  We have filed a code amendment request with CMS to change our current benefit category classification from durable medical equipment, or DME,, which is reimbursed as a capped rental over thirteen months, to a  brace classification, which is reimbursed as a lump sum.  Our submission to CMS also includes a request for a change in the code descriptors to more accurately describe the MyoPro braces. One of our partners that supplies custom fabricated orthotics and prosthetics (“O&P”) is in the appeals process with one of  Medicare’s billing contractors, referred to as a DME MAC. Together, with our O&P partner, we have decided against additional claims until the CMS benefit category is corrected. We cannot give any assurance that CMS will actually correct the benefit category determination, or that the amount of reimbursement, if any, to be approved will be sufficient to provide a reasonable profit to us or our distributors, that the receipt of these codes would result in appropriate coverage and payment terms or otherwise lead to any greater access to our products or reimbursement for such products. In addition, while we announced that we became certified as a Medicare provider in September 2020, enabling us to bill Medicare directly when we deliver our MyoPro powered orthosis to patients in 39 states and the District of Columbia, we are currently awaiting a decision by CMS on coverage policy and allowable fee for the MyoPro; however, there is no specific timetable or guarantee that CMS will in fact issue such coverage and payment guidelines. There is no guarantee that we will receive those terms in a timely manner or al all. In addition, decisions by CMS or other governmental payers on whether and to what extent they would cover our products, as well as decisions on what basis they would cover our products, whether as outright purchases by patients or on a rental basis, may impact similar coverage decisions by private payers that may follow the decisions by governmental payers.

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Reimbursement amounts, whether on a case-by-case basis or pursuant to broader coverage policies, which may be established in the future, may be insufficient to permit us to generate sufficient gross margins to allow us to operate on a profitable basis. Third-party payers also may deny coverage, limit reimbursement or reduce their levels of payment, or our costs of production may increase faster than increases in reimbursement levels. In addition, we may not obtain coverage and reimbursement approvals in a timely manner. Our failure to receive such approvals would negatively impact market acceptance of MyoPro. Further, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of individuals have lost or may lose employer-based coverage in the future, which may adversely affect our sales to our patients relying on such coverage.

We depend on a single third party to manufacture the MyoPro and a limited number of third-party suppliers for certain components of the MyoPro.

While we are the manufacturer of record with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, for the MyoPro device we sell, we have contracted with Cogmedix, Inc., or Cogmedix, a contract manufacturer with expertise in the medical device industry, for the contract manufacture of all of our products and the sourcing of all of our components and raw materials. Pursuant to this contract, Cogmedix manufactures the MyoPro pursuant to our specifications at its facility in West Boylston, Massachusetts. As the manufacturer of the MyoPro, we ultimately remain responsible to the FDA for overseeing Cogmedix’s manufacturing activities to ensure that they conform with product specifications and applicable laws and regulations, including FDA’s good manufacturing practice requirements for medical devices. Any failure to effectively oversee the regulatory compliance of the product and contract manufacturing activities by Cogmedix can lead to potential enforcement actions, including civil or criminal liabilities, as well as recalls with the FDA. We may terminate our relationship with Cogmedix at any time upon sixty (60) days’ written notice. For our business strategy to be successful, Cogmedix must be able to manufacture our products in sufficient quantities, and to source raw materials and components, in compliance with regulatory requirements and quality control standards, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable costs and on a timely basis. Increases in our product sales, whether forecasted or unanticipated, or supply chain constraints that may arise for any number of reasons, could strain the ability of Cogmedix to manufacture an increasingly large supply of our current or future products in a manner that meets these various requirements. In addition, although we are not restricted from engaging an alternative manufacturer, the process of moving our manufacturing activities would be time consuming and costly, and may limit our ability to meet our sales commitments, which could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, any new contract manufacturer would need to be compliant with FDA regulations and International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, standard 13485.

We also rely on third-party suppliers, some of which contract directly with Cogmedix, to supply certain components of the MyoPro products. Cogmedix does not have long-term supply agreements with most of their suppliers and, in many cases, makes purchases on a purchase order basis. We do not have any long-term supply agreement directly with Cogmedix’s suppliers. Our ability and Cogmedix’s ability to secure adequate quantities of such products may be limited. Suppliers may encounter problems that limit their ability to manufacture components for our products, including financial difficulties or damage to their manufacturing equipment or facilities. If we, or Cogmedix, fail to obtain sufficient quantities of high-quality components to meet demand on a timely basis, or fail to effectively oversee the regulatory compliance of the supply chain, we could face regulatory enforcement, have to conduct recalls, lose customer orders, our reputation may be harmed, and our business could suffer.

 

Cogmedix generally uses a small number of suppliers for the MyoPro products. Depending on a limited number of suppliers exposes us to risks, including limited control over pricing, availability, quality and delivery schedules. If any one or more of our suppliers ceases to provide sufficient quantities of components in a timely manner or on acceptable terms, Cogmedix would have to seek alternative sources of supply. It may be difficult to engage additional or replacement suppliers in a timely manner. Failure of these suppliers to deliver products at the level our business requires would limit our ability to meet our sales commitments, which could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Cogmedix also may have difficulty obtaining similar components from other suppliers that are acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory agencies, and the failure of Cogmedix’s suppliers to comply with strictly enforced regulatory requirements could expose us to regulatory action including warning letters, product recalls, termination of distribution, product seizures or civil penalties. It could also require Cogmedix to cease using the components, seek alternative components or technologies and we could be forced to modify our products to incorporate alternative components or technologies, which could result in a requirement to seek additional regulatory approvals. Any disruption of this nature or increased expenses could harm our commercialization efforts and adversely affect our operating results.

We also rely on a limited number of suppliers for the batteries used by the MyoPro and do not maintain any long-term supply agreement with respect to batteries. If we fail to obtain sufficient quantities of batteries in a timely manner, our reputation may be harmed and our business could suffer.

We depend on a related third-party to provide the custom fabrication of the MyoPro.

Currently, we rely on Geauga Rehabilitation Engineering, Inc., or GRE, a small, privately held firm in Chardon, Ohio, to provide custom fabrication services for all MyoPro orders. GRE also provides product development support for the development and prototyping of new MyoPro product designs. GRE is owned by Jonathan Naft, a former Myomo executive, who resigned his position as of March 31, 2021, but continues to work with us as a consultant. However, another member of the GRE management team oversees the fabrication contract that we have entered into for these services which is at arm’s-length. GRE is currently the only provider of MyoPro fabrication services, and our business may be negatively impacted by any difficulties GRE has with its suppliers, operating facilities, trained personnel, and any financial issues. In addition, our contract with GRE terminates on December 31, 2021, unless renewed. In the event GRE fails to fulfill our orders in a timely manner, then we may terminate our contract. In addition, there can be no assurance that we can retain Mr. Naft’s services to us as a consultant. If our relationship with GRE or with Mr. Naft were terminated, we might have difficulty finding a replacement for GRE’s services. This could result in an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.

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Risks Related to Limited Operating History and Capital Requirements

Our limited operating history makes it difficult for us to evaluate our future business prospects and make decisions based on those estimates of our future performance.

Since inception through March 31, 2021, we have shipped over 1,250 units for use by patients at home and at clinical facilities. Our latest product line, the MyoPro, was introduced to the market in fiscal year 2012 and we have shipped more than 850 units since such time. As a result, we have a limited operating history. It is difficult to forecast our future results based upon our historical data. Because of the uncertainties related to our limited historical operations, we may be hindered in our ability to anticipate and timely adapt to increases or decreases in revenues or expenses.

We have a history of operating losses and there can be no assurance that our existing cash will be sufficient to achieve cash flow breakeven.

We have a history of losses since inception. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we incurrent a net loss of approximately $3.0 million.  For the year ended December 31, 2020, we incurred a net loss of approximately $11.6 million. At March 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $70.7 million. We expect to continue to incur operating and net losses for the foreseeable future as we expand our sales and marketing efforts, invest in product development and establish the necessary administrative functions to support our growing operations and being a public company. Our losses in future periods may be greater than the losses we would incur if we developed our business more slowly. In addition, we may find that these efforts are more expensive than we currently anticipate or that these efforts may not result in increases in our revenues, which would further increase our losses. Our cash and cash equivalents balance at March 31, 2021 was approximately $17.4 million. There can be no assurance that our existing cash plus the cash raised through exercise of warrants will be sufficient to achieve cash flow breakeven, which we have targeted to achieve by the fourth quarter of 2021.  Even if achieved, there can be no assurance that we will maintain cash flow breakeven in future periods.

We may not have sufficient funds to meet our future capital requirements.

We have cash and cash equivalents of approximately $17.4 million at March 31, 2021.  We generated proceeds of $7.3 million for the exercise of warrants during the three months ended March 31, 2021. While we believe we have sufficient cash to fund our operations for at least the next twelve months, we cannot provide assurance that these funds will be sufficient to meet our future capital requirements. If we needed to raise additional capital, we may be unable to obtain additional funds on reasonable terms, or at all. Our ability to secure financing and the cost of raising such capital are dependent on numerous factors, including general economic and capital markets conditions, credit availability from lenders, investor confidence and the existence of regulatory and tax incentives that are conducive to raising capital. Uncertainty in the financial markets has caused banks and financial institutions to decrease the amount of capital available for lending and has significantly increased the risk premium of such borrowings. In addition, such turmoil and uncertainty has significantly limited the ability of companies to raise funds through the sale of equity or debt securities. If we are unable to raise additional funds, we may need to delay, modify or abandon some or all of our business plans or cease operations. If we raise funds through the issuance of debt, the amount of any indebtedness that we may raise in the future may be substantial, and we may be required to secure such indebtedness with our assets and may have substantial interest expenses. If we default on any future indebtedness, our lenders could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable and our secured lenders may foreclose on the facilities securing such indebtedness. The incurrence of indebtedness could require us to meet financial and operating covenants, which could place limits on our operations and ability to raise additional capital, decrease our liquidity and increase the amount of cash flow required to service our debt. If we raise funds through the issuance of equity securities, such issuance could result in dilution to our stockholders and the newly issued securities may have rights senior to those of the holders of our common stock.

 

Risks Related to Competitors and Our Market

The industries in which we operate are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change. If our competitors are better able to develop and market products that are safer, more effective, less costly, easier to use, or are otherwise more attractive, we may be unable to compete effectively with other companies.

Industrial and medical robotics is characterized by intense competition and rapid technological change, and we will face competition on the basis of product features, clinical outcomes, price, services and other factors. Competitors may include large medical device and other companies, some of which have significantly greater financial and marketing resources than we do, and firms that are more specialized than we are with respect to particular markets. Our competition may respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, and have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do or may be more successful in attracting potential customers, employees and strategic partners.

Our competitive position will depend on multiple complex factors, including our ability to achieve market acceptance for our products, develop new products, implement production and marketing plans, secure regulatory clearances or approvals, if necessary, for products under development and protect our intellectual property. In some instances, competitors may also offer, or may attempt to develop, alternative therapies for disease states that may be delivered without a medical device. The development of new or improved products, processes or technologies by other companies may render our products or proposed products obsolete or less competitive. The entry into the market of manufacturers located in low-cost manufacturing locations may also create pricing pressure, particularly in developing markets. Our future success depends, among other things, upon our ability to compete effectively against current technology, as well as to respond effectively to technological advances, and upon our ability to successfully implement our marketing strategies and execute our research and development plans.

 

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We utilize O&P providers and distributors who are free to market products that compete with the MyoPro, and we rely on these parties to market and promote our products in accordance with their FDA listings, select appropriate patients and provide adequate follow-on care.

We rely on our relationships with qualified O&P providers and our distribution arrangements to market and sell our products. We believe that a meaningful percentage of our sales will continue to be generated through these channels in the future. However, none of these partners are required to sell or provide our products exclusively. If a key independent O&P provider were to cease to distribute our products, our sales could be adversely affected. In such a situation, we may need to seek alternative independent providers or increase our reliance on our other independent providers or our direct field representatives, which may not prevent our sales from being adversely affected. Additionally, to the extent that we enter into additional arrangements with independent distributors to perform sales, marketing, or distribution services, the terms of the arrangements could cause our profit margins to be lower than if we directly marketed and sold our products.

If these independent O&P providers or distributors do not follow our inclusion/exclusion criteria for patient selection or do not provide adequate follow-on care, then our reputation may be harmed by patient dissatisfaction. This could also lead to product returns and adversely affect our financial condition. When issues with distributors have arisen in the past, we have supplied additional training and documentation and/or ended the distributor relationship.

The sales and marketing of medical devices is under increased scrutiny by the FDA and other enforcement bodies. If our sales and marketing activities fail to comply with FDA regulations, such as regulations for the labeling and advertising of our products, or other applicable laws, we may be subject to warnings or enforcement actions from the FDA or other enforcement bodies. For example, we are restricted from promoting our products for any use that is beyond the scope of their applicable FDA classification regulation. Such promotion could result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may include, but is not limited to untitled letters or warning letters, injunctions, recall or seizure of our products, and imposition of FDA’s premarket clearance or approval requirements.

The market for myoelectric braces is new and the rate of adoption is uncertain, and important assumptions about the potential market for our products may be inaccurate.

The market for myoelectric braces, or orthotics, is new and the rate of adoption is uncertain. Our estimates of market size are derived from statistics regarding the number of individuals with paralysis, but not necessarily limited to their upper extremities. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict the future size and rate of growth of the market. We cannot be certain whether the market will continue to develop or if orthotics will achieve and sustain a level of market acceptance and demand sufficient for us to continue to generate revenue and achieve profitability.

Limited sources exist to obtain reliable market data with respect to the number of mobility-impaired individuals and the occurrence of upper extremity paralysis in our target markets. In addition, there are no third-party reports or studies regarding what percentage of those with upper extremity paralysis would be able to use orthotics in general, or our current or planned future products in particular. In order to use our current products marketed to those with upper extremity paralysis, users must meet a set of inclusion criteria and not have a medical condition which disqualifies them from being an appropriate candidate. Future products for those with upper extremity paralysis may have the same or other restrictions. Our business strategy is based, in part, on our estimates of the number of upper extremity impaired individuals and the incidence of upper extremity injuries in our target markets and the percentage of those groups that would be able to use our current and future products. Our assumptions and estimates may be inaccurate and may change.

If the upper extremity orthotics market fails to develop or develops more slowly than we expect, or if we have relied on sources or made assumptions or estimates that are not accurate, our business could be adversely affected.

 

In addition, because we operate in a new market, the actions of our competitors could adversely affect our business. Adverse events such as product defects or legal claims with respect to competing or similar products could cause reputational harm to the market on the whole. Further, adverse regulatory findings or reimbursement-related decisions with respect to other products could negatively impact the entire market and, accordingly, our business.

Risks Related to Our Products

We may receive a significant number of warranty claims or our MyoPro may require significant amounts of service after sale.

Sales of MyoPro products generally include a three-year warranty for parts and labor, other than for normal wear and tear. As the number and complexity of the features and functionalities of our products increase, we may experience a higher level of warranty claims. If product returns or warranty claims are significant or exceed our expectations, we could incur unanticipated expenditures for parts and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Defects in our products or the software that drives them could adversely affect the results of our operations.

The design, manufacture and marketing of the MyoPro products involve certain inherent risks. Manufacturing or design defects, unanticipated use of the MyoPro, or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to the use of MyoPro products can lead to injury or other adverse events. In addition, because the manufacturing of our products is outsourced to Cogmedix, we may not always be aware of manufacturing defects that could occur and corrective or preventive actions implemented by Cogmedix may not be effective at resolving such defects. Such adverse events could lead to recalls or safety alerts relating to MyoPro products (either voluntary or required by the FDA or similar governmental authorities in other countries), and could result, in certain cases, in the removal of MyoPro products from the market. A recall could result in significant costs. To the extent any manufacturing defect occurs, our agreement with Cogmedix contains a limitation on Cogmedix’s liability, and therefore we could be required to incur the majority of related costs. Our agreement with GRE does not contain a similar limitation of liability; however, a defect in connection with the fabrication of our products may result in significant costs in connection with lawsuits or refunds. Product defects or recalls could also result in negative publicity, damage to our reputation or, in some circumstances, delays in new product approvals.

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MyoPro users may not use MyoPro products in accordance with safety protocols and training, which could enhance the risk of injury. Any such occurrence could cause delay in market acceptance of MyoPro products, damage to our reputation, additional regulatory filings, product recalls, increased service and warranty costs, product liability claims and loss of revenue relating to such hardware or software defects.

The medical device industry has historically been subject to extensive litigation over product liability claims. We have not been subject to such claims to date, but we may become subject to product liability claims alleging defects in the design, manufacture or labeling of our products in the future. A product liability claim, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs and high punitive damage payments. Although we maintain product liability insurance, the coverage is subject to deductibles and limitations, and may not be adequate to cover future claims. Additionally, we may be unable to maintain our existing product liability insurance in the future at satisfactory rates or in adequate amounts.

While there is long-term clinical data supporting the safety of our existing MyoPro products, updates to our products inherently have uncertain safety risks as they enter the market.

While clinical data have established the safety of MyoPro products, our products undergo periodic updates for various reasons, including performance and reliability improvements and cost reductions. Because MyoPro users generally do not have feeling in their upper extremities, they may not immediately notice adverse effects from updates to the MyoPro, which could exacerbate their impact. If MyoPro products are shown to present new risks or to be unsafe or cause such unforeseen effects in the future, our business and reputation could be harmed, including through field corrections, withdrawals, removals, mandatory product recalls, suspension or withdrawal of FDA registration, significant legal liability or harm to our business reputation.

Risks Related to Collaborations and Licensing Agreements

We may enter into collaborations, licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships with third parties that may not result in the development of commercially viable products or the generation of significant future revenues.

In the ordinary course of our business, in the future we may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships to develop the MyoPro and to pursue new markets. We are selling the MyoPro in several European countries, as well as Australia. In January 2021, we announced that we had entered into a joint venture (the “JV) with Beijing Ryzur Medical Investment Co., Ltd. (“Ryzur Medical”), to manufacture and sell the products containing the Company’s technology in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. Once established, the company will be named Jiangxi Myomo Medical Assistive Appliance Co., Ltd. (the “JV Company”).  Upon the meeting of certain conditions by both parties, we intend to enter into a technology license agreement and a trademark license agreement with the JV Company, under which we will be entitled to receive a license fee of $2.5 million and the JV Company will commit to purchase a minimum of $10.75 million of MyoPro control units over the next ten years. This and any other of these relationships may require us to incur non-recurring and other charges, increase our near and long-term expenditures, issue securities that dilute our existing stockholders or disrupt our management and business. In addition, proposing, negotiating and implementing collaborations, licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships may be a competitive lengthy and complex process. We may not identify, secure, or complete any such transactions or arrangements in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, on acceptable terms or at all. We have limited institutional knowledge and experience with respect to these business development activities, and we may also not realize the anticipated benefits of any such transaction or arrangement. In particular, these collaborations may not result in the development of products that achieve commercial success or result in significant revenues and could be terminated prior to developing any products. Any delays in entering into new strategic partnership agreements related to our products could delay the development and commercialization of our products in certain geographies, which would harm our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

If we pursue collaborations, additional licensing arrangements and joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships, we may not be able to consummate them, or we may not be in a position to exercise sole decision decision-making authority regarding the transaction or arrangement, which could create the potential risk of creating impasses on decisions, and our collaborators may have economic or business interests or goals that are, or that may become, inconsistent with our business interests or goals. It is possible that conflicts may arise with our collaborators. Our collaborators may act in their self-interest, which may be adverse to our best interest, and they may breach their obligations to us. Any such disputes could result in litigation or arbitration which would increase our expenses and divert the attention of our management. Further, these transactions and arrangements are contractual in nature and may be terminated or dissolved under the terms of the applicable agreements.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Management

If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth, including in international markets, our business could suffer.

As we expand the number of locations which provide the MyoPro products, including future planned international distribution, we expect that it will place significant strain on our management team and on our financial resources. Failure to manage our growth effectively could cause us to misallocate management or financial resources and result in losses or weaknesses in our infrastructure, systems, processes and controls, which could materially adversely affect our business. Additionally, our anticipated growth will increase the demands placed on our suppliers, resulting in an increased need for us to manage our suppliers and monitor for quality assurance.

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Moreover, there are significant costs and risks inherent in selling our products in international markets, including: (a) time and difficulty in building a widespread network of distribution partners; (b) increased shipping and distribution costs, which could increase our expenses and reduce our margins; (c) potentially lower margins in some regions; (d) longer collection cycles in some regions; (e) compliance with foreign laws and regulations; (f) compliance with anti-bribery, anti-corruption, and anti-money laundering laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations, by us, our employees, and our business partners; (g) currency exchange rate fluctuations and related effects on our results of operations; (h) economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in foreign economies and markets; (i) compliance with tax, employment, immigration, and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad; (j) workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States; (k) business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires; and (l) other costs and risks of doing business internationally, such as new tariffs which may be imposed. For example, in January 2021, we announced that we had entered into a joint venture with Beijing Ryzur Medical Investment Co., Ltd., to manufacture and sell the products containing the Company’s technology in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. In connection with this joint venture, we may encounter challenges in working with our joint venture partners, including with respect to compliance with local laws and domestic laws related to foreign operations.

These and other factors could harm our ability to implement planned international operations and, consequently, harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, we may incur significant operating expenses as a result of our planned international expansion, and it may not be successful. We have limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices internationally, and we may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in new markets. We may also encounter difficulty expanding into international markets because of limited brand recognition, leading to delayed or limited acceptance of our products by patients in these markets. Accordingly, if we are unable to expand internationally or manage our international operations successfully, we may not achieve the expected benefits of this expansion and our financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

We depend on the knowledge and skills of our senior management.

We have benefited substantially from the leadership and performance of our senior management and other key employees. We do not carry key person insurance. Our success will depend on our ability to retain our current management and key employees. Competition for these key persons in our industry is intense and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to retain our personnel. The loss of the services of certain members of our senior management or key employees could prevent or delay the implementation and completion of our strategic objectives or divert management’s attention to seeking qualified replacements.

We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of complementary products or technologies, and the failure to manage acquisitions, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

From time to time, we may consider opportunities to acquire other products or technologies that may enhance our products or technology or advance our business strategies. Potential acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:

We have no current commitments with respect to any acquisition and no current plans to seek acquisitions; however, depending on industry and market conditions, we may consider acquisitions in the future. If we do proceed with acquisitions, we do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such acquisitions on favorable terms or at all, or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired products or technologies. Our potential inability to integrate any acquired products or technologies effectively may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

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Risks Related to Government Regulation

Risks Related to Healthcare

We are subject to extensive governmental regulations relating to the design, development, manufacturing, labeling and marketing of our products, and a failure to comply with such regulations could lead to withdrawal or recall of our products from the market.

Our products are regulated as medical devices in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FFDCA, as implemented and enforced by the FDA. Under the FFDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes–Class I, Class II or Class III–depending on the degree of risk associated with the medical device, what is known about the type of device, and the extent of control needed to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Classification of a device is important because the class to which a device is assigned determines, among other things, the necessity and type of FDA pre-market review. This determination is required prior to marketing the device. See “Business — Government Regulation” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In 2012, we listed the MyoPro device as a Class I, 510(k)-exempt, limb orthosis with the FDA. From time to time, the FDA may disagree with the classification regulation under which a registrant lists their device. For example, the FDA may disagree with a registrant’s determination to classify their device as a Class I medical device. Instead, the FDA may determine the device to be a Class II or Class III device requiring the submission of a premarket notification, or 510(k), or a premarket approval, or PMA, application for premarket clearance or approval. As the FDA is now giving more attention to the differentiated performance of myoelectric controlled orthotics, we elected to change our device listing to be under a Class II classification regulation for biofeedback devices. Under the classification regulation, we believe our device remains 510(k)-exempt as a prescription battery powered external limb orthosis that is indicated for functional improvement are generally 510(k)-exempt under the classification regulation. In the event that the FDA determines that our devices, whether by functionality or marketing claims, exceed the limitations on 510(k)-exemption such that premarket clearance or approval is required (i.e., that our device is intended for a use different from the intended use of a legally marketed device in the generic type of device under the applicable classification regulation or that our modified device operates using a different fundamental scientific technology than such a legally marketed device), should be classified as Class II devices or Class III devices requiring premarket clearance or approval, or should FDA decide to reclassify our device as a Class II or Class III device requiring premarket clearance or approval, we could be precluded from marketing our devices for clinical use within the U.S. for months or longer depending on the requirements of the classification. Obtaining premarket clearance or approval could significantly increase our regulatory costs, including expense associated with required pre-clinical (animal) and clinical (human) trials, more extensive mechanical and electrical testing and other costs.

We are registered with the FDA as a manufacturer for medical devices. We are also subject to regulation by foreign governmental agencies in connection with international sales. The agencies enforce laws and regulations that govern the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, advertising, marketing and distribution, and market surveillance of our medical device products. Following the introduction of a product, the governmental agencies will periodically review our product development methodology, quality management systems, and product performance. We are under a continuing obligation to ensure that all applicable regulatory requirements, such as the FDA’s medical device good manufacturing practice / Quality System Regulation, or QSR, requirements and the FDA’s medical device reporting requirements for certain device-related adverse events and malfunction, continue to be met. Our facilities are subject to periodic and unannounced inspection by U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies to audit compliance with the QSR, and comparable foreign regulations.

The process of complying with the applicable QSR, medical device reporting, and other requirements can be costly and time consuming, and could delay or prevent the production, manufacturing or sale of the MyoPro. If the FDA determines that we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, they may issue an inquiry or an untitled or warning letter with one or more citations of non-compliance. These inquiries or letters, if not closed promptly, can result in fines, delays or suspensions of regulatory clearances, closure of manufacturing sites, seizures or recalls of products and damage to our reputation. Similarly, if we fail to comply with applicable foreign regulatory requirements, we may be subject to, among other things, fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecution. Recent changes in enforcement practice by the FDA and other agencies have resulted in increased enforcement activity, which increases the compliance risk that we and other companies in our industry are facing.

In addition, governmental agencies of the United States or other countries may impose new requirements regarding registration, labeling or prohibited materials that may require us to modify or re-register the MyoPro once it is already on the market or otherwise impact our ability to market the MyoPro in the US or other countries. The process of complying with these governmental regulations can be costly and time consuming, and could delay or prevent the production, manufacturing or sale of the MyoPro. For instance, the FDA may issue mandates, known as 522 orders, requiring us to conduct post-market surveillance studies of our devices. Failure to comply could result in enforcement of the FFDCA against us or our products including an agency request that we recall our MyoPro products.

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Our relationships with healthcare providers and physicians and third-party payers will be subject to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings.

We are subject to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the federal False Claims Act, which may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we sell, market and distribute our products. In particular, the promotion, sales and marketing of healthcare items and services, as well as certain business arrangements in the healthcare industry (e.g. healthcare providers, physicians and third-party payers), are subject to extensive laws designed to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, structuring and commission(s), certain customer incentive programs and other business arrangements generally. We are also subject to patient information and privacy and security regulation by both the federal government and the states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business. The applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations laws that may affect our ability to operate include, but are not limited to:

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The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Federal and state enforcement bodies often scrutinize interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Ensuring business arrangements comply with applicable healthcare laws, as well as responding to possible investigations by government authorities, can be time- and resource-consuming and can divert a company’s attention from the business.

The failure to comply with any of these laws or regulatory requirements subject entities to possible legal or regulatory action. Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities, could, despite efforts to comply, be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. It is possible that governmental and enforcement authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. Depending on the circumstances, failure to meet applicable regulatory requirements can result in civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal and state funded healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm and the curtailment or restricting of our operations, as well as additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws. Any action for violation of these laws, even if successfully defended, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert management’s attention from the operation of the business. Prohibitions or restrictions on sales or withdrawal of future marketed products could materially affect business in an adverse way. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements will comply with applicable healthcare laws may involve substantial costs. In addition, the commercialization of any of our products outside the United States will also likely subject us to foreign equivalents of the healthcare laws mentioned above, among other foreign laws.

If we or our third-party manufacturers or key suppliers fail to comply with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, our manufacturing operations could be interrupted.

Our key suppliers are also required to comply with the FDA’s QSR which covers the methods and documentation of the production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, storage and shipping of our products. Cogmedix, our electromechanical kit manufacturer, and other key suppliers are also subject to the regulations of foreign jurisdictions regarding the manufacturing process with respect to the market for our products abroad.

We continue to monitor our quality management with our third-party manufacturers and suppliers to improve our overall level of compliance. Our facilities and those of our third-party manufacturers and key suppliers are subject to periodic and unannounced inspection by U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies to audit compliance with the QSR and comparable foreign regulations. If the facilities of our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations, or if our third-party manufacturers and suppliers fail to take satisfactory corrective action in response to an adverse inspection, the regulatory authority could take enforcement action, including any of the following sanctions:

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Any of these sanctions could impair our ability to produce the MyoPro in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet our customers’ demands and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition. We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may have a negative impact on our future sales and our ability to generate profits.

Our employees, principal investigators, consultants and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements and insider trading.

It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of noncompliance with these laws, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face risks in connection with the Affordable Care Act or its possible replacement or modifications and other ongoing healthcare legislative and regulatory reform measures.

The United States and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system that could affect our ability to profitably sell our products. Changes in regulations, statutes or the interpretation of existing regulations could impact our business in the future by requiring, for example: (i) changes to our manufacturing arrangements; (ii) additions or modifications to product labeling; (iii) the recall or discontinuation of our products; or (iv) additional record-keeping requirements. If any such changes were to be imposed, they could adversely affect the operation of our business.

Payors, whether domestic or foreign, or governmental or private, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs and those methods are not always specifically adapted for new technologies. In the United States, there have been and continue to be a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives and judicial challenges to contain healthcare costs. For example, in March 2010, the ACA was passed, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, generally increased the number of people with health insurance and significantly impacted the United States medical device industry to which we sell our products. Among other things, the Affordable Care Act:

Since its enactment, there have been numerous judicial, administrative, executive, and legislative challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, and we expect there will be additional challenges and amendments to the ACA in the future. Various portions of the ACA are currently undergoing legal and constitutional challenges in the United States Supreme Court and members of Congress have introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at significantly revising or repealing the ACA. The United States Supreme Court is expected to rule on a legal challenge to the constitutionality of the ACA in early 2021. The implementation of the ACA is ongoing, the law appears likely to continue the downward pressure on pharmaceutical pricing, especially under the Medicare program, and may also increase our regulatory burdens and operating costs. Litigation and legislation related to the ACA are likely to continue, with unpredictable and uncertain results.

On October 13, 2017, then-President Trump signed an Executive Order terminating the cost-sharing subsidies that reimburse insurers under the ACA, concluding that cost-sharing reduction, or CSR, payments to insurance companies required under the ACA did not received necessary appropriations from Congress and discontinued these payments pending appropriations. The loss of the CSR payments led many qualified health plans to increase premiums on certain policies. Several state Attorneys General filed suit to stop the administration from terminating the subsidies, but their request for a restraining order was denied by a federal judge in California on October 25, 2017. On August 14, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in two separate cases that the federal government is liable for the full amount of unpaid CSRs for the years preceding and including 2017. For CSR claims made by health insurance companies for years 2018 and later, further litigation will be required to determine the amounts due, if any. On December 20, 2019, former President Trump signed into law the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1865), which repeals the Cadillac tax, the health insurance provider tax, and the medical device excise tax.  It is impossible to determine whether similar taxes could be instated in the future.

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Further, on June 14, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the federal government was not required to pay more than $12 billion in ACA risk corridor payments to third-party payers who argued were owed to them. This decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which on April 27, 2020, reversed the decision and remanded the case to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, concluding the government has an obligation to pay these risk corridor payments under the relevant formula. Beginning in August 2020, the federal government began remitting $12 billion in risk corridor payment subsidies to affected plans. The effects of this ruling on third-party payers, the viability of the ACA marketplace, providers, and potentially our business, including our ability to receive adequate coverage for our products, are not yet known.

In December 2018, CMS issued a final rule permitting further collections and payments to and from certain ACA qualified health plans and health insurance issuers under the ACA risk adjustment program.  Since then, the ACA risk adjustment program payment parameters have been updated annually. In addition, CMS published a final rule that would give states greater flexibility, starting in 2020, in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces, which may affect our ability to obtain adequate reimbursement rates for our products.

While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, two bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the ACA have been signed into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or Tax Act, includes a provision that decreased the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year, commonly referred to as the “individual mandate,” to $0, effective January 1, 2019. On December 14, 2018, a federal district court in Texas ruled the individual mandate is a critical and inseverable feature of the ACA, and therefore, because it was repealed as part of the Tax Act, the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. On December 18, 2019, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, and remanded the case to the lower court to reconsider its earlier invalidation of the full ACA. On March 2, 2020, the United States Supreme Court granted the petitions for writs of certiorari to review this case, and held oral arguments on November 10, 2020. Pending a decision, the ACA remains in effect, but it is unclear at this time what effect these developments will have on the status of the ACA.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted. In August 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, resulted in aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect in 2013, and, due to subsequent legislative amendments, will remain in effect through 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken. However, pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, these Medicare sequester reductions will be suspended from May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed legislation, if enacted, would extend this suspension for the duration of the pandemic. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 further reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers, including hospitals and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

 

In response to perceived increases in healthcare costs in recent years, there have been and continue to be proposals by the Presidential administrations, members of Congress, state governments, regulators and third-party payers to control these costs and, more generally, to reform the United States healthcare system, including by repealing or replacing the ACA. Many elements of health care reform such as comparative effectiveness research, payment system reforms including shared savings pilots and other provisions could meaningfully change the way healthcare is developed and delivered, and may materially adversely impact numerous aspects of our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We expect that the ACA, as well as other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, more rigorous coverage criteria, lower reimbursement, and new payment methodologies. This could lower the price that we receive for our products. Any denial in coverage or reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government-funded programs may result in a similar denial or reduction in payments from private payers, including Medicare Advantage plans, which may prevent us from being able to generate sufficient revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our products. Litigation and legislative efforts to change or repeal the ACA are likely to continue, with unpredictable and uncertain results. It is not clear how these developments, or other future potential changes to the ACA, will change the reimbursement model and market outlook for O&P devices such as the MyoPro. We intend to monitor industry trends relative to the ACA to assist in our determination of how the MyoPro can fit into patient care protocols with providers such as rehabilitation hospitals and surgery centers. If reimbursement policies change significantly, the demand for MyoPro products may be impacted.

Risks Related to Cybersecurity and Data Protection

Our internal computer systems, or those of our customers, collaborators or other contractors, may be subject to cyber-attacks or security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our customers, collaborators and other contractors are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses and unauthorized access. Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyber-attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Cyber-attacks also could include phishing attempts or e-mail fraud to cause payments or information to be transmitted to an unintended recipient. A material cyber-attack or security breach could cause interruptions in our operations and could result in a material disruption of our business operations, damage to our reputation or a loss of revenues.

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In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including, among other things, personally identifiable information about our employees, intellectual property, and proprietary business information. Any cyber-attack or security breach that leads to unauthorized access, use or disclosure of personal or proprietary information could harm our reputation, cause us not to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents and otherwise subject us to liability under laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information. In addition, we could be subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or intentional or accidental release or loss of information maintained in the information systems and networks of our company and our vendors, including personal information of our employees, and company and vendor confidential data. In addition, outside parties may attempt to penetrate our systems or those of our vendors or fraudulently induce our personnel or the personnel of our vendors to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data and/or systems. If a material breach of our information technology systems or those of our vendors occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed and our reputation and credibility could be damaged.

 

We could be required to expend significant amounts of money and other resources to respond to these threats or breaches and to repair or replace information systems or networks and could suffer financial loss or the loss of valuable confidential information. In addition, we could be subject to regulatory actions and/or claims made by individuals and groups in private litigation involving privacy issues related to data collection and use practices and other data privacy laws and regulations, including claims for misuse or inappropriate disclosure of data, as well as unfair or deceptive practices. Although we develop and maintain systems and controls designed to prevent these events from occurring, and we have a process to identify and mitigate threats, the development and maintenance of these systems, controls and processes is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely and there can be no assurance that any measures we take will prevent cyber-attacks or security breaches that could adversely affect our business.

 

California recently enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, which creates new individual privacy rights for California consumers (as defined in the law) and places increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling personal data of consumers or households. The CCPA will require covered companies to provide certain  disclosures to consumers about its data collection, use and sharing practices, and to provide affected California residents with ways to opt-out of certain sales or transfers of personal information. The CCPA went into effect on January 1, 2020, and the California State Attorney General submitted final regulations for review on June 2, 2020, which were finalized and are now effective. The California State Attorney General has commenced enforcement actions against violators as of July 1, 2020.  Further, a new California privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, was passed by California voters on November 3, 2020. The CPRA will create additional obligations with respect to processing and storing personal information that are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2023 (with certain provisions having retroactive effect to January 1, 2022). We will continue to monitor developments related to the CPRA and anticipate additional costs and expenses associated with CPRA compliance. Other U.S. states also are considering omnibus privacy legislation and industry organizations regularly adopt and advocate for new standards in these areas. While the CCPA and CPRA contain an exception for certain activities involving PHI under HIPAA, we cannot yet determine the impact the CCPA, CPRA or other such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business.

European data collection is governed by restrictive regulations governing the use, processing, and cross-border transfer of personal information.

The collection and use of personal health data in the European Union is governed by the provisions of the Data Protection Directive, and as of May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. These directives impose several requirements relating to the consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals, notification of data processing obligations to the competent national data protection authorities and the security and confidentiality of the personal data. The Data Protection Directive and GDPR also impose strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the European Union to the United States. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Directive, the GDPR, and the related national data protection laws of the European Union Member States may result in fines and other administrative penalties. The GDPR introduces new data protection requirements in the European Union and substantial fines for breaches of the data protection rules. Notably, on January 21, 2019, Google was fined almost $57 million by French regulators for violating GDPR. The GDPR regulations may impose additional responsibility and liability in relation to personal data that we process and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the new data protection rules. This may be onerous and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

National laws of member states of the EU are in the process of being adapted to the requirements under the GDPR, thereby implementing national laws which may partially deviate from the GDPR and impose different obligations from country to country, so that we do not expect to operate in a uniform legal landscape in the EEA. Also, as it relates to processing and transfer of genetic data, the GDPR specifically allows national laws to impose additional and more specific requirements or restrictions, and European laws have historically differed quite substantially in this field, leading to additional uncertainty. The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU, often referred to as Brexit, has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. In particular, it is unclear how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated now that the United Kingdom has left the EU.

 

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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

We depend on certain patents that are licensed to us. We do not control these patents and any loss of our rights to them could prevent us from manufacturing our products.

We rely on licenses to two core patents that are material to our business, including the development of the MyoPro, which expire in November 2023 and December 2023, respectively. We have entered into the MIT License for those certain patents that cover (i) a powered orthotic device worn on a patient’s elbow or other joint, that senses relatively low level signals in the vicinity of the joint generated by a patient having spinal cord or other nerve damage and (ii) a method of providing rehabilitation movement training for a person suffering from nerve damage, stroke, spinal cord injury, neurological trauma or neuromuscular disorder in attempt to move a body part with a powered orthotic device. Our rights to use these patents will be subject to the continuation of and our compliance with the terms of those licenses.

We have certain revenue obligations, or Revenue Obligations under the MIT License. Our revenue exceeded $750,000 for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, which satisfied the Revenue Obligations for each of those fiscal years. The Revenue Obligations are a continuing requirement of the MIT License. While we expect to exceed the required revenue and satisfy the Revenue Obligations in future years, we cannot make any assurance that we will continue to comply with these obligations. Additionally, MIT has the right to terminate the MIT License upon any future uncured material breach of the agreement or if we fail to make any payments due under the agreement. If the MIT License is terminated for any reason, our business will be harmed.

Specifically, if we were to lose access to these licenses, we would be unable to manufacture the MyoPro or develop new products until we obtained access to a comparable technology.

We may not control the prosecution, maintenance or filing of the patents to which we now hold or in the future intend to acquire licenses. Enforcement of our licensed patents or defense of any claims asserting the invalidity of these patents may be subject to the control or cooperation of our licensors. We cannot be certain that our licensors will prosecute, maintain, enforce and defend the licensed patent rights in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. We also cannot be certain that drafting or prosecution of the licensed patents and patent applications by the relevant licensors have been or will be conducted in compliance with applicable law.

Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to or incorporated into our products.

Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to or incorporated into our products. We seek to protect our intellectual property through a combination of patents, trademarks, confidentiality and assignment agreements with our employees and certain of our contractors and confidentiality agreements with certain of our consultants, scientific advisors and other vendors and contractors. In addition, we rely on trade secrets law to protect our proprietary software and product candidates or products in development.

The patent position of myoelectric orthotic inventions can be highly uncertain and involves many new and evolving complex legal, factual and technical issues. Patent laws and interpretations of those laws are subject to change and any such changes may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of protection. In addition, we may fail to apply for or be unable to obtain patents necessary to protect our technology or products or enforce our patents due to lack of information about the exact use of technology or processes by third parties. Also, we cannot be sure that any patents will be granted in a timely manner or at all with respect to any of our patent pending applications or that any patents that are granted will be adequate to protect our intellectual property for any significant period of time or at all.

Litigation to establish or challenge the validity of patents, or to defend against or assert against others infringement, unauthorized use, enforceability or invalidity claims, can be lengthy and expensive and may result in our patents being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our not being granted new patents related to our pending patent applications. Even if we prevail, litigation may be time consuming and force us to incur significant costs, and any damages or other remedies awarded to us may not be valuable and management’s attention could be diverted from managing our business. In addition, U.S. patents and patent applications may be subject to interference proceedings, and U.S. patents may be subject to re-examination and review in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Foreign patents may also be subject to opposition or comparable proceedings in the corresponding foreign patent offices. Any of these proceedings may be expensive and could result in the loss of a patent or denial of a patent application, or the loss or reduction in the scope of one or more of the claims of a patent or patent application.

In addition, we seek to protect our trade secrets, know-how and confidential information that is not patentable by entering into confidentiality and assignment agreements with our employees and certain of our contractors and confidentiality agreements with certain of our consultants, scientific advisors and other vendors and contractors. However, we may fail to enter into the necessary agreements, and even if entered into, these agreements may be breached or otherwise fail to prevent disclosure, third-party infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary information, may be limited as to their term and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure or use of proprietary information. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. We also have taken precautions to initiate reasonable safeguards to protect our information technology systems. However, these measures may not be adequate to safeguard our proprietary information, which could lead to the loss or impairment thereof or to expensive litigation to defend our rights against competitors who may be better funded and have superior resources. In addition, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or reverse engineer certain aspects of our products that we consider proprietary or our proprietary information may otherwise become known or may be independently developed by our competitors or other third parties. If other parties are able to use our proprietary technology or information, our ability to compete in the market could be harmed.

Further, unauthorized use of our intellectual property may have occurred, or may occur in the future, without our knowledge.

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If we are unable to obtain or maintain adequate protection for intellectual property, or if any protection is reduced or eliminated, competitors may be able to use our technologies, resulting in harm to our competitive position.

We are not able to protect our intellectual property rights in all countries.

Filing, prosecuting, maintaining and defending patents on each of our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and thus our intellectual property rights outside the United States are currently limited to the European Union, and Japan. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries, especially developing countries, do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Also, it may not be possible to effectively enforce intellectual property rights in some countries at all or to the same extent as in the United States and other countries. Consequently, we are unable to prevent third parties from using our inventions in all countries, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in the jurisdictions in which we do not have (or are unable to effectively enforce) patent protection. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop, market or otherwise commercialize their own products, and we may be unable to prevent those competitors from importing those infringing products into territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as in the United States. These products may compete with our products and our patents and other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing in those jurisdictions. Moreover, competitors or others in the chain of commerce may raise legal challenges against our intellectual property rights or may infringe upon our intellectual property rights, including through means that may be difficult to prevent or detect.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in the United States or foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing, and could provoke third parties to assert patent infringement or other claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license from third parties.

 

We may be subject to patent infringement claims, which could result in substantial costs and liability and prevent us from commercializing our current and future products.

The medical device industry is characterized by competing intellectual property and a substantial amount of litigation over patent rights. In particular, our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, have been issued patents and filed patent applications with respect to their products and processes and may apply for other patents in the future. The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent issuances, and the complexities of the technology involved increase the risk of patent litigation.

Determining whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues and the outcome of patent litigation is often uncertain. Even though we have conducted research of issued patents, no assurance can be given that patents containing claims covering our products, technology or methods do not exist, have not been filed or could not be filed or issued. In addition, because patent applications can take years to issue and because publication schedules for pending applications vary by jurisdiction, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware and may result in issued patents which our current or future products infringe. Also, because the claims of published patent applications can change between publication and patent grant, published applications may issue with claims that potentially cover our products, technology or methods.

Infringement actions and other intellectual property claims brought against us, with or without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management and harm our reputation. We cannot be certain that we will successfully defend against any allegations of infringement. If we are found to infringe another party’s patents, we could be required to pay damages. We could also be prevented from selling our products that infringe, unless we could obtain a license to use the technology covered by such patents or could redesign our products so that they do not infringe. A license may be available on commercially reasonable terms or none at all, and we may not be able to redesign our products to avoid infringement. Further, any modification to our products could require us to conduct clinical trials and revise our filings with the FDA and other regulatory bodies, which would be time consuming and expensive. In these circumstances, we may not be able to sell our products at competitive prices or at all, and our business and operating results could be harmed.

We rely on trademark protection to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors.

We rely on trademark protection to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors. We have registered the trademarks “MyoPro” (Registration No. 4,532,331), “MYOMO” (Registration No. 4,451,445), and “MyoPal” (Registration No. 6,086,533) in the United States. The MyoPro mark is registered in Canada and in selected European Union, or EU, countries with pending registration. In jurisdictions where we have not yet registered our trademark and are using it, and as permitted by applicable local law, we seek to rely on common law trademark protection where available. Third parties may oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks, and may be able to use our trademarks in jurisdictions where they are not registered or otherwise protected by law. If our trademarks are successfully challenged or if a third party is using confusingly similar or identical trademarks in particular jurisdictions before we do, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require us to devote additional resources to marketing new brands. If others are able to use our trademarks, our ability to distinguish our products may be impaired, which could adversely affect our business. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe upon our trademarks, or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.

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We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that our employees or we have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

Some of our employees were previously employed at other medical device companies, including our competitors or potential competitors, and we may hire employees in the future that are so employed. We could in the future be subject to claims that these employees, or we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. If we fail in defending against such claims, a court could order us to pay substantial damages and prohibit us from using technologies or features that are found to incorporate or be derived from the trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers. If any of these technologies or features are important to our products, this could prevent us from selling those products and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, such litigation could result in substantial costs and divert the attention of management.

Risks Related to our Securities

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities

Our stockholders will experience significant dilution upon the issuance of common stock if the shares of our common stock underlying our warrants, are exercised or converted.

We have a significant number of securities convertible into, or allowing the purchase of, our common stock. Investors could be subject to increased dilution upon the conversion or exercise of these securities. For example, as of March 31, 2021, we had 1,709,714 shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants, with a weighted-average exercise price of $8.02 per share, and 24,587 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options under our equity incentive plans, with a weighted-average exercise price of $50.52 per share. In addition, we have 20 shares of unvested restricted stock outstanding, and 273,321 restricted stock units outstanding

 

We may not be able to maintain a listing of our common stock on the NYSE American.

We must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain such listing. If we fail to meet any of the NYSE American’s listing standards, our common stock may be delisted. In addition, our board may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the benefits of such listing. A delisting of our common stock from the NYSE American may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock. A delisting of our common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital.

There is no public market for our warrants to purchase common stock.

There is no established public trading market for our warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply for listing of such warrants on any securities exchange. Without an active market, the liquidity of such warrants will be limited.

Holders of our warrants have no rights as a common stockholder until such holders exercise their warrants and acquire our common stock.

Until holders of our warrants exercise such warrants, they will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such warrants. Upon exercise of such warrants, the holders thereof will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile.

The stock market in general, and the market price of our common stock in particular will likely be subject to fluctuation, whether due to, or irrespective of, our operating results, financial condition and prospects. For example, from June 9, 2017 to March 31, 2021, the high and low sales price of our common stock on the NYSE American has fluctuated from a low of $2.82 to a high of $695.88 per share. During the period from April 1, 2021 to the date of the filing of this report, our stock price has ranged from $9.61 to $13.59.

Our financial performance, our industry’s overall performance, changing consumer preferences, technologies, government regulatory action, tax laws and market conditions in general could have a significant impact on the future market price of our common stock. Some of the other factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in our share price include:

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We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future, as we anticipate that we will invest future earnings in the development and growth of our business. Therefore, holders of our common stock will not receive any return on their investment unless they sell their securities, and holders may be unable to sell their securities on favorable terms or at all.

If securities industry analysts do not publish research reports on us, or publish unfavorable reports on us, then the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected.

Any trading market for our common stock will be influenced in part by any research reports that securities industry analysts publish about us. We do not have any control over these analysts. We currently have limited research coverage by securities industry analysts and we may be unable to maintain analyst coverage or have analysts initiate coverage on us. If securities industry analysts cease coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected. In the event we are covered by analysts, and one or more of such analysts downgrade our securities, or otherwise reports on us unfavorably, or discontinues coverage on us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected.

Future issuances of our common stock or equity-related securities could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and would result in the dilution of your holdings.

Future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock on the price of our common stock. In all events, future issuances of our common stock would result in the dilution of your holdings. In addition, the perception that new issuances of our common stock, or other securities convertible into our common stock, could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our bankruptcy or liquidation, and future issuances of preferred stock, which could rank senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividends and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect our common stock price.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by offering debt securities. Upon bankruptcy or liquidation, holders of our debt securities, and lenders with respect to other borrowings we may make, would receive distributions of our available assets prior to any distributions being made to holders of our common stock. Moreover, if we issue preferred stock, the holders of such preferred stock could be entitled to preferences over holders of common stock in respect of the payment of dividends and the payment of liquidating distributions. Because our decision to issue debt or preferred securities in any future offering, or borrow money from lenders, will depend in part on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any such future offerings or borrowings. Holders of our common stock must bear the risk that any future offerings we conduct or borrowings we make may adversely affect the level of return they may be able to achieve from an investment in our common stock.

If our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.

The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not retain a listing on the NYSE American or another national securities exchange and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.

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Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder. Any of the foregoing provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, and they could deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you would receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.

Risks Related to Internal Controls

We have elected to publicly report on an ongoing basis as an “emerging growth company” (as defined in the JOBS Act) under the reporting rules set forth under the Exchange Act. For so long as we remain an “emerging growth company,” we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other Exchange Act reporting companies that are not “emerging growth companies”.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in the Annual Report on Form 10-K and our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) in 2022, (b) the date on which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th , and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may under certain circumstances still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (so long as we are a non-accelerated filer) and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting certain new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act.

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We are obligated to develop and maintain a system of effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may harm investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

We are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in the annual and quarterly reports we file with the SEC. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. In reviewing the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting for the three months ended March 31, 2020, we concluded that we had a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for warrants, which was remediated in the third quarter of 2020. However, our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act if we take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act.

We will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. As we continue to grow as a public company, we may need to add additional finance staff. We may not be able to remediate any future material weaknesses, or to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our auditors are unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls when they are required to issue such opinion, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our stock price.

The preparation of our financial statements involves the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions, and our financial statements may be materially affected if such estimates, judgments or assumptions prove to be inaccurate.

Financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States typically require the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. Often, different estimates, judgments and assumptions could reasonably be used that would have a material effect on such financial statements, and changes in these estimates, judgments and assumptions may occur from period to period over time. Significant areas of accounting requiring the application of management’s judgment include, but are not limited to, determining the fair value of assets and the timing and amount of cash flows from assets. These estimates, judgments and assumptions are inherently uncertain and, if our estimates were to prove to be wrong, we would face the risk that charges to income or other financial statement changes or adjustments would be required. Any such charges or changes could harm our business, including our financial condition and results of operations and the price of our securities. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a discussion of the accounting estimates, judgments and assumptions that we believe are the most critical to an understanding of our financial statements and our business.

We are incurring increased costs as a public company and our management team is required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE American and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to compliance with these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly.

 

 

Risks Related to Tax Laws

We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory changes in tax laws that could negatively impact our financial condition.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal, state and local income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect our stockholders or us. In recent years, many such changes have been made. For example, the U.S. government recently enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the TCJA, that significantly reforms the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. The TCJA, among other things, contains significant changes to corporate taxation, including a reduction of the corporate tax rate from a top marginal tax rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21%, a limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of taxable income (except for certain small businesses), a limitation of the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of annual taxable income  and an elimination of net operating loss carrybacks (though any such net operating losses may be carried forward indefinitely) and the modification or repeal of many business deductions and credits (including a reduction of the business tax credit for certain clinical testing expenses incurred in the testing of certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions generally referred to as “orphan drugs”). Additional changes to tax laws are likely to continue to occur in the future. In addition, the CARES Act, among other things, suspends the 80% limitation on the deduction for net operating losses in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2021, permits a 5-year carryback of net operating losses arising in table years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2021, and generally caps the limitation on the deduction for net interest expense at 50% of adjusted taxable income for taxable years beginning in 2020. We cannot predict whether, when, in what form, or with what effective dates, tax laws, regulations and rulings may be enacted, promulgated or decided, which could result in an increase in our, or our stockholders’ tax liability or require changes in the manner in which we operate in order to minimize increases in our tax liability.

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Our ability to use net operating losses and research and development credits to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.

As of December 31, 2020, we had U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of $55.6 million and $48.7 million, respectively, which begin to expire in the year 2028 and 2022 through 2038, respectively. These net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards could expire unused and be unavailable to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities, respectively. In addition, in general, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and corresponding provisions of state law, a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards or tax credits, or NOLs or credits, to offset future taxable income. For these purposes, an ownership change generally occurs where the aggregate stock ownership of one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who owns at least 5% of a corporation’s stock increases its ownership by more than 50 percentage points over its lowest ownership percentage within a specified testing period. We have determined that an ownership changes occurred prior to 2019. The result of these ownership changes is that approximately $5 million of our pre-change net operating loss carryforwards will not be available to us to offset future taxable income. In addition, we determined that an ownership change occurred in conjunction with our common stock offering in February 2020.  As a result, an additional $437,000 of our NOL’s will expire unutilized. We may undergo an ownership change in connection with future changes in our stock ownership (many of which are outside of our control), whereby our ability to utilize NOLs or credits could be further limited by Sections 382 of the Code or under corresponding provisions of state law. Furthermore, our ability to utilize our NOLs or credits is conditioned upon our attaining profitability and generating U.S. federal and state taxable income. As described above under “Risk factors— Risks Associated with Our Business,” we have incurred net losses since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future; and therefore, we do not know whether or when we will generate the U.S. federal or state taxable income necessary to utilize our NOLs or credits that are subject to limitation by Sections 382 of the Code. Under the TCJA, U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards generated after December 31, 2019 will not be subject to expiration.

 

(a) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

 

(b) Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities

None

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None

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The exhibits filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are set forth on the Exhibits Index, which is incorporated by reference.

Exhibits Index

 

 

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date May 5, 2021

 

 

 

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