10-K 1 tm214229d1_10k.htm FORM 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

☐ Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For transition period from to

Commission File Number: 001-39577

Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	47-4790334
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

12510 Prosperity Drive, Suite 370
Silver Spring, MD 20904
(Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)

(240) 247-1170
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share		AZYO		The Nasdaq Global Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

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.

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated Filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☒	Smaller reporting company	☒
		Emerging growth company	☒

If an emerging growth company, indicated 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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

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

The registrant was not a public company as of the last business day of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, therefore, cannot calculate the aggregate market value of its voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates as of such date.

As of March 12, 2021, there were 7,091,982 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock and 3,134,162 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, which the registrant intends to file pursuant to Regulation 14A with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		1

RISK FACTOR SUMMARY		3

PART I		5

Item 1.	Business	5
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	34
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	91
Item 2.	Properties	91
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	91
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosure	91

PART II		92

Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	92
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	92
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	92
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	106
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	107
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	107
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	108
Item 9B.	Other Information	108

PART III		109

Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	109
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	109
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management Related Stockholder Matters	109
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	110
Item 14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	110

PART IV		111

Item 15.	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	111
Item 16.	Form 10-K Summary	114

SIGNATURES		115

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS		F-1

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report, including statements regarding our results of operations, financial position, projected growth in total net sales, seasonality, business strategy, policies and approach, including, without limitation, expectations regarding our products and their targeted effects, plans for our sales and marketing growth and anticipated expansion of our product development and clinical and research activities, expectations regarding competition, our competitive advantages, regulations that impact our business, and overall clinical and commercial success, expectations regarding the forgiveness of all or a portion of our loan pursuant to the CARES Act and the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our business are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

Without limiting the foregoing, in some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “aim,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “exploring,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “seeks,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results, performance, or achievements, and one should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us. Such beliefs and assumptions may or may not prove to be correct. Additionally, such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, those identified in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:

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our ability to enhance our products, expand our product indications and develop, acquire and commercialize additional product offerings;

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our dependence on our commercial partners and independent sales agents to generate a substantial portion of our net sales;

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our failure to maintain our relationships with our existing contract manufacturing customers and enter into agreements with new contract manufacturing customers, or if existing contract manufacturing customers reduce purchases of our products;

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our ability to successfully expand, manage and maintain our direct sales force;

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our ability to achieve or sustain profitability;

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the adverse impacts of the novel strain of coronavirus disease, COVID-19, or any other future pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or worldwide;

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physician awareness of the distinctive characteristics, benefits, safety, clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of our products;

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the continued and future acceptance of our products by the medical community;

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our ability to obtain regulatory approval or other marketing authorizations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) and comparable foreign authorities for our products and product candidates; and

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our ability to obtain, maintain and adequately protect our intellectual property rights.

Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties.

You should read this Annual Report and the documents that we reference in this Annual Report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

As used in this Annual Report, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” and “Aziyo” refer to the operations of Aziyo Biologics, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

This Annual Report includes our trademarks, trade names and service marks, including, without limitation, “Aziyo®,” “CanGaroo®,” “ProxiCor®,” “Tyke®,” “VasCure®,” “FiberCel®,” “ViBone®,” “OsteGro®,” “SimpliDerm®” and our logo, which are our property and are protected under applicable intellectual property laws. This Annual Report also contains trademarks, trade names and service marks of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks, trade names and service marks may appear in this Annual Report without the ®, TM and SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we or the applicable owner forgo or will not assert, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, our rights or the rights of any applicable licensors to these trademarks, trade names and service marks. We do not intend our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.

INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this Annual Report concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate, including our general expectations, market position and market opportunity, is based on our management’s estimates and research, as well as industry and general publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. We believe the information from these third-party publications, research, surveys and studies included in this Annual Report is reliable. Management’s estimates are derived from publicly available information, their knowledge of our industry and their assumptions based on such information and knowledge, which we believe to be reasonable. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations which are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in this Annual Report under “Forward Looking Statements” and Part I, Item IA “Risk Factors.” These and other factors could cause our future performance to differ materially from our assumptions and estimates.

RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report. You should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties when investing in our common stock. The principal risks and uncertainties affecting our business include the following:

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our long-term growth depends on our ability to enhance our products, expand our product indications and develop, acquire and commercialize additional product offerings;

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a substantial portion of our net sales is generated through our commercial partners and independent sales agents, which subjects us to various risks;

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our revenue and profitability could be materially and adversely affected if we fail to maintain our relationships with our existing contract manufacturing customers and enter into agreements with new contract manufacturing customers, or if existing contract manufacturing customers reduce purchases of our products. Our relationships with these customers also subject us to certain risks;

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we plan to expand our direct sales force, and if we are unable to successfully expand, manage and maintain our direct sales force, we may not be able to generate greater market share and revenue growth;

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we have incurred operating losses since our inception, expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses in the future, and may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability;

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our business has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by the outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and may be adversely affected by any future pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or worldwide;

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adverse changes in general domestic and global economic conditions and instability and disruption of credit markets, including as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic or any other outbreak of an infectious disease, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity;

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our future growth depends on physician awareness of the distinctive characteristics, benefits, safety, clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of our products;

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our success depends on the continued and future acceptance of our products by the medical community;

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we face significant and continuing competition from other companies, some of which have longer operating histories, more established products and/or greater resources than we do, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations;

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pricing pressure, as a result of cost-containment efforts of our customers, purchasing groups, third-party payors and governmental organizations, could adversely affect our sales and profitability;

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the processing of human and porcine tissue for our products is technically complex, requiring high levels of quality control and precision, which subjects us to increased production risks;

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because we depend upon a limited number of third-party suppliers and manufacturers and, in certain cases, exclusive suppliers for raw materials essential to our business, we may incur significant product development costs and experience material delivery delays if we lose any significant supplier, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations;

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the regulatory approval and clearance processes of the FDA and comparable foreign authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval or other marketing authorizations for our products and product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed; and

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if we are unable to obtain, maintain and adequately protect our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could be harmed or we could be required to incur significant expenses to enforce or defend our rights.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are a commercial-stage regenerative medicine company focused on creating the next generation of differentiated products and improving outcomes in patients undergoing surgery, concentrating on patients receiving implantable medical devices. From our proprietary tissue processing platforms, we have developed a portfolio of advanced regenerative medical products that are designed to be very similar to natural biological material. Our proprietary products, which we refer to as our Core Products, are designed to address the implantable electronic device/cardiovascular, orthopedic/spinal repair and soft tissue reconstruction markets, which represented a combined $3 billion market opportunity in the United States in 2020. To expand our commercial reach, we have commercial relationships with major medical device companies, such as Boston Scientific and Medtronic, to promote and sell some of our Core Products. We believe our focus on our unique regenerative medicine platforms and our Core Products will ultimately maximize our probability of continued clinical and commercial success and will create a long-term competitive advantage for us.

We estimate that more than two million patients were either implanted with medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, neuro-stimulators, spinal fusion and trauma fracture hardware or tissue expanders for breast reconstruction, in the United States in 2019. This number is driven by advances in medical device technologies and an aging population with a growing incidence of comorbidities, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases. These comorbidities can exacerbate various immune responses and other complications that can be triggered by a device implant.

Our Core Products are targeted to address unmet clinical needs with the goal of promoting healthy tissue formation and avoiding complications associated with medical device implants, such as scar-tissue formation, capsular contraction, erosion, migration, non-union of implants and implant rejection. We believe that we have developed the only biological envelope, which is covered by a number of patents, that forms a natural, systemically vascularized pocket for holding implanted electronic devices. We have a proprietary processing technology for manufacturing bone regenerative products for use in orthopedic/spinal repair that preserves a cell’s ability to regenerate bone and decelerates cell apoptosis, or programmed cell death. We have a patented cell removal technology that produces undamaged extracellular matrices for use in soft tissue reconstruction. In pre-clinical and clinical studies, our products have supported and, in some cases, accelerated tissue healing, and thereby improved patient outcomes. Our Core and Non-Core product portfolio is highlighted in the table below.

Our growth strategy is focused on increasing penetration in our target markets. We believe we can expand our commercial penetration in these markets and thereby grow our business by increasing our direct sales force and developing and launching more clinically relevant products from our pipeline and, when possible and appropriate, from acquisitions.

Our go-to-market strategy includes a hybrid of a direct sales force, commercial partners and independent sales agents. As of December 31, 2020, we had 33 direct sales representatives who focus on gaining additional market access and driving market penetration, not only by selling our products, but also, where appropriate, by managing our commercial partners and providing technical assistance for selling our products. By growing our direct sales force and leveraging our existing commercial partners, we believe we can expand our customer base and further strengthen our existing customer relationships and increase penetration in our target markets.

We have a well-established and scalable manufacturing platform, consisting of two facilities that are supported by our corporate headquarters. Our Silver Spring, Maryland location is our headquarters and functions as a research and development and corporate support center. Our Roswell, Georgia location is our processing, production and distribution facility for all our implantable electronic device/cardiovascular products. Our Richmond, California location is our human tissue products facility. We believe we have sufficient operating capacity at both our Roswell and Richmond facilities to support future growth.

Net sales from our Core Products grew from $30.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $36.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, representing an annual growth rate of 17%. Our total net sales decreased from $42.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $42.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, representing an annual decline of 0.5%. Our gross margins improved from 46% in the year ended December 31, 2019 to 48% in the year ended December 31, 2020. Our gross margins, excluding intangible asset amortization, improved from 54% in the year ended December 31, 2019 to 56% in the year ended December 31, 2020. We incurred a net loss of $11.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 and $21.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Gross margin, excluding intangible asset amortization, is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” under Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a discussion regarding our use of gross margin, excluding intangible asset amortization, including its limitations and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

Our Competitive Strengths

Our mission is to provide advanced regenerative care products that improve the outcomes in patients primarily undergoing implantable device-related surgery. To accomplish this mission, we intend to establish our Core Products as the standard of care for treating patients undergoing such procedures. We believe our key competitive strengths position us well to execute on our growth strategy. Our key competitive strengths are:

Well-positioned in Large, Attractive and Growing Markets. We believe that the implantable electronic devices/cardiovascular, the orthopedic/spinal repair and the soft tissue reconstruction markets, which represented a combined $3 billion market opportunity in the United States in 2020, will continue to experience accelerated growth, given advancements in implantable medical device technologies to treat more medical conditions and shifting global demographics that include an aging population; a greater incidence of comorbidities, such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases; and increasing numbers of mastectomies and lumpectomies. We believe there is growing adoption of regenerative medicine products by the medical community as physicians become aware of the benefits of natural products, including reduced inflammation, scar-tissue formation and foreign body response, as compared to using traditional products made from synthetic materials.

Regenerative Medicine Technology Focus. Our scientific expertise and know-how in regenerative medicine technology has allowed us to develop our proprietary platforms to create differentiated biomaterials, including our Core Products: CanGaroo, ProxiCor, Tyke, VasCure, FiberCel, ViBone, OsteGro V and SimpliDerm. These types of products, which are designed to more closely resemble natural products than similar traditionally processed products, have enabled us to advance the science of regenerative medicine as well as to process tissue and produce products at commercial scale.

Broad Portfolio of Core Products to Address the Needs of Physicians, Patients and Providers. Physicians use our broad portfolio of regenerative medicine products to meet the needs of individual patients. The breadth of our current portfolio, which includes products used in implantable electronic devices/cardiovascular, orthopedic/spinal repair and soft tissue reconstructive procedures, gives us the flexibility to target a broad set of procedures, each with a full suite of products to accommodate both the clinical and economic factors that may affect purchasing decisions. Our experienced contracting and direct sales force teams are highly trained to assist clinicians in effectively using the full complement of our products.

Large and Growing Body of Clinical Data and FDA Cleared Products. We have significant regulatory experience in obtaining FDA clearance for regenerative medicine products requiring 510(k) clearance and in navigating the comprehensive regulatory framework that applies to human cells, tissues and cellular and tissue-based products, or HCT/Ps. We have and continue to develop a body of pre-clinical, clinical and patient outcomes data, including third-party publications that reviewed the technical and clinical attributes of our products. We believe that our extensive in vivo and clinical data give us a competitive advantage.

Relationships with Care Providers. Our medical and commercial teams have established extensive customer relationships in the healthcare industry. We have developed excellent relationships with physicians, nurses and hospital administrators. We believe we are well-positioned to leverage these relationships to increase our penetration in our target markets.

Commercial Relationships with Major Medical Device Companies. We have commercial agreements with major medical device companies, including Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Medtronic, Surgalign Holdings and others, which we collectively refer to as our commercial partners, to promote or commercialize some of our products. Our commercial partners use their own network of more than 2,000 sales representatives, clinical specialists and independent sales agents, including approximately 1,400 of which are focused on our CanGaroo product and more than 800 of which are focused on our FiberCel, ViBone and OsteGro V products. We leverage this additional presence in targeted markets to significantly increase our opportunity to cost-effectively penetrate these large markets.

Established and Scalable Manufacturing and Commercial Infrastructure. We have well-established relationships to obtain the human and animal tissues, which we need to manufacture our products, in the quantity needed and in a manner that preserves their integrity. We have sufficient capacity to increase the scale of our manufacturing, and the required quality control and regulatory capabilities to ensure that our products meet established specifications. We have developed rigorous medical, clinical, manufacturing, distribution and logistics capabilities designed to comply with FDA requirements. We pair our operational capabilities with a strong commercial team of sales, marketing and contracting professionals. Our established regulatory, operational and commercial infrastructure provides a firm foundation for growth as we continue to scale our business.

Executive Management Team with Extensive Experience in Regenerative Medicine. Our executive management team has extensive experience in the regenerative medicine and medical device industries. This experience allows us to operate with a deep understanding of the underlying trends in regenerative medicine and the intertwined scientific, clinical, regulatory, commercial and manufacturing functions that drive success in this industry. We believe our team has the necessary experience to lead us through our continued commercial expansion and the development and launch of our pipeline products.

Our Growth Strategy

The key elements of our growth strategy are:

Increase Penetration in Our Target Markets. We believe that the potential for growth in regenerative medicine in our target market segments presents a long-term opportunity to increase the use of our products. We plan to continue our growth and accelerate our penetration into our target markets by increasing the size of our direct sales force and by leveraging our relationships with our commercial partners that have well-established and significant cardiac rhythm and orthopedic/spinal sales infrastructure and experience in our target markets. We believe the breadth and flexibility of our current portfolio of products provides us with the capability to address a wider variety of implantable device procedures and soft tissue reconstructions, all of which should offer significant new growth opportunities.

Additional Growth through Selective Acquisitions. We have demonstrated our ability to identify acquisition opportunities and integrate assets that complement our strategy and generate revenue and incremental gross profits. We were created in 2015 through the spin-out of the musculoskeletal division of Tissue Banks International (“TBI”) now KeraLink International (“KeraLink”), which provided us with tissue processing capabilities. We created additional value from this transaction by hiring scientific expertise to enhance these assets and develop a next generation of products. We then formed strategic partnerships to sell these products and improve our financial performance. Similarly, in 2017, we acquired biomaterial medical device assets, centered around the product we now sell as CanGaroo, from CorMatrix Cardiovascular. We followed the model that we had developed with the TBI asset acquisition. We brought in experienced leadership and expanded our clinical and commercial teams, which provided us with the opportunity to form new partnerships and commercialize CanGaroo. As a result, we again accelerated the growth of our revenue stream. We will continue to evaluate possible acquisitions that complement our existing portfolio and leverage our established commercial and manufacturing infrastructure.

Robust Pipeline of Innovative Core Products from Our Proven Research and Development Capabilities. We have brought to market four commercial Core Products in the past three years. In addition to our current core commercial products, we have a pipeline of products being developed for the implantable electronic devices/cardiovascular market, the orthopedic/spinal repair market and the soft tissue reconstruction market that we expect to launch in the future. We will continue to conduct pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, gather patient data and perform other research to support the further adoption of our products in the marketplace.

Continuing to Expand the Reach of Our Direct Sales Force. As of December 31, 2020, we had 33 direct sales representatives who focus on gaining additional market access and driving market penetration, not only by selling our products, but also, where appropriate, by managing our commercial partners and providing technical assistance for selling our products. Our sales team provides the critical knowledge of the advantages that our biological products provide for patients over those of our competitors. We plan to grow our sales organization in order to expand our network of hospital and physician customers, drive deeper penetration in current accounts and provide additional technical assistance to our commercial partners. We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow our business through this continued expansion of our commercial footprint.

Our Core Products/Solutions

Our portfolio of regenerative medicine Core Products has been developed to address the following specific markets:

Implantable Electronic Devices/Cardiovascular Market

Market Opportunity

In 2019, we estimate, based on industry sources and other third-party estimates, that there were more than 600,000 procedures in the United States to install or replace implantable electronic devices, such as pacemakers, pulse generators and defibrillators, as well as spinal cord neuromodulators and vagus nerve, deep brain and sacral nerve stimulators, which represents an estimated $600 million opportunity.

Limitations of Existing Solutions

Implantable electronic devices are now the standard of care for patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. Such devices are implanted in soft tissue, which is not heavily vascularized, and its implantation may trigger a biologic response that results in inflammation and fibrosis, leading to the device and its wire leads being encased in dense or calcified fibrous material.

In 2015, a group of third-party researchers published a systematic review and meta-analysis of 60 published reports, consisting of 21 prospective, nine case-control and 30 retrospective cohort studies published between 1981 and 2013, each of which examined the rate of infection associated with the implantation of electronic devices. The average rate of infection was between 1.0 and 1.3% and the reported rates of infection ranged from 0.3 to 16.4%. In 2019, a different group of third-party researchers published the results of a global, prospective randomized clinical trial focused on infection complications of implantable electronic cardiovascular devices which identified a 1.2% mean infection rate during 12-month follow-up in the control arm (3,488 patients), and this was later reported by other third-party researchers in 2020 to rise to 1.9% at the 36 months follow-up. However, infection is not the only significant complication associated with implantation. Data from third-party studies published in 2011 and 2016 indicated that migration occurred in 0.5 to 10.9% of such procedures, and data from third-party studies published in 2001 and 2007 indicated that erosion of the device through the skin occurred in 0.2 to 5.0% of such procedures. Thus, migration and erosion have been shown to be similarly frequent and can both result in infection or require replacement of the device. Other complications include those associated with Twiddler’s syndrome, which is a malfunction of a pacemaker due to manipulation of the device by the patient, and discomfort at the implant site. In addition, capsular contracture can occur when scar tissue, or a capsule, around the device tightens and squeezes the implant. Capsular contraction may be more common following infection, collection of blood, or hematoma, and collection of the watery portion of blood, or seroma.

As patients with implants live longer, device reoperations are ever more common, including those to replace or upgrade the device, or to replace or revise the wire leads. The dense, under-vascularized capsule surrounding a device and its wire leads makes replacement or revision more difficult, increases the time needed for the extraction and replacement procedure and progressively increases the risk of infection. An increasing proportion of these cardiovascular electronic devices, that is, cardioverter/defibrillators, are now larger, heavier and more complex and have a greater frequency of complications associated with them than the smaller, less heavy and less complex devices. For neurostimulator devices, the common location of these devices, which is in the soft tissue of the abdomen or back, increases the risk of migration and erosion and that of patient discomfort when sleeping or sitting.

In 1972, Dr. Victor Parsonnet reported that enclosing pulse generators in a polyester pouch prevented migration and extrusion of the implanted device through the skin. BARD Vascular Systems manufactured the Parsonnet pouch, which was used in patients with little subcutaneous tissue. In 2008, TyRx Pharma introduced AIGSRX, a synthetic, permanent mesh envelope, which was intended to securely hold either a pacemaker pulse generator or defibrillator and provide a safe space for these implants to be acclimated by the body. To prevent infections associated with the implantation procedure, the non-resorbable mesh was coated with a bioabsorbable material, which dissolved over a period of seven to ten days, during which time the antibiotics rifampicin and minocycline were released. In 2013, TyRx replaced the original product with AIGISRXR, a comparable product with the same two intended uses, but totally bioresorbable. In 2014, Medtronic acquired TyRx and now sells this totally bioresorbable synthetic product under the name TYRX.

TYRX is a relatively stiff synthetic mesh with rough edges, which may require the surgeon to make a larger incision than is needed only to implant the electronic device. The larger incision can lead to longer surgery times and complications at the time of replacement or upgrade of the implantable device. Third-party studies have shown that the synthetic TYRX mesh is broken down and reabsorbed within approximately nine weeks. According to published literature, synthetic mesh, unlike biological mesh, is not associated with the biological signaling needed to mitigate the anticipated and well-documented foreign body response that results in the production of scar tissue to form a capsule surrounding an implantable device. TYRX’s primary benefit is to dispense antibiotics to reduce the rate of infection associated with device implantation.

Our Solution

CanGaroo was designed to mitigate complications deriving from implantable electronic devices and the shortcomings of synthetic envelopes. We believe that CanGaroo is the only biological product that forms a natural, systemically vascularized pocket that conforms to and securely holds implantable electronic devices. CanGaroo is cleared for use with pacemaker pulse generators, defibrillators and other cardiac implantable electronic devices as well as vagus nerve stimulators, spinal cord neuromodulators, deep brain stimulators and sacral nerve stimulators.

The CanGaroo Envelope is constructed from perforated, multi-laminate sheets of decellularized, non-crosslinked, lyophilized SIS ECM, derived from porcine small intestinal submucosa, a natural biomaterial, which is rich in natural growth factors, structural proteins and collagens. The ECM is sewn into the shape of a pouch, into which the device is placed. We sell the biological envelope in a variety of sizes, which allows it to accommodate various sized electronic devices, and it has a shelf life of 30 months.

CanGaroo is soft and pliable and is designed to conform to the implantable device for easy handling and implantation. The SIS ECM is designed to mitigate the biologic foreign body response that normally occurs around the electronic device. CanGaroo is remodeled into a surrounding layer of vital, vascularized tissue, potentially reducing the risk of capsular formation, migration and erosion of the implantable device through the skin, and complications associated with Twiddler’s syndrome. CanGaroo may also facilitate the process of implantation and of device removal during its replacement, as well as enhance patient comfort.

Development Pipeline

We are currently developing a version of CanGaroo that combines the envelope with antibiotics and is designed to reduce the risk of infection following surgical implantation of an electronic device. As a first step, we recently completed a feasibility study that demonstrated the targeted release of antibiotics for CanGaroo. Based on feedback from the FDA, we believe that this product candidate will require clearance of a 510(k) submission to be marketed in the United States. In February 2021, we completed the product design for the CanGaroo with antibiotics.

Commercial Approach

We sell CanGaroo in the United States using our direct sales force and our commercial partners, Boston Scientific and Biotronik, which act as sales agents and give us access to approximately 1,400 sales representatives and clinical specialists to further expand our footprint and accelerate our sales. Our primary customers are electrophysiologists, cardiac surgeons and neurosurgeons. Our direct sales force is focused on gaining additional market access and driving market penetration, not only by selling our products, but also, where appropriate, by managing our commercial partners and providing technical assistance for selling our products. Our sales team provides the critical knowledge of the advantages that CanGaroo provides for patients over those of our competitors. We ship the product directly to hospitals.

Additional Cardiovascular Products

Through our direct sales force and independent sales agents, we also sell additional cardiovascular products derived from our specialized SIS ECM, all of which received 510(k) regulatory clearance as medical devices:

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ProxiCor is cleared for use as an intracardiac patch or pledget for tissue repair, i.e., atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect and suture-line buttressing, as well as for the repair and reconstruction of the pericardium. ProxiCor enables cardiac and congenital heart surgeons to reestablish the essential native anatomical structures of the heart and pericardium by providing a natural bio-scaffold that allows the patient’s own cells to form a new pericardial layer. Typically, the absence of a pericardial barrier often leads to scarring and the formation of adhesions between the heart and sternum, impairing normal heart function. We believe that the use of ProxiCor for pericardial repair potentially avoids adverse events associated with the use of synthetic materials or highly processed biological materials, which can trigger an immune response, resulting in fibrotic or calcified scarring at the implant site.

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Tyke was developed based on a request by pediatric cardiovascular surgeons to deliver an ECM material that maintained the biomechanical properties found in our existing products, but was thinner, more pliable and better suited for intracardiac and branch pulmonary artery use in neonates and infants. Tyke is cleared for use in neonates and infants for the repair of pericardial structures; as an epicardial covering for damaged or repaired cardiac structures; and as a patch material for intracardiac defects, septal defect and annulus repair, suture-line buttressing and cardiac repair. We believe that Tyke is the only extra cellular material that has been specifically cleared for use in neonates and infants to repair pericardial structures.

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VasCure is cleared for use, and is used by, cardiovascular, vascular and general surgeons as, a patch material to repair or reconstruct the peripheral vasculature, including the carotid, renal, iliac, femoral and tibial blood vessels, by modeling into site-specific tissue and conforming to repair defects easily. VasCure is also cleared and is used for the closure of vessels, as a pledget, or for suture line buttressing when repairing vessels. It is designed to prevent and stop bleeding, resulting in minimal bleeding at suture lines. Unlike synthetic or cross-linked materials, VasCure approximates normal tissue and, we believe, is, therefore, less likely to provoke an immune response.

Orthopedic/Spinal Repair Market

Market Opportunity

According to industry sources, in the United States in 2019, there were an estimated 1.5 million surgical procedures for orthopedic and spinal repair, which, excluding the cost for spinal and orthopedic hardware, used bone repair products valued at more than $2 billion. The number of such surgeries has increased over the last several years, driven, in part, by a higher incidence of comorbidities and chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions, including osteoarthritis.

Spinal fusion, the leading application for bone fusion surgeries in the United States, involves the use of grafting material to cause two vertebrae to grow together into one. In the United States in 2019, medical facilities performed 695,000 spinal fusion surgeries, of which approximately 400,000 were lumbar operations. Lower extremity applications, including ankle arthrodesis, or surgical immobilization of a joint by fusion of the adjacent bones, now represent a bone fusion market of approximately 165,000 fusions. With improving fixation methods, success rates have improved across these applications.

Limitations of Existing Solutions

Although success rates for orthopedic and spinal fusion have improved, inadequate bone healing remains one of the leading causes of failure for any fusion procedure. Fusion is especially challenging in patients who have underlying healing deficiencies because of such comorbidities as diabetes and obesity.

The addition of a bone material to sites of fixation for repair of defects or for creating fusion acts synergistically with hardware devices to enhance and accelerate the achievement of boney union. Autologous bone, which is harvested from the patient, is considered the gold standard for bone fusions. However, obtaining sufficient autologous material may not always be possible, may not yield good quality material, may cause donor site morbidity and pain and has an additional cost associated with its harvest.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (“BMP-2”) is currently the only FDA-approved osteoinductive growth factor for use as a bone graft substitute. However, with increasing clinical use of BMP-2, a growing and well-documented side effect profile has emerged. This profile includes postoperative inflammation and associated adverse effects, bone formation in unusual locations, bone resorption and inappropriate formation of fat cells.

Human graft products, sourced from a different individual than the patient receiving the tissue, are called allografts. These allograft products are typically processed using techniques that damage the extracellular matrix and induce cellular apoptosis, which results in premature cellular death. This cellular death results in less cells, prevents osteogenic differentiation and impedes the activity of osteoblasts, cells which form new bone. Synthetic materials and damaged allogenic bone lack or have diminished osteogenic properties.

Our Solution

Our bone regenerative products are processed by a proprietary method designed to protect and preserve the native bone cells (osteogenic) needed for bone formation and to decelerate cell apoptosis. Our products, besides being osteogenic, are also osteoinductive (ability to recruit cells and to signal the need for bone formation) and osteoconductive (three-dimensional scaffold appropriate for bone formation). These products, which have handling properties that support their placement by the surgeon and their integration with the patient’s bone, are intended for use in patients mainly receiving orthopedic and spinal implants to enhance the bone repair process and include FiberCel, ViBone and OsteGro V, all of which are viable, cellular bone matrices.

FiberCel is a fiber-based bone repair product made from human tissue and engineered to be like natural tissue. It is marketed for use in orthopedic or reconstructive bone grafting procedures in combination with autologous bone or other forms of allograft bone or alone as a bone graft. FiberCel provides handling properties that are critical for use as a bone void filler in various orthopedic and spinal procedures. FiberCel contains cancellous bone particles with preserved living cells and demineralized cortical bone fibers to facilitate bone repair and healing.

ViBone is a particle-based bone repair product designed to perform and handle in a manner similar to an autograft and is marketed for use as allograft bone. ViBone contains cancellous and demineralized cortical bone particles.

OsteGro V, our newest product, leverages our proprietary process designed to protect and preserve native bone cells. OsteGro V is marketed for use for the repair, replacement or reconstruction of bone defects and contains cancellous bone particles as well as demineralized cortical bone particles and fibers designed to enhance product handling.

Development Pipeline

We are currently developing new bone fusion and repair products that offer features that we believe are either an improvement to currently available technologies or offer new features or enhancements, such as improved delivery or handling properties. These products are currently in development, and we expect these products to be regulated by the FDA as HCT/Ps.

Commercial Approach

Our commercial approach to the orthopedic/spinal repair market has been to leverage commercial partners with existing sales and marketing infrastructure in these areas, while we focus on research and development and the manufacturing of products. We currently have agreements in place with Medtronic, which acts as our commercial partner for FiberCel, and Surgalign Holdings, which acts as our commercial partner for ViBone and ViBone Moldable. Under the terms of those agreements, Medtronic and Surgalign Holdings purchase products from us at specified prices and resell such products in the United States to the primary customers, which are hospitals and other healthcare facilities. We fulfill all orders from Medtronic and Surgalign Holdings by shipping these products directly to these hospitals and other healthcare facilities. We have several sales agreements with other commercial partners for OsteGro V, serving the orthopedic, spinal and dental markets.

Soft Tissue Reconstruction Market

Market Opportunity

According to certain third-party estimates, there were more than 100,000 procedures in the United States in 2019 using biologic matrices for plastic and reconstructive surgery, which constituted an approximately $500 million market. Such surgery is performed to treat structures of the human body that are affected aesthetically or functionally due to defects, abnormalities, trauma, infection, burns, tumors or disease. Plastic and reconstructive surgery is generally performed to improve function and ability, but it may also be performed to achieve a more natural appearance of the affected anatomical structure. Clinical practice of plastic and reconstructive surgery includes excision of tumors of the skin, vasculature, chest, oral and oropharyngeal cavities and extremities and reconstructions of the same; debridement, skin grafting and skin flaps for burn reconstructions; trauma surgery for the hands, upper and lower limbs and facial region; congenital or acquired malformations related to the hands, face, skull and jaw; surgical removal of vascular abnormalities; a range of aesthetic surgeries; and reconstructions of the breast, which is one of the most common applications of biologic matrices.

Limitations of Existing Solutions

Autologous tissue repair procedures are options for stabilizing soft tissue defects in various applications. However, these methods have limitations. The procedure may not be surgically feasible or the patient may decline its use. In addition, autologous tissue reconstruction may cause complications, such as infection, extended recovery and healing time, loss of sensation or weakness at the donor site and prolonged time under anesthesia during surgery.

Synthetic products provide a substitute when autologous reconstruction is not feasible or desired. Yet, they too have their limitations. Implantation of products not recognized by the body as “self” may trigger a foreign body reaction. The result of this signaling cascade is encapsulation of the foreign body in fibrotic tissue, which may impede tissue healing and cause pain or other complications. Other major issues are damage to the surrounding soft tissue, altering of the mechanical properties or appearance of the original tissue and increased risk of infection. Active infections are also typically a contraindication to using a synthetic graft.

HADM products offer an “off the shelf” biologic choice for reconstructive procedures, but they have their own limitations. The use of harsh chemicals to remove the cells can damage the extracellular matrix. The products can lack uniformity as determined by pliability in each direction, elasticity and non-uniform thickness. Such issues can affect how rapidly and the extent to which the implant is integrated, as well as the resulting tissue strength. In addition, there is a limited availability in larger sizes for some of these products.

Our Solution

SimpliDerm was designed to offer improved biocompatibility and better functioning in the patient. It is marketed for use for the repair or replacement of damaged or insufficient integumental tissue or for the repair, reinforcement or supplemental support of soft tissue defects or any other homologous use of human integument. SimpliDerm is a pre-hydrated, HADM manufactured with our patented cell removal technology, a process that maintains the biological and structural integrity of the tissue’s extracellular matrix components and is designed to allow for rapid integration, cellular repopulation and revascularization at the surgical site. Its structurally intact extracellular matrix is designed to closely resemble that which occurs naturally.

Development Pipeline

One of the most common applications of biologic matrices in plastic and reconstructive surgery is breast reconstruction surgery during or after mastectomy. Mastectomy is a method of tumor removal for breast cancer in which all breast tissue, including the cancerous cells, is surgically removed. In the United States in 2019, there were more than 100,000 post-mastectomy breast reconstructions, of which approximately 68% were bilateral operations, that is, both breasts were reconstructed. Breast reconstruction surgery is a surgical procedure generally used to restore a breast to near normal shape and appearance, following a mastectomy, and can be performed using either a prosthetic breast implant, referred to as implant-based reconstruction, or the patient’s own tissue, referred to as autologous reconstruction. Additional reconstructive surgeries may be required following the initial breast reconstruction, including breast lift, also known as mastopexy, or breast revision surgery, in which the surgeon adjusts the position and shape of the breast.

In 2019, plastic surgeons used HADMs in approximately 66,000 women (approximately 109,000 breasts). The use of these materials is well-characterized in the clinical literature and recommended by recent U.S. and European consensus guidelines for certain surgical techniques. However, as of March 12, 2021, no biologic matrix or any other soft tissue reinforcement material, including our product, had been approved or cleared by the FDA specifically for use in breast reconstruction surgery.

Breast implants are generally placed below the pectoral muscle, known as subpectoral positioning. This approach has limitations, such as decreased arm strength, muscle spasms, animation deformities, implant movement and pain. Changes in mastectomy techniques, including the preservation of more sub-dermal tissue on skin flaps, as well as advances in fat grafting and the availability of acellular dermal matrix (“ADM”), for augmenting the tissue pocket have all created the opportunity to place the implant above the pectoral muscle, known as prepectoral positioning, and, in doing so, address complications arising from subpectoral placement. While the use of ADM is a key enabler for these prepectoral procedures, the sizes of ADMs required for these procedures may be three to four times the magnitude used for subpectoral reconstructions, exposing the patient to greater quantities of ADM and adding proportional additional expense to the procedure. Our goal is to develop SimpliDerm for these prepectoral procedures in larger size pieces with possibly reduced production costs. In addition, we plan to engage in discussions with the FDA regarding an Investigational Device Exemption (“IDE”) clinical study protocol to study the safety and effectiveness of our SimpliDerm product, with the goal of obtaining FDA approval for use in prepectoral procedures.

Commercial Approach

SimpliDerm is sold through our direct sales force and independent sales agents to plastic and reconstructive surgeons. We ship the product directly to hospitals.

Our Non-Core Products: Contract Manufacturing

We fulfill tissue processing contracts through our contract manufacturing services at our Richmond, California facility in order to utilize as much as possible of the starting human biological material from which we produce our core orthopedic/spinal repair and soft tissue reconstruction products, leverage our existing overhead and improve our cash flow. The resulting processed materials, including particulate bone, precision milled bone, cellular bone matrix, acellular dermis and other soft tissue products, are sold to medical/surgical companies as finished products and as a subcomponent of their products. Additionally, we process amniotic membrane as finished product for select customers. We have multiple customers for most of our products and, as of December 31, 2020, more than 80% of our contracts were for a period of time of two years or more. We are seeking to increase our contract manufacturing sales with the goal that no one customer constitutes a predominant portion of our sales, that the average customer purchases numerous products and that the contracts are for multi-years. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our net sales from contract manufacturing was approximately $6.5 million, representing approximately 15% of our total net sales.

Clinical Data

We have accumulated a substantial body of clinical and pre-clinical data for our Core Products. We believe that the reported outcomes from our studies help to differentiate our Core Products in the marketplace.

Implantable Electronic Device

Pre-clinical Studies

In a pre-clinical rabbit model, the CanGaroo Envelope was more successful in providing a barrier surrounding a cardiovascular implantable electronic device (“CIED”) compared to a pacemaker canister alone. Substantial tissue ingrowth was observed in the CanGaroo Envelopes, which were observed to promote stabilization of the device when compared to implantation with only standard fixation methods, such as sutures through the CIED header or no fixation at all.

Clinical Studies

To evaluate our CanGaroo Envelope, we have conducted two post-market studies involving 1,122 patients. We are also conducting a retrospective study of approximately 400 patients, and in February 2021, commenced an additional 100-patient retrospective study.

SECURE Study

The SECURE Study was a prospective, single arm, observational, post-market study assessing patients who underwent the implantation of a CIED in a CanGaroo Envelope. The endpoints of the study were to determine: (a) the proportion of patients with CanGaroo-related adverse events and (b) the incidence of major infections observed in the pocket. A total of 1,026 patients were enrolled at 39 centers. The mean number of risk factors for CIED complications was 2.2 and the most common risk factors included congestive heart failure, obesity, device replacement/revision, diabetes and use of an oral systemic anticoagulant. There were 16 patients categorized as having had possible (n=14, 1.4%) and probable (n=2, 0.2%) CanGaroo-related events. Fourteen (1.4%) were in the former and two (0.2%) were in the latter category. The specific treatment-related adverse events included the following: one fever (0.1%); five hematomas (0.5%); one implantable cardiac device pocket erosion (0.1%); one pain (0.1%); four major pocket infections (0.4%); one superficial cellulitis (0.1%); and three superficial CIED infections (0.3%). In the total study population, twelve (1.2%) patients developed a major pocket infection. Even though migration was not an endpoint in the study, no such events were reported.

A total of 231 patients received CanGaroo Envelopes hydrated in an antibiotic solution containing gentamicin. The hydration solution was not recorded for nine patients enrolled in the study. The remaining 786 patients received a CanGaroo Envelope hydrated in saline alone or with another antibiotic. A post-hoc, subgroup analysis of the SECURE Study data prepared for the 2020 Heart Rhythm Society scientific sessions showed that after a mean follow-up time of 267 ± 180 days, the pocket infection rate was 0% in subjects with envelopes hydrated in a solution containing gentamicin (n = 73) and 0.6% in the subset of patients who received envelopes hydrated only with saline (n = 160).

We believe these results provide evidence supporting the safety of the CanGaroo Envelope when used for the implantation of CIEDs in humans.

CARE Study

The CARE Study was a retrospective, consecutive case series, post market study. Data from 96 consecutive patients, who underwent simultaneous CIED and CanGaroo Envelope implantation at a single institution, were retrospectively reviewed for the occurrence of CIED-related complications and infection over a three-month follow-up period of time. All envelopes were hydrated using sterile saline prior to implantation. The most common risk factors among enrolled patients included systemic anticoagulants, obesity, diabetes, congestive heart failure and renal insufficiency.

After a mean follow-up time of 98 ± 64 days, five patients (5.2%) developed a hematoma requiring intervention, and one patient (1.1%) developed a pocket infection. None of these events were deemed to be related to the CanGaroo Envelope.

The low rates of CanGaroo Envelope complications observed in the CARE Study support the safety of the product when used in a human CIED implantation.

CARE Plus Study

The recently initiated CARE Plus Study is an ongoing retrospective cohort study of the outcomes in patients who received a CanGaroo Envelope, Medtronic’s synthetic TYRX envelope or no envelope during their CIED implantation. Planned assessments will evaluate adverse patient outcomes and any adverse events that occurred following implantation. The study is being conducted at a single site with an estimated 400 patients to be evaluated.

HEAL Study

The HEAL Study is a retrospective cohort study of 100 CIED patients who are presenting for their latest reoperation after a previous implantation that is designed to identify and compare the characteristics of soft tissue healing surrounding cardiovascular implantable electronic device implants, including those used with a CanGaroo Envelope. We enrolled our first patient in this study in February 2021. Patients evaluated in the study will be from one of three cohorts based on whether a CanGaroo Envelope, Medtronic’s synthetic TYRX envelope or no envelope was used during the prior implantation. At reoperation, the current implant pockets of the patients will be examined and compared by a blinded histological biopsy and visually by using photographs.

Orthopedic/Spinal Repair

Pre-clinical Studies

In vitro and in vivo characterization studies were conducted to compare whether the manufacturing processes for our viable bone matrices improve certain product characteristics versus traditional viable bone matrix manufacturing processes. The characteristics evaluated addressed the three key elements for bone formation: osteogenesis, osteoconduction and osteoinduction. The assays included those for apoptosis, cell proliferation, osteogenic potential and osteoinduction, as well as for specific bone morphogenic proteins, bone formation factors, alkaline phosphatase and chemotaxis. Compared to viable bone matrices prepared with traditional processing methods, our viable bone matrices were superior in all of the characteristics examined, including less cell death. For example, ViBone exhibited 58% less apoptosis and had a 2.1-fold greater cell proliferation capability as compared to allografts processed by traditional methods. The cells from ViBone produced increased levels of the bone forming protein markers osteocalcin (20%), osteopontin (50%) and collagen type 1 (40%), when incubated in osteogenic cell culture media, compared to traditionally processed allografts, suggesting greater osteogenic potential. ViBone was tested for osteoinductive properties and was observed to have 9.1-fold higher levels of bone morphogenic protein 2 and 3.8-fold higher levels of bone morphogenic protein 7 than traditionally processed allografts. Additional growth factor testing for ViBone demonstrated higher amounts of transforming growth factor beta 1 (10.8-fold); insulin-like growth factor 1 (9.5-fold); and basic fibroblast growth factor (4.1-fold). An alkaline phosphatase (“ALP”) assay was used as an indicator to determine cellular activity after exposure to C2C12 cells, which are model cells used for evaluating differentiation to bone forming cells. The ALP activity of cells exposed to ViBone was 6.1-fold greater than traditionally processed allografts. Also, there was a 1.9-fold increase in chemotaxis, or stem cell migration, toward ViBone as compared to traditionally processed allografts, supporting ViBone’s enhanced osteoinductive properties. In order to evaluate the osteoinductivity in vivo, ViBone was implanted in athymic rats. At 28 days, new bone formation was observed.

Clinical Studies

A prospective, post-market clinical study was conducted to evaluate outcomes in patients undergoing cervical or lumbar interbody fusion surgery using ViBone. Fifty patients were enrolled in the cervical and lumbar groups and followed for 12 months post-procedure. An interim analysis was conducted on the first eight subjects who underwent cervical fusion and completed their 12-month visit. This study is ongoing and interim results showed a decrease in neck pain compared to the baseline. For the patients reviewed as of September 30, 2019, all patients displayed either fusion or probable fusion at the surgery site.

As of September 30, 2019, investigators had published the interim analysis for eight patients. Two subjects underwent a single-level procedure, and six subjects underwent multiple-level procedures, totaling 14 levels of treatment. The average reduction in neck pain at 12 months versus baseline was 46.1% for subjects who underwent a single-level procedure and 36.1% for subjects who underwent multiple-level procedures, each as measured by the Neck Disability Index and the Visual Analog Scale. The X-rays showed that 10 out of 14 levels displayed solid fusion. The other four levels showed probable fusion. There were no reports of serious device- or procedure-related adverse events.

Soft Tissue Reconstruction

Pre-clinical Studies

In vitro studies were conducted to evaluate and compare SimpliDerm to native human dermis and two other commercially available HADMs, in terms of morphological structure, composition, physical characteristics and chemical and thermal stability. Histological slides of SimpliDerm and native dermal matrix were prepared for microscopic examination, using hematoxylin and eosin (“H&E”), Verhoff-Van Gieson (“VVG”), and collagen type IV stains. Stained samples of SimpliDerm retained the collagen structure (density and orientation), elastin, blood vessels and basement membrane complex that was observed in the native dermal matrix. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated intact collagen fibril structures in native dermis and SimpliDerm, supporting the conclusion that the decellularization process used to produce SimpliDerm did not damage the ultrastructural architecture of the collagen matrix.

Additional testing was performed that compared the properties of SimpliDerm, AlloDerm RTU and DermACELL to native Dermis. These tests included Glycosaminoglycan content, matrix protein stability and differential scanning calorimetry. The glycosaminoglycan content of SimpliDerm and Alloderm RTU was similar, with a substantial reduction in the amount of glycosaminoglycans observed in DermACELL. Matrix protein stability was evaluated by determining acid-soluble collagen content and by performing collagenase degradation on the product samples. SimpliDerm was closest to native dermal matrix in both acid-soluble collagen content and collagenase degradation. Differential scanning calorimetry was performed on the samples, and SimpliDerm and AlloDerm RTU were equivalently close to native dermis, while DermACELL showed the largest difference. The combined testing indicates that SimpliDerm had a structurally intact matrix that was closest overall to native human dermis among the HADMs evaluated.

In addition, a non-human primate study was conducted evaluating the ability of SimpliDerm and AlloDerm RTU to regenerate host tissue two weeks, four weeks and three months after implantation. Explanted samples were subjected to analysis that included histology, growth factor analysis and gene expression characterization. H&E and VVG stains and staining for macrosialin (“CD68”) were used to prepare tissue samples for microscopic observation. AlloDerm RTU samples demonstrated faster implant degradation and cell infiltration, and more inflammatory cells than SimpliDerm. Growth factor analysis of samples for tumor necrosis factor, an indicator for an inflammatory environment, was higher for AlloDerm RTU than SimpliDerm at three months. Gene expression analysis was performed for samples at all time points. Markers for evidence of an inflammatory response to the implants, including collagen synthesis, vascularization, fibrosis, myofibroblast presence and collagen crosslinking, were analyzed and compared. AlloDerm RTU was found to exhibit higher amounts of these inflammatory response markers. The histology, growth factor testing and gene expression data support the conclusion that compared to AlloDerm RTU, SimpliDerm showed less acute and chronic inflammation and less fibrosis, leading to a pro-remodeling microenvironment that promoted tissue repair and regeneration by three months post-implantation.

Clinical Studies

Currently, we are collecting clinical data in an Investigational Review Board (“IRB”) approved, retrospective, multi-center study evaluating patients who have undergone breast reconstruction post-mastectomy with SimpliDerm and patients receiving other HADMs. These data will inform us as to the design of future clinical feasibility and pivotal studies to support potential regulatory applications for a breast reconstruction indication for SimpliDerm.

Competition

We operate in highly competitive markets that are subject to rapid technological change. Success in these markets depends primarily on product efficacy, ease of product use, product price, availability of payor coverage and adequate third-party reimbursement, customer support services for technical, clinical and reimbursement support and customer preference for, and loyalty to, the products.

We believe that the demonstrated clinical efficacy of our products, the breadth of our product portfolio, our in-house customer support services, our customer relationships and our reputation offer us advantages over our competitors.

Our Core Products compete primarily with implantable electronic device envelopes and other cardiovascular repair products, other orthobiologics and human-derived acellular dermis products. The CanGaroo Envelope competes with the synthetic envelope TYRX from Medtronic. ProxiCor, Tyke and VasCure compete with bovine pericardium produced by numerous companies, including Gore’s Goretex and Terumo’s Vascutek. FiberCel, ViBone and OsteGro V compete with other viable bone matrices, such as Smith & Nephew’s Bio4, MTF’s Trinity ELITE, NuVasive’s OsteoCel, Vivex Biologics’ VIA Graft and LifeNet Health’s ViviGen. SimpliDerm competes primarily against human-derived acellular dermis matrix meshes, including AbbVie’s AlloDerm, Stryker’s DermACELL and Ethicon’s FlexHD. SimpliDerm also competes against animal-derived biological mesh products, such as AbbVie’s Strattice and Integra’s SurgiMend, as well as various synthetic mesh products.

We also compete in the marketplace to recruit and retain qualified scientific, management and sales personnel, as well as to acquire technologies and technology licenses complementary to our products or advantageous to our business.

Our competitors’ products in the soft tissue repair market have been approved and available for use for multiple years. During this time, private payors have developed policies for coverage based on available data and literature. Third-party payors generally do not currently cover SimpliDerm or procedures using SimpliDerm.

We are aware of several companies that compete, or are developing technologies, in our current and future product areas. As a result, we expect competition to remain intense. Our ability to compete successfully will depend primarily on our ability to develop proprietary products that reach the market in a timely manner, are used in procedures that receive adequate payor coverage and reimbursement, are cost-effective, and are safe and effective, as well as our reputation in the market and success of our sales strategy. See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business - We face significant and continuing competition from other companies, some of which have longer operating histories, more established products and/or greater resources than we do, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

Sales and Marketing

We have dedicated substantial resources to establishing a multi-faceted sales and marketing organization in the United States. We sell CanGaroo in the United States using our direct sales force and our commercial partners, Boston Scientific and Biotronik, which act as sales agents, marketing CanGaroo and obtaining orders, and give us access to approximately 1,400 sales representatives and clinical specialists to further expand our footprint and accelerate our sales. Under the terms of these agreements, Boston Scientific and Biotronik receive a commission equal to a specified dollar amount per unit sold. Our additional cardiovascular products, ProxiCor, Tyke and VasCure, are sold using our direct sales force and other independent sales agents. Our commercial approach to the orthopedic/spinal repair market has been to leverage commercial partners with existing sales and marketing infrastructure in these areas, while we focus on research and development and the manufacturing of products. We currently have agreements in place with Medtronic, which acts as our commercial partner for FiberCel, and Surgalign Holdings, which acts as our commercial partner for ViBone. Under the terms of these agreements, Medtronic and Surgalign Holdings purchase products from us at a specified price and resell such products in the United States to the primary customers, which are hospitals and other healthcare facilities. We fulfill all orders from Medtronic and Surgalign Holdings by shipping these products directly to these hospitals and healthcare facilities. We have several sales agreements with other commercial partners for OsteGro V. SimpliDerm, our soft tissue reconstruction product, is sold using our direct sales force and independent sales agents. As of December 31, 2020, we had 33 direct sales representatives who focus on gaining additional market access and driving market penetration, not only by selling our products, but also, where appropriate, by managing our commercial partners and providing technical assistance for selling our products. These sales representatives are supported by teams of professionals focused on sales management, sales operations, ongoing training, analytics and marketing.

We have historically focused our market development and commercial activities primarily in the United States. However, we have obtained marketing registrations, developed commercial and distribution capabilities and are currently selling CanGaroo and cardiovascular products in several countries outside of the United States. Independent sales agents in Argentina, Australia, the European Economic Area, the European Union, Latin America, Kuwait, Mexico and Saudi Arabia sell our products. Sales generated in the United States represented greater than 95% of our net sales in 2020.

Research and Development

Our research and development team has extensive experience in developing regenerative medicine products and works to design products that are intended to improve patient outcomes, simplify techniques, shorten procedures, reduce hospitalization and rehabilitation times, and, as a result, reduce costs. We have recruited and retained staff with significant experience and skills, gained through both industry experience and training at leading colleges and universities with regenerative medicine graduate programs. In addition to our internal staff, our external network of development laboratories, testing laboratories and physicians aids us in our research and development process.

Manufacturing and Suppliers

We manufacture our orthopedic/spinal repair and soft tissue reconstruction products in our Richmond, California facility. We manufacture CanGaroo and our cardiovascular products in our Roswell, Georgia facility and use Cook Biotech as our sole porcine tissue supplier for these products. We have significant expansion capabilities in our in-house manufacturing facilities. Cook Biotech has previously successfully expanded and, we believe, is well-positioned to support future expansion. However, they are our sole source, and we cannot guarantee that an interruption in supply will not occur. If necessary, we could engage an alternate supplier or set-up, validate and gain regulatory authorization to manufacture these products in our own facilities, although it would require significant time, expense and regulatory clearance.

We have robust internal compliance processes to maintain the high quality and reliability of our products. We use annual internal audits, combined with external audits by regulatory agencies and commercial partners to monitor our quality control practices. Our Roswell, Georgia and Richmond, California facilities are registered with the FDA as medical device and human cell and tissue manufacturing establishments, respectively. We are also accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (“AATB”) and are licensed with several states per their tissue bank regulations.

We use third-party suppliers to support our internal manufacturing processes. We select our suppliers through a rigorous process to ensure high quality and reliability with the capacity to support our expanding production levels. Only raw material from approved suppliers is used in the manufacture of our products. To confirm quality and identify any risks, our approved suppliers are audited annually. To date, we have not experienced any significant difficulty locating and obtaining the suppliers or materials necessary to fulfill our production requirements.

Manufacture of all of our products is dependent on the availability of sufficient quantities of source tissue, which is the primary component of our products. Source tissue includes donated human tissue and porcine tissue. We acquire donated human tissue directly through tissue procurement firms engaged by us. Cook Biotech, our sole porcine tissue supplier, is registered with the FDA and ISO 13485 certified. Our processing of these tissues is, and our supplier sources are required to be, compliant with applicable FDA current Good Tissue Practice (“cGTP”) regulations, AATB standards, international standards and U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) requirements.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, confidentiality agreements and security procedures to protect our proprietary products, preservation technology, trade secrets and know-how. We believe that our patents, trade secrets, trademarks and technology licensing rights provide us with important competitive advantages. We have also obtained additional rights through license agreements for additional products and technologies. As of December 31, 2020, we owned approximately 22 U.S. patents and seven U.S. patent applications and one foreign patent (in Australia) and five foreign patent applications (in Thailand, Hong Kong and India, as well as applications with the European Patent Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization), and we in-licensed three U.S. and four foreign patents (in Australia, Canada, Japan and Europe) and two U.S. and two foreign patent applications (in China, as well as an application with the European Patent Office). Our owned patent portfolio includes 11 U.S. patents and two U.S. patent applications that relate to our technology for CanGaroo, including issued claims covering biological envelopes and pending claims covering their use. In addition, we own one patent that relates to our technology for SimpliDerm that claims a method of preparing an acellular dermal matrix. Excluding any patent term adjustment or patent term extension, our issued patents relating to our technology for CanGaroo are anticipated to expire in 2027 and our issued patent that relates to our technology for SimpliDerm is anticipated to expire in 2033. There can be no assurance that any patent applications pending will ultimately be issued as patents. We do not own or in-license any patents or patent applications covering our other products.

As with other medical device and regenerative medicine companies, our ability to maintain and solidify our proprietary and intellectual property position for our product candidates will depend on our success in obtaining effective patent claims and maintaining and enforcing claims that are granted. However, our owned and licensed patents could be invalidated or narrowed or otherwise fail to adequately protect our proprietary and intellectual property position and our pending owned and licensed patent applications, and any patent applications that we may in the future file or license from third parties may not result in the issuance of patents.

In addition, the term of individual issued patents depends upon the legal term for patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we have filed, including the United States, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest filing date of a non-provisional patent application. The life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is therefore limited and once the patent life of our issued patents have expired, we may face competition, including from other competing technologies. The term of a patent that covers a drug or biological product may also be eligible for patent term extension when FDA approval is granted for a portion of the term effectively lost as a result of the FDA regulatory review period, subject to certain limitations and provided statutory and regulatory requirements are met. Any such patent term extension can be for no more than five years, only one patent per approved product can be extended, the extension cannot extend the total patent term beyond 14 years from approval, and only those claims covering the approved drug or biological product, a method for using it or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. We may not receive an extension if we fail to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, fail to apply within applicable deadlines, fail to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise fail to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the length of the extension could be less than we request. In the future, we expect to apply for patent term extensions on certain issued patents covering our products, depending upon the length of the clinical trials for each product and other factors. There can be no assurance that we will benefit from any patent term extension or favorable adjustment to the term of any of our patents. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. For more information, see Part I, Item IA. “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Intellectual Property”.

As of December 31, 2020, we had 20 registered trademarks and one pending trademark application worldwide, including trademark registrations for “Aziyo,” “CanGaroo,” “ProxiCor,” “Tyke,” “VasCure,” “FiberCel,” “ViBone,” “OsteGro” and “SimpliDerm” in the United States, and trademark registrations for CanGaroo in the European Union and Japan. Our agreement with Medtronic grants them an exclusive license to use the “FiberCel” name and associated trademarks in the United States during the term of the agreement. The agreement also grants to Medtronic the exclusive right to purchase all worldwide rights (including registrations) to the “FiberCel” name and associated trademarks upon the expiration or termination of the agreement on the terms and subject to certain conditions set forth therein.

We have confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, independent sales agents and third-party vendors to maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets and proprietary information. There can be no assurance that the obligations of our employees, consultants, independent sales agents and third-parties, with whom we have entered into confidentiality agreements, will effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide meaningful protection for our confidential information if there is unauthorized use or disclosure, or that our trade secrets or proprietary information will not be independently developed by our competitors. See Part I, Item IA. “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Intellectual Property” for additional information regarding these and other risks related to our intellectual property portfolio and their potential effect on us.

License Agreement with Cook Biotech

On May 31, 2017, we entered into a license agreement, which we refer to as the Cook License Agreement, with Cook Biotech Incorporated (“Cook Biotech”) under which Cook Biotech granted to us an exclusive worldwide sublicensable license under certain licensed patents to make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell and import CorMatrix ECM for Pericardial Closure, CorMatrix ECM for Cardiac Tissue Repair, CorMatrix ECM for Carotid Repair, CorMatrix ECM for Vascular Repair, TYKE Patch, Pledget and Intracardiac, and CanGaroo ECM Envelope (into which implantable cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator devices are to be inserted) in certain fields of use related to our business. Cook Biotech retained certain co-exclusive rights to the CorMatrix ECM for Vascular Repair. The Cook License Agreement was amended on December 21, 2017 to expand our field of use for SIS pouch devices to include other implantable electronic cardiac stimulation devices, electronic neurostimulation devices for deep brain stimulation, spinal nerve and sacral nerve stimulation to relieve chronic pain and nerve stimulation to control bladder, digestive, abdomen and bowel movements, and also add additional payment requirements.

Under the Cook License Agreement, we agree to use commercially reasonable efforts to promote, solicit and expand the licensed products in our fields of use. We are subject to a minimum purchase requirement for the SIS ECM for the fields of use added in connection with the December 21, 2017 amendment, or the Subfields, and certain diligence obligations for commercial sales in the Subfields. The license requires that we order and pay for a minimum of at least $500,000 of SIS ECM per calendar year for use in the Subfields. Cook Biotech has the right to terminate the license granted to us in the Subfields or convert such license to a non-exclusive license, if we fail to comply with such minimum purchase requirement or diligence obligations. We have the first right, but not the obligation to initiate legal proceedings against any patent infringement in our fields of use by a third-party product that is the same as one of the licensed products.

Under the Cook License Agreement and SIS Material Supply Agreement, Cook Biotech is the exclusive supplier of the SIS ECM used in the licensed products. Under certain circumstances we will have the right to manufacture the SIS ECM used in the licensed products, provided that in such cases we are required to pay Cook Biotech a low single digit royalty on net sales of the licensed products that include the SIS ECM material manufactured by us and that are covered by a valid enforceable claim of a licensed patent.

As consideration for the license, we paid Cook Biotech a $200,000 license fee in 2018 and a $100,000 license fee in each of 2019 and 2020, and are responsible for a yearly license fee of $100,000 until 2026. Upon a change in control transaction, which includes an acquisition of 50% or more of our then outstanding capital stock, we will be responsible to pay Cook Biotech the total amount of all license fees that have not yet been paid within a specified period after the consummation of such change in control transaction.

The Cook License Agreement continues in effect until the date of expiration of the last to expire of the licensed patents, including any renewals or extensions. The expiration date for the last to expire of the licensed patents is currently expected to be 2031 (excluding any patent term adjustments or extensions). Either party may terminate the Cook License Agreement for any material breach by the other party uncured within a specified period. In addition, the Cook License Agreement terminates automatically if we no longer possess the rights to the licensed products sold by CorMatrix related to our acquisition of all of the commercial assets and related intellectual property of CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc. in 2017 (the “CorMatrix Acquisition”). Cook Biotech has the right to terminate the Cook License Agreement in its entirety, or convert the exclusive license of any field of use to a non-exclusive license if we fail to make any license fee when due.

Regulatory Matters

Government Regulation

Our products and our operations are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state authorities in the United States, as well as comparable authorities in any foreign jurisdictions in which we market our products. In the United States, our products are subject to regulation as medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”) or as biological products or HCT/Ps under the Public Health Service Act (the “PHSA”), each as implemented and enforced by the FDA. The FDA and other United States and foreign governmental agencies regulate, among other things, the development, design, nonclinical and clinical research, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, installation, servicing, recordkeeping, premarket clearance or approval, import, export, adverse event reporting, advertising, promotion, marketing and distribution, and import and export of medical devices and biological products to ensure that such products distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses and otherwise meet the requirements of the FDCA or PHSA.

FDA Premarket Clearance and Approval Requirements

Unless an exemption applies, each medical device commercially distributed in the United States requires either FDA clearance of a 510(k) premarket notification, or approval of a premarket approval (“PMA”) application. Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes - Class I, Class II or Class III - depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of manufacturer and regulatory control needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Class I includes devices with the lowest risk to the patient and are those for which safety and effectiveness can be assured by adherence to the FDA’s General Controls for medical devices, which include compliance with the applicable portions of the Quality System Regulation (the “QSR”) facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse medical events, and truthful and non-misleading labeling, advertising, and promotional materials. Class II devices are subject to the FDA’s General Controls, and special controls as deemed necessary by the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. These special controls can include performance standards, post-market surveillance, patient registries and FDA guidance documents.

While most Class I devices are exempt from the 510(k) premarket notification requirement, manufacturers of most Class II devices are required to submit to the FDA a premarket notification under Section 510(k) of the FDCA requesting permission to commercially distribute the device. The FDA’s permission to commercially distribute a device subject to a 510(k) premarket notification is generally known as 510(k) clearance. Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risks, such as life sustaining, life supporting or some implantable devices, or devices that have a new intended use, or use advanced technology that is not substantially equivalent to that of a legally marketed device, are placed in Class III, requiring approval of a PMA. Some pre-amendment devices are unclassified, but are subject to FDA’s premarket notification and clearance process in order to be commercially distributed.

510(k) Clearance Marketing Pathway

Certain of our ECM products are subject to premarket notification and clearance under section 510(k) of the FDCA. To obtain 510(k) clearance, a product sponsor must submit to the FDA a premarket notification submission demonstrating that the proposed device is “substantially equivalent” to a predicate device already on the market. A predicate device is a legally marketed device that is not subject to premarket approval, i.e., a device that was legally marketed prior to May 28, 1976 and for which a PMA is not required, a device that has been reclassified from Class III to Class II or I, or a device that was found substantially equivalent through the 510(k) process. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to twelve months, but often takes longer. The FDA may require additional information, including clinical data, to make a determination regarding substantial equivalence. In addition, FDA collects user fees for certain medical device submissions and annual fees and for medical device establishments. If the FDA agrees that the device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device currently on the market, it will grant 510(k) clearance to commercially market the device. If the FDA determines that the device is “not substantially equivalent” to a previously cleared device, the device is automatically designated as a Class III device. The device sponsor must then fulfill more rigorous PMA requirements, or can request a risk-based classification determination for the device in accordance with the “de novo” process, which is a route to market for novel medical devices that are low to moderate risk and are not substantially equivalent to a predicate device.

After a device receives 510(k) marketing clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change or modification in its intended use, will require a new 510(k) clearance or, depending on the modification, PMA approval or de novo reclassification. The FDA requires each manufacturer to determine whether the proposed change requires submission of a 510(k), de novo request or a PMA in the first instance, but the FDA can review any such decision and disagree with a manufacturer’s determination. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s determination, the FDA can require the manufacturer to cease marketing and/or request the recall of the modified device until 510(k) marketing clearance or until PMA approval is obtained or a de novo request is granted. Also, in these circumstances, the manufacturer may be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties.

Over the last several years, the FDA has proposed reforms to its 510(k) clearance process, and such proposals could include increased requirements for clinical data and a longer review period, or could make it more difficult for manufacturers to utilize the 510(k) clearance process for their products. For example, in November 2018, FDA officials announced forthcoming steps that the FDA intends to take to modernize the premarket notification pathway under Section 510(k) of the FDCA. Among other things, the FDA announced that it planned to develop proposals to drive manufacturers utilizing the 510(k) pathway toward the use of newer predicates. These proposals included plans to potentially sunset certain older devices that were used as predicates under the 510(k) clearance pathway, and to potentially publish a list of devices that have been cleared on the basis of demonstrated substantial equivalence to predicate devices that are more than 10 years old. In May 2019, the FDA solicited public feedback on these proposals. The FDA requested public feedback on whether it should consider certain actions that might require new authority, such as whether to sunset certain older devices that were used as predicates under the 510(k) clearance pathway. These proposals have not yet been finalized or adopted, and the FDA may work with Congress to implement such proposals through legislation.

More recently, in September 2019, the FDA finalized guidance describing an optional “safety and performance based” premarket review pathway for manufacturers of “certain, well-understood device types” to demonstrate substantial equivalence under the 510(k) clearance pathway by showing that such device meets objective safety and performance criteria established by the FDA, thereby obviating the need for manufacturers to compare the safety and performance of their medical devices to specific predicate devices in the clearance process. The FDA intends to develop and maintain a list of device types appropriate for the “safety and performance based” pathway and will continue to develop product-specific guidance documents that identify the performance criteria for each such device type, as well as the testing methods recommended in the guidance documents, where feasible.

PMA Approval Pathway

Class III devices require PMA approval before they can be marketed, although some pre-amendment Class III devices for which FDA has not yet required a PMA are cleared through the 510(k) process. The PMA process is more demanding than the 510(k) premarket notification process. In a PMA, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the device is safe and effective, and the PMA must be supported by extensive data, including data from pre-clinical studies and human clinical trials. The PMA must also contain a full description of the device and its components, a full description of the methods, facilities, and controls used for manufacturing, and proposed labeling. Following receipt of a PMA, the FDA determines whether the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If FDA accepts the application for review, it has 180 days under the FDCA to complete its review of a PMA, although in practice, the FDA’s review often takes significantly longer, and can take up to several years. An advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA as to the approvability of the device. The FDA may or may not accept the panel’s recommendation. In addition, the FDA will generally conduct a pre-approval inspection of the applicant or its third-party manufacturers’ or suppliers’ manufacturing facility or facilities to ensure compliance with the QSR.

The FDA will approve the new device for commercial distribution if it determines that the data and information in the PMA constitute valid scientific evidence and that there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use(s). The FDA may approve a PMA with post-approval conditions intended to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution, and collection of long-term follow-up data from patients in the clinical study that supported PMA approval or requirements to conduct additional clinical studies post-approval. The FDA may condition PMA approval on some form of post-market surveillance when deemed necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and efficacy data for the device in a larger population or for a longer period of use. In such cases, the manufacturer might be required to follow certain patient groups for a number of years and to make periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval.

Certain changes to an approved device, such as changes in manufacturing facilities, methods, or quality control procedures, or changes in the design performance specifications, which affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, require submission of a PMA supplement. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as a PMA, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the original PMA and may not require as extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel. Certain other changes to an approved device require the submission of a new PMA, such as when the design change causes a different intended use, mode of operation, and technical basis of operation, or when the design change is so significant that a new generation of the device will be developed, and the data that were submitted with the original PMA are not applicable for the change in demonstrating a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.

None of our products are currently marketed pursuant to a PMA, though we may decide to seek a PMA for our SimpliDerm product for use in breast reconstruction indications.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA and are sometimes required to support a 510(k) submission. All clinical investigations of devices to determine safety and effectiveness must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s IDE regulations which govern investigational device labeling, prohibit promotion of the investigational device, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. If the device presents a “significant risk,” to human health, as defined by the FDA, the FDA requires the device sponsor to submit an IDE application to the FDA, which must become effective prior to commencing human clinical trials. If the device under evaluation does not present a significant risk to human health, then the device sponsor is not required to submit an IDE application to the FDA before initiating human clinical trials, but must still comply with abbreviated IDE requirements when conducting such trials. A significant risk device is one that presents a potential for serious risk to the health, safety or welfare of a patient and either is implanted, used in supporting or sustaining human life, substantially important in diagnosing, curing, mitigating or treating disease or otherwise preventing impairment of human health, or otherwise presents a potential for serious risk to a subject. An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory test results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless the FDA notifies the company that the investigation may not begin. If the FDA determines that there are deficiencies or other concerns with an IDE for which it requires modification, the FDA may permit a clinical trial to proceed under a conditional approval.

Regardless of the degree of risk presented by the medical device, clinical studies must be approved by, and conducted under the oversight of, an IRB for each clinical site. The IRB is responsible for the initial and continuing review of the IDE, and may pose additional requirements for the conduct of the study. If an IDE application is approved by the FDA and one or more IRBs, human clinical trials may begin at a specific number of investigational sites with a specific number of patients, as approved by the FDA. If the device presents a non-significant risk to the patient, a sponsor may begin the clinical trial after obtaining approval for the trial by one or more IRBs without separate approval from the FDA, but must still follow abbreviated IDE requirements, such as monitoring the investigation, ensuring that the investigators obtain informed consent, and labeling and record-keeping requirements. Acceptance of an IDE application for review does not guarantee that the FDA will allow the IDE to become effective and, if it does become effective, the FDA may or may not determine that the data derived from the trials support the safety and effectiveness of the device or warrant the continuation of clinical trials. An IDE supplement must be submitted to, and approved by, the FDA before a sponsor or investigator may make a change to the investigational plan that may affect its scientific soundness, study plan or the rights, safety or welfare of human subjects.

During a study, the sponsor is required to comply with the applicable FDA requirements, including, for example, trial monitoring, selecting clinical investigators and providing them with the investigational plan, ensuring IRB review, adverse event reporting, record keeping and prohibitions on the promotion of investigational devices or on making safety or effectiveness claims for them. The clinical investigators in the clinical study are also subject to FDA’s regulations and must obtain patient informed consent, rigorously follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of the investigational device, and comply with all reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Additionally, after a trial begins, we, the FDA or the IRB could suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the anticipated benefits.

Post-market Regulation

After a device is cleared or approved for marketing, numerous and pervasive regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:

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establishment registration and device listing with the FDA;

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QSR requirements, which require manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during all aspects of the design and manufacturing process;

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labeling regulations and FDA prohibitions against the promotion of investigational products, or the promotion of “off-label” uses of cleared or approved products;

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requirements related to promotional activities;

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clearance or approval of product modifications to 510(k)-cleared devices that could significantly affect safety or effectiveness or that would constitute a major change in intended use of one of our cleared devices, or approval of certain modifications to PMA-approved devices;

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medical device reporting regulations, which require that a manufacturer report to the FDA if a device it markets may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or has malfunctioned and the device or a similar device that it markets would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury, if the malfunction were to recur;

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correction, removal and recall reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and product recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA that may present a risk to health;

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the FDA’s recall authority, whereby the agency can order device manufacturers to recall from the market a product that is in violation of governing laws and regulations; and

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post-market surveillance activities and regulations, which apply when deemed by the FDA to be necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and effectiveness data for the device.

The FDA has broad regulatory compliance and enforcement powers. If the FDA determines that we failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, it can take a variety of compliance or enforcement actions, which may result in any of the following sanctions:

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warning letters, untitled letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;

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recalls, withdrawals, or administrative detention or seizure of our products;

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operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;

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refusing or delaying requests for 510(k) marketing clearance or PMA approvals of new products or modified products;

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withdrawing 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals that have already been granted;

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refusal to grant export approvals for our products; or

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criminal prosecution.

FDA Regulation of HCT/Ps

Certain of our products, including certain of our spinal and orthopedic products are regulated by the FDA as HCT/Ps, which are regulated under Section 361 of the PHSA, which among other things, authorizes the FDA to issue regulations to prevent the introduction, transmission or spread of communicable disease. HCT/Ps regulated as “361” HCT/Ps are subject to requirements relating to registering facilities and listing products with the FDA, screening and testing for tissue donor eligibility, and Good Tissue Practice when processing, storing, labeling and distributing HCT/Ps, including required labeling information, stringent record keeping and adverse event reporting, among other applicable requirements and laws. Section 361 HCT/Ps do not require 510(k) clearance, PMA approval, Biologics License Application (“BLA”) submissions, or other premarket authorization from the FDA to be legally marketed in the United States. However, to be regulated as a Section 361 HCT/P, the product must, among other things, be “minimally manipulated,” which for structural tissue products, means that the manufacturing processes do not alter the original relevant characteristics of the tissue relating to the tissue’s utility for reconstruction, repair, or replacement. For cells or nonstructural tissue products, “minimal manipulation” means that the manufacturing processes do not alter the relevant biological characteristics of cells or tissues. A Section 361 HCT/P must also be intended for “homologous use,” which refers to use in the repair, reconstruction, replacement, or supplementation of a recipient’s cells or tissues with an HCT/P that performs the same basic function or functions in the recipient as in the donor. The HCT/P must also either have no systemic effect and not be dependent upon the metabolic activity of living cells for its primary function or, if it has a systemic effect, be intended for autologous use, for allogeneic use in a first-degree or second-degree blood relative, or for reproductive use. We believe that our products currently marketed as HCT/Ps generally fulfill the relevant criteria for regulation as Section 361 HCT/Ps, and, therefore, have not sought or obtained 510(k) clearance, PMA approval, or BLA licensure for these products. However, if the FDA were to disagree with our determination, the FDA could then require that we obtain 510(k) clearance or other licensures or approvals and require that we cease marketing such products unless and until we receive clearance, licensure, or approval.

International Approval Requirements

Sales of medical devices and shipments of human tissues outside the United States are subject to international regulatory requirements that vary widely from country to country. Approval of a product by comparable regulatory authorities of other countries must be obtained and compliance with applicable regulations for tissues must be met prior to commercial distribution of the products or human tissues in those countries. The time required to obtain these approvals may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. Countries, in which we distribute products and tissue, may perform inspections of our facilities to ensure compliance with local country regulations.

Commercialization of medical devices in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) comprised of the 27 E.U. Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway is regulated by the European Union. The European Union requires that all medical devices placed on the market in the EEA must meet the relevant essential requirements laid down in Annex I of Directive 93/42/EEC, or the Medical Devices Directive, and of Directive 90/385/EEC, or the Active Implantable Medical Devices Directive. The most fundamental essential requirement is that a medical device must be designed and manufactured in such a way that it will not compromise the clinical condition or safety of patients, or the safety and health of users and others. In addition, the device must achieve the performances intended by the manufacturer and be designed, manufactured, and packaged in a suitable manner. To demonstrate compliance with the essential requirements laid down in Annex I to the Medical Devices Directive, medical device manufacturers must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its classification. Except for low-risk medical devices (Class I non-sterile, non-measuring devices), where the manufacturer can self-declare the conformity of its products with the essential requirements, a conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of a so-called Notified Body. Notified bodies are often separate entities and are authorized or licensed to perform such assessments by government authorities. The Notified Body would typically audit and examine a product’s technical dossiers and the manufacturers’ quality system. If satisfied that the relevant product conforms to the relevant essential requirements, the Notified Body issues a certificate of conformity, which the manufacturer uses as a basis for its own declaration of conformity. The manufacturer may then apply the CE Mark to the device, which allows the device to be placed on the market throughout the EEA. Once the product has been placed on the market in the EEA, the manufacturer must comply with requirements for reporting incidents and field safety corrective actions associated with the medical device. We have CE Marks for all of our cardiovascular products and in January 2021, we obtained CE mark approval for updated labeling of our CanGaroo Envelope to allow for the addition of the antibiotic gentamicin.

Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Inc., The Research Quality Assurance, G-Med and DEKRA (our E.U. Notified Body) perform periodic on-site inspections to review independently our compliance with systems and regulatory requirements. A number of countries outside of the EEA accept the CE Mark in lieu of marketing submissions, as an addendum to that country’s application process.

In April 2017, the European Parliament passed the Medical Devices Regulation (Regulation 2017/745), which repeals and replaces the E.U. Medical Devices Directive and the Active Implantable Medical Devices Directive. Unlike directives, which must be implemented into the national laws of the EEA member States, the regulations would be directly applicable, i.e., without the need for adoption of EEA member State laws implementing them, in all EEA member States and are intended to eliminate current differences in the regulation of medical devices among EEA member States. The Medical Devices Regulation, among other things, is intended to establish a uniform, transparent, predictable and sustainable regulatory framework across the EEA for medical devices and ensure a high level of safety and health while supporting innovation. The Medical Devices Regulation was meant to become applicable three years after publication (in May 2020). However, on April 23, 2020, to take the pressure off EEA national authorities, notified bodies, manufacturers and other parties so they can focus fully on urgent priorities related to the COVID 19 pandemic, the European Council and Parliament adopted Regulation 2020/561, postponing the date of application of the Medical Devices Regulation by one year (to May 2021). Once applicable, the Medical Devices Regulation will among other things:

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strengthen the rules on placing devices on the market and reinforce surveillance once they are available;

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establish explicit provisions on manufacturers’ responsibilities for the follow-up of the quality, performance and safety of devices placed on the market;

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improve the traceability of medical devices throughout the supply chain to the end-user or patient through a unique identification number;

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set up a central database to provide patients, healthcare professionals and the public with comprehensive information on products available in the European Union; and

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strengthen rules for the assessment of certain high-risk devices, such as implants, which may have to undergo an additional check by experts before they are placed on the market.

Following a national referendum and enactment of legislation by the government of the United Kingdom (the "UK"), the UK formally withdrew from the European Union on January 31, 2020, commonly referred to as "Brexit," and, following the expiry of the Brexit transitional period on December 31, 2020, the UK now operates under a distinct regulatory regime and certain European Union laws now only apply to the UK in respect of Northern Ireland (as laid out in the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland). The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ("MHRA''), is now the UK's standalone regulator. Although the UK and European Union have now reached an agreement on its future trading relationship (to be implemented in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement from January 1, 2021, ("TCA")), the agreement does not cover all regulatory areas regarding medical devices, which may be subject to future bilateral discussions going forward and could further change the relationship between the UK and the European Union in this regard.

European Union laws which were directly applicable before the end of the transitional period or have been. transposed into UK law through secondary legislation continue to be applicable as "retained EU law." However, new legislation such as Medical Devices Regulation (Regulation 2017/745) will not be applicable. The UK government has introduced a new Medicines and Medical Devices Act which seeks to address regulatory gaps through implementing regulations and delegated powers covering the fields of human medicines, clinical trials of human medicines, and medical devices. Despite regulatory authorities in the UK indicating that new UK rules will closely align with European Union laws, detailed proposals are yet to be published and there is still a risk of regulatory divergence.

Significantly, under the TCA there is no mutual recognition of regulatory regimes and certifications between the European Union and the UK. CE Marks issued by EU-based Notified Bodies will continue to be recognized by the UK until June 30, 2023, but from July 1, 2023, new devices placed on the Great Britain market will need to conform with the new UK Conformity Assessment (UKCA) marking requirements. In addition, from January 1, 2021, medical devices placed on the market in the UK must be registered with the MHRA, following a grace period ranging from four to 12 months. Manufacturers based outside the UK will also need to appoint a UK Responsible Person (which may be an individual or a corporate entity). Only a manufacturer established in the UK or a UK Responsible Person will be able to place a device on the market in Great Britain. Under the terms of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, products placed on the market in Northern Ireland will continue to be subject to the European Union regulatory regime.

Government Advocacy

We engage in public policy advocacy with policymakers and continue to work to demonstrate that our therapeutic products provide value to patients and to those who pay for healthcare. We advocate with government policymakers to encourage a long-term approach to sustainable healthcare financing that ensures access to innovative medicines and does not disproportionately target FDA-regulated medical devices and biologics as a source of budget savings. In markets with historically low rates of healthcare spending, we encourage those governments to increase their investments and adopt market reforms in order to improve their citizens’ access to appropriate healthcare.

Regulations Governing Fraud and Abuse

Within the United States, our products and our customers are subject to extensive regulation by a wide range of federal and state agencies that govern business practices in the medical device industry. These laws include federal and state anti-kickback, false claims, physician payment transparency, anti-corruption, and other fraud and abuse statutes and regulations. Internationally, other governments also impose regulations in connection with their healthcare reimbursement programs and the delivery of healthcare items and services.

In the United States, federal healthcare fraud and abuse laws generally apply to our activities because procedures using our products are covered under federal healthcare programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The Anti-Kickback Statute is particularly relevant because of its broad applicability. Specifically, the Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving, or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for, or to induce, either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing, arranging for or recommending a good or service for which payment may be made in whole or part under federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protect certain interactions if specific requirements are met. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor, however, does not make the conduct per se illegal under the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case by case basis based on a cumulative review of all its facts and circumstances. Further, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent in order to violate it to have committed a violation.

Another development affecting the healthcare industry is the increased use of the federal Civil False Claims Act and, in particular, actions brought pursuant to the False Claims Act’s “whistleblower” or “qui tam” provisions. The False Claims Act imposes liability on any person or entity that, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment by a federal healthcare program. In addition, the government may assert that a claim, including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal False Claims Act or federal civil money penalties statute. The qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow a private individual to bring actions on behalf of the federal government, alleging that the defendant has submitted a false claim to the federal government, and to share in any monetary recovery. In recent years, the number of suits brought against healthcare providers by private individuals has increased dramatically. In addition, insurance companies may also bring a private cause of action for treble damages against a manufacturer for a pattern of causing false claims to be filed under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (the “RICO”).

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the “HIPAA”), among other things, created two new federal crimes: healthcare fraud and false statements relating to healthcare matters. The HIPAA healthcare fraud statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private payors. A violation of this statute is a felony and may result in fines, imprisonment, and/or exclusion from government sponsored programs. The HIPAA false statements statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent in order to violate it to have committed a violation.

The federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act requires, among other things, manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report annually to the government information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Effective January 1, 2022, these reporting obligations will extend to include payments and transfers of value made to certain nonphysician providers such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Similar state and local laws and regulations may also restrict business practices in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to business practices, including but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, or by patients themselves; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws and regulations that require drug manufacturers to file reports relating to pricing and marketing information; and state and local laws which require tracking gifts and other remuneration and transfer of value provided to physicians, other healthcare providers and entities.

Violations of fraud and abuse laws, including federal and state anti-kickback and false claims laws, may be punishable by criminal and civil sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties, the possibility of exclusion from federal healthcare programs (including Medicare and Medicaid), disgorgement and corporate integrity agreements, which impose, among other things, rigorous operational and monitoring requirements on companies. Similar sanctions and penalties, as well as imprisonment, also can be imposed upon executive officers and employees of such companies.

Anti-Bribery Laws

Compliance with complex foreign and United States laws and regulations that apply to our international operations increases our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions and could expose us or our employees to fines and penalties in the United States and abroad. These numerous and sometimes conflicting laws and regulations include the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”). The FCPA prohibits United States companies, companies whose securities are listed for trading in the United States and other entities, and their officers, directors, employees, shareholders acting on their behalf and agents from offering, promising, authorizing or making payments to foreign officials for the purpose of influencing official decisions or obtaining or retaining business abroad or other benefits or otherwise obtaining favorable treatment. The FCPA also requires companies to maintain records that fairly and accurately reflect transactions and maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to assure management’s control, authority and responsibility over our assets. In many countries, hospitals are government-owned and healthcare professionals employed by such hospitals, with whom we regularly interact, may meet the definition of a foreign official for purposes of the FCPA. Additionally, recently enacted U.S. legislation increases the monetary reward available to whistleblowers who report violations of federal securities laws, including the FCPA, which may result in increased scrutiny and allegations of violations of these laws and regulations. We maintain and update our policies and procedures and internal controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that we, our employees, partners and other intermediaries comply with the anti-corruption laws to which we are subject. However, there can be no assurance that such policies or procedures or internal controls will work effectively at all times or protect us against liability under these or other laws for actions taken by our employees, partners or other intermediaries with respect to our business. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers, or our employees, prohibitions on the conduct of our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and damage to our reputation. In addition, investigations of any potential, actual or alleged violations of such laws or policies related to us, including any such investigation by U.S. or non-U.S. authorities, could harm our business.

Laws and Regulations Governing Data Privacy and Security

Numerous state, federal and foreign laws, including consumer protection laws and regulations, govern the collection, dissemination, use, access to, confidentiality and security of personal information, including health-related information. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including state data breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws and regulations (e.g., Section 5 of the FTC Act), govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information could apply to our operations or the operations of our partners. We may also be subject to U.S. federal rules, regulations and guidance concerning data security for medical devices, including guidance from the FDA. State laws may be more stringent, broader in scope or offer greater individual rights with respect to protected health information (“PHI”) than HIPAA, and state laws may differ from each other, which may complicate compliance efforts. Entities that are found to be in violation of HIPAA, as the result of a breach of unsecured PHI, a complaint about privacy practices, or an audit by HHS, may be subject to significant civil, criminal, and administrative fines and penalties and/or additional reporting and oversight obligations if required to enter into a resolution agreement and corrective action plan with HHS to settle allegations of HIPAA non-compliance.

California recently enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “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 certain personal information of consumers or households. The CCPA requires covered companies to provide new disclosures to consumers about such companies’ data collection, use and sharing practices, provide such consumers new ways to opt-out of certain sales or transfers of personal information, and provide consumers with additional causes of action. The CCPA went into effect on January 1, 2020, and as of July 1, 2020, the California Attorney General may bring enforcement actions for violations. Although there are limited exemptions for certain health-related information, including certain clinical trial data, as currently written, the CCPA may impact our business activities and exemplifies the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to health-related and other personal information. Additionally, a new California ballot initiative, the California Privacy Rights Act, was voted into law by California residents in November 2020. It imposes additional data protection obligations on companies doing business in California, including additional consumer rights processes and opt outs for certain uses of sensitive data. It also creates a new California data protection agency specifically tasked to enforce the law, which will likely result in increased regulatory scrutiny of California businesses in the areas of data protection and security. Similar laws have been proposed in other states and at the federal level, and if passed, such laws may have potentially conflicting requirements that would make compliance challenging.

E.U. member states, Switzerland, and other countries have also adopted data protection laws and regulations, which impose significant compliance obligations. For instance, the collection and use of personal health data in the EEA is governed by the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”). The GDPR became effective on May 25, 2018, repealing its predecessor directive and increasing responsibility and liability of medical device companies in relation to the processing of personal data of individuals within the EEA. The GDPR imposes strict obligations and restrictions on the ability to collect, analyze, and transfer personal data, including health data from clinical trials and adverse event reporting. In particular, these obligations and restrictions concern the consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals, the transfer of personal data out of the EEA, security breach notifications, security and confidentiality of the personal data, and the imposition of substantial potential fines for breaches of the data protection obligations. Data protection authorities from the different E.U. and EEA member states may interpret the GDPR and national laws differently and impose additional requirements, which add to the complexity of processing personal data in the E.U. and the EEA Guidance on implementation and compliance practices are often updated or otherwise. In addition, the United Kingdom leaving the European Union could also lead to further legislative and regulatory changes. The United Kingdom has mirrored the GDPR in domestic law with the amended Data Protection Act 2018 (the "UK GDPR"). It remains unclear how the United Kingdom data protection laws or regulations will develop in the medium to longer term and how data transfer to the United Kingdom from the European Union and the EEA will be regulated, following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union on January 31, 2020. Currently there is a four to six-month grace period agreed in the TCA, ending June 30, 2021 at the latest, while the parties discuss an adequacy decision. The European Commission published a draft adequacy decision on February 19, 2021. If adopted, the decision will enable data transfers from European Union member states to the UK for a four-year period, subject to subsequent extensions. Compliance with these and any other applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations is a rigorous and time-intensive process, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the new data protection rules. If we fail to comply with any such laws or regulations, we may face significant fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Coverage and Reimbursement

Market acceptance and sales of our products to our customers, who primarily consist of hospitals, government facilities, and ambulatory surgery centers, will depend on the availability of payor coverage and the adequacy of reimbursement, for the procedures using our products, by government insurance programs and other third-party payors. Payor coverage and reimbursement for procedures using medical devices in the United States and international markets vary significantly by country.

In the United States, our currently approved products are commonly treated as general supplies utilized in surgical procedures and if covered by third-party payors, are paid for as part of the procedure. Outside of the United States, there are many reimbursement programs through private payors as well as government programs. In some countries, government reimbursement is the predominant program available to patients and hospitals. Our commercial success depends in part on the extent to which governmental authorities, private health insurers and other third-party payors provide coverage for and establish adequate reimbursement levels for the procedures during which our products are used. Failure by physicians, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and other users of our products to obtain sufficient coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for procedures in which our products are used, or adverse changes in government and private third-party payors’ coverage and reimbursement policies.

Based on our experience to date, third-party payors generally reimburse for the surgical procedures in which our products are used only if the patient meets the established medical necessity criteria for surgery. Some payors are moving toward a managed care system and control their healthcare costs by limiting authorizations for surgical procedures, including elective procedures using our devices. Although no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement among payors in the United States exists and coverage and reimbursement for procedures can differ significantly from payor to payor, reimbursement decisions by particular third-party payors may depend upon a number of factors, including the payor’s determination that use of a product is:

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a covered benefit under its health plan;

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appropriate and medically necessary for the specific indication;

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cost effective; and

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neither experimental nor investigational.

Third-party payors are increasingly auditing and challenging the prices charged for medical products and services with concern for upcoding, miscoding, using inappropriate modifiers, or billing for inappropriate care settings. Some third-party payors must approve coverage for new or innovative devices or procedures before they will reimburse healthcare providers who use the products or therapies. Even though a new product may have been cleared for commercial distribution by the FDA, we may find limited demand for the product unless and until reimbursement approval has been obtained from governmental and private third-party payors.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) is responsible for administering the Medicare program and sets coverage and reimbursement policies for the Medicare program in the United States. CMS, in partnership with state governments, also administers the Medicaid program and Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”). CMS policies may alter coverage and payment related to our product portfolio in the future. These changes may occur as the result of national coverage determinations issued by CMS or as the result of local coverage determinations by contractors under contract with CMS to review and make coverage and payment decisions. Medicaid programs are funded by both federal and state governments, and may vary from state to state and from year to year and will likely play an even larger role in healthcare funding pursuant to the Affordable Care Act.

A key component in ensuring whether the appropriate payment amount is received for physician and other services, including those procedures using our products, is the existence of a Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) code, to describe the procedure in which the product is used. To receive payment, healthcare practitioners must submit claims to insurers using these codes for payment for medical services. CPT codes are assigned, maintained and annually updated by the American Medical Association and its CPT Editorial Board. If the CPT codes that apply to the procedures performed using our products are changed or deleted, reimbursement for performances of these procedures may be adversely affected.

In the United States, some insured individuals enroll in managed care programs, which monitor and often require pre-approval of the services that a member will receive. Some managed care programs pay their providers on a per capita (patient) basis, which puts the providers at financial risk for the services provided to their patients by paying these providers a predetermined payment per member per month and, consequently, may limit the willingness of these providers to use our products.

We believe the overall escalating cost of medical products and services being paid for by the government and private health insurance has led to, and will continue to lead to, increased pressures on the healthcare and medical device industry to reduce the costs of products and services. All third-party reimbursement programs are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs through prospective reimbursement and capitation programs, group purchasing, redesign of benefits, requiring second opinions prior to major surgery, careful review of bills, encouragement of healthier lifestyles and other preventative services and exploration of more cost-effective methods of delivering healthcare.

In addition to uncertainties surrounding coverage policies, there are periodic changes to reimbursement levels. Third-party payors regularly update reimbursement amounts and also from time to time revise the methodologies used to determine reimbursement amounts. This includes routine updates to payments to physicians, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers for procedures during which our products are used. These updates could directly impact the demand for our products.

In international markets, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific product lines and procedures. There can be no assurance that procedures using our products will be covered for a specific indication, that our products will be considered cost-effective by third party payors, that an adequate level of reimbursement will be available or that the third-party payors’ reimbursement policies will not adversely affect our ability to sell our products profitably. Local, product specific reimbursement law is increasingly being applied as an overlay to medical device regulation, which has provided an additional layer of clearance requirement. Specifically, Australia now requires clinical data for clearance and reimbursement be in the form of prospective, multi-center studies, a high bar not previously applied. In addition, in France, certain innovative devices have been identified as needing to provide clinical evidence to support a “mark-specific” reimbursement. It is our intent to complete the requisite clinical studies and obtain coverage and reimbursement approval in countries where it makes economic sense to do so.

Healthcare Reform

In the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system. In March 2010, the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) was signed into law and substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers in the United States. The ACA contains a number of provisions, including those governing enrollment in federal healthcare programs, reimbursement adjustments, and fraud and abuse changes. Additionally, the ACA, among other things, included incentives to programs that increase the federal government’s comparative effectiveness research, and implemented payment system reforms, including a national pilot program on payment bundling to encourage hospitals, physicians, and other providers, to improve the coordination, quality, and efficiency of certain healthcare services through bundled payment models. Since its enactment, there have been judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, and we expect there will be additional challenges and amendments to the ACA in the future.

Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted, including aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year and reduced payments to several types of Medicare providers. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stability Act (the “CARES Act”), which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, suspended the reductions from May 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020, and extended the sequester by one additional year, through 2030. Moreover, there has recently been heightened governmental scrutiny, including increasing legislative and enforcement interest, over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted legislation designed, among other things, to bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products. Individual states in the United States have also become increasingly active in implementing regulations designed to control product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access, and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures and, in some cases, mechanisms to encourage importation from other countries. Furthermore, there has been increased interest by third party payors and governmental authorities in reference pricing systems and publication of discounts and list prices.

Human Capital

As of December 31, 2020, we had 163 employees, more than 95% of whom were full-time employees. We believe our employee relations are good.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe that fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion is a key element to discovering, developing, and bringing transformative products to patients in need. As of December 31, 2020, 43% of our workforce and 24% of our leadership (at the director level and above) were female. In addition, as of December 31, 2020, 51% of our workforce were racially or ethnically diverse. We strive to build a workforce representative of the people we serve and to nurture an inclusive culture where all voices are welcomed, heard, and respected.

Recruiting and Retention

We believe that we have been successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel with the appropriate background and skills to support our business and its growth. We monitor recruiting efforts using a variety of metrics such as internal placement rates, employee referrals, information on the retention of business critical hires, and the percentage of budgeted openings filled on time and on budget. We also track voluntary and involuntary turnover rates.

Compensation and Benefits

We strive to offer competitive pay and benefits designed to attract and retain exceptional talent and drive company performance. In setting appropriate compensation levels, we look at the average base pay rate for each position based on market data. We also offer an annual cash incentive program and long-term equity incentive plans designed to assist in attracting, retaining and motivating employees, to align their interests with our stockholders and to promote the creation of long-term value for our investors.

Our standard employee benefits include paid and unpaid leaves, medical, dental and vision insurance coverage, a 401(k) plan, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, flexible spending accounts and an employee stock purchase plan. We benchmark our benefits program against others in our industry to help us make decisions on the size and elements of our compensation program.

COVID-19

We are continuing to closely monitor the impact of the evolving effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. At our production facilities where our work force is most concentrated and working remotely is not possible in many instances, we have established a cross-functional COVID-19 working group, which meets periodically to discuss policies and protocols, strategic planning, business continuity, and other matters relating to the pandemic. Additionally, on a company-wide basis, we have made proactive efforts designed to protect the health and safety of our workforce. As part of these efforts, we instituted a mandatory work-from-home policy for employees who can perform their jobs offsite.

Our field-based personnel have significantly reduced in-person customer interactions in healthcare settings and have primarily been using electronic communications to support our customers and the healthcare professionals therein. Limited in-person interactions are occurring only where state and local laws and regulations allow, provided the institution or office is accepting in-person interactions and our field-based personnel are comfortable engaging in this manner.

We believe that the measures we have implemented are appropriate and are helping to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in our workplace, and we will continue to monitor conditions and related guidance from governmental authorities and adjust our activities as appropriate.

Corporate History

We were incorporated in Delaware in August 2015 as a subsidiary of Tissue Banks International, Inc. (“TBI,” now KeraLink International (“KeraLink”). In November 2015, all of the assets and substantially all of the liabilities of the musculoskeletal division of TBI were contributed to us and 75% of the ownership interests in us were transferred to HighCape Partners QP, L.P. (“HighCape Partners QP”), certain of its affiliates, and Deerfield Private Design Fund III, L.P. (“Deerfield”).

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Our SEC filings are also available free of charge under the Investor Relations section of our website at www.aziyo.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website and the information contained on available through our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report.

We may use our website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. Financial and other important information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible through the Investor Relations sections of its website at www.aziyo.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Email Alerts” option under the IR Resources menu of the Investor Relations of our website at www.aziyo.com. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on or available through our website, and you should not consider such information to be a part of this Annual Report.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and the other information in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes, as well as our other public filings with the SEC, before making an investment in our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected if any of these risks occurs, and as a result, the market price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. This Annual Report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our long-term growth depends on our ability to enhance our products, expand our product indications and develop, acquire and commercialize additional product offerings.

Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change and technological advancements. Competition intensifies as technical advances in each field are made and become more widely known. We can give no assurance that others will not develop products, services and processes with significant advantages over the products, services and processes that we offer or are seeking to develop. It is, therefore, important to our business that we continue to enhance our existing product offerings, expand our product indications and develop or otherwise introduce and successfully commercialize new products. Developing, acquiring and commercializing products is expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention away from our core business. Even if we are successful in developing additional products, the success of any new product offering or enhancements to any of our existing products will depend on several factors, including our ability to:

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properly identify and anticipate physician and patient needs;

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develop and introduce new products and product enhancements in a timely manner;

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distinguish our products from those of our competitors;

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develop an effective and dedicated sales and marketing team;

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enter into successful agreements with commercial partners, independent sales agents and other third parties where it is beneficial for us to do so;

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adequately protect our intellectual property, avoid infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of third parties and obtain and maintain necessary intellectual property licenses from third parties;

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demonstrate, if required, the safety and efficacy of new products with data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;

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obtain the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals for new products, product enhancements and expanded indications;

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maintain full compliance with FDA, European Union Medical Devices regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to new devices or products or modifications of existing devices or products;

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provide adequate training to potential users of our products;

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receive adequate coverage and reimbursement for our products; and

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otherwise compete effectively against products and enhancements developed by our competitors.

If we are not successful in expanding our indications and developing, acquiring and commercializing new products and product enhancements, our ability to increase our net sales may be impaired, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our research and development efforts may require a substantial investment of time and resources before we are adequately able to determine the commercial viability of a new product, technology or other innovation.

Even if we are able to successfully develop and commercialize new product offerings or enhancements, they may be quickly rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences or the introduction by our competitors of products embodying new technologies or features and/or otherwise not produce sales in excess of the costs of development, any of which could also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, to the extent we seek to enhance our products and broaden our product portfolio through acquisitions or other commercial transactions, we will be subject to additional risks. See “— We regularly evaluate opportunities to make acquisitions of, investments in, and licenses or other commercial arrangements involving, other companies or technologies, and to enter into other strategic transactions. These transactions entail significant risks.”

A substantial portion of our net sales is generated through our commercial partners and independent sales agents, which subjects us to various risks.

We currently rely on the efforts of our commercial partners and independent sales agents to generate a substantial portion of our net sales, and we expect to continue to rely on these third parties to generate a substantial portion of our net sales in the future while we work to grow our direct sales force. As a result, the impairment or termination of these relationships for any reason, or the failure of these parties to diligently sell our products and comply with applicable laws and regulations, could materially and adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and profits. Because our commercial partners and independent sales agents control the relationships with our end customers, if our relationship with any commercial partner or independent sales agent ends, we will likely also lose our relationship with their customers. Furthermore, our success is partially dependent on the willingness and ability of the sales representatives and other employees of our commercial partners and independent sales agents to diligently sell our products. However, we cannot guarantee that they will be successful in marketing our products. In addition, because our commercial partners and independent sales agents do not sell our products exclusively, they may focus their sales efforts and resources on other products that produce better margins or greater commissions for them or are incorporated into a broader strategic relationship with a partner. Because we do not control the sales representatives and other employees of our commercial partners, we cannot guarantee that our sales processes, regulatory compliance and other priorities will be consistently communicated and executed. In addition, we do not have staff in many of the areas covered by our commercial partners and independent sales agents, which makes it particularly difficult for us to monitor their performance. While we may take steps to mitigate the risks associated with noncompliance by our commercial partners and independent sales agents, there remains a risk that they will not comply with regulatory requirements or our requirements and policies. Actions by the sales representatives and other employees of our commercial partners and independent sales agents that are beyond our control could result in flat or declining sales in that territory, harm to the reputation of our company or our products or legal liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition to the risk of losing customers, the operation of local laws and our agreements with our commercial partners and independent sales agents would make it difficult for us to replace a commercial partner or independent sales agent we feel is underperforming.

In order to increase our sales, particularly with respect to our Core Products, we intend to develop relationships and arrangements with additional commercial partners and/or independent sales agents, which we may not be able to do on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to establish new commercial partner and independent sales agent relationships and maintain our relationships with our existing commercial partners and independent sales agents, in each case, on commercially reasonable terms, we will be unable to increase sales of our products and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, certain of our commercial partners may, from time to time, account for a significant portion of our net sales and/or accounts receivable. Sales to Surgalign Holdings, one of our commercial partners, accounted for 10% of our net sales during the year ended December 31, 2020 and represented 13% of our accounts receivable as of December 31, 2020. Sales to Medtronic, also one of our commercial partners, accounted for 17% of our net sales during the year ended December 31, 2020 and represented 34% of our accounts receivable as of December 31, 2020. The loss of one or more significant commercial partners, a material reduction in their purchases of our products, or their inability to perform their contractual obligations, including, for example, committed purchase requirements, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are also subject to the risk that any such commercial partner will experience financial difficulties that prevent them from making payments to us on a timely basis or at all.

Our revenue and profitability could be materially and adversely affected if we fail to maintain our relationships with our existing contract manufacturing customers and enter into agreements with new contract manufacturing customers, or if existing contract manufacturing customers reduce purchases of our products. Our relationships with these customers also subject us to certain risks.

Our contract manufacturing operations are an important component of our business, enabling us to utilize as much as possible of the human biological material from which we produce our core orthopedic/spinal repair and soft tissue reconstruction products, leverage our existing overhead and improve our cash flow. In addition, we have historically generated a significant portion of our total net sales from sales of our Non-Core Products, which is composed primarily of purchases from our contract manufacturing customers. Sales of our Non-Core Products represented approximately 15.1% and 27.9% of our total net sales for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and this decrease largely resulted from a reduction in volume of products purchased by one significant contract customer following the expiration of its contract. As a result, if we are unable to maintain our relationships with our existing contract manufacturing customers and establish relationships with new contract manufacturing customers on terms that are favorable to us, or if our existing contract manufacturing customers materially reduce their purchases of our products, our sales and profitability may be further adversely affected.

In addition, although we have invested, and expect to continue to invest, significant time and resources cultivating our relationships with these customers, these relationships subject us to certain risks. For example, our contract manufacturing customers may use their experience with our products to develop their own solutions, which they may be able to produce at a lower cost than the price they pay for our products. This is particularly true given that many of our customers are large, established companies that may be able to achieve greater economies of scale in manufacturing and production and/or experience synergies from vertical integration. In addition, our contract manufacturing customers routinely audit and inspect our facilities, processes and practices to ensure that our manufacturing process and products meet their internal standards and applicable regulatory standards. To date, we have passed all such audits and inspections. However, we may not do so in the future, and any failure to perform to our customers’ satisfaction in these audits could significantly harm our relationships with them and our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the need to comply with our customers’ internal requirements could result in increased development, manufacturing, warranty and administrative costs. A significant increase in these costs could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. There is also a risk that we may be unable to supply products in the quantities and of the quality required by these customers within their required timeframes, which would also jeopardize our relationships with them. Disagreements or disputes may also arise from time to time. Any of these events, to the extent they cause our customers to reduce purchases of our products or terminate their relationships with us, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, our sales to these customers may be impacted by changes in their buying habits over which we have no control. Such changes may be driven by, among other things, changes in market share, cyclicality, inventory reductions, spending patterns, cost-cutting measures, product development activity and timelines and changes in supply chain management, as well as the impact of general economic conditions. These customers may also experience financial difficulties or other problems that may prevent them from making payments to us on a timely basis or at all. Any of these events could cause our operating results to fluctuate from period to period, make it more difficult for us to manage our inventory and production schedules and otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We plan to expand our direct sales force, and if we are unable to successfully expand, manage and maintain our direct sales force, we may not be able to generate greater market share and revenue growth.

Prior to the CorMatrix Acquisition, we had a very small direct sales force and sold our Core Products primarily through independent sales agents or to other companies for resale or incorporation into their products. Though our orthopedic/spinal repair products are now primarily sold through our commercial partners, we currently utilize our direct sales force to sell CanGaroo and our cardiovascular products, as well as our SimpliDerm product. As of December 31, 2020, our direct sales organization consisted of 33 sales representatives, who are focused on increasing market access and market penetration by selling our products, managing our commercial partners, and providing technical assistance. Our operating results are directly dependent upon the efforts of these employees. If our direct sales force fails to adequately promote, market and sell our products and effectively manage and assist our commercial partners, our net sales may be adversely affected.

In addition, in order to expand our network of hospital and physician customers, drive deeper penetration in our current accounts and provide additional technical assistance to our commercial partners, we plan to expand the size and geographic scope of our direct sales force. This growth may require us to split or adjust existing sales territories, which may adversely affect our ability to retain customers in those territories. Additionally, our future success will depend largely on our ability to continue to hire, train, retain and motivate skilled sales personnel with significant industry experience and technical knowledge of regenerative medicine and related products. Because the competition for their services is high, we cannot assure you we will be able to hire and retain additional personnel on favorable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Failure to hire or retain qualified sales personnel would prevent us from expanding our business and generating additional revenue. In addition, it typically takes a substantial period of time before newly hired sales personnel are effective. Though we currently utilize commercial partners and independent sales agents to sell certain of our products, there is no guarantee that we will be able to establish relationships with additional parties, or that our existing commercial partners and independent sales agents will purchase or otherwise commercialize any products we may seek to introduce in the future. If we are unable to expand our sales and marketing capabilities, we may not be able to effectively commercialize our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are working to grow our direct sales force for certain of our products, which may result in higher fixed costs and may slow our ability to reduce costs in the face of a sudden decline in demand for our products.

A key component of our growth involves expanding the size and geographic scope of our direct sales force. A direct sales force may subject us to higher fixed costs than those of other companies that market competing products primarily through third parties due to the costs that we will bear associated with employee benefits, training and managing sales personnel. As a result, we could be at a competitive disadvantage relative to competitors who rely more heavily on third parties to market and sell their products. Additionally, these fixed costs may slow our ability to reduce costs in the face of a sudden decline in demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have incurred operating losses since our inception, expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses in the future, and may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability.

We have incurred net losses since our inception in 2015. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, we had net losses of $11.9 million and $21.8, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $80.3 million. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through private placements of our convertible preferred stock, amounts borrowed under our credit facilities and sales of our products. We have devoted the majority of our resources to acquisition and integration, manufacturing costs, research and development, clinical activity and investing in our commercial infrastructure through our direct sales force and commercial partners in order to expand our presence and to promote awareness and adoption of our products.

We expect that our operating expenses will continue to increase as we grow our sales organization, expand our product development and clinical and research activities, and incur additional costs associated with being a public company. As a result, we expect to continue to incur operating losses in the future and may never achieve profitability. Furthermore, even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on an ongoing basis. If we do not achieve or sustain profitability, it will be more difficult for us to finance our business and accomplish our strategic objectives, either of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline. In addition, failure of our products to significantly penetrate existing or new markets would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by the outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and may be adversely affected by any future pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or worldwide.

If a pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease occurs in the United States or worldwide, our business may be adversely affected. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was identified in Wuhan, China. Since then, SARS-CoV-2, and the resulting disease, COVID-19, has spread to most countries and all 50 states within the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our business, financial condition and results of operations by significantly decreasing and delaying the number of procedures performed using our products, and we expect the pandemic to continue to negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similar to the general trend in elective and other surgical procedures, the number of procedures performed using our products has decreased significantly as healthcare organizations in the United States have prioritized the treatment of patients with COVID-19 or have otherwise altered their operations to prepare for and respond to the pandemic. For example, in the United States, governmental authorities have recommended, and in certain cases required, that elective, specialty and other non-emergency procedures and appointments be suspended or canceled in order to avoid patient exposure to medical environments and the risk of potential infection with the novel coronavirus, and to focus limited resources and personnel capacity on the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Beginning in March 2020, a significant number of procedures using our products have been postponed or cancelled, which has negatively impacted sales of our products. Decreases in procedures have been most prevalent in regions experiencing significant outbreaks, while healthcare organizations in other regions have continued to undertake procedures using our products at reduced levels as compared to before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic could also adversely impact the initiation, continuation and completion of our clinical trials by, for example, delaying procedures using our products or reducing the number of patients, healthcare providers or clinical facilities available or willing to participate in the clinical trials. These delays could result in increased costs, delays in advancing our product development, delays in testing the effectiveness of our technology or termination of the clinical studies altogether. These measures and challenges will likely continue for the duration of the pandemic, which is uncertain, and may continue to reduce our net sales and negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations while the pandemic continues. Further, even after the pandemic ultimately subsides, we anticipate there will be a substantial backlog of patients seeking procedures and appointments for a variety of medical conditions and, as a result, patients seeking procedures performed using our products will have to navigate limited provider capacity. We believe this limited capacity of providers, hospitals and other healthcare facilities could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Numerous state and local jurisdictions, including those where our facilities are located, have imposed, and others in the future may impose, “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of COVID-19. Such orders or restrictions have resulted in reduced operations at our manufacturing facilities, travel restrictions and cancellation of events and have restricted the ability of our sales representatives and those of our commercial partners and independent sales agents to attend procedures in which our products are used, among other effects, thereby significantly and negatively impacting our operations. Other disruptions or potential disruptions include restrictions on the ability of our sales representatives and other personnel, and those of our commercial partners and independent sales agents, to travel and access customers for training and case support; inability of our suppliers to manufacture and deliver to us on a timely basis or at all; delays in our ability to obtain medical records for tissue donors, which we need in order to release our products; disruptions in our production schedule and ability to manufacture and assemble products; inventory shortages or obsolescence; delays in actions of regulatory bodies; delays in clinical trials and studies; diversion of or limitations on employee resources that would otherwise be focused on the operations of our business, including because of sickness of employees or their families or the desire of employees to avoid contact with groups of people; delays in growing or reductions in our direct sales force, including through delays in hiring, lay-offs, furloughs or other losses of sales representatives; restrictions in our ability to ship our products to customers; business adjustments or disruptions of certain third parties, including suppliers, medical institutions and clinical investigators with whom we conduct business; negative impact on our customers’ credit profiles, which may adversely impact our future collection experience; and additional government requirements or other incremental mitigation efforts that may further impact our or our suppliers’ capacity to manufacture our products. The extent, to which the COVID-19 pandemic or any future pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease impacts our business, will depend on future events and developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the severity and spread of the disease and the effectiveness of actions to contain the disease or treat its impact, among others. As new information regarding COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is difficult to predict what impact this disease will ultimately have on our business.

Adverse changes in general domestic and global economic conditions and instability and disruption of credit markets, including as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic or any other outbreak of an infectious disease, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We are subject to risks arising from adverse changes in general domestic and global economic conditions, including any recession, economic slowdown or disruption of credit markets. While the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, any pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease, including COVID-19, may be difficult to assess or predict, the current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of global financial markets. These events, and any financial crisis that may occur in the future, could make it more difficult and more expensive for hospitals and health systems to obtain credit, which may contribute to pressures on their operating margins. As a result, hospitals and health systems may curtail and reduce capital and overall spending, which may have a significant adverse effect on our business. In addition, the current economic downturn that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted and may continue to result in, and any economic downturn that may occur in the future may also result in, higher unemployment and a reduction in the number of individuals covered by private insurance, which may result in an increase in the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals. Higher unemployment may also result in a shift in reimbursement patterns as unemployed individuals switch from private plans to public plans such as U.S. Medicaid or Medicare. As economic conditions deteriorate and unemployment increases, any significant shift in coverage for the unemployed may have an unfavorable impact on our business.

In addition, the current COVID-19 pandemic and any other disruption in the capital and credit markets could impede our access to capital, which could be further adversely affected if we are unable to maintain our current credit ratings. Should we have limited access to additional financing sources, we may need to defer capital expenditures or seek other sources of liquidity, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. Similarly, if our suppliers face challenges in obtaining credit or other financial difficulties, they may be unable to provide the materials required to manufacture our products. All of these factors related to global economic conditions, which are beyond our control, could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Our future growth depends on physician awareness of the distinctive characteristics, benefits, safety, clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of our products.

We focus our sales, marketing and training efforts on physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals. The acceptance of our products depends in part on our ability to educate these individuals as to the distinctive characteristics, benefits, safety, clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of our products compared to alternative products, procedures and therapies. We support our direct sales force, commercial partners and independent sales agents through in-person educational programs and online medical educational materials, among other things. We also produce marketing materials, including materials outlining our products, for our sales teams using printed, video and multimedia formats. However, our efforts to educate physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals regarding our products may not be successful, particularly in markets in which we rely exclusively on the efforts of our commercial partners and independent sales agents. A failure to educate physicians and surgeons may impair our ability to achieve market acceptance of our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on the continued and future acceptance of our products by the medical community.

Even if we are able to increase awareness of our products among healthcare professionals, there can be no assurance that this will translate into greater acceptance of our products by the medical community. We believe physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals will only adopt our products if they determine, based on experience, clinical data and published peer reviewed journal articles, that the use of our products in a particular procedure is a favorable alternative to other available methods. Physicians also are more interested in using cost-effective products as they face increasing cost-containment pressure. In general, physicians may be slow to change their medical treatment practices and adopt our products for a variety of reasons, including, among others:

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their lack of experience using our products;

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lack of evidence supporting additional patient benefits from use of our products over conventional methods;

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pressure to contain costs;

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preference for other treatment modalities or our competitors’ products;

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perceived liability risks generally associated with the use of new products and procedures;

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limited availability of coverage and/or reimbursement from third-party payors; and

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the time that must be dedicated to learning how to use our products.

The degree of market acceptance of our products will continue to depend on a number of factors, some of which are outside of our control, including, among other things:

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the actual and perceived safety and efficacy of our products;

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the potential and perceived advantages of our products over alternative treatments;

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clinical data and the clinical indications for which our products are approved;

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product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA, the European Union or other regulatory authorities, including any limitations or warnings contained in approved labeling;

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the cost of using our products relative to the use of our competitors’ products or alternative treatment modalities;

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relative convenience and ease of administration;

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the strength of marketing and distribution support;

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the timing of market introduction of competitive products;

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publicity concerning our products or competing products and treatments;

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our reputation and the reputation of our products;

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the prevalence and severity of any adverse events patients experience involving our products;

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the shelf life of our products and our ability to manage the logistics of the end-user supply chain; and

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sufficient and readily accessible third-party insurance coverage and reimbursement for procedures incorporating our products.

In addition, we believe recommendations for, and support of our products by, influential physicians are essential for market acceptance and adoption. If we do not receive this support (e.g., because we are unable to demonstrate favorable long-term clinical data or otherwise), physicians and hospitals may not use our products, which would significantly impair our ability to increase our sales and prevent us from achieving and sustaining profitability.

Unfavorable results from any of our pre-clinical studies or clinical trials, comparative effectiveness, economic or other studies, or from similar trials or studies conducted by others, may negatively affect the use or adoption of our products by physicians, hospitals and payors, which could have a negative impact on the market acceptance of our products and their profitability.

We regularly conduct a variety of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, comparative effectiveness studies and economic and other studies of our products in an effort to generate clinical and real-world outcomes and cost effectiveness data in order to obtain product approval and drive further penetration in the markets we serve. If a clinical study conducted by us or a third party fails to demonstrate statistically significant results supporting performance, use benefits or compelling health or economic outcomes from using our products, physicians may elect not to use our products. Furthermore, in the event of an adverse clinical study outcome, our products may not achieve “standard-of-care” status, where they exist, for the conditions in question, which could deter the adoption of our products. Also, if serious adverse events are reported during the conduct of a study, it could affect continuation of the study, product approval or clearance and product adoption. In addition, U.S. and foreign regulatory authorities routinely conduct audits of clinical studies and such audits may result in adverse regulatory actions. If we are unable to develop a body of statistically significant evidence from our clinical study program, whether due to adverse results or the inability to complete properly designed studies, domestic and international public and private payors could refuse to cover procedures using our products, limit the manner in which they cover our products or reduce the price they are willing to pay or reimburse for procedures using our products. Any of these events could have a negative impact on market acceptance of procedures using our products and their profitability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We will need to continue to expand our organization, and managing growth may be more difficult than we expect.

Managing our growth may be more difficult than we expect. We anticipate that a period of significant expansion will be required to penetrate and service the markets for our existing and anticipated future products and to continue to develop new products. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. To manage the expected growth of our operations and personnel, we must both modify our existing operational and financial systems, procedures and controls and implement new systems, procedures and controls. We must also expand our finance, administrative and operations staff. Management may be unable to hire, train, retain, motivate and manage necessary personnel or to identify, manage and exploit existing and potential strategic relationships and market opportunities. If we fail to meet these challenges effectively, there may be an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We regularly evaluate opportunities to make acquisitions of, investments in, and licenses or other commercial arrangements involving, other companies or technologies, and to enter into other strategic transactions. These transactions entail significant risks.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continually enhance and broaden our product offerings in response to changing customer demands, competitive pressures and advances in technologies. Accordingly, although we have no current commitments with respect to any acquisition or investment, we regularly review potential acquisitions of, investments in, and licenses or other commercial arrangements involving, complementary businesses, products or technologies instead of developing them ourselves. In addition, in regularly evaluating our financial and operating performance, we may decide to sell one or more of our product lines or another portion of our business. Opportunities to engage in these transactions may not be readily available to us at commercially reasonable prices, on other terms acceptable to us or at all. Even if such opportunities are available, these transactions involve significant risks. In connection with one or more of these transactions, we may:

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issue additional equity securities that would dilute the value of your investment in us;

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use cash that we may need in the future to operate our business;

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incur debt that could have terms unfavorable to us or that we might be unable to repay;

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structure the transaction in a manner that has unfavorable tax consequences, such as a stock purchase that does not permit a step-up in the tax basis for the assets acquired;

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incur asset impairment or other acquisition-related charges, or unforeseen costs, expenditures and risks;

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be unable to realize the anticipated benefits, such as increased revenues, cost savings or synergies from additional sales of existing or newly acquired products;

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experience dissynergies in shared functions following a divestment of any portion of our business;

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be unable to successfully integrate, operate, maintain and manage any newly acquired operations;

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divert management’s attention from the existing business to integrate, operate, maintain and manage any newly acquired operations and personnel, or to manage the complexities involved in separating divested operations, services, products and personnel;

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be unable to secure the services of key employees related to an acquisition or, in the case of a divestiture, lose one or more of our key employees;

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face increased scrutiny and review of our company and operations from government and other regulatory authorities; and

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otherwise be unable to succeed in the marketplace with the acquisition.

The occurrence of any of the above could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, business acquisitions also involve the risk of unknown liabilities associated with the acquired business, which could be material. Such liabilities could include lack of compliance with government regulations that could subject us to investigation, civil and criminal sanctions, litigation and/or other actions that make it impossible to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction. For example, we may acquire a company that was not compliant with FDA quality requirements or was making payments or other forms of remuneration to physicians to induce them to use their products. Incurring unknown liabilities or the failure to complete or realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition, investment or other commercial arrangement, whether resulting from one or more of the factors described above or otherwise, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

New lines of business and new products and services may subject us to additional risks.

From time to time, we may implement or acquire new lines of business or introduce new products and services within our existing business lines. There are risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed or are evolving. In developing and commercializing new lines of business and new products and services, we may invest significant time and resources. External factors, such as regulatory compliance obligations, competitive alternatives, lack of market acceptance and shifting market preferences, may also affect the successful implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service. Failure to successfully plan for and manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face significant and continuing competition from other companies, some of which have longer operating histories, more established products and/or greater resources than we do, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in highly competitive markets that are characterized by intense competition, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions, technological advancements and other market activities of industry participants. Our competitors have historically dedicated, and will continue to dedicate, significant resources to promote their products and to develop new products that compete with ours. Customers in our target markets consider many factors when selecting a product, including product efficacy, ease of use, price, availability of payor coverage and adequate third-party reimbursement for procedures using the product, customer support services for technical-, clinical- and reimbursement-related matters and customer preference for, and loyalty to, particular products or a particular manufacturer. We expect competition to remain intense as competitors introduce additional competing products and enhancements to their existing products, and continue expanding into geographic markets where we currently operate or plan to expand. Product introductions or enhancements by competitors, which may have advanced technology, better features or lower pricing, may make our products obsolete or less competitive. As a result, we will be required to devote continued efforts and financial resources to develop and commercialize new products and enhancements to our existing products, deliver cost-effective clinical outcomes, manage our costs and expand our geographic reach.

Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories and substantially greater financial, technical, marketing, sales, distribution and other resources than we do, which may prevent us from achieving significant market penetration or improved operating results. Certain competitors’ products, such as competitors of SimpliDerm, are subject to a simpler reimbursement process than are our products. Competitors may also be able to leverage their market share and other resources to set prices at a level below that which is profitable for us. These companies may also enjoy other competitive advantages, including, without limitation:

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greater company, product and brand recognition;

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better quality and greater volume of clinical data;

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more effective marketing to and education of physicians and other healthcare professionals;

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greater control of key intellectual property and more expansive portfolios of intellectual property rights;

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more experience in obtaining and maintaining regulatory clearances or approvals for products and product enhancements;

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more established relationships with hospitals and other healthcare providers, physicians, suppliers, customers and third-party payors;

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additional lines of products, and the ability to bundle products to offer greater incentives to gain a competitive advantage;

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more established sales, marketing and worldwide distribution networks;

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better product support and service;

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superior product safety, reliability and durability;

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more effective pricing and revenue strategies; and

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more effective clinical training programs.

Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability will depend, in part, on our ability to develop or acquire proprietary products that reach the market in a timely manner, receive adequate coverage and reimbursement for procedures using our products, and are safer and more effective than their alternatives, as well as our ability to otherwise compete effectively on the factors listed above. If we are unable to do so, our sales and/or margins will decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Pricing pressure as a result of cost-containment efforts of our customers, purchasing groups, third-party payors and governmental organizations could adversely affect our sales and profitability.

Medical technology companies, healthcare systems and group purchasing organizations (“GPOs”) have intensified competitive pricing pressure as a result of industry trends and new technologies. Rising healthcare costs have resulted in numerous cost reform initiatives by legislators, regulators and third-party payors. This cost reform has triggered a consolidation trend in the healthcare industry to aggregate purchasing power and, as a result, purchasing decisions are increasingly shifting to hospitals, integrated delivery networks (“IDNs”) and other hospital groups, and away from individual surgeons and physicians. Many existing and potential facility customers for our products within the United States are members of GPOs and IDNs, including accountable care organizations or public-based purchasing organizations, and our business is partly dependent on contracts with these organizations. Purchases of our products can be contracted under national tenders or with larger hospital GPOs. GPOs and IDNs negotiate pricing arrangements with healthcare product manufacturers and distributors and offer the negotiated prices to affiliated hospitals and other members. GPOs and IDNs typically award contracts on a category-by-category basis through a competitive bidding process and, at any given time, we are typically in various stages of responding to bids and negotiating and renewing GPO and IDN agreements. Bids are generally solicited from multiple manufacturers or service providers with the intention of obtaining lower pricing. Due to the highly competitive nature of the bidding process and the GPO and IDN contracting processes in the United States, we may not be able to obtain or maintain contract positions with major GPOs and IDNs across our product portfolio. Furthermore, GPO and IDN contracts are typically terminable without cause upon 60 to 90 days’ notice. In addition, while having a contract with a major purchaser for a given product category can facilitate sales, there can be no guarantee that sales volumes for those products will be maintained. For example, GPOs and IDNs are increasingly awarding contracts to multiple suppliers for the same product category and, even when we are the sole contracted supplier of a GPO or IDN for a certain product category, members of the GPO or IDN are generally free to purchase from other suppliers. If we are unable to maintain and renew our contracts with our current GPO and IDN customers and negotiate contracts with new customers on favorable terms, or if sales volumes under these agreements decline, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, most of our customers purchase our products directly and then bill third-party payors for procedures using those products. Because there is typically no separate reimbursement for supplies used in surgical procedures, the additional cost associated with the use of our products can affect the profit margin of the hospital or surgery center where the procedure is performed. Some of our target customers may be unwilling to adopt our products in light of the additional associated cost or may negotiate for lower pricing. Further, any decline in the amount payors are willing to reimburse our customers for procedures using our products, including those as a result of healthcare reform initiatives, could make it difficult for existing customers to continue using or to adopt our products and could create additional pricing pressure for us. In addition to these competitive forces, we continue to see pricing pressure as hospitals introduce new pricing structures into their contracts and agreements, including fixed price formulas, capitated pricing and episodic or bundled payments intended to contain healthcare costs. If we are forced to lower the price we charge for our products, our margins will decrease, which could impair our ability to grow our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and impair our ability to grow our business.

Outside the United States, centralized governmental healthcare authorities may exert pricing pressures in an effort to lower healthcare costs. Implementation of healthcare reforms and competitive bidding contract tenders may limit the price or the level at which reimbursement is provided for our products and adversely affect both our pricing flexibility and the demand for our products. Healthcare providers may respond to such cost-containment pressures by substituting lower-cost products or other therapies for our products. Our failure to offer acceptable prices to these customers could adversely affect our sales and profitability in these markets.

We expect that market demand, government regulation, third-party coverage and reimbursement policies and societal pressures will continue to change the healthcare industry worldwide, resulting in further business consolidations and alliances among our customers, which may exert further downward pressure on the prices for our products.

The processing of human and porcine tissue for our products is technically complex, requiring high levels of quality control and precision, which subjects us to increased production risks.

We manufacture our human and porcine tissue products using technically complex processes requiring specialized facilities, highly specific raw materials, skill and diligence by our personnel and other production constraints. The complexity of these processes, as well as strict company and government standards for the manufacture and storage of our products, subjects us to production risks. In addition to ongoing production risks, process deviations or unanticipated effects of approved process changes may result in non-compliance with regulatory requirements, including stability requirements or specifications. For example, our bone allograft products FiberCel, ViBone and OsteGro V, must be shipped and maintained within a specified temperature range. If environmental conditions deviate from that range, our products’ remaining shelf-lives could be impaired or their safety and efficacy could be adversely affected, making them unsuitable for use. The occurrence of this or any other actual or suspected production or distribution problem can lead to lost inventories, customer returns and, in some cases, recalls, with consequential damage to our reputation and customer relationships and the risk of product liability. The investigation and remediation of any potential or identified problems can cause production delays and result in substantial additional expenses and lost revenue. In addition, we may experience difficulties in scaling up processing and production of our human and porcine tissue products, including problems related to yields, quality control and assurance, tissue availability, adequacy of control policies and procedures and availability of skilled personnel. Furthermore, developing and maintaining our production capabilities has required, and will continue to require, the investment of significant resources, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to achieve economies of scale. If we are unable to process and produce our human tissue products on a timely basis, at acceptable quality and costs and in sufficient quantities, or if we experience technological problems, delays in production, failure in the storage of our products or other loss of supply, our business would be materially and adversely affected.

Performance issues, service interruptions or price increases by our shipping carriers could adversely affect our business, harm our reputation and impair our ability to provide our products on a timely basis or at all.

Expedited, reliable shipping is essential to our operations. We rely heavily on providers of transport services for reliable, timely and secure point-to-point transport of our products to our customers and for tracking of these shipments. Should a carrier encounter delivery performance issues such as loss, delays, damage or destruction of any of our products, it would be costly to replace these products in a timely manner and such occurrences may damage our reputation and lead to decreased demand for our products and increased cost and expense to our business. This risk is particularly high with respect to FiberCel, ViBone and OsteGro V, which must be shipped and maintained within a specified temperature range. In addition, any significant increase in shipping rates could adversely affect our operating margins and results of operations. Similarly, strikes, severe weather, natural disasters, equipment malfunctions or other service interruptions affecting the delivery services we use, would impair our ability to process orders for our products on a timely basis or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our facilities are damaged or become inoperable, we will be unable to continue to research, develop and supply our products and, as a result, there will be an adverse effect on our business until we are able to secure new facilities and rebuild our inventory.

We do not have redundant facilities. We perform most of our research and development activity and manufacture our tissue-based products at our facility in Richmond, California. The SIS ECM biomaterial used in our medical device products are manufactured by Cook Biotech at their facility in West Lafayette, Indiana and converted to a finished product at our facility in Roswell, Georgia. Regulatory approvals of our products are limited to one or more specifically approved manufacturing facilities. As a result, if we fail to produce enough of a product at a facility, or if any of our production facilities were to be shut down or otherwise become unavailable for any reason, finding alternative manufacturing capabilities and obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals would require a considerable amount of time and expense and would cause a significant disruption in service to our customers.

Disruption to our facilities could arise for a variety of reasons, including technical, labor or other difficulties, equipment malfunction, contamination due to a COVID-19 infection or otherwise, the failure of our employees to follow specific protocols and procedures, the destruction of, or damage to, any facility (as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, including, but not limited to, a tornado, flood, fire, power outage or other event), quality control issues or other reasons. Any disruption in the operation of our facilities as a result of any of the above could impair our product development and commercialization efforts and result in lost sales, lost customers and harm to our reputation, any of which would negatively impact our growth prospects and profitability and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, certain of these events, such as natural or man-made disasters, would cause us to incur additional losses, including the time and expense required to repair and/or replace our equipment and to rebuild our inventory. Although we possess insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business, this insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Because we depend upon a limited number of third-party suppliers and manufacturers and, in certain cases, exclusive suppliers for products essential to our business, we may incur significant product development costs and experience material delivery delays if we lose any significant supplier, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We obtain some of our raw materials from a limited group of suppliers and rely on a single supplier to source the SIS ECM biomaterial used to manufacture CanGaroo and our cardiovascular products for reasons of quality assurance, cost-effectiveness, availability or constraints resulting from regulatory requirements. For us to be successful, our suppliers must be able to provide us with products and components in substantial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable costs and on a timely basis. Our efforts to maintain a continuity of supply and high quality and reliability may not be successful on a timely basis or at all. Manufacturing disruptions experienced by our suppliers may jeopardize our supply of finished products. Due to the stringent regulations and requirements of the FDA and other similar non-U.S. regulatory agencies regarding the manufacture of our products, we may not be able to quickly establish additional or replacement sources for certain raw materials. A change in suppliers could require significant effort or investment in circumstances where the items supplied are integral to product performance or incorporate unique technology. Transitioning to a new supplier could be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our operations and product delivery, could affect the performance specifications of our products or could require that we modify the design of those systems.

A reduction or interruption in manufacturing, or an inability to secure alternative sources of raw materials or components, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. One or more of our suppliers may refuse to extend us credit with respect to our purchasing or leasing of equipment, supplies, products or components, or may only agree to extend us credit on significantly less favorable terms or subject to more onerous conditions. This could significantly disrupt our ability to purchase or lease required equipment, supplies, products and components in a cost-effective and timely manner, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any casualty, natural disaster or other disruption of any of our sole-source suppliers’ operations, for example due to a COVID-19 infection of employees of the supplier, or any unexpected loss of any existing exclusive supply contract, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if a change in manufacturer results in a significant change to any product, a new 510(k) clearance from the FDA or similar international regulatory authorization may be necessary before we implement the change, which could cause substantial delays.

Certain of our products are dependent on the availability of tissue from human donors, and any disruption in supply could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The products we manufacture for the orthopedic/spinal repair and soft tissue reconstruction markets, as well as our contract manufacturing products, require that we obtain human tissue. The success of our business depends, in part, on the availability of tissue from human donors. Any inability to obtain tissue from our sources will interfere with our ability to effectively meet demand for these products. The recovery of human tissue for our products is very labor-intensive, and it is, therefore, difficult to maintain a steady supply stream. In addition, the availability of acceptable donors is relatively limited and may be impacted by regulatory changes, general public opinion of the donation process and the reputation of our company and the third-party procurement firms with which we partner to manage the donation process. Media reports or other negative publicity concerning both improper methods of tissue recovery from donors and disease transmission from donated tissue, including bones and dermis, may limit widespread acceptance of our products. Unfavorable reports of improper or illegal tissue recovery practices, both in the United States and internationally, as well as incidents of improperly processed tissue leading to transmission of disease, may broadly affect the rate of future tissue donation and market acceptance of allograft technologies and donated tissue use. Potential patients may not be able to distinguish our products, technologies and tissue recovery and processing procedures from others engaged in tissue recovery. In addition, unfavorable reports about us or any of our third-party procurement firms may make families of potential donors or donors themselves, from whom we are required to obtain consent before processing tissue, reluctant to agree to donate tissue to for-profit tissue processors. Any disruption in the supply of any human tissue component could materially harm our ability to manufacture our products until a new source of supply, if any, could be found. We may be unable to find a sufficient alternative supply channel within a reasonable period of time, on commercially reasonable terms or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Increased prices for raw materials used in our products could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our profitability is affected by the prices of the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products. These prices may fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, labor costs, delivery costs, competition, import duties, excises and other indirect taxes, currency exchange rates and government regulation. Due to the highly competitive nature of the healthcare industry and the cost containment efforts of our customers and third-party payors, we may be unable to pass along cost increases for key components or raw materials through higher prices to our customers. If the cost of key components or raw materials increases, and we are unable to fully recover these increased costs through price increases or offset these increases through other cost reductions, we could experience lower margins and profitability. Significant increases in the prices of raw materials that cannot be recovered through productivity gains, price increases or other methods could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are not able to accurately forecast demand for our products and manage our inventory, our margins could decrease and we could lose sales, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

While we must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully and meet customer demand for our products, we must be careful to avoid amassing excess inventory. To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and place orders with our suppliers based on our estimates of future demand for our products. Demand for our products can change rapidly and unexpectedly, including during the time between when raw materials are ordered from our suppliers and the finished product is offered for sale. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be negatively affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including our failure to accurately manage our expansion strategy, product introductions by competitors, an increase or decrease in customer demand for our products or for products of our competitors, our failure to accurately forecast customer acceptance of new products, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, reimbursement or regulatory matters and weakening of economic conditions. Inventory levels that exceed the demand for our products may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs, which would adversely affect our gross margins. For example, in 2019, our launch of SimpliDerm resulted in reduced demand for certain of our other dermis inventory and resulted in inventory write-downs. Conversely, if we underestimate demand for our products, additional supplies of raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity may not be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us or at all, and suppliers or our third-party manufacturer may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity in order to meet our increased requirements. As a result, we may not be able to meet customer demand for our products, resulting in lost sales and potential damage to our reputation and customer relationships, any of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, while we seek to maintain sufficient levels of inventory in order to protect ourselves from supply interruptions, our products generally have a shelf life of two to three years. We are, therefore, subject to the risk that a portion of our inventory will become obsolete or expire, which could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and cash flows due to the resulting inventory impairment charges and costs required to replace such inventory.

If hospitals and other healthcare providers are unable to obtain coverage or adequate reimbursement for procedures performed with our products, it is unlikely our products will be widely used.

In the United States, the commercial success of our existing products and any products we may develop or acquire in the future will depend, in part, on the extent to which governmental payors at the federal and state levels, including Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third-party payors, provide coverage and establish adequate reimbursement levels for procedures utilizing our products. Hospitals and other healthcare providers that purchase our products for treatment of their patients generally rely on third-party payors to pay for all or part of the costs and fees associated with our products as part of a “bundled” rate for the associated procedures. The existence of coverage and adequate reimbursement for procedures using our products by government and private payors is critical to market acceptance of our existing and future products. Neither hospitals nor surgeons are likely to use our products if they do not receive adequate reimbursement for the procedures utilizing our products.

Many private payors currently base their reimbursement policies on the coverage decisions and payment amounts determined by the CMS which administers the Medicare program. Others may adopt different coverage or reimbursement policies for procedures performed with our products, while some governmental programs, such as Medicaid, have reimbursement policies that vary from state to state, some of which may not pay for the procedures performed with our products in an adequate amount, if at all. Because the Medicare and Medicaid programs are increasingly used as models for how private payors and other governmental payors develop their coverage and reimbursement policies, a Medicare national or local non-coverage decision, denying coverage for procedures using one or more of our products, could result in private and other third-party payors also denying coverage. Third-party payors also may deny reimbursement for procedures using our products if they determine that a product used in a procedure was not medically necessary, was not used in accordance with cost-effective treatment methods, as determined by the third-party payor, or was used for an unapproved use. Unfavorable coverage or reimbursement decisions by government programs or private payors underscore the uncertainty that our products face in the market and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Many hospitals and clinics in the United States belong to GPOs, which typically incentivize their hospital members to make a relatively large proportion of purchases of similar products from a limited number of vendors that have contracted to offer discounted prices. Such contracts often include exceptions for purchasing certain innovative new technologies, however. Accordingly, the commercial success of our products may also depend to some extent on our ability to either negotiate favorable purchase contracts with key group purchasing organizations and/or persuade hospitals and clinics to purchase our product “off contract.”

The healthcare industry in the United States has experienced a trend toward cost containment as government and private payors seek to control healthcare costs by paying service providers lower rates. While it is expected that hospitals will be able to obtain coverage for procedures using our products, the level of payment available to them for such procedures may change over time. State and federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, closely regulate provider payment levels and have sought to contain, and sometimes reduce, payment levels. Private payors frequently follow government payment policies and are likewise interested in controlling increases in the cost of medical care. In addition, some payors are adopting pay-for-performance programs that differentiate payments to healthcare providers based on the achievement of documented quality-of-care metrics, cost efficiencies or patient outcomes. These programs are intended to provide incentives to providers to deliver the same or better results while consuming fewer resources. As a result of these programs, and related payor efforts to reduce payment levels, hospitals and other providers are seeking ways to reduce their costs, including the amounts they pay to medical device manufacturers. We may not be able to sell our products profitably if third-party payors deny or discontinue coverage or reduce their levels of payment below that which we project, or if our production costs increase at a greater rate than payment levels. Adverse changes in payment rates by payors to hospitals could adversely impact our ability to market and sell our products and negatively affect our financial performance.

In international markets, medical device regulatory requirements and healthcare payment systems vary significantly from country to country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific product lines. We cannot assure you that our products will be considered cost-effective by international third-party payors, that reimbursement will be available or, if available, that the third-party payors’ reimbursement policies will not adversely affect our ability to sell our products profitably. Any failure to receive regulatory or reimbursement approvals would negatively impact market acceptance of our products in any international markets in which those approvals are sought.

We face the risk of product liability claims and may not be able to obtain or maintain adequate product liability insurance.

Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that are inherent in the manufacturing, processing, investigating and marketing of medical devices and human and animal tissue products. We are, and may in the future be, subject to product liability claims and lawsuits, including potential class actions or mass tort claims, alleging that our products have resulted or could result in an unsafe condition or injury. Product liability claims may be made by patients and their families, healthcare providers or others selling our products. Product liability claims may include, among other things, allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. We may be subject to such claims even if the apparent injury is due to the actions of others or the pre-existing health of the patient. For example, we rely on physicians and other healthcare providers to properly and correctly use our products. If these physicians or other healthcare providers are not properly trained or are negligent in using our products, the capabilities of our products may be diminished or the patient may suffer critical injury. In addition, we may be subject to product liability claims, as well as a number of other risks, as a result of physicians and other healthcare providers using our products “off-label.” See “— The misuse or off-label use of our products may harm our reputation in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits or result in costly investigations, fines or sanctions by regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in the promotion of these uses, any of which could be costly to our business.”

Defending a lawsuit, regardless of merit, could be costly, divert management attention and result in adverse publicity, which could result in the withdrawal of, or reduced acceptance of, our products in the market. If we cannot successfully defend against product liability claims, we could incur substantial liability and costs. In addition, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:

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harm to our business reputation;

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investigations by regulators;

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significant legal costs;

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distraction of management’s attention from our primary business;

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substantial monetary awards to patients or other claimants;

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loss of revenue;

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exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources; and

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decreased demand for our products.

Although we have product liability insurance that we believe is adequate, this insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations, and we may not be able to maintain this insurance. Also, it is possible that claims could exceed the limits of our coverage or be excluded from coverage under our policy, and may increase the cost of maintaining our coverage. If we are unable to maintain product liability insurance at an acceptable cost or on acceptable terms with adequate coverage or otherwise protect ourselves against potential product liability claims, or if we underestimate the amount of insurance we need, we could be exposed to significant liabilities, which may harm our business. One or more product liability claims could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We bear the risk of warranty claims on our products.

We bear the risk of warranty claims on our products. We may not be successful in claiming recovery under any warranty or indemnity provided to us by our suppliers or vendors in the event of a successful warranty claim against us by a customer, and any recovery from such supplier or vendor may not be adequate. Furthermore, we may not have any, or have an adequate, warranty provided by our supplier. In addition, warranty claims brought by our customers related to third-party components may arise after our ability to bring corresponding warranty claims against such suppliers expires, which could result in costs to us.

Defects, failures or quality issues associated with our products could lead to product recalls or safety alerts, adverse regulatory actions, litigation, including product liability claims, and negative publicity, any of which may erode our competitive advantage and market share and have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Quality is extremely important to us and our customers due to the serious and costly consequences of product failure. Quality and safety issues may occur with respect to any of our products, and our future operating results will depend on our ability to maintain an effective quality control system and effectively train and manage our workforce with respect to our quality system. The development, manufacture and control of our products are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by numerous government agencies, including the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the European Union and similar foreign agencies. Compliance with these regulatory requirements, including but not limited to the QSR, current Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMPs”) and adverse events/recall reporting requirements in the United States and other applicable regulations worldwide, is subject to continual review and is monitored rigorously through periodic inspections by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities. If we fail to comply with our reporting obligations, the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the European Union or other regulatory authority could take action, including issuance of warning letters and/or untitled letters, administrative actions, criminal prosecution, imposition of civil monetary penalties, revocation of our device clearance, seizure of our products or delay in the clearance of future products.

The FDA and foreign regulatory authorities may also require post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the performance of approved products. Our facilities and those of our suppliers, commercial partners and independent sales agents are also subject to periodic regulatory inspections. If the FDA or a foreign authority were to conclude that we have failed to comply with any of these requirements, it could institute a wide variety of enforcement actions, ranging from a public warning letter to more severe sanctions, such as product recalls or seizures, withdrawals, monetary penalties, consent decrees, injunctive actions to halt the manufacture or distribution of products, import detentions of products made outside the United States, export restrictions, restrictions on operations or other civil or criminal sanctions. Civil or criminal sanctions could be assessed against our officers, employees, or us. Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may restrict us from effectively manufacturing, marketing and selling our products.

If our products do not function as designed, or are designed improperly, we or the third-party manufacturer of such products may withdraw such products from the market, whether by choice or as a result of regulatory requirements. In August 2019, we recalled and discarded certain production lots of CanGaroo from the market due to suture breakage. In January 2018, we recalled five of our allograft tissue implants because a pre-sterilized donor culture should have been disqualified, each of which had a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any product recall we or a third-party manufacturer may conduct in the future, whether voluntary or required, may have also negatively affect our business financial condition and results of operations, and this effect may be material.

In addition, we cannot predict the results of future legislative activity or future court decisions, any of which could increase regulatory requirements, subject us to government investigations or expose us to unexpected litigation. Any regulatory action or litigation, regardless of the merits, may result in substantial costs, divert management’s attention from other business concerns and place additional restrictions on our sales or the use of our products. In addition, negative publicity, including regarding a quality or safety issue, could damage our reputation, reduce market acceptance of our products, cause us to lose customers and decrease demand for our products. Any actual or perceived quality issues may also result in issuances of physician’s advisories against our products or cause us to conduct voluntary recalls. Any product defects or problems, regulatory action, litigation, negative publicity or recalls could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year due to the seasonality of our business, as well as a variety of other factors, many of which are outside of our control.

Our quarterly and annual results of operations may vary significantly in the future, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter or other period should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance. Our quarterly and annual financial results may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control and, as a result, may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. One such factor includes seasonal variations in our sales. We have experienced and may in the future experience higher sales in the fourth quarter as hospitals in the United States increase their purchases of our products to coincide with the end of their budget cycles. Satisfaction of patient deductibles through the course of the year also results in increased sales later in the year. In general, our first quarter usually has lower sales than the preceding fourth quarter as patient deductibles are re-established with the new year, thereby increasing their out-of-pocket costs.

Other factors that may cause fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results include, among other things:

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the timing of medical procedures using our products;

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the announcement or introduction of new products by our competitors;

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failure of government health benefit programs and private health plans to cover our products or to timely and adequately reimburse the users of our products;

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the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or any other pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or worldwide that impacts the number of procedures being performed;

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the rate of reimbursement for procedures using our products by government and private insurers;

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whether our products are granted pass-through reimbursement status or included in the “bundled” reimbursement structure;

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changes in purchasing patterns by our commercial partners or customers, or the loss of any significant customer or group of customers;

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our ability to upgrade and develop our systems and infrastructure to accommodate growth;

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the amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures relating to the expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;

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changes in, or enactment of, new laws or regulations promulgated by federal, state or local governments;

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changes in our supply or manufacturing costs;

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cost containment initiatives or policies developed by government and commercial payors that create financial incentives not to use our products;

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our inability to demonstrate that our products are cost-effective or superior to competing products;

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our ability to develop new products;

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the degree of competition in our industry and any changes in the competitive landscape;

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discovery of product defects during the manufacturing process;

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initiation of a government investigation into potential non-compliance with laws or regulations, or the initiation of a voluntary or involuntary recall with respect to one or more of our products;

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sanctions imposed by federal or state governments due to non-compliance with laws or regulations; and

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general economic conditions as well as economic conditions specific to the healthcare industry.

We have based our current and future expense levels largely on our investment plans and estimates of future events, although certain of our expense levels are, to a large extent, fixed. We may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall. Accordingly, any significant shortfall in sales relative to our planned expenditures would have an immediate adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Further, as a strategic response to changes in the competitive environment or to changes in laws and regulations, we may from time to time make certain pricing, service or marketing decisions (e.g., reduce prices) that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Due to the foregoing factors, our revenue and operating results are and will remain difficult to forecast.

Our indebtedness and our Revenue Interest Obligation to Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated may limit our flexibility in operating our business and adversely affect our financial health and competitive position.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $30.6 million of indebtedness outstanding, consisting of $19.7 million outstanding under our Term Loan Facility (as defined under Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Credit Facilities”) (net of $0.3 million of unamortized discount and deferred financing costs), $6.5 million outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined under Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Credit Facilities”) (with $1.5 million of additional borrowings available thereunder), $3.0 million outstanding pursuant to a promissory note under the Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act (the “PPP Loan”), and a $1.4 million promissory note payable to one of our suppliers. In addition, we are party to a royalty agreement with Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (“Ligand”) pursuant to which we assumed a restructured, long-term obligation to Ligand (the “Revenue Interest Obligation”), that requires us to pay Ligand 5.0% of future sales of the products we acquired from CorMatrix (as well as products substantially similar to those products), subject to annual minimum payments of $2.75 million and certain milestone payments if sales of the acquired products exceed certain thresholds. See Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgment and Estimates — Revenue Interest Obligation.”

In order to service this indebtedness and our Revenue Interest Obligation, and any additional indebtedness or other long-term obligations we may incur in the future, we need to generate sufficient levels of cash from our operating activities. Our ability to generate cash is subject, in part, to our ability to successfully execute our business strategy, as well as general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will be able to generate sufficient levels of cash from operations or that future borrowings or other financings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness, satisfy our obligations under the Revenue Interest Obligation and fund our other liquidity needs. To the extent we are required to use cash from operations or the proceeds of any future financing to service our indebtedness and satisfy our obligations under the Revenue Interest Obligation instead of funding working capital, capital expenditures or other general corporate purposes, we will be less able to plan for, or react to, changes in our business, industry and in the economy generally. This will place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less indebtedness.

In addition, the agreements governing our Term Loan Facility and Revolving Credit Facility contain, and any agreements evidencing or governing other future indebtedness may also contain, certain covenants that limit our ability to engage in certain transactions that may be in our long-term best interests. Subject to certain limited exceptions, these covenants limit our ability to, among other things:

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incur additional indebtedness;

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incur certain liens;

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pay dividends or make other distributions on equity interests;

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enter into agreements restricting their subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends;

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redeem, repurchase or refinance subordinated indebtedness;

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consolidate, merge or sell or otherwise dispose of their assets;

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make investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions;

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enter into transactions with affiliates;

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amend or modify their governing documents;

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amend or modify certain material agreements;

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alter the business conducted by them and their subsidiaries; and

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enter into sale and leaseback transactions.

In addition to these covenants, the agreements governing our Term Loan Facility and Revolving Credit Facility also contain a financial covenant, which is tested on a monthly basis, and requires us to achieve a specified minimum net product revenue (as defined therein) for the preceding 12-month period. While we were in compliance with all covenants under these agreements as of December 31, 2020, we have had past breaches requiring waivers and there can be no guarantee that we will not breach these covenants in the future. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events and factors beyond our control. In the event that we breach one or more covenants, our lenders may choose to declare an event of default and require that we immediately repay all amounts outstanding, terminate any commitment to extend further credit and foreclose on the collateral granted to them to collateralize such indebtedness. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we may be able to incur significant additional indebtedness in the future. Although the agreements governing our Term Loan Facility and Revolving Credit Facility contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness by us, such restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, and the indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. Also, these restrictions do not prohibit us from incurring obligations that do not constitute indebtedness as defined therein. To the extent that we incur additional indebtedness or such other obligations, the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness described above will increase.

We may be unable to obtain forgiveness of the PPP Loan, in whole or in part, in accordance with the provisions of the CARES Act, which could adversely affect our financial condition.

In May 2020, we entered into a promissory note with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) under the Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act pursuant to which SVB agreed to make a loan to us in the amount of approximately $3.0 million. The PPP Loan matures in May 2022, bears interest at a rate of 1.0% per annum and requires no payments during the first ten months from the date of the loan.

The PPP Loan is unsecured and guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”). Under the terms of the PPP Loan, the principal amount of the loan may be forgiven to the extent it is used for qualifying expenses as described in the CARES Act and we otherwise request forgiveness in accordance with the terms of the PPP Loan and the requirements of the SBA. While we expect to request that a significant portion of the principal amount of the PPP Loan be forgiven and to comply with all corresponding requirements, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in obtaining forgiveness of all or any part of such principal amount. We will be required to repay any principal amount of the PPP Loan that is not forgiven, together with accrued and unpaid interest, in equal monthly installments prior to the maturity date of the loan, which would further restrict our operating and financial flexibility.

Our future capital needs are uncertain and we may need to raise funds in the future, and such funds may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.

We believe that the net proceeds from our IPO, together with our existing cash, availability under our Revolving Credit Facility and cash generated from expected future commercial sales, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements through 2022. However, we have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and we could spend our available financial resources much faster than we currently expect. Any future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, among other things:

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continued patient, physician and market acceptance of our products;

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the scope, rate of progress and cost of our current and future pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;

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the cost of our research and development activities and the cost of commercializing new products or technologies;

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the cost and timing of expanding our sales and marketing capabilities;

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the cost of filing and prosecuting patent applications and maintaining, defending and enforcing our patent or other intellectual property rights;

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the cost of defending, in litigation or otherwise, any claims that we infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate third-party patents or other intellectual property rights;

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the cost and timing of additional regulatory approvals;

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costs associated with any product recall that may occur;

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the effect of competing technological and market developments;

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the expenses we incur in manufacturing and selling our products;

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the costs of developing and commercializing new products or technologies;

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the extent to which we acquire or invest in products, technologies and businesses, although we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to any of these types of transactions;

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the costs of operating as a public company;

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unanticipated general, legal and administrative expenses; and

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the effects on any of the above of the current COVID-19 pandemic or any other pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of infectious disease.

In addition, our operating plan may change as a result of any number of factors, including those set forth above and other factors currently unknown to us, and we may need additional funds sooner than anticipated. Any additional equity or debt financing that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds by selling additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible (directly or indirectly) into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock, the issuance of such securities will result in dilution to our stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by you. Furthermore, investors purchasing any securities we may issue in the future may have rights superior to your rights as a holder of our common stock.

In addition, any future debt financing into which we enter may impose upon us covenants that restrict our operations, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, repurchase our common stock, make certain investments and engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or our products, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

Furthermore, we cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If we do not have, or are not able to obtain, sufficient funds, we may have to delay development or commercialization of our products or license to third parties the rights to commercialize products or technologies that we would otherwise seek to commercialize. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support or other resources devoted to our products or cease operations. Any of these factors could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Security breaches, loss of or damage to data, system failures and other disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business or our customers’ patients, or prevent us from accessing critical information and expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation.

In the ordinary course of our business, we may become exposed to, or collect and store, sensitive data, including procedure-based information and legally protected health information, credit card, and other financial information, insurance information and other potentially personally identifiable information. We also store sensitive intellectual property and other proprietary business information. Regardless of any precautions we may take, our information technology (“IT”) and infrastructure, and that of our technology partners and providers, may be vulnerable to cyberattacks by hackers or viruses or breaches due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. We rely extensively on IT systems, networks and services, including internet sites, data hosting and processing facilities and tools, physical security systems and other hardware, software and technical applications and platforms, some of which are managed, hosted, provided and/or used by third parties or their vendors, to assist in conducting our business. A significant breakdown, invasion, corruption, destruction or interruption of critical information technology systems or infrastructure, by our workforce, others with authorized access to our systems or unauthorized persons could negatively impact operations. The ever-increasing use and evolution of technology, including cloud-based computing, creates opportunities for the unintentional dissemination or intentional destruction of confidential information stored in our or our third-party providers’ systems, portable media or storage devices. We could also experience a business interruption, theft of confidential information or reputational damage from industrial espionage attacks, malware or other cyber-attacks, which may compromise our system infrastructure or lead to data leakage, either internally or at our third-party providers.

Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential patient or employee data, including personally identifiable information, whether through breach of computer systems, systems failure, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, or otherwise, or unauthorized access to or through our information systems and networks, whether by our employees or third parties, could result in negative publicity, legal liability and damage to our reputation. Unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information could also expose us to sanctions for violations of data privacy laws and regulations around the world. Although we have general liability and cybersecurity insurance coverage, our insurance may not cover all claims, continue to be available to us on reasonable terms or be sufficient in amount to cover one or more large claims; additionally, the insurer may disclaim coverage as to any claim. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceed or are not covered by our insurance coverage or changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.

Despite our security measures, there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent breakdowns or breaches to our or our third-party providers’ databases or systems, or any resulting unauthorized access to, or disclosure and use of, non-public or other legally protected information. Phishing, social engineering and other attacks upon IT systems are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, and are being conducted by sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives and expertise. In addition to unauthorized access to or acquisition of personal information, confidential information, intellectual property or other sensitive information, such attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware and ransomware, and may use a variety of methods, including denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means, to attain such unauthorized access or acquisition or otherwise affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not foreseeable or recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any such breakdowns or breaches, or resulting access, disclosure, or other loss of information, could significantly disrupt our business and result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on our ability to retain and motivate key management personnel and other employees and consultants, to attract, retain and motivate additional qualified personnel and to effectively navigate changes in our senior management team.

Our success depends to a significant extent on our ability to attract, retain and motivate key management personnel and other employees and consultants for our business, including scientific, technical and sales and marketing personnel. There is currently a shortage of skilled executives and other personnel in our industry, which is likely to continue. As a result, competition for skilled personnel is intense and the turnover rate can be high. We may not be able to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms, given the competition among numerous regenerative medicine and other healthcare companies, for individuals with similar skill sets. Many of the companies that we compete against for qualified personnel have substantially greater financial and other resources and different risk profiles than we do. They may also provide more diverse opportunities, better chances for career advancement and/or more attractive compensation. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high quality candidates than what we can offer. Furthermore, in order to offer attractive compensation, we may need to increase the level of cash compensation that we pay to them, which will reduce funds available for research and development and support of our commercialization and sales growth objectives. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient cash available to offer our employees and consultants attractive compensation or that we will realize any corresponding benefits from the payment of such compensation. We are also vulnerable to the risk that these individuals may take actions, either within or outside the scope of their duties, that intentionally or unintentionally tarnish our brand and reputation or otherwise adversely affect our business. We also cannot prevent our senior management team from terminating their employment with us. Losing the services of any member of our senior management team could materially harm our business until a suitable replacement is found, and such replacement may not have equal experience and capabilities. In addition, we do not maintain “key person” insurance policies on the lives of any of our management team or other employees. The inability to recruit or a loss of the services of any executive, key employee or consultant may impede the progress of our research, development, commercialization and sales growth objectives, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to grow our business.

In addition, we have recently added a new Chief Financial Officer, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Medical Officer. These changes, and any other changes to our senior management team we experience in the future, subject us to a number of additional risks, including risks pertaining to the coordination of responsibilities and tasks, the creation of new management systems and processes, differences in management style, effects on corporate culture and the need for transfer of historical knowledge. If our management team does not work together harmoniously, efficiently allocate responsibilities between themselves and implement and abide by effective controls, our operations will be adversely affected.

Our sales into foreign markets expose us to risks associated with international sales and operations.

Though we have historically focused our market development and commercial activities primarily in the United States, we have obtained marketing registrations, developed commercial and distribution capabilities and are currently selling CanGaroo and our cardiovascular products in several countries outside the United States primarily through independent sales agents. Our international sales subject us to additional risks as compared to those we face in the United States.

The sale and shipment of our products across international borders subject us to extensive U.S. and foreign governmental trade, import and export and customs regulations and laws, including but not limited to, the Export Administration Regulations and trade sanctions against embargoed countries, which are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control within the Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) as well as the laws and regulations administered by the Department of Commerce. These regulations limit our ability to market, sell, distribute or otherwise transfer our products or technology to prohibited countries or persons.

Compliance with these regulations and laws is costly, and failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations could adversely affect us in a variety of ways that include, but are not limited to, significant criminal, civil and administrative penalties, including imprisonment of individuals, monetary fines, denial of export privileges, seizure of shipments and restrictions on certain business activities. The failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations could also result in the disruption of our distribution and sales activities.

These risks may limit or disrupt our sales and commercialization efforts outside the United States, restrict the movement of funds or result in the deprivation of contractual rights or the taking of property by nationalization or expropriation without fair compensation. Operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial support, and, as a result, will divert these resources away from our other operations.

We are subject to anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures and legal expenses, any of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We currently are and, as we increase our international presence and global sales, will increasingly be, exposed to trade and economic sanctions and other restrictions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other governments and organizations. The U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, State and Treasury and other federal agencies and authorities have a broad range of civil and criminal penalties they may seek to impose against corporations and individuals for violations of economic sanctions laws, export control laws, the FCPA, and other federal statutes and regulations, including those established by OFAC. In addition, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 (the “Bribery Act”) prohibits both domestic and international bribery, as well as bribery across both private and public sectors. An organization that “fails to prevent bribery” by anyone associated with the organization can be charged under the Bribery Act unless the organization can establish the defense of having implemented “adequate procedures” to prevent bribery. Under these laws and regulations, as well as other anti-corruption laws, anti-money laundering laws, export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations, various government agencies may require export licenses, may seek to impose modifications to business practices, including cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries or with sanctioned persons or entities and modifications to compliance programs, which may increase compliance costs, and may subject us to fines, penalties and other sanctions. A violation of these laws or regulations would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As our international operations increase, we expect to implement policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by us and our directors, officers, employees, representatives, consultants and agents with the FCPA, OFAC restrictions, the Bribery Act and other export control, anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism laws and regulations. We cannot assure you, however, that any such policies and procedures will be sufficient or that directors, officers, employees, representatives, consultants and agents have not engaged, and will not engage, in conduct for which we may be held responsible, nor can we assure you that our business partners have not engaged, and will not engage, in conduct that could materially affect their ability to perform their contractual obligations to us or result in our being held liable for such conduct. Violations of the FCPA, OFAC restrictions, the Bribery Act or other export control, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws or regulations may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our officers, employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, commercial partners and independent sales agents may engage in misconduct or a

SEC Form 10-K filed by Aziyo Biologics, Inc.