Pulmonx Corp (LUNG)
SIC breadcrumb: Manufacturing > SIC Major Group 38 > SIC 3841 Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1127537. Latest filing source: 0001127537-26-000015.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read LUNG's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read LUNG's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 90,497,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-03-10 |
| Net income | -54,003,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-03-10 |
| Assets | 129,291,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-03-10 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-03-10. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001127537.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 20,004,000 | 32,595,000 | 32,733,000 | 48,416,000 | 53,662,000 | 68,675,000 | 83,789,000 | 90,497,000 | |
| Net income | -18,479,000 | -20,703,000 | -32,231,000 | -48,661,000 | -58,923,000 | -60,843,000 | -56,394,000 | -54,003,000 | |
| Operating income | -15,052,000 | -17,838,000 | -32,332,000 | -47,304,000 | -58,637,000 | -61,935,000 | -57,704,000 | -53,663,000 | |
| Gross profit | 12,286,000 | 22,414,000 | 21,202,000 | 35,630,000 | 39,865,000 | 50,752,000 | 62,001,000 | 67,139,000 | |
| Diluted EPS | -3.16 | -1.35 | -1.59 | -1.60 | -1.44 | -1.33 | |||
| Operating cash flow | -18,394,000 | -20,765,000 | -30,633,000 | -41,388,000 | -45,083,000 | -37,610,000 | -31,537,000 | -32,376,000 | |
| Capital expenditures | 316,000 | 720,000 | 911,000 | 3,671,000 | 1,318,000 | 807,000 | 1,447,000 | 452,000 | |
| Assets | 53,533,000 | 263,708,000 | 235,173,000 | 193,676,000 | 177,781,000 | 162,850,000 | 129,291,000 | ||
| Liabilities | 35,572,000 | 37,574,000 | 41,934,000 | 39,669,000 | 59,466,000 | 77,041,000 | 75,175,000 | ||
| Stockholders' equity | -149,394,000 | -167,326,000 | -187,378,000 | 226,134,000 | 193,239,000 | 154,007,000 | 118,315,000 | 85,809,000 | 54,116,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 4,124,000 | 14,767,000 | 231,561,000 | 148,480,000 | 101,736,000 | 83,547,000 | 70,905,000 | 69,751,000 | |
| Free cash flow | -18,710,000 | -21,485,000 | -31,544,000 | -45,059,000 | -46,401,000 | -38,417,000 | -32,984,000 | -32,828,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | -92.38% | -63.52% | -98.47% | -100.51% | -109.80% | -88.60% | -67.30% | -59.67% | |
| Operating margin | -75.24% | -54.73% | -98.77% | -97.70% | -109.27% | -90.19% | -68.87% | -59.30% | |
| Return on equity | -14.25% | -25.18% | -38.26% | -51.42% | -65.72% | -99.79% | |||
| Return on assets | -38.67% | -12.22% | -20.69% | -30.42% | -34.22% | -34.63% | -41.77% | ||
| Liabilities / equity | 0.17 | 0.22 | 0.26 | 0.50 | 0.90 | 1.39 | |||
| Current ratio | 2.90 | 19.96 | 11.85 | 9.14 | 6.50 | 5.58 | 5.07 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Income statement bridge from reported figures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Revenue: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax; source concepts us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax | Gross profit: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept GrossProfit; source concepts us-gaap:GrossProfit | Operating income: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept OperatingIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss | Net income: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept NetIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001127537-26-000015; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: GrossProfit. Source concepts: us-gaap:GrossProfit.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001127537-26-000015; filed 2026-03-10. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-05-04. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001127537.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | -0.40 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | -0.38 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | -0.42 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-03-31 | -15,860,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 17,194,000 | -0.43 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-06-30 | -16,195,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 17,668,000 | -0.39 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 19,278,000 | -13,888,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 18,854,000 | -13,749,000 | -0.36 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-03-31 | -13,749,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 20,783,000 | -0.39 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-06-30 | -15,326,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 20,387,000 | -0.36 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 23,765,000 | -13,175,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 22,538,000 | -14,448,000 | -0.36 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-03-31 | -14,448,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 23,859,000 | -0.38 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-06-30 | -15,173,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 21,502,000 | -0.34 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 22,598,000 | -10,425,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 20,586,000 | -13,654,000 | -0.33 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001127537-26-000025; filed 2026-05-04. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001127537-26-000025; filed 2026-05-04. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001127537-26-000025; filed 2026-05-04. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001127537-26-000025.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion and other parts of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, that are based on the beliefs of our management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the sections of this Quarterly Report entitled “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors,” under Part II, Item 1A and those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 10, 2026.
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company that provides a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our solution, which is comprised of the Zephyr Valve, the Chartis System and the LungTraX Platform, is designed to treat severe emphysema patients who, despite medical management, are still profoundly symptomatic and either do not want or are ineligible for surgical approaches.
In 2018, we received pre-market approval (“PMA”) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for the Zephyr Valve following its Breakthrough Device designation. The Zephyr Valve is commercially available in numerous countries globally. We have established reimbursement in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and the Zephyr Valve has been included in treatment guidelines for COPD worldwide.
We also manufacture the AeriSeal System, which is a synthetic polymer foam designed to occlude, or close, collateral air channels in a target lung lobe and convert the target lung lobe to having little to no collateral ventilation (CV-). The AeriSeal System has received a “Breakthrough Device” designation by the FDA and a Certificate of Conformity (“CE Mark”) in Europe. The AeriSeal System is not approved by the FDA or approved for commercial sale in the United States. It is in a global clinical trial called CONVERT II to support a PMA application.
We market and sell our products in the United States through a direct sales organization. Our sales territory managers are focused on promoting awareness and increasing adoption of our solution primarily among the pulmonologists performing interventional pulmonary procedures across approximately 500 high-volume hospitals in the United States. We are expanding our commercial operations in the United States while continuing to foster our international growth. We employ both direct and distributor-based sales models, with 99% of our revenue generated in markets where we sell directly for the three months ended March 31, 2026.
In the United States, our solution is reimbursed based on established Category I Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (“PCS”) codes and associated APC and MS-DRG payment groupings. Current reimbursement in the United States is believed to cover the hospital costs of the procedure and related inpatient care. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have all issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Medicare covers our solution for patients when medically necessary, and other commercial insurers are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
We manufacture all our products at our headquarters located in Redwood City, California. This facility supports production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material and finished goods storage. We have manufactured all our products at this facility for over ten years. We also store finished goods at
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secondary facilities. We seek to maintain higher levels of inventory to protect ourselves from supply interruptions and have an established distribution system for both U.S. and international customers.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of our products, the sale of equity securities, and debt financing arrangements. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to research and development activities related to our solution, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing activities, and investing in general and administrative infrastructure. We generated revenue of $20.6 million, with a gross margin of 77.9% and a net loss of $13.7 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to revenue of $22.5 million, with a gross margin of 72.5% and a net loss of $14.4 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2025. As of March 31, 2026, we had an accumulated deficit of $535.2 million, cash and cash equivalents of $61.6 million, and $37.3 million of outstanding term loans and credit agreements, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
We have invested heavily in product development. Our research and development activities have been centered on driving continuous improvements to our solution. We have also made significant investments in clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Zephyr Valve and to support regulatory submissions. We intend to continue to make significant investments in our sales and marketing organization throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. We have made, and intend to continue to make, investments in research and development efforts to develop our next generation products and support our future regulatory submissions to increase our addressable market and to expand indications and new markets. Because of these and other factors, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years and we expect to require substantial additional funding, which may include future equity and debt financings.
Management believes that the Company’s existing cash and cash equivalents will allow the Company to continue its operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Factors Affecting our Business and Results of Operations
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:
Our Ability to Recruit, Train and Retain Our Sales Force and its Productivity
We have made, and intend to continue to make, significant investments in recruiting, training and retaining our direct sales force. This process requires significant education and training for our sales personnel to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by physicians and to gain experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of the training, our sales personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. Successfully recruiting, training and retaining additional sales personnel will be required to achieve growth. In addition, inability to attract qualified sales personnel or the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.
We have in the past and expect in the future to enter into different compensation arrangements with our sales professionals, which include minimum guaranteed commissions. This has impacted our compensation expenses in the past and we expect it will do so in the future.
Physician, Patient and Hospital Awareness and Acceptance of Our Solution
We intend to continue to promote awareness of our solution through training and educating physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, key opinion leaders and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and online and to present at various industry conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media and online education. We
33
also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers and patients. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to make significant investments in training and educating hospitals, physicians and patients on the advantages of our solution for the treatment of severe emphysema. We are also working to improve the efficiency of our commercial initiatives for treating centers to accelerate patient identification and treatment conversion.
Third-Party Reimbursement
Since achieving regulatory approval in the United States in 2018, we have launched the Zephyr Valve treatment and have made progress securing third-party payor reimbursement. The majority of our patients are Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. We estimate that roughly 75% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population are Medicare beneficiaries, 5% are Medicaid beneficiaries, and 20% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population is under third-party commercial payor policies or other government programs. We continue to work to broaden our coverage by private third-party payor policies. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Some commercial payors do not yet consider our solution medically necessary, but these same plans are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Medicare, currently without a public coverage policy, covers our solution for patients when medically necessary on a case-by-case basis and other commercial insurers not described above are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis.
We have a dedicated patient reimbursement support team in the United States that works collaboratively with patients and providers to help secure the appropriate prior authorization approvals in advance of treatment. Through this program, we continue to educate private insurers in the United States on our clinical data and patient selection tools in an effort to continue to expand the number of positive coverage policies. Outside of the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and other activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. Existing treatments include medical management, lu
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our intentions, plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company that provides a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our solution, which is comprised of the Zephyr Valve, the Chartis System and the LungTraX Platform, is designed to treat severe emphysema patients who, despite medical management, are still profoundly symptomatic and either do not want or are ineligible for surgical approaches.
In 2018, we received pre-market approval (“PMA”) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for the Zephyr Valve following its Breakthrough Device designation. The Zephyr Valve is commercially available in numerous countries globally. We have established reimbursement in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and the Zephyr Valve has been included in treatment guidelines for COPD worldwide.
We also manufacture the AeriSeal System, which is a synthetic polymer foam designed to occlude, or close, collateral air channels in a target lung lobe and convert the target lung lobe to having little to no collateral ventilation (CV-). The AeriSeal System has received a “Breakthrough Device” designation by the FDA and a Certificate of Conformity (“CE Mark”) in Europe. The AeriSeal System is not approved by the FDA or approved for commercial sale in the United States. It is in a global clinical trial called CONVERT II to support a PMA application.
We market and sell our products in the United States through a direct sales organization. Our sales territory managers are focused on promoting awareness and increasing adoption of our solution primarily among the pulmonologists performing interventional pulmonary procedures across approximately 500 high-volume hospitals in the United States. We are expanding our commercial operations in the United States while continuing to foster our international growth. We employ both direct and distributor-based sales models, with 95% of our revenue generated in markets where we sell directly for the year ended December 31, 2025.
In the United States, our solution is reimbursed based on established Category I Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (“PCS”) codes and associated APC and MS-DRG payment groupings. Current reimbursement in the United States is believed to cover the hospital costs of the procedure and related inpatient care. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have all issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Medicare covers our solution for patients when medically necessary, and other commercial insurers are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
We manufacture all our products at our headquarters located in Redwood City, California. This facility supports production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material and finished goods storage. We have manufactured all our products at this facility for over ten years. We also store finished goods at secondary facilities. We seek to maintain higher levels of inventory to protect ourselves from supply interruptions and have an established distribution system for both U.S. and international customers.
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To date, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of our products, the sale of equity securities, and debt financing arrangements. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to research and development activities related to our solution, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing activities, and investing in general and administrative infrastructure. We generated revenue of $90.5 million, with a gross margin of 74.2% and a net loss of $54.0 million, for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to revenue of $83.8 million, with a gross margin of 74.0% and a net loss of $56.4 million, for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $521.6 million, cash and cash equivalents of $69.8 million, and $37.1 million of outstanding term loans and credit agreements, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
We have invested heavily in product development. Our research and development activities have been centered on driving continuous improvements to our solution. We have also made significant investments in clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Zephyr Valve and to support regulatory submissions. We intend to continue to make significant investments in our sales and marketing organization throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. We have made, and intend to continue to make, investments in research and development efforts to develop our next generation products and support our future regulatory submissions to increase our addressable market and to expand indications and new markets. Because of these and other factors, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years and we expect to require substantial additional funding, which may include future equity and debt financings.
Management believes that the Company’s existing cash and cash equivalents will allow the Company to continue its operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of our consolidated financial statements.
Factors Affecting our Business and Results of Operations
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:
Our Ability to Recruit, Train and Retain Our Sales Force and its Productivity
We have made, and intend to continue to make, significant investments in recruiting, training and retaining our direct sales force. This process requires significant education and training for our sales personnel to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by physicians and to gain experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of the training, our sales personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. Successfully recruiting, training and retaining additional sales personnel will be required to achieve growth. In addition, inability to attract qualified sales personnel or the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.
We have in the past and expect in the future to enter into different compensation arrangements with our sales professionals, which include minimum guaranteed commissions. This has impacted our compensation expenses in the past and we expect it will do so in the future.
Physician, Patient and Hospital Awareness and Acceptance of Our Solution
We intend to continue to promote awareness of our solution through training and educating physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, key opinion leaders and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and online and to present at various industry conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media and online education. We also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers and patients. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to make significant investments in
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training and educating hospitals, physicians and patients on the advantages of our solution for the treatment of severe emphysema. We are also working to improve the efficiency of our commercial initiatives for treating centers to accelerate patient identification and treatment conversion.
Third-Party Reimbursement
Since achieving regulatory approval in the United States in 2018, we have launched the Zephyr Valve treatment and have made progress securing third-party payor reimbursement. The majority of our patients are Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. We estimate that roughly 75% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population are Medicare beneficiaries, 5% are Medicaid beneficiaries, and 20% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population is under third-party commercial payor policies or other government programs. We continue to work to broaden our coverage by private third-party payor policies. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Some commercial payors do not yet consider our solution medically necessary, but these same plans are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Medicare, currently without a public coverage policy, covers our solution for patients when medically necessary on a case-by-case basis and other commercial insurers not described above are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis.
We have a dedicated patient reimbursement support team in the United States that works collaboratively with patients and providers to help secure the appropriate prior authorization approvals in advance of treatment. Through this program, we continue to educate private insurers in the United States on our clinical data and patient selection tools in an effort to continue to expand the number of positive coverage policies. Outside of the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and other activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. Existing treatments include medical management, lung volume reduction surgery, lung transplantation as well as other minimally invasive treatments. Some of our competitors have several competitive advantages, including established relationships with pulmonologists who commonly treat patients with emphysema, significantly greater name recognition and significantly greater sales and marketing resources. In addition to competing for market share, we also compete against these companies for personnel, including qualified sales and other personnel that are necessary to grow our business. Certain of our competitors may challenge our intellectual property, may develop additional competing or superior technologies and processes and compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. In addition to existing competitors, other companies may acquire or in-license competitive products and could directly compete with us. We must continue to successfully compete in light of our competitors’ existing and future products and related pricing and their resources to successfully market to the physicians who use our products.
Leveraging Our Manufacturing Capacity is Critical to Improving Our Gross Margin
With our current operating model and infrastructure, we have the capacity to significantly increase our manufacturing production. If we grow our revenue and sell more units, our fixed manufacturing costs will be spread over more units, which we believe will reduce our manufacturing costs on a per-unit basis and in turn improve our gross margin. In addition, we intend to continue investing in manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce our overall manufacturing costs. However, other factors will continue to impact our gross margins such as geographic mix, pricing and customer discounts, incentives, support services and potential seasonality.
Investing in Research and Development to Foster Innovation to Expand Our Addressable Market
We intend to continue investing in existing and next generation technologies to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, enhance patient selection and broaden the patient population that can be treated with our products.
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In addition, we are continuing to invest in the accuracy and features of our patient assessment tools. Moreover, we continue to make progress with our CONVERT II pivotal trial of the AeriSeal System, a potential product in development for the treatment of severe emphysema patients who are not qualified for Zephyr Valve treatment due to excessive collateral ventilation.
While research and development and clinical testing are time consuming and costly, we believe that a pipeline of new products and product enhancements that improve efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness is critical to increasing the adoption of our solution.
Seasonality
Historically, we have experienced seasonality, primarily in the first and third quarters and anticipate this trend to continue. In addition, as our sales grow, we may experience further seasonality based on holidays, vacations and other factors because this is an elective procedure.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We currently derive substantially all of our revenue from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors. We market and sell our products through a direct sales organization in the United States and through direct sales and several third-party distributors in select markets outside the United States. We currently generate most of our revenue from the sales of Zephyr Valves and delivery catheters. We also generate a smaller amount of our revenue from our Chartis System, which is comprised of sales of the balloon catheters, usage fees and sales of the Chartis console, and from our LungTraX Platform, which is used to help identify patients potentially eligible for treatment with Zephyr Valves. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.
Revenue from sales of our products fluctuates based on volume of cases (procedures performed), the average number of Zephyr Valves used for a patient, pricing, discounts, incentives and mix of U.S. and international sales. Our revenue also fluctuates and will continue to fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter due to a variety of factors, including the availability of reimbursement, the size and success of our sales force, the number of hospitals and physicians who are aware of and perform the procedures using our solution and seasonality. Our revenue from international sales may also be impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar (our reporting currency) and the local currency.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold consists primarily of payroll and personnel-related expenses for our manufacturing and quality assurance employees, costs related to materials, components and subassemblies, third-party costs, manufacturing overhead, equipment depreciation, and charges for excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories. Overhead costs include the cost of quality assurance, testing, material procurement, inventory control, operations supervision and management and an allocation of facilities overhead cost, including rent and utilities. Cost of goods sold also includes certain direct costs such as those incurred for shipping our products and costs related to providing analysis services for patient scans. We record adjustments to our inventory valuation for estimated excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories based on assumptions about future demand, past usage, changes to manufacturing processes and overall market conditions. We expect cost of goods sold to increase in absolute dollars to the extent more of our products are sold.
We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, primarily by our manufacturing costs, pricing pressures and, to a lesser extent, the percentage of products we sell in the United States versus internationally and the percentage of products we sell to distributors versus directly to hospitals. Our gross margin is typically higher on products we sell directly to hospitals as compared to products we sell through distributors.
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Our gross margin may increase over the long term to the extent our production volume increases as our fixed manufacturing costs would be spread over a larger number of units, thereby reducing our per-unit manufacturing costs. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate from period to period, however, based upon the factors described above and seasonality.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses have consisted solely of research and development costs and selling, general and administrative costs.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development activities primarily consist of engineering and research programs associated with our products under development and improvements to our existing products. Research and development expenses include payroll and personnel-related costs for our research and development employees, including expenses related to stock-based compensation, consulting services, clinical trial expenses, prototyping, testing, laboratory supplies, impairment charges associated with capitalized internally developed software, and an allocation of facility overhead costs. Our clinical trial expenses, such as those related to the AeriSeal System clinical development program, include costs associated with clinical trial design, clinical trial site development and study costs, data management costs, related travel expenses and the cost of products used for clinical activities. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. We expect our research and development expenses, including related stock-based compensation expense, to increase in absolute dollars as we hire additional personnel to develop new product offerings and product enhancements.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist of payroll and personnel-related costs for our sales and marketing personnel, including variable sales compensation, travel expenses, consulting, public relations costs, direct marketing, customer training, trade show and promotional expenses, stock-based compensation and allocated facility overhead costs, and for administrative personnel that support our general operations such as information technology, executive management, finance and accounting, customer services and human resources personnel. We expense sales variable compensation at the time of the sale. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include costs attributable to professional fees for legal and accounting services, insurance, consulting fees, recruiting fees, travel expense, bad debt expense and depreciation.
We intend to continue to increase our sales and marketing spending to generate sales opportunities. We expect expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we increase our sales support infrastructure and add additional marketing programs in order to more fully penetrate the global opportunity. We also expect our administrative expenses, including stock-based compensation expense, to increase as we increase our headcount and expand our facilities and information technology to support our operations. Additionally, we incur expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with being a public company, compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums and investor relations costs. Our selling, general and administrative expenses may fluctuate from period to period due to the seasonality of our business and as we continue to add direct sales territory managers in new territories.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense related to our term loan facilities, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Interest income is predominantly derived from investing surplus cash in money market funds and marketable securities.
Other Income, Net
Other income, net primarily consists of foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
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Results of Operations:
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the period indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 90,497 | $ | 83,789 | $ | 6,708 | 8.0 | % | ||||||
| Costs of goods sold | 23,358 | 21,788 | 1,570 | 7.2 | % | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 67,139 | 62,001 | 5,138 | 8.3 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 19,491 | 17,570 | 1,921 | 10.9 | % | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 101,311 | 102,135 | (824) | (0.8) | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 120,802 | 119,705 | 1,097 | 0.9 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (53,663) | (57,704) | 4,041 | (7.0) | % | |||||||||
| Interest income | 2,651 | 5,061 | (2,410) | (47.6) | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (3,155) | (3,507) | 352 | (10.0) | % | |||||||||
| Other income, net | 790 | 256 | 534 | 208.6 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss before tax | (53,377) | (55,894) | 2,517 | (4.5) | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 626 | 500 | 126 | 25.2 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (54,003) | $ | (56,394) | $ | 2,391 | (4.2) | % |
Revenue
Revenue increased by $6.7 million, or 8.0%, to $90.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $83.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The sale of products in the United States increased by $0.6 million to $57.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $56.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The sale of products in international markets increased by $6.2 million to $33.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $27.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in revenue reflects continued growth of Zephyr Valve procedure volumes.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold increased by $1.6 million, or 7.2%, to $23.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $21.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the number of products sold. Gross margin was 74.2% during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to 74.0% during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $1.9 million, or 10.9%, to $19.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $17.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to an increase of $2.2 million in costs associated with our clinical trials, including fees paid to clinical research organizations, an increase of $0.8 million in payroll and personnel-related expenses, and an increase of $0.7 million in services and other expenses in support of product development. These increases were offset by a non-cash impairment charge of $1.9 million related to certain previously capitalized software development costs recorded in the second quarter of 2024.
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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $0.8 million, or 0.8%, to $101.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to $102.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to a decrease of $2.5 million in payroll and personnel-related expenses for our sales, marketing and administrative personnel, a decrease of $0.4 million in professional services consulting expenses, and a decrease of $0.3 million in facilities and other expenses, offset by an increase of $2.4 million in advertising and marketing related expenses.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense decreased by $0.4 million, or 10.0%, to $3.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $3.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to lower interest rates. Interest income decreased by $2.4 million, or 47.6%, to $2.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to $5.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily due to a lower balance of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, which resulted in reduced returns on these assets.
Other Income, Net
Other income, net increased by $0.5 million to $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $0.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to foreign currency exchange gains.
Liquidity and Capital Resources; Plan of Operation
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through sales of our products, our initial public offering, private placements of equity securities, and debt financing arrangements. As of December 31, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents of $69.8 million, an accumulated deficit of $521.6 million, and $37.1 million outstanding under the Amended and Restated CIBC Credit Agreement (as defined below), net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
Subsequent to December 31, 2025, on March 2, 2026 (the “Closing Date”) the Company entered into a Credit Agreement and Guaranty (the “Credit Agreement”) and a Security Agreement (the “Security Agreement”), with Perceptive Credit Holdings V, LP (“Perceptive”), as the initial lender, administrative agent and collateral agent. The Perceptive Credit Agreement provides for a senior secured term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $60.0 million (the “Loan Facility”).
On the Closing Date, the Company borrowed an initial loan under the Credit Agreement in an aggregate principal amount of $40.0 million. The Loan Facility permits the Company to borrow up to an additional $20 million, in two additional equal tranches. The first $10.0 million tranche becomes available if the Company reaches at least $92.5 million in revenue for any trailing twelve-month period ending as of the end of last day of any fiscal quarter through, and including, the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2027, and the second $10.0 million tranche becomes available if the Company reaches at least $100.0 million in revenue for any trailing twelve-month period ending as of the end of last day of any fiscal quarter through, and including, the fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2027.
The Loan Facility has a maturity date of March 2, 2031 (the “Maturity Date”). The Loan Facility accrues interest, payable monthly in arrears, at an annual rate equal to the sum of (a) an applicable margin of 7.00% (the “Applicable Margin”) plus (b) the greater of (i) one-month term SOFR and (ii) 3.75%. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an event of default under the Credit Agreement, the Applicable Margin will increase by an additional 3.00% per annum at Perceptive’s election (retroactive to the date of such event of default), or automatically in the case of a payment or bankruptcy event of default.
The Credit Agreement contains certain representations and warranties, affirmative covenants, negative covenants, and events of default that are customarily required for similar financings. In addition, the Credit Agreement contains financial covenants requiring the Company to (i) at all times prior to the Maturity Date, maintain minimum Liquidity (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of at least $4.0 million and (ii) as of each calculation date set forth in the Credit
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Agreement, maintain Revenue (as defined in the Credit Agreement) that is not less than the amounts specified in the Credit Agreement. The occurrence of an event of default under the Credit Agreement could result in, among other things, the declaration that all outstanding principal and interest thereunder are immediately due and payable in whole or in part.
In connection with the Company’s entry into the Loan Facility, on March 2, 2026, the Company repaid all outstanding indebtedness under the Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement, dated March 29, 2021, as amended (the “Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement”), among the Company and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, as lender, and terminated all its obligations and commitments thereunder. See the section entitled “Subsequent Events⸺Perceptive Credit Agreement” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K
Credit Agreement
In May 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl, our wholly owned subsidiary, received 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) from a COVID-19 Credit Agreement under a Swiss Federal Government program. The COVID-19 Credit Agreement currently bears interest at a rate of 1.5% per year, payable at the end of each calendar quarter. The loan principal is being repaid in twelve equal installments, paid semi-annually, which began in March of 2022. Interest expense was immaterial during the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. Pulmonx International Sàrl repaid $0.1 million and $0.1 million to the lender during the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.
Summary Statement of Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the period presented below:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by: | ||||||
| Operating activities | $ | (32,376) | $ | (31,537) | ||
| Investing activities | 30,482 | 17,476 | ||||
| Financing activities | 833 | 1,363 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (92) | 76 | ||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (1,153) | $ | (12,622) |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $32.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $54.0 million, a decrease in accrued liabilities of $2.3 million primarily due to payment of incentive compensation in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, associated with the achievement of performance objectives under the fiscal year 2024 incentive plan, a decrease in lease liabilities of $1.0 million due to lease payments, an increase in inventories of $0.8 million largely due to an increase in raw materials, and net accretion of discounts on marketable securities of $0.4 million. This was partially offset by stock-based compensation expense of $21.2 million, non-cash lease expense of $1.4 million, a decrease in accounts receivable of $1.1 million primarily due to the timing of payments from our customers, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.1 million, a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.8 million primarily due to the timing of payments to our vendors, an increase in accounts payable of $0.3 million due to the timing of payments to our vendors, and an increase in income taxes payable of $0.2 million.
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Net cash used in operating activities was $31.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $56.4 million, net accretion of discounts on marketable securities of $1.6 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $1.9 million due to lease payments, an increase in accounts receivable of $1.3 million due to revenue growth and the timing of payments from our customers, an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.4 million primarily due to the timing of payments to our vendors, and an increase in other assets of $0.5 million primarily due to capitalized implementation costs of a hosting arrangement. This was partially offset by stock-based compensation expense of $23.0 million, an increase in accounts payable of $2.3 million due to timing of payments to our vendors, a non-cash impairment charge of $1.7 million related to certain previously capitalized software development costs recorded in the second quarter of 2024, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.5 million and non-cash lease expense of $1.8 million.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2025 was $30.5 million consisting of proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $36.6 million, partially offset by purchases of marketable securities of $5.7 million and purchases of property and equipment of $0.5 million.
Net cash provided by investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2024 was $17.5 million consisting of proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $46.8 million, partially offset by purchases of marketable securities of $27.9 million and purchases of property and equipment of $1.4 million.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2025 of $0.8 million primarily relates to proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $0.8 million and proceeds from exercise of common stock options of $0.2 million, partially offset by repayment of debt under the Credit Agreement of $0.1 million and payment of debt issuance cost of $0.1 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2024 of $1.4 million primarily relates to proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $1.2 million and proceeds from exercise of common stock options of $0.2 million, partially offset by repayment of debt under the Credit Agreement of $0.1 million.
Material Cash Requirements
Our net cash operating expenditures were $32.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 and $31.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, and we intend to continue to make investments in the development of our products, including ongoing research and development programs. Our cash outflows for capital expenditures were $0.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 and $1.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, and we expect to maintain the level of expenditures in the future in support of our commercial infrastructure, sales force and other commercialization efforts. Recent and expected working and other capital requirements include amounts related to future lease payments for operating lease obligations, which totaled $29.7 million at December 31, 2025, with $3.0 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months, and amounts related to future short-term and long-term debt which totaled $42.5 million, with $3.0 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months. Lastly, we may undertake additional expenses to further expand our commercial organization and efforts, enhance our research and development efforts and pursue product expansion opportunities.
As of December 31, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents of $69.8 million. Based on our current planned operations and the refinancing of debt described in the section titled “Subsequent Events⸺Perceptive Credit Agreement” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements, we expect that our cash and cash equivalents will enable us to fund our operating expenses for at least 12 months from the issuance of our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of available cash and cash equivalents, debt financings, and access to other
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public or private equity offerings. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of medical devices, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
•the costs of commercialization activities related to commercializing our products in the United States and elsewhere, including expanding territories, increasing sales and marketing personnel, actual and anticipated product sales, marketing programs, manufacturing and distribution costs;
•the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
•the research and development activities we intend to undertake, product enhancements that we intend to pursue;
•whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business;
•the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere;
•changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs;
•our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems;
•our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company;
•the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments; and
•the impact of any public health crises on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations or licensing arrangements. There can be no assurance that our efforts to procure additional financing will be successful or that, if they are successful, the terms and conditions of such financing will be favorable to us or our stockholders. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional capital through collaborations agreements, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we will need to delay, limit, reduce or terminate planned commercialization or product development activities, or grant rights to develop and commercialize products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves in order to reduce costs.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates
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are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may materially differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that the accounting policies and estimates discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates. For more detail on our critical accounting policies, refer to Note 2 to the financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is generated primarily from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors in the U.S. and international markets. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring the products. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with customers are satisfied, which occurs with the transfer of control of our products to our customers, either upon shipment of the product or delivery of the product to the customer under the terms and conditions agreed with the customer. We defer revenue relating to any remaining performance obligations by us to the customer after delivery, such as free products and free analysis services of patient scans to determine suitability of the patients for the treatment using the Zephyr Valves.
We identify performance obligations in contracts with customers, which may include our products and implied promises to provide free products and analysis services for patient scans. The transaction price is determined based on the amount expected to be entitled to in exchange for transferring the promised services or product to the customer. We are entitled to the total consideration for the products ordered by customers, net of early pay discounts, volume-based rebates and other transaction price adjustments. We exclude taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions from the measurement of the transaction price. We accept product returns at our discretion or if the product is defective as manufactured. We elected to treat shipping and handling costs as a fulfillment cost and include them in the cost of goods sold as incurred.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost to purchase or manufacture the inventory or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out method for all inventories. Net realizable value is determined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. We record write-downs of inventories which are obsolete or in excess of anticipated demand or market value based on consideration of product lifecycle stage, technology trends, product development plans and assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value.
We review our inventories for classification purposes. The value of inventories not expected to be realized in cash, sold or consumed during the next 12 months are classified as long-term inventory. We consider forecasted demand and other expected usage of inventory on hand when estimating long-term inventory.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to further our research and development activities and include compensation costs, stock-based compensation, engineering and research expenses, clinical trials and related expenses, regulatory expenses, manufacturing expenses incurred to build products for testing, allocated facilities costs, consulting fees and other expenses incurred to sustain our overall research and development programs. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Clinical trial costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses. We contract with third parties that perform various clinical trial activities on our behalf in the ongoing development of our product candidates. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations and may vary from contract to contract
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and may result in uneven payment flow. We accrue and expense costs of our clinical trial activities performed by third parties, including CROs and other service providers, based upon estimates of the work completed over the life of the individual study in accordance with associated agreements. We determine these estimates through discussion with internal personnel and outside service providers as to progress or stage of completion of trials or services pursuant to contracts with clinical research organizations and other service providers and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services.
Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize compensation costs related to stock options and awards granted to employees and non-employees based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. We estimate the grant date fair value of stock options, and the resulting stock-based compensation expense, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of stock-based awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the period during which the optionee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is typically the vesting period. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Estimates of the fair value of equity awards as of the grant date using valuation models such as the Black-Scholes option pricing model are affected by assumptions with a number of complex variables. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately the amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized. These inputs are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop. Changes in the following assumptions can materially affect the estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation:
•Expected Term. The expected term is calculated using the simplified method, which is available where there is insufficient historical data about exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting-tranche for awards with graded vesting. The mid-point between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with multiple vesting-tranches, the periods from grant until the mid-point for each of the tranches are averaged to provide an overall expected term.
•Expected Volatility. The expected volatility is derived from our historical volatility and the average historical volatilities of publicly traded companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business over a period approximately equal to the expected term for the options. In evaluating similarity, we considered factors such as stage of development, risk profile, enterprise value and position within the life sciences industry.
•Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with remaining terms similar to the expected term of the options.
•Dividend Rate. We assumed the expected dividend to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so.
As of December 31, 2025, there was $30.6 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested common stock options and restricted stock units, expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years.
Income Taxes
Our major tax jurisdictions are the United States and California, Switzerland and Neuchâtel.
Significant judgment is required to determine our provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles, complex tax laws, or variances
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between our actual and anticipated operating results. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.
We provide for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Current income tax expense or benefit represents the amount of income taxes expected to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise due to differences between when assets or liabilities are recognized for tax purposes and when they are recognized for financial reporting purposes. Net operating losses and credit carryforwards are also deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such items are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax assets are reduced, as necessary, by a valuation allowance when management determines it is more likely than not that some or all of the tax benefits will not be realized.
We assess all material positions taken in any income tax return, including all significant uncertain positions, in all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities. All of our tax years will remain open for examination by the federal and state tax authorities for three and four years, respectively, from the date of utilization of the net operating loss or research and development credits. We do not have any tax audits or other issues pending.
Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to annual limitations due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), as defined in Section 382, and other similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating losses and credits before utilization.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001127537-25-000012.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our intentions, plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company that provides a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our solution, which is comprised of the Zephyr Valve, the Chartis System and the LungTraX Platform, is designed to treat severe emphysema patients who, despite medical management, are still profoundly symptomatic and either do not want or are ineligible for surgical approaches.
In 2018, we received pre-market approval from the FDA for the Zephyr Valve, following its “Breakthrough Technology” designation. The Zephyr Valve is commercially available in numerous countries globally. We have established reimbursement in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and the Zephyr Valve has been included in treatment guidelines for COPD worldwide.
We also manufacture the AeriSeal System, which is a synthetic polymer foam designed to occlude, or close, collateral air channels in a target lung lobe and convert the target lung lobe to having little to no collateral ventilation (CV-). The AeriSeal System has received a “Breakthrough Device” designation by the FDA and a Certificate of Conformity (“CE Mark”) in Europe. The AeriSeal System is not approved by the FDA or approved for commercial sale in the United States. It is in a global clinical trial called CONVERT II to support a PMA application.
We market and sell our products in the United States through a direct sales organization. Our sales territory managers are focused on promoting awareness and increasing adoption of our solution primarily among the pulmonologists performing interventional pulmonary procedures across approximately 500 high-volume hospitals in the United States. We are expanding our commercial operations in the United States while continuing to foster our international growth. We employ both direct and distributor-based sales models, with 96% of our revenue generated in markets where we sell directly for the year ended December 31, 2024.
In the United States, our solution is reimbursed based on established Category I Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (“PCS”) codes and associated APC and MS-DRG payment groupings. Current reimbursement in the United States is believed to cover the hospital costs of the procedure and related inpatient care. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have all issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Medicare covers our solution for patients when medically necessary, and other commercial insurers are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
We manufacture all our products at our headquarters located in Redwood City, California. This facility supports production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material and finished goods storage. We have manufactured all our products at this facility for over ten years. We also store finished goods at secondary facilities. We seek to maintain higher levels of inventory to protect ourselves from supply interruptions and have an established distribution system for both U.S. and international customers.
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To date, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to research and development activities related to our solution, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing activities, and investing in general and administrative infrastructure. We generated revenue of $83.8 million, with a gross margin of 74.0% and a net loss of $56.4 million, for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to revenue of $68.7 million, with a gross margin of 73.9% and a net loss of $60.8 million, for the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $467.6 million, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $101.5 million, and $37.2 million of outstanding term loans and credit agreements, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
We have invested heavily in product development. Our research and development activities have been centered on driving continuous improvements to our solution. We have also made significant investments in clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Zephyr Valve and to support regulatory submissions. We intend to continue to make significant investments in our sales and marketing organization throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. We have made, and intend to continue to make, investments in research and development efforts to develop our next generation products and support our future regulatory submissions to increase our addressable market and to expand indications and new markets. Because of these and other factors, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years and we expect to require substantial additional funding, which may include future equity and debt financings.
Management believes that the Company’s existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will allow the Company to continue its operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of our consolidated financial statements.
Factors Affecting our Business and Results of Operations
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:
Our Ability to Recruit, Train and Retain Our Sales Force and its Productivity
We have made, and intend to continue to make, significant investments in recruiting, training and retaining our direct sales force. This process requires significant education and training for our sales personnel to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by physicians and to gain experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of the training, our sales personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. Successfully recruiting, training and retaining additional sales personnel will be required to achieve growth. In addition, inability to attract qualified sales personnel or the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.
We have in the past and expect in the future to enter into different compensation arrangements with our sales professionals, which include minimum guaranteed commissions. This has impacted our compensation expenses in the past and we expect it will do so in the future.
Physician, Patient and Hospital Awareness and Acceptance of Our Solution
We intend to continue to promote awareness of our solution through training and educating physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, key opinion leaders and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and online and to present at various industry conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media and online education. We also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation
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centers and patients. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to make significant investments in training and educating hospitals, physicians and patients on the advantages of our solution for the treatment of severe emphysema.
Third-Party Reimbursement
Since achieving regulatory approval in the United States in 2018, we have launched the Zephyr Valve treatment and have made progress securing third-party payor reimbursement. The majority of our patients are Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. We estimate that roughly 75% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population are Medicare beneficiaries, 5% are Medicaid beneficiaries, and 20% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population is under third-party commercial payor policies or other government programs. We continue to work to broaden our coverage by private third-party payor policies. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Some commercial payors do not yet consider our solution medically necessary, but these same plans are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Medicare, currently without a public coverage policy, covers our solution for patients when medically necessary on a case-by-case basis and other commercial insurers not described above are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis.
We have a dedicated patient reimbursement support team in the United States that works collaboratively with patients and providers to help secure the appropriate prior authorization approvals in advance of treatment. Through this program, we continue to educate private insurers in the United States on our clinical data and patient selection tools in an effort to continue to expand the number of positive coverage policies. Outside of the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and other activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. Existing treatments include medical management, lung volume reduction surgery, lung transplantation as well as other minimally invasive treatments. Some of our competitors have several competitive advantages, including established relationships with pulmonologists who commonly treat patients with emphysema, significantly greater name recognition and significantly greater sales and marketing resources. In addition to competing for market share, we also compete against these companies for personnel, including qualified sales and other personnel that are necessary to grow our business. Certain of our competitors may challenge our intellectual property, may develop additional competing or superior technologies and processes and compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. In addition to existing competitors, other companies may acquire or in-license competitive products and could directly compete with us. We must continue to successfully compete in light of our competitors’ existing and future products and related pricing and their resources to successfully market to the physicians who use our products.
Leveraging Our Manufacturing Capacity is Critical to Improving Our Gross Margin
With our current operating model and infrastructure, we have the capacity to significantly increase our manufacturing production. If we grow our revenue and sell more units, our fixed manufacturing costs will be spread over more units, which we believe will reduce our manufacturing costs on a per-unit basis and in turn improve our gross margin. In addition, we intend to continue investing in manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce our overall manufacturing costs. However, other factors will continue to impact our gross margins such as geographic mix, pricing and customer discounts, incentives, support services and potential seasonality.
Investing in Research and Development to Foster Innovation to Expand Our Addressable Market
We intend to continue investing in existing and next generation technologies to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, enhance patient selection and broaden the patient population that can be treated with our products.
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In addition, we are continuing to invest in the accuracy and features of our patient assessment tools. Moreover, we continue to make progress with our CONVERT II pivotal trial of the AeriSeal System, a potential product in development for the treatment of severe emphysema patients who are not qualified for Zephyr Valve treatment due to excessive collateral ventilation.
While research and development and clinical testing are time consuming and costly, we believe that a pipeline of new products and product enhancements that improve efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness is critical to increasing the adoption of our solution.
Seasonality
Historically, we have experienced seasonality, primarily in the first and third quarters and anticipate this trend to continue. In addition, as our sales grow, we may experience further seasonality based on holidays, vacations and other factors because this is an elective procedure.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We currently derive substantially all of our revenue from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors. We market and sell our products through a direct sales organization in the United States and through direct sales and several third-party distributors in select markets outside the United States. We currently generate most of our revenue from the sales of Zephyr Valves and delivery catheters. We also generate a smaller amount of our revenue from our Chartis System, which is comprised of sales of the balloon catheters, usage fees and sales of the Chartis console. The LungTraX Platform, which is used to identify patients eligible for treatment with Zephyr Valves, has not independently generated any revenue for us. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
Revenue from sales of our products fluctuates based on volume of cases (procedures performed), the average number of Zephyr Valves used for a patient, pricing, discounts, incentives and mix of U.S. and international sales. Our revenue also fluctuates and will continue to fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter due to a variety of factors, including the availability of reimbursement, the size and success of our sales force, the number of hospitals and physicians who are aware of and perform the procedures using our solution and seasonality. Our revenue from international sales may also be impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar (our reporting currency) and the local currency.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold consists primarily of payroll and personnel-related expenses for our manufacturing and quality assurance employees, costs related to materials, components and subassemblies, third-party costs, manufacturing overhead, equipment depreciation, and charges for excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories. Overhead costs include the cost of quality assurance, testing, material procurement, inventory control, operations supervision and management and an allocation of facilities overhead cost, including rent and utilities. Cost of goods sold also includes certain direct costs such as those incurred for shipping our products and costs related to providing analysis services for patient scans. We record adjustments to our inventory valuation for estimated excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories based on assumptions about future demand, past usage, changes to manufacturing processes and overall market conditions. We expect cost of goods sold to increase in absolute dollars to the extent more of our products are sold.
We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, primarily by our manufacturing costs, pricing pressures and, to a lesser extent, the percentage of products we sell in the United States versus internationally and the percentage of products we sell to distributors versus directly to hospitals. Our gross margin is typically higher on products we sell directly to hospitals as compared to products we sell through distributors.
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Our gross margin may increase over the long term to the extent our production volume increases as our fixed manufacturing costs would be spread over a larger number of units, thereby reducing our per-unit manufacturing costs. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate from period to period, however, based upon the factors described above and seasonality.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses have consisted solely of research and development costs and selling, general and administrative costs.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development activities primarily consist of engineering and research programs associated with our products under development and improvements to our existing products. Research and development expenses include payroll and personnel-related costs for our research and development employees, including expenses related to stock-based compensation, consulting services, clinical trial expenses, prototyping, testing, laboratory supplies, impairment charges associated with capitalized internally developed software, and an allocation of facility overhead costs. Our clinical trial expenses, such as those related to the AeriSeal System clinical development program, include costs associated with clinical trial design, clinical trial site development and study costs, data management costs, related travel expenses and the cost of products used for clinical activities. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. We expect our research and development expenses, including related stock-based compensation expense, to increase in absolute dollars as we hire additional personnel to develop new product offerings and product enhancements.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist of payroll and personnel-related costs for our sales and marketing personnel, including variable sales compensation, travel expenses, consulting, public relations costs, direct marketing, customer training, trade show and promotional expenses, stock-based compensation and allocated facility overhead costs, and for administrative personnel that support our general operations such as information technology, executive management, finance and accounting, customer services and human resources personnel. We expense sales variable compensation at the time of the sale. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include costs attributable to professional fees for legal and accounting services, insurance, consulting fees, recruiting fees, travel expense, bad debt expense and depreciation.
We intend to continue to increase our sales and marketing spending to generate sales opportunities. We expect expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we increase our sales support infrastructure and add additional marketing programs in order to more fully penetrate the global opportunity. We also expect our administrative expenses, including stock-based compensation expense, to increase as we increase our headcount and expand our facilities and information technology to support our operations. Additionally, we incur expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with being a public company, compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums and investor relations costs. Our selling, general and administrative expenses may fluctuate from period to period due to the seasonality of our business and as we continue to add direct sales territory managers in new territories.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense related to our term loan facilities, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Interest income is predominantly derived from investing surplus cash in money market funds and marketable securities.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net primarily consists of foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
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Results of Operations:
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the period indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 83,789 | $ | 68,675 | $ | 15,114 | 22.0 | % | ||||||
| Costs of goods sold | 21,788 | 17,923 | 3,865 | 21.6 | % | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 62,001 | 50,752 | 11,249 | 22.2 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 17,570 | 18,080 | (510) | (2.8) | % | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 102,135 | 94,607 | 7,528 | 8.0 | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 119,705 | 112,687 | 7,018 | 6.2 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (57,704) | (61,935) | 4,231 | (6.8) | % | |||||||||
| Interest income | 5,061 | 5,568 | (507) | (9.1) | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (3,507) | (3,232) | (275) | 8.5 | % | |||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 256 | (673) | 929 | (138.0) | % | |||||||||
| Net loss before tax | (55,894) | (60,272) | 4,378 | (7.3) | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 500 | 571 | (71) | (12.4) | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (56,394) | $ | (60,843) | $ | 4,449 | (7.3) | % |
Revenue
Revenue increased by $15.1 million, or 22.0%, to $83.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $68.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The sale of products in the United States increased by $10.5 million to $56.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $45.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The sale of products in international markets increased by $4.6 million to $27.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $22.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in revenue reflects continued growth of Zephyr Valve procedure volumes in the United States and in international markets.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold increased by $3.9 million, or 21.6%, to $21.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $17.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the number of products sold and increased manufacturing costs as we invested to support anticipated growth. Gross margin was 74.0% during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 73.9% during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses decreased by $0.5 million, or 2.8%, to $17.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $18.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in research and development expenses was primarily due to a decrease of $1.8 million in professional services and other expenses in support of product development, a decrease of $0.2 million in personnel-related expenses including stock-based compensation, and a decrease of $0.1 million in costs associated with our clinical trials, including fees paid to contract research organizations and testing expenses. These decreases were offset by a non-cash impairment
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charge of $1.7 million related to certain previously capitalized software development costs recorded in the second quarter of 2024.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $7.5 million, or 8.0%, to $102.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $94.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase of $3.9 million in advertising and marketing related expenses, an increase of $2.2 million in payroll and personnel-related expenses including stock-based compensation for our sales, marketing and administrative personnel, and an increase of $1.0 million in travel and conference related expenses.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense increased by $0.3 million, or 8.5%, to $3.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $3.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to higher interest rates. Interest income decreased by $0.5 million, or 9.1%, to $5.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $5.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a lower balance of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, which resulted in reduced returns on these assets.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net increased by $0.9 million to $0.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $(0.7) million during the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to foreign currency exchange gains.
Liquidity and Capital Resources; Plan of Operation
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through our IPO, private placements of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $101.5 million, an accumulated deficit of $467.6 million, and $37.2 million outstanding under the CIBC Loan and Credit Agreement, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
CIBC Loan
In February 2020, we executed a Loan and Security Agreement with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (“CIBC”), which we subsequently amended in April 2020 and December 2020 (as amended, the “CIBC Agreement”). The CIBC Agreement originally provided us with the ability to borrow up to $32.0 million in debt financing (“CIBC Loan”) consisting of $17.0 million advanced at the closing of the agreement (“Tranche A”), with the option to draw up to an additional $8.0 million (“Tranche B”) and an additional financing tranche (“Tranche C”) of up to $7.0 million on or prior to February 20, 2022. Neither Tranche B nor Tranche C was drawn before the option expired.
In March 2021, we entered into an Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with CIBC (as amended, the “Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement”) which, among other things, extended the loan maturity date of the CIBC Loan from March 15, 2022 to February 20, 2025, and modified certain financial covenants.
In October 2021, we entered into a Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement, which extended the interest only period of the loan from 24 months to 36 months. Under the amended terms, principal repayment would begin in February 2023.
In October 2022, we entered into a Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement (the “Third Amendment”), which, among other things, extended the maturity date to October 31, 2027; provided a commitment for a new $20.0 million tranche of term loans that may be drawn at our option through October 31, 2023, subject to
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the satisfaction of certain conditions; and provided for a new interest only period of 24 months from the signing date of the Third Amendment, with the possibility of an additional extension of such interest only period of up to 12 months, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions.
In February 2023, we drew $20.0 million of the Amended Tranche B which has the same interest rate and repayment terms as Tranche A of the CIBC Loan.
In May 2024, as a result of satisfying certain conditions set forth in the Third Amendment, we extended the interest-only period of the CIBC Loan from 24 months to 36 months. Principal repayment will begin in November 2025. There was no change to the loan interest rate, maturity date, or other terms of the loan.
The loans provided under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement bear interest at a floating rate equal to 1.0% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate at any time. The loans are collateralized by substantially all of our assets, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, intellectual property and equipment. We may prepay the loans, subject to certain conditions. The Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement contains financial covenants that require us to maintain minimum cash and minimum revenue amounts, and the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement contains other customary restrictive covenants, representations and warranties, events of default and other customary terms and conditions.
We paid $0.5 million fees to the lender and third parties which is reflected as a discount on the loans provided under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement and is being accreted over the life of the loan using the effective interest method. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we recorded interest expense related to debt discount and debt issuance costs of CIBC Loan of $0.1 million and less than $0.1 million, respectively.
Interest expense on the CIBC Loan amounted $3.5 million and $3.2 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Credit Agreement
In May 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl, our wholly owned subsidiary, received 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) from a COVID-19 Credit Agreement under a Swiss Federal Government program. The COVID-19 Credit Agreement currently bears interest at a rate of 1.5% per year, payable at the end of each calendar quarter. The loan principal is being repaid in twelve equal installments, paid semi-annually, which began in March of 2022. Interest expense was immaterial during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. Pulmonx International Sàrl repaid $0.1 million and $0.1 million to the lender during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Summary Statement of Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the period presented below:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by: | ||||||
| Operating activities | $ | (31,537) | $ | (37,610) | ||
| Investing activities | 17,476 | (2,007) | ||||
| Financing activities | 1,363 | 21,400 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 76 | 34 | ||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (12,622) | $ | (18,183) |
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Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $31.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $56.4 million, net accretion of discounts on marketable securities of $1.6 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $1.9 million due to lease payments, an increase in accounts receivable of $1.3 million due to revenue growth and the timing of payments from our customers, an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.4 million primarily due to the timing of payments to our vendors, and an increase in other assets of $0.5 million primarily due to capitalized implementation costs of a hosting arrangement. This is partially offset by stock-based compensation expense of $23.0 million, an increase in accounts payable of $2.3 million due to timing of payments to our vendors, a non-cash impairment charge of $1.7 million related to certain previously capitalized software development costs recorded in the second quarter of 2024, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.5 million and non-cash lease expense of $1.8 million.
Net cash used in operating activities was $37.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $60.8 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $3.2 million due to lease payments, an increase in accounts receivable of $3.1 million due to revenue growth and the timing of payments from our customers, net accretion of discounts on marketable securities of $1.0 million, and a decrease in accounts payable of $0.3 million due to timing of payments to our vendors, partially offset by an increase in accrued liabilities of $3.2 million due to increased accrued incentive compensation expense associated with the achievement of performance objectives, a decrease in inventory of $0.9 million, stock-based compensation expense of $22.1 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.7 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.5 million and write-down of inventory of $0.5 million.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2024 was $17.5 million consisting of proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $46.8 million, offset by purchases of marketable securities of $27.9 million and purchases of property and equipment of $1.4 million.
Net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023 was $2.0 million consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $46.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $0.8 million partially offset by proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $45.0 million.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2024 of $1.4 million primarily relates to proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $1.2 million and proceeds from exercise of common stock options of $0.2 million, offset by repayment of debt under the Credit Agreement of $0.1 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023 of $21.4 million primarily relates to proceeds of $20.0 million from borrowing under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement, proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $1.2 million and proceeds from exercise of common stock options of $0.3 million, partially offset by repayment of debt under the Credit Agreement of $0.1 million.
Material Cash Requirements
Our net cash operating expenditures were $31.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 and $37.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, and we intend to continue to make investments in the development of our products, including ongoing research and development programs. Our cash outflows for capital expenditures were $1.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 and $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, and we expect to maintain the level of expenditures in the future in support of our commercial infrastructure, sales force and other commercialization efforts. Recent and expected working and other capital requirements include
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amounts related to future lease payments for operating lease obligations, which totaled $31.3 million at December 31, 2024, with $2.6 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months, and amounts related to future short-term and long-term debt which totaled $43.2 million, with $6.3 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months. Lastly, we may undertake additional expenses to further expand our commercial organization and efforts, enhance our research and development efforts and pursue product expansion opportunities.
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $101.5 million. Based on our current planned operations, we expect that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses for at least 12 months from the issuance of our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, debt financings, and access to other public or private equity offerings. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of medical devices, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
•the costs of commercialization activities related to commercializing our products in the United States and elsewhere, including expanding territories, increasing sales and marketing personnel, actual and anticipated product sales, marketing programs, manufacturing and distribution costs;
•the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
•the research and development activities we intend to undertake, product enhancements that we intend to pursue;
•whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business;
•the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere;
•changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs;
•our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems;
•our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company;
•the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments; and
•the impact of any public health crises on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations or licensing arrangements. There can be no assurance that our efforts to procure additional financing will be successful or that, if they are successful, the terms and conditions of such financing will be favorable to us or our stockholders. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional capital through collaborations agreements, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses that
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may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we will need to delay, limit, reduce or terminate planned commercialization or product development activities, or grant rights to develop and commercialize products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves in order to reduce costs.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may materially differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that the accounting policies and estimates discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates. For more detail on our critical accounting policies, refer to Note 2 to the financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is generated primarily from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors in the U.S. and international markets. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring the products. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with customers are satisfied, which occurs with the transfer of control of our products to our customers, either upon shipment of the product or delivery of the product to the customer under the terms and conditions agreed with the customer. We defer revenue relating to any remaining performance obligations by us to the customer after delivery, such as free products and free analysis services of patient scans to determine suitability of the patients for the treatment using the Zephyr Valves.
We identify performance obligations in contracts with customers, which may include our products and implied promises to provide free products and analysis services for patient scans. The transaction price is determined based on the amount expected to be entitled to in exchange for transferring the promised services or product to the customer. We are entitled to the total consideration for the products ordered by customers, net of early pay discounts, volume-based rebates and other transaction price adjustments. We exclude taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions from the measurement of the transaction price. We accept product returns at our discretion or if the product is defective as manufactured. We elected to treat shipping and handling costs as a fulfillment cost and include them in the cost of goods sold as incurred.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost to purchase or manufacture the inventory or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out method for all inventories. Net realizable value is determined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. We record write-downs of inventories which are obsolete or in excess of anticipated demand or market value based on consideration of product lifecycle stage, technology trends, product development plans and assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value.
We review our inventories for classification purposes. The value of inventories not expected to be realized in cash, sold or consumed during the next 12 months are classified as long-term inventory.
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Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to further our research and development activities and include compensation costs, stock-based compensation, engineering and research expenses, clinical trials and related expenses, regulatory expenses, manufacturing expenses incurred to build products for testing, allocated facilities costs, consulting fees and other expenses incurred to sustain our overall research and development programs. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Clinical trial costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses. We contract with third parties that perform various clinical trial activities on our behalf in the ongoing development of our product candidates. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations and may vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flow. We accrue and expense costs of our clinical trial activities performed by third parties, including CROs and other service providers, based upon estimates of the work completed over the life of the individual study in accordance with associated agreements. We determine these estimates through discussion with internal personnel and outside service providers as to progress or stage of completion of trials or services pursuant to contracts with clinical research organizations and other service providers and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services.
Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize compensation costs related to stock options and awards granted to employees and non-employees based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. We estimate the grant date fair value of stock options, and the resulting stock-based compensation expense, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of stock-based awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the period during which the optionee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is typically the vesting period. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Estimates of the fair value of equity awards as of the grant date using valuation models such as the Black-Scholes option pricing model are affected by assumptions with a number of complex variables. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately the amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized. These inputs are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop. Changes in the following assumptions can materially affect the estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation:
•Expected Term. The expected term is calculated using the simplified method, which is available where there is insufficient historical data about exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting-tranche for awards with graded vesting. The mid-point between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with multiple vesting-tranches, the periods from grant until the mid-point for each of the tranches are averaged to provide an overall expected term.
•Expected Volatility. The expected volatility is derived from our historical volatility and the average historical volatilities of publicly traded companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business over a period approximately equal to the expected term for the options. In evaluating similarity, we considered factors such as stage of development, risk profile, enterprise value and position within the life sciences industry.
•Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with remaining terms similar to the expected term of the options.
•Dividend Rate. We assumed the expected dividend to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so.
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As of December 31, 2024, there was $37.9 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested common stock options and restricted stock units, expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years.
Income Taxes
Our major tax jurisdictions are the United States and California, Switzerland and Neuchâtel.
Significant judgment is required to determine our provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles, complex tax laws, or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.
We provide for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Current income tax expense or benefit represents the amount of income taxes expected to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise due to differences between when assets or liabilities are recognized for tax purposes and when they are recognized for financial reporting purposes. Net operating losses and credit carryforwards are also deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such items are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax assets are reduced, as necessary, by a valuation allowance when management determines it is more likely than not that some or all of the tax benefits will not be realized.
We assess all material positions taken in any income tax return, including all significant uncertain positions, in all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities. All of our tax years will remain open for examination by the federal and state tax authorities for three and four years, respectively, from the date of utilization of the net operating loss or research and development credits. We do not have any tax audits or other issues pending.
Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to annual limitations due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), as defined in Section 382, and other similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating losses and credits before utilization.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001127537-24-000024.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our intentions, plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company that provides a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”). Our solution, which is comprised of the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve (“Zephyr Valve”), the Chartis Pulmonary Assessment System (“Chartis System”) and the StratX Lung Analysis Platform (“StratX Platform”), is designed to treat severe emphysema patients who, despite medical management, are still profoundly symptomatic and either do not want or are ineligible for surgical approaches.
In June 2018, we received pre-market approval (“PMA”) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) as a result of our breakthrough technology designation. The Zephyr Valve is now commercially available in more than 25 countries, with over 100,000 valves used to treat more than 25,000 patients. We have established reimbursement in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and the Zephyr Valve has been included in treatment guidelines for COPD worldwide.
We market and sell our products in the United States through a direct sales organization. Our sales territory managers are focused on promoting awareness and increasing adoption of our solution primarily among the pulmonologists performing interventional pulmonary procedures across approximately 500 high volume hospitals in the United States. We are expanding our commercial operations in the United States while continuing to foster our international growth. We employ both direct and distributor-based sales models, with over 96% of our revenue generated in markets where we sell directly for the year ended December 31, 2023.
In the United States, our solution is reimbursed based on established Category I Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (“PCS”) codes and associated APC and MS-DRG payment groupings. Current reimbursement in the United States is believed to cover the hospital costs of the procedure and related inpatient care. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, and BCBS Michigan have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Medicare covers our solution for patients when medically necessary, and other commercial insurers are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
We manufacture all our products at our headquarters located in Redwood City, California. This facility supports production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material and finished goods storage. We have manufactured all our products at this facility for over ten years. We also store finished goods at secondary facilities. We seek to maintain higher levels of inventory to protect ourselves from supply interruptions and have an established distribution system for both U.S. and international customers.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to research and development activities related to our solution, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing activities, and investing in general and administrative infrastructure. We generated
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revenue of $68.7 million, with a gross margin of 73.9% and a net loss of $60.8 million, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to revenue of $53.7 million, with a gross margin of 74.3% and a net loss of $58.9 million, for the year ended December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $411.2 million, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $131.5 million, and $37.2 million of outstanding term loans and credit agreements, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
We have invested heavily in product development. Our research and development activities have been centered on driving continuous improvements to our solution. We have also made significant investments in clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Zephyr Valve and to support regulatory submissions. We intend to make significant investments building our sales and marketing organization by increasing the number of sales territory managers and continuing our marketing efforts in existing and new markets throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. We also intend to continue to make investments in research and development efforts to develop our next generation products and support our future regulatory submissions to increase our addressable market and to expand indications and new markets. Because of these and other factors, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years and we expect to require substantial additional funding, which may include future equity and debt financings.
Management believes that the Company’s existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will allow the Company to continue its operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of our consolidated financial statements.
Factors Affecting our Business and Results of Operations
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:
Our Ability to Recruit, Train and Retain Our Sales Force and its Productivity
We have made, and intend to continue to make, significant investments in recruiting, training and retaining our direct sales force. This process requires significant education and training for our sales personnel to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by physicians and to gain experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of the training, our sales personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. Successfully recruiting, training and retaining additional sales personnel will be required to achieve growth. In addition, inability to attract qualified sales personnel or the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.
We have in the past and expect in the future to enter into different compensation arrangements with our sales professionals, which include minimum guaranteed commissions. This has impacted our compensation expenses in the past and we expect it will do so in the future.
Physician, Patient and Hospital Awareness and Acceptance of Our Solution
Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. We intend to continue to promote awareness of our solution through training and educating physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, key opinion leaders and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and online and to present at various industry conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media and online education. We also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers and patients. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to make significant investments in training and
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educating hospitals, physicians and patients on the advantages of our solution for the treatment of severe emphysema.
Third-Party Reimbursement
Since achieving regulatory approval in the United States in June 2018, we have launched the Zephyr Valve treatment and have made progress securing third-party payor reimbursement. The majority of our patients are Medicare beneficiaries. We estimate that roughly 75% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population are Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, of which approximately 30% have managed Medicare/Medicaid and the remaining 45% have traditional Medicare/Medicaid. Approximately 25% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population is under third-party commercial payor policies. A key element of our strategy remains to broaden our coverage by private third-party payor policies. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, BCBS Michigan, and Highmark have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Some commercial payors do not yet consider our solution medically necessary, but these same plans are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Medicare, currently without a public coverage policy, covers our solution for patients when medically necessary on a case-by-case basis and other commercial insurers not described above are approving prior authorization requests on a case-by-case basis.
We have a dedicated patient reimbursement support team in the United States that works collaboratively with patients and providers to help secure the appropriate prior authorization approvals in advance of treatment. We continue to educate private insurers in the United States on our clinical data and patient selection tools in an effort to continue to expand the number of positive coverage policies, in order to increase our revenue. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and other activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. Existing treatments include medical management, lung volume reduction surgery (“LVRS”), lung transplantation as well as other minimally invasive treatments. Some of our competitors have several competitive advantages, including established relationships with pulmonologists who commonly treat patients with emphysema, significantly greater name recognition and significantly greater sales and marketing resources. In addition to competing for market share, we also compete against these companies for personnel, including qualified sales and other personnel that are necessary to grow our business. Certain of our competitors may challenge our intellectual property, may develop additional competing or superior technologies and processes and compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. In addition to existing competitors, other companies may acquire or in-license competitive products and could directly compete with us. We must continue to successfully compete in light of our competitors’ existing and future products and related pricing and their resources to successfully market to the physicians who use our products.
Leveraging Our Manufacturing Capacity is Critical to Improving Our Gross Margin
With our current operating model and infrastructure, we have the capacity to significantly increase our manufacturing production. If we grow our revenue and sell more units, our fixed manufacturing costs will be spread over more units, which we believe will reduce our manufacturing costs on a per-unit basis and in turn improve our gross margin. In addition, we intend to continue investing in manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce our overall manufacturing costs. However, other factors will continue to impact our gross margins such as geographic mix, pricing and customer discounts, incentives, support services and potential seasonality.
Investing in Research and Development to Foster Innovation to Expand Our Addressable Market
We intend to continue investing in existing and next generation technologies to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, enhance patient selection and broaden the patient population that can be treated with our products.
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In addition, we are continuing to invest in the accuracy and features of our patient assessment tools. Moreover, we are conducting clinical research of AeriSeal, a potential product in development for the treatment of severe emphysema patients who are not qualified for Zephyr Valve treatment due to excessive collateral ventilation.
While research and development and clinical testing are time consuming and costly, we believe that a pipeline of new products and product enhancements that improve efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness is critical to increasing the adoption of our solution.
Seasonality
Historically, we have experienced seasonality, primarily in the first and third quarters and anticipate this trend to continue. In addition, as our sales grow, we may experience further seasonality based on holidays, vacations and other factors because this is an elective procedure.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors. We market and sell our products through a direct sales organization in the United States and through direct sales and several third-party distributors in select markets outside the United States. We currently generate most of our revenue from the sales of Zephyr Valves and delivery catheters. We also generate a smaller amount of our revenue from our Chartis System, which is comprised of sales of the balloon catheters, usage fees and sales of the Chartis console. The StratX Platform, while used to identify patients eligible for treatment with Zephyr Valves, does not independently generate any revenue for us. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Revenue from sales of our products fluctuates based on volume of cases (procedures performed), the average number of Zephyr Valves used for a patient, pricing, discounts, incentives and mix of U.S. and international sales. Our revenue also fluctuates and in the future will continue to fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter due to a variety of factors, including the availability of reimbursement, the size and success of our sales force, the number of hospitals and physicians who are aware of and perform the procedures using our solution and seasonality. Our revenue from international sales may also be impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar (our reporting currency) and the local currency.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold consists primarily of payroll and personnel-related expenses for our manufacturing and quality assurance employees, costs related to materials, components and subassemblies, third-party costs, manufacturing overhead, equipment depreciation, and charges for excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories. Overhead costs include the cost of quality assurance, testing, material procurement, inventory control, operations supervision and management and an allocation facilities overhead cost, including rent and utilities. Cost of goods sold also includes certain direct costs such as those incurred for shipping our products and costs related to providing analysis services for patient scans. We record adjustments to our inventory valuation for estimated excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories based on assumptions about future demand, past usage, changes to manufacturing processes and overall market conditions. We expect cost of goods sold to increase in absolute dollars to the extent more of our products are sold.
We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, primarily by our manufacturing costs, pricing pressures and, to a lesser extent, the percentage of products we sell in the United States versus internationally and the percentage of products we sell to distributors versus directly to hospitals. Our gross margin is typically higher on products we sell directly to hospitals as compared to products we sell through distributors.
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Our gross margin may increase over the long term to the extent our production volume increases as our fixed manufacturing costs would be spread over a larger number of units, thereby reducing our per-unit manufacturing costs. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate from period to period, however, based upon the factors described above and seasonality.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses have consisted solely of research and development costs and selling, general and administrative costs.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development activities primarily consist of engineering and research programs associated with our products under development and improvements to our existing products. Research and development expenses include payroll and personnel-related costs for our research and development employees, including expenses related to stock-based compensation, consulting services, clinical trial expenses, prototyping, testing, laboratory supplies, and an allocation of facility overhead costs. Our clinical trial expenses, such as those related to our AeriSeal clinical development program, include costs associated with clinical trial design, clinical trial site development and study costs, data management costs, related travel expenses and the cost of products used for clinical activities. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. We expect our research and development expenses, including related stock-based compensation expense, to increase in absolute dollars as we hire additional personnel to develop new product offerings and product enhancements.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist of payroll and personnel-related costs for our sales and marketing personnel, including variable sales compensation, travel expenses, consulting, public relations costs, direct marketing, customer training, trade show and promotional expenses, stock-based compensation and allocated facility overhead costs, and for administrative personnel that support our general operations such as information technology, executive management, finance and accounting, customer services and human resources personnel. We expense sales variable compensation at the time of the sale. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include costs attributable to professional fees for legal and accounting services, insurance, consulting fees, recruiting fees, travel expense, bad debt expense and depreciation.
We intend to continue to increase our sales and marketing spending to generate sales opportunities. We expect expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we increase our sales support infrastructure and add additional marketing programs in order to more fully penetrate the global opportunity. We also expect our administrative expenses, including stock-based compensation expense, to increase as we increase our headcount and expand our facilities and information technology to support our operations. Additionally, we incur expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with being a public company, compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums and investor relations costs. We also saw an increase in our stock-based compensation expense with the establishment of our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and related grants either in the form of restricted stock units or stock options. Our selling, general and administrative expenses may fluctuate from period to period due to the seasonality of our business and as we continue to add direct sales territory managers in new territories.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense related to our term loan facilities, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Interest income is predominantly derived from investing surplus cash in money market funds and marketable securities.
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Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net primarily consists of foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
Results of Operations:
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the period indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 68,675 | $ | 53,662 | $ | 15,013 | 28.0 | % | ||||||
| Costs of goods sold | 17,923 | 13,797 | 4,126 | 29.9 | % | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 50,752 | 39,865 | 10,887 | 27.3 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 18,080 | 15,397 | 2,683 | 17.4 | % | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 94,607 | 83,105 | 11,502 | 13.8 | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 112,687 | 98,502 | 14,185 | 14.4 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (61,935) | (58,637) | (3,298) | 5.6 | % | |||||||||
| Interest income | 5,568 | 1,529 | 4,039 | 264.2 | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (3,232) | (1,066) | (2,166) | 203.2 | % | |||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (673) | (396) | (277) | 69.9 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss before tax | (60,272) | (58,570) | (1,702) | 2.9 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 571 | 353 | 218 | 61.8 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (60,843) | $ | (58,923) | $ | (1,920) | 3.3 | % |
Revenue
Revenue increased by $15.0 million, or 28.0%, to $68.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $53.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The sale of products in the United States increased by $13.4 million to $45.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $32.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The sale of products in international markets increased by $1.6 million to $22.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $21.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in revenue reflects continued growth of Zephyr Valve procedure volumes in the United States and in international markets.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold increased by $4.1 million, or 29.9%, to $17.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $13.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the number of products sold and increased manufacturing costs as we invested to support anticipated growth. Gross margin was 73.9% during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 74.3% during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $2.7 million, or 17.4%, to $18.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $15.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in research
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and development expenses was primarily due to an increase of $0.9 million in costs associated with our clinical trials, including fees paid to contract research organizations and testing expenses, an increase of $0.8 million in payroll and personnel-related expenses including stock-based compensation, and an increase of $0.8 million in professional services and other expenses in support of product development.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $11.5 million, or 13.8%, to $94.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $83.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase of $11.4 million in payroll and personnel-related expenses including stock-based compensation for our sales, marketing and administrative personnel, and an increase of $1.3 million in legal and other professional expenses, offset by a decrease of $1.4 million in advertising and marketing related expenses.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense increased by $2.2 million, or 203.2%, to $3.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $1.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 due to higher outstanding debt principal and higher interest rates. Interest income increased by $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to higher returns on cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balances.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net decreased by $0.3 million to ($0.7) million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to ($0.4) million during the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to foreign currency exchange losses driven by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
Liquidity and Capital Resources; Plan of Operation
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through our IPO, private placements of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. As of December 31, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $131.5 million, an accumulated deficit of $411.2 million, and $37.2 million outstanding under the CIBC Loan and Credit Agreement, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
CIBC Loan
On February 20, 2020, we executed a Loan and Security Agreement with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (“CIBC”), which we subsequently amended on April 17, 2020 and December 28, 2020 (as amended, the “CIBC Agreement”). The CIBC Agreement originally provided us with the ability to borrow up to $32.0 million in debt financing consisting of $17.0 million advanced at the closing of the agreement (“Tranche A”), with the option to draw up to an additional $8.0 million (“Tranche B”) on or before February 20, 2022 and an additional $7.0 million (“Tranche C”) on or before February 20, 2022. Neither Tranche B nor Tranche C was drawn before the February 2022 expiration date.
In March 2021, we entered into an Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with CIBC (as amended, the “Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement”) which, among other things, extended the loan maturity date under the CIBC Agreement from March 15, 2022 to February 20, 2025, and modified certain financial covenants.
In June 2021, we entered into a First Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement that extended the compliance of certain post-close covenants to March 31, 2022.
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In October 2021, we entered into a Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement, which extended the interest only period of the loan from 24 months to 36 months. Under the amended terms, principal repayment would begin in February 2023. There was no change to the loan interest rate or maturity date.
In October 2022, we entered into a Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement (the “Third Amendment”), which, among other things, extended the maturity date to October 31, 2027; provided a commitment for a new $20.0 million tranche of term loans that may be drawn at the Company’s option through October 31, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions; and provided for a new interest only period of 24 months from the signing date of the Third Amendment, with the possibility of an additional extension of such interest only period of up to 12 months, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions.
In February 2023, we drew $20.0 million of the Amended Tranche B of the CIBC Loan. The Amended Tranche B bears interest at a floating rate equal to 1.0% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate and has the same repayment terms as Tranche A.
The loans provided under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement bear interest at a floating rate equal to 1.0% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate at any time. The loan is collateralized by substantially all of our assets, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, intellectual property and equipment. We may prepay the loans, subject to certain conditions, including a prepayment fee equal to 2.0% of the principal amount prepaid during the first year after the effective date of the Third Amendment or 1.0% of the principal amount prepaid during the second year after the effective date of the Third Amendment. The Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement contains financial covenants that require the Company to maintain minimum cash and minimum revenue amounts, and the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement contains other customary restrictive covenants, representations and warranties, events of default and other customary terms and conditions.
We paid $0.5 million fees to the lender and third parties which is reflected as a discount on the loans provided under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement and is being accreted over the life of the loan using the effective interest method. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we recorded interest expense related to debt discount and debt issuance costs of CIBC Loan of less than $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
Interest expense on the CIBC Loan amounted $3.2 million and $1.1 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Credit Agreement
In May 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl, our wholly-owned subsidiary, received 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) from a COVID-19 Credit Agreement under a Swiss Federal Government program designed to mitigate the economic impact of the spread of the coronavirus. The COVID-19 Credit Agreement initially bore no interest through March 31, 2023. Beginning April 1, 2023, the loan bears interest at a rate of 1.5% per year, payable at the end of each calendar quarter. The loan principal is being repaid in twelve equal installments, paid semi-annually, which began in March of 2022. Interest expense was immaterial during the year ended December 31, 2023. Pulmonx International Sàrl repaid $0.1 million and $0.1 million to the lender during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
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Summary Statement of Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the period presented below:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by: | ||||||
| Operating activities | $ | (37,610) | $ | (45,083) | ||
| Investing activities | (2,007) | (4,225) | ||||
| Financing activities | 21,400 | 2,419 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 34 | 145 | ||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (18,183) | $ | (46,744) |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $37.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $60.8 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $3.2 million due to lease payments, an increase in accounts receivable of $3.1 million due to revenue growth and the timing of payments from our customers, net accretion of discounts on marketable securities of $1.0 million, and a decrease in accounts payable of $0.3 million due to timing of payments to our vendors, partially offset by an increase in accrued liabilities of $3.2 million due to increased accrued incentive compensation expense associated with the achievement of performance objectives, a decrease in inventory of $0.9 million, stock-based compensation expense of $22.1 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.7 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.5 million and write-down of inventory of $0.5 million.
Net cash used in operating activities was $45.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $58.9 million, an increase in inventory of $3.6 million due to continued production to build inventory to meet projected increase in sales and to protect against potential supply interruptions, an increase in accounts receivable of $2.2 million, and a decrease in lease liabilities of $2.2 million due to lease payments, partially offset by an increase in accounts payable of $0.2 million due to timing of payments to our vendors, and a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.8 million, stock-based compensation expense of $16.4 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.5 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.5 million and write-down of inventory of $0.5 million.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023 was $2.0 million consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $46.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $0.8 million partially offset by proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $45.0 million.
Net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2022 was $4.2 million consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $47.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $1.3 million partially offset by proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $44.3 million.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023 of $21.4 million primarily relates to proceeds of $20.0 million from borrowing under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement, proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $1.2 million and proceeds from exercise of
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common stock options of $0.3 million, partially offset by repayment of debt under the Credit Agreement of $0.1 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2022 of $2.4 million primarily relates to proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $0.6 million and proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $1.9 million, offset by repayment of debt under the Credit Agreement of $0.1 million.
Material Cash Requirements
Our net cash operating expenditures were $37.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 and $45.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, and we intend to continue to make investments in the development of our products, including ongoing research and development programs. Our cash outflows for capital expenditures were $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 and $1.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, and we expect to maintain the level of expenditures in the future in support of our commercial infrastructure, sales force and other commercialization efforts. Recent and expected working and other capital requirements include amounts related to future lease payments for operating lease obligations, which totaled $4.3 million at December 31, 2023, with $3.2 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months, and amounts related to future short-term and long-term debt which totaled $45.7 million, with $5.7 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months. Lastly, we may undertake additional expenses to further expand our commercial organization and efforts, enhance our research and development efforts and pursue product expansion opportunities.
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $131.5 million. Based on our current planned operations, we expect that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses for at least 12 months from the issuance of our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, debt financings, and access to other public or private equity offerings. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of medical devices, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
•the costs of commercialization activities related to commercializing our products in the United States and elsewhere, including expanding territories, increasing sales and marketing personnel, actual and anticipated product sales, marketing programs, manufacturing and distribution costs;
•the impact of any public health crises, such as a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, on our business, financial condition and results of operations;
•the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
•the research and development activities we intend to undertake, product enhancements that we intend to pursue;
•whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business;
•the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere;
•changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs;
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•our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems;
•our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company; and
•the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations or licensing arrangements. There can be no assurance that our efforts to procure additional financing will be successful or that, if they are successful, the terms and conditions of such financing will be favorable to us or our stockholders. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional capital through collaborations agreements, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we will need to delay, limit, reduce or terminate planned commercialization or product development activities, or grant rights to develop and commercialize products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves in order to reduce costs.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may materially differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that the accounting policies and estimates discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates. For more detail on our critical accounting policies, refer to Note 2 to the financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is generated primarily from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors in the U.S. and international markets. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring the products. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with customers are satisfied, which occurs with the transfer of control of our products to our customers, either upon shipment of the product or delivery of the product to the customer under the terms and conditions agreed with the customer. We defer revenue relating to any remaining performance obligations by us to the customer after delivery, such as free products and free analysis services of patient scans to determine suitability of the patients for the treatment using the Zephyr Valves.
We identify performance obligations in contracts with customers, which may include our products and implied promises to provide free products and analysis services for patient scans. The transaction price is determined based on the amount expected to be entitled to in exchange for transferring the promised services or product to the customer. We are entitled to the total consideration for the products ordered by customers, net of early pay discounts, volume-based rebates and other transaction price adjustments. We exclude taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions from the measurement of the transaction price. We
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accept product returns at our discretion or if the product is defective as manufactured. We elected to treat shipping and handling costs as a fulfillment cost and include them in the cost of goods sold as incurred.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost to purchase or manufacture the inventory or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out method for all inventories. Net realizable value is determined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. We record write-downs of inventories which are obsolete or in excess of anticipated demand or market value based on consideration of product lifecycle stage, technology trends, product development plans and assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value.
We review our inventories for classification purposes. The value of inventories not expected to be realized in cash, sold or consumed during the next 12 months are classified as long-term inventory.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to further our research and development activities and include compensation costs, stock-based compensation, engineering and research expenses, clinical trials and related expenses, regulatory expenses, manufacturing expenses incurred to build products for testing, allocated facilities costs, consulting fees and other expenses incurred to sustain our overall research and development programs. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Clinical trial costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses. We contract with third parties that perform various clinical trial activities on our behalf in the ongoing development of our product candidates. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations and may vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flow. We accrue and expense costs of our clinical trial activities performed by third parties, including CROs and other service providers, based upon estimates of the work completed over the life of the individual study in accordance with associated agreements. We determine these estimates through discussion with internal personnel and outside service providers as to progress or stage of completion of trials or services pursuant to contracts with clinical research organizations and other service providers and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services.
Common Stock Valuation and Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize compensation costs related to stock options and awards granted to employees and non-employees based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. We estimate the grant date fair value of stock options, and the resulting stock-based compensation expense, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of stock-based awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the period during which the optionee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is typically the vesting period. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Estimates of the fair value of equity awards as of the grant date using valuation models such as the Black-Scholes option pricing model are affected by assumptions with a number of complex variables. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately the amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized. These inputs are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop. Changes in the following assumptions can materially affect the estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation:
•Expected Term. The expected term is calculated using the simplified method, which is available where there is insufficient historical data about exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting-tranche for awards with graded vesting. The mid-point between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with
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multiple vesting-tranches, the periods from grant until the mid-point for each of the tranches are averaged to provide an overall expected term.
•Expected Volatility. The expected volatility is derived from our historical volatility and the average historical volatilities of publicly traded companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business over a period approximately equal to the expected term for the options. In evaluating similarity, we considered factors such as stage of development, risk profile, enterprise value and position within the life sciences industry.
•Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with remaining terms similar to the expected term of the options.
•Dividend Rate. We assumed the expected dividend to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so.
As of December 31, 2023, there was $43.7 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested common stock options and restricted stock units, expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.5 years.
Income Taxes
Our major tax jurisdictions are the United States and California, Switzerland and Neuchâtel.
Significant judgment is required to determine our provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles, complex tax laws, or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.
We provide for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Current income tax expense or benefit represents the amount of income taxes expected to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise due to differences between when assets or liabilities are recognized for tax purposes and when they are recognized for financial reporting purposes. Net operating losses and credit carryforwards are also deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such items are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax assets are reduced, as necessary, by a valuation allowance when management determines it is more likely than not that some or all of the tax benefits will not be realized.
We assess all material positions taken in any income tax return, including all significant uncertain positions, in all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities. All of our tax years will remain open for examination by the federal and state tax authorities for three and four years, respectively, from the date of utilization of the net operating loss or research and development credits. We do not have any tax audits or other issues pending.
Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to annual limitations due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), as defined in Section 382, and other similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating losses and credits before utilization.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
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FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001127537-23-000011.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our intentions, plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company that provides a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”). Our solution, which is comprised of the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve (“Zephyr Valve”), the Chartis Pulmonary Assessment System (“Chartis System”) and the StratX Lung Analysis Platform (“StratX Platform”), is designed to treat severe emphysema patients who, despite medical management, are still profoundly symptomatic and either do not want or are ineligible for surgical approaches.
In June 2018, we received pre-market approval (“PMA”) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) as a result of our breakthrough technology designation. The Zephyr Valve is now commercially available in more than 25 countries, with over 100,000 valves used to treat more than 25,000 patients. We have established reimbursement in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and the Zephyr Valve has been included in treatment guidelines for COPD worldwide.
We market and sell our products in the United States through a direct sales organization. Our sales territory managers are focused on promoting awareness and increasing adoption of our solution primarily among the pulmonologists performing interventional pulmonary procedures across approximately 500 high volume hospitals in the United States. We are expanding our commercial operations in the United States while continuing to foster our international growth. We employ both direct and distributor-based sales models, with over 90% of our revenue generated in markets where we sell directly.
In the United States, our solution is reimbursed based on established Category I Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (“PCS”) codes and associated APC and MS-DRG payment groupings. Current reimbursement in the United States is believed to cover the hospital costs of the procedure and related inpatient care. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, and BCBS Michigan have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Medicare covers our solution for patients when medically necessary, and other commercial insurers are approving pre-authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia and South Korea.
We manufacture all our products at our headquarters located in Redwood City, California. This facility supports production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material and finished goods storage. We have manufactured all our products at this facility for over ten years. We also store finished goods at secondary facilities. We seek to maintain higher levels of inventory to protect ourselves from supply interruptions and have an established distribution system for both U.S. and international customers.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to research and development activities related to our solution, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing activities, and investing in general and administrative infrastructure. We generated
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revenue of $53.7 million, with a gross margin of 74.3% and a net loss of $58.9 million, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to revenue of $48.4 million, with a gross margin of 73.6% and a net loss of $48.7 million, for the year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $350.3 million, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $147.1 million, and $17.3 million of outstanding term loans and credit agreements, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
We have invested heavily in product development. Our research and development activities have been centered on driving continuous improvements to our solution. We have also made significant investments in clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Zephyr Valve and to support regulatory submissions. We intend to make significant investments building our sales and marketing organization by increasing the number of sales territory managers and continuing our marketing efforts in existing and new markets throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. We also intend to continue to make investments in research and development efforts to develop our next generation products and support our future regulatory submissions to increase our addressable market and to expand indications and new markets. Because of these and other factors, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years and we expect to require substantial additional funding, which may include future equity and debt financings.
Management believes that the Company’s existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will allow the Company to continue its operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of our consolidated financial statements.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed clinical trials and FDA operations and adversely impacted the number of procedures performed using our products. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by many countries in response have materially adversely affected, and could in the future materially adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as the price of our common stock, from a decrease and delay of procedures involving our products.
While the Company has seen a recovery in procedure volumes in the U.S. and some international markets, other international markets continue to be hampered by a slower recovery. We are encouraged for the longer term, and we believe the following key indicators are contributing to the stabilization of our business:
•continued opening of new accounts;
•strong physician participation in trainings;
•a strong patient pipeline evidenced by StratX report activity, patient calls into hospitals inquiring about our procedure, and patient calls to our reimbursement support service; and
•a resumption of elective procedures at hospitals and centers.
Despite signs of recovery of our business, we cannot be certain that any recovery will be sustained, or that a further resurgence of COVID-19 or variants of the virus will not occur.
Further, we cannot assure you that our recent volume of Zephyr Valves sold are indicative of future results. The number of Zephyr Valves sold in the future may decrease due to a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there may be limited provider capacity due to labor shortages, or for other reasons, which could limit the ability of patients to receive treatment with Zephyr Valves. Limited provider and hospital capacity has had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may continue to materially adversely affect us even as the pandemic subsides.
The extent of the impact of COVID-19, including the macroeconomic conditions, on our future operational and financial performance will depend on certain developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted,
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including impact on employees, clinical trials and procedure volumes, new information which may emerge concerning the severity and spread of COVID-19 and variant strains, governmental and societal response to contain and treat COVID-19 and variant strains, and the availability and distribution of vaccines and public acceptance of vaccines, among others.
For additional information about risks, uncertainties and potential impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic that may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations, please refer to Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Factors Affecting our Business and Results of Operations
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:
Our Ability to Recruit, Train and Retain Our Sales Force and its Productivity
We have made, and intend to continue to make, significant investments in recruiting, training and retaining our direct sales force. This process requires significant education and training for our sales personnel to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by physicians and to gain experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of the training, our sales personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. Successfully recruiting, training and retaining additional sales personnel will be required to achieve growth. In addition, inability to attract qualified sales personnel or the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.
We have in the past and expect in the future to enter into different compensation arrangements with our sales professionals, which include minimum guaranteed commissions. This has impacted our compensation expenses in the past and we expect it will do so in the future.
Physician, Patient and Hospital Awareness and Acceptance of Our Solution
Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. We intend to continue to promote awareness of our solution through training and educating physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, key opinion leaders and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and online and to present at various industry conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media and online education. We also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers and patients. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to make significant investments in training and educating hospitals, physicians and patients on the advantages of our solution for the treatment of severe emphysema.
Third-Party Reimbursement
Since achieving regulatory approval in the United States in June 2018, we have launched the Zephyr Valve treatment and have made progress securing third-party payor reimbursement. The majority of our patients are Medicare beneficiaries. We estimate that roughly 75% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population are Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, of which approximately 30% have managed Medicare/Medicaid and the remaining 45% have traditional Medicare/Medicaid. Approximately 25% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population is under third-party commercial payor policies. A key element of our strategy remains to broaden our coverage by private third-party payor policies. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, and BCBS Michigan have issued
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positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Some commercial payors do not yet consider our solution medically necessary, but these same plans are approving pre-authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Medicare, currently without a public coverage policy, covers our solution for patients when medically necessary on a case-by-case basis and other commercial insurers not described above are approving pre-authorization requests on a case-by-case basis.
We have a dedicated patient reimbursement support team in the United States that works collaboratively with patients and providers to help secure the appropriate prior authorization approvals in advance of treatment. We continue to educate private insurers in the United States on our clinical data and patient selection tools in an effort to continue to expand the number of positive coverage policies, in order to increase our revenue. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia and South Korea.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and other activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. Existing treatments include medical management, lung volume reduction surgery (“LVRS”), lung transplantation as well as other minimally invasive treatments. Some of our competitors have several competitive advantages, including established relationships with pulmonologists who commonly treat patients with emphysema, significantly greater name recognition and significantly greater sales and marketing resources. In addition to competing for market share, we also compete against these companies for personnel, including qualified sales and other personnel that are necessary to grow our business. Certain of our competitors may challenge our intellectual property, may develop additional competing or superior technologies and processes and compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. In addition to existing competitors, other companies may acquire or in-license competitive products and could directly compete with us. We must continue to successfully compete in light of our competitors’ existing and future products and related pricing and their resources to successfully market to the physicians who use our products.
Leveraging Our Manufacturing Capacity is Critical to Improving Our Gross Margin
With our current operating model and infrastructure, we have the capacity to significantly increase our manufacturing production. If we grow our revenue and sell more units, our fixed manufacturing costs will be spread over more units, which we believe will reduce our manufacturing costs on a per-unit basis and in turn improve our gross margin. In addition, we intend to continue investing in manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce our overall manufacturing costs. However, other factors will continue to impact our gross margins such as geographic mix, pricing and customer discounts, incentives, support services and potential seasonality.
Investing in Research and Development to Foster Innovation to Expand Our Addressable Market
We intend to continue investing in existing and next generation technologies to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, enhance patient selection and broaden the patient population that can be treated with our products. In addition, we are continuing to invest in the accuracy and features of our patient assessment tools. Moreover, we are conducting clinical research of AeriSeal, a potential product in development for the treatment of severe emphysema patients who are not qualified for Zephyr Valve treatment due to excessive collateral ventilation.
While research and development and clinical testing are time consuming and costly, we believe that a pipeline of new products and product enhancements that improve efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness is critical to increasing the adoption of our solution.
Seasonality
Historically, we have experienced seasonality, primarily in the first and third quarters and anticipate this trend to continue. In addition, as our sales grow, we may experience further seasonality based on holidays, vacations and other factors because this is an elective procedure.
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Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors. We market and sell our products through a direct sales organization in the United States and through direct sales and several third-party distributors in select markets outside the United States. We currently generate most of our revenue from the sales of Zephyr Valves and delivery catheters. We also generate a smaller amount of our revenue from our Chartis System, which is comprised of sales of the balloon catheters, usage fees and sales of the Chartis console. The StratX Platform, while used to identify patients eligible for treatment with Zephyr Valves, does not independently generate any revenue for us. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Revenue from sales of our products fluctuates based on volume of cases (procedures performed), the average number of Zephyr Valves used for a patient, pricing, discounts, incentives and mix of U.S. and international sales. Our revenue also fluctuates and in the future will continue to fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter due to a variety of factors, including the availability of reimbursement, the size and success of our sales force, the number of hospitals and physicians who are aware of and perform the procedures using our solution and seasonality. Our revenue from international sales may also be impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar (our reporting currency) and the local currency.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold consists primarily of payroll and personnel-related expenses for our manufacturing and quality assurance employees, costs related to materials, components and subassemblies, third-party costs, manufacturing overhead, equipment depreciation, and charges for excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories. Overhead costs include the cost of quality assurance, testing, material procurement, inventory control, operations supervision and management and an allocation facilities overhead cost, including rent and utilities. Cost of goods sold also includes certain direct costs such as those incurred for shipping our products and costs related to providing analysis services for patient scans. We record adjustments to our inventory valuation for estimated excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories based on assumptions about future demand, past usage, changes to manufacturing processes and overall market conditions. We expect cost of goods sold to increase in absolute dollars to the extent more of our products are sold.
We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, primarily by our manufacturing costs, pricing pressures and, to a lesser extent, the percentage of products we sell in the United States versus internationally and the percentage of products we sell to distributors versus directly to hospitals. Our gross margin is typically higher on products we sell directly to hospitals as compared to products we sell through distributors.
Our gross margin may increase over the long term to the extent our production volume increases as our fixed manufacturing costs would be spread over a larger number of units, thereby reducing our per-unit manufacturing costs. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate from period to period, however, based upon the factors described above and seasonality.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses have consisted solely of research and development costs and selling, general and administrative costs.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development activities primarily consist of engineering and research programs associated with our products under development and improvements to our existing products. Research and development expenses
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include payroll and personnel-related costs for our research and development employees, including expenses related to stock-based compensation, consulting services, clinical trial expenses, prototyping, testing, laboratory supplies, and an allocation of facility overhead costs. Our clinical trial expenses, such as those related to our AeriSeal clinical development program, include costs associated with clinical trial design, clinical trial site development and study costs, data management costs, related travel expenses and the cost of products used for clinical activities. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. We expect our research and development expenses, including related stock-based compensation expense, to increase in absolute dollars as we hire additional personnel to develop new product offerings and product enhancements.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist of payroll and personnel-related costs for our sales and marketing personnel, including variable sales compensation, travel expenses, consulting, public relations costs, direct marketing, customer training, trade show and promotional expenses, stock-based compensation and allocated facility overhead costs, and for administrative personnel that support our general operations such as information technology, executive management, finance and accounting, customer services and human resources personnel. We expense sales variable compensation at the time of the sale. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include costs attributable to professional fees for legal and accounting services, insurance, consulting fees, recruiting fees, travel expense, bad debt expense and depreciation.
We intend to continue to increase our sales and marketing spending to generate sales opportunities. We expect expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we increase our sales support infrastructure and add additional marketing programs in order to more fully penetrate the global opportunity. We also expect our administrative expenses, including stock-based compensation expense, to increase as we increase our headcount and expand our facilities and information technology to support our operations. Additionally, we incur expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with being a public company, compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums and investor relations costs. We also saw an increase in our stock-based compensation expense with the establishment of our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and related grants either in the form of restricted stock units or stock options. Our selling, general and administrative expenses may fluctuate from period to period due to the seasonality of our business and as we continue to add direct sales territory managers in new territories.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense related to our term loan facilities, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Interest income is predominantly derived from investing surplus cash in money market funds and marketable securities.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net primarily consists of foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
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Results of Operations:
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the period indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 53,662 | $ | 48,416 | $ | 5,246 | 10.8 | % | ||||||
| Costs of goods sold | 13,797 | 12,786 | 1,011 | 7.9 | % | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 39,865 | 35,630 | 4,235 | 11.9 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 15,397 | 13,063 | 2,334 | 17.9 | % | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 83,105 | 69,871 | 13,234 | 18.9 | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 98,502 | 82,934 | 15,568 | 18.8 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (58,637) | (47,304) | (11,333) | 24.0 | % | |||||||||
| Interest income | 1,529 | 400 | 1,129 | 282.3 | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (1,066) | (829) | (237) | 28.6 | % | |||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (396) | (585) | 189 | (32.3) | % | |||||||||
| Net loss before tax | (58,570) | (48,318) | (10,252) | 21.2 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 353 | 343 | 10 | 2.9 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (58,923) | $ | (48,661) | $ | (10,262) | 21.1 | % |
Revenue
Revenue increased by $5.2 million, or 10.8%, to $53.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $48.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The sale of products in the United States increased by $7.5 million to $32.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $25.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The sale of products in international markets decreased by $2.2 million to $21.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $23.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in U.S. revenue reflects continued growth of Zephyr Valve procedure volumes in the United States, while the decrease in international revenue reflects the impact of foreign currency exchange rates.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold increased by $1.0 million, or 7.9%, to $13.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $12.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the number of products sold and increased manufacturing costs as we expanded headcount and invested in operational infratstructure to support anticipated growth. Gross margin increased by 0.7% to 74.3% during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to 73.6% during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to improved production efficiencies and lower scrap and reserve expense during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $2.3 million, or 17.9%, to $15.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $13.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to an increase of $1.7 million in personnel expenses including stock-based compensation as we expanded our research and development team and an increase of $1.1 million in
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professional services, regulatory, facility and other expenses. These increases were offset by a decrease of $0.5 million in costs associated with our clinical trials, including fees paid to contract research organizations and testing expenses.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $13.2 million, or 18.9%, to $83.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to $69.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase of $8.6 million of payroll and personnel-related expenses including stock based compensation as we expanded our sales and marketing and administrative function, an increase of $2.1 million in advertising and marketing related expenses, an increase of $1.2 million in travel expenses, and an increase of $1.3 million in facility, consulting, software and other expenses.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense increased by $0.2 million, or 28.6%, to $1.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 due to higher interest rates on our debt. Interest income increased by $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to higher returns on cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balances.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net increased by $0.2 million to ($0.4) million during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to ($0.6) million during the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to foreign currency exchange losses driven by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates..
Liquidity and Capital Resources; Plan of Operation
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through initial public offering, private placements of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $147.1 million, an accumulated deficit of $350.3 million, and $17.3 million outstanding under the CIBC Loan and Credit Agreement, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
CIBC Loan
On February 20, 2020, we executed a Loan and Security Agreement with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (“CIBC”), which we subsequently amended on April 17, 2020 and December 28, 2020 (as amended, the “CIBC Agreement”). The CIBC Agreement originally provided us with the ability to borrow up to $32.0 million in debt financing consisting of $17.0 million advanced at the closing of the agreement (“Tranche A”), with the option to draw up to an additional $8.0 million (“Tranche B”) on or before February 20, 2022 and an additional $7.0 million (“Tranche C”) on or before February 20, 2022. Neither Tranche B nor Tranche C was drawn before the February 2022 expiration date.
In March 2021, we entered into an Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with CIBC (as amended, the “Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement”) which, among other things, extended the loan maturity date under the CIBC Agreement from March 15, 2022 to February 20, 2025, and modified certain financial covenants.
In June 2021, we entered into a First Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement that extended the compliance of certain post-close covenants to March 31, 2022.
In October 2021, we entered into a Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement, which extended the interest only period of the loan from 24 months to 36 months. Under the amended terms, principal repayment would begin in February 2023. There was no change to the loan interest rate or maturity date.
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On October 31, 2022, we entered into a Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement (the “Third Amendment”), which, among other things, extended the maturity date to October 31, 2027; provided a commitment for a new $20.0 million tranche of term loans that may be drawn at the Company’s option through October 31, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions; and provided for a new interest only period of 24 months from the signing date of the Third Amendment, with the possibility of an additional extension of such interest only period of up to 12 months, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions.
The loans provided under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement bear interest at a floating rate equal to 1.0% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate at any time. The loan is collateralized by substantially all of our assets, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, intellectual property and equipment. We may prepay the loans without penalty. If we borrow any of the $20.0 million tranche made available under the Third Amendment, we may prepay the loans, subject to certain conditions, including a prepayment fee equal to 2.0% of the principal amount repaid during the first year after the effective date of the Third Amendment or 1.0% of the principal amount prepaid during the second year after the effective date of the Third Amendment. The Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement contains financial covenants that require the Company to maintain minimum cash and minimum revenue amounts, and the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement contains other customary restrictive covenants, representations and warranties, events of default and other customary terms and conditions.
We paid $0.4 million fees to the lender and third parties which is reflected as a discount on the loans provided under the Amended and Restated CIBC Agreement and is being accreted over the life of the loan using the effective interest method. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we recorded interest expense related to debt discount and debt issuance costs of CIBC Loan of $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
Interest expense on the CIBC Loan amounted $1.1 million and $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
Credit Agreement
In April 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl, our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a COVID-19 Credit Agreement with UBS Switzerland AG to receive up to 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) under Swiss Federal Government program to mitigate the economic impact of the spread of the coronavirus. In May 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl received 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) under the COVID-19 Credit Agreement. The COVID-19 Credit Agreement bears no interest and will be repaid within 60 months after receipt of funds, in twelve equal installments, paid semi-annually, beginning in March of 2022. As of December 31, 2022, Pulmonx International Sàrl repaid $0.1 million to the lender.
Summary Statement of Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the period presented below:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by: | ||||||
| Operating activities | $ | (45,083) | $ | (41,388) | ||
| Investing activities | (4,225) | (46,255) | ||||
| Financing activities | 2,419 | 4,456 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 145 | 106 | ||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (46,744) | $ | (83,081) |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
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Net cash used in operating activities was $45.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $58.9 million, an increase in inventory of $3.6 million due to continued production to build inventory to meet projected increase in sales and to protect against potential supply interruptions, an increase in accounts receivable of $2.2 million, and a decrease in lease liabilities of $2.2 million due to lease payments, partially offset by an increase in accounts payable of $0.2 million due to timing of payments to our vendors, and a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.8 million, stock-based compensation expense of $16.4 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.5 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $1.5 million and write-down of inventory of $0.5 million.
Net cash used in operating activities was $41.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $48.7 million, an increase in accounts receivable of $2.4 million, an increase in inventory of $6.4 million primarily due to higher inventory levels required to support projected increase in sales, an increase in prepaid and other current assets of $1.2 million, an increase in other assets of $0.2 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $2.5 million, offset by an increase in accrued liabilities of $4.8 million, stock based compensation expense of $7.9 million, employee stock purchase plan expense of $2.6 million, write-down of inventory due to obsolescence of $1.2 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $0.9 million, amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $0.1 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.4 million, and decrease of deferred revenue of $0.1 million. The increase in prepaid expenses, accrued liabilities and accounts payable is primarily due to increases in inventory and expenses related to operating as a public company and timing of payments to our vendors.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2022 was $4.2 million consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $47.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $1.3 million partially offset by proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $44.3 million.
Net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 was $46.3 million consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $52.6 million and purchases of property and equipment of $3.7 million partially offset by proceeds from maturities of marketable securities of $10.0 million.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2022 of $2.4 million primarily relates to proceeds from the exercise of stock options of 0.6 million and proceeds from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan of $1.9 million, offset by repayment of Credit Agreement of $0.1 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 of $4.5 million primarily relates to proceeds of $2.6 million from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan, and proceeds of $1.9 million from exercise of common stock options.
Material Cash Requirements
Our net cash operating expenditures were $45.1 million in 2022 and $41.4 million in 2021, and we intend to continue to make investments in the development of our products, including ongoing research and development programs. Our cash outflows for capital expenditures were $1.3 million in 2022 and $3.7 million in 2021, and we expect to maintain the level of expenditures in the future in support of our commercial infrastructure, sales force and other commercialization efforts. Recent and expected working and other capital requirements include amounts related to future lease payments for operating lease obligations, which totaled $7.5 million at December 31, 2022, with $3.5 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months, and amounts related to future long-term debt which totaled $22.3 million, with $1.5 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months. Lastly, we may undertake additional expenses to further expand our commercial organization and efforts, enhance our research and development efforts and pursue product expansion opportunities.
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As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $147.1 million. Based on our current planned operations, we expect that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses for at least 12 months from the issuance of our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, debt financings, and access to other public or private equity offerings. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of medical devices, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
•the costs of commercialization activities related to commercializing our products in the United States and elsewhere, including expanding territories, increasing sales and marketing personnel, actual and anticipated product sales, marketing programs, manufacturing and distribution costs;
•the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business;
•the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
•the research and development activities we intend to undertake, product enhancements that we intend to pursue;
•whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business;
•the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere;
•changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs;
•our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems;
•our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company; and
•the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations or licensing arrangements. There can be no assurance that our efforts to procure additional financing will be successful or that, if they are successful, the terms and conditions of such financing will be favorable to us or our stockholders. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional capital through collaborations agreements, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we will need to delay, limit, reduce or terminate planned commercialization or product development activities, or grant rights to develop and commercialize products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves in order to reduce costs.
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Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may materially differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates. For more detail on our critical accounting policies, refer to Note 2 to the financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is generated from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors in the U.S. and international markets. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring the products. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with customers are satisfied, which occurs with the transfer of control of our products to our customers, either upon shipment of the product or delivery of the product to the customer under the terms and conditions agreed with the customer. We defer revenue relating to any remaining performance obligations by us to the customer after delivery, such as free products and free analysis services of patient scans to determine suitability of the patients for the treatment using the Zephyr Valves.
We identify performance obligations in contracts with customers, which may include our products and implied promises to provide free products and analysis services for patient scans. The transaction price is determined based on the amount expected to be entitled to in exchange for transferring the promised services or product to the customer. We are entitled to the total consideration for the products ordered by customers, net of early pay discounts, volume-based rebates and other transaction price adjustments. We exclude taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions from the measurement of the transaction price. We accept product returns at our discretion or if the product is defective as manufactured. We elected to treat shipping and handling costs as a fulfillment cost and include them in the cost of goods sold as incurred.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost to purchase or manufacture the inventory or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out method for all inventories. Net realizable value is determined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. We record write-downs of inventories which are obsolete or in excess of anticipated demand or market value based on consideration of product lifecycle stage, technology trends, product development plans and assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value.
We review our inventories for classification purposes. The value of inventories not expected to be realized in cash, sold or consumed during the next 12 months are classified as long-term inventory.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to further our research and development activities and include compensation costs, stock-based compensation, engineering and research expenses, clinical trials and related expenses, regulatory expenses, manufacturing expenses incurred to build products for testing, allocated facilities costs, consulting fees and other expenses incurred to sustain our overall research and development programs. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
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Clinical trial costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses. We contract with third parties that perform various clinical trial activities on our behalf in the ongoing development of our product candidates. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations and may vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flow. We accrue and expense costs of our clinical trial activities performed by third parties, including CROs and other service providers, based upon estimates of the work completed over the life of the individual study in accordance with associated agreements. We determine these estimates through discussion with internal personnel and outside service providers as to progress or stage of completion of trials or services pursuant to contracts with clinical research organizations and other service providers and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services.
Common Stock Valuation and Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize compensation costs related to stock options and awards granted to employees and non-employees based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. We estimate the grant date fair value of stock options, and the resulting stock-based compensation expense, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of stock-based awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the period during which the optionee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is typically the vesting period. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Estimates of the fair value of equity awards as of the grant date using valuation models such as the Black-Scholes option pricing model are affected by assumptions with a number of complex variables. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately the amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized. These inputs are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop. Changes in the following assumptions can materially affect the estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation:
•Expected Term. The expected term is calculated using the simplified method, which is available where there is insufficient historical data about exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting-tranche for awards with graded vesting. The mid-point between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with multiple vesting-tranches, the periods from grant until the mid-point for each of the tranches are averaged to provide an overall expected term.
•Expected Volatility. The expected volatility is derived from the average historical volatilities of publicly traded companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business over a period approximately equal to the expected term for the options. In evaluating similarity, we considered factors such as stage of development, risk profile, enterprise value and position within the life sciences industry.
•Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with remaining terms similar to the expected term of the options.
•Dividend Rate. We assumed the expected dividend to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so.
As of December 31, 2022, there was $41.6 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested common stock options and restricted stock units, expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.73 years.
Subsequent to our IPO, the fair value of our common stock is determined based on our closing market price.
Income Taxes
Our major tax jurisdictions are the United States and California, Switzerland and Neuchâtel.
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Significant judgment is required to determine our provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles, complex tax laws, or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.
We provide for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Current income tax expense or benefit represents the amount of income taxes expected to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise due to differences between when assets or liabilities are recognized for tax purposes and when they are recognized for financial reporting purposes. Net operating losses and credit carryforwards are also deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such items are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax assets are reduced, as necessary, by a valuation allowance when management determines it is more likely than not that some or all of the tax benefits will not be realized.
We assess all material positions taken in any income tax return, including all significant uncertain positions, in all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities. All of our tax years will remain open for examination by the federal and state tax authorities for three and four years, respectively, from the date of utilization of the net operating loss or research and development credits. We do not have any tax audits or other issues pending.
Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to annual limitations due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), as defined in Section 382, and other similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating losses and credits before utilization.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001127537-22-000013.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our intentions, plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For the discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, please refer to Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on March 15, 2021.
Overview
We are a commercial-stage medical technology company that provides a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”). Our solution, which is comprised of the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve (“Zephyr Valve”), the Chartis Pulmonary Assessment System (“Chartis System”) and the StratX Lung Analysis Platform (“StratX Platform”), is designed to treat severe emphysema patients who, despite medical management, are still profoundly symptomatic and either do not want or are ineligible for surgical approaches. We estimate our solution currently addresses approximately 500,000 patients in the United States and 700,000 patients in select international markets, which represents a global market opportunity of approximately $12 billion.
We have a compelling body of clinical evidence with over 100 scientific articles published regarding the clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves, including in The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Multiple randomized controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that patients selected with the Chartis System and successfully treated with Zephyr Valves have shown statistically and clinically significant improvements in lung function, exercise capacity and quality of life compared to medical management alone.
In June 2018, we received pre-market approval (“PMA”) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) as a result of our breakthrough technology designation. The Zephyr Valve is now commercially available in more than 25 countries, with over 100,000 valves used to treat more than 25,000 patients. We have established reimbursement in major markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and the Zephyr Valve has been included in treatment guidelines for COPD worldwide.
We market and sell our products in the United States through a direct sales organization. Our sales territory managers are focused on promoting awareness and increasing adoption of our solution primarily among the pulmonologists performing interventional pulmonary procedures across approximately 500 high volume hospitals in the United States. We are expanding our commercial operations in the United States while continuing to foster our international growth. We employ both direct and distributor-based sales models, with over 90% of our revenue generated in markets where we sell directly.
In the United States, our solution is reimbursed based on established Category I Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (“PCS”) codes and associated APC and MS-DRG payment groupings. Current reimbursement in the United States is believed to cover the hospital costs of the procedure and related inpatient care. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, and BCBS Michigan have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Medicare covers our solution for patients when medically necessary, and other commercial insurers are approving
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pre-authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia and South Korea.
We manufacture all our products at our headquarters located in Redwood City, California. This facility supports production and distribution operations, including manufacturing, quality control, raw material and finished goods storage. We have manufactured all our products at this facility for over ten years. We also store finished goods at secondary facilities. We seek to maintain higher levels of inventory to protect ourselves from supply interruptions and have an established distribution system for both U.S. and international customers.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. We have devoted substantially all of our resources to research and development activities related to our solution, including clinical and regulatory initiatives to obtain marketing approval, sales and marketing activities, and investing in general and administrative infrastructure. We generated revenue of $48.4 million, with a gross margin of 73.6% and a net loss of $48.7 million, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to revenue of $32.7 million, with a gross margin of 64.8% and a net loss of $32.2 million, for the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $291.4 million, cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $191.0 million, and $17.4 million of outstanding term loans and credit agreements, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs.
We have invested heavily in product development. Our research and development activities have been centered on driving continuous improvements to our solution. We have also made significant investments in clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Zephyr Valve and to support regulatory submissions. We intend to make significant investments building our sales and marketing organization by increasing the number of sales territory managers and continuing our marketing efforts in existing and new markets throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. We also intend to continue to make investments in research and development efforts to develop our next generation products and support our future regulatory submissions to increase our addressable market and to expand indications and new markets. Because of these and other factors, we expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years and we expect to require substantial additional funding, which may include future equity and debt financings.
Management believes that the Company’s existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will allow the Company to continue its operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of our consolidated financial statements.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in public health responses including travel bans, social distancing requirements, quarantines, stay-at-home orders and other significant measures, which have delayed clinical trials and FDA operations and adversely impacted the number of procedures performed using our products. In the markets in which we operate, elective, specialty and other procedures and appointments have been suspended or canceled to avoid non-essential patient exposure to medical environments and potential infection with COVID-19 and to focus limited resources and personnel capacity toward the treatment of COVID-19 patients. As a result, we have experienced a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations from a decrease and delay of procedures involving our products.
The COVID-19-driven impact on procedure volumes, which began in 2020, extended into the first quarter of 2021. Beginning in March 2021, we observed indicators of recovery in our U.S. markets which continued through the second quarter. During the third quarter of 2021, procedure volumes were adversely impacted by the Delta variant of COVID-19 in certain regions of the U.S. During the fourth quarter of 2021, sales increased in regions of the U.S. less affected by COVID-19, which were partially offset by decreased sales in U.S. regions significantly impacted by the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19. In international markets, our business faced continued pressure in the fourth quarter of 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 surge that led to lockdowns across a number of markets in Europe. We may continue to see regional variations in procedure volumes in our U.S. and international markets
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from the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants. We are encouraged for the longer term, and we believe the following key indicators are contributing to the stabilization of our business:
•continued opening of new accounts;
•strong physician participation in virtual trainings;
•a strong patient pipeline evidenced by an increase in StratX report activity, a rebound in patient calls into hospitals inquiring about our procedure, and a resumption of patient calls to our reimbursement support service; and
•hospitals and centers accepting patients for elective procedures.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented a variety of measures intended to help us manage through the impact of the pandemic and position us to resume operations quickly and efficiently as restrictions, recommendations, and best practices evolve. These measures have included, and continue to include:
•establishing safety protocols, facility enhancements, and work-from-home strategies to protect our employees;
•ensuring that our manufacturing and supply chain operations remain intact and operational, and building over four months of inventory;
•keeping our workforce intact and continuing to build our team, including expansion of our U.S. sales force;
•continuing to focus on new account openings and implementing virtual physician and sales force training programs;
•accelerating our physician education programs and direct-to-patient marketing efforts through social media or other virtual forums;
•increasing our capital base by $201.4 million through our IPO in October 2020; and
•continuing to invest in research and development activities in order to advance our AeriSeal clinical programs.
Despite signs of recovery of our business, we cannot be certain that any recovery will be sustained, or that a further resurgence of COVID-19 or variants of the virus will not occur. The measures adopted in response to, and challenges resulting from, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to adversely affect our employees, including our sales force, hospitals, physicians, patients, communities and business operations, and may continue to contribute to significant volatility and negative pressure on the U.S. and world economy and financial markets.
Further, we cannot assure you that our recent volume of Zephyr Valves sold are indicative of future results. The number of Zephyr Valves sold in the future may decrease due to a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there may be limited provider capacity due to labor shortages, or for other reasons, which could limit the ability of patients to receive treatment with Zephyr Valves. Limited provider and hospital capacity has had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may continue to materially adversely affect us even as the pandemic subsides.
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity and spread of COVID-19 and variant strains, governmental and societal response to contain and treat COVID-19 and variant strains, and the availability and distribution of vaccines and public acceptance of vaccines, among others.
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Our consolidated financial statements reflect judgments and estimates that could change in the future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information regarding these risks and potential impacts, please refer to Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”
Factors Affecting our Business and Results of Operations
We believe there are several important factors that have impacted and that we expect will continue to impact our business and results of operations. These factors include:
Our Ability to Recruit, Train and Retain Our Sales Force and its Productivity
We have made, and intend to continue to make, significant investments in recruiting, training and retaining our direct sales force. This process requires significant education and training for our sales personnel to achieve the level of technical competency with our products that is expected by physicians and to gain experience building demand for our products. Upon completion of the training, our sales personnel typically require time in the field to grow their network of accounts and increase their productivity to the levels we expect. Successfully recruiting, training and retaining additional sales personnel will be required to achieve growth. In addition, inability to attract qualified sales personnel or the loss of any productive sales personnel would have a negative impact on our ability to grow our business.
We have in the past and expect in the future to enter into different compensation arrangements with our sales professionals, which include minimum guaranteed commissions. This has impacted our compensation expenses in the past and we expect it will do so in the future.
Physician, Patient and Hospital Awareness and Acceptance of Our Solution
Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. We intend to continue to promote awareness of our solution through training and educating physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers, key opinion leaders and various medical societies on the proven clinical benefits of Zephyr Valves. In addition, we intend to continue to publish additional clinical data in various industry and scientific journals and online and to present at various industry conferences. We plan to continue building patient awareness through our direct-to-patient marketing initiatives, which include advertising, social media and online education. We also intend to continue helping physicians in their outreach to patients and other healthcare providers. These efforts require significant investment by our marketing and sales organization, and vary depending upon the physician’s practice specialization, and personal preferences and geographic location of physicians, pulmonary rehabilitation centers and patients. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to make significant investments in training and educating hospitals, physicians and patients on the advantages of our solution for the treatment of severe emphysema.
Third-Party Reimbursement
Since achieving regulatory approval in the United States in June 2018, we have launched the Zephyr Valve treatment and have made progress securing third-party payor reimbursement. The majority of our patients are Medicare beneficiaries. We estimate that roughly 75% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population are Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, of which approximately 30% have managed Medicare/Medicaid and the remaining 45% have traditional Medicare/Medicaid. Approximately 25% of the potential Zephyr Valve patient population is under third-party commercial payor policies. A key element of our strategy remains to broaden our coverage by private third-party payor policies. Commercial payors such as Aetna, Humana, and many of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Anthem, Health Care Service Corporation, and BCBS Michigan have issued positive coverage policies for the Zephyr Valve, and United Healthcare no longer considers the procedure unproven or experimental. Some commercial payors do not yet consider our solution medically necessary, but these same plans are approving pre-authorization requests on a case-by-case basis. Medicare, currently without a public coverage policy, covers our solution for patients when medically necessary on a case-by-case basis and other commercial insurers not described above are approving pre-authorization requests on a case-by-case basis.
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We have a dedicated patient reimbursement support team in the United States that works collaboratively with patients and providers to help secure the appropriate prior authorization approvals in advance of treatment. We continue to educate private insurers in the United States on our clinical data and patient selection tools in an effort to continue to expand the number of positive coverage policies, in order to increase our revenue. Outside the United States, our solution is covered by major health systems across much of Europe, Australia and South Korea.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid change from the introduction of new products and technologies and other activities of industry participants. Our goal is to establish our solution as a standard of care for severe emphysema. Existing treatments include medical management, lung volume reduction surgery (“LVRS”), lung transplantation as well as other minimally invasive treatments. Some of our competitors have several competitive advantages, including more established operating histories, established relationships with pulmonologists who commonly treat patients with emphysema, significantly greater name recognition, widespread distribution channel, and significantly greater sales and marketing resources. In addition to competing for market share, we also compete against these companies for personnel, including qualified sales and other personnel that are necessary to grow our business. Certain of our competitors may challenge our intellectual property, may develop additional competing or superior technologies and processes and compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. In addition to existing competitors, other companies may acquire or in-license competitive products and could directly compete with us. We must continue to successfully compete in light of our competitors’ existing and future products and related pricing and their resources to successfully market to the physicians who use our products.
Leveraging Our Manufacturing Capacity is Critical to Improving Our Gross Margin
With our current operating model and infrastructure, we have the capacity to significantly increase our manufacturing production. If we grow our revenue and sell more units, our fixed manufacturing costs will be spread over more units, which we believe will reduce our manufacturing costs on a per-unit basis and in turn improve our gross margin. In addition, we intend to continue investing in manufacturing efficiencies in order to reduce our overall manufacturing costs. However, other factors will continue to impact our gross margins such as geographic mix, pricing and customer discounts, incentives, support services and potential seasonality.
Investing in Research and Development to Foster Innovation to Expand Our Addressable Market
We intend to continue investing in existing and next generation technologies to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, enhance patient selection and broaden the patient population that can be treated with our products. In addition, we are continuing to invest in the accuracy and features of our patient assessment tools. Moreover, we are conducting clinical research of AeriSeal, a potential product in development for the treatment of severe emphysema patients who are not qualified for Zephyr Valve treatment due to excessive collateral ventilation.
While research and development and clinical testing are time consuming and costly, we believe that a pipeline of new products and product enhancements that improve efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness is critical to increasing the adoption of our solution.
Seasonality
Historically, we have experienced seasonality outside of the United States, primarily in the first and third quarters and anticipate this trend to continue. In addition, as our sales grow in the United States, we may experience seasonality based on holidays, vacations and other factors because this is an elective procedure.
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Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We currently derive substantially all our revenue from the sale of our products to hospitals and distributors. We market and sell our products through a direct sales organization in the United States and through direct sales and several third-party distributors in select markets outside the United States. We currently generate most of our revenue from the sales of Zephyr Valves and delivery catheters. We also generate a smaller amount of our revenue from our Chartis System, which is comprised of sales of the balloon catheters, usage fees and sales of the Chartis console. The StratX Platform, while used to identify patients eligible for treatment with Zephyr Valves, does not independently generate any revenue for us. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Revenue from sales of our products fluctuates based on volume of cases (procedures performed), the average number of Zephyr Valves used for a patient, pricing, discounts, incentives and mix of U.S. and international sales. Our revenue also fluctuates and, in the future, will continue to fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter due to a variety of factors, including the availability of reimbursement, the size and success of our sales force, the number of hospitals and physicians who are aware of and perform the procedures using our solution and seasonality. Our revenue from international sales may also be impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar (our reporting currency) and the local currency.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold consists primarily of payroll and personnel-related expenses for our manufacturing and quality assurance employees, costs related to materials, components and subassemblies, third-party costs, manufacturing overhead, equipment depreciation, charges for excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories. Overhead costs include the cost of quality assurance, testing, material procurement, inventory control, operations supervision and management and an allocation of facilities overhead cost, including rent and utilities. Cost of goods sold also includes certain direct costs such as those incurred for shipping our products and costs related to providing analysis services for patient scans. We record adjustments to our inventory valuation for estimated excess, obsolete and non-sellable inventories based on assumptions about future demand, past usage, changes to manufacturing processes and overall market conditions. We expect cost of goods sold to increase in absolute dollars to the extent more of our products are sold.
We calculate gross margin as gross profit divided by revenue. Our gross margin has been and will continue to be affected by a variety of factors, primarily by our manufacturing costs, pricing pressures and, to a lesser extent, the percentage of products we sell in the United States versus internationally and the percentage of products we sell to distributors versus directly to hospitals. Our gross margin is typically higher on products we sell directly to hospitals as compared to products we sell through distributors.
Our gross margin may increase over the long term to the extent our production volume increases as our fixed manufacturing costs would be spread over a larger number of units, thereby reducing our per-unit manufacturing costs. We expect our gross margin to fluctuate from period to period, however, based upon the factors described above and seasonality.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses have consisted solely of research and development costs and selling, general and administrative costs.
Research and Development Expenses
Our research and development activities primarily consist of engineering and research programs associated with our products under development and improvements to our existing products. Research and development expenses
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include payroll and personnel-related costs for our research and development employees, including expenses related to stock-based compensation for employees engaged in research and development, consulting services, clinical trial expenses, regulatory expenses, prototyping, testing, laboratory supplies, and an allocation of facility overhead costs. Our clinical trial expenses include costs associated with clinical trial design, clinical trial site development and study costs, data management costs, related travel expenses, the cost of products used for clinical activities, and internal and external costs associated with our regulatory compliance. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. We expect our research and development expenses, including related stock-based compensation expense, to increase in absolute dollars as we hire additional personnel to develop new product offerings and product enhancements.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist of payroll and personnel-related costs for our sales and marketing personnel, including variable sales compensation, travel expenses, consulting, public relations costs, direct marketing, customer training, trade show and promotional expenses, stock-based compensation and allocated facility overhead costs, and for administrative personnel that support our general operations such as information technology, executive management, financial accounting, customer services and human resources personnel. We expense sales variable compensation at the time of the sale. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include costs attributable to professional fees for legal and accounting services, insurance, consulting fees, recruiting fees, travel expense, bad debt expense and depreciation.
We intend to continue to increase our sales and marketing spending to generate sales opportunities. We expect expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we increase our sales support infrastructure and add additional marketing programs in order to more fully penetrate the global opportunity. We also expect our administrative expenses, including stock-based compensation expense, to increase as we increase our headcount and expand our facilities and information technology to support our operations as a public company. Additionally, we anticipate increased expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory and tax-related services associated with being a public company, compliance with exchange listing and SEC requirements, director and officer insurance premiums and investor relations costs. We also saw an increase in our stock-based compensation expense with the establishment of our new equity plan and related grants either in the form of restricted stock units or options. Our selling, general and administrative expenses may fluctuate from period to period due to the seasonality of our business and as we continue to add direct sales territory managers in new territories.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense related to our term loan facilities, including amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Interest income is predominantly derived from investing surplus cash in money market funds and marketable securities.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net primarily consists of changes in the fair value of our derivative liabilities, changes in the fair value of preferred stock warrants and foreign currency exchange gains and losses. In February 2020, the warrants were partly exercised and partly expired. The final fair value of the warrant liability was reclassified to stockholders’ equity/(deficit). All of our derivative liabilities were settled during 2020. Upon the closing of our IPO on October 5, 2020, we paid $1.9 million pursuant to the Success Fee Agreement to Oxford Finance LLC. In connection with the closing of our IPO, the 2020 Notes were converted into 2,561,484 shares of common stock.
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Results of Operations:
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the period indicated:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 48,416 | $ | 32,733 | $ | 15,683 | 47.9 | % | ||||||
| Costs of goods sold | 12,786 | 11,531 | 1,255 | 10.9 | % | |||||||||
| Gross profit | 35,630 | 21,202 | 14,428 | 68.1 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 13,063 | 7,460 | 5,603 | 75.1 | % | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 69,871 | 46,074 | 23,797 | 51.6 | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 82,934 | 53,534 | 29,400 | 54.9 | % | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (47,304) | (32,332) | (14,972) | 46.3 | % | |||||||||
| Interest income | 400 | 213 | 187 | 87.8 | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (829) | (3,181) | 2,352 | (73.9) | % | |||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (585) | 3,282 | (3,867) | (117.8) | % | |||||||||
| Net loss before tax | (48,318) | (32,018) | (16,300) | 50.9 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | 343 | 213 | 130 | 61.0 | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (48,661) | $ | (32,231) | $ | (16,430) | 51.0 | % |
Revenue
Revenue increased by $15.7 million, or 47.9%, to $48.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $32.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. Revenue from the sale of products in the United States increased by $8.8 million, to $25.0 million, during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $16.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 and an increase in the sale of products in the international markets of $6.9 million, to $23.4 million, compared to $16.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in revenue was driven by increased sales of the Zephyr Valve as we gradually recovered from the global COVID-19 pandemic and continued to expand commercialization efforts.
Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold increased by $1.3 million, or 10.9%, to $12.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $11.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was mainly due to increased number of products sold, increased manufacturing costs as we expanded headcount and invested in operational infrastructure to support anticipated future growth. Cost of goods sold for the year ended December 31, 2020 was also impacted by lower manufacturing utilization in the second quarter of 2020 resulting from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in procedure volumes and improved operating leverage caused gross margin to increase from 65% during the year ended December 31, 2020 to 74% during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses increased by $5.6 million, or 75.1%, to $13.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $7.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to an increase of $1.7 million in personnel expenses including stock-based compensation as we expanded our research and development team, an increase of $2.8 million in costs
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associated with our clinical trials, including fees paid to contract research organizations and testing expenses, and an increase of $1.1 million in professional services, regulatory, facility and other expenses during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $23.8 million, or 51.6%, to $69.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $46.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase of $16.7 million of payroll and personnel-related expenses including stock based compensation as we expanded our sales and marketing and administrative function, an increase of $4.0 million in advertising expenses, an increase of $2.1 million in insurance costs associated with being a public company, an increase of $1.9 million in consulting expenses, and an increase of $2.1 million in facility and other expenses, offset by a decrease of $3.0 million resulting from the write-off of deferred initial public offering costs in the second quarter of 2020.
Interest Expense and Income
Interest expense decreased by $2.4 million, or 73.9%, to $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $3.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to payoff of the Oxford Term Loan, conversion of the 2020 Notes into common shares upon IPO in 2020, offset by borrowings under the CIBC Loan. Interest income increased by $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, which was primarily due to increased marketable securities balances in 2021 compared to 2020.
Other Income (Expense), Net
Other income (expense), net decreased by $3.9 million to ($0.6) million during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $3.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily related to the closing of our IPO in 2020 leading to favorable fair value adjustments of derivative liabilities in 2020.
Liquidity and Capital Resources; Plan of Operation
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through initial public offering, private placements of equity securities, debt financing arrangements and sales of our products. As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $191.0 million, an accumulated deficit of $291.4 million, and $16.9 million outstanding under the CIBC Loan, net of debt discount.
Term Loan
Oxford Finance Loan
From August 2014 until February 2020, the Company was party to a Loan and Security Agreement with Oxford Finance LLC, which provided the ability to borrow up to $20.0 million in term loans (“Oxford Finance Loan”). In 2014, the Company borrowed $15.0 million. The term loan bore interest at 8.96% and had a five-year term. The first 36 months were interest only payments followed by 24 months of equal payments of principal and interest. A final payment of 8.5% of the term loan amount was due at maturity and was being accreted using the effective interest rate method. The term loan was collateralized by assets, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and property and equipment. The Oxford Finance Loan was subsequently amended in 2017 and 2018 to extend the interest only period and to extend the maturity date to July 1, 2020, and at the Company’s option, further extend the maturity date to May 1, 2021. In 2019, the Company elected to extend the maturity date to May 2021.
In connection with the original agreement in August 2014, the Company also entered into the Success Fee Agreement. In the event of a sale or other disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of its assets, a merger or consolidation, or an initial public offering (a “Liquidity Event”), before the termination of the agreement on August 28, 2021, the Company was required to pay up to $2.5 million (the “Success Fee”) to Oxford Finance
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LLC, the amount of which would be based on actual borrowings, up to $20.0 million. This agreement was identified as a freestanding derivative under ASC 815, Derivatives and was remeasured to its fair value at the end of each reporting period and any change in fair value is recognized as change in other income (expense), net in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss (Note 4). On October 5, 2020, in connection with the IPO, the Company paid $1.9 million pursuant to the Success Fee Agreement to Oxford Finance LLC based on the $15.0 million borrowed.
On February 20, 2020, the Company repaid its entire obligation under the term loan agreement with Oxford Finance LLC amounting to $17.3 million, including outstanding loan amount of $15.0 million, final payment of $1.3 million, amendment fees of $0.9 million and accrued interest of $0.1 million. The repayment of the obligation under the term loan agreement with Oxford Finance LLC was accounted as extinguishment and the Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of $0.4 million included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
In 2020, the Company recorded interest expense related to deferred financing and debt issuance costs of less than $0.1 million, respectively.
Interest expense on the term loan amounted to $0.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2020.
CIBC Loan
On February 20, 2020, the Company executed a Loan and Security Agreement (the “CIBC Agreement”) with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (“CIBC”) to raise up to $32.0 million in debt financing (“CIBC Loan”) consisting of $17.0 million advanced at the closing of the agreement (“Tranche A”), with the option to drawing up to an additional $8.0 million (“Tranche B”) on or before February 20, 2022. The term loan also provides for an additional financing tranche (“Tranche C”) of up to $7.0 million on or prior to February 20, 2022, which was conditioned upon achieving a trailing six-month revenue of at least $20.0 million as of the date of any Tranche C borrowing. The availability of Tranche B and Tranche C is further conditioned upon the joining of Pulmonx International Sàrl to the CIBC Agreement and the execution by Pulmonx International Sàrl of Swiss-law collateral documentation in favor of CIBC. The CIBC Loan originally had a five-year term maturing on February 20, 2025, which included 24 months of interest only payments followed by 36 months of equal payments of principal and interest. The interest only period can be extended to 36 months if the Company achieves three-month trailing revenue of at least $20.0 million as of February 20, 2022. The CIBC Loan bears interest at a floating rate equal to 1.0% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate at any time. The Tranche C loan will bear interest at a floating rate equal to 1.5% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate at any time. The CIBC Loan is collateralized by substantially all of the Company’s assets, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, intellectual property and equipment. The Company may prepay the loan, subject to certain requirements. The CIBC Agreement includes customary restrictive covenants, financial covenants, events of default and other customary terms and conditions.
In April 2020, the Company entered into a First Amendment to CIBC Agreement that changed the maturity date to March 15, 2022, which would be automatically extended to February 20, 2025 if the maturity of all outstanding convertible notes was extended to a date no earlier than May 21, 2025 or all convertible notes converted into convertible preferred stock of the Company. An amendment fee of $0.2 million was paid. The Tranche B drawing is conditioned to achieving a trailing six-month revenue of at least $15.0 million as of the date of any Tranche B borrowing. On the date of drawing Tranche B Loan or Tranche C Loan, the Company will pay a structuring fee in an amount equal to 1.0% of the amount of Tranche B Loan or Tranche C Loan. The amendment was accounted for as a debt modification and no gain or loss was recognized.
In December 2020, to address certain post-close covenants for which the Company was not in compliance, the Company entered into a Second Amendment to the CIBC Agreement that extended the compliance date for certain post-close covenants to June 30, 2021.
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In March 2021, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Agreement which extended the maturity date from March 15, 2022 to February 20, 2025, and modified certain financial covenants. Per the amended terms, 36 equal payments of principal plus accrued interest will be due beginning March 31, 2022. The beginning of principal repayment can be extended to March 31, 2023 if the Company achieves three-month trailing revenue of at least $20.0 million as of February 20, 2022. In connection with the Amended and Restated Agreement, the Company paid fees to CIBC of less than $0.1 million which were recorded as a discount on the CIBC Loan and are being accreted over the life of the term loan using the effective interest method. The amendment was accounted for as a debt modification and no gain or loss was recognized.
In June 2021, the Company entered into a First Amendment to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with CIBC that extended the compliance of certain post-close covenants to March 31, 2022.
In October 2021, the Company entered into a Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with CIBC, which extended the interest only period of the loan from 24 months to 36 months. Under the amended terms, principal repayment will begin in February 2023. There was no change to the loan interest rate or maturity date.
As of December 31, 2021, the CIBC Loan had an annual effective interest rate of 4.71% per year.
The financial covenants in the CIBC Agreement require that, when the cash and cash equivalents of the Company is less than $100.0 million, the Company have revenue for the trailing three-month period ending on the last day of each fiscal quarter of not less than 80.0% of the revenue for the trailing three-month period, as set forth in the annual projections delivered to the CIBC. Further, the Company is required to maintain unrestricted cash in an aggregate amount equal to or greater than the Adjusted EBITDA loss as defined in the CIBC Agreement for the four-month period ending on any date of determination. As of December 31, 2021, the Company was in compliance with all covenants contained in CIBC Agreement.
The Company paid $0.4 million fees to the lender and third parties, which is reflected as a discount on the CIBC Loan and is being accreted over the life of the term loan using the effective interest method.
During the year ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company recorded interest expense related to debt discount and debt issuance costs of CIBC Loan of $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
Interest expense on the CIBC Loan amounted $0.8 million and $0.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
2020 Notes
In April 2020, the Company entered into a Note Purchase Agreement and Convertible Promissory Notes (collectively the “2020 Notes Agreement”) with certain investors (the “Lenders”) to issue convertible promissory notes (the “2020 Notes”) for a maximum aggregate amount of $66.0 million. In April 2020, the Company received $33.0 million in gross proceeds from issuance of the 2020 Notes. Upon meeting customary closing conditions, the Company can draw up to an additional $33.0 million, provided that any such draw be for no less than $5.0 million on or prior to April 17, 2022. All unpaid interest and principal will be due and payable upon request of the majority of Lenders (“Majority Holders”) on or after the earlier of April 17, 2022 or an event of default. The 2020 Notes accrue interest at a rate equal to 2.0% above the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate. The Company may prepay the 2020 Notes prior to April 17, 2022 only with the consent of the Majority Holders.
The 2020 Notes included embedded derivatives that were required to be bifurcated from the 2020 Notes and accounted for separately as a single, compound embedded derivative instrument under ASC 815, Derivatives (“2020 Notes derivative liability”). The Company determined that a share settled redemption in the case of a financing or an IPO as described in the 2020 Notes represented an embedded derivative that was not clearly and closely related to the debt host and had accounted for these settlement alternatives as separate embedded derivative liability. The fair value of the 2020 Notes derivative liability of $3.9 million was recorded on the issuance date of the 2020 Notes
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resulting in a debt discount, which was reported as a direct deduction from the face amount of the 2020 Notes. The 2020 Notes derivative liability was remeasured to its fair value at the end of each reporting period and any change in fair value is recognized in other income (expense), net in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss (Note 4). The change in fair value of $3.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 was recorded as a component of other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Upon the closing of the IPO in October 2020, the $33.0 million aggregate outstanding principal amount and $0.8 million accrued interest of the 2020 Notes converted into 2,561,484 shares of common stock pursuant to the Qualified IPO conversion at the $13.20 per share fixed price. The Company determined that the 2020 Notes derivative liability had no value upon the closing of the IPO, because value of the notes with and without such derivative was the same.
The Company incurred debt issuance costs of $0.1 million in connection with the 2020 Notes Agreement, which were reported on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the face amount of the 2020 Notes.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded interest expense of $1.6 million on the 2020 Notes, consisting of $0.8 million of contractual interest expense and $0.8 million amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs. Before the conversion upon the IPO, the 2020 Notes had an annual effective interest rate of 12.33% per year.
At December 31, 2021, the Company retained the ability to draw up to an additional $33.0 million under the 2020 Notes Agreement until the maturity date in April 2022. The Company’s obligations with respect to the 2020 Notes are unsecured and subordinated to its obligations with respect to the CIBC Loan. The 2020 Notes have customary events of default.
Credit Agreement
In April 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a COVID-19 Credit Agreement with UBS Switzerland AG to receive up to 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) under Swiss Federal Government program to mitigate the economic impact of the spread of the coronavirus. In May 2020, Pulmonx International Sàrl received 0.5 million Swiss Francs ($0.5 million U.S. dollar equivalent) under the COVID-19 Credit Agreement. The COVID-19 Credit Agreement will bear no interest and is payable within 60 months after receipt of funds. As of December 31, 2021, Pulmonx International Sàrl did not make any repayment of credit agreement. The COVID-19 Credit Agreement bears no interest and will be repaid in twelve equal installments, paid semi-annually, beginning in March of 2022.
Summary Statement of Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the period presented below:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by: | ||||||
| Operating activities | $ | (41,388) | $ | (30,633) | ||
| Investing activities | (46,255) | 12,694 | ||||
| Financing activities | 4,456 | 234,831 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 106 | 133 | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | (83,081) | $ | 217,025 |
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Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $41.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $48.7 million, an increase in accounts receivable of $2.4 million, an increase in inventory of $6.4 million primarily due to higher inventory levels required to support projected increase in sales, an increase in prepaid and other current assets of $1.2 million, an increase in other assets of $0.2 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $2.5 million, offset by an increase in accrued liabilities of $4.8 million, stock based compensation expense of $7.9 million, employee stock purchase plan expense of $2.6 million, write-down of inventory due to obsolescence of $1.2 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $0.9 million, amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $0.1 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.4 million, and decrease of deferred revenue of $0.1 million. The increase in prepaid expenses, accrued liabilities and accounts payable is primarily due to increases in inventory and expenses related to operating as a public company and timing of payments to our vendors.
Net cash used in operating activities was $30.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Cash used in operating activities was primarily a result of the net loss of $32.2 million, an increase in inventory of $5.0 million primarily due to higher inventory levels required to support projected increase in sales, an increase in prepaid and other current assets of $1.8 million, a decrease in income taxes payable of $0.2 million, a decrease in lease liabilities of $0.9 million, and a non-cash credit resulting from the change in the fair value of derivative liabilities of $3.2 million due to extinguishment of derivative liability upon IPO partially offset by a decrease in accounts receivable of $1.5 million, an increase in accrued liabilities of $1.0 million, an increase in accounts payable of $0.6 million, stock based compensation expense of $3.2 million, write-down of inventory due to obsolescence of $0.5 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $0.5 million, amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $1.0 million, non-cash lease expense of $1.5 million and non-cash charges for write-off of deferred offering costs of $3.0 million as we withdrew our registration statement for our initial public offering in May 2020. The increase in prepaid expenses, accrued liabilities and accounts payable is primarily due to increases in inventory and expenses related to operating as a public company and timing of payments to our vendors.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 was $46.3 million primarily consisting of maturities of investments of $10.0 million, offset by the purchases of investments of $52.6 million, and purchases of property and equipment of $3.7 million.
Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $12.7 million primarily consisting of maturities of short-term investments of $13.6 million offset by purchased of property and equipment of $0.9 million.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 of $4.5 million primarily relates to proceeds of $2.6 million from issuance of common stock under the employee stock purchase plan, and proceeds of $1.9 million from exercise of common stock options.
Net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2020 of $234.8 million primarily relates to net proceeds from our initial public offering of $201.4 million, proceeds of $17.3 million from borrowing under the CIBC Agreement and COVID-19 Credit Agreement, net of lender fees and costs, proceeds of $33.0 million from the issuance of 2020 Notes, net of lender fees and costs, proceeds of $2.3 million from the exercise of warrants for Series C-1 preferred stock, and $2.7 million proceeds from the exercise of stock options, partially offset by repayment of debt obligations of $17.2 million under the Oxford Agreement, payment of Success Fee of $1.9 million, payment of deferred offering costs of $2.5 million and payment of debt issuance cost of $0.2 million.
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Material Cash Requirements
Our net cash operating expenditures were $41.4 million in 2021 and $30.6 million in 2020, and we intend to continue to make investments in the development of our products, including ongoing research and development programs. Our cash outflows for capital expenditures were $3.7 million in 2021 and $0.9 million in 2020, and we expect to incur continued expenditures in the future in support of our commercial infrastructure, sales force and other commercialization efforts. Recent and expected working and other capital requirements include amounts related to future lease payments for operating lease obligations, which totaled $10.0 million at December 31, 2021, with $2.7 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months, and amounts related to future long-term debt which total $19.1 million, with $0.8 million expected to be paid within the next 12 months. Lastly, we may undertake additional expenses to further expand our commercial organization and efforts, enhance our research and development efforts and pursue product expansion opportunities.
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $191.0 million. Based on our current planned operations, we expect that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses for at least 12 months from the issuance of our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, debt financings, and access to other public or private equity offerings. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of medical devices, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. The adequacy of our available funds and our ability to raise any necessary additional capital to meet longer-term operating and capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
•the costs of commercialization activities related to commercializing our products in the United States and elsewhere, including expanding territories, increasing sales and marketing personnel, actual and anticipated product sales, marketing programs, manufacturing and distribution costs;
•the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business;
•the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
•the research and development activities we intend to undertake, product enhancements that we intend to pursue;
•whether or not we pursue acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our current business;
•the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products in the United States and elsewhere;
•changes or fluctuations in our inventory supply needs and forecasts of our supply needs;
•our need to implement additional infrastructure and internal systems;
•our ability to hire additional personnel to support our operations as a public company; and
•the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations or licensing arrangements. There can be no assurance that our efforts to procure additional financing will be successful
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or that, if they are successful, the terms and conditions of such financing will be favorable to us or our stockholders. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional capital through collaborations agreements, licensing arrangements or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we will need to delay, limit, reduce or terminate planned commercialization or product development activities, or grant rights to develop and commercialize products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves in order to reduce costs.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may materially differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates. For more detail on our critical accounting policies, refer to Note 2 to the financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is generated from the sale of our products to distributors and hospitals in the U.S. and international markets. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for transferring the products. Revenue is recognized when obligations under the terms of a contract with customers are satisfied, which occurs with the transfer of control of our products to our customers, either upon shipment of the product or delivery of the products to the customer under the terms and conditions agreed with the customer. We defer revenue relating to any remaining performance obligations by us to the customer after delivery, such as free products and free analysis services of patient scans to determine suitability of the patients for the treatment using the Zephyr Valves.
We identify performance obligations in contracts with customers, which may include our products and implied promises to provide free products and analysis services for patient scans. The transaction price is determined based on the amount expected to be entitled to in exchange for transferring the promised services or product to the customer. We are entitled to the total consideration for the products ordered by customers, net of early pay discounts, volume-based rebates and other transaction price adjustments. We exclude taxes assessed by governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions from the measurement of the transaction price. We accept product returns at our discretion or if the product is defective as manufactured. We elected to treat shipping and handling costs as a fulfillment cost and include them in the cost of goods sold as incurred.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost to purchase or manufacture the inventory or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out method for all inventories. Net realizable value is determined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. We record write-downs of inventories which are obsolete or in excess of anticipated demand or market value based on consideration of product lifecycle stage, technology trends, product development plans and
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assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to further our research and development activities and include compensation costs, stock-based compensation, engineering and research expenses, clinical trials and related expenses, regulatory expenses, manufacturing expenses incurred to build products for testing, allocated facilities costs, consulting fees and other expenses incurred to sustain our overall research and development programs. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Clinical trial costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses. We have a history of contracting with third parties that perform various clinical trial activities on our behalf in the ongoing development of our product candidates. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations and may vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flow. We accrue and expense costs of our clinical trial activities performed by third parties, including CROs and other service providers, based upon estimates of the work completed over the life of the individual study in accordance with associated agreements. We determine these estimates through discussion with internal personnel and outside service providers as to progress or stage of completion of trials or services pursuant to contracts with clinical research organizations and other service providers and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services.
Preferred Stock
We record all shares of preferred stock at their respective fair values on the dates of issuance, net of issuance costs. Our preferred stock is recorded outside of permanent equity because while it is not mandatorily redeemable, in certain events considered not solely within our control, such as a merger, acquisition or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, each of which we refer to as a deemed liquidation event, our preferred stock will become redeemable at the option of the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding such shares. We have not adjusted the carrying values of the preferred stock to its liquidation preference because a deemed liquidation event obligating us to pay the liquidation preferences to holders of shares of preferred stock is not probable. Subsequent adjustments to the carrying values to the liquidation preferences will be made only when it becomes probable that such a deemed liquidation event will occur.
Derivative Instruments
In connection with the Oxford Agreement, we entered into the Success Fee Agreement. In the event of a Liquidity Event, before the termination of the agreement on August 28, 2021, we are required to pay up to $2.5 million to Oxford Finance LLC. The Success Fee is equal to 6.25% of the term loan if the Liquidity Event occurs within 18 months of August 28, 2014, 8.75% if the Liquidity Event occurs after 18 months and within 3 years of August 28, 2014, and 12.50% if the Liquidity Event occurs after the third anniversary of August 28, 2014. As of December 31, 2019, the maximum amount of Success Fee subject to a potential payout was $1.9 million. This agreement has been identified as a freestanding derivative under ASC 815, Derivatives (“Success Fee”) and is remeasured to its fair value at the end of each reporting period and any change in fair value is recognized as change in other income (expense), net in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss (see Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements).
We valued the Success Fee derivative liability based on the Success Fee amount of $1.9 million and the probability and estimated timing of a Liquidity Event. On October 5, 2020, in connection with the IPO, we paid $1.9 million pursuant to the Success Fee Agreement to Oxford Finance LLC.
The 2020 Notes include embedded derivatives that are required to be bifurcated from the 2020 Notes and accounted for separately as a single, compound embedded derivative instrument under ASC 815, Derivatives (2020 Notes derivative liability). We determined that the share settled redemption in the case of a financing or an IPO represents an embedded derivative that is not clearly and closely related to the debt host and have accounted for these
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settlement alternatives as separate embedded derivative liability. The fair value of the 2020 derivative liability of $3.9 million was recorded on the issuance date of the 2020 Notes resulting in a debt discount, which is reported as a direct deduction from the face amount of the 2020 Notes. The 2020 derivative liability is remeasured to its fair value at the end of each reporting period and any change in fair value is recognized in other income (expense), net in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
We valued the 2020 Notes derivative liability using the “with and without” methodology. The “with and without” methodology involves valuing the convertible note on an as is basis and then valuing the 2020 Notes without each individual embedded derivative. The difference between the value of the 2020 Notes with the embedded derivatives and the value without each individual embedded derivative equals the fair value of that embedded derivative. We used a Monte Carlo Simulation (“MCS”) to value the embedded derivatives. The first step of each simulation was to forecast our Series G-1 preferred stock price through the expiration of the 2020 Notes. In order to estimate the future share price of the Series G-1 preferred stock, we applied a “random walk” model based upon a Geometric Brownian Motion process with a constant drift.
The fair value of the 2020 Notes derivative liability was determined using the following assumptions:
| April 17 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | 0.2 | % |
| Current Series G-1 convertible preferred stock value per share | $ | 0.84 |
| Series G-1 convertible preferred stock volatility | 34.4 | % |
Upon the closing of the IPO in October 2020, the 2020 Notes converted pursuant to a qualified initial public offering. As a result, we concluded that the 2020 Notes derivative had no value upon the closing of the IPO, because value of the notes with and without such derivative was the same.
Common Stock Valuation and Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize compensation costs related to stock options and awards granted to employees and non-employees based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. We estimate the grant date fair value of stock options, and the resulting stock-based compensation expense, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of stock-based awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the period during which the optionee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is typically the vesting period. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Estimates of the fair value of equity awards as of the grant date using valuation models such as the Black-Scholes option pricing model are affected by assumptions with a number of complex variables. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately the amount of stock-based compensation expense recognized. These inputs are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop. Changes in the following assumptions can materially affect the estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation:
•Expected Term. The expected term is calculated using the simplified method, which is available where there is insufficient historical data about exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior. The simplified method is based on the vesting period and the contractual term for each grant, or for each vesting-tranche for awards with graded vesting. The mid-point between the vesting date and the maximum contractual expiration date is used as the expected term under this method. For awards with multiple vesting-tranches, the periods from grant until the mid-point for each of the tranches are averaged to provide an overall expected term.
•Expected Volatility. The expected volatility is derived from the average historical volatilities of publicly traded companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business over a period
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approximately equal to the expected term for the options. In evaluating similarity, we considered factors such as stage of development, risk profile, enterprise value and position within the life sciences industry.
•Risk-free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with remaining terms similar to the expected term of the options.
•Dividend Rate. We assumed the expected dividend to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so.
Common Stock Valuation
Prior to the Company’s IPO, the estimated fair value of the common stock underlying our stock options and stock awards was determined at each grant date by our board of directors, with input from management. All options to purchase shares of our common stock are intended to be exercisable at a price per share not less than the per-share fair value of our common stock underlying those options on the date of grant.
In the absence of a public trading market for our common stock, on each grant date, we develop an estimate of the fair value of our common stock based on the information known to us on the date of grant, upon a review of any recent events and their potential impact on the estimated fair value per share of the common stock, and in part on contemporaneous input from an independent third-party valuation firm.
Our valuations of our common stock were determined in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation (Practice Aid).
The assumptions used to determine the estimated fair value of our common stock are based on numerous objective and subjective factors, combined with management judgment, including:
•external market conditions affecting the pharmaceutical and medical devices industry and trends within the industry;
•our stage of development and business strategy;
•the rights, preferences and privileges of our convertible preferred stock relative to those of our common stock;
•the prices at which we sold shares of our convertible preferred stock;
•our financial condition and operating results, including our levels of available capital resources;
•the progress of our research and development efforts;
•equity market conditions affecting comparable public companies; and
•general U.S. market conditions and the lack of marketability of our common stock.
For our valuations performed in August 2019, we applied the market approach outlined in the Practice Aid to determine our enterprise value. Specifically, we used the guideline public company analysis, which relies on an analysis of publicly traded companies similar in industry or business model to us and uses these guideline companies to develop relevant market multiples and ratios. These multiples and ratios were then applied to our corresponding financial metrics.
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For our valuations performed in November 2019 and April 2020, we applied a weighted combination of the market approach and the income approach outlined in the Practice Aid to determine our enterprise value. Under the market approach, we used the guideline public company analysis, guideline transactions analysis and an analysis based on a recent acquisition offer. For the guideline public company and guideline transactions analysis, we identified a group of comparable public companies and recent transactions within our industry. For the comparable companies, we estimated market multiples and ratios. These multiples and ratios were then applied to our corresponding financial metrics. When selecting comparable companies, consideration was given to industry similarity, their specific products offered, financial data availability and capital structure. The income approach incorporates the use of a discounted cash flow model in which our estimated future cash flows and our residual value beyond the forecast period are discounted using an appropriately risk-adjusted weighted average cost of capital. Our forecasts used in the discounted cash flow model are based in part on strategic plans and represent our estimates based on current and forecasted business and market conditions.
The Practice Aid identifies various available methods for allocating enterprise value across classes and series of capital stock to determine the estimated fair value of common stock at each valuation date. In accordance with the Practice Aid, we considered the following methods:
•Option Pricing Method. Under the option pricing method (OPM), shares are valued by creating a series of call options with exercise prices based on the liquidation preferences and conversion terms of each equity class. The estimated fair values of the preferred and common stock are inferred by analyzing these options.
•Probability-Weighted Expected Return Method. The probability-weighted expected return method is a scenario-based analysis that estimates value per share based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns, considering each of the possible outcomes available to us, as well as the economic and control rights of each share class.
We determined that the OPM method was the most appropriate method for allocating our enterprise value to determine the estimated fair value of our common stock. In determining the estimated fair value of our common stock, our board of directors also considered the fact that our stockholders could not freely trade our common stock in the public markets. Accordingly, we applied discounts to reflect the lack of marketability of our common stock based on the weighted-average expected time to liquidity. The estimated fair value of our common stock at each grant date reflected a non-marketability discount partially based on the anticipated likelihood and timing of a future liquidity event.
As of December 31, 2021, there was $33.7 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested common stock options and restricted stock units, expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.15 years.
Subsequent to the Company’s IPO, the fair value of the Company’s common stock is determined based on its closing market price.
Income Taxes
Our major tax jurisdictions are the United States and California, Switzerland and Neuchâtel.
Significant judgment is required to determine our provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles, complex tax laws, or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.
We provide for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Current income tax expense or benefit represents the amount of income taxes expected to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise due to differences between when assets or liabilities are recognized for tax purposes and when they are recognized for financial reporting purposes. Net operating losses and credit carryforwards are also deferred
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tax assets. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such items are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax assets are reduced, as necessary, by a valuation allowance when management determines it is more likely than not that some or all of the tax benefits will not be realized.
We assess all material positions taken in any income tax return, including all significant uncertain positions, in all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities. All of our tax years will remain open for examination by the federal and state tax authorities for three and four years, respectively, from the date of utilization of the net operating loss or research and development credits. We do not have any tax audits or other issues pending.
Utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards may be subject to annual limitations due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), as defined in Section 382, and other similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating losses and credits before utilization.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.