Anika Therapeutics, Inc. - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company,” and other similar references refer to Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries unless the context otherwise indicates.

Anika, Arthrosurface, Anika Therapeutics, Cingal, Hyaff, Monovisc, Orthovisc, Parcus Medical, Tactoset, Hyvisc and WristMotion are our registered trademarks that appear in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For convenience, these trademarks appear in this Annual Report on Form 10-K without ® and ™ symbols, but that practice does not mean that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to the trademarks. This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains trademarks and trade names that are the property of other companies and licensed to us.

FORM 10-K

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

For Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 concerning our business, consolidated financial condition, and results of operations. The Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, encourages companies to disclose forward-looking statements so that investors can better understand a company’s future prospects and make informed investment decisions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by such words as "will," "likely," "may," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "seek," "designed," "develop," "would," "future," "can," "could," and other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and trends and that do not relate to historical matters. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Annual Report regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans, and objectives are forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding expected future operating results, expectations regarding the timing and receipt of regulatory results, anticipated levels of capital expenditures, and expectations of the effect on our financial condition of claims, litigation, and governmental and regulatory proceedings.

Please refer to "Item 1A. Risk Factors" for important factors that we believe could cause actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

Founded in 1992, Anika Therapeutics, Inc. is a global joint preservation company that creates and delivers meaningful advancements in early intervention orthopedic care. Based on our collaborations with clinicians to understand what they need most to treat their patients, we develop minimally invasive products that restore active living for people around the world. We are committed to leading in high opportunity spaces within orthopedics, including osteoarthritis (or OA) pain management, regenerative solutions, soft tissue repair and bone preserving joint technologies.

We have thirty years of global expertise developing, manufacturing and commercializing products based on our hyaluronic acid, or HA, technology platform. HA is a naturally occurring polymer found throughout the body that is vital for proper joint health and tissue function. Our proprietary technologies for modifying the HA molecule allow product properties to be tailored specifically to multiple uses, including enabling longer residence time to support OA pain management and creating a solid form of HA called Hyaff, which is the platform for some of our regenerative solutions portfolio.

In early 2020, we expanded our overall technology platform, product portfolio, and significantly expanded our commercial infrastructure, especially in the United States, through our strategic acquisitions of Parcus Medical, LLC, or Parcus Medical, a sports medicine and instrumentation solutions provider focused on soft tissue repair, and Arthrosurface, Inc., or Arthrosurface, a company specializing in bone preserving partial and total joint replacement solutions. These acquisitions have ignited the transformation of our company by augmenting our HA-based OA pain management and regenerative products with a broad suite of products and capabilities focused on early intervention joint preservation primarily in upper and lower extremities such as shoulder, foot/ankle, knee and hand/wrist.

Note: Illustration of available treatments does not reflect Anika’s full product portfolio

Strategy

Beginning in 2020, we launched our transformational strategy to expand and diversify our revenue in the global joint preservation markets. This multi-year journey began with the acquisitions of Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical, through which we entered into the sports medicine soft tissue repair and bone preserving joint technology markets, added to our existing leadership position in the HA based OA pain management market, focusing on building a strong leadership team, and enhanced our commercial organization and infrastructure with investments in people, systems and processes. In the upcoming years, we will continue to invest in our research and development pipeline and strengthen our commercial capabilities to position our product portfolio for the needs of clinicians that practice in ambulatory surgical centers (or ASCs) and hospitals, as well as expand into new geographic areas to drive accelerated growth and profitability. As our pipeline evolves, we intend to leverage our HA expertise in selectively developing and offering solutions for joint preservation and regenerative solutions targeted at procedures that are performed in the ASCs and to focus on completing the clinical trials for key products we sell outside the United States, (i.e. Cingal and Hyalofast), to gain approval for entry into the large U.S. market.   

Through the acquisition of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface, we expanded our addressable global market from the over $1 billion global OA pain management market to the over $8 billion global joint preservation market (which includes faster growing sports medicine and extremities segments), advanced our commercial capabilities, instituted systems and processes to support our transformation, and expanded our product pipeline and research and development expertise in these target markets.

As we look towards the future, our business is positioned to capture value within our target markets in joint preservation. We believe our future success will be driven by our:

Products

OA Pain Management

Our OA Pain Management product family consists of:

Joint Preservation and Restoration

Our Joint Preservation and Restoration product family consists of: 

We currently commercialize Bone Preserving Joint Technologies, Soft Tissue Repair products, and Tactoset (from our Regenerative Solutions portfolio) in the United States by selling to hospitals and ASCs, through an independent network of sales representatives and distributors, and utilize our distributor network for sales in certain international markets.

Non-Orthopedic 

Our Non-Orthopedic product family consists of legacy HA-based products that are marketed principally for non-orthopedic applications. These products include Hyalobarrier, an anti-adhesion barrier indicated for use after abdomino-pelvic surgeries, Hyalomatrix, used for the treatment of complex wounds such as burns and ulcers, as well as products used in connection with the treatment of ears, nose and throat disorders, and ophthalmic products, including injectable, high molecular weight HA products such as Anikavisc and Nuvisc, used as viscoelastic agents in ophthalmic surgical procedures such as cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation. These Non-Orthopedic products are sold through commercial sales and marketing partners around the world.

Sales Channels

A majority of our products are used by clinicians and surgeons in one of three environments: office-based procedures usually focused on injections, hospital operating rooms and ASCs, which are clinics outside of a normal hospital setting that are often at least partially physician-owned. These medical care delivery environments typically require different commercial approaches and have distinct call points, which requires diversity in our sales approach. For instance, our OA Pain Management product family and certain products in our Non-Orthopedic category are almost entirely utilized in an office-based setting while our Joint Preservation and Restoration and certain of our Non-Orthopedic products are almost exclusively consumed in hospital operating rooms or ASCs.

As a result of these distinctions, we employ multiple sales models in the United States to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our customers and other healthcare system stakeholders. For many years, we have maintained a mutually beneficial commercial partnership with Mitek, which sells Orthovisc and Monovisc in the United States. For this arrangement with Mitek, we sell the Orthovisc and Monovisc products that we manufacture to Mitek, and also receive from Mitek a royalty on their end user sales of these products in the United States. We have U.S. commercial partnerships for other products in our OA Pain Management and Non-Orthopedic product families. Under these commercial partnerships, we sell our products directly to our partners, who perform the vast majority of the downstream sales and marketing activities to customers and end-users. In addition to a transfer price, we may also structure our arrangements to receive a royalty on end user sales.

With our expanded commercial infrastructure as a result of the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface acquisitions, we sell our Joint Preservation and Restoration family directly to clinicians, including hospitals and ASCs, through our Anika sales team and large network of independent third-party distributors. During 2020, we completed the initial integration of our U.S. commercial organization including effectively cross training our sales team to sell the consolidated Joint Preservation and Restoration product portfolio. Within this framework, we employ selling models that seek to maximize the benefit for our company and customers, including in certain instances, contracts with group purchasing organizations and certain fixed-price delivery models.

Outside of the United States, we market and sell our products using a worldwide network of commercial partners to provide a solid foundation for future revenue growth and territorial expansion. Our relationships with these partners are generally structured such that we sell our products to these partners directly while they, with global support from our team, perform the in-country sales and marketing activities to drive growth and adoption of our products locally. We expect to generally maintain this model for the foreseeable future, while also selectively evaluating other options and being opportunistic about adopting other sales models, including direct sales, in certain jurisdictions.

We believe that our overall sales approach provides our business with a strong base to drive revenue growth as we continue to grow and scale our commercial infrastructure. We will continue to focus on expanding our own commercial capabilities, including with respect to market access, innovative sales and delivery models, and improved logistics management.

Manufacturing

We manufacture all of our HA-based products, including all of our OA Pain Management products and certain additional products, at our facility in Bedford, Massachusetts, where we have developed significant manufacturing expertise around procedures such as homogenized mixing and filling of highly-viscous liquids and manipulation of solid HA into scaffolds or other presentations. We manufacture most of our soft tissue repair products at our facility in Sarasota, Florida and we manufacture our bone preserving joint products and certain elements of our soft tissue repair portfolio utilizing third-party contract manufacturing organizations.

The raw materials necessary to manufacture our products are generally available from multiple sources. However, we rely on a small number of suppliers for certain key raw materials and a small number of suppliers for certain other materials, components, parts and disposables required for the manufacturing and delivery of these products. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our supply chain as the companies that produce our products, product components or otherwise support our manufacturing processes, the distribution centers where we manage our inventory, or the operations of our logistics and other service providers, including third parties that sterilize and store our products, are disrupted, temporarily close or experience worker shortages for a sustained period of time. Any prolonged interruption of operations or significant reduction in the capacity or performance capability at any of our manufacturing facilities, or at any of our key suppliers, could have a material adverse effect on our operations. For additional information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our manufacturing operations, please refer to the section captioned “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. “Our operations are located in areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and those operations have been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic”, and “Our global supply chain may be materially adversely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Research and Development

Our research and development efforts consist of the development of new medical applications for our technology platforms, including new implant designs, the development of intellectual property with respect to our technology platforms and new products, the management of clinical trials for certain product candidates, the preparation and processing of applications for regulatory clearances and approvals, and process development and scale-up manufacturing activities for our existing and new product development initiatives. For 2021, 2020, and 2019, research and development expenses were $27.3 million, $23.4 million and $16.7 million, respectively. The increase in 2021 was primarily due to clinical studies in the United States for Cingal and Hyalofast, certain European post-market clinical studies and regulatory efforts, and activities associated with new product development in our research and development pipeline, including a full year of activities following the acquisitions of Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical in early 2020. We anticipate that we will continue to commit significant resources to research and development activities, primarily for new product development, pre-clinical activities and clinical trials.

Our new product development efforts focus on products in four large and growing orthopedic markets to drive long-term growth: OA pain management, regenerative solutions, sports medicine soft tissue repair and bone preserving joint technologies. In order to better inform and target our research and development investment, we routinely interact with key external stakeholders, including clinicians, to encompass customer and patient insights in our development process that help ensure we bring needed solutions to the market. In the near term, our general new product development will be focused on enhancements to existing products such as Tactoset Injectable Bone Substitute, new soft tissue fixation and regenerative solutions and extremities products like our WristMotion® Total Wrist Arthroplasty product that achieved 510(k) clearance during 2020 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (or FDA) and launched commercially in 2021, and clinical development to enable us to commercialize our Cingal and Hyalofast products in the U.S. market (these products are currently sold only outside the United States). As we move forward, we plan to continue to invest in novel and meaningful new products for our target markets based on our core capabilities, including further expanding our regenerative HA technology platform.

Our development focus for OA pain management will continue to be on bringing Cingal, our third-generation, single-injection viscosupplement product, to the U.S. market. While we have conducted previous clinical trials for Cingal, including a trial that supported CE Mark approval for Cingal, the FDA has indicated an additional Phase III trial is necessary to support U.S. regulatory approval. In 2020, we initiated a pilot study to confirm our trial design to increase our probability of success in a Phase III trial and generate data that ultimately will be needed to support FDA approval and clearances. We completed enrollment for the Cingal pilot study in November 2021. We expect to finalize the review of the data related to the pilot trial in the middle of 2022. The results of the data will inform the design of a possible pivotal trial which would be expected to begin thereafter. Given the evolving environment, we will continue to update clinical trial timelines as we have more visibility with respect to the length and regional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Cingal pilot study, please refer to the section captioned “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact our development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials, which could significantly impair our long-term business plans and operating results.”

Development for our Joint Preservation and Restoration product family is focused in several areas. We continue to progress the ongoing clinical trial to support approval in the United States for Hyalofast, our single stage, off the shelf, cartilage repair therapy, currently sold only outside the United States. We are actively pursuing multiple solutions to accelerate patient enrollment, including initiating sites in Mexico, Indonesia, and the Philippines which has been delayed due to COVID-19. We are also focused on the development of additional solutions and line extensions for our soft tissue repair and bone preserving joint technologies business, largely within the faster-growing extremities segments such as the shoulder. These include continued progress on a therapy targeted at rotator cuff repair utilizing our proprietary solid HA technology, as well as other programs that leverage our HA expertise to augment or improve our current offerings.

Intellectual Property

We seek patent and trademark protection for our key technologies, products and product improvements, both in the U.S. and in select foreign countries. When determined appropriate, we enforce and plan to enforce and defend our patent and trademark rights. While we rely on our patent and trademark portfolio to provide us with competitive advantages as it relates to our existing and future product lines, it is not our sole source of protection. We also rely upon trade secrets and continuing technological innovations to develop and maintain our competitive position.

Governmental Regulation

The clinical development, manufacturing, and marketing of our products are subject to governmental regulation in the United States, the European Union, and other territories worldwide. Various statutes, regulations and interpretations thereof, directives, and guidelines, including the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in the United States, govern the development, design, non-clinical and clinical research, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, record keeping, premarket clearance or approval, adverse event reporting, advertising, and promotion of our products. Product development and approval/clearance within these various regulatory frameworks can take a number of years and generally involves the expenditure of substantial resources. Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers are also inspected regularly by the FDA and other applicable regulatory bodies.

Medical products regulated by the FDA are generally classified as drugs, biologics, or medical devices, and the current classification standards for our current or future products may be altered over time. Drugs and biologic products undergo rigorous preclinical testing prior to beginning clinical trials. Clinical trials for new drugs or biologic products include Phase I trials in healthy volunteers to understand safety, dosage tolerance, and pharmacokinetics, Phase II trials in a limited patient population to identify initial efficacy and side effects, and Phase III pivotal trials to statistically evaluate the safety and efficacy of the product. Medical devices intended for human use are classified into three categories (Class I, II or III) on the basis of the controls deemed reasonably necessary by the FDA to assure their safety and effectiveness. Class I devices typically do not require prior approval by a regulatory authority. Class II devices are cleared for marketing under the pre-market notification 510(k) regulatory pathway, which may include clinical testing. Class III devices require pre-market approval based on valid scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness, including evidence elicited through appropriate clinical testing. The failure to adequately demonstrate the quality, safety, and efficacy of a product under development can delay or prevent regulatory approval of the product. In order to gain marketing approval, we must submit to the relevant regulatory authority for review information on the quality aspects of the product as well as the non-clinical and clinical data. The FDA undertakes this review in the United States. Regardless of classification, medical device manufacturers are subject to multiple regulations and standards specifying that a quality system must provide oversight to the design and manufacture of devices intended for human use.

In the European Union, medical devices must be CE Marked in order to be marketed. CE marking a device involves working with a Notified Body, and in some cases a Competent Authority, to demonstrate that the device meets all applicable requirements of the Medical Devices Directive and that the Quality Management System is compliant. Europe’s Medical Device Directive, or MDD, has been replaced by the European Medical Device Regulation, or MDR, enacted in 2017, and became effective in May 2021. MDR requirements will phase in on a product-by-product basis as certifications under MDD lapse and will require all products to undergo review and approval under these new regulations no later than May 2024, which will generally require increased levels of clinical support as compared to MDD requirements. Drug approval in the European Union follows one of several possible processes: (i) a centralized procedure involving members of the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use; (ii) a “mutual recognition procedure” in which an individual country's regulatory agency approves the product followed by “mutual recognition” of this approval by regulatory agencies of other countries; or (iii) a decentralized procedure in which the approval is sought through the regulatory agencies of multiple countries at the same time.

Approval timelines can range from several months to several years, or applications can be denied entirely. Product or product component classifications as drugs, biologics, or medical devices may change over time due to new regulations or augmented interpretation of data or current regulations. The approval process can be affected by a number of factors. For example, additional studies or clinical trials may be requested during the review, which may delay marketing approval and involve unbudgeted costs. As a condition of approval, the regulatory agency may require post-marketing surveillance to monitor for adverse effects, and may require other additional studies, as it deems appropriate. After approval for an initial indication, further clinical studies are generally necessary to gain approval for any additional indications. The terms of any approval, including labeling content, may be more restrictive than expected and could affect the marketability of a product.

The FDA has broad regulatory compliance and enforcement powers. If the FDA determines that we failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, it can take a variety of compliance or enforcement actions, including, without limitation, issuing an FDA Form 483 notice of inspectional observations or a warning letter, imposing civil money penalties, suspending or delaying issuance of approvals, requiring product recall, imposing a total or partial shutdown of production, withdrawal of approvals or clearances already granted, pursuing product seizures, consent decrees or other injunctive relief, or criminal prosecution through the Department of Justice. The FDA can also require us to repair, replace, or refund the cost of products that we manufactured or distributed. Outside the United States, regulatory agencies may exert a range of similar powers.

We are subject to various U.S. federal and state laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including anti-kickback, false claims, and transparency reporting laws. Similar laws and regulations pertaining to sales, marketing and advertising practices exist in the other geographic areas where we operate.

We are also subject to various laws and regulations concerning data privacy in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, including the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, in the European Union. These regulations impose several requirements on the processing, administration, security, and confidentiality of personal data and empower enforcement agencies to impose large penalties for noncompliance.

Environmental Laws

We believe that we are in compliance with all foreign, federal, state, and local environmental regulations with respect to our manufacturing facilities. The cost of ongoing compliance with such regulations does not have a material effect on our operations. 

Competition

We compete with many companies including large pharmaceutical firms and large and specialized medical device companies across our product lines. For our OA Pain Management products, our principal competitors include Sanofi Genzyme, Zimmer Biomet, Inc., Bioventus Inc., and Ferring Pharmaceuticals, as well as other companies that are commercializing or developing competitive products. Our key competitors for our Joint Preservation and Restoration products include Arthrex, Inc., the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Smith & Nephew PLC., Stryker Corporation, and Zimmer Biomet, Inc., as well as certain smaller organizations that focus on subsets of the larger industry, such as Catalyst OrthoScience, Treace Medical, Paragon 28 and Shoulder Innovations. Many of the larger companies have substantially greater financial resources, larger research and development staffs, more extensive marketing and manufacturing organizations, and more experience in the regulatory processes than we have. We also compete with academic institutions, government agencies, and other research organizations that may be involved in the research and development and commercialization of products. Many of our competitors also compete against us in securing relationships with collaborators for their research and development and commercialization programs.

We compete with other market participants primarily on the efficacy of our products, our products’ reputation for safety, and the breadth of our overall product portfolio. Other factors that impact competition in our industry are the timing and scope of regulatory approvals, the availability of manufacturing supplies, raw materials and finished product supply, marketing and sales capability, reimbursement coverage, product pricing, and patent protection. Some of the principal factors that may affect our ability to compete in our target markets include:

We are aware of a number of companies that are developing and/or marketing competitive products. In some cases, competitors have already obtained product approvals, submitted applications for approval, or commenced human clinical studies, either in the United States or in certain foreign countries. All of our products face substantial competition. There is a risk that we will be unable to compete effectively against our current or future competitors. Additionally, legislation and regulation aimed at curbing rising healthcare costs has resulted in a consolidation trend in the healthcare industry to create larger companies, including hospitals, with greater market power. In turn, this has led to greater and more intense competition in the provision of products and services to market participants. Important market makers, like group purchasing organizations and integrated delivery networks, have increased their negotiating leverage, and if these market makers demand significant price concessions or if we are excluded as a supplier by these market makers, our product revenue could be adversely impacted.

Seasonality

Our business is generally not seasonal in nature due to the nature of our product mix and sales channels and strategies.

Human Capital Management

We believe that creating a diverse, talented, and inclusive workplace is a central aspect to our culture, employee recruitment, retention and engagement, innovation, operational excellence and overall performance. In turn, this culture and drive for performance is an important factor in our ability to attract and retain key talent. Our culture is centered around our fundamental values of:

Talent Acquisition and Management

Our industry requires complex processes for product development and commercialization, each of which requires deep expertise and experience across a broad array of disciplines. Medical device companies therefore compete for a limited number of qualified applicants to fill specialized positions. This requires competitive compensation and benefits packages and an attractive culture in order to attract and retain skilled employees to support the growth and success of the company.

As of December 31, 2021, we employed 297 fulltime employees in the United States and EMEIA. We expect to continue to add employees in 2022 and beyond as we grow our business.

We believe that our employees’ understanding of how their work contributes to our overall strategy and performance is key to our success. In order to communicate with respect to these important topics in a manner that is engaging to our team, we utilize a variety of channels. These include all-employee town hall meetings with senior management, regular email updates from our chief executive officer and other key members of the executive team, as well as presentations to our employees by invited clinicians, who use our products, participate and share their experiences from a customer’s perspective. In addition, to assess employee perceptions in areas such as inclusion, professional development/training, reward/recognition, equity, engagement and overall organizational satisfaction, we conduct company-wide employee engagement surveys using an external survey platform. Our management team evaluates the results and identifies potential opportunities for improvement. As a result of employee feedback, we have established an employee communications taskforce chartered with improving communications and employee engagement across the business and introduced new e-learning programs to expand employee development.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We are committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where all employees, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability are valued, respected and supported. In 2021, in alignment with our commitment to comply with key elements of the MassBio CEO Pledge for a More Equitable and Inclusive Life Science Industry, we delivered on some of the key deliverables of our multiyear approach. This included the development and communication of a corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy Statement as well as the creation of a Diversity Dashboard. The Diversity Dashboard tracks the current diversity within the organization and is shared with the Board of Directors to provide engagement and oversight at the highest levels of the organization. We will continue to enhance the diversity of our workforce through focused talent acquisition goals and development plans.

Employee Development

The ongoing development of our employees continues to be a catalyst for our growth and success as a company. A large number of our employees have obtained advanced degrees in their professions. We support our employees’ further development with individualized development plans, mentoring, coaching, group training, conference attendance. We also provide financial support, including tuition reimbursement for qualified programs, as well as access to a broad-based learning management platform for self-directed learning and improvement.

Competitive Pay and Benefits

To attract and retain qualified employees and key talent, we offer our employees total rewards packages consisting of base salary, a cash bonus, and a comprehensive benefit package. We also provide equity compensation for certain employees based on various criteria, including their level within our company. All employees globally are eligible to participate in the annual incentive cash bonus plan or a sales incentive plan which are aligned to both corporate and individual performance. Bonus opportunity and equity compensation increase as a percentage of total compensation based on level of responsibility. Our employee stock purchase plan, introduced in 2021, gives eligible employees the opportunity to purchase shares in Anika at a discounted rate. Bravo, our global online employee recognition program, provides the opportunity for both peer to peer and manager to employee recognition, and has been well received by our employees.

Health and Safety

We remain focused on promoting the total wellness of our employees including resources, programs and services to support their physical, mental and financial wellness. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have augmented certain of our normal business practices to ensure that we promote health and safety for our employees. A cross functional COVID-19 Pandemic Task Force has been in place since the start of the pandemic. We have established safety policies and protocols, and we regularly update our employees with respect to any changes. In 2020, we transitioned much of our workforce to work remotely, in order minimize the risk of infection of those who must be onsite to perform their jobs, including our manufacturing team. We also have adjusted attendance policies to encourage those who may be ill to stay home. To further protect our on-site employees, we have provided personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. Additionally, we engaged a third-party firm to conduct a proactive facility assessment and upgraded our air filtration systems to be more effective against COVID-19 transmission, thus enhancing the safety of our workforce while on the job. We have also provided general information updates and support for our employees to ensure that they have resources and information to protect their health and that of those around them, including their families and co-workers.

Product Liability

The testing, marketing, and sale of human health care products entail an inherent risk of allegations of product liability, and we cannot assure that substantial product liability claims will not be asserted against us. Although we have not received any material product liability claims to date, we cannot assure that if material claims arise in the future, our insurance will be adequate to cover all situations. Moreover, we cannot assure that such insurance, or additional insurance, if required, will be available in the future or, if available, will be available on commercially reasonable terms. Any product liability claim, if successful, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Available Information

We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and other information, including amendments and exhibits to such reports, filed or furnished pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge in the “SEC Filings” section of our website located at http://www.anika.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our operating results and financial condition have varied in the past and could vary significantly in the future depending on a number of factors. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before deciding whether to purchase our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and stockholders could lose part or all of their investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our financial performance depends on sales growth and increasing demand for our legacy and acquired product portfolios, and we may not be able to successfully manage the recent, and future, expansion of our operations.

Through our acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface in early 2020, we significantly broadened our technology and development platforms and commercialization infrastructure and expanded our addressable market from the global OA pain management market to the substantially larger global joint preservation market. Our future success depends on growth in sales of both our legacy and acquired products. There can be no assurance that such growth can be achieved or, if achieved, sustained. There can be no assurance that, even if substantial growth in product sales and the demand for our products is achieved, we will be able to:

There can be no assurance that our current and future, products will achieve significant market acceptance on a timely basis, or at all. Failure of some or all of our products to achieve significant market acceptance, or our failure to successfully manage future growth, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Substantial competition could materially affect our financial performance.

We compete with many companies, including large pharmaceutical companies and large and specialized medical devices companies, across all of our product lines. For our OA Pain Management products, our principal competitors include Sanofi Genzyme, Zimmer Biomet, Inc., Bioventus Inc., and Ferring Pharmaceuticals, as well as other companies that are commercializing or developing competitive products. Our key competitors for our Joint Preservation and Restoration products include Arthrex, Inc., the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Smith & Nephew PLC., Stryker Corporation, and Zimmer Biomet, Inc., as well as certain smaller organizations that focus on subsets of the larger industry, such as Catalyst OrthoScience, Treace Medical, Paragon 28 and Shoulder Innovations. Many of these companies have substantially greater financial resources, larger research and development staffs, more extensive marketing and manufacturing organizations, and more experience in the regulatory process than us. We also compete with academic institutions, government agencies, and other research organizations that are involved in the research and development and commercialization of products similar to our own. Many of our competitors also compete against us in securing relationships with collaborators for their research and development and commercialization programs.

Because a number of companies are developing or have developed products for similar applications as our products and have received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approval, the successful commercialization of a particular product will depend in part upon our ability to complete clinical studies and/or obtain FDA marketing and foreign regulatory approvals prior to our competitors, or, if regulatory approval is not obtained prior to our competitors, to identify markets for our products that may be sufficient to permit meaningful sales of our products. Additionally, legislation and regulation aimed at curbing rising healthcare costs has resulted in a consolidation trend in the healthcare industry to create larger companies, including hospitals, with greater market power. In turn, this has led to greater and more intense competition in the provision of products and services to market participants. Important market makers, like group purchasing organizations and integrated delivery networks, have increased their negotiating leverage, and if these market makers demand significant price concessions or if we are excluded as a supplier by these market makers, our product revenue could be adversely impacted. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete against current or future competitors or that competition will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. 

Our business may be adversely affected if consolidation in the healthcare industry leads to demand for price concessions or if we are excluded from being a supplier by a group purchasing organization or similar entity.

Because healthcare costs have risen significantly over the past decade, numerous initiatives and reforms have been launched by legislators, regulators, and third-party payers to curb these costs. As a result, there has been a consolidation trend in the healthcare industry to create larger companies, including hospitals, with greater market power. As the healthcare industry consolidates, competition to provide products and services to industry participants has become and may continue to become more intense. This may result in greater pricing pressures and the exclusion of certain suppliers from important markets as group purchasing organizations, independent delivery networks, and large single accounts continue to use their market power to consolidate purchasing decisions. If a group purchasing organization excludes us from being one of their suppliers, our net sales could be adversely impacted. We expect that market demand, government regulation, third-party reimbursement policies, and societal pressures will continue to change the worldwide healthcare industry, which may exert further downward pressure on the prices of our products.

A significant portion of our revenues are derived from a small number of customers, the loss of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have historically derived the majority of our revenues from a small number of customers who resell our products to end-users. Most of these customers are significantly larger companies than us. In 2021, DePuy Synthes Mitek Sports Medicine, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Companies, or Mitek, accounted for 45% of our revenue. While we have started to diversify our sales channels, including through the implementation of a direct commercial model in the United States for our Joint Preservation and Restoration products, we expect to continue to be dependent on a small number of large customers for a substantial portion of our business. The failure of key customers to purchase our products in the amounts they historically have or in amounts that we expect would seriously harm our business.

In addition, if present and future customers terminate their purchasing arrangements with us, significantly reduce or delay their orders, or seek to renegotiate their agreements on terms less favorable to us, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected. If we accept terms less favorable than the terms of the current agreements, such renegotiations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations. Furthermore, in any future negotiations we may be subject to the perceived or actual leverage that these customers may have given their relative size and importance to us. Any termination, change, reduction, or delay in orders could seriously harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The loss of any one of our major customers, the delay of significant orders from such customers or our inability to timely supply product to these customers (including due to production and shipping delays attributable to supply or staffing shortages during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), even if only temporary, could reduce or delay our recognition of revenues, harm our reputation in the industry, and reduce our ability to accurately predict cash flow, and, as a consequence, could seriously harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We experience quarterly sales volume variation, which makes our future results difficult to predict and makes period-to-period comparisons potentially not meaningful.

We experience quarterly fluctuations in our product sales as a result of multiple factors, many of which are outside of our control including our arrangement with Mitek which performs the vast majority of the downstream sales and marketing activities to customers and end-users. Therefore, we are subject to fluctuations in Mitek’s sales patterns and corresponding ordering patterns. These quarterly fluctuations create uncertainty as to the volume of sales that we may achieve in a given period. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis might not be meaningful. You should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. Our operating results could be disproportionately affected by a reduction in revenue because a proportionately smaller amount of our expenses varies with our revenue. As a result, our quarterly operating results are difficult to predict, even in the near term.

We rely on a small number of suppliers for certain key raw materials and a small number of suppliers for a number of other materials required for the manufacturing and delivery of our products, and disruption could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Although we believe that alternative sources for many of these and other components and raw materials that we use in our manufacturing processes are available, we cannot be certain that the supply of key raw materials will continue to be available at current levels or will be sufficient to meet our future needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and may continue to impact, our supply chain as the companies that produce our products, product components or otherwise support our manufacturing processes, the distribution centers where we manage our inventory, or the operations of our logistics and other service providers, including third parties that sterilize and store our products, are, or may be, disrupted, temporarily closed or experience worker shortages for a sustained period of time. For example, for the manufacture of bone preserving joint technologies, we engage a single third-party organization as a contract manufacturer. Any supply interruption could harm our ability to manufacture our products until a new source of supply is identified and qualified. We may not be able to find sufficient alternative suppliers in a reasonable time-period, or on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, and our ability to produce and supply our products could be impaired.

Our manufacturing processes involve inherent risks, and disruption could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The operation of biomedical manufacturing plants involves many risks, including the risks of breakdown, failure, substandard performance of equipment, the inability of production runs to pass internal quality standards, the need to comply with the requirements of directives of government agencies, including the FDA, and the occurrence of natural and other disasters. Such occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations during the period of such operational difficulties and beyond.

We could become subject to product liability claims, which, if successful, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The testing, marketing, and sale of human health care products entail an inherent risk of allegations of product liability, and there can be no assurance that substantial product liability claims will not be asserted against us. Although we have not received any material product liability claims to date and we believe that we have adequate insurance coverage to cover such product liability claims should they arise, there can be no assurance that material claims will not arise in the future or that our insurance will be adequate to cover all situations. Moreover, there can be no assurance that such insurance, or additional insurance, if required, will be available in the future or, if available, will be available on commercially reasonable terms. Any product liability claim, if successful, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are increasingly dependent on sophisticated information technology and if we fail to effectively maintain or protect our information systems or data, including from data breaches, our business could be adversely affected.

We are increasingly dependent on sophisticated information technology for our products and infrastructure. As a result of technology initiatives, recently enacted regulations, changes in our system platforms and integration of new business acquisitions, we have been consolidating and integrating the number of systems we operate and have upgraded and expanded our information systems capabilities. We also have outsourced elements of our operations to third parties, and, as a result, we manage a number of third-party suppliers who may or could have access to our confidential intellectual property or business information.

Our information systems, and those of third-party suppliers with whom we contract, require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information technology, evolving systems and regulatory standards and the increasing need to protect patient and customer information. In addition, given their size and complexity, these systems could be vulnerable to service interruptions or to security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, third-party suppliers and/or business partners, or from cyber-attacks by malicious third parties attempting to gain unauthorized access to our products, systems or Confidential Information. Any such compromise to our information security could result in an interruption in our operations, the unauthorized publication of our confidential business or proprietary information, the unauthorized release of customer, vendor, or employee data, the violation of privacy, including under the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, in the European Union, or other laws and exposure to litigation, any of which could harm our business and operating results.

We may face circumstances in the future that will result in impairment charges, including, but not limited to, goodwill impairment and in-process research and development charges.

As of December 31, 2021, we had long-lived assets in the amount of $137.8 million. If the fair value of any of our long-lived assets, including those that we acquired in the acquisitions of Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical, decrease as a result of an economic slowdown, a downturn in the markets where we sell products and services, a downturn in our financial performance or future outlook, or other reasons, we may be required to record an impairment charge on such assets. We are required to test intangible assets with indefinite life periods for potential impairment annually and on an interim basis if there are indicators of a potential impairment. We also are required to evaluate amortizable intangible assets and fixed assets for impairment if there are indicators of a possible impairment. Impairment charges could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial position, as well as on the market price of our common stock.

Our business is dependent upon hiring and retaining qualified management and technical personnel.

We are highly dependent on the members of our management and technical staff, the loss of one or more of whom could have a material adverse effect on us. We have experienced a number of management changes in recent years, and there can be no assurances that any future management changes will not adversely affect our business. We believe that our future success will depend in large part upon our ability to attract and retain technical and highly skilled executive, managerial, professional, and technical personnel. We face significant competition for such personnel from competitive companies, research and academic institutions, government entities, and other organizations. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in hiring or retaining the personnel we require. The failure to hire and retain such personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may require additional capital in the future. We cannot give any assurance that such capital will be available at all or on terms acceptable to us, and if it is available, additional capital raised by us could dilute your ownership interest or the value of your shares.

We may need to raise capital in the future depending on numerous factors, including:

To the extent funds generated from our operations, together with our existing capital resources, are insufficient to meet future requirements, we will be required to obtain additional funds through equity or debt financings, through strategic alliances with corporate partners and others, or through other sources. The terms of any future equity financings may be dilutive to our investors and the terms of any debt financings may contain restrictive covenants, which limit our ability to pursue certain courses of action. Our ability to obtain financing is dependent on the status of our future business prospects as well as conditions prevailing in the relevant capital markets at the time, we seek financing. No assurance can be given that any additional financing will be made available to us or will be available on acceptable terms should such a need arise.

If we succeed in raising additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible securities, then the issuance could result in substantial dilution to existing stockholders. Furthermore, the holders of these new securities or debt may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the holders of common stock. In addition, any preferred equity issuance or debt financing that we may obtain in the future could have restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions.

Risks Related to Our Commercialization Activities

Our license agreements with Mitek provide substantial control of Monovisc and Orthovisc in the United States to Mitek, and Mitek’s actions could have a material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our license and distribution agreements with Mitek related to Monovisc and Orthovisc provide Mitek with, among other things, the exclusive right to market and sell Monovisc and Orthovisc in the United States, unilateral decision-making authority over the sale, price, and promotion of Monovisc and Orthovisc in the United States, substantial control over the future development of Monovisc and Orthovisc related to the treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis, a license to manufacture and have manufactured such products in the event that we are unable to supply Mitek with Monovisc or Orthovisc in accordance with the terms of the relevant agreement, and certain rights of first refusal with respect to future products we develop for the treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis. In exchange, Mitek pays us a transfer price calculated with reference to historical end-user prices in the market and a fixed royalty rate per product on their net product sales. As Mitek accounts for a large percentage of our yearly revenue and has unilateral decision-making authority over in-market activities, including end-user pricing and discounts, reimbursement strategy, and overall promotion strategy, actions taken by Mitek could impact our ability to predict and generate revenue and have a material impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may not succeed in our integration and buildout of our direct sales channel in the United States, and our failure to do so could negatively impact our business and financial results.

Beginning in 2019, and with our expanded commercial infrastructure, as a result of the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface acquisitions, we have sold our Joint Preservation and Restoration family of products directly to customers, including hospitals and ASCs, through our direct Anika sales team and large network of independent third-party distributors. This approach was a departure from our historical distribution model in the United States, and we cannot be certain that we will be successful in implementing and executing on this commercial approach or that, even if we are able to implement it, the approach will be successful at scale. We may not be able to attract or retain the sophisticated personnel required for our approach, to identify or negotiate favorable or acceptable terms with distribution agents, to achieve in-market pricing at the levels we have targeted, to develop and tailor our product portfolio to be specifically desired by clinicians who practice in ASCs, or to timely execute on our strategies for market penetration generally. Our failure to successfully implement and execute on this commercial approach could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are dependent upon marketing and distribution partners and the failure to maintain strategic alliances on acceptable terms will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our success is dependent, in part, upon the efforts of our marketing, distribution, and logistics partners, including our sales agent partners in the United States, and the terms and conditions of our relationships with such partners. We cannot assure you that our commercial partners, including Mitek, will not seek to renegotiate their current agreements on terms less favorable to us or terminate such agreements. A failure to maintain relationships with our commercial partners on terms satisfactory to us, or at all, could result in a material adverse effect on our operating results.

We continue to seek to establish long-term partnerships in regions and countries not covered by existing agreements, and we may need to obtain the assistance of additional marketing partners to bring new and existing products to market and to replace certain marketing partners. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify or engage appropriate distribution or collaboration partners or effectively transition to any such new partnerships. The failure to establish strategic partnerships for the marketing and distribution of our products on acceptable terms and within our planned timeframes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Sales of our products are largely dependent upon third party reimbursement and our performance may be harmed by health care cost containment initiatives or decisions of individual third-party payers.

In the United States and other foreign markets, health care providers, such as hospitals and physicians, that purchase health care products, such as our products, generally rely on third-party payers, including Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurance and managed care plans, to reimburse all or part of the cost of the health care product. Reimbursement by third party payers, both in the United States and internationally, may depend on a number of factors, including the individual payer’s determination that the use of our products is clinically useful and cost-effective, medically necessary, and not experimental or investigational. Since reimbursement approval is required from each payer individually, seeking such approvals can be a time consuming and costly process, which could require us or our marketing partners to provide supporting scientific, clinical, and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our products to each payer separately. Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved health care products, and any failure or delay in obtaining reimbursement approvals can negatively impact sales of our new products. In addition, we cannot be certain that payers who currently provide reimbursement for our products will continue to provide such reimbursement in the future, and such payer decisions could negatively impact the sales of our current or future products.

In addition, third party payers are increasingly attempting to contain the costs of health care products and services by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for new therapeutic products and by refusing, in some cases, to provide coverage for uses of approved products for disease indications for which the FDA, or the applicable foreign regulatory agency, has granted marketing approval. Also, the U.S. Congress, certain state legislatures, and certain foreign governments and regulatory agencies have considered reforms, including, among other items, any material changes to the Affordable Care Act or the potential repeal of reference drug pricing in the United States, which may affect current reimbursement practices and create additional uncertainty about the pricing of our products, including the potential implementation of controls on health care spending through limitations on the growth of Medicare and Medicaid spending. There can be no assurance that third party reimbursement coverage will be available or adequate for any products or services developed by us. Outside the United States, the success of our products is also dependent in part upon the availability of reimbursement and health care payment systems. Domestic and international reimbursement laws and regulations may change from time to time. Lack of adequate coverage and reimbursement provided by governments and other third-party payers for our products and services, including continuing coverage for Monovisc and Orthovisc in the United States, and any change of classification by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for reimbursement of Orthovisc and Monovisc, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Product Development and Regulatory Compliance

We are facing a longer than expected pathway to commercialize our Cingal product in the United States, and we may face other unforeseen difficulties in achieving regulatory approval for Cingal, which could affect our business and financial results.

In the second quarter of 2018, we received and analyzed the results of our second Phase III clinical trial for Cingal and found that the data did not meet the primary study endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant difference in pain reduction between Cingal and the approved steroid component of Cingal at the six-month time point. After discussions, the FDA indicated that an additional Phase III clinical trial would be necessary to support U.S. marketing approval for Cingal. In 2019, we began the design of a pilot study to enable us to evaluate our full-scale Phase III clinical trial design, including patient and site selection criteria, and increase the probability of success for the Phase III trial. In September 2020 the first patient was enrolled in the pilot study. We completed enrollment in the pilot study in November 2021 and we are currently evaluating the clinical results of the study and expect to complete the review of our analysis in the middle of 2022. We cannot guarantee that the results from the pilot study will be successful. If the pilot study is successful, we expect to commence an additional Phase III trial in 2022, but we cannot guarantee the success of any additional Phase III trial. Because the results of the pilot study or any additional Phase III trial, or other unforeseen future developments, could have a substantial negative impact on the timeline for and the cost associated with a potential Cingal regulatory approval, our overall business condition, financial results, and competitive position could be affected.

Failure to obtain, or any delay in obtaining, FDA or other U.S. and foreign governmental approvals for our products may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Several of our current products under development, and certain future products we may develop, will require clinical trials to determine their safety and efficacy for marketing approval by regulatory bodies, including the FDA. Product development and approval within the FDA and international regulatory frameworks takes a number of years and involves the expenditure of substantial resources. There can be no assurance that the FDA or other regulatory authorities will accept submissions related to our new products or the expansion of the indications of our current products, and, even if submissions are accepted, there can be no guarantee that the FDA or other regulatory authorities will grant approval for our new products, on a timely basis, if at all. In addition to regulations enforced by the FDA, we are subject to other existing and future federal, state, local, and foreign regulations applicable to product approval, which may vary significantly across jurisdictions. Additional approval of existing products may be required when changes to such products may affect the safety and effectiveness, including for new indications for use, labeling changes, process or manufacturing changes, the use of a different facility to manufacture, process or package the device, and changes in performance or design specifications. Failure to obtain regulatory approvals of our products, including any changes to existing products, could have an adverse material impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Even if ultimately granted, FDA and international regulatory approvals may be subject to significant, unanticipated delays throughout the regulatory approval process. Internally, we make assumptions regarding product approval timelines, both in the United States and internationally, in our business planning, and any delay in approval could materially affect our competitive position in the relevant product market and our projections related to future business results.

We cannot be certain that product approvals, both in the United States and internationally, will not include significant limitations on the product indications, and other claims sought for use, under which the products may be marketed. The relevant approval or clearance may also include other significant conditions of approval such as post-market testing, tracking, or surveillance requirements. Any of these factors could significantly impact our competitive position in relation to such products and could have a negative impact on the sales of such products. 

Once obtained, we cannot guarantee that FDA or international product approvals will not be withdrawn or that relevant agencies will not require other corrective action, and any withdrawal or corrective action could materially affect our business and financial results.

Once obtained, marketing approval can be withdrawn by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory agencies for a number of reasons, including the failure to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements or the occurrence of unforeseen problems following initial approval. Regulatory authorities could also limit or prevent the manufacture or distribution of our products. Any regulatory limitations on the use of our products or any withdrawal or suspension of approval or rescission of approval by the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory agency could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our operations and products are subject to extensive regulation, compliance with which is costly and time consuming, and our failure to comply may result in substantial penalties, including recalls of our products.

The FDA and foreign regulatory bodies impose extensive regulations applicable to our operations and products, including regulations governing product and sterilization standards, packing requirements, labeling requirements, quality system and manufacturing requirements, import restrictions, tariff regulations, duties, and tax requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve and maintain compliance required for FDA, CE marking, or other foreign regulatory approvals for any or all of our operations and products or that we will be able to produce our products in a timely and profitable manner while complying with applicable requirements.

Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in substantial penalties, including warning letters, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, refusal to grant pre-market clearance or pre-market approval for devices or drugs, withdrawal of approvals, and criminal prosecution. Additionally, regulatory authorities have the power to require the recall of our products. It also might be necessary for us, in applicable circumstances, to initiate a voluntary recall per regulatory requirements of one or several of our products. The imposition of any of the foregoing penalties, whether voluntarily or involuntary, could have a material negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Any changes in FDA or international regulations related to product approval or approval renewal, including those currently under consideration by FDA or those that apply retroactively, could adversely affect our competitive position and materially affect our business and financial results.

FDA and foreign regulations depend heavily on administrative interpretation, and we cannot assure you that future interpretations made by the FDA or other regulatory bodies, with possible retroactive effect, will not adversely affect us. Additionally, any changes, whether in interpretation or substance, in existing regulations or policies, or any future adoption of new regulations or policies by relevant regulatory bodies, could prevent or delay approval of our products. In the event our future, or current, products, including HA generally, are classified, or re-classified, as human drugs, combination products, or biologics by the FDA or an applicable international regulatory body, the applicable review process-related to such products is typically substantially longer and substantially more expensive than the review process to which they are currently subject as medical devices. In 2018, FDA publicly indicated its intent to consider HA products for certain indications for regulation as a drug and has indicated that industry should submit new products or indication expansions to its Office of Combination Products to designate the appropriate FDA office for review. There exists uncertainty with respect to the final interpretation, implementation, and consequences of this development, and this or any other potential regulatory changes in approach or interpretation similar in substance to those mentioned in this paragraph and affecting our products could materially impact our competitive position, business, and financial results.

Additionally, the implementation of the new European Medical Device Regulation, or EU MDR, which was fully put into effect in 2021, is expected to change several aspects of the existing regulatory framework in Europe. Specifically, the EU MDR will require changes in the clinical evidence required for medical devices, post-market clinical follow-up evidence, annual reporting of safety information for Class III products, and bi-annual reporting for Class II products, Unique Device Identification, or UDI, for all products, submission of core data elements to a European UDI database prior to placement of a device on the market, reclassification of medical devices, and multiple other labeling changes. Approvals for certain of our currently marketed products could be curtailed or withdrawn as a result of the implementation of EU MDR, and acquiring approvals for new products could be more challenging and costly. We are currently reviewing our products that we are currently selling in European markets as to the impact of EU MDR. There may be products that we may not continue to market in Europe as expected demand may not be worth the cost of this regulatory compliance. Compliance with this and any other requirements could be time consuming and costly, and our failure to comply may subject us to significant liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. 

We may rely on third parties to support certain aspects of our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval or commercialize our products, and our business could be substantially harmed.

We have hired experienced clinical development and regulatory staff, and we have also retained the services of knowledgeable external service providers, including consultants and clinical research organizations, to develop and supervise our clinical trials and regulatory processes. Despite our internal investment in staffing, we will remain dependent upon these third-party contract research organizations and consultants to carry out portions of our clinical and preclinical research studies and regulatory filing assistance for the foreseeable future. As a result, we have had and will have less control over the conduct of the clinical trials, the timing and completion of the trials, the required reporting of adverse events, and the management of data developed through the trials than would be the case if we were relying entirely on our own staff. Outside parties may have staffing difficulties, may undergo changes in priorities or may become financially distressed, adversely affecting their willingness or ability to conduct our trials. Failure by these third parties to comply with regulatory requirements or to meet timing expectations may require us to repeat clinical or preclinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process, or require substantial unexpected expenditures.

We are subject to various healthcare laws and regulations, and any failure to comply with applicable laws could subject us to significant liability and harm our business.

The sales, marketing and pricing of products and relationships that medical products companies have with healthcare providers are under increased scrutiny around the world. Our industry is subject to various laws and regulations pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark law, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and similar laws and regulations in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, we are subject to various laws concerning anti-corruption and anti-bribery matters (including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), sales to countries or persons subject to economic sanctions and other matters affecting our international operations. Violations of these laws are punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including, in some instances, fines, imprisonment and, within the United States, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and Veterans Administration health programs. These laws are administered by, among others, the DOJ, the OIG-HHS, the SEC, the OFAC, the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and state attorneys general. Any failure to comply with these laws could subject us to significant liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are subject to environmental regulations and any failure to comply with applicable laws could subject us to significant liabilities and harm our business.

We are subject to a variety of local, state, federal, and foreign government regulations relating to the storage, discharge, handling, emission, generation, manufacture, and disposal of toxic or other hazardous substances used in the manufacture of our products. Any failure by us to control the use, disposal, removal, or storage of hazardous chemicals or toxic substances could subject us to significant liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Growth Initiatives

We may have difficulty managing our growth.

As a result of our activities, we have experienced substantial growth in the number of our employees, the scope of our product portfolio and pipeline, the size of our operating and financial systems, and the geographic area of our operations. This growth has resulted in increased responsibilities for our management. To manage our growth effectively, we must continue to expand our management team, attract, motivate and retain employees, and improve our operating and financial systems. There can be no assurance that our current management systems will be adequate or that we will be able to manage our recent or future growth successfully. Any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. 

We may not generate the expected benefits of our acquisitions, and the ongoing integration of those acquisitions could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and increase our expenses.

Through our acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface, we expanded our product portfolio and pipeline, diversified our business, expanded our commercial infrastructure, entered new markets, and increased the scope of our operations and the number of our employees. The continued successful integration of these other companies into our operations is critical to our future financial performance. This will require that we continue to integrate more closely the companies’ product offerings and research and development capabilities, retain key employees, assimilate diverse corporate cultures, further integrate management and financial information systems, consolidate the acquired operations and manage geographically dispersed operations, among other things, each of which could pose significant challenges. The difficulty of combining the acquired companies with our company may be increased by the need to integrate personnel, and changes effected in the combination may cause key employees to leave. To succeed in the market for joint preservation and restoration, we must also invest additional resources, primarily in the areas of sales and marketing, to extend name recognition and increase market share.

The integration of the two acquired companies into our operations has taken longer than originally anticipated and has required more effort and expense than was originally planned. This has resulted, and may continue to result, in the loss of valuable employees, additional and unforeseen expenses, the disruption of our ongoing business, processes and systems, or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures, practices, policies and compensation arrangements, any of which could adversely affect our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions. There may be increased risk due to the ongoing integration of financial reporting and internal control systems. Any diversion of the attention of management created by the integration process, any disruptions or other difficulties encountered in the integration process, and unforeseen liabilities or unanticipated problems with the acquired businesses could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. While we are working diligently to complete integration activities, employee disruptions, production and communication challenges and management diversion created by the COVID-19 pandemic present particular challenges to our continued integration of Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical and have made it more challenging than anticipated to effectively and timely complete our integration goals. We recorded an impairment to goodwill in 2020 and a reduction in the fair value of contingent consideration in connection with the acquisitions that was driven in part by an increase in the significant effect that COVID-19 has had and is expected to continue to have an impact on near-term cash flows of our new subsidiaries.

There can be no assurance that these acquisitions will provide the benefits we expect or that we will be able to integrate and develop the operations of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface successfully. Any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We expect to continue to actively explore inorganic growth as a part of our future growth strategy, which exposes us to a variety of risks that could adversely affect our business operations.

Our business and future growth strategy includes as an important component the acquisition of businesses, technologies, services, assets or products that we believe are a strategic fit with or otherwise provide value to our business. We may fund these acquisitions by utilizing our cash, incurring debt, issuing additional shares of our common stock, or by other means. Completed transactions may expose us to a number of risks and expenses, including unanticipated liabilities, amortization expenses related to intangible assets with definite lives, or risks associated with entering new markets with which we have limited experience or where commercial alliances with experienced partners or existing sales channels are not available. Whether or not completed, transactions may result in diversion of management resources otherwise available for ongoing development of our business and significant expenditures.

Customer and employee uncertainty about the effects of any acquisitions could harm us.

Customers of any companies we acquire may, in response to the consummation of the acquisitions, delay or defer purchasing decisions, which could adversely affect the success of our acquired businesses. Similarly, employees of acquired companies may experience uncertainty about their future roles, which may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key management, sales, marketing, and technical personnel following an acquisition. 

As our international sales and operations grow, we could become increasingly subject to additional economic, political, and other risks that could harm our business.

Since we manufacture our products for sale worldwide, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. During 2021, 2020, and 2019, 23%, 21%, and 21%, respectively, of our product sales were to international customers. We continue to be subject to a variety of risks, which could cause fluctuations in the results of our international and domestic operations. These risks include:

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and address these and any new risks. We cannot guarantee that these or other factors will not adversely affect our business or operating results.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

We may be unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, which could have a material impact on our business and future financial results.

Our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may not be successful. We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, and contractual provisions to protect our proprietary rights. Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to obtain and enforce patents and trademarks, to protect trade secrets, to obtain licenses to technology owned by third parties when necessary, and to conduct our business without infringing on the valid proprietary rights of others. The patent positions of pharmaceutical, medical product, and biotechnology firms, including ours, can be uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. There can be no assurance that any patent applications will result in the issuance of patents or, if any patents are issued, that they will provide significant proprietary protection or commercial advantage or will not be circumvented by others. Filing and prosecution of patent applications, litigation to establish the validity and scope of patents, assertion of patent infringement claims against others, and the defense of patent infringement claims by others can be expensive and time consuming. There can be no assurance that, in the event that any claims with respect to any of our patents, if issued, are challenged by one or more third parties, any court or patent authority ruling on such challenge will determine that such patent claims are valid and enforceable. An adverse outcome in such litigation or patent review process could cause us to lose exclusivity covered by the disputed rights. If a third party is found to have rights covering products or processes used by us, we could be forced to cease using the technologies or marketing the products covered by such rights, we could be subject to significant liabilities to such third party, and we could be required to license technologies from such third party in order to continue production of the products. Furthermore, even if our patents are determined to be valid, enforceable, and broad in scope, there can be no assurance that competitors will not be able to design around such patents and compete with us using the resulting alternative technology. We have a policy of seeking patent protection for patentable aspects of our proprietary technology. We intend to seek patent protection with respect to products and processes developed in the course of our activities when we believe such protection is in our best interest and when the cost of seeking such protection is appropriate. However, no assurance can be given that any patent application will be filed, that any filed applications will result in issued patents, or that any issued patents will provide us with a competitive advantage or will not be successfully challenged by third parties. The protections afforded by patents will depend upon their scope and validity, and others may be able to design around our patents. 

We also rely upon trade secrets and proprietary know-how for certain non-patented aspects of our technology. To protect such information, we require all employees, consultants, and licensees to enter into confidentiality agreements limiting the disclosure and use of such information. There can be no assurance that these agreements provide meaningful protection or that they will not be breached, that we would have adequate remedies for any such breach, or that our trade secrets, proprietary know-how, and our technological advances will not otherwise become known to others. In addition, there can be no assurance that, despite precautions taken by us, others have not and will not obtain access to our proprietary technology. Further, there can be no assurance that third parties will not independently develop substantially equivalent or better technology.

There can be no assurance that we will not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others, which could have a significant impact on our business and financial results.

Other entities have filed patent applications for, or have been issued patents concerning, various products or processes in the segments in which we do business. There can be no assurance that the products or processes developed by us will not infringe on the patent rights of others in the future. The cost of defending infringement suits is typically large, and there is no guarantee that any future defense would be successful. In addition, infringement could lead to substantial damages payouts or our inability to produce or market certain of our current or future products. As a result, any such infringement may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Our operations are located in areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and those operations have been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus has impacted the social and economic framework globally. Our administrative, research and development, and manufacturing operations are principally performed at our U.S. facilities in Massachusetts and Florida. Though our Italian operations represent a relatively small percentage of our consolidated business, we conduct commercial activity, product development, sales, logistics, inventory management and supply chain activities, and other services in our office in Padova, Italy. Our business operations in the United States and Italy are subject to potential business interruptions arising from protective measures that have been taken by Italian, U.S., Massachusetts and Florida regulators and other government agencies. Business disruptions elsewhere in the world could also negatively affect the sources and availability of components and materials that are essential to the operation of our business in both the United States and Italy. Our commercial day-to-day operations have been significantly impacted by the worldwide cancellation or delay of elective procedures in hospitals and ASCs, and timelines associated with certain clinical studies and research and development programs have been delayed.

Stay-at-home orders, business closures, travel restrictions, supply chain disruptions, employee illness or quarantines, our or our suppliers’ ability to hire employees and other extended periods of interruption to our business have resulted in disruptions to our operations, caused us to cease or delay operations, and prevented our customers from receiving shipments or processing payments. All of these impacts could continue as COVID-19 continues to impact our business. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we have transitioned a significant portion of our employee population to a remote work environment, but employees who are unable to work remotely continue to work at our facilities. There can be no assurances that the safety measures we have implemented will be sufficient to protect our employees in our workplace or that they may not otherwise be exposed to COVID-19 outside of our workplace. If a number of our essential employees become sick or otherwise unable to continue working during the current or any future epidemic, our operations may be harmed. Also, the remote work environment may exacerbate various cybersecurity risks to our business, including an increased demand for information technology resources, an increased risk of phishing and other cybersecurity attacks, and an increased risk of unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal information or proprietary or confidential information. Extended periods of interruption to our corporate, development or manufacturing facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused or could cause us to lose revenue and market share, which has depressed and could continue to depress our financial performance and may be difficult to recapture. Travel restrictions within, to or from the United States United, Kingdom and Italy have negatively impacted the ability of our employees to do their jobs effectively and efficiently, including impacting our employees’ abilities to meet with clinicians and present and train them on our products. If travel continues to be restricted or inadvisable, these negative impacts could continue. In addition, employee disruptions and remote working environments related to the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted, and are continuing to impact, the efficiency and pace with which we work and develop our product candidates and our manufacturing capabilities.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic uncertainties has increased challenges associated with hiring highly skilled and experienced employees and may continue to create challenges and/or adversely impact employee retention due to the additional financial, family, and health burdens that many employees may be experiencing. Our industry’s highly competitive market for skilled workers and leaders may negatively affect our ability to retain qualified employees. Losing members of our senior management and other highly skilled personnel could prevent us from achieving our business objectives or divert management’s attention to seeking qualified replacements and ensuring seamless transitions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of elective surgeries being performed, and has slowed the pace of new product approvals by current and potential customers, which has decreased the usage of, and revenue from, certain of our products.

A significant portion of the demand for our products results from the usage of our products in elective surgeries. Elective surgeries have been curtailed a number of times during COVID-19 since 2020, including variant surges in 2021 in many parts of the globe due to restrictions on surgeries put in place by governments or healthcare providers, staffing shortages, and positive COVID-19 diagnoses or quarantines. While many restrictions have eased with COVID-19 vaccines now becoming available, the elective surgery market faced additional pandemic-related challenges in the second half of 2021 due to regional surges in COVID-19 Delta variant cases and staffing shortages. In December 2021, the COVID-19 Omicron variant prompted additional government restrictions on elective procedures, led to additional COVID-19 diagnoses, and created additional surgical staffing challenges.

Although the rate of elective procedures has started to increase in some locations, the systemic limits on elective surgery capacity negatively impacted our revenue and operating results. In addition, primarily as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 including stay-at-home orders and other attempts to limit in-person meetings, hospitals and ASCs have at times delayed having meetings of their committees to review and approve the introduction of new products into their facilities. As we are focused on growing our business by introducing new products to existing and new hospital and ASC customers, the inability to have our products timely reviewed and approved by these customers has also negatively impacted our revenue and operating results. It is uncertain whether elective surgeries will continue to be negatively impacted or halted again in the future by a resurgence of COVID-19 or when our customers or potential customers will start reviewing and approving new products again on a more regular cadence. There remains uncertainty in light of ongoing infection rates in many areas of the United States and in various international jurisdictions. Procedure volumes have not yet returned to pre-COVID-19 levels and there is no guarantee that the recent positive trends will continue. As a result, elective procedures may yet again decline, and the ability to get our products timely reviewed and approved by customers may continue to be challenged, especially in geographies with substantial COVID-19 infection rates or policies that cause staffing shortages. Globally, the pace of recovery will be phased and regionally determined based on local orders and the overall impact of COVID-19. A continuation of the decreased level of elective procedures due to COVID-19, or the continued slower pace of new product approvals, will result in a loss of sales and profits and other material adverse effects on our business and operating results.

The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact our development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials, which could significantly impair our long-term business plans and operating results.

Our preclinical activities and clinical trials for our product candidates are planned in geographies that are currently affected by COVID-19. The timely initiation and completion of our preclinical and development activities and clinical trials depend upon the availability of facility access, preclinical and clinical trial sites, researchers and investigators, regulatory agency personnel, and materials, all of which may be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing of our clinical trials depends on our ability to recruit patients to participate as well as the completion of required follow-up periods. The COVID-19 global pandemic has had and may continue to have a sustained impact on our ability to recruit, enroll and follow-up with patients either due to continued or renewed restrictions on travel or shelter-in-place orders or policies, or due to changes in patient willingness to participate in trials or travel to study sites during the pandemic. Additionally, COVID-19 related study site policies, including performing elective procedures, may create delays or setbacks in our ability to continue to enroll or to treat patients. The timeline for recruiting patients, conducting trials and obtaining regulatory approval of our product candidates may be delayed, which could result in increased costs, delays in advancing our product candidates, delays in testing the effectiveness of our product candidates or termination of the clinical trials altogether. Factors resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic that could delay or otherwise adversely affect the completion of our preclinical activities and the planned activities related to our clinical trials, as well as our business generally, include: 

Our global supply chain may be materially adversely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We rely upon the facilities of our global suppliers to support our business. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant governmental measures in many countries being implemented to control the spread of COVID-19, including restrictions on manufacturing and the movement of employees. As a result of COVID-19 and the measures designed to contain its spread, certain of our suppliers have not had the materials, capacity, or capability to supply our needed materials and other supplies that we require to manufacture our products according to our schedule and specifications. It is uncertain whether and to what extent these supply chain challenges will continue as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Further, logistics issues, including our ability and our supply chain’s ability to quickly ramp up production, and transportation demands may cause delays. If our suppliers’ operations are curtailed, we may need to seek alternate sources of supply, which may be more expensive or require approval from regulatory agencies which could cause further delays. Alternate sources may not be available or may result in delays in shipments to us from our supply chain and subsequently to our customers, each of which would affect our results of operations. If the duration of the production and supply chain disruptions continue for an extended period of time, the impact on our supply chain could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our stock price may be highly volatile, and we cannot assure you that market making in our common stock will continue.

The market price of shares of our common stock may be highly volatile. Factors such as announcements of new commercial products or technological innovations by us or our competitors, disclosure of results of clinical testing or regulatory proceedings, government regulation and approvals, developments in patent or other proprietary rights, public concern as to the safety of products developed by us, and general market conditions may have a significant effect on the market price of our common stock. We withdrew and have not since provided financial guidance to investors as a result our own uncertainty with respect to projections during the COVID-19 pandemic. This action, as well as general investor uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, could create volatility and unpredictability in our stock price. The trading price of our common stock could also be subject to wide fluctuations in response to quarter-to-quarter variations in our operating results, material announcements by us or our competitors, governmental regulatory action, conditions in the health care industry generally or in the medical products industry specifically, or other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, which have particularly affected the market prices of many medical products companies and which often have been unrelated to the operating performance of such companies. Our operating results in future quarters may be below the expectations of equity research analysts and investors. In such an event, the price of our common stock would likely decline, perhaps substantially. 

Our charter documents contain anti-takeover provisions that may prevent or delay an acquisition of our company.

Our charter documents continue to contain anti-takeover provisions that could prevent or delay an acquisition of our company. The provisions include, among others, a classified board of directors, advance notice to the board of stockholder proposals, limitations on the ability of stockholders to remove directors and to call stockholder meetings, and a provision that allows vacancies on the Board of Directors to be filled by vote of a majority of the remaining directors. We are also subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the date that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Those provisions could have the effect of discouraging a third party from pursuing a non-negotiated takeover of our company at a price considered attractive by many stockholders and could have the effect of preventing or delaying a potential acquirer from acquiring control of our company.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. No person is under any obligation to publish research or reports on us, and any person publishing research or reports on us may discontinue doing so at any time without notice. If adequate research coverage is not maintained on our company or if any of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business or provide relatively more favorable recommendations about our competitors, our stock price would likely decline. If any analysts who cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

We maintain leases on six facilities, including our corporate headquarters location in Bedford, Massachusetts, where we lease approximately 134,000 square feet of administrative, research and development, and manufacturing space. The lease on this facility contains multiple extension options that allow us to extend the term through October 2038. Our other lease locations are in Franklin, Massachusetts, Sarasota, Florida, Warsaw, Indiana and Padova, Italy. These additional facilities provide us with an aggregate of over 80,000 square feet of additional space and have terms expiring between 2022 and 2032, subject to certain renewal provisions contained within the lease agreements.

See Note 9, Leases, to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our specific leaseholds.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are involved from time-to-time in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. Although the outcomes of these legal proceedings are inherently difficult to predict, we do not expect the resolution of these proceedings to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

On October 21, 2021, we received notice that the former unitholders of Parcus Medical had filed a request for arbitration regarding the earnout provisions agreed to in the Parcus Medical Merger Agreement. We have engaged in the arbitration process and do not anticipate a resolution during 2022. We are unable to estimate the potential liability with respect to this matter at this time. There are numerous factors that make it difficult to estimate reasonably possible loss or range of loss at this stage of the matter, including the significant number of legal and factual issues still to be resolved in the arbitration process. We intend to vigorously defend against the claims, and we believe that we have strong defenses to the claims asserted.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Common Stock Information

Our common stock has traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market since November 25, 1997, under the symbol “ANIK.” At December 31, 2021, the closing price per share of our common stock was $35.83 as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, and there were 111 holders of record. We believe that the number of beneficial owners of our common stock at that date was substantially greater, due to shares being held by intermediaries.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain earnings, if any, for use in our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Payment of future dividends, if any, on our common stock will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, operating results, anticipated cash needs, and plans for expansion.

Performance Graph

Set forth below is a graph comparing the total returns of our company, the NASDAQ Composite Index, and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. The graph assumes $100 is invested on December 31, 2016 in our common stock and each of the indices. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

On May 2, 2019, we announced that our Board of Directors approved a $50.0 million share repurchase program with $30.0 million to be utilized for an accelerated share repurchase program, which was completed in January 2020, and $20.0 million reserved for open market repurchases which represents the maximum value of shares that may yet be purchased. No open market repurchases were made during the year ended December 31, 2021. Please see Note 16, Accelerated Share Repurchases to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

For information regarding securities authorized for issuance under our employee stock-based compensation plans, see Part III. Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Consistent with the amendments to Regulation S-K, information previously required by this item is no longer required. For our historic financial data not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, please refer to the “SEC Filings” section of our website located at http://www.anika.com.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following section contains statements that are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievement to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievement, expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. We discuss many of these risks and uncertainties at the beginning of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and under the sections captioned “Business” and “Risk Factors.” The following discussion should also be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the Notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

Management Overview

We are a global joint preservation company that creates and delivers meaningful advancements in early intervention orthopedic care. Based on our collaborations with clinicians to understand what they need most to treat their patients, we develop minimally invasive products that restore active living for people around the world. We are committed to leading in high opportunity spaces within orthopedics, including osteoarthritis, or OA, pain management, regenerative solutions, sports medicine soft tissue repair and bone preserving joint technologies.

We have thirty years of global expertise developing, manufacturing and commercializing products based on our hyaluronic acid, or HA, technology platform. HA is a naturally occurring polymer found throughout the body that is vital for proper joint health and tissue function. Our proprietary technologies for modifying the HA molecule allow product properties to be tailored specifically to multiple uses, including enabling longer residence time to support OA pain management and creating a solid form of HA called Hyaff, which is a platform utilized in our regenerative solutions portfolio.

In early 2020, we expanded our overall technology platform, product portfolio, and significantly enhanced our commercial infrastructure, especially in the United States, through our strategic acquisitions of Parcus Medical, a sports medicine and instrumentation solutions provider focused on soft tissue repair, and Arthrosurface, a company specializing in bone preserving partial and total joint replacement solutions. Through these acquisitions, we have transformed our company. We expanded our addressable market from the over $1 billion global OA pain management market to the over $8 billion global joint preservation market (which includes the faster growing sports medicine soft tissue repair and extremities segments), advanced our commercial capabilities, instituted systems and process to support our transformation, and expanded our product pipeline and research and development expertise in our target markets.

As we look towards the future, our business is positioned to capture value within our target market of joint preservation. We believe our success will be driven by our:

For additional information regarding our business, please refer to “Item 1. Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Key Developments during the Year Ended December 31, 2021

COVID-19 Pandemic

As discussed more fully in the section captioned “Results of Operations – Year ended December 31, 2021 compared to year ended December 31, 2020” below, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our full year financial condition and operations. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the spread of the COVID-19 virus a pandemic. This pandemic has caused an economic downturn on a global scale, as well as significant volatility in the financial markets. There has been significant volatility in our results on a quarterly basis due to the worldwide cancellation or delay of elective procedures, staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions, as well as the impact on timelines associated with certain clinical studies. While elective procedure volume had a limited recovery after the initial pandemic impacts seen in the early parts of second quarter of 2020 due to the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions in certain jurisdictions, areas of the United States and other countries have recently seen, and continue to see, fluctuating infection rates increasing as the result of emerging variants of COVID-19. Continuing fluctuations in infection rates in the United States and other countries make future results difficult to predict despite recent advances in the vaccination rates of certain parts of the population. Please see the section captioned “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information with respect to the risks faced by our business in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken many precautions to provide a safe work environment for our employees and customers, including the establishment and implementation of a work from home policy, where possible. Despite increasing vaccination rates and other efforts to return to a more normalized business environment, the pandemic continues to have an impact on our business in certain jurisdictions and a resurgence of COVID-19 as a result of emerging variants or other factors, as has occurred in certain jurisdictions, could result in additional government lockdowns or other restrictions, quarantine requirements, staffing shortages or supply chain disruptions that could impact our business and operations. We may also have to take further actions that we determine are in the best interests of our employees or as required by federal, state, or local authorities. We have had some disruption in our ability to supply products to our customers due to supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages which has caused back orders or delays in certain shipments to our customers. Our commercial day-to-day operations have been impacted due to the worldwide cancellations and/or delays of elective procedures and restrictions on travel for both our employees and our clinician customers, and timelines associated with certain clinical studies and research and development programs have been delayed. While the impact has been limited to these items to date, we caution that there continues to be a possibility for potential future implementation of certain additional restrictions or other challenges associated with infections, staffing shortages or supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 and it current or new variants in certain jurisdictions. The impact of these challenges are currently unknown, but could be significant.  

Products

OA Pain Management

Our OA Pain Management product family consists of Monovisc, Orthovisc, Cingal, and Hyvisc, our injectable, HA-based viscosupplement offerings that are indicated to provide pain relief from osteoarthritis conditions.

Joint Preservation and Restoration

Our Joint Preservation and Restoration product family consists of: (a) our portfolio of over 150 bone preserving joint technology products, including partial joint replacement, joint resurfacing, and minimally invasive and bone sparing implants, designed to treat upper and lower extremity orthopedic conditions caused by trauma, injury and arthritic disease; (b) our line of sports medicine soft tissue repair solutions used to repair and reconstruct damaged ligaments and tendons due to sports injuries, trauma and disease; and (c) our orthopedic regenerative solutions products, including Hyalofast and Tactoset.

Non-Orthopedic

Our Non-Orthopedic product family consists of legacy HA-based products that are marketed principally for non-orthopedic applications, including our adhesion barrier product, advanced wound care products, our ear, nose and throat products, and our ophthalmic products.

For additional information with respect to our products, including information related to how they are sold and new product development initiatives, please see the sections captioned “Products,” “Sales Channels,” and “Research and Development” contained within “Part I. Item I. Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Results of Operations

Year ended December 31, 2021 compared to year ended December 31, 2020

Statement of Operations Detail

Revenue

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $147.8 million, an increase of $17.3 million, or 13%, compared to prior year. The increase in revenue was primarily driven by partial recovery from the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sales volumes and related strategic partner ordering patterns as well as from growing commercial adoption of new products. The increase for 2021 was also in part due to inclusion of full first quarter results of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface, which we acquired on January 24, 2020 and February 3, 2020, respectively.

The following table presents product revenue by product family for fiscal years 2021 and 2020 (dollars in thousands):

Revenue from our OA Pain Management product family increased 8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to prior year, due primarily to partial recovery from the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sales volumes and related strategic partner ordering patterns. 

Revenue from our Joint Preservation and Restoration product family increased 23% for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to prior year, due primarily to organic growth as the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elective procedures begins to lift in various worldwide jurisdictions, especially in the United States during 2021. We also saw rapidly growing commercial adoption of new regenerative, soft tissue and bone sparing joint products introduced in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The increase was also due in part to the inclusion of full year results from Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface which were acquired in the first quarter of 2020.

Revenue from our non-orthopedic product family increased 20% for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to prior year, primarily due to timing of distributor sales as well as due to higher revenues from legacy products during the first quarter.

Gross Profit and Margin

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $82.9 million, or gross margin of 56%, as compared with $69.0 million, or gross margin of 53%, for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily resulted from revenue growth and lower amortization of inventory step up costs related to the Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical acquisitions. This increase was partially offset by higher product rationalization charges, as well as lower production levels and increased reserves caused in part by staffing and supply chain challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Gross margin includes the impact of inventory step-up associated with the Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical acquisitions, as well as acquisition-related amortization expenses. These expenses together increased cost of revenue by $12.7 million, or 9 points of gross margin, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to increased cost of revenue of $16.9 million, or 13 points of gross margin for the same periods in 2020.

Research and Development

Research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $27.3 million, an increase of $3.9 million, or 17%, as compared to the prior year, primarily due to product development activities associated with the development of new product candidates in our research and development pipeline, execution of the Cingal pilot study and Hyalofast clinical trial.

For additional information on our research and development activities, please see the section captioned “Part I. Item 1. Business—Research and Development” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $74.1 million, an increase of $14.0 million, or 23%, as compared to the prior year. The increase in SG&A expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily related to full period expenses from Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface, expansion of our commercial capability in the United States and expanded marketing activities and other operational capabilities to support the growing business needs, higher stock based compensation expense, and a non-cash loss on disposal of fixed assets, partially offset by the absence of transaction costs incurred in 2020 related to acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface. Certain activities were curtailed in the year ended December 31, 2020 due to cost optimization in light of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goodwill Impairment Charge

We assess goodwill for impairment annually, or, under certain circumstances, more frequently, such as when events or changes in circumstances indicate there may be impairment. U.S. government policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes in healthcare guidelines caused a temporary suspension of domestic elective surgical procedures. As a result of these events during 2020, we experienced decreases in immediate term revenue and related cash flows which directly impacted the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface reporting unit. The results of the interim and annual impairment tests indicated that the estimated fair value of this reporting unit was less than its carrying value. Consequently, a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $42.5 million was recorded in 2020. There were no goodwill impairment charges during 2021.

Contingent Consideration Fair Value Change

In the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded a $21.1 million net benefit related to the change in fair value of our contingent consideration liabilities incurred associated with the acquisition of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface in 2020. The liability for contingent consideration is remeasured at each reporting period until the contingency is resolved. The decrease in fair value of the contingent consideration was due primarily to the decrease in the likelihood that certain contingent milestones would be achieved or because certain contingent milestones were not achieved. Also, in July 2021, we made a regulatory milestone payment in connection with the Arthrosurface acquisition in the amount of $10.0 million upon obtaining a regulatory clearance for a reverse shoulder implant system.

Income Taxes

The benefit from income taxes was $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, resulting in an effective tax rate of (70.4%). The benefit from income taxes was $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, resulting in an effective tax rate of 16.2%. The net change in the effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the prior year, was primarily due to lower income before tax in 2021, favorable state tax apportionment, a $0.9 million tax benefit on the decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration and the release of a valuation allowance initially recorded in 2020 in the amount of $0.9 million due to increased likelihood regarding the realizability of certain net deferred tax assets in Italy.

Net Income (Loss)

For the year ended December 31, 2021, net income was $4.1 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $24.0 million, or $1.69 per diluted share, for the prior year. The increase in net income and diluted earnings per share was primarily due to increased revenue, reduction in the fair value of contingent consideration and the absence of goodwill impairment charges, partially offset by higher operating expenses primarily driven by increased spending to expand our commercial capability in the United States and development of new products and clinical trial activity.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We present certain information with respect to adjusted gross profit and adjusted gross margin, adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization, or EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share or adjusted EPS, which are financial measures not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP, and is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

We have presented adjusted gross profit and adjusted gross margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted EPS, because they are key measures used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our operating performance and to develop operational goals for managing our business. We believe these financial measures help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the expenses that we exclude. In particular, we believe that the exclusion of these items in calculating these measures can provide a useful tool for period-to-period comparisons of our core operating performance. Accordingly, we believe that these measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results, enhancing the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allowing for greater transparency with respect to key financial metrics used by our management in their financial and operational decision-making. 

Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Margin

We define adjusted gross profit as our gross profit excluding amortization of certain acquired intangible assets, the impact of inventory fair-value step up associated with our recent acquisitions and certain product rationalization charges. The amortized assets contribute to revenue generation, and the amortization of such assets will likely continue in future periods until such assets are fully amortized. These assets include the fair value of certain identified assets acquired in acquisitions, including developed technology and acquired tradenames. We define adjusted gross margin as adjusted gross profit divided by total revenue.

The following is a reconciliation of adjusted gross profit to gross profit for the years ended December 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively:

Adjusted gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased $10.2 million to $98.1 million representing 66% of revenue. Adjusted gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $87.9 million, or 67% of revenue. This increase in adjusted gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily resulted from higher revenue due to organic growth of revenues as COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions started lifting in various worldwide jurisdictions, especially in the United States, as well as the inclusion of full period results from Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface in 2021 as we acquired these businesses in early 2020. The decrease in adjusted gross margin for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, is due primarily to unfavorable production volumes and increased reserves caused partially by supply chain and staffing challenges, due largely to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adjusted EBITDA

We present information below with respect to adjusted EBITDA, which we define as our net income (loss) excluding interest and other income, net, income tax benefit (expense), depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, product rationalization, and acquisition-related expenses. We have also excluded the impacts of goodwill impairment charges and changes in the fair value of contingent consideration associated with our acquisition transactions in early 2020.

Adjusted EBITDA is not prepared in accordance with US GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation of, or as an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with US GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of adjusted EBITDA rather than net income (loss), which is the nearest US GAAP equivalent. Some of these limitations are:

The following is a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively:

Adjusted EBITDA for year ended December 31, 2021, decreased $7.5 million as compared to 2020. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to an increase in operating expenses largely attributable to expansion of our commercial capability in the United States and an increase in clinical trial activity, both of which had been largely curtailed during 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a non-cash impairment charge related to fixed assets, partially offset by an increase in revenue.

Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted EPS

We present information below with respect to adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted EPS. We define adjusted net income (loss) as our net income (loss) excluding acquisition-related expenses, amortization and depreciation of acquired assets, the impact of inventory fair-value step up on cost of revenue and the impacts of goodwill impairment charges and changes in the fair value of contingent consideration, as well as certain impairment charges, including impairment related to IPR&D assets and non-cash product rationalization charges, each on a tax effected basis. Acquisition related expenses are those that we would not have incurred except as a direct result of acquisition transactions. Acquisition related expenses consist of investment banking, legal, accounting, and other professional and related expenses. The amortized assets contribute to revenue generation, and the amortization of such assets will recur in future periods until such assets are fully amortized. These assets include the estimated fair value of certain identified assets acquired in acquisitions, including in-process research and development, developed technology, customer relationships and acquired tradenames. We define adjusted EPS as US GAAP diluted earnings per share excluding the above adjustments to net income (loss) used in calculating adjusted net income (loss), each on a per share and tax effected basis.

The following is a reconciliation of adjusted net income (loss) to net income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively:

The following is a reconciliation of adjusted EPS to diluted earnings (loss) per share for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively (in thousands, expect per share data):

Adjusted net income (loss) in 2021, decreased $10.5 million as compared to 2020. The decrease in adjusted net income for the period was primarily due to an increase in selling and marketing expenses primarily attributable to increased cost to support our commercial capability in the United States, an increase in research and development expenses, an increase in share-based compensation expense due largely to forfeitures of unvested shares during the comparable period, a non-cash impairment charge related to fixed assets, production volumes and supply chain and staffing challenges, as well as a decrease in tax benefits.

Year ended December 31, 2020 compared to year ended December 31, 2019

Statement of Operations Detail    

Revenue

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $130.5 million, an increase of $15.9 million, or 14%, compared to prior year. This increase was primarily driven by growth in our Joint Preservation and Restoration product family, as a result of our acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface in early 2020, offset by a decrease in revenue from our OA Pain Management products due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elective procedure volumes worldwide.

The following table presents product revenue by product family for fiscal years 2020 and 2019 (dollars in thousands):

Revenue from our OA Pain Management product family decreased, primarily due to the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elective procedure volumes. Revenue from our Joint Preservation and Restoration products increased primarily from the addition of revenue from the Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical product portfolios following their early 2020 acquisition by us, offset in part by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elective surgery procedure volumes worldwide. Revenue from our Non-Orthopedic product family decreased due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on procedure volumes worldwide. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 includes licensing related revenue in the amount of $0.1 million which was zero in 2020.

Gross Profit and Margin

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $69.0 million, or gross margin of 53%, as compared with $85.9 million, or gross margin of 75%, for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in gross margin was primarily due to the inventory step-up associated with the Arthrosurface and Parcus Medical acquisitions, as well as acquisition-related amortization expenses, which together increased cost of revenue by $16.9 million, or 13 points of gross margin, for the year ended December 31, 2020. Gross margin also decreased due to lower volumes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2020, gross profit decreased due to a non-cash inventory impairment charge of $1.9 million following our determination not to pursue CE Mark renewals for certain of our legacy HA-based products primarily in the Non-Orthopedic product family. 

Research and Development

Research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2020 were $23.4 million, an increase of $6.8 million, or 41%, as compared to the prior year, primarily due to activities associated with new product development in our research and development pipeline, including those related to Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface following their acquisition in the first quarter of 2020, as well as preparation and initial execution activities for the Cingal Pilot study and certain European post-market clinical studies to support CE Mark approvals for our products, Hyalofast clinical study activities, and IPR&D impairment charges related to Hyalonect and Hyalobone projects.

For additional information on our research and development activities, please see the section captioned “Part I. Item 1. Business—Research and Development” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses for the year ended December 31, 2020 were $60.1 million, an increase of $25.1 million, or 72%, as compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily related to expenses associated with operating Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface following their acquisition in the first quarter of 2020, including incremental expenses to integrate our commercial infrastructure, as well as incentive compensation, partially offset by a decrease in stock compensation expense due to the forfeiture of unvested equity awards. 

Goodwill Impairment Charge

We assess goodwill for impairment annually, or, under certain circumstances, more frequently, such as when events or changes in circumstances indicate there may be impairment. U.S. government policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes in healthcare guidelines caused a temporary suspension of domestic elective surgical procedures. As a result of these events during the first quarter of 2020, we performed a quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment related to the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface reporting unit as of March 31, 2020. The results of these interim impairment tests indicated that the estimated fair value of this reporting unit was less than its carrying value. Consequently, a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $18.1 million was recorded in the quarter ended March 31, 2020. The decline in fair value was primarily due to decreases in immediate term revenue and related cash flows as a result of the temporary suspension of domestic elective procedures which directly impact the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface reporting unit. We also performed our annual impairment testing related to the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface reporting unit in the fourth quarter of 2020. The results of the annual impairment test indicated that the estimated fair value of the reporting unit was less than its carrying value. This was primarily due to a decline in projected net cash flows as a result of the continued impact of COVID-19 on revenue and related cash flows, the expectation that the economic recovery will take longer than expected to materialize, and additional projected investment to support future growth. Consequently, a non-cash goodwill impairment charge was recorded in the amount of $24.4 million during the fourth quarter of 2020. The total non-cash goodwill impairment charge with respect to the reporting unit amounted to $42.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Contingent Consideration Fair Value Change

In the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a $28.7 million net benefit related to the change in fair value of our contingent consideration liabilities incurred as a result of the acquisition of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface in the first quarter of 2020. The liability for contingent consideration is remeasured at each reporting period until the contingency is resolved. The decrease in fair value of the contingent consideration was largely due to a decrease in revenue projections related primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 15, 2020, we received FDA clearance for the WristMotion Total Arthroplasty System, triggering a $5 million regulatory-based milestone payment per the Arthrosurface merger agreement.

Income Taxes

The benefit from income taxes was $4.6 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2020, based on an effective tax rate of 16.2%. The provision for income taxes was $8.9 million for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2019, based on an effective tax rate of 24.7%. The net decrease in the effective tax rate benefit for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the prior year, was primarily due to the $4.8 million tax expense on the impairment of non-tax deductible goodwill, partially offset by the $1.9 million tax benefit on the decrease in the fair value of the contingent consideration.

Net Income (Loss)

For the year ended December 31, 2020, net loss was $23.9 million, or $1.69 net loss per diluted share, compared to net income of $27.2 million, or $1.89 net income per diluted share, for the prior year. The decrease in net income and diluted earnings per share was primarily a result of the increased expenses associated with acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface previously discussed, in addition to the unfavorable impact on sales and gross profit from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concentration of Risk

We have historically derived the majority of our revenue from a small number of customers, most of whom resell our products to end-users and are significantly larger companies than us. For the year ended December 31, 2021, Mitek accounted for 45% of revenue, as compared to 49% in prior year. While we believe that our expanded commercial infrastructure will substantially diversify our revenue base, we expect to continue to be dependent on a small number of large customers, especially Mitek, for a sizeable portion of our revenues in the near-term future. The failure of these customers to purchase our products in the amounts they historically have or in amounts that we expect could materially impact our business.

In addition, if present and future customers terminate their purchasing arrangements with us, significantly reduce or delay their orders, or seek to renegotiate their agreements on terms less favorable to us, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected. If we accept terms less favorable than the terms of the current agreements, such renegotiations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations. Furthermore, in any future negotiations we may be subject to the perceived or actual leverage that these customers may have given their relative size and importance to us. Any termination, change, reduction, or delay in orders could seriously harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Accordingly, unless and until we diversify and expand our customer base, our future success will significantly depend upon the timing and size of future purchases by our largest customers and the financial and operational success of these customers. The loss of any one of our major customers or the delay of significant orders from such customers, even if only temporary, could reduce or delay our recognition of revenues, harm our reputation in the industry, and reduce our ability to accurately predict cash flow, and, as a consequence, it could seriously harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

See Note 13, Revenue by Product Family, by Significant Customer and by Geographic Location; Geographic Information, to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding significant customers.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We require cash to fund our operating activities and to make capital expenditures and other investments in the business. We expect that our requirements for cash to fund these uses will increase as our operations expand. We continue to generate cash from operating activities and believe that our operating cash flows, cash currently on our balance sheet and availability under our credit facility will be sufficient to allow us to continue to invest in our existing business, to manage our capital structure on a short and long-term basis, and to meet our anticipated operating cash needs. Cash, cash equivalents, and investments aggregated $94.4 million and $98.3 million, and working capital totaled $138.7 million and $140.5 million, at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We are closely monitoring our liquidity and capital resources for any potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on our operations.

We entered into a Third Amendment to Credit Agreement, on November 12, 2021, with Bank of America N.A. as administrative agent, amended and restated our existing revolving line of credit agreement dated October 24, 2017 and provides up to $75.0 million in the form of a senior revolving line of credit. Subject to certain conditions, we may request up to an additional $75.0 million for a maximum aggregate commitment of $150.0 million. As a precautionary measure at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we executed a drawdown of $50.0 million in April 2020, all of which we repaid during the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, and 2020, there were no outstanding borrowings and we are in compliance with the terms of the credit facility.

Summary of Cash Flows (in thousands):

The following changes contributed to the net change in cash and cash equivalents from 2020 to 2021.

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $8.4 million, $13.1 million, $37.0 million for 2021, 2020 and 2019. The change in 2021 was primarily attributable to payment of contingent consideration, as well as normal variations in the timing of collections, timing of certain state tax payments and a decrease in cash outflows related to acquisition related expenses. In July 2021, we paid contingent consideration in the amount of $10.0 million, $2.8 million of which was classified within operating activities and the remaining $7.2 million was classified within financing activities.

For the foreseeable future, we expect to continue to invest substantial resources in research and development for new products and clinical trials as well as continued investment in our commercial infrastructure to support our growth strategy. These costs will be funded with a combination of cash on hand and cash expected to be generated from future operations.

Investing Activities

Investing activities used $3.1 million and $71.3 million in 2021 and 2020, and provided $39.7 million in 2019. The significant use of cash from investing activities in 2020 was primarily due to the $94.6 million of consideration paid, net of cash acquired, for the acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface. Capital expenditures totaled $5.1 million, $1.6 million, and $2.8 million for 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities was $6.8 million, $3.8 million and $8.1 million for 2021, 2020 and 2019. The change was primarily due to the portion of the contingent consideration payment related to financing activities, as described above, in 2021. 

For a discussion of our liquidity and capital resources as of December 31, 2020, and our cash flow activities for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, see “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 5, 2021, which is incorporated by reference in this Report.

Contractual Obligations and Other Commercial Commitments

The table below summarizes our non-cancelable operating leases, purchase commitments, and contractual obligations related to future periods which are not reflected in our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2021. Purchase commitments relate primarily to non-cancellable inventory commitments and capital expenditures entered in the normal course of business:

Accounting for Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not use special purpose entities or other off-balance sheet financing techniques, except for operating leases as disclosed in the contractual obligations table above, that we believe have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, or capital resources.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We monitor our estimates on an ongoing basis for changes in facts and circumstances, and material changes in these estimates could occur in the future. Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known. We base our estimates on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from our estimates if past experience or other assumptions do not turn out to be substantially accurate.

We have identified the policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. The impact and any associated risks related to these policies on our business operations are discussed throughout this section captioned “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” where such policies affect our reported and expected financial results. For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Business Combinations and Contingent Consideration

Amounts paid for acquisitions are allocated to the intangible and tangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, if any, based on their fair values at the dates of acquisition. This purchase price allocation process requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions with respect to intangible assets and deferred revenue obligations. Critical estimates include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows, including projected revenues and expenses, and the applicable discount rates. The fair value of identifiable intangible assets is based on detailed valuations that use information and assumptions determined by management. Any excess of purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired is allocated to goodwill. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as any contingent consideration, where applicable, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to our consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The fair value of contingent consideration includes estimates and judgments made by management regarding the probability that future contingent payments will be made.

We use the income approach to determine the fair value of certain identifiable intangible assets including developed technology and IPR&D. This approach determines fair value by estimating after-tax cash flows attributable to these assets over their respective useful lives and then discounting these after-tax cash flows back to a present value. The estimated economic lives were determined using a variety of indicators including historical usage, evolutionary changes and other observable market data. We base our assumptions on estimates of future cash flows, expected growth rates and expected trends in technology. We base the discount rate used to arrive at the present value used in this method as of the date of acquisition on the time value of money and certain industry-specific risk factors. We use the relief-from-royalty method of the income approach to determine the fair value of trade names. This approach determines fair value by estimating the after-tax royalty savings attributable to owning the intangible asset and then discounting these after-tax royalty savings back to a present value. We base our assumptions on the estimated revenue attributable to the trade name and the estimated royalty rate attributable to the trade name. We use the avoided costs/lost profits method to determine the fair of customer relationships. This approach determines fair value by estimating the projected revenues related to the asset and estimated costs to recreate the intangible asset. We believe the estimated purchased customer relationships, developed technologies, trade name, and in process research and development amounts so determined represent the fair value at the date of acquisition and do not exceed the amount a third party would pay for the assets. If the subsequent actual results and updated projections of the underlying business activity change compared with the assumptions and projections used to develop these values, we could experience impairment charges which could be material. In addition, estimated economic lives of certain acquired assets are used to calculate depreciation and amortization expense. If our estimates of the economic lives change, depreciation or amortization expenses could be accelerated or slowed.

We used the comparative sales method to determine the fair value of work-in-process (“WIP”) and finished goods inventory acquired and ultimately the inventory step- up required. The fair value of WIP inventory was estimated as the selling price less the sum of (a) costs to complete, (b) costs of disposal, and (c) a reasonable profit allowance for the selling effort of the acquiring entity based on profit for similar products. The fair value of finished goods inventory was estimated as the selling price less the sum of (a) costs of disposal and (b) a reasonable profit allowance for the selling effort of the acquiring entity based on profit for similar products.

For contingent consideration, we update these estimates and the related fair value of contingent consideration at each reporting period based on the estimated probability of achieving the earn-out targets and applying a discount rate that measures the risk associated with the expected contingent payments. Under the Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface merger agreements, there are contingent consideration milestones totaling up to $100 million payable from 2020 to 2022. Parcus Medical has net sales milestones annually from 2020 to 2022, while Arthrosurface had both regulatory and net sales milestones in 2020 and 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the remaining regulatory milestone and the net sales milestone related to Arthrosurface were not achieved. The fair value of the Parcus Medical contingent consideration is estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation. Changes in the fair value can result from changes pertaining to the achievement of the defined milestones and changes in assumed discount rates. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2021, the contingent consideration for Parcus Medical associated with net sales in 2021 amounted to $4.3 million, which is included in current liabilities. We do not expect the remaining earn-out milestone under the Parcus Medical merger agreement to be achieved.

Revenue Recognition – General

Pursuant to ASC 606, we recognize revenue when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services. The amount of revenue that is recorded reflects the consideration that we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services. We apply the following five-step model in order to determine this amount: (i) identification of the promised goods or services in the contract; (ii) determination of whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations, including whether they are capable of being distinct or distinct in the context of the contract; (iii) measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) we satisfy each performance obligation.

We generate sales principally through three types of customers: (i) commercial partnerships (ii) hospitals and ASCs, and (iii) distributors, referred to as distribution model.

For commercial partnership sales, we sell our products directly to these partners, who perform the vast majority of the downstream sales and marketing activities to customers and end-users. These arrangements may include the grant of certain licenses, performance of development services, and the supply of product. Our largest such customer, Mitek, represented 45% of total revenues for the year-ended December 31, 2021. We recognize revenue from product sales when the customer obtains control of our product, which typically occurs upon shipment to the customer. Commercial partnership agreements may also include sales-based royalties and milestones. As we considered the license to be the predominant item to which the royalties relate for these agreements, sales-based royalties and milestones are only recognized when the later of the underlying sale occurs or the performance obligation to which some or all of the sales-based royalty has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). This is generally in the same period that our licensees complete their product sales in their territory, for which we are contractually entitled to a percentage-based royalty. We record royalty revenues based on estimated net sales of licensed products as reported to us by our commercial partners. Differences between actual and estimated royalty revenues have not been material and are typically adjusted in the following quarter when the actual amounts are known. Revenue from sales-based royalties is included in revenues in our consolidated statement of operations.

For sales to hospitals and ASCs, which generally pairs in-house sales representatives with local or regional distributors, the inventory is generally consigned so that products are available when needed for surgical procedures. No revenue is recognized upon the placement of inventory into consignment, as we retain the ability to control the inventory. Revenue is recognized typically as of the date of surgical implantation of the product.

For distributor sales, we sell our products to our distributors, generally outside the United States, who subsequently resell the products to sub-distributors and health care providers, among others. We recognize revenue from product sales when the distributor obtains control of our product, which typically occurs upon shipment to the distributor, in return for agreed-upon, fixed-price consideration. Performance obligations are generally settled quickly after purchase order acceptance; therefore, the value of unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of any reporting period is generally insignificant. We sell to a diversified base of distributors and, therefore, believes there is no material concentration of credit risk.

Certain of our supply agreements contain terms that represent a promise to deliver product at the customer’s discretion that are considered distributor options. We assess if these options provide a material right to the licensee, and if so, they are accounted for as separate performance obligations. Our supply agreements do not provide options that are considered material rights.

Our payment terms are consistent with prevailing practice in the respective markets in which we do business. Most of our customers make payments based on contract terms, which are not affected by contingent events that could impact the transaction price. Payment terms fall within the one-year guidance for the practical expedient, which allows us to forgo adjustment of the contractual payment amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component. Our contracts with customers do not customarily provide a right of return, unless certain product quality standards are not met.

Some of our distributor agreements have volume-based discounts with tiered pricing which are generally prospective in nature. These prospective discounts together with any free-of-charge sample units offered are evaluated as potential material rights. If the prospective discounts or free-of-charge sample units are considered material rights, these would be separate performance obligations and a portion of the sales transaction price is allocated to the material right. Revenue allocated to the material right is recognized when the additional goods are transferred to the customer or when the option expires. During 2021, the consideration allocated to material rights was not significant.

We receive payments from our customers based on billing schedules established in each contract. Up-front payments and fees are recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt or when due, and may require deferral of revenue recognition to a future period until we perform our obligations under these arrangements. Amounts are recorded as accounts receivable when our right to consideration is unconditional. Deferred revenue was $1.0 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Generally, customer contracts contain Free on Board (“FOB”) or Ex-Works shipping point terms where the customer pays the shipping company directly for all shipping and handling costs. In those contracts in which we pay for the shipping and handling, the associated costs are generally recorded along with the product sale at the time of shipment in cost of revenue when control over the products has transferred to the customer. Value-add and other taxes we collected concurrently with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. Our general product warranty does not extend beyond an assurance that the product or services delivered will be consistent with stated contractual specifications, which does not create a separate performance obligation. We recognize the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an expense when incurred as the amortization period of the assets that we otherwise would have recognized is one year or less in accordance with the practical expedient in paragraph ASC 340-40-25-4. These costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses.

Inventories

Inventories are primarily stated at the lower of standard cost and net realizable value, with approximate cost determined using the first-in, first-out method. Work-in-process and finished goods inventories include materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead. Manufacturing variances attributable to abnormally low production are expensed in the period incurred. Inventory costs associated with product candidates that have not yet received regulatory approval are capitalized if we believe there is probable future commercial use and future economic benefit.

Our policy is to write-down inventory when conditions exist that suggest inventory may be in excess of anticipated demand or is obsolete based upon assumptions about future demand for our products and market conditions. We regularly evaluate the ability to realize the value of inventory based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, historical usage rates, forecasted sales or usage, product end of life dates, and estimated current or future market values. Inventory needs and alternative usage avenues are explored within these processes to mitigate inventory exposure. We recorded an inventory reserve of $2.9 million in 2021 based on future sales forecasts as a result of our product rationalization efforts with respect to certain of our Joint Preservation and Restoration product family.

When recorded, inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value. If actual demand for our products deteriorates, or if market conditions are less favorable than those projected, additional inventory write-downs may be required. Other long-term assets include inventory expected to remain on hand beyond one year.

Goodwill and In-Process Research and Development

Goodwill is the amount by which the purchase price of acquired net assets in a business combination exceeded the fair values of net identifiable assets on the date of acquisition. Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to impairment test annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable, utilizing either the qualitative or quantitative method.

We test goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis as of November 30 or more frequently if we believe indicators of impairment exist. We have two reporting units: the legacy Anika reporting unit and a newly created reporting unit established in 2020 upon the acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface. The remaining goodwill as of December 31, 2021 pertains to the legacy Anika reporting unit, as the goodwill with respect to the newly created reporting unit was fully impaired in 2020.

We have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. When using the qualitative method in 2021, we considered several factors, including the following:

Significant assumptions utilized in the impairment analysis included valuation multiple with respect to revenue and weighted-average cost of capital. Based on sensitivity analysis performed on key assumptions at November 30, 2021, a 10% decrease valuation multiples or a 10% increase in the weighted average cost of capital assumption would not have resulted in a fair value below the reporting unit’s carrying value. Accordingly, we determined it was not more likely than not that the fair value of the legacy Anika reporting unit is less than its carrying amount and thus goodwill was not impaired as of November 30, 2021.

IPR&D represents the fair value assigned to research and development assets that we acquire that have not been completed at the date of acquisition or are pending regulatory approval in certain jurisdictions. We conduct annual impairment tests of IPR&D, by comparing the fair value of each IPR&D project to its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds its fair value, we record an impairment loss to the extent that the carrying value of the IPR&D project exceeds its fair value. We estimate the fair value for IPR&D using the income approach which incorporates significant estimates and assumptions related to the forecasted results including revenues, expenses, expected economic life of the asset, contributory asset charges and discount rates to estimate future cash flows. During 2021 and 2020, we decided not to further invest in certain of our projects and recorded an impairment charge in the amount of $0.6 million and $1.4 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively, in research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. Based on a sensitivity analysis performed on key assumptions at November 30, 2021 with respect to the remaining IPR&D, a 10% decrease in the long-term growth factor assumption, or 10% increase in the weighted average cost of capital assumption would not have resulted in a fair value below the IPR&D carrying value.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

A discussion of recent accounting pronouncements is included in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Risk

We manage our investment portfolio in accordance with our investment policy. The primary objectives of our investment policy are to preserve principal, maintain a high degree of liquidity to meet operating and other needs, and obtain competitive returns subject to prevailing market conditions without significantly increasing risk. To achieve this objective, we maintain our portfolio of cash equivalents and investments in a variety of high-quality securities, including money market funds and U.S. treasury bills. The investments are classified as available-for-sale and consequently are recorded at fair value with unrealized gains or losses reported as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Our portfolio of cash equivalents and investments is subject to interest rate fluctuations, changes in credit quality of the issuer, and other factors.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

Foreign currency risk arises from our investments in subsidiaries owned and operated in non-U.S. countries. Such risk is also a result of transactions with customers in countries outside the United States. Approximately $6.4 million of our revenue was denominated in foreign currencies (primarily the Euro) for the year ended December 31, 2021. Gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are primarily related to intercompany accounts that have been determined to be temporary in nature and cash, accounts payable, and accounts receivable denominated in non-functional currencies. We also utilize clinical vendors that are located in various countries outside of the United States and invoice us in their local currency and we have one major supplier contract denominated in a foreign currency. We do not engage in foreign currency hedging arrangements for these transactions, and, consequently, foreign currency fluctuations may adversely affect our earnings. Unfavorable fluctuations in exchange rates would have a negative impact on our financial statements. The impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations related to our international subsidiaries on our financial statements were insignificant in 2021. We recognize foreign currency gains or losses arising from our operations in the period incurred. 

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Anika Therapeutics, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), cash flows, and stockholders’ equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 10, 2022, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Inventories — Refer to Notes 2 and 5 to the financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company evaluates inventory each reporting period for excess quantities and obsolescence, establishing reserves when necessary based upon historical experience, assessment of economic conditions, and expected demand. Once recorded, these reserves are considered permanent adjustments to the carrying value of inventory. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has total inventories of $55.0 million, net of excess quantities and obsolescence reserves.

We identified the reserve for excess quantities and obsolete inventory as a critical audit matter because of the significant estimates and assumptions management makes to quantify and to record the reserve, including the determination of expected demand. This required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort when performing audit procedures to evaluate the methodology and the reasonableness of assumptions including expected demand.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the reserve for excess quantities and obsolete inventory including management’s estimate of expected demand, included the following, among others:

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, Massachusetts
March 10, 2022

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except per share data)

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

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(in thousands, except per share data)

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

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity

(in thousands)

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

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

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

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts or as otherwise noted)

1. Nature of Business

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (“the Company”) is a global joint preservation company that creates and delivers meaningful advancements in early intervention orthopedic care, including in the areas of osteoarthritis (“OA”) pain management, regenerative solutions, soft tissue repair and bone preserving joint technologies.

In early 2020, the Company expanded its overall technology platform through its strategic acquisitions of Parcus Medical, LLC (“Parcus Medical”), a sports medicine implant and instrumentation solutions provider focused on sports medicine and soft tissue repair, and Arthrosurface Inc. (“Arthrosurface”), a company specializing in less invasive, bone preserving partial and total joint replacement solutions. These acquisitions broadened the Company's product portfolio, developed over its 30 years of expertise in hyaluronic acid technology, into joint preservation and restoration, added higher-growth revenue streams, increased its commercial capabilities, diversified its revenue base, and expanded its product pipeline and research and development expertise.

The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the life sciences industry including, but not limited to, development by the Company or its competitors of new technological innovations, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, commercialization of existing and new products, and compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and foreign regulations and approval requirements, as well as the ability to grow the Company’s business through appropriate commercial strategies.

There continue to be uncertainties regarding the pandemic of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), and the Company is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on all aspects of its business, including how it will impact its customers, employees, suppliers, vendors, and business partners. The Company is unable to predict the specific impact that COVID-19 may have on its financial position and operations moving forward due to the numerous uncertainties. Any estimates made herein may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and actual results could differ materially from any estimates made herein under different assumptions or conditions. The Company will continue to assess the evolving impact of COVID-19.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Anika Securities, Inc., Anika Therapeutics S.r.l. (“Anika S.r.l.”), Anika Therapeutics Limited, Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Reclassification of Prior Period Amounts

Certain prior period financial information has been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. The Company reclassified certain prior period amounts in the significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2020, in Note 17, Income Taxes, to conform to current year classification.

Foreign Currency Translation

The functional currency of Anika S.r.l. is the Euro, and the functional currency of Anika Therapeutics Limited is the British Pound Sterling. Assets and liabilities of the foreign subsidiaries are translated using the exchange rate existing on each respective balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated using the average exchange rates for the period. The translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in stockholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) which resulted in a gain (loss) from foreign currency translation of ($1.2) million, $1.3 million, and ($0.4) million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. Recorded balances that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are remeasured to the functional currency using the exchange rate at the balance sheet date and gains or losses are recorded in the statements of operations. The Company recognized a gain (loss) from foreign currency transactions of ($0.4) million, $0.3 million, and ($0.3) million during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments, which is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. In determining the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts, management specifically analyzes individual accounts receivable, historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer creditworthiness, current and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions, accounts receivable aging trends, and changes in the Company’s customer payment terms. A summary of activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts is as follows:

Revenue Recognition

Pursuant to ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), the Company recognizes revenue when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services. The amount of revenue that is recorded reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The Company applies the following five-step model in order to determine this amount: (i) identification of the promised goods or services in the contract; (ii) determination of whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations, including whether they are capable of being distinct or distinct in the context of the contract; (iii) measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation.

Revenue

The Company generate sales principally through three types of customers: (i) commercial partnerships (ii) hospitals and ASCs, and (iii) distributors, referred to as the distribution model.

For commercial partnership sales, the Company sells its products directly to these partners, who perform the vast majority of the downstream sales and marketing activities to customers and end-users. These arrangements may include the grant of certain licenses, performance of development services, and the supply of product. The Company’s largest such customer, DePuy Synthes Mitek Sports Medicine, a division of DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Companies (“Mitek”), represented 45%, 49% and 71% of total revenues for the years-ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 respectively. The Company completed the performance obligations related to granted licenses and development services under the agreements with Mitek prior to 2016 and has no remaining material performance obligations. The Company recognizes revenue from product sales when the customer obtains control of the Company’s product, which typically occurs upon shipment to the customer. Commercial partnership agreements may also include sales-based royalties and milestones. As the Company considered the license to be the predominant item to which the royalties relate for these agreements, sales-based royalties and milestones are only recognized when the later of the underlying sale occurs or the performance obligation to which the sales-based royalty has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). This is generally in the same period that the Company’s licensees complete their product sales in their territory, for which the Company is contractually entitled to a percentage-based royalty. The Company records royalty revenues based on estimated net sales of licensed products as reported to the Company by its commercial partners. Differences between actual and estimated royalty revenues have not been material and are typically adjusted in the following quarter when the actual amounts are known. Revenue from sales-based royalties is included in revenue in the consolidated statement of operations. The Company’s certain supply agreements represent a promise to deliver product at the customer’s discretion that are considered distributor options. The Company assesses if these options provide a material right to the licensee, and if so, they are accounted for as separate performance obligations. Substantially all of the Company’s supply agreements do not provide options that are considered material rights.

For sales to hospitals and ASCs, which generally pairs in house sales representatives with local or regional distributors, the inventory is generally consigned so that products are available when needed for surgical procedures. No revenue is recognized upon the placement of inventory into consignment, as the Company retains the ability to control the inventory. Revenue is typically recognized as of the date of surgical implantation of the product.

For distributor sales, the Company sells its products principally to distributors, generally outside the United States, who subsequently resell the products to sub-distributors and health care providers, among others. The Company recognizes revenue from product sales when the distributor obtains control of the Company’s product, which typically occurs upon shipment to the distributor, in return for agreed-upon, fixed-price consideration. Performance obligations are generally settled quickly after purchase order acceptance; therefore, the value of unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of any reporting period is generally insignificant. The Company sells to a diversified base of distributors and, therefore, believes there is no material concentration of credit risk.

The Company’s payment terms are consistent with prevailing practice in the respective markets in which the Company does business. Most of the Company’s customers make payments based on contract terms, which are not affected by contingent events that could impact the transaction price. Payment terms fall within the one-year guidance for the practical expedient, which allows the Company to forgo adjustment of the contractual payment amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component. The Company’s contracts with customers do not customarily provide a right of return, unless certain product quality standards are not met.

Some of the Company’s distributor agreements have volume-based discounts with tiered pricing which are generally prospective in nature. These prospective discounts together with any free-of-charge sample units offered are evaluated as potential material rights. If the prospective discounts or free-of-charge sample units are considered material rights, these would be separate performance obligations and a portion of the sales transaction price is allocated to the material right. Revenue allocated to the material right is recognized when the additional goods are transferred to the customer or when the option expires. During 2021, the consideration allocated to material rights was not significant.

The Company receives payments from its customers based on billing schedules established in each contract. Up-front payments and fees are recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt or when due, and may require deferral of revenue recognition to a future period until the Company performs its obligations under these arrangements. Amounts are recorded as accounts receivable when its right to consideration is unconditional. Deferred revenue was $1.0 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Generally, customer contracts contain Free on Board (“FOB”) or Ex-Works shipping point terms where the customer pays the shipping company directly for all shipping and handling costs. In those contracts in which the Company pays for the shipping and handling, the associated costs are generally recorded along with the product sale at the time of shipment in cost of revenue when control over the products has transferred to the customer. Value-add and other taxes collected by the Company concurrently with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. The Company’s general product warranty does not extend beyond an assurance that the product or services delivered will be consistent with stated contractual specifications, which does not create a separate performance obligation. The Company recognizes the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an expense when incurred as the amortization period of the assets that the Company otherwise would have recognized is one year or less in accordance with the practical expedient in paragraph ASC 340-40-25-4. These costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses.

Licensing, Milestone and Contract Revenue

The agreements with Mitek include variable consideration such as contingent development and regulatory milestones. Since 2016, there have been no remaining regulatory milestones related to the Mitek agreements. In general, variable consideration is included in the transaction price only to the extent a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized is not probable to occur.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers only those investments which are highly liquid, readily convertible to cash, and that mature within 90 days from date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company’s cash equivalents consist of money market funds.

Investments

All of the Company’s investments are classified as available-for-sale which consist of U.S. treasury bills and are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of related income taxes. For securities sold prior to maturity, the cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses on the sale of investments are recorded in interest and other income, net. Interest is recorded when earned. Investments with original maturities greater than approximately three months and remaining maturities less than one year are classified as short-term investments. Investments with remaining maturities greater than one year are classified as long-term investments. The Company had no investments as of December 31, 2021.

All of the Company’s investments are subject to a periodic impairment review. For available-for-sale debt securities in an unrealized loss position, the Company first assesses whether (i) the Company intends to sell, or (ii) it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If either case is affirmative, any previously recognized allowances are charged-off and the security's amortized cost is written down to fair value through earnings. If neither case is affirmative, the security is evaluated to determine whether the decline in fair value has resulted from credit losses or other factors.

Any impairment that has not been recorded through an allowance for credit losses is recognized in other comprehensive income. Adjustments to the allowance are reported in the consolidated statement of operations as a component of credit loss expense. Available-for-sale securities are charged-off against the allowance or, in the absence of any allowance, written down through earnings when deemed uncollectible by management or when either of the aforementioned criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met.

During the years ended  December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company did not record any impairment charges on its available-for-sale securities because it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell these securities before the recovery of their cost basis.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company has no significant off-balance sheet risks related to foreign exchange contracts, option contracts, or other foreign hedging arrangements. The Company’s cash equivalents and investments are held with two major international financial institutions.

The Company, by policy, routinely assesses the financial strength of its customers. As a result, the Company believes that its accounts receivable credit risk exposure is limited.

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, Mitek represented 41% and 44%, respectively, of the Company’s accounts receivable balance. No other single customer accounted for more than 10% of accounts receivable in either period.

Inventories

Inventories are primarily stated at the lower of standard cost and net realizable value, with approximate cost determined using the first-in, first-out method. Work-in-process and finished goods inventories include materials, labor, and certain manufacturing overhead. Manufacturing variances attributable to abnormally low production are expensed in the period incurred. Inventory costs associated with product candidates that have not yet received regulatory approval are capitalized if the Company believes there is probable future commercial use and future economic benefit.

The Company’s policy is to write-down inventory when conditions exist that suggest inventory may be in excess of anticipated demand or is obsolete based upon assumptions about future demand for the Company’s products and market conditions. The Company regularly evaluates the ability to realize the value of inventory based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, historical usage rates, forecasted sales or usage, product end of life dates, and estimated current or future market values. Purchasing requirements and alternative usage avenues are explored within these processes to mitigate inventory exposure.

When recorded, inventory write-downs are intended to reduce the carrying value of inventory to its net realizable value. If actual demand for the Company’s products deteriorates, or if market conditions are less favorable than those projected, additional inventory write-downs may be required. Other long-term assets include inventory expected to remain on hand beyond one year.

Leases

At the inception of an arrangement, the Company determines whether the arrangement is or contains a lease based on the circumstances present and evaluates whether the lease is an operating lease or a finance lease at the commencement date. Operating and finance leases with a term greater than one year are recognized on the consolidated balance sheet as right-of-use assets, lease liabilities, and, if applicable, long-term lease liabilities. The Company includes renewal options to extend the lease in the lease term where it is reasonably certain that it will exercise these options. Operating and finance lease liabilities and the corresponding right-of-use assets are recorded based on the present values of lease payments over the lease terms. The Company elected an accounting policy to combine the non-lease components (which include common area maintenance, taxes and insurance) with the related lease component. The interest rate implicit in lease contracts is typically not readily determinable. As such, the Company utilizes the appropriate incremental borrowing rates, which are the rates that would be incurred to borrow on a collateralized basis, over similar terms, amounts equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. Variable payments that do not depend on a rate or index are not included in the lease liability and are recognized as incurred. Lease contracts do not include residual value guarantees nor do they include restrictions or other covenants. Certain adjustments to the right-of-use assets may be required for items such as initial direct costs paid, incentives received or lease prepayments. If significant events, changes in circumstances, or other events indicate that the lease term or other inputs have changed, the Company would reassess lease classification, remeasure the finance and operating lease liabilities by using revised inputs as of the reassessment date, and adjust the right-of-use asset. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Finance lease expense is recognized based on the effective-interest method over the lease term.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, which are typically:

Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense when incurred; additions and improvements are capitalized. Fully depreciated assets are retained in the accounts until they are no longer used and no further charge for depreciation is made in respect of these assets. When an item is sold, retired or removed from service, the cost and related accumulated depreciation is relieved, and the resulting gain or loss, if any, is recognized in income.

Construction-in-process assets are stated at cost, which includes the cost of construction and other direct costs attributable to the construction. Construction-in-process assets are not depreciated until such time as the relevant assets are completed and put into use.

Goodwill and IPR&D Assets

Goodwill is the amount by which the purchase price of acquired net assets in a business combination exceeded the fair values of net identifiable assets on the date of acquisition. Acquired In-Process Research and Development (“IPR&D”) represents the fair value assigned to research and development assets that the Company acquires that have not been completed at the date of acquisition or are pending regulatory approval in certain jurisdictions. The value assigned to the acquired IPR&D is determined by estimating the costs to develop the acquired technology into commercially viable products, estimating the resulting revenue from the projects, and discounting the net cash flows to present value.  

Goodwill and IPR&D are not amortized but are evaluated for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The goodwill impairment assessment is performed by reporting unit. A reporting unit is the operating segment, or a business one level below that operating segment (the component level) if discrete financial information is prepared and regularly reviewed by segment management. However, components are aggregated as a single reporting unit if they have similar economic characteristics. The Company has two reporting units: the legacy Anika reporting unit, which specializes in therapies based on its hyaluronic acid, or HA, technology platform, and a newly formed reporting unit established in 2020 upon the acquisitions of Parcus Medical and Arthrosurface. Factors that the Company considers important, on an overall company basis, that could trigger an impairment review include significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the Company’s use of the acquired assets or the strategy for its overall business, significant negative industry or economic trends, a significant decline in the Company’s stock price for a sustained period, or a reduction of its market capitalization relative to net book value.

Under US GAAP, the Company has the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if it is necessary to perform the impairment test. If the Company concludes, based on a qualitative assessment, it is not more likely than not that the Goodwill or the IPR&D asset is impaired, the Company is not required to perform the quantitative test. The Company has an unconditional option to bypass the qualitative assessment in any period and proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test.

To conduct quantitative impairment tests of goodwill, the fair value of the reporting unit is compared to its carrying value. If the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, the Company records an impairment loss to the extent that the carrying value of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, not to exceed the recorded amount of goodwill. The Company recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment charge with respect to the newly formed reporting unit amounted to $42.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Please see Note 8, Goodwill for further details.

The Company performed a qualitative annual assessment for impairment of the remaining goodwill with respect to legacy Anika reporting unit as of November 30, 2021, including consideration of (i) general macroeconomic factors, (ii) industry and market conditions, and (iii) the extent of the excess of the fair value over the carrying value indicated in prior impairment testing. Accordingly, the Company determined it was not more likely than not that the fair value of the legacy Anika reporting unit is less than its carrying amount and thus goodwill was not impaired as of November 30, 2021.

To conduct impairment tests of IPR&D, the fair value of the IPR&D project is compared to its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds its fair value, the Company records an impairment loss to the extent that the carrying value of the IPR&D project exceeds its fair value. The Company estimates the fair value for IPR&D using the income approach, which is based on the Multi-Period Excess Earnings Method (“MPEEM”). MPEEM measures economic benefit indirectly by calculating the income attributable to an asset after appropriate returns are paid to complementary assets used in conjunction with the subject asset to produce the earnings associated with the subject asset, commonly referred to as contributory asset charges. This approach incorporates significant estimates and assumptions related to the forecasted results including revenues, expenses, expected economic life of the asset, contributory asset charges and discount rates to estimate future cash flows.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets primarily include property and equipment and intangible assets with finite lives. The Company’s intangible assets are comprised of purchased developed technologies, patents, trade names, customer relationships and distributor relationships. These intangible assets are carried at cost, net of accumulated amortization. Amortization is recorded on a straight-line basis over the intangible assets' useful lives, which range from approximately five to sixteen years. The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of those assets are no longer appropriate. Each impairment test is based on a comparison of the undiscounted cash flows to the recorded value of the asset. If impairment is indicated, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value based on a discounted cash flow analysis.

In determining the useful lives of intangible assets, the Company considers the expected use of the assets and the effects of obsolescence, demand, competition, anticipated technological advances, changes in surgical techniques, market influences and other economic factors. For technology-based intangible assets, the Company considers the expected life cycles of products, absent unforeseen technological advances, which incorporate the corresponding technology.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from selling an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required to be recorded at fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability, such as inherent risk, transfer restrictions, and risk of non-performance. The accounting standard establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.