DEXCOM INC - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
ý | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017
¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 000-51222
DEXCOM, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 33-0857544 | |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
6340 Sequence Drive San Diego, California | 92121 | |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code: (858) 200-0200
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:
Title of Each Class | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | |
Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value Per Share | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq Global Select Market) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes ý No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
Yes ¨ No ý
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes ý No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Yes ý No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definite proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “Smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)
Large accelerated Filer ý Accelerated Filer ¨ Non-accelerated Filer ¨ Smaller reporting company ¨ Emerging Growth Company ¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ¨ No ý
As of June 30, 2017, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $6,243,418,847 based on the closing sales price as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Class | Outstanding at February 23, 2018 | |
Common stock, $0.001 par value per share | 86,997,158 |
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the documents listed below have been incorporated by reference into the indicated parts of this report, as specified in the responses to the item numbers involved.
Designated portions of the Proxy Statement relating to the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Stockholders ( “Proxy Statement”): Part III (Items 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13). Except with respect to information specifically incorporated by reference in the Form 10-K, the Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part hereof.
DexCom, Inc.
Table of Contents
Page Number | ||
PART I | ||
ITEM 1. | Business | |
ITEM 1A. | Risk Factors | |
ITEM 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | |
ITEM 2. | Properties | |
ITEM 3. | Legal Proceedings | |
ITEM 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | |
PART II | ||
ITEM 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | |
ITEM 6. | Selected Financial Data | |
ITEM 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | |
ITEM 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk | |
ITEM 8. | Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | |
ITEM 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | |
ITEM 9A. | Controls and Procedures | |
ITEM 9B. | Other Information | |
PART III | ||
ITEM 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | |
ITEM 11. | Executive Compensation | |
ITEM 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholders Matters | |
ITEM 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | |
ITEM 14. | Principal Accounting Fees and Services | |
PART IV | ||
ITEM 15. | Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules | |
ITEM 16. | Form 10-K Summary |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Except for historical financial information contained herein, the matters discussed in this Form 10-K may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and subject to the safe harbor created by the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include declarations regarding our intent, belief, or current expectations and those of our management. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control; actual results could differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) that the information is of a preliminary nature and may be subject to further adjustment; (ii) those risks and uncertainties identified under “Risk Factors” and (iii) the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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PART I
ITEM 1. | BUSINESS |
Overview
We are a medical device company primarily focused on the design, development and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring, or CGM systems for use by people with diabetes and by healthcare providers. We received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA and commercialized our first product in 2006 and are currently commercializing our fifth generation CGM system. Unless the context requires otherwise, the terms "we," "us," "our," the "company," or "DexCom" refer to DexCom, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Products
DexCom G5® Mobile
In August 2015, we received approval from the FDA for the DexCom G5® Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, also referred to as the G5 Mobile. The G5 Mobile is designed to allow our transmitter to run the Software 505 algorithm that historically had operated on the receiver, and to communicate directly to a patient's mobile device, including iPhone®, iPod touch®, iPad®, or certain Android mobile digital devices. The G5 Mobile transmitter has a labeled useful life of three months. Data from the G5 Mobile can be integrated with DexCom CLARITYTM, our next generation cloud-based reporting software, for personalized, easy-to-understand analysis of trends that may improve diabetes management. We previously received CE Mark approval for, and in September 2015 we launched, the G5 Mobile in certain countries in Europe.
The sensor is inserted by the user and is intended to be used continuously for up to seven days, after which it may be replaced with a new disposable sensor. Our transmitter is reusable until it reaches the end of its battery life. Our receiver is reusable. As we establish an installed base of customers using our products, we expect to generate an increasing portion of our revenues through recurring sales of our disposable sensors. In December 2016, the FDA approved the G5 Mobile as the first CGM system in the United States to have a non-adjunctive indication. The non-adjunctive indication expands the lawfully permitted use of the G5 Mobile as a replacement to finger stick glucose testing for diabetes treatment decisions. With the new label indication, the G5 Mobile only requires two finger pricks per day for calibration. In the countries and regions outside of the United States that recognize the CE Mark, as well as the United States and Canada, the G5 Mobile also does not require confirmatory finger sticks when making treatment decisions, although a minimum of two finger sticks a day remain necessary for calibration. Approval of the non-adjunctive indication also was an important and necessary step in enabling people with Medicare to access CGM.
Except with respect to the foregoing, the G5 Mobile is equivalent to the G4® PLATINUM System in its technical capabilities and its regulatory requirements and indications.
DexCom G4® PLATINUM
The DexCom G4 PLATINUM continuous glucose monitoring system replaced our legacy DexCom SEVEN PLUS system beginning in 2012, when it was approved for up to seven days of continuous use by adults with diabetes. Since 2012, we have marketed the DexCom G4 PLATINUM under a Conformité Européenne Marking, or CE Mark, in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and the countries in Asia and Latin America that recognize the CE Mark, and in the United States with approval from the FDA. We received approvals for a pediatric indication under the CE Mark in February 2013 and from the FDA in February 2014, enabling us to market and sell this system to persons two years old and older who have diabetes (hereinafter referred to as the "Pediatric Indication"). In June 2014, we received approval from the FDA for an expanded indication for the DexCom G4 PLATINUM for professional use, which allows healthcare professionals to purchase the DexCom G4 PLATINUM system for use with multiple patients. Healthcare professionals can use the insights gained from a DexCom G4 PLATINUM professional session to adjust therapy and to educate and motivate patients to modify their behavior after viewing the effects that specific foods, exercise, stress and medications have on their glucose levels. In October 2014, we launched our Software 505 for the DexCom G4 PLATINUM, an algorithm which enabled our systems to achieve a single digit MARD - a measure of the accuracy of continuous glucose monitoring. We believe our CGM systems are currently the most consistently accurate available for continuous glucose monitoring.
DexCom Share®
In 2015, we received approval from the FDA for the DexCom G4 PLATINUM with Share and began commercializing this product in the United States in the first quarter of 2015 using a secure wireless connection between a patient’s G4 PLATINUM receiver and an app. We now offer this feature directly from the transmitter through the G5 Mobile app. The
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DexCom Share remote monitoring system uses an app on the patient's iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple WatchTM or Android mobile digital device to transmit glucose information to apps on the mobile devices of up to five designated recipients, or "followers", who can remotely monitor a patient's glucose information and receive alert notifications anywhere they have an Internet or cellular connection.
Data & Insulin Delivery Collaborations
We have entered into multiple collaboration agreements that leverage our technology platform to integrate our continuous glucose monitoring products with insulin delivery systems. The general purpose of these development and commercial relationships is to integrate our technology into the insulin pump or pen product offerings of the respective partner, enabling the partner's insulin delivery device to receive and display glucose readings from our transmitter and, in some cases, use the glucose readings for semi-automated insulin delivery. Currently, we have announced insulin delivery partnerships with Beta Bionics, Diabeloop, Eli Lilly, Insulet, Tandem and TypeZero Technologies. In addition to these major partners, we are working with other companies that are pursuing varying strategies surrounding semi-automated insulin delivery and data analytics to improve outcomes and ease-of-use in diabetes management.
Verily Collaboration
In August 2015, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement (“Verily Collaboration Agreement”) with Google Life Sciences LLC, now named Verily Life Sciences (“Verily”). Pursuant to the Verily Collaboration Agreement, we and Verily have agreed to jointly develop a series of next-generation continuous glucose monitoring products. The Verily Collaboration Agreement provides us with an exclusive license to use certain intellectual property of Verily related to the development, manufacture and commercialization of the products contemplated under the Verily Collaboration Agreement. The Verily Collaboration Agreement provides for the establishment of a joint steering committee, joint development committee and joint commercialization committee to oversee and coordinate the parties’ activities under the collaboration. We and Verily have agreed to make committee decisions by consensus. Certain amendments were made to this agreement in October 2016.
Future Products
We plan to develop future generations of technologies focused on improved performance and convenience and that will enable intelligent insulin administration. We also are aggressively exploring how to extend our product portfolio to other categories of people with diabetes including those with Type 2 diabetes that are non-insulin using, people with pre-diabetes and people who are obese. Over the longer term, we plan to develop networked platforms with open architecture, connectivity and transmitters capable of communicating with other devices and software systems. We also intend to expand our efforts to accumulate CGM patient data and metrics and apply predictive modeling and machine learning to generate interactive CGM insights that can inform patient behavior.
Our product development timelines depend on our ability to achieve clinical endpoints, regulatory and legal requirements and to overcome technology challenges. Product development timelines may be delayed due to extended regulatory approval timelines, scheduling issues with patients and investigators, requests from institutional review boards, sensor performance and manufacturing supply constraints, among other factors. In addition, support of these clinical trials requires significant resources from employees involved in the production of our products, including research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance, and clinical and regulatory personnel. Even if our development and clinical trial efforts are successful, the FDA may not approve our products, and even if approved, we may not achieve acceptance in the marketplace by physicians and people with diabetes.
Background
Diabetes is a disease with significant adverse consequences for human health throughout the world. The International Diabetes Federation, or IDF, estimates that in 2017, 425 million people around the world had diabetes, and the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, estimates that in 2017, diabetes affected 30.3 million people in the United States, of which 7.2 million were undiagnosed. IDF estimates that by 2045, the worldwide incidence of people suffering from diabetes will reach 629 million. According to the CDC's National Vital Statistics Reports for 2015, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death by disease in the United States. According to the Congressional Diabetes Caucus website, diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, adult-onset blindness, lower-limb amputations, and significant cause of heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and nerve damage. According to the IDF, there were an estimated 4 million deaths attributable to diabetes globally in 2017 between the ages of 20 and 79 years. The American Diabetes Association, or ADA, Fast Facts, revised in August 2017, states that diabetes is the primary cause of death for more than 80,000 Americans each year, and contributes to the death of more than 250,000 Americans annually. According to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine in November 2014, excess mortality for people with diabetes with ages of less than 30 years is largely explained by acute complications of diabetes.
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Among people of all ages, 2015 data indicated the following: An estimated 23.1 million people or 7.2% of the U.S. population had been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition to those newly diagnosed, the Congressional Diabetes Caucus website reports that every 24 hours there are: 238 amputations in people with diabetes, 120 people who enter end-stage kidney disease programs, and 48 people who go blind.
According to the ADA, one in every five healthcare dollars was spent on treating diabetes in 2012, and the direct medical costs and indirect expenditures attributable to diabetes in the United States were an estimated $245 billion, an increase of $71 billion, or approximately 41%, since 2007. Of the $245 billion in overall expenses, the ADA estimated that approximately $176 billion were direct costs associated with diabetes care, chronic complications and excess general medical costs, and $69 billion were indirect costs. The ADA also found that average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than for people without diabetes in 2012. According to the IDF, 2017 expenditures attributable to diabetes were estimated to be $727 billion globally. The IDF estimates that expenditures attributable to diabetes will grow to $776 billion globally by 2045.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring
We believe continuous glucose monitoring has the potential to enable more people with diabetes to achieve and sustain tight glycemic control. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, or DCCT, demonstrated that improving blood glucose control lowers the risk of developing diabetes-related complications by up to 50%. The study also demonstrated that people with Type 1 diabetes achieved sustained benefits with intensive management. Yet, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2004, less than 50% of diabetes patients were meeting ADA standards for glucose control (A1c), and only 37% of people with diabetes were achieving their glycemic targets. According to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine in November 2014, in two national registries, only 13% to 15% of people with diabetes met treatment guidelines for good glycemic control, and more than 20% had very poor glycemic control. The CDC estimated that as of 2006, 63.4% of all adults with diabetes were monitoring their blood glucose levels on a daily basis, and that 86.7% of insulin-requiring patients with diabetes monitored daily.
Various clinical studies also demonstrate the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring and that continuous glucose monitoring is equally effective in patients who administer insulin through multiple daily injections or through use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pumps. Results of a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or JDRF, study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, and the extension phase of the study, published in Diabetes Care in 2009, demonstrated that continuous glucose monitoring improved A1c levels and reduced incidence of hypoglycemia for patients over the age of 25 and for all patients of all ages who utilized continuous glucose monitoring regularly. In 2016, the first and only randomized, controlled study focusing solely on the benefit of continuous glucose monitoring for diabetes patients using multiple daily injections, or MDI, insulin therapy showed DexCom CGM System users on MDI achieved a one percent average A1c reduction after 24 weeks of regular use, compared to their baseline. Study participants also increased time spent in their target A1c range and spent less time in hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia when they used a DexCom CGM System compared to those who used only a standard blood glucose meter to monitor their glucose. This DIaMonD study (Multiple Daily Injections and Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Diabetes) is the first-of-its-kind in demonstrating the impact of CGM only, without insulin pumps or other therapeutic interventions, on A1c and hypoglycemia in participants using a multiple daily injection insulin regimen.
Our current target market consists primarily of people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes who utilize insulin pump therapy or who utilize multiple daily insulin injections. We have recently begun to target people with Type 2 diabetes on multiple daily injection therapy and expect to expand our target market to include all people with diabetes, people with pre-diabetes and people who are obese. Although the majority of our revenue has been generated in the United States, we have expanded our operations to include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and portions of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.
Commercial Operations
We have built a direct sales organization in the United States, Canada and certain countries in Europe to call on endocrinologists, physicians and diabetes educators who can educate and influence patient adoption of continuous glucose monitoring. We believe that focusing efforts on these participants is important given the instrumental role they each play in the decision-making process for diabetes therapy. To complement our direct sales efforts, we have entered into distribution arrangements in the United States and internationally that allow distributors to sell our products. We believe our direct, highly specialized and focused sales organization and our domestic and international distribution agreements are sufficient for us to support our sales efforts for at least the next twelve months.
Product revenues are generated from the sale of durable continuous glucose monitoring systems (receivers and transmitters) and disposable sensors through a direct sales force in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany,
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Switzerland, Austria and Canada as well as through distribution arrangements in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in portions of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Market Opportunity
Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic, life-threatening disease for which there is no known cure. The disease is caused by the body’s inability to produce or effectively utilize the hormone insulin. This inability prevents the body from adequately regulating blood glucose levels. Glucose, the primary source of energy for cells, must be maintained at certain concentrations in the blood in order to permit optimal cell function and health. Normally, the pancreas provides control of blood glucose levels by secreting the hormone insulin to decrease blood glucose levels when concentrations are too high. In people with diabetes, the body does not produce sufficient levels of insulin, or fails to utilize insulin effectively, causing blood glucose levels to rise above normal. This condition is called hyperglycemia and often results in chronic long-term complications such as heart disease, limb amputations, loss of kidney function and blindness. When blood glucose levels are high, people with diabetes often administer insulin in an effort to decrease blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, insulin administration can drive blood glucose levels below the normal range, resulting in hypoglycemia. In cases of severe hypoglycemia, people with diabetes risk acute complications, such as loss of consciousness or death. Due to the drastic nature of acute complications associated with hypoglycemia, many people with diabetes are reluctant to reduce blood glucose levels. Consequently, these individuals often remain in a hyperglycemic state, increasing their odds of developing long-term chronic complications. Diabetes is typically classified into two major groups: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 Diabetes
According to the ADA and JDRF, as of 2012 there were an estimated 1.3 million people with Type 1 diabetes in the United States. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that usually develops during childhood and is characterized by an absence of insulin, resulting from destruction of the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes must rely on frequent insulin injections in order to regulate and maintain blood glucose levels.
According to JDRF, 40,000 people are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes each year in the United States and between the years 2001-2009 there was a 21% increase in the prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in people under the age of 20. In addition, according to the National Diabetes Statistics Report in 2009, there were an estimated 18,436 people younger than the age of 20 years old were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the United States.
Type 2 Diabetes
According to the ADA, in 2012 there were approximately 27.8 million people in the United States with Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder which results when the body is unable to produce sufficient amounts of insulin or becomes insulin resistant. Depending on the severity of Type 2 diabetes, individuals may require diet and nutrition management, exercise, oral medications or insulin injections to regulate blood glucose levels. We estimate that approximately 6.0 million Type 2 patients must use insulin to manage their diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is occurring with increasing frequency in young people, with the increase in prevalence related to an increase in obesity amongst children. According to the CDC, as of 2012, approximately 17% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, or 12.7 million children, in the United States were obese. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.
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Diabetes & Glucose Management in the Hospital Setting
There are various subgroups of people with diabetes, including in-hospital patients, who present significant management challenges. According to the ADA, diabetes related hospitalizations totaled 43.1 million days in 2012, an increase of 18.8 million days from 2007. Additionally, studies show that many hospital patients without diabetes suffer episodes of hyperglycemia. According to a Diabetes Care article, as of 1998, as many as 1.5 million hospitalized patients had significant hyperglycemia without a history of diabetes. A November 2001 article in the New England Journal of Medicine summarized a study of over 1,500 hospitalized patients, of which only 13% had diabetes, which concluded that intensive insulin therapy to maintain blood glucose levels within a target range reduced mortality among critically ill patients in the surgical intensive care unit and improved patient outcomes. According to the CDC, as of 2009 there were 5.5 million hospital discharges with diabetes as a listed diagnosis and 688,000 hospital discharges with diabetes listed as the primary diagnosis. More than 40% of all health care expenditures attributed to diabetes come from higher rates of hospital admission and longer average lengths of stay per admission, constituting the single largest contributor to the medical cost of diabetes. Of the projected $475 billion in national expenditures for hospital inpatient care, approximately $124 billion is incurred by people who have diabetes, of which $76 billion is directly attributed to their diabetes.
Importance of Glucose Monitoring
Blood glucose levels can be affected by many factors, including the carbohydrate and fat content of meals, exercise, stress, illness or impending illness, hormonal releases, variability in insulin absorption and changes in the effects of insulin in the body. Given the many factors that affect blood glucose levels, maintaining glucose within a normal range is difficult, resulting in frequent and unpredictable excursions above or below normal blood glucose levels. People with diabetes administer insulin or ingest carbohydrates throughout the day in order to maintain blood glucose levels within normal ranges. People with diabetes frequently overcorrect and fluctuate between hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic states, often multiple times during the same day. As a result, many people with diabetes are routinely outside the normal blood glucose range. People with diabetes are often unaware that their glucose levels are either too high or too low, and their inability to completely control blood glucose levels and the associated serious complications can be frustrating and, at times, overwhelming.
In an attempt to maintain blood glucose levels within the normal range, people with diabetes must first measure their blood glucose levels. Often after measuring their blood glucose levels, people with diabetes make therapeutic adjustments. As adjustments are made, additional blood glucose measurements may be necessary to gauge the individual’s response to the adjustments. More frequent testing of blood glucose levels provides people with diabetes with information that can be used to better understand and manage their diabetes. The ADA recommends that most people with Type 1 diabetes test their blood glucose levels at least three or more times per day, and that significantly more frequent testing may be required to reach A1c targets safely without hypoglycemia.
Clinical outcomes data support the notion that an important component of effective diabetes management is frequent monitoring of blood glucose levels. The landmark 1993 DCCT consisting of patients with Type 1 diabetes, and the 1998 UK Prospective Diabetes Study, consisting of patients with Type 2 diabetes, demonstrated that people with diabetes who intensely managed blood glucose levels delayed the onset and slowed the progression of diabetes-related complications. The DCCT demonstrated that intensive management reduced the risk of complications by 76% for eye disease, 60% for nerve disease and 50% for kidney disease, but also found that it led to a three-fold increase in the frequency of hypoglycemic events. In the December 2005 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, the authors of a peer-reviewed study concluded that intensive diabetes therapy has long-term beneficial effects on the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with Type 1 diabetes. The study showed that intensive diabetes therapy reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 42% and the risk of non-fatal heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease by 57%.
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Limitations of Existing Glucose Monitoring Products
Single-point finger stick devices are the most prevalent devices for glucose monitoring. These devices require taking a blood sample with a finger stick, placing a drop of blood on a test strip and inserting the strip into a glucose meter that yields a single point in time blood glucose measurement. We believe that these devices suffer from several limitations, including:
• | Limited Information. Even if people with diabetes test several times each day, each measurement represents a single blood glucose value at a single point in time. Given the many factors that can affect blood glucose levels, excursions above and below the normal range often occur between these discrete measurement points in time. Without the ability to determine whether their blood glucose level is rising, falling or holding constant, and the rate at which their blood glucose level is changing, the individual’s ability to effectively manage and maintain blood glucose levels within normal ranges is severely limited. Further, people with diabetes cannot test themselves during sleep, when the risk of hypoglycemia is significantly increased. |
The following graph shows the limited information provided by four single-point measurements during a single day using a traditional single-point finger stick device, compared to the data provided by our continuous sensor. The data presented in the graph is from a clinical trial we completed in 2003 with a continuous glucose monitoring system, where the patient was blinded to the continuous glucose data. The continuous data indicates that, even with four finger sticks in one day, the patient’s blood glucose levels were above the target range of 80-140 milligrams per deciliter (“mg/dl”) for a period of 13.5 hours.
Single Day Continuous Data
![singledaydata.jpg](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001093557/000109355718000018/singledaydata.jpg)
• | Inconvenience. The process of measuring blood glucose levels with single-point finger stick devices can cause significant disruption in the daily activities of people with diabetes and their families. People with diabetes using single-point finger stick devices must stop whatever they are doing several times per day, self-inflict a painful prick and draw blood to measure blood glucose levels. To do so, people with diabetes must always carry a fully supplied kit that may include a spring-loaded needle, or lancet, disposable test strips, cleansing wipes and the meter, and then safely dispose of the used supplies. This process is inconvenient and may cause uneasiness in social situations. |
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• | Difficulty of Use. To obtain a sample with single-point finger stick devices, people with diabetes generally prick one of their fingertips or, occasionally, a forearm with a lancet. They then squeeze the area to produce the blood sample and another prick may be required if a sufficient volume of blood is not obtained the first time. The blood sample is then placed on a disposable test strip that is inserted into a blood glucose meter. This task can be difficult for individuals with decreased tactile sensation and visual acuity, which are common complications of diabetes. |
• | Pain. Although the fingertips are rich in blood flow and provide a good site to obtain a blood sample, they are also densely populated with highly sensitive nerve endings. This makes the lancing and subsequent manipulation of the finger to draw blood painful. The pain and discomfort are compounded by the fact that fingers offer limited surface area, so tests are often performed on areas that are sore from prior tests. People with diabetes may also suffer pain when the finger prick site is disturbed during regular activities. |
The DexCom Solution
Our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems offer the following advantages to people with diabetes:
• | Improved Outcomes. Results of a major multicenter clinical trial funded by the JDRF demonstrated that patients with Type 1 diabetes who used continuous glucose monitoring devices to help manage their disease experienced significant improvements in glucose control. Data published in a peer-reviewed article based on the pivotal trial for our first-generation system demonstrated that patients using the system showed statistically significant improvements in glucose levels within the target range when compared to patients relying solely on single-point finger stick measurements. Additional peer-reviewed published data has demonstrated that patients with access to seven days of continuous glucose data statistically improved glucose control by further increasing their time spent with glucose levels in the target range, thereby reducing time spent in both hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic ranges. Finally, peer reviewed data published from the DIaMonD study demonstrated that DexCom CGM System users on MDI (multiple daily injections) achieved a one percent average reduction in hemoglobin A1c levels, a measure of the average amount of glucose in the blood over the prior three months, after 24 weeks of regular use, compared to their baseline. Study participants also increased time spent in their target A1c range and spent less time in hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia when they used a DexCom CGM system compared to those who used only a standard blood glucose meter to monitor their glucose. |
• | Access to Real-Time Values, Trend Information and Alerts. At the push of a button, people with diabetes can view their current glucose value, along with a graphical display of the historical trend information on our receiver or alternate display device. Without continuous monitoring, the individual is often unaware if his or her glucose is rising, declining or remaining constant. Access to continuous real-time glucose measurements provides people with diabetes information that may aid in attaining better glucose control. Additionally, our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems alert people with diabetes when their glucose levels approach inappropriately high or low levels so that they may intervene. |
• | Intuitive User Interface. We have developed a user interface that we believe is intuitive and easy to use. The G5 Mobile receiver’s compact design includes user-friendly buttons or touchscreen, an easy-to-read color display, simple navigation tools, audible alerts and graphical display of trend information. Similar benefits are available via the interfaces we have made available on iOS and Android devices. In certain countries outside of the United States, these devices can serve as substitutes for our receivers or alternate display units in certain geographies. |
• | Convenience and Comfort. Our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems provide people with diabetes with the benefits of continuous monitoring, without having to perform finger stick tests for every measurement. Additionally, the disposable sensor electrode that is inserted under the skin is a very thin wire, minimizing potential discomfort associated with inserting or wearing the disposable sensor. The external portion of the sensor, including the transmitter, is small, has a low profile and is designed to be easily worn under clothing. The wireless receiver is the size of a small digital music player and can be carried discreetly in a pocket or purse. We believe that convenience is an important factor in achieving widespread adoption of a continuous glucose monitoring system. |
• | Connectivity to Others. Our Share remote monitoring systems enable users of our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems to have their sensor glucose information remotely monitored by their family or friends by wirelessly transmitting data through an app on the patient’s smart phone. Up to five designated recipients, or “followers,” can remotely monitor a patient’s glucose information and receive secondary alert notifications from almost anywhere via each follower's mobile device. |
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While we believe the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems offer these advantages, people with diabetes may not perceive the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring and may be unwilling to change their current treatment regimens. Furthermore, we do not expect that our G4 PLATINUM or G5 Mobile systems will appeal to all types of people with diabetes. The G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems prompts a person with diabetes to insert a disposable sensor electrode under their skin at least every seven days, although we are aware of reports from the field that some individuals have been able to use sensors for periods longer than seven days. People with diabetes could find this process to be uncomfortable or inconvenient, and may be unwilling to insert a disposable sensor in their body, especially if their current diabetes management involves no more than two finger sticks per day.
The G4 PLATINUM is not approved as a replacement device for single-point finger stick devices in the United States, must be calibrated initially using measurements from two single-point finger stick tests and thereafter at least every 12 hours using single-point finger stick tests, and may be more costly to use. In the United States, Canada and the countries and regions outside of the United States that recognize the CE Mark, our G5 Mobile system no longer requires confirmatory finger sticks when making treatment decisions although it does require two single-point finger stick tests each day for calibration.
Our Strategy
Our objective is to become the leading provider of continuous glucose monitoring systems and related products to enable people with diabetes to more effectively and conveniently manage their disease. We are also developing and commercializing products that integrate our continuous glucose monitoring technologies into the insulin delivery systems of our respective partners. In addition, we continue to pursue development partnerships with other insulin delivery companies, including automated insulin delivery systems. To achieve these objectives, we are focusing on the following business strategies:
• | Establish and maintain our technology platform as the leading approach to continuous glucose monitoring and leverage our development expertise to rapidly bring products to market, including for expanded indications. |
• | Drive the adoption of our ambulatory products through a direct sales and marketing effort, as well as key distribution arrangements. |
• | Drive additional adoption through technology integration partnerships such as our current partnerships with Eli Lilly, Insulet, Tandem and others. |
• | Seek broad coverage policies and reimbursement for our products from private third-party payors and national health systems such as Medicare. |
• | Drive increased utilization and adoption of our products through a cloud-based data repository platform that enables people with diabetes to aggregate and analyze data from numerous diabetes devices and share the data with their healthcare providers. |
• | Expand the use of our products to other patient care settings and patient demographics, including people with Type 2 diabetes. |
• | Provide a high level of customer support, service and education. |
• | Pursue the highest safety and quality levels for our products. |
Our Technology Platform
We believe we have a broad technology platform that will support the development of multiple products for continuous glucose monitoring.
Sensor Technology
The key enabling technologies for our sensors include biomaterials, membrane systems, electrochemistry and low power microelectronics. Our membrane technology consists of multiple polymer layers configured to selectively allow the appropriate mix of glucose and oxygen to travel through the membrane and react with a glucose specific enzyme to create an extremely low level electrical signal, measured in pico-amperes. This electrical signal is then translated into glucose values. We believe that the capability to measure very low levels of an electrical signal and to accurately translate those measurements into glucose values is also a unique and distinguishing feature of our technology. We have also developed technology to allow sensitive electronics to be packaged in a small, fully contained, lightweight sealed unit that minimizes inconvenience and discomfort for the user.
Receiver & Transmitter Technology
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Our ambulatory glucose monitoring systems use radiofrequency telemetry to wirelessly transmit information from the transmitter, which sits in a pod atop the sensor, to our receiver or to a compatible iOS or Android device. We have developed the technology for reliable transmission and reception and have consistently demonstrated a high rate of successful transmissions from transmitter to receiver or compatible mobile device in our clinical trials. Our receiver or the mobile device, via our G5 Mobile app, then displays both real-time and trended glucose values, and provides alerts and alarms. We have used our extensive database of continuous glucose data from our clinical trials to create software and algorithms for the display of data to customers.
Products in Development
We have gained our technology expertise by learning to design implants that can withstand the rigors of functioning within the human body for extended periods of time, as well as other issues such as device sealing, miniaturization, durability and sensor geometry.
We are leveraging this technology platform to enhance the capabilities of our current products (including obtaining expanded indications of use) and to develop additional continuous glucose monitoring products. We plan to develop future generations of technologies focused on improved performance and convenience and that will enable intelligent insulin administration. Over the longer term, we plan to continue to develop and improve networked platforms with open architecture, connectivity and transmitters capable of communicating with other devices.
We also continue to pursue and support development partnerships with insulin pump companies and companies or institutions developing insulin delivery systems, including automated insulin delivery systems.
In the future, we intend to seek additional indications for our continuous glucose monitoring technology, including gestational diabetes and hospital monitoring. Eventually, we may apply our technological expertise to products beyond glucose monitoring.
Disposable Sensor & Reusable Transmitter
Our sensor includes a tiny wire-like electrode coated with our sensing membrane system. This disposable sensor comes packaged with an integrated insertion device and is contained in a small plastic housing platform, or pod. The base of the pod has adhesive that attaches it to the skin. The sensor is intended to be easily and reliably inserted by the user by exposing the adhesive, placing the pod against the surface of the skin of the abdomen and pushing down on the insertion device. The insertion device first extends a narrow gauge needle containing the sensor into the subcutaneous tissue and then retracts the needle, leaving behind the sensor in the tissue and the pod adhered to the skin. The user then disposes of the insertion device and snaps the reusable transmitter to the pod. After a stabilization period, the user is required to calibrate the receiver with two measurements from a single-point finger stick device and the disposable sensor begins wirelessly transmitting the continuous glucose data at specific intervals to the handheld receiver or compatible mobile iOS or Android device. Users are prompted by the receiver or mobile app, if using the G5 Mobile, to calibrate the system twice per day with finger stick measurements throughout the seven day usage period to ensure reliable operation. Calibration may be accomplished by using any FDA approved blood glucose meter. Currently, the G4 PLATINUM system is indicated for use as an adjunctive device to complement, not replace, information obtained from standard home blood glucose monitoring devices. Our G5 Mobile system has labeling from the FDA and CE Mark permitting its use as the sole basis for making therapeutic adjustments, although it still requires twice daily finger stick calibrations.
The disposable sensor contained in the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems is intended to function for up to seven days after which it may be replaced. After seven days, the user simply removes the pod and attached sensor from the skin and discards them while retaining the reusable transmitter. A new sensor and pod can then be inserted and used with the same receiver and transmitter for a subsequent seven day period. We are aware of reports from the field, however, that customers have been able to use sensors for periods longer than seven days.
Handheld Receiver
Our small handheld receiver is carried by the user and wirelessly receives continuous glucose values from the transmitter. Proprietary algorithms and software, developed from our extensive database of continuous glucose data from clinical trials, are programmed into the G4 receiver and G5 transmitter to process the glucose data from the sensor and display it on a user-friendly graphical user interface. With a push of a button, the user can access their current glucose value and one-, three-, six-, twelve- and twenty-four-hour trended data. Additionally, when glucose values are inappropriately high or low, the receiver provides an audible alert or vibrates. The receiver is a self-contained, durable unit with a rechargeable battery.
Compatible Mobile Devices
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With our G5 Mobile system, the functionalities of our proprietary receiver can be obtained through the use of an iOS or Android device and our mobile applications, depending on the patient’s geographic location. The purchase of a receiver is still required as the primary display device or a backup to the mobile device in some jurisdictions, including the United States.
Sales and Marketing
We have built a direct sales organization to call on endocrinologists, physicians and diabetes educators who can educate and influence patient adoption of continuous glucose monitoring. We believe that focusing efforts on these participants is important given the instrumental role they each play in the decision-making process for diabetes therapy. We believe that referrals by endocrinologists, physicians and diabetes educators, together with self-referrals by customers, have driven and will continue to drive adoption of our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems. We directly market our products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and Canada primarily to endocrinologists, physicians and diabetes educators. Although the number of diabetes patients is significant, the number of physicians and educators influencing these patients is relatively small. As of 2017, there were an estimated 6,000 clinical endocrinologists who treat diabetes in the United States. As a result, we believe our direct, highly specialized and focused sales organization is sufficient for us to support our sales efforts for the foreseeable future.
We also are increasingly pursuing direct to consumer marketing to increase awareness of our CGM systems and drive new patient leads to our website. We target people with Type 1 and insulin intensive Type 2 diabetes. We advertise on television, in print, digital and video media, CRM, offer sponsorships, host or participate in diabetes related events, conduct public relations and maintain a brand ambassador program. Our campaigns target patients with diabetes.
We use a variety of marketing tools to drive adoption, ensure continued usage and establish brand loyalty for our continuous glucose monitoring systems by:
• | creating awareness of the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring and the advantages of our technology with endocrinologists, physicians, diabetes educators and people with diabetes; |
• | providing strong and simple educational and training programs to healthcare providers and people with diabetes to ensure easy, safe and effective use of our systems; and |
• | maintaining a readily accessible telephone and web-based technical and customer support infrastructure, which includes clinicians, diabetes educators and reimbursement specialists, to help referring physicians, diabetes educators and people with diabetes as necessary. |
Our sales organization competes with the experienced and well-funded marketing and sales operations of our competitors. We have relatively limited experience developing and managing a direct sales organization and we may be unsuccessful in our attempt to manage and expand the sales force. Developing a direct sales organization is a difficult, expensive and time consuming process. To be successful we must:
• | recruit and retain adequate numbers of effective sales personnel; |
• | effectively train our sales personnel in the benefits of our products; |
• | establish and maintain successful sales, marketing, training and education programs that encourage endocrinologists, physicians and diabetes educators to recommend our products to their patients; and |
• | manage geographically disbursed operations. |
Competition
The market for blood glucose monitoring devices is intensely competitive, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions and other market activities of industry participants. In selling the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, we compete directly with Roche Diabetes Care, a division of Roche Diagnostics; LifeScan, Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson; the Diabetes Care division of Abbott Laboratories; and Panasonic Healthcare Holdings’ Ascensia Diabetes Care (formerly Bayer Diabetes Care), each of which manufactures and markets products for the single-point finger stick device market. Collectively, these companies currently account for the majority of the worldwide sales of self-monitored glucose testing systems.
Several companies are developing or commercializing short-term continuous or intermittent flash glucose monitoring products that compete directly with our products. Medtronic, Inc. has a CE Mark and filed for FDA approval in 2016 to commercialize a standalone glucose monitoring product called Guardian Connect. In 2015, Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc. launched a consumer flash glucose monitoring system, FreeStyle Libre, outside the United States and received FDA approval for this system in September 2017 for use in the United States. Abbott also received FDA approval for a blinded, professional-use version of this system in September 2016 for use in the United States.
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Medtronic and other third parties have developed or are developing, insulin pumps augmented with continuous glucose monitoring systems that provide, among other things, the ability to automate basal insulin dosing and to suspend insulin administration while the user’s glucose levels are low. Medtronic received FDA approval for its 670G insulin delivery system in September 2016 and launched this system in 2017.
Many of our competitors are either publicly traded or are divisions of publicly traded companies, and they enjoy several competitive advantages over us. See Risk Factors - “We operate in a highly competitive market and face competition from large, well-established medical device manufacturers with significant resources, and, as a result, we may not be able to compete effectively.”
As a result, we may be unable to compete effectively against these companies or their products. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our market include:
• | safe, reliable and high quality performance of products; |
• | cost of products and eligibility for reimbursement; |
• | comfort and ease of use; |
• | effective sales, marketing and distribution; |
• | brand awareness and strong acceptance by healthcare professionals and people with diabetes; |
• | customer service and support and comprehensive education for people with diabetes and diabetes care providers; |
• | speed of product innovation and time to market; |
• | regulatory expertise; and |
• | technological leadership and superiority. |
Manufacturing
We currently manufacture our products at our headquarters in San Diego, California. At December 31, 2017, these facilities had more than 28,000 square feet of laboratory space and approximately 18,000 square feet of controlled environment rooms. There are technical challenges to increasing manufacturing capacity, including FDA qualification of new manufacturing facilities, equipment design and automation, material procurement, problems with production yields, and quality control and assurance. We have focused significant effort on continual improvement programs in our manufacturing operations intended to improve quality, yields and throughput. We have made progress in manufacturing to enable us to supply adequate amounts of product to support our commercialization efforts, however we cannot guarantee that supply will not be constrained going forward. Additionally, the production of our continuous glucose monitoring systems must occur in a highly controlled and clean environment to minimize particles and other yield- and quality-limiting contaminants. Developing commercial-scale manufacturing facilities has and will continue to require the investment of substantial additional funds and the hiring and retaining of additional management, quality assurance, quality control and technical personnel who have the necessary manufacturing experience.
We manufacture our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems with certain components supplied by outside vendors and other components that we manufacture internally. Key components that we manufacture internally include our wire-based sensors. The remaining components and assemblies are purchased from outside vendors. We then assemble, test, package and ship the finished systems, which include a reusable transmitter, a receiver, disposable sensors and our mobile applications including functionality related to the DexCom Share System.
We purchase certain components and materials from single sources due to quality considerations, costs or constraints resulting from regulatory requirements. Currently, those single sources are OnCore Manufacturing Services, which manufactures and supplies circuit boards for our receiver and transmitter; ON Semiconductor Corp, which produces the application specific integrated circuits used in our transmitters; DSM PTG, Inc., which manufactures certain polymers used to synthesize our polymeric membranes for our sensors; and The Tech Group, which produces injection molded components. In some cases, agreements with these and other suppliers can be terminated by either party upon short notice. We may not be able to quickly establish additional or replacement suppliers for our single-source components, especially after our products are commercialized, in part because of the FDA approval process and because of the custom nature of the parts we designed. Any supply interruption from our vendors or failure to obtain alternate vendors for any of the components would limit our ability to manufacture our systems, and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are currently building a second manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona. This facility is intended to increase our manufacturing capacity to:
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• | avoid the constraints we anticipate in our current facilities commencing in 2018-2019; |
• | geographically diversify our manufacturing base to mitigate the risks of having all of our manufacturing located in earthquake and fire-prone California; and |
• | help manage certain of our operating expenses by taking advantage of Arizona’s lower costs and taxes relative to California. |
We currently anticipate we will begin production of the first components during 2018. Upon FDA approval, we anticipate we will have approximately 3,000 square feet of laboratory space and approximately 10,000 square feet of controlled environment rooms. Eventually we intend to manufacture current and next generation sensors and transmitters in this facility.
Third-Party Reimbursement
As a medical device company, reimbursement from Medicare, other national healthcare systems, and private third-party healthcare payors is an important element of our success. In January 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, or CMS, established a classification of “Therapeutic Continuous Glucose Monitors” as durable medical equipment under Medicare Part B, subject to payment by Medicare under certain coverage conditions to be determined by CMS, by local Medicare Administrative Contractors or on a patient claim by claim basis. This is a decision we had pursued for many years and which was made possible by the FDA’s decision in December 2016 to approve a non-adjunctive indication, or use, for our G5 Mobile system, as described further in the “Regulatory” section below. Similarly, in September 2016, Germany's Federal Joint Committee agreed to provide reimbursement for continuous glucose monitoring systems under certain conditions which we believe we meet.
Our G4 PLATINUM system is not classified as a Therapeutic CGM by CMS and thus remains ineligible for reimbursement within the Medicare-eligible population. Reimbursement of our G4 PLATINUM system, or any future system that does not meet the requirements for Therapeutic CGMs under Medicare Part B or the requirements of another national healthcare system, will be limited to those customers covered by third-party payors that have adopted coverage policies for continuous glucose monitoring devices that include our products.
As of February 27, 2018, the seven largest private third-party payors, in terms of the number of covered lives, have issued coverage policies for the category of continuous glucose monitoring devices. In addition, we have negotiated contracted rates with all seven of those third-party payors for the purchase of our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems by their members. Many of these coverage policies reimburse for our products under durable medical equipment benefits, are restrictive in nature and require the patient to comply with extensive documentation and other requirements to demonstrate medical necessity under the policy. Customers who are insured by payors that do not offer coverage for our devices will have to bear the financial cost of the products. We currently employ in-house reimbursement expertise to assist customers in obtaining reimbursement from private third-party payors. We also maintain a field-based reimbursement team charged with calling on third-party private payors to obtain coverage decisions and contracts. We have had formal meetings and have increased our efforts to create and liberalize coverage policies with third-party payors, including obtaining reimbursement for our products under pharmacy benefits and for more people with diabetes.
Medicare, Medicaid, health maintenance organizations and other third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement of new medical devices, and, as a result, their coverage policies may be restrictive, or they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our products. In order to obtain reimbursement arrangements, we may have to agree to a net sales price lower than the net sales price we might charge in other sales channels. Our revenue may be limited by the continuing efforts of government and third-party payors to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare through various increasingly sophisticated means, such as requiring prospective reimbursement and second opinions, purchasing in groups, or redesigning benefits. Furthermore, we are unable to predict what effect the current or any future healthcare reform will have on our business, or the effect these matters will have on our customers. Our dependence on the commercial success of the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems makes us particularly susceptible to any cost containment or reduction efforts. Accordingly, unless government and other third-party payors provide adequate coverage and reimbursement for the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, people without coverage who have diabetes may not use our products.
In some foreign markets, pricing and profitability of medical devices are subject to government control. In the United States, we expect that there will continue to be federal and state proposals for similar controls. Also, the trends toward managed healthcare in the United States and proposed legislation intended to reduce the cost of government insurance programs could significantly influence the purchase of healthcare services and products and may result in lower prices for our products or the exclusion of our products from reimbursement programs.
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Intellectual Property
Protection of our intellectual property is a strategic priority for our business. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright and other intellectual property laws, trade secrets, nondisclosure agreements and other measures to protect our proprietary rights. As of January 2018, we had 391 issued U.S. patents in force, and had 231 U.S. published patent applications pending. We believe it will take up to five years, and possibly longer, for these pending U.S. patent applications to result in issued patents. As of January 2018, we have 21 published international applications pending under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, 42 granted European patents and 56 published European patent applications pending. We also have 21 registered U.S. trademarks 16 registered European Community trademarks and a number of registered trademarks and pending trademark applications in 39 countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Our patents began expiring in 2017.
Together, our patents and patent applications seek to protect aspects of our core membrane and sensor technologies, and our product concepts for continuous glucose monitoring. We believe that our patent position provides us with sufficient rights to protect our current and proposed commercial products. However, our patent applications may not result in issued patents, and any patents that have been issued or might be issued may not protect our intellectual property rights. Furthermore, our patents may not be upheld. Any patents issued to us may be challenged by third parties as being invalid or unenforceable, or third parties may independently develop similar or competing technology that avoids our patents. The steps we have taken may not prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States. We also face risks associated with intellectual property infringement. See Risk Factors, “We are subject to claims of infringement or misappropriation of the intellectual property rights of others, which could prohibit us from shipping affected products, require us to obtain licenses from third parties or to develop non-infringing alternatives, and subject us to substantial monetary damages and injunctive relief. We may also be subject to other claims or suits.” and “Our inability to adequately protect our intellectual property could allow our competitors and others to produce products based on our technology, which could substantially impair our ability to compete.”
We also rely on trade secrets, technical know-how and continuing innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our proprietary information and other intellectual property by generally requiring our employees, consultants, contractors, outside scientific collaborators and other advisors to execute non-disclosure and assignment of invention agreements on commencement of their employment or engagement. Agreements with our employees also forbid them from bringing the proprietary rights of third parties to us. We also generally require confidentiality or material transfer agreements from third parties that receive our confidential data or materials. We cannot guarantee that employees and third parties will abide by the confidentiality or assignment terms of these agreements. Despite measures taken to protect our intellectual property, unauthorized parties might copy aspects of our products or obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary.
Government Regulation
Our products are medical devices subject to extensive and ongoing regulation by the FDA and regulatory bodies in other countries. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and the FDA’s implementing regulations govern product design and development, pre-clinical and clinical testing, pre-market clearance or approval, establishment registration and product listing, product manufacturing, product labeling, product storage, advertising and promotion, product sales, distribution, recalls and field actions, servicing and post-market clinical surveillance.
FDA Regulation
Unless an exemption applies, each medical device we wish to commercially distribute in the United States will require either prior 510(k) clearance or prior approval from the FDA through the premarket approval, or PMA
process. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes. Devices requiring fewer controls because they are deemed to pose lower risk are placed in Class I or II. Class I devices are subject to general controls such as labeling, pre-market notification, and adherence to the FDA’s manufacturing requirements, which are contained in the Quality System Regulation, or QSR. Class II devices are subject to special controls such as performance standards, post-market surveillance, FDA guidelines, or particularized labeling, as well as general controls. Some Class I and Class II devices are exempted by regulation from the pre-market notification (i.e., 510(k) clearance) requirement, and/or the requirement of compliance with substantially all of the QSR. As an example, the mobile applications that comprise the DexCom Share System were classified by the FDA as Class II, exempt, due to the fact that these mobile applications were secondary displays of the associated G4 PLATINUM or G5 Mobile Receiver. With the mobile applications classified as Class II exempt, DexCom must comply with certain general and special controls required by the FDA but does not need prior FDA approval to commercialize changes to the mobile applications. Some devices are placed in Class III, which requires approval of a PMA application, if they are deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or certain implantable devices, or to be “not substantially equivalent” either to a previously 510(k) cleared device or to a “preamendment” Class III device in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 for which PMA applications have not been required.
process. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes. Devices requiring fewer controls because they are deemed to pose lower risk are placed in Class I or II. Class I devices are subject to general controls such as labeling, pre-market notification, and adherence to the FDA’s manufacturing requirements, which are contained in the Quality System Regulation, or QSR. Class II devices are subject to special controls such as performance standards, post-market surveillance, FDA guidelines, or particularized labeling, as well as general controls. Some Class I and Class II devices are exempted by regulation from the pre-market notification (i.e., 510(k) clearance) requirement, and/or the requirement of compliance with substantially all of the QSR. As an example, the mobile applications that comprise the DexCom Share System were classified by the FDA as Class II, exempt, due to the fact that these mobile applications were secondary displays of the associated G4 PLATINUM or G5 Mobile Receiver. With the mobile applications classified as Class II exempt, DexCom must comply with certain general and special controls required by the FDA but does not need prior FDA approval to commercialize changes to the mobile applications. Some devices are placed in Class III, which requires approval of a PMA application, if they are deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or certain implantable devices, or to be “not substantially equivalent” either to a previously 510(k) cleared device or to a “preamendment” Class III device in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 for which PMA applications have not been required.
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Our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile Systems (excluding associated DexCom Share System functionalities and mobile applications) have been classified as devices requiring PMA approval. A PMA application must be supported by valid scientific evidence, which typically requires extensive data, including technical, pre-clinical, clinical, manufacturing and labeling data, to demonstrate to the FDA’s satisfaction the safety and efficacy of the device. A PMA application also must include a complete description of the device and its components, a detailed description of the methods, facilities and controls used to manufacture the device, and proposed labeling. After a PMA-application is submitted and found to be sufficiently complete, the FDA begins an in-depth review of the submitted information. During this review period, the FDA may request additional information or clarification of information already provided. Also during the review period, an advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA. In addition, the FDA generally will conduct a pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility to evaluate compliance with QSR, which requires manufacturers to implement and follow design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures.
FDA review of a PMA application generally takes between one and three years, but may take significantly longer. The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of a PMA application for many reasons, including:
• | our systems may not be safe or effective to the FDA’s satisfaction; |
• | the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support approval; |
• | the manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements; and |
• | changes in FDA approval policies or adoption of new regulations may require additional data. |
If an FDA evaluation of a PMA application or manufacturing facilities is favorable, the FDA will either issue an approval letter, or approvable letter, which usually contains a number of conditions which must be met in order to secure final approval of the PMA. When and if those conditions have been fulfilled to the satisfaction of the FDA, the agency will issue a PMA approval letter authorizing commercial marketing of a device, subject to the conditions of approval and the limitations established in the approval letter. If the FDA’s evaluation of a PMA application or manufacturing facilities is not favorable, the FDA will deny approval of the PMA or issue a not approvable letter. The FDA may also determine that additional trials are necessary, in which case the PMA approval may be delayed for several months or years while the trials are conducted and data is submitted in an amendment to the PMA. The PMA process can be expensive, uncertain and lengthy and a number of devices for which FDA approval has been sought by other companies have never been approved by the FDA for marketing.
New PMA applications or PMA supplements may be required for modifications to the manufacturing process, labeling, device specifications, materials or design of a device that is approved through the PMA process. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as an initial PMA application, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the approved PMA application and may or may not require as extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel.
Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA application and are sometimes required for a 510(k) clearance. These trials generally require submission of an application for an investigational device exemption, or IDE to the FDA. The IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory testing results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE application must be approved in advance by the FDA for a specified number of patients, unless the product is deemed a non-significant risk device and eligible for abbreviated IDE requirements. Generally, clinical trials for a significant risk device may begin once the IDE application is approved by the FDA and the study protocol and informed consent are approved by appropriate institutional review boards at the clinical trial sites. The FDA’s approval of an IDE allows clinical testing to go forward, but does not bind the FDA to accept the results of the trial as sufficient to prove the product’s safety and efficacy, even if the trial meets its intended success criteria. All clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s IDE regulations, which govern investigational device labeling, prohibit promotion, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. Clinical trials must further comply with the FDA’s regulations for institutional review board approval and for informed consent and other human subject protections. Required records and reports are subject to inspection by the FDA. The results of clinical testing may be unfavorable or, even if the intended safety and efficacy success criteria are achieved, may not be considered sufficient for the FDA to grant approval or clearance of a product. The commencement or completion of any of our clinical trials may be delayed or halted, or be inadequate to support approval of a PMA application, for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
• | the FDA or other regulatory authorities do not approve a clinical trial protocol or a clinical trial, or place a clinical trial on hold; |
• | patients do not enroll in clinical trials at the rate we expect; |
• | patients do not comply with trial protocols; |
• | patient follow-up is not at the rate we expect; |
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• | patients experience adverse side effects; |
• | patients die during a clinical trial, even though their death may not be related to our products; |
• | institutional review boards and third-party clinical investigators may delay or reject our trial protocol; |
• | third-party clinical investigators decline to participate in a trial or do not perform a trial on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical trial protocol, good clinical practices or other FDA requirements; |
• | DexCom or third-party organizations do not perform data collection, monitoring and analysis in a timely or accurate manner or consistent with the clinical trial protocol or investigational or statistical plans; |
• | third-party clinical investigators have significant financial interests related to DexCom or the study that the FDA deems to make the study results unreliable, or DexCom or investigators fail to disclose such interests; |
• | regulatory inspections of our clinical trials or manufacturing facilities, which may, among other things, require us to undertake corrective action or suspend or terminate our clinical trials; |
• | changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions applicable to our trial protocols; |
• | the interim or final results of the clinical trial are inconclusive or unfavorable as to safety or efficacy; and |
• | the FDA concludes that our trial design is inadequate to demonstrate safety and efficacy. |
In November 2011, we received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market to clinics a data management service, which helps healthcare providers and patients see, understand and use blood glucose meter data to diagnose and manage diabetes. Our data transfer service is registered with the FDA as a MDDS and allows researchers to control the transfer of data from certain diabetes devices to research tools and databases according to their own research workflows. Additional functions of, or intended uses for, our software platform will require us to obtain either 510(k) clearance or PMA approval from the FDA. To obtain 510(k) clearance, we must submit a pre-market notification demonstrating that the software system is substantially equivalent to a previously cleared 510(k) device or a pre-amendment device that was in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 for which the FDA has not yet called for the submission of a PMA application. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance pathway generally takes from three to twelve months from the date the application is completed, but can take significantly longer. After a medical device receives 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a significant change in its intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance.
After a device is approved and placed in commercial distribution, numerous regulatory requirements apply. These include:
• | establishment registration and device listing; |
• | QSR, which requires manufacturers to follow design, testing, control, storage, supplier/contractor selection, complaint handling, documentation and other quality assurance procedures; |
• | labeling regulations, which prohibit the promotion of products for unapproved or off-label uses or indications and impose other restrictions on labeling, advertising and promotion; |
• | medical device reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA if a device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur; |
• | voluntary and mandatory device recalls to address problems when a device is defective and/or could be a risk to health; and |
• | corrections and removal reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and product recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA that may present a risk to health. |
Also, the FDA may require us to conduct post-market surveillance studies or order us to establish and maintain a system for tracking our products through the chain of distribution to the patient level. The FDA and the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Health Services enforce regulatory requirements by conducting periodic, unannounced inspections and market surveillance. Inspections may include the manufacturing facilities of our subcontractors.
Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, including those applicable to the conduct of our clinical trials, can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may lead to any of the following sanctions:
• | warning letters or untitled letters that require corrective action; |
• | fines and civil penalties; |
• | unanticipated expenditures; |
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• | delays in approving or refusal to approve our future continuous glucose monitoring systems or other products; |
• | FDA refusal to issue certificates to foreign governments needed to export our products for sale in other countries; |
• | suspension or withdrawal of FDA approval; |
• | product recall or seizure; |
• | interruption of production; |
• | operating restrictions; |
• | injunctions; and |
• | criminal prosecution. |
We and our contract manufacturers, specification developers, and some suppliers of components or device accessories, are also required to manufacture our products in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice (“GMP”) requirements set forth in the QSR. The QSR requires a quality system for the design, manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage, installation and servicing of marketed devices, and includes extensive requirements with respect to quality management and organization, device design, buildings, equipment, purchase and handling of components or services, production and process controls, packaging and labeling controls, device evaluation, distribution, installation, complaint handling, servicing, and record keeping. The FDA evaluates compliance with the QSR through periodic unannounced inspections that may include the manufacturing facilities of our subcontractors. If the FDA believes we or any of our contract manufacturers or regulated suppliers are not in compliance with these requirements, it can shut down our manufacturing operations, require recall of our products, refuse to approve new marketing applications, institute legal proceedings to detain or seize products, enjoin future violations, or assess civil and criminal penalties against us or our officers or other employees. Any such action by the FDA would have a material adverse effect on our business. We may be unable to comply with all applicable FDA regulations.
Customer Notification
On February 23, 2016, we issued a customer notification regarding an issue with the audible alarms and alerts associated with our receivers (DexCom G4 PLATINUM and DexCom G5 Mobile). This was classified as a voluntary Class 1 recall by the FDA and was closed by the FDA as of August 11, 2017. The issue with the audible alarms and alerts was identified as a result of our continuous review of complaints received from our customers. A failure of the audible alarms and alerts may cause our customers to not detect a severe hypoglycemic (low glucose) or hyperglycemic (high glucose) event. We have implemented a solution for the audible alarms and alerts issue identified in the customer notification. The FDA is aware of this notification and a copy is available on the DexCom website at http://www.dexcom.com/notification. In the customer notification we have recommended that customers test the alarms and alerts on their receiver(s) every few days to make sure that the alarms and alerts are functioning properly.
Fraud and Abuse Laws and Other Compliance Requirements
The healthcare industry is subject to various federal and state laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse. Violations of these laws are punishable by criminal and civil sanctions, including, in some instances, exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Anti-kickback Laws. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or providing remuneration directly or indirectly to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing, recommending, or arranging of a good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare and Medicaid. The definition of “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, including such items as gifts, discounts, the furnishing of supplies or equipment, credit arrangements, waiver of payments, and providing anything at less than its fair market value. The Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS has issued regulations, commonly known as safe harbors, that set forth certain provisions which, if fully met, will assure healthcare providers and other parties that they will not be prosecuted under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. The failure of a transaction or arrangement to fit precisely within one or more safe harbors does not necessarily mean that it is illegal or that prosecution will be pursued. However, conduct and business arrangements that do not fully satisfy each applicable safe harbor may result in increased scrutiny by government enforcement authorities such as the HHS Office of Inspector General.
The penalties for violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute include imprisonment for up to five years, fines of up to $25,000 per violation and possible exclusion from federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Many states have adopted prohibitions similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, some of which apply to the referral of patients for healthcare services reimbursed by any source, not only by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Federal False Claims Act. The federal False Claims Act prohibits knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented a false claim or the knowing use of false statements or records to obtain payment from the federal government. When an entity is
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determined to have violated the False Claims Act, it must pay three times the actual damages sustained by the government, plus mandatory civil penalties of between $11,500 and $22,000 for each separate false claim. Suits filed under the False Claims Act, known as “qui tam” actions, can be brought by any individual on behalf of the government and such individuals (known as “relators” or, more commonly, as “whistleblowers”) may share in any amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. In addition, certain states have enacted laws modeled after the federal False Claims Act. Qui tam actions have increased significantly in recent years, causing greater numbers of healthcare companies to have to defend a false claim action, pay fines or be excluded from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal or state healthcare programs as a result of an investigation arising out of such action. Federal enforcement agencies also have showed increased interest in pharmaceutical companies’ product and patient assistance programs, including reimbursement and co-pay support services, and a number of investigations into these programs have resulted in significant civil and criminal settlements. In addition, the Affordable Care Act amended federal law to provide that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal anti-kickback statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act. Criminal prosecution is possible for making or presenting a false or fictitious or fraudulent claim to the federal government.
HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or HIPAA created two new federal crimes: healthcare fraud and false statements relating to healthcare matters. The healthcare fraud statute prohibits knowingly and willfully executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private payors. A violation of this statute is a felony and may result in fines, imprisonment or exclusion from government sponsored programs. The false statements statute prohibits knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. A violation of this statute is a felony and may result in fines or imprisonment.
FCPA. Additionally, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA prohibits U.S. corporations and their representatives from offering, promising, authorizing or making payments to any foreign government official, government staff member, political party or political candidate in an attempt to obtain or retain business abroad. The scope of the FCPA would include interactions with certain healthcare professionals in many countries. Other countries, including a number of EU Member States, have laws of similar application, including the UK Bribery Act 2010. Our present and future business has been and will continue to be subject to various other U.S. and foreign laws, rules and/or regulations.
Sunshine Act. Pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law in March 2010, the federal government enacted the Physician Payment Sunshine Act. We are required to track and publicly report, respectively, gifts and payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals. Many of these requirements are new and uncertain, and failure to comply could result in a range of fines, penalties and/or other sanctions.
International Regulation
International sales of medical devices are subject to foreign government regulations, which may vary substantially from country to country. The time required to obtain approval in a foreign country may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval, and the requirements may differ. There is a trend towards harmonization of quality system standards among the European Union, United States, Canada and various other industrialized countries.
The primary regulatory body in Europe is that of the European Union, which includes most of the major countries in Europe. Other countries, such as Switzerland, have voluntarily adopted laws and regulations that mirror those of the European Union with respect to medical devices. The European Union has adopted numerous directives and standards regulating the design, manufacture, clinical trials, labeling and adverse event reporting for medical devices. Devices that comply with the requirements of a relevant directive will be entitled to bear the CE conformity marking, indicating that the device conforms to the essential requirements of the applicable directives and, accordingly, can be commercially distributed throughout Europe. The method of assessing conformity varies depending on the class of the product, but normally involves a combination of self-assessment by the manufacturer and a third party assessment by a “Notified Body.” This third-party assessment may consist of an audit of the manufacturer’s quality system and specific testing of the manufacturer’s product. An assessment by a Notified Body of one country within the European Union is required in order for a manufacturer to commercially distribute the product throughout the European Union. Outside of the European Union, regulatory approval needs to be sought on a country-by-country basis in order for us to market our products.
Environmental Regulation
Our research and development and clinical processes involve the handling of potentially harmful biological materials as well as hazardous materials. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous and biological materials and we incur expenses relating to compliance with these laws and regulations. If violations of environmental, health and safety laws occur, we could be held liable for damages, penalties and costs of remedial actions. These expenses or this liability could have a significant negative impact on our financial condition.
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We may violate environmental, health and safety laws in the future as a result of human error, equipment failure or other causes. Environmental laws could become more stringent over time, imposing greater compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with violations. We are subject to potentially conflicting and changing regulatory agendas of political, business and environmental groups. Changes to or restrictions on permitting requirements or processes, hazardous or biological material storage or handling might require an unplanned capital investment or relocation. Failure to comply with new or existing laws or regulations could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Advisory Boards and Consultants
We have relied upon the advice of experts in the development and commercialization of our products. Since 2005, we have used experts in various disciplines on a consulting basis as needed to solve problems or accelerate development pathways. We may continue to engage advisors from the academic, consultancy, governmental or other areas to assist us as necessary.
Employees
As of December 31, 2017, we had more than 2,290 full-time employees and more than 700 contract and temporary employees globally. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have never experienced any employment-related work stoppages and consider our employee relations to be good.
Available Information
Our Internet website address is www.dexcom.com. We provide free access to various reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC through our website, as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been filed or furnished. These reports include, but are not limited to, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports. Our SEC reports can be accessed through the investor relations section of our website, or through www.sec.gov. Also available on our website are printable versions of our Audit Committee charter, Compensation Committee charter, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee charter, and Business Code of Conduct and Ethics. Information on our website does not constitute part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or other report we file or furnish with the SEC. Stockholders may request copies of these documents from:
DexCom, Inc.
6340 Sequence Drive
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 200-0200
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ITEM 1A. | RISK FACTORS |
Our short and long-term success is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors that are difficult to predict or beyond our control. Before making a decision to invest in, hold or sell our common stock, stockholders and potential stockholders should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to the other information contained in or incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as the other information we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of the following risks are realized, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the value of our common stock could decline and stockholders may lose all or part of their investment. Furthermore, additional risks and uncertainties of which we are currently unaware, or which we currently consider to be immaterial, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Refer to our disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements at the beginning of our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
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Factors that May Affect our Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Risks Related to Our Business
We have incurred losses since inception and anticipate that we will incur continued losses in the future.
We have incurred operating losses in each year since our inception in May 1999, including operating losses of $42.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $671.8 million. We have financed our operations primarily through private and public offerings of equity securities and debt, and the sales of our products. We have devoted substantial resources to:
• | research and development relating to our continuous glucose monitoring systems; |
• | sales and marketing and manufacturing expenses associated with the commercialization of our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems; and |
• | expansion of our workforce. |
We expect our research and development expenses to increase in connection with our clinical trials and other development activities related to our products, including our next generation sensors, transmitters and sensor augmented insulin pumps, as well as other collaborations. We also expect that our general and administrative expenses will continue to increase due to the additional operational and regulatory burdens applicable to public healthcare and medical device companies. As a result, we expect we may continue to incur operating losses in the future. These losses, among other things, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders' equity.
If, in the future, we are unable to continue the development of an adequate sales and marketing organization, or if our direct sales organization is not successful, we may have difficulty achieving market awareness and selling our products.
To achieve commercial success for the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems and our future products, we must either continue to develop and grow our sales and marketing organization and enter into partnerships or other arrangements to market and sell our products or collaborate with third parties to market and sell our products. Developing and managing a direct sales organization is a difficult, expensive and time consuming process.
To be successful we must:
• | recruit and retain adequate numbers of effective and experienced sales personnel; |
• | effectively train our sales personnel in the benefits and risks of our products; |
• | establish and maintain successful sales, marketing and education programs that educate endocrinologists, physicians and diabetes educators so they can appropriately inform their patients about our products; and |
• | manage geographically dispersed sales and marketing operations. |
We currently employ a direct sales force to sell and market our products in the United States, Canada and certain countries in Europe. Our direct sales force calls directly on healthcare providers and people with diabetes throughout the applicable country to initiate sales of our products. Our sales organization competes with the experienced, larger and well-funded marketing and sales operations of our competitors. We may not be able to successfully manage our dispersed sales force, or increase our product sales at acceptable rates.
We have also entered into distribution arrangements to leverage existing distributors already engaged in the diabetes marketplace. Our United States distribution partnerships are focused on accessing underrepresented regions and, in some instances, third-party payors that contract exclusively with distributors. Our European and other international distribution partners call directly on healthcare providers and patients to market and sell our products in Australia, New Zealand, and portions of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Because of the competition for their services, we may be unable to partner with or retain additional qualified distributors. Further, we may not be able to enter into agreements with distributors on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Our distributors might not have the resources to continue to support our recent rapid growth.
If we are unable to establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or enter into and maintain arrangements with third parties to sell, market and distribute our products, our business may be harmed.
We have entered into distribution arrangements to leverage established distributors already engaged in the diabetes marketplace. Our distribution agreements with Byram and affiliates and Cardinal Health and affiliates (including Edgepark Medical Supplies), our two most significant distributors generated approximately 14% and 17% respectively, of our total revenue during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017. We cannot guarantee that these relationships will continue or that
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we will be able to maintain this volume of sales from these relationships in the future. A substantial decrease or loss of these sales could have a material adverse effect on our operating performance. To the extent that we enter into additional arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing, distribution and billing services in the United States, Europe or other countries, our product margins could be lower than if we directly marketed and sold our products. To the extent that we enter into co-promotion or other marketing and sales arrangements with other companies, any revenue received will depend on the skills and efforts of others, and we cannot predict whether these efforts will be successful. In addition, market acceptance of our products by physicians and people with diabetes in Europe or other countries will largely depend on our ability to demonstrate their relative safety, efficacy, reliability, cost-effectiveness and ease of use. If we are unable to do so, we may not be able to generate product revenue from our sales efforts in Europe or other countries. Finally, if we are unable to establish and maintain adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, independently or with others, we may not be able to generate adequate product revenue and may not become profitable.
Although many third-party payors have adopted some form of coverage policy on continuous glucose monitoring devices, our products do not yet have simple broad-based contractual coverage with most third-party payors and we frequently experience administrative challenges in obtaining reimbursement for our customers. If we are unable to obtain adequately broad reimbursement at acceptable prices for our products or any future products from third-party payors, we will be unable to generate significant revenue.
As a medical device company, reimbursement from Medicare, other government, and commercial third-party healthcare payors is an important element of our success. In January 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, established a classification of “Therapeutic Continuous Glucose Monitors” as durable medical equipment under Medicare Part B, subject to payment by Medicare under certain coverage conditions to be determined by CMS, by local Medicare Administrative Contractors or on a patient claim by claim basis. This is a decision we had pursued for many years and which was made possible by the FDA’s decision in December 2016 to approve a non-adjunctive indication, or use, for our G5 Mobile system. In March 2017, CMS Medicare Administrative Contractors issued interim instructions for individual claim adjudication providing instructions and billing codes for the reimbursement of individual claims for therapeutic CGM reimbursement that apply to our G5 Mobile system, and in May 2017, CMS Medicare Administrative Contractors issued a revision to an existing joint Local Coverage Determination, or LCD, which establishes the Medicare conditions of coverage for therapeutic CGM. Similarly, in September 2016, Germany's Federal Joint Committee agreed to provide reimbursement for continuous glucose monitoring systems under certain conditions which we believe are met by our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems.
A number of regulatory and commercial hurdles remain relating to wide scale sales to Medicare beneficiaries. If we are unable to successfully address these hurdles, reimbursement of our products may be limited to a smaller subset of people with diabetes covered by Medicare or to those people with diabetes covered by other government and commercial third-party payors that have adopted policies for CGM devices allowing for coverage of these devices if certain conditions are met. Adverse coverage or reimbursement decisions relating to our products by CMS, its Medicare Administrative Contractors, other state or federal payors, and/or third-party commercial payors could significantly reduce reimbursement, which could have an impact on the acceptance of, and demand for, our products and the prices that our customers are willing to pay for them.
As of February 27, 2018, the seven largest private third-party payors, in terms of the number of covered lives, have issued coverage policies for the category of CGM devices. In addition, we have negotiated contracted rates with all seven of those third-party payors for the purchase of our products by their members. However, people with diabetes without insurance that covers our products will have to bear the financial cost of them. In the United States, people with diabetes using existing single-point finger stick devices are generally reimbursed all or part of the product cost by Medicare or other third-party payors. The commercial success of our products in both domestic and international markets will substantially depend on whether timely and comprehensive third-party reimbursement is widely available for individuals that use them. While many third-party payors have adopted some form of coverage policy on CGM devices, typically, though not exclusively, under durable medical equipment benefits, those coverage policies frequently require significant medical documentation in order for policy holders to obtain reimbursement, and as a result, we have difficulty improving the efficiency of our customer service group. Moreover, it is not uncommon for federal and/or state agencies and their contractors to conduct periodic routine billing and compliance reviews that may entail extensive documentation requests, cooperation with which may require significant time and resources.
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In addition, Medicare, Medicaid, health maintenance organizations and other government and commercial third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement of new and existing medical devices, and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our products. Many of these programs impose documentation and other eligibility requirements that make it more difficult to obtain reimbursement. In order to obtain additional reimbursement arrangements, including under pharmacy benefits, we may have to agree to a net sales price lower than the net sales price we might charge in other sales channels. Our revenue may be limited by the continuing efforts of government and third-party payors to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare through various increasingly sophisticated means, such as leveraging increased competition, increasing eligibility requirements such as second opinions and other documentation, purchasing in groups, or redesigning benefits. We are unable to predict what effect the current or any future healthcare reform will have on our business, or the effect these matters will have on our customers. Our dependence on the commercial success of the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems makes us particularly susceptible to any cost containment or reduction efforts. Accordingly, unless government and other third-party payors provide adequate coverage and reimbursement for the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, people without coverage who have diabetes may not use our products. Furthermore, payors are increasingly basing reimbursement rates on factors such as the efficacy of the product, and clinical outcomes associated with the product, and any factors that negatively impact the efficacy or clinical outcomes (or cause a perception of any such negative impact), such as the results of a clinical trial, a product defect, or a product recall, could negatively impact the reimbursement rate.
In some foreign markets, pricing and profitability of medical devices are subject to government control. In the United States, we expect that there will continue to be federal and state proposals for similar controls. Also, the trends toward managed healthcare in the United States and legislative efforts intended to reduce the cost of government insurance programs could significantly influence the purchase of healthcare services and products and may result in lower prices for our products or the exclusion of our products from reimbursement programs.
Uncollectible uninsured and patient due accounts could adversely affect our results of operations.
The primary collection risks for our accounts receivable relate to the uninsured patient accounts and patient accounts for which the primary insurance carrier has paid the amounts covered by the applicable agreement, but patient responsibility amounts (exclusions, deductibles and copayments) remain outstanding. In the event that we are unsuccessful in collecting payments owed by patients, and/or experience increases in the amount, or deterioration in the collectability, of uninsured and patient due accounts receivable, this could adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations. We may also be adversely affected by the growth in patient responsibility accounts as a result of increases in the adoption of plan structures, due to evolving health care policy and insurance landscapes that shift greater responsibility for care to individuals through greater exclusions and copayment and deductible amounts.
We may never receive approval or clearance from the FDA and other governmental agencies to market our next generation CGM systems, expanded indications for use of current and future generation CGM systems, future software platforms, or any other products under development.
Our continuous glucose monitoring systems are classified by the FDA as premarket approval, or PMA, medical devices. The PMA process requires us to prove the safety and efficacy of our systems to the FDA's satisfaction. This process can be expensive, prolonged and uncertain, requires detailed and comprehensive scientific and human clinical data, and may never result in the FDA granting a PMA. Any future system or expanded indications for use of current generation systems will require approval of the applicable regulatory authorities. In addition, we intend to seek either 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals for certain changes and modifications to our existing software platform, but cannot predict when, if ever, those changes and modifications will be approved.
A new 510(k) clearance or PMA is required for any modification to a 510(k)-cleared device that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that constitutes a major change in its intended use, design, or manufacture. FDA may disagree with our assessment of whether a new clearance or approval is required if we modify our products. If we do not seek a new clearance or approval when they believe one was necessary, they could order us to stop marketing or recall the product, and they could seek a seizure, injunction, criminal prosecution, or take other enforcement action.
The FDA can refuse to grant a 510(k) clearance or delay, limit or deny approval of a PMA application or supplement for many reasons, including:
• | the system may not be deemed by the FDA to be substantially equivalent to appropriate predicate devices; |
• | the system may not satisfy the FDA's safety or efficacy requirements; |
• | the data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support approval; |
• | the manufacturing process or facilities used may not meet applicable requirements; and |
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• | changes in FDA approval policies or adoption of new regulations may require additional data. |
Even if approved or cleared by the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies, future generations of our CGM systems, expanded indications for use of current and future generation CGM systems, our software platform or any other continuous glucose monitoring system under development, may not be approved or cleared for the indications that are necessary or desirable for successful commercialization. We may not obtain the necessary regulatory approvals or clearances to market these continuous glucose monitoring systems in the United States or outside of the United States. Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, approval or clearance for our products could prevent us from generating revenue from these products or achieving profitability. The uncertain timing of regulatory approvals for future generations of our products could subject our current inventory to excess or obsolescence charges, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
If we are unable to successfully complete the pre-clinical studies or clinical trials necessary to support additional PMA or 510(k) applications or supplements, we may be unable to commercialize our continuous glucose monitoring systems under development, which could impair our business, financial condition and operating results.
To support these and any future additional PMA or 510(k) applications or supplements, we together with our partners, must successfully complete pre-clinical studies, bench-testing, and clinical trials that will demonstrate that the product is safe and effective. Product development, including pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, is a long, expensive and uncertain process and is subject to delays and failure at any stage. Furthermore, the data obtained from the studies and trials may be inadequate to support approval of a PMA or 510(k) application and the FDA may request additional clinical data in support of those applications, which may result in significant additional clinical expenses and may delay product approvals. While we have in the past obtained, and may in the future obtain, an investigational device exemption, or IDE, prior to commencing clinical trials for our products, FDA approval of an IDE application permitting us to conduct testing does not mean that the FDA will consider the data gathered in the trial to be sufficient to support approval of a PMA or 510(k) application or supplement, even if the trial's intended safety and efficacy endpoints are achieved. Additionally, since 2009, the FDA has significantly increased the scrutiny applied to its oversight of companies subject to its regulations, including 510(k) and PMA submissions, by hiring new investigators and increasing the frequency and scope of its inspections of manufacturing facilities. The ongoing review by FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the 510(k) process could complicate the product approval process for certain of our and our partner’s products, although we cannot predict the effect of such procedural changes and cannot ascertain if such changes will have a substantive impact on the approval of our products or our partners’ products. If we fail to adequately respond to any changes to the 510(k) submission process and associated matters, our business may be adversely impacted.
Unexpected changes to the FDA or foreign regulatory approval processes could also delay or prevent the approval of our products submitted for review. For example, as part of the 21st Century Cures Act passed in 2016, Congress enacted several reforms that further affect medical device regulation both pre- and post-approval. In addition, the FDA is in the process of reviewing the 510(k) approval process and criteria and has announced initiatives to improve the current pre- and post-market regulatory processes and requirements associated with infusion pumps and other home use medical devices. As part of this effort, the FDA is reviewing the adverse event reporting and recall processes for insulin pumps. Any change in the laws or regulations that govern the clearance and approval processes relating to our current and future products could make it more difficult and costly to obtain clearance or approval for new products, or to produce, market and distribute existing products. The data contained in our submission, including data drawn from our clinical trials, may not be sufficient to support approval of our products or additional or expanded indications. Medical device company stock prices have declined significantly in certain circumstances where companies have failed to meet expectations in regards to the timing of regulatory approval. If the FDA's response causes product approval delays, or is not favorable for any of our products, our stock price could decline substantially.
The commencement or completion of any of our clinical trials may be delayed or halted, or be inadequate to support approval of a PMA or 510(k) application or supplement, for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
• | the FDA or other regulatory authorities do not approve a clinical trial protocol or a clinical trial, or place a clinical trial on hold; |
• | patients do not enroll in clinical trials at the rate we expect; |
• | patients do not comply with trial protocols; |
• | patient follow-up does not occur at the rate we expect; |
• | patients experience adverse side effects; |
• | patients die during a clinical trial, even though their death may not be related to our products; |
• | institutional review boards, or IRBs, and third-party clinical investigators may delay or reject our trial protocol; |
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• | third-party clinical investigators decline to participate in a trial or do not perform a trial on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the investigator agreements, clinical trial protocol, good clinical practices or other FDA or IRB requirements; |
• | DexCom or third-party organizations do not perform data collection, monitoring and analysis in a timely or accurate manner or consistent with the clinical trial protocol or investigational or statistical plans; |
• | third-party clinical investigators have significant financial interests related to DexCom or the study that the FDA deems to make the study results unreliable, or DexCom or investigators fail to disclose such interests; |
• | regulatory inspections of our clinical trials or manufacturing facilities may, among other things, require us to undertake corrective action or suspend or terminate our clinical trials; |
• | changes in governmental regulations, policies or administrative actions applicable to our trial protocols; |
• | the interim or final results of the clinical trial are inconclusive or unfavorable as to safety or efficacy; and |
• | the FDA concludes that our trial design is inadequate to demonstrate safety and efficacy. |
The results of pre-clinical studies do not necessarily predict future clinical trial results, and prior clinical trial results might not be repeated in subsequent clinical trials. Additionally, the FDA may disagree with our interpretation of the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, or may find the clinical trial design, conduct or results inadequate to prove safety or efficacy, and may require us to pursue additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials, which could further delay the approval of our products. If we are unable to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our products in our clinical trials to the FDA's satisfaction, we will be unable to obtain regulatory approval to market our products in the United States. In addition, the data we collect from our current clinical trials, our pre-clinical studies and other clinical trials may not be sufficient to support FDA approval, even if our endpoints are met.
We may also conduct clinical studies to demonstrate the relative or comparative effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring devices for the treatment of diabetes. These types of studies, which often require substantial investment and effort, may not show adequate, or any, clinical benefit for the use of continuous glucose monitoring devices.
Health care policy changes, including U.S. health care reform legislation, may have a material adverse effect on our business.
In response to perceived increases in health care costs in recent years, there have been and continue to be proposals by the federal government, state governments, regulators, and third-party payors to control these costs and, more generally, to reform the U.S. health care system. Certain of these proposals could limit the prices we are able to charge for our products or the amounts of reimbursement available for our products and could limit the acceptance and availability of our products. The adoption of some or all of these proposals could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Comprehensive healthcare legislation, signed into law in the United States in March 2010, titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “ACA”) imposes certain stringent compliance, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements on companies in various sectors of the life sciences industry, with which we may need to comply, and enhanced penalties for non-compliance with the new healthcare regulations. However, there are many programs and requirements under the ACA for which the consequences are not fully understood, and it is unclear what the full impact will ultimately be from the ACA. Costs of compliance with this legislation, or any future amendments thereto, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The ACA also focuses on a number of Medicare provisions aimed at improving quality and decreasing costs. It is uncertain at this point what negative unintended consequences these provisions will have on patient access to new technologies. The Medicare provisions include value-based payment programs, increased funding of comparative effectiveness research, reduced hospital payments for avoidable readmissions and hospital acquired conditions, and pilot programs to evaluate alternative payment methodologies that promote care coordination, such as bundled physician and hospital payments.
Other legal, regulatory and commercial policy influences are subjecting our industry to significant changes, and we cannot predict whether new regulations or policies will emerge from U.S. federal or state governments, foreign governments, or third party payors. Government and commercial payors may, in the future, consider healthcare policies and proposals intended to curb rising healthcare costs, including those that could significantly affect reimbursement for healthcare products such as our systems. These policies have included, and may in the future include: basing reimbursement policies and rates on clinical outcomes, the comparative effectiveness, and costs of different treatment technologies and modalities; imposing price controls and taxes on medical device providers; and other measures. Future significant changes in the healthcare systems in the United
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States or elsewhere could also have a negative impact on the demand for our current and future products. These include changes that may reduce reimbursement rates for our products and changes that may be proposed or implemented by the current or future laws or regulations.
The ACA included an excise tax on the sale of medical devices equal to 2.3% of the selling price of the device in the U.S. beginning in 2013. The excise tax is applicable to sales of our G4 PLATINUM receivers for professional use. The excise tax was suspended from 2016 through 2019.
As of December 31, 2017, we believe that our current CGM products were exempt from the excise tax, except for our G4 PLATINUM system for professional use which is subject to the excise tax. The current tax liability related to our G4 PLATINUM system for professional use is immaterial, but may become material in the future. Notwithstanding our belief, if the IRS were to determine that this tax applies to any of our current or future products, our future operating results could be harmed, which in turn could cause the price of our stock to decline. In addition, because of the uncertainty surrounding these issues, the impact of this tax has not been reflected in our forward guidance.
We cannot predict whether the ACA will be repealed, replaced, or modified or how such repeal, replacement or modification may be timed or structured. As a result, we cannot quantify or predict the effect of such repeal, replacement, or modification might have on our business and results of operations. However, any changes that lower reimbursement for our products or reduce medical procedure volumes could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We conduct business in a heavily regulated industry and if we fail to comply with applicable laws and government regulations, we could become subject to penalties or be required to make significant changes to our operations.
The healthcare industry generally, and our business specifically, is subject to extensive foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations, including those relating to:
• | the pricing of our products and services; |
• | the distribution of our products and services; |
• | billing for services; |
• | the obligation to report and return identified overpayments; |
• | financial relationships with physicians and other referral sources; |
• | inducements and courtesies given to physicians and other health care providers and patients; |
• | labeling products; |
• | the characteristics and quality of our products and services; |
• | confidentiality, maintenance and security issues associated with medical records and individually identifiable health and other personal information; |
• | medical device reporting; |
• | prohibitions on kickbacks, also referred to as anti-kickback laws or regulations; |
• | any scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program; |
• | physician payment disclosure requirements; |
• | personal health information; |
• | privacy; |
• | data protection; |
• | mobile communications; |
• | false claims; and |
• | professional licensure |
These laws and regulations are extremely complex and, in some cases, still evolving. If our operations are found to violate any of the foreign, federal, state or local laws and regulations which govern our activities, we may be subject to litigation, government enforcement actions, and applicable penalties associated with the violation, potentially including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from participation in certain payor programs or curtailment of our operations. Compliance obligations under these various laws are oftentimes detailed and onerous, further contributing to the risk that we
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could be found to be out of compliance with particular requirements. The risk of being found in violation of these laws and regulations is further increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations.
The FDA, CMS, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, states' attorneys general and other governmental authorities actively enforce the laws and regulations discussed above. In the United States, medical device manufacturers have been the target of numerous government prosecutions and investigations alleging violations of law, including claims asserting impermissible off-label promotion of medical devices, payments intended to influence the referral of federal or state healthcare business, and submission of false claims for government reimbursement. While we make every effort to comply with applicable laws, we cannot rule out the possibility that the government or other third parties could interpret these laws differently and challenge our practices under one or more of these laws. This likelihood of allegations of non-compliance is increased by the fact that under certain federal and state laws applicable to our business, individuals, known as relators, may bring an action alleging violations of such laws, and potentially be awarded a share of any damages or penalties ultimately awarded to the applicable government body.
Any action against us alleging a violation of these laws or regulations, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management's time and attention from the operation of our business.
In addition, the laws and regulations impacting or affecting our business may change significantly in the future. Any new laws or regulations may adversely affect our business. A review of our business by courts or regulatory authorities may result in a determination that could adversely affect our operations. Also, the regulatory environment applicable to our business may change in a way that restricts or adversely impacts our operations.
Our failure to comply with laws, regulations and contract requirements relating to reimbursement of health care goods and services may subject us to penalties and adversely impact our reputation, business, financial condition and cash flows.
Our products are purchased principally by individual patients, who may be eligible for insurance coverage of their devices from various third-party payors, such as governmental programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid and comparable non-U.S. programs), private insurance plans, and managed care plans. The ability of our customers to obtain appropriate reimbursement for products and services from third-party payors is critical because it affects which products customers purchase and the prices they are willing to pay. As a result, our products are subject to regulation regarding quality and cost by the U.S. Department for Health & Human Services, including CMS, as well as comparable state and non-U.S. agencies responsible for reimbursement and regulation of health care goods and services. The principal U.S. federal laws that implicate reimbursement issues include those that prohibit (i) the filing of false or improper claims for federal payment, known as the federal civil False Claims Act, (ii) unlawful inducements for the referral of business reimbursable under federally-funded health care programs, known as the federal health care program Anti-Kickback Statute, and (iii) health care service providers from seeking reimbursement for providing certain services to a patient who was referred by a physician who has certain types of direct or indirect financial relationships with the service provider, known as the physician self-referral law, or the "Stark Law." Many states have similar laws that apply to reimbursement by state Medicaid and other government-funded programs, as well as, in some cases, to all payors. In addition, the federal overpayment statute, as interpreted by CMS, requires the report and return of identified overpayments received from federal health care programs within 60 days of identification and quantification, and requires the exercise of reasonable diligence to investigate credible information regarding potential overpayments. Insurance companies can also bring a private cause of action claiming treble damages against a manufacturer for causing a false claim to be filed under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, RICO. Additionally, as a manufacturer of U.S. FDA‑approved devices reimbursable by federal healthcare programs, we are subject to the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires us to annually report certain payments and other transfers of value we make to U.S.-licensed physicians or U.S. teaching hospitals.
We may be subject to these (and other) laws regulating the provision of, and reimbursement for, health care goods and services, both in our capacity as a medical device manufacturer and/or as a supplier of covered items and services to federal health care program beneficiaries, with respect to which items and services we submit claims for reimbursement from such programs. The laws and regulations of health care goods and services that apply to us, including those described above, are subject to evolving interpretations and enforcement discretion. As part of our compliance program, we have reviewed our sales contracts, marketing materials, and billing practices (among others) to reduce the risk of non-compliance with these and other foreign, federal and state laws. If a governmental authority was to conclude that we are not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we and our officers, directors and employees could be subject to criminal and civil penalties, including, for example, exclusion from participation as a supplier of product to beneficiaries covered by programs administered by CMS. Any failure to comply with laws, regulations or contractual requirements relating to reimbursement and health care goods and services could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and cash flows.
With respect to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, Congress and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General, or OIG, have established a large number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors. An arrangement that fits squarely into an exception or safe harbor is immune from prosecution under the Anti-Kickback Statute.
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We train and educate employees and marketing representatives on the Anti-Kickback Statute and their obligations thereunder, and we endeavor to comply with the applicable safe harbors. However, some of our arrangements, like many other common and non-abusive arrangements, may implicate the Anti-Kickback Statute and are not covered by a safe harbor, but nevertheless do not implicate any of the statute’s principal policy objectives and, as such, likely do not pose a material risk of program abuse or warrant the imposition of sanctions. However, we cannot offer assurance that arrangements that do not squarely meet an exception or safe harbor will not be found to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Allegations of violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute may be brought under the federal Civil Monetary Penalty Law, which requires a lower burden of proof than other fraud and abuse laws, including the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Our financial relationships with referring physicians and their immediate family members must comply with the Stark Law by meeting an applicable exception. We attempt to structure our relationships to meet an exception to the Stark Law, but the regulations implementing the exceptions are detailed and complex, and we cannot assure you that every relationship complies fully with the Stark Law. Unlike the Anti-Kickback Statute, failure to meet an exception under the Stark Law results in a violation of the Stark Law, even if such violation is technical in nature.
Additionally, if we violate the Anti-Kickback Statute or Stark Law, or if we improperly bill for our services, or retain overpayments longer than 60 days after identification, or fail to act with reasonable diligence to investigate credible information regarding potential overpayments, we may be found to violate the federal civil False Claims Act, either under a suit brought by the government or by a private person under a qui tam relator, or “whistleblower,” suit.
We could become the subject of governmental investigations, claims and litigation.
Health care companies are subject to numerous investigations by various governmental agencies. Further, under the False Claims Act, private parties have the right to bring qui tam, or “whistleblower,” suits against companies that submit false claims for payments to, or improperly retain overpayments from, the government. Some states have adopted similar state whistleblower and false claims provisions. Depending upon whether the underlying conduct alleged in such inquiries or investigations could be considered systemic, the resolution could have a material, adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and liquidity.
Governmental agencies and their agents, such as CMS Medicare Administrative Contractors and other CMS contractors, as well as the OIG, state Medicaid programs, and other state and federal agencies may conduct audits of our operations, relating to covered items and services including those furnished to beneficiaries, health care providers and distributors. Commercial and government-funded managed care payors may conduct similar post-payment audits, and we also perform internal audits and monitoring. Depending on the nature of the conduct found in such audits and whether the underlying conduct could be considered systemic, the resolution of these audits could have a material, adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and liquidity.
CMS contracts with Recovery Audit Contractors, or RACs, on a contingency fee basis to conduct post-payment reviews to detect and correct improper payments in the fee-for-service Medicare program. The ACA expanded the RAC program’s scope to include managed Medicare plans and Medicaid claims. RAC denials are appealable; however, there currently are significant delays in the assignment of new Medicare appeals to Administrative Law Judges, which negatively impacts our ability to appeal RAC payment denials. In addition, CMS employs various other program integrity contractors-including zone program integrity contractors (ZPICs), Medicaid integrity contractors (MICs), and unified program integrity contractors (UPICs)-to perform post-payment audits of claims and identify overpayments, and state Medicaid agencies and other contractors have increased their review activities.
We are not presently aware of any governmental investigations involving our executives or us. However, any future investigations of our executives, our managers or us could result in significant liabilities or penalties to us, as well as adverse publicity. Should we be found out of compliance with any of these laws, regulations or programs, depending on the nature of the findings, our business, our financial position and our results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Laws and regulations governing the export of our products could adversely impact our business.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce, administer certain laws and regulations that restrict U.S. persons and, in some instances, non-U.S. persons, in conducting activities, and transacting business with or making investments in certain countries, governments, entities and individuals subject to U.S. economic sanctions. Due to our international operations, we are subject to such laws and regulations, which are complex, restrict our business dealings with certain countries and individuals, and are constantly changing. Further restrictions may be enacted, amended, enforced or interpreted in a manner that materially impacts our operations.
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Violations of these regulations are punishable by civil penalties, including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts and revocations or restrictions of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. We have established procedures designed to assist with our compliance with such laws and regulations. However, we have only limited experience dealing with these laws and regulations and we cannot guarantee that our procedures will effectively prevent us from violating these regulations in every transaction in which we may engage. Any such violation could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our manufacturing capabilities are insufficient to produce an adequate supply of product at appropriate quality levels, our growth could be limited and our business could be harmed.
We currently have limited resources and facilities for commercially manufacturing sufficient quantities of product to meet expected demand. In the past, we have had difficulty scaling our manufacturing operations to provide a sufficient supply of product to support our commercialization efforts. From time to time, we have also experienced brief periods of backorder and, at times, have had to limit the efforts of our sales force to introduce our products to new customers. We have focused significant effort on continual improvement programs in our manufacturing operations intended to improve quality, yields and throughput. We have made progress in manufacturing to enable us to supply adequate amounts of product to support our commercialization efforts; however, we cannot guarantee that supply will not be constrained in the future. In order to produce our products in the quantities we anticipate will be necessary to meet market demand, we will need to increase our manufacturing capacity by a significant factor over the current level. In addition, we will have to modify our manufacturing design, reliability and process if and when our next generation sensor technologies are approved and commercialized. There are technical challenges to increasing manufacturing capacity, including equipment design and automation, materials procurement, manufacturing site expansion, problems with production yields and quality control and assurance. Continuing to develop commercial-scale manufacturing facilities will require the investment of substantial additional funds and the hiring and retention of additional management, quality assurance, quality control and technical personnel who have the necessary manufacturing experience. The scaling of manufacturing capacity is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, and may lead to variability in product quality or reliability, increased construction timelines, as well as resources required to design, install and maintain manufacturing equipment, among others, all of which can lead to unexpected delays in manufacturing output. In addition, any changes to our manufacturing processes may require FDA submission and approval and our facilities may have to undergo additional inspections by the FDA and corresponding state agencies. We may be unable to adequately maintain, develop and expand our manufacturing process and operations or obtain FDA and state agency approval of our facilities in a timely manner or at all. If we are unable to manufacture a sufficient supply of our current products or any future products for which we may receive approval, maintain control over expenses or otherwise adapt to anticipated growth, or if we underestimate growth, we may not have the capability to satisfy market demand and our business will suffer.
Additionally, the production of our products must occur in a highly controlled and clean environment to minimize particles and other yield- and quality-limiting contaminants. Weaknesses in process control or minute impurities in materials may cause a substantial percentage of defective products. If we are not able to maintain stringent quality controls, or if contamination problems arise, our clinical development and commercialization efforts could be delayed, which would harm our business and our results of operations.
We also require the suppliers and business partners of components or services for our products to comply with law and certain of our policies regarding sourcing practices, but we do not control them or their practices. If any supplier or business partner violates laws or implements unethical practices, there could be disruptions to our supply chain, cancellation of our orders, terminations of the relationship with the partner or damage to our reputation.
In the future, if our products have material defects or errors, this could result in loss or delay of revenues, delayed market acceptance, damaged reputation, diversion of development resources, legal claims, increased insurance costs or increased service and warranty costs, any of which could harm our business. Such defects or errors could also prompt us to amend certain warning labels or narrow the scope of the use of our products, either of which could hinder our success in the market.
Since the first commercial launch of our products in 2006, we have had periodic field failures related to our products, including reports of sensor errors, sensor failures, broken sensors, receiver malfunctions, audible alarms and alert failures, and transmitter failures. To comply with the FDA's medical device reporting requirements, we have filed reports of all such product field failures. Although we believe we have taken and are taking appropriate actions aimed at reducing or eliminating field failures, we cannot guarantee that we will not have additional failures going forward.
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We depend upon third-party suppliers, making us vulnerable to supply problems and price fluctuations, which could harm our business.
We rely on OnCore Manufacturing Services to manufacture and supply circuit boards for our receiver and transmitter; we rely on ON Semiconductor Corp. to manufacture and supply the application specific integrated circuit that is incorporated into the transmitter; we rely on DSM PTG, Inc. to manufacture certain polymers used to synthesize our polymeric biointerface membranes for our products; and we rely on The Tech Group to supply our injection molded components. Each of these suppliers other than OnCore is a single-source supplier. In some cases, our agreements with these and our other suppliers can be terminated by either party upon short notice. Our contract manufacturers also rely on single-source suppliers to manufacture some of the components used in our products. Our manufacturers and suppliers may encounter problems during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, failure to comply with applicable regulations, failed FDA audit or inspection, equipment malfunction and environmental factors, any of which could delay or impede their ability to meet our demand. If our single-source suppliers shift their manufacturing and assembly sites to other locations, these new sites may require additional FDA approval and inspection. Should any such FDA approval be delayed, or such inspection require corrective action, our supply of critical components may be constrained or eliminated. Our reliance on these outside manufacturers and suppliers also subjects us to other risks that could harm our business, including:
• | we may not be able to obtain adequate supply in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms; |
• | our products are technologically complex and it is difficult to develop alternative supply sources; |
• | we are not a major customer of many of our suppliers, and these suppliers may therefore give other customers' needs higher priority than ours; |
• | our suppliers may make errors in manufacturing components that could negatively affect the efficacy or safety of our products or cause delays in shipment of our products; |
• | we may have difficulty locating and qualifying alternative suppliers for our single-source supplies; |
• | switching components may require product redesign and submission to the FDA of a PMA supplement or possibly a separate PMA, either of which could significantly delay production; |
• | our suppliers manufacture products for a range of customers, and fluctuations in demand for the products these suppliers manufacture for others may affect their ability to deliver components to us in a timely manner; |
• | our suppliers may make obsolete components that are critical to our products; and |
• | our suppliers may encounter financial hardships unrelated to our demand for components, including those related to changes in global economic conditions, which could inhibit their ability to fulfill our orders and meet our requirements. |
We may not be able to quickly establish additional or replacement suppliers, particularly for our single-source components, in part because of the FDA inspection and approval process and because of the custom nature of various parts we design. Any interruption or delay in the supply of components or materials, or our inability to obtain components or materials from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders or switch to competitive products.
Potential long-term complications from our current or future products or other continuous glucose monitoring systems under development may not be revealed by our clinical experience to date.
Based on our experience, complications from use of our products may include sensor errors, sensor failures, broken sensors, lodged sensors or skin irritation under the adhesive dressing of the sensor. Inflammation or redness, swelling, minor infection, and minor bleeding at the sensor insertion site are also possible risks with an individual's use of our products. However, if unanticipated long-term side-effects result from the use of our products or other glucose monitoring systems we have under development, we could be subject to liability and the adoption of our systems may become more limited. With respect to our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, our clinical trials have been limited to seven days of continuous use. It is possible that the results from our clinical studies and trials may not be indicative of the clinical results obtained when we examine the patients at later dates. We cannot assure you that repeated, long-term use would not result in unanticipated adverse effects, potentially even after the sensor is removed.
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If we or our suppliers or distributors fail to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements, or if we have unanticipated problems with our products, the products could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market.
Any product for which we obtain marketing approval will be subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, which may include inspection of our manufacturing processes, post-approval clinical data and promotional activities for such product. The FDA's MDR regulations require that we report to the FDA any incident in which our product may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or in which our product malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur, it would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury.
If FDA determines that there is a reasonable probability that a device intended for human use would cause serious, adverse health consequences or death, the agency may issue a cease distribution and notification order and a mandatory recall order. We may also decide to recall a product voluntarily if we find a material deficiency, including unacceptable risks to health, manufacturing defects, design errors, component failures, labeling defects, or other issues. Recalls of our products could divert attention of our management and have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition, and operating results.
As an example of the difficulty of complying with the regulatory requirements associated with the manufacture of our products, on February 23, 2016, we issued a customer notification via the DexCom website and certified mail regarding the audible alarms and alerts associated with our DexCom G4 PLATINUM and DexCom G5 Mobile receivers. This was classified as a voluntary Class 1 recall by the FDA and was closed by the FDA as of August 11, 2017. The issue with the audible alarms and alerts was identified as a result of our continuous review of complaints received from our customers. A failure of the audible alarms and alerts may cause our customers to not detect a severe hypoglycemic (low glucose) or hyperglycemic (high glucose) event. We have implemented a solution for the audible alarms and alerts issue identified in the customer notification. We notified the FDA that we believe all required actions with respect to the customer notification have been completed.
We and our suppliers are also required to comply with the FDA's Quality System Regulation, or QSR and other regulations, which cover the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, selection and oversight of suppliers or contractors, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, storage, complaint handling, shipping and servicing of our products. The FDA enforces the QSR through unannounced inspections. We currently manufacture our products at our headquarters facilities in San Diego, California. In these facilities we have more than 28,000 square feet of laboratory space and approximately 18,000 square feet of controlled environment rooms. During a routine FDA post-market inspection ending on March 29, 2016, the FDA issued a Form 483 with one observation regarding the DexCom MDR procedure specific to retrospective MDR filing when a change in complaint reportability is made. On April 19, 2016 DexCom responded to this observation. On June 2, 2016 we received a copy of the final Establishment Inspection Report from the FDA, which we believe reflects the resolution of this observation without further FDA action
Compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements can be complex, expensive and time-consuming. Failure by us or one of our suppliers or distributors to comply with statutes and regulations administered by the FDA, competent authorities and other regulatory bodies, or failure to take adequate response to any observations, could result in, among other things, any of the following actions:
• | warning letters or untitled letters that require corrective action; |
• | delays in approving or refusal to approve our continuous glucose monitoring systems; |
• | fines and civil or criminal penalties; |
• | unanticipated expenditures; |
• | FDA refusal to issue certificates to foreign governments needed to export our products for sale in other countries; |
• | suspension or withdrawal of clearance or approval by the FDA or other regulatory bodies; |
• | product recall or seizure; |
• | administrative detention; |
• | interruption of production, partial suspension, or complete shutdown of production; |
• | interruption of the supply of components from our key component suppliers; |
• | operating restrictions; |
• | court consent decrees; |
• | FDA orders to repair, replace, or refund the cost of devices; |
• | injunctions; and |
• | criminal prosecution. |
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The effect of these events can be difficult to quantify. If any of these actions were to occur, it would harm our reputation and cause our product sales and profitability to suffer. In addition, we believe events that could be classified as reportable events pursuant to MDR regulations are generally underreported by physicians and users, and any underlying problems could be of a larger magnitude than suggested by the number or types of MDRs filed by us. Furthermore, our key component suppliers may not currently be or may not continue to be in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
Even if regulatory approval or clearance of a product is granted, the approval or clearance may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or contain requirements for costly post-marketing testing or surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, including software bugs, unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, manufacturing problems, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements such as the QSR, MDR reporting, or other post-market requirements may result in restrictions on such products or manufacturing processes, withdrawal of the products from the market, voluntary or mandatory recalls, fines, suspension of regulatory approvals, product seizures, injunctions, the imposition of civil or criminal penalties, or criminal prosecution. In addition, our distributors have rights to create marketing materials for their sales of our products, and may not adhere to contractual, legal or regulatory limitations that are imposed on their marketing efforts.
We are subject to claims of infringement or misappropriation of the intellectual property rights of others, which could prohibit us from shipping affected products, require us to obtain licenses from third parties or to develop non-infringing alternatives, and subject us to substantial monetary damages and injunctive relief. We may also be subject to other claims or suits.
Third parties have asserted, and may assert infringement or misappropriation claims against us with respect to our current or future products. We are aware of numerous patents issued to third parties that may relate to aspects of our business, including the design and manufacture of continuous glucose monitoring sensors and membranes, as well as methods for continuous glucose monitoring. Whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues, the determination of which is often uncertain. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we have not infringed the intellectual property rights of such third parties or others. Our competitors may assert that our continuous glucose monitoring systems or the methods we employ in the use of our systems are covered by U.S. or foreign patents held by them. This risk is exacerbated by the fact that there are numerous issued patents and pending patent applications relating to self-monitored glucose testing systems in the medical technology field. Because patent applications may take years to issue, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware that may later result in issued patents that our products infringe. There could also be existing patents of which we are unaware that one or more components of our system may inadvertently infringe. As the number of competitors in the market for continuous glucose monitoring systems grows, the possibility of inadvertent patent infringement by us or a patent infringement claim against us increases.
On March 28, 2016, AgaMatrix, Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, asserting that certain of our products infringe certain patents held by AgaMatrix. On June 6, 2016, AgaMatrix filed a First Amended Complaint asserting the same three patents. On August 25, 2016, we filed petitions for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking a determination that two of the three asserted patents are invalid under the U.S. patent law and those petitions were granted on March 6, 2017. Based on those grants, most activity in the patent infringement lawsuit against us in the District of Oregon was stayed until the inter partes review of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is completed. On March 8, 2017, we filed a petition for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board seeking a determination that the third of the three asserted patents is invalid under U.S. patent law. This petition was granted on September 15, 2017. It is our position that AgaMatrix’s assertions of infringement have no merit.
On August 6, 2016, DexCom filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States Central District Court of California ("C.D. Cal."), asserting certain AgaMatrix products infringed a patent held by DexCom. On September 30, 2016 DexCom filed a First Amended Complaint asserting the same patent. In a summary judgement ruling dated February 5, 2018, the C.D. Cal. judge found that the AgaMatrix products did not infringe DexCom’s asserted patent.
On September 15, 2017, DexCom filed a patent infringement lawsuit against AgaMatrix in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting certain single-point blood glucose monitoring products of AgaMatrix infringe two patents held by DexCom. The patents asserted in the Delaware litigation are unrelated to the patent asserted in the Central District of California litigation. On September 18, 2017, we also filed a Complaint against AgaMatrix in the International Trade Commission (“ITC”) requesting the ITC institute an investigation and issue an order excluding certain products of AgaMatrix from importation into or sale in the United States based on AgaMatrix’s infringement of the same two patents asserted in the Delaware litigation. The ITC granted DexCom’s request to institute the investigation on October 18, 2017.
On January 19, 2018, Arbmetrics, LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States Southern District of California. It is our position that Arbmetric’s assertions of infringement have no merit.
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Neither the outcome of these lawsuits nor the amount and range of potential fees associated with the lawsuits can be assessed at this time. As of December 31, 2017, no amounts have been accrued in respect of these suits.
Any infringement or misappropriation claim could cause us to incur significant costs, place significant strain on our financial resources, divert management's attention from our business and harm our reputation. If the relevant patents are upheld as valid and enforceable and we are found to infringe such patents, we could be prohibited from selling our product that is found to infringe unless we could obtain licenses to use the technology covered by the patent or are able to design around the patent. We may be unable to obtain a license on terms acceptable to us, if at all, and we may not be able to redesign our products to avoid infringement. Even if we are able to redesign our products to avoid an infringement claim, we may not receive FDA approval for such changes in a timely manner or at all. A court could also order us to pay compensatory damages for such infringement, plus prejudgment interest and could, in addition, treble the compensatory damages and award attorney fees. These damages could be substantial and could harm our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results. A court also could enter orders that temporarily, preliminarily or permanently enjoin us and our customers from making, using, selling or offering to sell one or more of our products, or could enter an order mandating that we undertake certain remedial activities. Depending on the nature of the relief ordered by the court, we could become liable for additional damages to third parties.
Any adverse determination in litigation or interference proceedings to which we are or may become a party relating to patents or other intellectual property rights could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties or require us to seek licenses from other third parties. Furthermore, if we are found to willfully infringe third-party patents, we could, in addition to other penalties, be required to pay treble damages and/or attorneys' fees for the prevailing party. Although patent and intellectual property disputes in the medical device area have often been settled through licensing or similar arrangements, costs associated with such arrangements may be substantial and would likely include ongoing royalties. We may be unable to obtain necessary intellectual property licenses on satisfactory terms. If we do not obtain any such necessary licenses, we may not be able to redesign our products to avoid infringement and any redesign may not receive FDA approval in a timely manner or at all. Adverse determinations in a judicial or administrative proceeding or failure to obtain necessary intellectual property licenses could prevent us from manufacturing and selling our products, which would have a significant adverse impact on our business.
In addition, from time to time, we are subject to various claims and suits arising out of the ordinary course of business, including commercial or employment related matters. Although individually we do not expect these claims or suits to have a material adverse effect on DexCom, in the aggregate they may divert significant time and resources from our staff.
Our inability to adequately protect our intellectual property could allow our competitors and others to produce products based on our technology, which could substantially impair our ability to compete.
Our success and our ability to compete depend, in part, upon our ability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright and trademark law, and trade secrets and nondisclosure agreements to protect our intellectual property. However, such methods may not be adequate to protect us or permit us to gain or maintain a competitive advantage. Our patent applications may not issue as patents in a form that will be advantageous to us, or at all. Our issued patents, and those that may issue in the future, may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing related products. In addition, there are numerous recent changes to the patent laws and proposed changes to the rules of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which may have a significant impact on our ability to protect our technology and enforce our intellectual property rights. For example, in September 2011, the United States enacted sweeping changes to its patent system under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, including changes that would transition the United States from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-to-file” system and alter the processes for challenging issued patents. These changes could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents.
To protect our proprietary rights, we may in the future need to assert claims of infringement against third parties. The outcome of litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights in patents, copyrights, trade secrets or trademarks is highly unpredictable, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations regardless of the final outcome of such litigation. In the event of an adverse judgment, a court could hold that some or all of our asserted intellectual property rights are not infringed, invalid or unenforceable, and could award attorney fees.
Despite our efforts to safeguard our unpatented and unregistered intellectual property rights, we may not succeed in doing so or the steps taken by us in this regard may not be adequate to detect or deter misappropriation of our technology or to prevent an unauthorized third party from copying or otherwise obtaining and using our products, technology or other information that we regard as proprietary. In addition, third parties may be able to design around our patents. Furthermore, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States.
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We operate in a highly competitive market and face competition from large, well-established medical device manufacturers with significant resources, and, as a result, we may not be able to compete effectively.
The market for glucose monitoring devices is intensely competitive, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions and other market activities of industry participants. In selling the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, we compete directly with Roche Diabetes Care, a division of Roche Diagnostics; LifeScan, Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson; the Diabetes Care division of Abbott Laboratories, and Panasonic Healthcare Holdings’ Ascensia Diabetes Care (formerly Bayer Diabetes Care), each of which manufactures and markets products for the single-point finger stick device market. Collectively, these companies currently account for substantially all of the worldwide sales of self-monitored glucose testing systems.
Several companies are developing or commercializing short-term continuous or flash glucose monitoring products that compete directly with our products. Medtronic, Inc. has filed for FDA approval to commercialize a standalone continuous glucose monitoring product called Guardian Connect. In 2015, Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc. launched a consumer flash glucose monitoring system, FreeStyle Libre, outside the United States. Abbott received FDA approval for a blinded, professional-use version of this system in September 2016 and FDA approval for the consumer flash glucose monitoring system in the United States in September 2017. Senseonics Holdings, Inc. is seeking FDA approval for its implantable CGM system, Eversense® and received a CE Mark for its current system, Eversense® XL in September 2017. In addition, we believe that others, including Roche, are developing invasive and non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring systems. We cannot predict if other competitors will receive approval by the FDA for their products or the timing of such approvals.
Medtronic, and other third parties, have developed, or are developing, insulin pumps augmented with continuous glucose monitoring systems that provide, among other things, the ability to automate basal insulin dosing and to suspend insulin administration while the user's glucose levels are low. Medtronic received FDA approval for its 670G insulin delivery system in September 2016 and launched this system in 2017.
Some of the companies developing or marketing competing devices are publicly traded or divisions of publicly traded companies, and these companies possess several competitive advantages over us, including:
• | significantly greater name recognition; |
• | established relations with healthcare professionals, customers and third-party payors; |
• | established distribution networks; |
• | additional lines of products, and the ability to bundle products to offer higher discounts or incentives to gain a competitive advantage; |
• | greater experience in conducting research and development, manufacturing, clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval for products and marketing approved products; |
• | the ability to integrate multiple products to provide additional features beyond continuous glucose monitoring; and |
• | greater financial and human resources for product development, sales and marketing, and patent litigation. |
As a result, we may not be able to compete effectively against these companies or their products, which may adversely impact our business.
We enter into collaborations with third parties that may not result in the development of commercially viable products or the generation of significant future revenues.
In the ordinary course of our business, we enter into collaborative arrangements to develop new products and to pursue new markets, such as our agreements with Tandem and Insulet, to integrate our continuous glucose monitoring technology into their insulin delivery systems, and our agreement with Verily to develop a series of next-generation continuous glucose monitoring products. Neither our Insulet nor Verily collaborations have yet resulted in a commercial product. In August 2017, Tandem received FDA approval for its latest sensor augmented insulin delivery system, the t:slim X2™ Insulin Pump with our G5 Mobile CGM.
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As a result of these development relationships, our operating results depend, to some extent, on the ability of our development partners to successfully commercialize their insulin delivery systems or monitoring products. Any factors that may limit our partners’ ability to achieve widespread adoption of their systems, including competitive pressures, technological breakthroughs for the treatment or prevention of diabetes, adverse regulatory or legal actions relating to insulin pump products, or changes in reimbursement rates or policies of third-party payors relating to insulin pumps or similar products, could have an adverse impact on our operating results. For example, Animas announced in September 2017 that it has discontinued the manufacturing and sale of Animas® Vibe® and OneTouch Ping® insulin pumps, close operations and exit the insulin pump business. Animas has selected Medtronic as its partner to facilitate a seamless transition for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. Patients using an Animas insulin pump will be offered the option to transfer to a Medtronic pump. As Animas Vibe is compatible with DexCom’s products, and Animas has served as a distributor for our products in certain geographies, the transition of Animas customers to Medtronic pumps, which are not compatible with our sensors, may adversely impact our revenues. As another example, UnitedHealthcare announced, effective July 1, 2016, that UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Commercial members will no longer have an in-network choice among providers of insulin pumps, and designated Medtronic as its preferred, in-network provider. We do not have a relationship to integrate our CGM technology with Medtronic, which has developed an insulin pump augmented with its proprietary continuous glucose monitoring system. The decision by UnitedHealthcare to establish Medtronic as its preferred provider of insulin pumps could result in a material reduction in the number of insulin pumps sold by other insulin pump manufacturers, including Tandem and Insulet. In addition, it is possible that other large third-party payors will establish preferred providers of insulin pumps, which may or may not include the pumps produced by our development partners.
Many of the companies that we collaborate with are also competitors or potential competitors who may decide to terminate our collaborative arrangement. In the event of such a termination, we may be required to devote additional resources to product development and commercialization, we may need to cancel some development programs and we may face increased competition. Additionally, similar to the agreement with Roche, collaborations may not result in the development of products that achieve commercial success and could be terminated prior to developing any products. Former collaborators may use the experience and insights they develop in the course of their collaborations with us to initiate or accelerate their development of products that compete with our products, which may create competitive disadvantages for us. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that any of our collaborations will result in the successful development of a commercially viable product or result in significant additional future revenues.
In addition, our development timelines are highly dependent on our ability to achieve clinical endpoints and regulatory requirements and to overcome technology challenges, and may be delayed due to scheduling issues with patients and investigators, requests from institutional review boards, product performance and manufacturing supply constraints, among other factors. In addition, support of these clinical trials requires significant resources from employees involved in the production of our products, including research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance, and clinical and regulatory personnel. Even if our development and clinical trial efforts succeed, the FDA may not approve the combined products or may require additional product testing and clinical trials before approving the combined products, which would result in product launch delays and additional expense. If approved by the FDA, the combined products may not achieve acceptance in the marketplace by physicians and people with diabetes.
Technological breakthroughs by us or our competitors could materially impact sales of current or future generations of our products.
The glucose monitoring market is subject to rapid technological change and product innovation. Our products are based on our proprietary technology, but a number of companies and medical researchers are pursuing new technologies for the monitoring of glucose levels. FDA or other regulators' approval of a commercially viable continuous glucose monitor or sensor produced by one of our competitors could significantly reduce market acceptance of our systems. As discussed above in the risk factor entitled “We operate in a highly competitive market and face competition from large, well-established medical device manufacturers with significant resources, and, as a result, we may not be able to compete effectively,” several of our competitors are in various stages of developing continuous or flash glucose monitors or sensors, including non-invasive and invasive devices, and the FDA has approved several of these competing products. In addition, the National Institutes of Health and other supporters of diabetes research are continually seeking ways to prevent, cure or improve treatment of diabetes. Therefore, our products may be rendered obsolete by technological breakthroughs in diabetes monitoring, treatment, prevention or cure.
In addition, in the periods leading up to the launch of new or upgraded versions of our continuous glucose monitoring products, our customers’ anticipation of the release of those products may cause them to cancel, change or delay current period purchases of our current products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We face the risk of product liability claims and may not be able to maintain or obtain insurance.
Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that is inherent in the testing, manufacturing and marketing of medical devices, including those which may arise from the misuse (including system hacking or other unauthorized access by third parties to our systems) or malfunction of, or design flaws in, our products. This liability may vary based on the FDA classification associated with our devices. We may be subject to product liability claims if our products cause, or merely appear to have caused, an injury. Claims may be made by customers, healthcare providers or others selling our products. The risk of product liability claims may increase now that our G5 Mobile system has obtained indications and approved labeling in the United States, in Canada, and in the countries utilizing the CE Mark that allow for our patients to make diabetes treatment decisions with our CGM technology in conjunction with only two finger sticks required for calibration of the system. The risk of claims may also increase if our products are subject to a product recall or seizure. An example of the difficulty of complying with the regulatory requirements associated with the manufacture of our products, we issued notifications to our customers regarding the audible alarms and alerts associated with our receivers, as discussed earlier in the risk factor entitled “If we or our suppliers or distributors fail to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements, or if we experience unanticipated problems with our products, the products could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market.”
Although we have product liability and clinical trial liability insurance that we believe is appropriate, this insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations. Our current product liability insurance may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all, and, if available, the coverage may not be adequate to protect us against any future product liability claims. Further, if additional products are approved for marketing, we may seek additional insurance coverage. If we are unable to obtain insurance at an acceptable cost or on acceptable terms with adequate coverage or otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, we will be exposed to significant liabilities, which may harm our business. A product liability claim, recall or other claim with respect to uninsured liabilities or for amounts in excess of insured liabilities could result in significant costs and significant harm to our business.
We may be subject to claims against us even if the apparent injury is due to the actions of others or misuse of the device. Our customers, either on their own or following the advice of their physicians, may use our products in a manner not described in the products' labeling and that differs from the manner in which it was used in clinical studies and approved by the FDA. For example, our current systems are designed to be used by an individual continuously for up to seven days, but the individual might be able to circumvent the safeguards designed into the systems and use the products for longer than seven days. Off-label use of products by customers is common, and any such off-label use of our products could subject us to additional liability. The CE Mark and the recent HealthCanada and FDA approvals for our G5 Mobile system include indications that allow patients to make diabetes treatment decisions based on the information generated by such system, although both regulators still require finger stick calibrations twice per day. In addition, other regulatory agencies may in the future approve similar diabetes treatment indications. We expect that such diabetes treatment indications could expose us to additional liability. These liabilities could prevent or interfere with our product commercialization efforts. Defending a suit, regardless of merit, could be costly, could divert management attention and might result in adverse publicity, which could result in the withdrawal of, or inability to recruit, clinical trial volunteers or result in reduced acceptance of our products in the market.
We may be subject to fines, penalties and injunctions if we are determined to be promoting the use of our products for unapproved off-label uses.
Although we believe our promotional materials and training methods are conducted in compliance with FDA and other regulations, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials or training constitutes promotion of an unapproved use, the FDA could request that we modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions, including the issuance of a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider promotional or training materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties under other statutory authorities, such as laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement.
We are subject to complex and evolving U.S. and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, monetary penalties, increased cost of operations, or declines in user growth or engagement, or otherwise harm our business.
We are subject to a number of foreign, federal and state laws and regulations protecting the use and confidentiality of certain patient health and personal information, including patient records, and restricting the use and disclosure of that protected information. These laws include foreign, federal and state medical privacy laws, breach notification laws and foreign, federal and state consumer protection laws.
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In addition, foreign data protection, privacy, and other laws and regulations can be more restrictive than those in the United States. For example, data localization laws in some countries generally mandate that certain types of data collected in a particular country be stored and/or processed within that country. We could be subject to audits in Europe and around the world, particularly in the areas of consumer and data protection, as we continue to grow and expand our operations. Legislators and regulators may make legal and regulatory changes, or interpret and apply existing laws, in ways that make our products less useful to our customers, require us to incur substantial costs, expose us to unanticipated civil or criminal liability, or cause us to change our business practices. These changes or increased costs could negatively impact our business and results of operations in material ways.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, such as our proprietary business information and that of our clients as well as personally identifiable information of our customers, including full names, social security numbers, addresses, and birth dates, in our data centers and on our networks. Our employees may also have access to and may use personal health information in the ordinary course of our business. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Despite our security measures and business controls, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers, breaches due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions or subject to the inadvertent or intentional unauthorized release of information. Any such occurrence could compromise our networks and the information stored thereon could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could (i) result in legal claims or proceedings, and liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information and regulatory penalties, (ii) disrupt our operations and the services we provide to our clients and (iii) damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our profitability, revenue and competitive position.
Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer and could subject us to substantial liabilities.
The Administrative Simplification Provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA"), as amended, and implementing regulations, extensively regulate the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information, known as “protected health information,” and require covered entities, including health plans and most health care providers, to implement administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect the security of such information. Certain provisions of the security and privacy regulations apply to business associates (entities that handle protected health information on behalf of covered entities), and business associates are subject to direct liability for violation of these provisions. In addition, a covered entity may be subject to penalties as a result of a business associate violating HIPAA, if the business associate is found to be an agent of the covered entity. We are also subject to laws and regulations in foreign countries covering data privacy and other protection of health and employee information that may be more onerous than corresponding U.S. laws, including in particular the laws of Europe.
Covered entities must report breaches of unsecured protected health information to affected individuals without unreasonable delay and notification must also be made to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) and, in certain situations involving large breaches, to the media. Various state laws and regulations may also require us to notify affected individuals and state agencies in the event of a data breach involving individually identifiable information.
Violations of the HIPAA privacy and security regulations may result in criminal and civil penalties. The OCR enforces the regulations and performs compliance audits. In addition to enforcement by OCR, state attorneys general are authorized to bring civil actions seeking either injunction or damages in response to violations that threaten the privacy of state residents. OCR may resolve HIPAA violations through informal means, such as allowing a covered entity to implement a corrective action plan, but OCR has the discretion to move directly to impose monetary penalties and is required to impose penalties for violations resulting from willful neglect. We follow and maintain a HIPAA compliance plan, which we believe complies with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations, but there can be no assurance that OCR or other regulators will agree. The HIPAA privacy regulations and security regulations have and will continue to impose significant costs on us in order to comply with these standards.
There are numerous other laws and legislative and regulatory initiatives at the federal and state levels addressing privacy and security concerns. We remain subject to federal or state privacy-related laws that are more restrictive than the privacy regulations issued under HIPAA. These laws vary and could impose additional penalties. For example, the Federal Trade Commission uses its consumer protection authority to initiate enforcement actions in response to data breaches.
In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, becomes effective in the European Union. The GDPR represents a significant change in the data privacy and security laws applicable in the European Union, and in many ways increases the requirements on companies like DexCom in complying with European Union law. We are currently planning for that effectiveness. It is a complex regulation that will impose additional procedures, documentation and restrictions, and as the GDPR becomes effective and its provisions are interpreted by European Union agencies, it could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents could result in the compromise of confidential data or critical data systems and give
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rise to potential harm to customers, remediation and other expenses, expose us to liability under HIPAA, consumer protection laws, or other common law theories, subject us to litigation and federal and state governmental inquiries, damage our reputation, and otherwise be disruptive to our business and operations.
Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. We collect and store on our networks sensitive information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of our customers. The secure maintenance of this information and technology is critical to our business operations. We have implemented multiple layers of security measures to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of this data and the systems and devices that store and transmit such data. We utilize current security technologies, and our defenses are monitored and routinely tested internally and by external parties. Despite these efforts, threats from malicious persons and groups, new vulnerabilities and advanced new attacks against information systems create risk of cybersecurity incidents. These incidents can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may not immediately produce signs of intrusion, we may be unable to anticipate these incidents or techniques, timely discover them, or implement adequate preventative measures.
These threats can come from a variety of sources, ranging in sophistication from an individual hacker to malfeasance by employees, consultants or other service providers to state-sponsored attacks. Cyber threats may be generic, or they may be custom-crafted against our information systems. Over the past several years, cyber-attacks have become more prevalent and much harder to detect and defend against. Our network and storage applications may be vulnerable to cyber-attack, malicious intrusion, malfeasance, loss of data privacy or other significant disruption and may be subject to unauthorized access by hackers, employees, consultants or other service providers. In addition, hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities through fraud, trickery or other forms of deceiving our employees, contractors and temporary staff.
There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to cybersecurity incidents that bypass our security measures, impact the integrity, availability or privacy of personal health information or other data subject to privacy laws or disrupt our information systems, devices or business, including our ability to deliver services to our customers. As a result, cybersecurity, physical security and the continued development and enhancement of our controls, processes and practices designed to protect our enterprise, information systems and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access remain a priority for us. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The occurrence of any of these events could result in (i) harm to customers; (ii) business interruptions and delays; (iii) the loss, misappropriation, corruption or unauthorized access of data; (iv) litigation, including potential class action litigation, and potential liability under privacy, security and consumer protection laws or other applicable laws; (v) reputational damage and (vi) foreign, federal and state governmental inquiries, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations and harm our business reputation.
Failure to protect our information technology infrastructure against cyber-based attacks, network security breaches, service interruptions, or data corruption could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and operating results.
We rely on information technology and telephone networks and systems, including the Internet, to process and transmit sensitive electronic information and to manage or support a variety of business processes and activities, including sales, billing, customer service, procurement and supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution. We use enterprise information technology systems to record, process, and summarize financial information and results of operations for internal reporting purposes and to comply with regulatory financial reporting, legal, and tax requirements. Our information technology systems, some of which are managed by third-parties, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to computer viruses, ransomware or other malware, attacks by computer hackers, failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication failures, user errors or catastrophic events. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect customer information and prevent data loss and other security breaches, including systems and processes designed to reduce the impact of a security breach at a third party vendor, such measures cannot provide absolute security. If our systems are breached or suffer severe damage, disruption or shutdown and we are unable to effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our business and operating results may significantly suffer and we may be subject to litigation, government enforcement actions and other actions for which we could face financial liability and other adverse consequences which may include:
• | additional government oversight of our operations; |
• | loss of existing customers; |
• | difficulty in attracting new customers; |
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• | problems in determining product cost estimates and establishing appropriate pricing; |
• | difficulty in preventing, detecting, and controlling fraud; |
• | disputes with customers, physicians, and other health care professionals; |
• | increases in operating expenses, incurrence of expenses, including remediation costs; |
• | loss of revenues; |
• | product development delays; |
• | disruption of key business operations; and |
• | diversion of attention of management and key information technology resources. |
The failure to comply with U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions could materially adversely affect our business and result in civil and/or criminal sanctions.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. government officials and, in some instances, other persons for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Because of the predominance of government-sponsored healthcare systems around the world, most of our customer relationships outside of the United States are with governmental entities and are therefore potentially subject to such anti-bribery laws. Global enforcement of anti-corruption laws has increased substantially in recent years, with more frequent voluntary self-disclosures by companies, aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by U.S. and foreign governmental agencies, and assessment of significant fines and penalties against companies and individuals. Our international operations create the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of our employees, consultants, sales agents, or distributors, because these parties are not always subject to our control. It is our policy to implement safeguards to educate our employees and agents on these legal requirements and discourage improper practices. However, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may prove to be less than effective, and our employees, consultants, sales agents, or distributors may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. In addition, the government agencies may seek to hold us liable for successor liability for anti-corruption law violations committed by any companies in which we invest or that we acquire. Any alleged or actual violations of these regulations may subject us to government scrutiny, severe criminal or civil sanctions and other liabilities, including exclusion from government contracting, and could disrupt our business, and result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The majority of our operations are conducted at five facilities in San Diego, California. Any disruption at these facilities could increase our expenses.
We take precautions to safeguard our facilities, which include manufacturing protocols, insurance, health and safety protocols, and off-site storage of computer data. However, a natural disaster, such as a fire, flood, earthquake, an act of terrorism, cyber-attack or other disruptive event could cause substantial delays in our operations, damage or destroy our manufacturing equipment, inventory, or records and cause us to incur additional expenses. Earthquakes are of particular significance since our primary manufacturing facilities in California are located in an earthquake-prone area. In the event our existing manufacturing facilities or equipment are affected by man-made or natural disasters, we may be unable to manufacture products for sale or meet customer demands or sales projections. If our manufacturing operations were curtailed or ceased, it would seriously harm our business. The insurance we maintain against fires, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters and similar events may not be adequate to cover our losses in any particular case. We are currently constructing a second facility outside of California, in Mesa, Arizona, to help mitigate these risks but we do not expect it to commence manufacturing operations until 2018 at the earliest.
Expanded capacity in our new manufacturing facility may not be fully available until the end of 2018, which may impede or delay our ability to manufacture one or more of our continuous glucose monitoring products in quantities sufficient to meet market demand.
Our new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, designed to manufacture current and next generation sensors and transmitters, may not be completed or qualified in accordance with our current plans. There are risks associated with expanding our manufacturing capacity by opening such a facility that include but are not limited to contractor issues and delays, licensing and permitting delays or rejections, limitations and delays on the installation of new or custom-ordered equipment, issues associated with validating such equipment, and processes or other aspects of insuring GMP manufacturing. There are many aspects of the project that rely on third party contractors and subcontractors, and we and they may encounter delays. If the Mesa facility is not completed and qualified during 2018, there initially will be additional personnel costs and production inefficiencies that could potentially impact manufacturing. If completion was delayed significantly into 2019, we may be unable to meet anticipated demand for our CGM systems during the delay.
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Our products may not continue to achieve market acceptance.
We expect that sales of our G4 PLATINUM system, which consists of a handheld receiver, reusable transmitter and disposable sensor, and our G5 Mobile system which consists of a handheld receiver, reusable transmitter, disposable sensors and a smartphone application that securely identifies, receives, deciphers and displays information transmitted by the transmitter, will account for substantially all of our product revenue for the foreseeable future. If and when we receive FDA or other regulators' approval for and begin commercialization of our next generation continuous glucose monitoring systems and sensors, we expect most patients will migrate onto those systems. Notwithstanding our prior experience in selling our products, we might be unable to successfully expand the commercialization of our products on a wide scale for a number of reasons, including:
• | the FDA approval of our G5 Mobile system in the United States in August 2015 and the approval to sell our G5 Mobile system in the countries that recognize our CE Mark in September 2015 means that we have relatively limited experience selling our G5 Mobile system; |
• | widespread market acceptance of our products by physicians and people with diabetes will largely depend on our ability to demonstrate their relative safety, efficacy, reliability, cost-effectiveness and ease of use; |
• | the limited size of our sales force; |
• | we may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately expand the commercialization efforts for our products; |
• | our FDA and other regulatory submissions may be delayed, or approved with limited product labeling; |
• | we may not be able to manufacture our products in commercial quantities or at an acceptable cost; |
• | people with diabetes do not generally receive broad reimbursement from third-party payors for their purchase of our products since many payors require that a policy holder meet specific medical criteria to qualify for reimbursement, which may reduce widespread use of our products; |
• | the uncertainties associated with establishing and qualifying new manufacturing facilities; |
• | except for the G5 Mobile, our systems are not labeled as a replacement for the information that is obtained from single-point finger stick devices (and even the G5 Mobile continues to require twice-daily finger sticks for calibration); |
• | people with diabetes will need to incur the costs of our systems in addition to single-point finger stick devices; |
• | the relative immaturity of the continuous glucose monitoring market internationally, and the general absence of international reimbursement of continuous glucose monitoring devices by third-party payors and government healthcare providers outside the United States; |
• | the introduction and market acceptance of competing products and technologies; |
• | our inability to obtain sufficient quantities of supplies at appropriate quality levels from our single-source and other key suppliers; |
• | our inability to manufacture products that perform in accordance with expectations of consumers; and |
• | rapid technological change may make our technology and our products obsolete. |
Our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems are more invasive than many other self-monitored glucose testing systems, including single-point finger stick devices, and people with diabetes may be unwilling to insert a sensor in their body, especially if their current diabetes management involves no more than two finger sticks per day. Moreover, people with diabetes may not perceive the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring and may be unwilling to change their current treatment regimens. In addition, physicians tend to be slow to change their medical treatment practices because of perceived liability risks arising from the use of new products. Physicians may not recommend or prescribe our products unless and until (i) there is more long-term clinical evidence to convince them to alter their existing treatment methods, (ii) there are additional recommendations from prominent physicians that our products are effective in monitoring glucose levels and (iii) reimbursement or insurance coverage is more widely available. We cannot predict when, if ever, physicians and people with diabetes may adopt more widespread use of continuous glucose monitoring systems, including our systems. If our systems do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by people with diabetes, physicians and healthcare payors, we may not generate significant product revenue and we may not become profitable.
Current uncertainty in global economic and political conditions makes it particularly difficult to predict product demand and other related matters and makes it more likely that our actual results could differ materially from expectations.
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Our operations and performance depend on worldwide economic and political conditions. These conditions have been adversely impacted by continued global economic uncertainty, political instability and military hostilities in multiple geographies, concerns over the downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt and continued sovereign debt, monetary and financial uncertainties in Europe and other foreign countries. These include potential reductions in the overall stability and suitability of the Euro as a single currency, given the economic and political challenges facing individual Eurozone countries. These conditions have made and may continue to make it difficult for our customers and potential customers to afford our products, and could cause our customers to stop using our products or to use them less frequently. If that were to occur, our revenue may decrease and our performance may be negatively impacted. In addition, the pressure on consumers to absorb more of their own health care costs has resulted in some cases in higher deductibles and limits on durable medical equipment, which may cause seasonality in purchasing patterns. Furthermore, during economic uncertainty, our customers have had job losses and may continue to have issues gaining timely access to sufficient health insurance or credit, which could result in their unwillingness to purchase products or impair their ability to make timely payments to us. We cannot predict the reoccurrence of any economic slowdown or the strength or sustainability of the economic recovery, worldwide, in the United States, or in our industry. These and other economic factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on clinical investigators and clinical sites to enroll patients in our clinical trials and other third parties to manage the trials and to perform related data collection and analysis, and, as a result, we may face costs and delays that are outside of our control.
We rely on clinical investigators and clinical sites to enroll patients in our clinical trials and other third parties to manage the trial and to perform related data collection and analysis. However, we may not be able to control the amount and timing of resources that clinical sites may devote to our clinical trials. If these clinical investigators and clinical sites fail to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials or fail to ensure compliance by patients with clinical protocols or fail to comply with regulatory requirements, we will be unable to complete these trials, which could prevent us from obtaining regulatory approvals for our products. Our agreements with clinical investigators and clinical sites for clinical testing place substantial responsibilities on these parties and, if these parties fail to perform as expected, our trials could be delayed or terminated. If these clinical investigators, clinical sites or other third parties do not carry out their contractual duties or obligations or fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to their failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, or the clinical data may be rejected by the FDA, and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, our products.
We may be liable for contamination or other harm caused by materials that we handle, and changes in environmental regulations could cause us to incur additional expense.
Our research and development and clinical processes involve the handling of potentially harmful biological materials as well as hazardous materials. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous and biological materials and we incur expenses relating to compliance with these laws and regulations. If violations of environmental, health and safety laws occur, we could be held liable for damages, penalties and costs of remedial actions. These expenses or this liability could have a significant negative impact on our financial condition. We may violate environmental, health and safety laws in the future as a result of human error, equipment failure or other causes. Environmental laws could become more stringent over time, imposing greater compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with violations. We are subject to potentially conflicting and changing regulatory agendas of political, business and environmental groups. Changes to or restrictions on permitting requirements or processes, hazardous or biological material storage or handling might require an unplanned capital investment or relocation. Failure to comply with new or existing laws or regulations could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to a variety of market and financial risks due to our international operations that could adversely affect those operations or our profitability and operating results.
Our operations in countries outside the United States, which accounted for approximately 17% of our revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, are accompanied by certain financial and other risks. In addition to opening offices in the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, in connection with distributor acquisitions and otherwise, we intend to continue to pursue growth opportunities in sales outside the United States, especially in Europe, which could expose us to greater risks associated with international sales and operations. Our profitability and international operations are, and will continue to be, subject to a number of risks and potential costs, including:
• | local product preferences and product requirements; |
• | longer-term receivables than are typical in the United States; |
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• | fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; |
• | less intellectual property protection in some countries outside the United States than exists in the United States; |
• | trade protection measures and import and export licensing requirements; |
• | workforce instability; |
• | political and economic instability; and |
• | the potential payment of U.S. income taxes on certain earnings of our subsidiaries outside the United States upon repatriation. |
While it is impossible for us to predict whether these and other proposals will be implemented, or how they will ultimately impact us, they may materially impact our results of operations if, for example, our profits earned abroad are subject to U.S. income tax, or we are otherwise disallowed deductions as a result of these profits.
As another example, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may reduce the reported value of our foreign currency denominated revenues, expenses, and cash flows. We cannot predict changes in currency exchange rates, the impact of exchange rate changes, nor the degree to which we will be able to manage the impact of currency exchange rate changes.
As a final example, on June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom, or U.K., held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the European Union, commonly referred to as “Brexit.” As a result of the referendum, it is expected that the U.K. government will begin negotiating the terms of the U.K.’s future relationship with the European Union. Although it is unknown what those terms will be, it is possible that there will be greater restrictions on imports and exports and on the movement of people between the U.K. and European Union countries, and increased regulatory complexities.
Failure to obtain regulatory approval in foreign jurisdictions will prevent us from marketing our products abroad.
We conduct limited commercial and marketing efforts in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa with respect to our continuous glucose monitoring systems and may seek to market our products in other regions in the future. Outside the United States, we can market a product only if we receive a marketing authorization and, in some cases, pricing approval, from the appropriate regulatory authorities. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing, and the time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. The foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval in addition to other risks. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. In addition, in order to obtain the approval of our products in certain foreign jurisdictions, we may need to obtain a Certificate to Foreign Government from the FDA. The FDA may refuse to issue a Certificate to Foreign Government in certain instances, including without limitation, during the pendency of any outstanding warning letter. As a result, we may not be able to file for regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market outside the United States on a timely basis, or at all.
Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain our personnel.
We depend to a significant degree on our senior management, especially Kevin Sayer, our President and Chief Executive Officer. Our success will depend on our ability to retain our senior management and to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future, including sales persons, scientists, clinicians, engineers and other highly skilled personnel. Competition for senior management personnel, as well as sales persons, scientists, clinicians and engineers, is intense and we may not be able to retain our personnel. The loss of the services of members of our senior management, scientists, clinicians or engineers could prevent the implementation and completion of our objectives, including the commercialization of our current products and the development and introduction of additional products. The loss of a member of our senior management or our professional staff would require the remaining executive officers to divert immediate and substantial attention to seeking a replacement. Each of our officers may terminate their employment at any time without notice and without cause or good reason. Additionally, volatility or a lack of positive performance in our stock price may adversely affect our ability to retain key employees.
We expect to continue to expand our operations and grow our research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, product development and administrative operations. We expect this expansion to place a significant strain on our management and it will require hiring a significant number of qualified personnel. Accordingly, recruiting and retaining such personnel will be critical to our success. There is intense competition from other companies and research and academic institutions for qualified personnel in the areas of our activities. If we fail to identify, attract, retain and motivate these skilled personnel, we may be unable to continue our development and commercialization activities.
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We may require additional funding to continue the commercialization of our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, or the development and commercialization of our future generation and other continuous glucose monitoring systems, including our sensor augmented insulin pump systems developed in collaboration with our pump partners and other partners.
Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. We expect to continue to spend substantial amounts on commercialization of our products, including growth of our manufacturing capacity, and on research and development, including conducting clinical trials for our next generation ambulatory continuous glucose monitoring sensors and systems. Although we raised $389.0 million in net proceeds through the private sale of our convertible notes in May 2017, $75.0 million of which was used to repay our credit facility, and now have $200.0 million available to us under our credit facility, we may need additional funds to continue the commercialization of our current products and to develop and commercialize our next generation sensors and systems. Additional financing may not be available on a timely basis on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Any additional financing may be dilutive to stockholders or may require us to grant a lender a security interest in our assets. The amount of funding we may need will depend on many factors, including:
•the revenue generated by sales of our products and other future products;
•the costs, timing and risks of delay of additional regulatory approvals;
•the expenses we incur in manufacturing, developing, selling and marketing our products;
•our ability to scale our manufacturing operations to meet demand for our current and any future products;
•the costs to produce our continuous glucose monitoring systems;
•the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
•the rate of progress and cost of our clinical trials and other development activities;
•the success of our research and development efforts;
•the emergence of competing or complementary technologies;
•the terms and timing of any collaborative, licensing and other arrangements that we may establish;
•the cost of ongoing compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and third party payors' policies;
•the cost of obtaining and maintaining regulatory or payor clearance or approval for our current or future products including those integrated with other companies' products; and
•the acquisition of business, products and technologies, although we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to any of these types of transactions.
If adequate funds are not available, we may not be able to commercialize our products at the rate we desire and we may have to delay development or commercialization of our products or license to third parties the rights to commercialize products or technologies that we would otherwise seek to commercialize. We also may have to reduce sales, marketing, customer support or other resources devoted to our products. Any of these factors could harm our business and financial condition.
We may face risks associated with acquisitions of companies, products and technologies and our business could be harmed if we are unable to address these risks.
If we are presented with appropriate opportunities, we could acquire or make other investments in complementary companies, products or technologies. We may not realize the anticipated benefit of our acquisitions, or the realization of the anticipated benefits may require greater expenditures than anticipated by us. We will likely face risks, uncertainties and disruptions associated with the integration process, including difficulties in the integration of the operations and services of any acquired company, integration of acquired technology with our products, diversion of our management's attention from other business concerns, the potential loss of key employees or customers of the acquired businesses and impairment charges if future acquisitions are not as successful as we originally anticipate. If we fail to successfully integrate other companies, products or technologies that we acquire, our business could be harmed. Furthermore, we may have to incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any future acquisitions or investments, the issuance of which could be dilutive to our existing stockholders. In addition, our operating results may suffer because of acquisition-related costs or amortization expenses or charges relating to acquired intangible assets.
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Compliance with regulations relating to public company corporate governance matters and reporting is time consuming and expensive.
Many laws and regulations, notably those adopted in connection with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, new SEC regulations and The NASDAQ Stock Market listing rules, impose obligations on public companies, such as ours, which have increased the scope, complexity and cost of corporate governance, reporting and disclosure practices. Compliance with these laws and regulations, including enhanced new disclosures, has required and will continue to require substantial management time and oversight and the incurrence of significant accounting and legal costs. The effects of new laws and regulations remain unclear and will likely require substantial management time and oversight and require us to incur significant additional accounting and legal costs. Additionally, changes to existing accounting rules or standards, such as the potential requirement that U.S. registrants prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, may adversely impact our reported financial results and business, and may require us to incur greater accounting fees.
If we are unable to successfully maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and our stock price and our business may be adversely impacted.
As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and our management is required to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year. If we are not successful in maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, there could be inaccuracies or omissions in the consolidated financial information we are required to file with the SEC. Additionally, even if there are no inaccuracies or omissions, we will be required to publicly disclose the conclusion of our management that our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures are not effective. These events could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, adversely impact our stock price, result in increased costs to remediate any deficiencies, attract regulatory scrutiny or lawsuits that could be costly to resolve and distract management’s attention, limit our ability to access the capital markets or cause our stock to be delisted from The NASDAQ Global Select Market or any other securities exchange on which it is then listed.
We could be subject to changes in our tax rates, new U.S. or international tax legislation or additional tax liabilities.
We are subject to taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions, where a number of our subsidiaries are organized. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in various jurisdictions may be subject to change. Our effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws or their interpretation, both in and outside the United States.
The U.S. government has recently enacted comprehensive tax legislation that includes significant changes to the taxation of business entities. These changes include, among others, (i) a permanent reduction to the corporate income tax rate, (ii) a partial limitation on the deductibility of business interest expense, (iii) a shift of the U.S. taxation of multinational corporations from a tax on worldwide income to a territorial system (along with certain rules designed to prevent erosion of the U.S. income tax base) and (iv) a one-time tax on accumulated offshore earnings held in cash and illiquid assets, with the latter taxed at a lower rate. The overall impact of this tax reform is uncertain, and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the newly enacted federal tax law.
Our tax returns and other tax matters also are subject to examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities and governmental bodies. We regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. We cannot guarantee the outcome of these examinations. If our effective tax rates were to increase, particularly in the United States, or if the ultimate determination of our taxes owed is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Valuation of share-based payments, which we are required to perform for purposes of recording compensation expense under authoritative guidance for share-based payment, involves assumptions that are subject to change and difficult to predict.
We record compensation expense in the consolidated statement of operations for share-based payments, such as employee stock options, restricted stock units and employee stock purchase plan shares, using the fair value method. The requirements of the authoritative guidance for share-based payment have and will continue to have a material effect on our future financial results reported under U.S. GAAP and make it difficult for us to accurately predict the impact on our future financial results.
For instance, estimating the fair value of share-based payments is highly dependent on assumptions regarding the future exercise behavior of our employees and changes in our stock price. If there are errors in our input assumptions for our valuations models, we may inaccurately calculate actual or estimated compensation expense for share-based payments.
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The authoritative guidance for share-based payment could also adversely impact our ability to provide accurate guidance on our future financial results as assumptions that are used to estimate the fair value of share-based payments are based on estimates and judgments that may differ from period to period. We may also be unable to accurately predict the amount and timing of the recognition of tax benefits associated with share-based payments as they are highly dependent on the exercise behavior of our employees and the price of our stock relative to the exercise price of each outstanding stock option.
For those reasons, among others, the authoritative guidance for share-based payment may create variability and uncertainty in the share-based compensation expense we will record in future periods, which could adversely impact our stock price and increase our expected stock price volatility as compared to prior periods.
Changes in financial accounting standards or practices or existing taxation rules or practices may cause adverse unexpected revenue and/or expense fluctuations and affect our reported results of operations.
A change in accounting standards or practices or a change in existing taxation rules or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective. New accounting pronouncements and taxation rules and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements and taxation practice have occurred and may occur in the future. The method in which we market and sell our products may have an impact on the manner in which we recognize revenue. In addition, changes to existing rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business. Additionally, changes to existing accounting rules or standards, such as the potential requirement that U.S. registrants prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, may adversely impact our reported financial results and business, and may further require us to incur greater accounting fees.
The SEC “conflict minerals” rule has caused us to incur additional expenses, could limit the supply and increase the cost of certain metals used in manufacturing our products, and could make us less competitive in our target markets.
We are required to disclose information related to the origin, source and chain of custody of specified minerals, known as conflict minerals, that are necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured or contracted to be manufactured. The requirement mandates companies to obtain sourcing data from suppliers, engage in supply chain due diligence, and file annually with the SEC a specialized disclosure report on Form SD covering the prior calendar year. The rule could limit our ability to source at competitive prices and to secure sufficient quantities of certain minerals (or derivatives thereof) used in the manufacture of our products, specifically tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten, as the number of suppliers that provide conflict-free minerals may be limited. In addition, we have incurred, and may continue to incur, material costs associated with complying with the rule, such as costs related to the determination of the origin, source and chain of custody of the minerals used in our products, the adoption of conflict minerals-related governance policies, processes and controls, and possible changes to products or sources of supply as a result of such activities. Within our supply chain, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins of the relevant minerals used in our products through the data collection and due diligence procedures that we implement, which may harm our reputation. Furthermore, we may encounter challenges in satisfying those customers that require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict free, and if we cannot satisfy these customers, they may choose a competitor’s products.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our stock price is highly volatile and investing in our stock involves a high degree of risk, which could result in substantial losses for investors.
Historically, the market price of our common stock, like the securities of many other medical products companies, fluctuates and could continue to be volatile in the future. From January 1, 2017 through February 27, 2018, the closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was as high as $85.49 per share and as low as $44.46 per share.
The market price of our common stock is influenced by many factors that are beyond our control, including the following:
• | securities analyst coverage or lack of coverage of our common stock or changes in their estimates of our financial performance; |
• | variations in quarterly operating results; |
• | future sales of our common stock by our stockholders; |
• | investor perception of us and our industry; |
• | announcements by us or our competitors of significant agreements, acquisitions, capital commitments or product launches or discontinuations; |
• | changes in market valuation or earnings of our competitors; |
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• | negative business or financial announcements regarding our partners; |
• | general economic conditions; |
• | regulatory actions; |
• | legislation and political conditions; and |
• | terrorist acts. |
Please also refer to the factors described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. In addition, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated and disproportionate to the operating performance of companies in our industry. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance.
Securities class action litigation has often been brought against public companies that experience periods of volatility in the market prices of their securities. Securities class action litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management's attention and resources.
If our financial performance fails to meet the expectations of investors and public market analysts, the market price of our common stock could decline.
Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful and should not be relied on as an indication of our future performance. If quarterly revenues or operating results fall below the expectations of investors or public market analysts, the trading price of our common stock could decline substantially. Factors that might cause quarterly fluctuations in our operating results include:
• | our inability to manufacture an adequate supply of product at appropriate quality levels and acceptable costs; |
• | possible delays in our research and development programs or in the completion of any clinical trials; |
• | a lack of acceptance of our products in the marketplace by physicians and people with diabetes; |
• | the inability of customers to receive reimbursements from third-party payors; |
• | failures to comply with regulatory requirements, which could lead to withdrawal of products from the market; |
• | our failure to continue the commercialization of any of our continuous glucose monitoring systems; |
• | competition; |
• | inadequate financial and other resources; and |
• | global and political economic conditions, political instability and military hostilities. |
Failure to comply with covenants in our revolving credit agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank and other syndicate lenders could result in our inability to borrow additional funds and adversely impact our business.
We have entered into a revolving credit agreement and a pledge and security agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank and four other lenders to fund our business operations. These agreements impose numerous financial and other restrictive covenants on our operations, including covenants relating to our general profitability and our liquidity. As of December 31, 2017, we were in compliance with the covenants imposed by the loan and security agreement. If we violate these or any other covenants, any outstanding amounts under these agreements could become due and payable prior to their stated maturity dates, each lender could proceed against any collateral in our operating accounts and our ability to borrow funds in the future may be restricted or eliminated. These restrictions may also limit our ability to borrow additional funds and pursue other business opportunities or strategies that we would otherwise consider to be in our best interests.
Increasing our financial leverage could affect our operations and profitability.
The current maximum available credit under our multi-currency revolving credit facility is $200.0 million, all of which remains available after we used a portion of the proceeds raised in our 2017 offering of 0.75% convertible senior notes due 2022 to repay our outstanding facility borrowings. Our leverage ratio may affect the availability to us of additional capital resources as well as our operations in several ways, including:
• | the terms on which credit may be available to us could be less attractive, both in the economic terms of the credit and the legal covenants; |
• | the possible lack of availability of additional credit; |
• | the potential for higher levels of interest expense to service or maintain our outstanding debt; |
• | the possibility of additional borrowings in the future to repay our indebtedness when it comes due; and |
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• | the possible diversion of capital resources from other uses. |
While we believe we will have the ability to service our debt and obtain additional resources in the future if and when needed, that will depend upon our results of operations and financial position at the time, the then-current state of the credit and financial markets, and other factors that may be beyond our control. Therefore, we cannot give assurances that sufficient credit will be available on terms that we consider attractive, or at all, if and when necessary or beneficial to us.
The issuance of shares by us in the future or sales of shares by our stockholders may cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is performing well.
This issuance of shares by us in the future, including by conversion of our convertible notes in certain circumstances, or sales of shares by our stockholders may cause the market price of our common stock to decline, perhaps significantly, even if our business is performing well. The market price of our common stock could also decline if there is a perception that sales of our shares are likely to occur in the future. This might also make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. Also, we may issue securities in connection with future financings and acquisitions, and those shares could dilute the holdings of other stockholders.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future and the terms of our credit agreement restrict our ability to declare or pay any dividends. As a result, stockholders may only receive a return on their investment in our common stock if the market price of our common stock increases.
Anti-takeover effects of our charter documents and Delaware law could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest difficult, thereby depressing the trading price of our common stock.
In addition, there are provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions in the Delaware General Corporation Law, that may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control that might otherwise be beneficial to stockholders. For example:
• | our Board of Directors may, without stockholder approval, issue shares of preferred stock with special voting or economic rights; |
• | our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights and, therefore, each of our directors can only be elected by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock; |
• | a special meeting of stockholders may only be called by a majority of our Board of Directors, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, or our Chief Executive Officer; |
• | our stockholders may not take action by written consent; |
• | our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, only one of which is elected each year; and |
• | we require advance notice for nominations for election to the Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings |
Risks Related to our Convertible Senior Notes
We have indebtedness in the form of convertible senior notes, which could adversely affect our financial health and our ability to respond to changes in our business.
In May 2017, we completed an offering of $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0.75% convertible senior notes due 2022 ("Notes”) and, in June 2017 the initial purchasers exercised their option to purchase an additional $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of notes (“Notes Offering”). As a result of the Notes Offering, we incurred $400.0 million principal amount of indebtedness, the principal amount of which we may be required to pay at maturity in 2022. Holders of the notes will have the right to require us to repurchase their notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be purchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, the indenture for the notes provides that we are required to repay amounts due under the indenture in the event that there is an event of default for the notes that results in the principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, becoming due prior to maturity date for the notes. There can be no assurance that we will be able to repay this indebtedness when due, or that we will be able to refinance this indebtedness on acceptable terms or at all.
As a result of our level of increased debt after the completion of the Notes Offering:
• | our vulnerability to adverse general economic conditions and competitive pressures will be heightened; |
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• | we will be required to dedicate a larger portion of our cash flow from operations to interest payments, limiting the availability of cash for other purposes; |
• | our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry maybe more limited; and |
• | our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, general corporate purposes or other purposes may be impaired. |
We cannot be sure that our leverage resulting from the level of increased debt after the completion of the Notes Offering will not materially and adversely affect our ability to finance our operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities. In addition, we cannot be sure that additional financing will be available when required or, if available, will be on terms satisfactory to us. Further, even if we are able to obtain additional financing, we may be required to use such proceeds to repay a portion of our debt.
We may be unable to repurchase the Notes upon a fundamental change when required by the holders or repay prior to maturity any accelerated amounts due under the notes upon an event of default or redeem the Notes unless specified conditions are met under our credit facility, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon conversion, repurchase or repayment of the Notes.
Holders of the Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase their Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be purchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the fundamental change purchase date. In addition, the indenture for the Notes provides that we are required to repay amounts due under the indenture in the event that there is an event of default for the Notes that results in the principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, becoming due prior to maturity date for the Notes. In addition, upon conversion of the Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than cash in lieu of any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to repurchase Notes surrendered upon a fundamental change or repay prior to maturity any accelerated amounts or pay cash for Notes being converted.
In addition, our ability to purchase the Notes or repay prior to maturity any accelerated amounts under the Notes upon an event of default or pay cash upon conversions of the Notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our indebtedness outstanding at the time, including our credit facility. Under our current credit facility we are only permitted to use cash to purchase the notes or repay prior to maturity any accelerated amounts under the Notes if we meet certain conditions that are defined under the Credit Agreement. We may not meet these conditions in the future. Our failure to repurchase Notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the indenture (whether upon a fundamental change or otherwise under the indenture) or pay cash payable on future conversions of the Notes as required by the indenture would constitute a default under the indenture. A default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our existing or future indebtedness, including our credit facility. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness, repurchase the Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.
Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our substantial debt.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness, including the Notes, depends on our future financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to satisfy our obligations under the Notes, our existing indebtedness and any future indebtedness we may incur and to make necessary capital expenditures. We may not maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on (as well as any cash due upon conversion of) our debt, including the Notes.
If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, refinancing or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt servicing obligations. Further, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our debt on our before maturity, and our ability to refinance the Notes, existing indebtedness or future indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities on commercially reasonable terms or at all, which could result in a default on the Notes or our current and future indebtedness.
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Our credit facility imposes restrictions on us that may adversely affect our ability to operate our business.
Our credit facility contains 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. In addition, our credit facility and the agreements governing the notes each contain, cross-default provisions whereby a default under one agreement would likely result in cross defaults under agreements covering other borrowings. For example, the occurrence of a default with respect to any indebtedness or any failure to repay debt when due in an amount in excess of $25.0 million would cause a cross default under the indenture governing the Notes, as well as under our credit facility. The occurrence of a default under any of these borrowing arrangements would permit the holders of the Notes or the lenders under our credit facility to declare all amounts outstanding under those borrowing arrangements to be immediately due and payable. If the Note holders or the trustee under the indenture governing the Notes or the lenders under our credit facility accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets to repay those borrowings.
Conversion of the Notes will, to the extent we deliver shares upon conversion of such Notes, dilute the ownership interest of existing stockholders, including holders who had previously converted their Notes, or may otherwise depress our stock price.
The conversion of some or all of the Notes will dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders to the extent we deliver shares upon conversion of any of the Notes. Any sales in the public market of the common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Notes could be used to satisfy short positions, or anticipated conversion of the Notes into shares of our common stock could depress our stock price.
The conditional conversion feature of the Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Notes is triggered, holders of the Notes will be entitled to convert the Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than cash in lieu of any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders of the Notes do not elect to convert their Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the Notes, may have a material effect on our reported financial results.
Under GAAP, an entity must separately account for the debt component and the embedded conversion option of convertible debt instruments that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion, such as the Notes we are offering, in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of the accounting treatment for such instruments is that the value of such embedded conversion option would be treated as original issue discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of the Notes, and that original issue discount is amortized into interest expense over the term of the Notes using an effective yield method. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense because of the amortization of the original issue discount to the Notes’ face amount over the term of the Notes and because of the amortization of the debt issuance costs. Accordingly, we will report lower net income (or greater operating losses) in our financial results because of the recognition of both the current period’s amortization of the debt discount and the Notes’ coupon interest, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, the trading price of our common stock and the trading price of the Notes.
In addition, convertible debt instruments (such as the Notes) that may be settled entirely or partly in cash are currently accounted for utilizing the if-converted method, the effect of which is that conversion will not be assumed for purposes of computing diluted earnings per share if the effect would be antidilutive. Under the if-converted method, for diluted earnings per share purposes, convertible debt is antidilutive whenever its interest, net of tax and nondiscretionary adjustments, per common share obtainable on conversion exceeds basic earnings per share. Dilutive securities that are issued during a period and dilutive convertible securities for which conversion options lapse, or for which related debt is extinguished during a period, will be included in the denominator of diluted earnings per share for the period that they were outstanding. Likewise, dilutive convertible securities converted during a period will be included in the denominator for the period prior to actual conversion. Moreover, interest charges applicable to the convertible debt will be added back to the numerator. We cannot be sure that the accounting standards in the future will continue to permit the use of the if-converted method. If we are unable to use the if-converted method in accounting for the shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes, then our diluted earnings per share would be adversely affected.
In addition, if the conditional conversion feature of the Notes is triggered, even if holders do not elect to convert their
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Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
The fundamental change repurchase feature of the Notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to take over DexCom.
The terms of the Notes require us to repurchase the Notes in the event of a fundamental change. A takeover of DexCom would trigger an option of the holders of the Notes to require us to repurchase the Notes. In addition, if a make-whole fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date of the Notes, we will in some cases be required to increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its Notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change. Furthermore, the indenture for the Notes prohibits us from engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the notes. These and other provisions of the indenture may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of DexCom.
ITEM 1B. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS |
None.
ITEM 2. | PROPERTIES |
The following table summarizes the materially important facilities we lease as of December 31, 2017, including the location and size of each principal facility, and their designated use.
Location | Approximate Square Feet | Operation | Lease Expiration Dates | |
San Diego, CA | 383,500 | Laboratory, Manufacturing, Research and Development, Warehouse, General and Administrative, Sales and Marketing | 2022 (1) | |
Edinburgh, Scotland | 9,100 | EMEA Headquarters, Clinical, Regulatory, Marketing, General and Administrative | 2026 | |
Mesa, AZ | 148,797 | General and Administrative, Future Laboratory, Manufacturing, Warehouse (3) | 2028 (2) |
(1) Excludes renewals that would be at our option to extend the term of this lease for two additional five-year terms related to approximately 219,000 square feet of space in the buildings at 6340 Sequence Drive, 6310 Sequence Drive and 6290 Sequence Drive.
(2) Excludes including renewals that would be at our option to extend the term of this lease for four additional five-year terms.
(3) The lease arrangement involves the construction of our new manufacturing facility in Mesa, AZ which is expected to become operational during 2018 at the earliest subject to FDA approval. We have leased approximately 148,797 square feet of space in the Mesa Building, of which approximately 78,000 square feet was available to us on May 1, 2016 and the remaining portion of the Mesa Building became available to us for use in January 2018.
We believe our facilities are adequate for our current and near-term needs, and that we will be able to locate additional facilities as needed.
ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
On March 28, 2016, AgaMatrix, Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, asserting that certain of our products infringe certain patents held by AgaMatrix. On June 6, 2016, AgaMatrix filed a First Amended Complaint asserting the same three patents. On August 25, 2016, we filed petitions for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking a determination that two of the three asserted patents are invalid under the U.S. patent law and those petitions were granted on March 6, 2017. Based on those grants, most activity in the patent infringement lawsuit against us in the District of Oregon was stayed until the inter partes review of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is completed. On March 8, 2017, we filed a petition for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board seeking a determination that the third of the three asserted patents is invalid under U.S. patent law. This petition was granted on September 15, 2017. It is our position that AgaMatrix’s assertions of infringement have no merit. As of December 31, 2017, no amounts have been accrued in respect of this litigation.
On August 6, 2016, DexCom filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States Central District Court of California ("C.D. Cal."), asserting certain AgaMatrix products infringed a patent held by DexCom. On September 30, 2016 DexCom filed a First Amended Complaint asserting the same patent. In a summary judgement ruling dated February 5, 2018, the C.D. Cal. judge found that the AgaMatrix products did not infringe DexCom’s asserted patent.
On September 15, 2017, DexCom filed a patent infringement lawsuit against AgaMatrix in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting certain single-point blood glucose monitoring products of AgaMatrix infringe two
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patents held by DexCom. The patents asserted in the Delaware litigation are unrelated to the patent asserted in the Central District of California litigation. On September 18, 2017, we also filed a Complaint against AgaMatrix in the International Trade Commission (“ITC”) requesting the ITC institute an investigation and issue an order excluding certain products of AgaMatrix from importation into or sale in the United States based on AgaMatrix’s infringement of the same two patents asserted in the Delaware litigation. The ITC granted DexCom’s request to institute the investigation on October 18, 2017.
On January 19, 2018, Arbmetrics, LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States Southern District of California. It is our position that Arbmetric’s assertions of infringement have no merit.
Neither the outcome of these lawsuits nor the amount and range of potential fees associated with the lawsuits can be assessed at this time. As of December 31, 2017, no amounts have been accrued in respect of these suits.
We are subject to various claims, complaints and legal actions that arise from time to time in the normal course of business, including commercial insurance, product liability and employment related matters. In addition from time to time, we may bring claims or initiate lawsuits against various third parties with respect to matters arising out of the ordinary course of our business, including commercial and employment related matters. We do not believe we are party to any currently pending legal proceedings, the outcome of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations or financial position. There can be no assurance that existing or future legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business or otherwise will not have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
ITEM 4. | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES |
Not applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
DexCom’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “DXCM.” As of February 23, 2018, there were approximately 41 stockholders of record, excluding stockholders whose shares were held in nominee or street name by brokers. We have not paid any cash dividends, do not currently have plans to do so in the foreseeable future and the terms of our loan and security agreement restrict our ability to declare or pay any dividends.
The following table sets forth the high and low intraday sales price per share for DexCom’s common stock for the periods indicated:
High | Low | |||||||
Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 88.80 | $ | 57.68 | ||||
Second Quarter | $ | 85.32 | $ | 66.16 | ||||
Third Quarter | $ | 78.92 | $ | 42.62 | ||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 62.35 | $ | 43.74 | ||||
High | Low | |||||||
Year Ended December 31, 2016 | ||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 83.87 | $ | 47.92 | ||||
Second Quarter | $ | 81.23 | $ | 60.07 | ||||
Third Quarter | $ | 96.38 | $ | 76.21 | ||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 87.81 | $ | 59.36 |
Neither we nor any affiliated purchaser repurchased any of our equity securities in fiscal year 2017.
The information required by this Item concerning shares reserved for issuance under our equity compensation plans is incorporated by reference to information set forth in the Proxy Statement.
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ITEM 6. | SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA |
The consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 have been derived from our audited financial statements not included in this Annual Report. The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 and our financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8.
Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
(in millions, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Product revenue | $ | 718.5 | $ | 573.3 | $ | 400.7 | $ | 257.1 | $ | 157.1 | ||||||||||
Development grant and other revenue | — | — | 1.3 | 2.1 | 2.9 | |||||||||||||||
Total revenue | 718.5 | 573.3 | 402.0 | 259.2 | 160.0 | |||||||||||||||
Product cost of sales | 226.4 | 194.9 | 123.6 | 82.3 | 58.1 | |||||||||||||||
Development and other cost of sales | — | — | — | 0.6 | 1.8 | |||||||||||||||
Total cost of sales | 226.4 | 194.9 | 123.6 | 82.9 | 59.9 | |||||||||||||||
Gross profit | 492.1 | 378.4 | 278.4 | 176.3 | 100.1 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Research and development | 185.4 | 156.1 | 137.5 | 69.4 | 44.8 | |||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative | 349.2 | 286.2 | 198.0 | 128.4 | 84.2 | |||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 534.6 | 442.3 | 335.5 | 197.8 | 129.0 | |||||||||||||||
Operating loss | (42.5 | ) | (63.9 | ) | (57.1 | ) | (21.5 | ) | (28.9 | ) | ||||||||||
Other income (expense) | 3.4 | (0.7 | ) | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
Interest income | 3.3 | 0.4 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense | (12.8 | ) | (0.7 | ) | (0.4 | ) | (0.8 | ) | (0.9 | ) | ||||||||||
Loss before income taxes | (48.6 | ) | (64.9 | ) | (57.5 | ) | (22.3 | ) | (29.8 | ) | ||||||||||
Income tax expense | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | — | |||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (50.2 | ) | $ | (65.6 | ) | $ | (57.6 | ) | $ | (22.4 | ) | $ | (29.8 | ) | |||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders(1) | $ | (0.58 | ) | $ | (0.78 | ) | $ | (0.72 | ) | $ | (0.30 | ) | $ | (0.42 | ) | |||||
Shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders(1) | 86.3 | 83.6 | 79.8 | 75.2 | 71.1 | |||||||||||||||
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
(in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term marketable securities | $ | 548.6 | $ | 123.7 | $ | 115.2 | $ | 83.6 | $ | 54.6 | ||||||||||
Working capital | 605.8 | 177.6 | 164.4 | 105.3 | 61.0 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets | 904.1 | 402.8 | 292.0 | 184.6 | 122.5 | |||||||||||||||
Long term obligations | 345.8 | 16.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 6.3 | |||||||||||||||
Total stockholders’ equity | $ | 419.4 | $ | 283.8 | $ | 221.2 | $ | 140.2 | $ | 84.1 |
(1) | See Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements for a description of the method used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders. |
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This document, including the following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, contains forward-looking statements that are not purely historical regarding DexCom's or its management's intentions, beliefs, expectations and strategies for the future. These forward-looking statements fall within the meaning of the federal securities laws that relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this report, deal with future events, are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in those forward looking statements. The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially are more fully described under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report and in our other reports filed with the SEC. We assume no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this report or to conform these forward-looking statements to actual results. You should read the following discussion and analysis together with “Selected Financial Data” in Part II, Item 6 and our financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8.
Overview
We are a medical device company primarily focused on the design, development and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring (“CGM”) systems for use by people with diabetes and by healthcare providers for the treatment of people with diabetes. Unless the context requires otherwise, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” the “company,” or “DexCom” refer to DexCom, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
From inception to 2006, we devoted substantially all of our resources to start-up activities, raising capital and research and development, including product design, testing, manufacturing and clinical trials. Since 2006, we have devoted considerable resources to the commercialization of our continuous glucose monitoring systems, including the G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile, as well as the continued research and clinical development of our technology platform.
From inception through December 31, 2017, we have generated $2.4 billion of product and development grant and other (non-product) revenue, and we have incurred net losses in each year since our inception in May 1999. As of December 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $671.8 million.
We expect our losses to continue as we proceed with our commercialization and research and development activities. We have financed our operations primarily through offerings of equity securities and debt, and the sales of our products.
Financial Operations
Revenue
We sell our durable systems and disposable units through a direct sales force in the United States, Canada and portions of Europe, and through distribution arrangements in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in portions of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. We have contracts with certain distributors, the majority of whom stock our products, and we refer to these distributors as Stocking Distributors, whereby the Stocking Distributors fulfill orders for our product from their inventory. We also have contracts with certain distributors that do not stock our products, but rather products are shipped directly to the customer by us on behalf of our distributor, and we refer to these distributors as Drop-Ship Distributors. We expect that revenues we generate from the sales of our products will fluctuate from quarter to quarter. We typically experience seasonality with lower sales in the first quarter of each year, compared to the previous fourth quarter, related to annual insurance deductible resets and unfunded flexible spending accounts.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales includes direct labor and materials costs related to each product sold or produced, including assembly, test labor and scrap, as well as factory overhead supporting our manufacturing operations. Factory overhead includes facilities, material procurement and control, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, supervision and management. These costs are primarily salary, fringe benefits, share-based compensation, facility expense, supplies and purchased services. All of our manufacturing costs are included in cost of sales.
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Research and Development
Our research and development expenses primarily consist of engineering and research expenses related to our continuous glucose monitoring technology, clinical trials, regulatory expenses, quality assurance programs, materials and products for clinical trials. Research and development expenses are primarily related to employee compensation, including salary, fringe benefits, share-based compensation, and temporary employee expenses. We also incur significant expenses to operate our clinical trials including clinical site reimbursement, clinical trial product and associated travel expenses. Our research and development expenses also include fees for design services, contractors and development materials.
Selling, General and Administrative
Our selling, general and administrative expenses primarily consist of salary, fringe benefits and share-based compensation for our executive, financial, sales, marketing, information technology and administrative functions. Other significant expenses include commissions, marketing and advertising, IT software license costs, insurance, professional fees for our outside legal counsel and independent auditors, litigation expenses, patent application expenses, unoccupied facilities and consulting expenses.
Results of Operations
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 Compared to December 31, 2016
Revenue, Cost of Sales and Gross Profit
Revenues increased $145.2 million to $718.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 compared to $573.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 based primarily on increased sales volume of our disposable sensors due to the continued growth of our installed base of customers using our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems and durable systems to both new and existing customers. Revenue attributable to our disposable sensors and durable systems was approximately 70% and 30%, respectively, of total revenue, for each of the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. Revenue from products shipped to our distributors, which are primarily Stocking Distributors, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 was approximately $538.0 million or 75% of our revenue compared to $411.8 million or 72% of our total revenue for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016.
Cost of sales increased $31.5 million to $226.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 compared to $194.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, primarily due to increased sales volume. The gross profit of $492.1 million, or 68% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 increased $113.7 million compared to $378.4 million, or 66% for the same period in 2016, primarily due to increased revenue and a decrease in warranty costs primarily related to the February 23, 2016 customer notification regarding the audible alarms and alerts associated with our receivers which was classified as a voluntary Class 1 recall by the FDA and was closed by the FDA as of August 11, 2017.
Research and Development. Research and development expense increased $29.3 million to $185.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, compared to $156.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016. The increase was primarily due to $18.3 million in additional salaries, bonus and payroll related costs, $8.4 million of additional expensed equipment, and $2.4 million of additional clinical trial costs related to development of our future products.
Selling, General and Administrative. Selling, general and administrative expense increased $63.0 million to $349.2 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, compared to $286.2 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016. The increase was primarily due to higher headcount related selling, marketing and customer support costs to support revenue growth and the continued commercialization of our products. Significant elements of the increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses included $37.8 million in additional salaries, bonus, and payroll related costs, $10.6 million of additional marketing costs, $4.4 million of additional software license costs, and $1.5 million in additional consulting fees.
Other Income (Expense). Other income was $3.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 compared to other expense of $0.7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and is primarily related to foreign currency transaction gains and losses.
Interest Income. Interest income was $3.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 compared to $0.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and is related to our marketable securities portfolio.
Interest Expense. Interest expense was $12.8 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 compared to $0.7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and is related to our 2022 Notes and Revolving Credit Agreement. The increase was primarily due to an additional $11.1 million of interest expense related to the 2022 Notes.
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Income Tax Expense. Income tax expense was $1.6 million on a pre-tax loss of $48.6 million, resulting in a negative effective tax rate of 3% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, compared to income tax expense of $0.7 million on a pre-tax loss of $64.9 million and a negative effective tax rate of 1% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016. The effective tax rate at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016 increased due to a lower pre-tax net loss. The tax expense for both periods is primarily due to withholding and other income tax expense in profitable jurisdictions.
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 Compared to December 31, 2015
Revenue, Cost of Sales and Gross Profit
Total revenues increased $171.3 million to $573.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 compared to $402.0 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 based primarily on increased sales volume of our disposable sensors due to the continued growth of our installed base of customers using our G4 PLATINUM and G5 Mobile systems, and durable systems to both new and existing customers. Revenue attributable to our disposable sensors and durable systems was approximately 70% and 30%, respectively, of total revenue, for each of the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and 2015. Total revenue for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 also included development grant and other revenues of $1.3 million attributable to a $1.0 million milestone payments related to our development agreement with Tandem and services associated with clinical supply and services agreements. Revenue from products shipped to distributors, which are primarily Stocking Distributors, was $411.8 million, or 72%, of our total revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 compared to $283.0 million, or 71%, of our total revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.
Cost of sales increased $71.3 million to $194.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 compared to $123.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, primarily due to increased sales volume, partially due to increased warranty costs related to receivers, and $3.5 million in receiver related excess and obsolete receiver inventory primarily related to the February 23, 2016 customer notification regarding the audible alarms and alerts associated with our receivers which was classified as a voluntary Class 1 recall by the FDA. The gross profit of $378.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 increased $100.0 million compared to $278.4 million for the same period in 2015, primarily due to increased revenue, partially offset by the product mix of sales of our lower margin G5 transmitters and costs related to the customer notification discussed above.
Research and Development. Research and development expense increased $18.6 million to $156.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, compared to $137.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015. Research and development expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 included $36.5 million of noncash expense related to the issuance of 404,591 shares in August 2015 related to the Verily Collaboration Agreement. Excluding this one-time noncash charge, research and development expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 increased $55.2 million with the significant elements of the increase comprised of $21.1 million in additional salaries, bonus and payroll related costs, $11.2 million in additional share-based compensation, $5.1 million in additional supplies, $2.9 million of additional facilities related costs, and $2.1 million in additional consulting expenses associated with future generations of products.
Selling, General and Administrative. Selling, general and administrative expense increased $88.2 million to $286.2 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, compared to $198.0 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015. The increase was primarily due to higher headcount related selling, marketing and information technology infrastructure costs to support revenue growth and the continued commercialization of our products in both the United States and Europe. Significant elements of the increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses included $26.8 million in additional salaries, bonus, and payroll related costs, $12.9 million in additional share-based compensation costs, $10.8 million of additional consulting costs, including costs to support our international expansion, $8.9 million in additional marketing related costs, $4.3 million of additional software license costs, $3.8 million of additional facilities related costs and $1.5 million of additional commissions.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have incurred losses since our inception in May 1999. As of December 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $671.8 million and had working capital of $605.8 million. To date, we have funded our operations primarily through offerings of equity securities and debt, and the sales of our products.
In June 2016, we entered into a $200.0 million Credit Agreement, including a subfacility of up to $10.0 million for letters of credit, of which we are using $4.4 million and $5.6 million is still available as of December 31, 2017. The revolving loans under the Credit Agreement will be available for general corporate purposes, including working capital and capital expenditures. On March 3, 2017 we drew $75.0 million on the Credit Agreement under a six month term and we repaid the entire principal balance on May 19, 2017. As of December 31, 2017 we had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement, and $200.0 million under the Credit Agreement remains available.
In May 2017, we completed an offering of $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0.75% convertible senior notes due 2022 ("2022 Notes") and, in June 2017 the initial purchasers exercised their option to purchase an additional $50.0 million aggregate principal amount. The 2022 Notes have a stated interest rate of 0.75% and a maturity date of May 15, 2022. Holders may elect to convert any time after February 15, 2022 for shares. The 2022 Notes may be settled in cash, stock, or a combination thereof, solely at our discretion. We used a portion of the net proceeds of the offering of the 2022 Notes to repay $75.0 million of borrowings under our existing credit facility. The remainder of the proceeds are available for general corporate purposes and capital expenditures, including working capital needs and buildout of our manufacturing facility in Arizona. We may also use the net proceeds to expand our current business through in-licensing or acquisitions of, or investments in, other businesses, products or technologies; however, we do not have any commitments with respect to any such acquisitions or investments at this time.
Our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $548.6 million as of December 31, 2017. Our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities portfolio is primarily denominated in U.S. dollars and consists of investment grade, highly liquid securities of various holdings including obligations of U.S. government sponsored enterprises, commercial paper, corporate debt, and money market funds. The change in our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 was due to the factors described in the “Cash Flow Summary” below.
Cash Flow Summary
The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated (in millions)
Twelve Months Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 92.0 | $ | 56.2 | $ | 35.8 | |||||
Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (144.4 | ) | $ | (55.9 | ) | $ | (88.5 | ) | ||
Net cash provided by financing activities | $ | 399.1 | $ | 8.1 | $ | 391.0 |
As of December 31, 2017, we had $441.5 million of cash and cash equivalents compared to $94.5 million as of December 31, 2016, an increase of $347.0 million. The cash flows during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 were related primarily to the following items:
Cash inflows:
• | Net cash provided by operating activities of $92.0 million comprised of net loss of $50.2 million, offset by $139.6 million of net non-cash expenses and $2.6 million of changes in working capital balances. Net non-cash expenses of $139.6 million were primarily related to share-based compensation, depreciation and amortization, and non-cash interest expense related to our senior convertible notes. |
• | Proceeds from issuance of common stock of $10.1 million pursuant to the exercise of then-outstanding stock options and purchases of stock under our employee stock purchase plan. |
• | Proceeds from short-term borrowings of $75.0 million. |
• | Proceeds from issuance of senior convertible notes, net of issuance costs, of $389.0 million. |
Cash outflows:
• | Capital expenditures of $66.0 million primarily related to purchase of facility related build-outs, office equipment and machinery and equipment. |
• | Net cash outflow of $78.4 million as a result of marketable securities transactions. |
• | Repayment of short-term borrowings of $75.0 million. |
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Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities. The increase in cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to a reduction of $15.4 million in net loss, an increase of $11.5 million in non-cash expenses and a change of $8.9 million in working capital balances. The increase in non-cash expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 was primarily related to our senior convertible notes.
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities. The change in cash used in investing activities was primarily due to an additional $77.9 million net cash used as a result of net purchasing of marketable securities, and an additional $10.3 million to purchase equipment to support facility related build-outs, manufacturing equipment and information technology infrastructure.
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities. The increase in cash provided by financing activities was primarily due to $389.0 million net proceeds from the issuance of senior convertible notes, net of issuance costs.
Operating Capital and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We anticipate that we will continue to incur operating losses as we incur expenses and expand the commercialization of our approved products domestically and internationally, develop additional continuous glucose monitoring products, and expand our marketing, manufacturing and corporate infrastructure.
We believe that our cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities balances, projected cash contributions from our commercial operations and $200.0 million available under our Credit Agreement, of which $200.0 million remains available, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements with respect to the continued scale-up of our commercialization activities, research and development activities, including clinical trials, the expansion of our marketing, manufacturing and corporate infrastructure, and to meet our other anticipated cash needs through at least February 27, 2019. If our available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, or if we develop additional products or new markets for our existing products, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain an additional credit facility. The sale of additional equity and debt securities may result in additional dilution to our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of debt securities or preferred stock, these securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations. We may require additional capital beyond our currently forecasted amounts. Any such required additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. Additionally, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in obtaining additional cash contributions from future partnership arrangements. Our ability to transition to, and maintain profitable operations is dependent upon achieving a level of revenues adequate to support our cost structure. If events or circumstances occur such that we do not meet our operating plan as expected, or if we are unable to obtain additional financing, we may be required to reduce planned increases in compensation related expenses or other operating expenses related to research, development, and commercialization activities, which could have an adverse impact on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of continuous glucose monitoring technologies, we are unable to estimate the exact amounts of capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated clinical trials. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
• | the revenue generated by sales of our approved products and other future products; |
• | the expenses we incur in manufacturing, developing, selling and marketing our products; |
• | the quality levels of our products and services; |
• | the third-party reimbursement of our products for our customers; |
• | our ability to efficiently scale our manufacturing operations to meet demand for our current and any future products; |
• | the costs, timing and risks of delays of additional regulatory approvals; |
• | the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights; |
• | the rate of progress and cost of our clinical trials and other development activities; |
• | the success of our research and development efforts; |
• | the emergence of competing or complementary technological developments; |
• | the terms and timing of any collaborative, licensing and other arrangements that we may establish; and |
• | the acquisition of businesses, products and technologies and our ability to integrate and manage any acquired businesses, products and technologies. |
Contractual Obligations
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We are party to various purchase arrangements related to components used in manufacturing and research and development activities. As of December 31, 2017, we had firm purchase commitments with certain vendors totaling approximately $71.7 million due within one year. There are no material purchase commitments due beyond one year.
We are party to various leasing arrangements primarily for office, manufacturing and warehouse space that expire at various times through March 2028. We have not entered into any significant new leasing arrangements during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017.
The following table summarizes our outstanding contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017 in future periods (in millions):
Contractual Obligations: | Total | Less than 1 Year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More than 5 Years (1) | |||||||||||||||
Operating leases | $ | 57.3 | $ | 10.1 | $ | 22.4 | $ | 15.4 | $ | 9.4 | ||||||||||
Senior convertible notes (1) | 413.5 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 401.5 | — | |||||||||||||||
Purchase commitments | 71.7 | 71.7 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 542.5 | $ | 84.8 | $ | 31.4 | $ | 416.9 | $ | 9.4 |
(1) | Senior convertible notes were issued in May and June 2017 which are due in May 2022, obligations include both principal and interest. Although these notes mature in 2022, they may be converted into cash and shares of our common stock prior to maturity if certain conditions are met. Any conversion prior to maturity can result in repayment of the principal amounts sooner than scheduled repayment as indicated in the table. See Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the terms of the senior convertible notes. |
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have not engaged in any off-balance sheet activities.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which we have prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements as well as the reported revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies and estimates are most critical to a full understanding and evaluation of our reported financial results.
Revenue Recognition
We sell our durable systems and disposable units through a direct sales force in the United States, Canada and portions of Europe, and through distribution arrangements in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in portions of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Components are individually priced and can be purchased separately or together. We receive payment directly from customers who use our products, as well as from distributors, organizations and third-party payors. Our durable system includes a reusable transmitter, a receiver, a power cord and a USB cable. Disposable sensors for use with the durable system are sold separately in packages of four. We provide free of charge software and mobile applications for use with our durable systems and disposable sensors. The initial durable system price is generally not dependent upon the subsequent purchase of any amount of disposable sensors.
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Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue on product sales is generally recognized upon shipment, which is when title and the risk of loss have been transferred to the customer and there are no other post shipment obligations. With respect to customers who directly pay for products, the products are generally paid for at the time of shipment using a customer’s credit card and do not include customer acceptance provisions. We recognize revenue from contracted insurance payors based on the contracted rate. For non-contracted insurance payors, we obtain prior authorization from the payor and recognize revenue based on the estimated collectible amount and historical experience. We also receive a prescription or statement of medical necessity and, for insurance reimbursement customers, an assignment of benefits prior to shipment.
We have entered into distribution agreements with Byram Healthcare and its subsidiaries (“Byram”), Cardinal Health and affiliates (including Edgepark Medical Supplies) and other distributors that allow the distributors to sell our durable systems and disposable units. The majority of our distributors stock our products, and we refer to these distributors as Stocking Distributors, whereby the Stocking Distributors fulfill orders for our product from their inventory. We also have contracts with certain distributors that do not stock our products, but rather products are shipped directly to the customer by us on behalf of our distributor, and we refer to these distributors as Drop-Ship Distributors. Revenue is recognized based on contracted prices. Terms of distributor orders are generally Freight on Board (or Free Carrier (“FCA”) shipping point for international orders). Most distributors do not have rights of return per their distribution agreement outside of our limited warranty. The distributors typically have a limited time frame to notify us of any missing, damaged, defective or non-conforming products. For any such products, we shall either, at our option, replace the portion of defective or non-conforming product at no additional cost to the distributor or cancel the order and refund any portion of the price paid to us at that time for the sale in question. Shipping charges billed to customers are included in revenue while related costs are included as cost of sales.
Share-Based Compensation
Share-based compensation expense is measured at the grant date based on the estimated fair value of the award and is recognized straight-line over the requisite service period of the individual grants, which typically equals the vesting period. Shared-based compensation arrangements include Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) and purchases of common stock at a discount under our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP. We estimate the fair value of RSUs based on the market price of our common stock on the date of grant and the fair value of ESPP purchase rights on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
We recorded $106.2 million, $110.8 million and $82.7 million in share-based compensation expense during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. At December 31, 2017, unrecognized estimated compensation costs related to unvested restricted stock units totaled $128.4 million and are expected to be recognized through 2021.
Inventory
Inventory is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value on a part-by-part basis that approximates first in, first out. We make adjustments to reduce the cost of inventory to its net realizable value, if required, for estimated excess, obsolete and potential scrapped inventories. Factors influencing these adjustments include inventories on hand and on order compared to estimated future usage and sales for existing and new products, as well as judgments regarding quality control testing data, and assumptions about the likelihood of scrap and obsolescence. Once written down the adjustments are considered permanent and are not reversed until the related inventory is sold or disposed.
Our products require customized products and components that currently are available from a limited number of sources. We purchase certain components and materials from single sources due to quality considerations, costs or constraints resulting from regulatory requirements.
Warranty Accrual
Estimated warranty costs associated with a product are recorded at the time of shipment. We estimate future warranty costs by analyzing historical warranty experience for the timing and amount of returned product, and expectations for future warranty activity based on changes and improvements to the product or process that are, or will be in place in the future. These estimates are evaluated on at least a quarterly basis to determine the continued appropriateness of such assumptions.
Recent Accounting Guidance
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) (“ASU 2016-09”), which is intended to simplify several areas of accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The amendments in this
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update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess benefits on the statement of cash flows, an accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. We adopted this standard in the first quarter of 2017
We had excess tax benefits for which a benefit could not be previously recognized of approximately $161.8 million. Upon adoption, we recognized the previously unrecognized excess tax benefits of $161.8 million deferred tax assets with an offsetting increase in our valuation allowance using a modified retrospective method through a cumulative effect adjustment to the accumulated deficit, with no net impact on our financial statements. All excess tax benefits and all tax deficiencies generated in the current and future periods will be recognized prospectively and recorded as income tax benefit or expense in our Consolidated Statements of Operations in the reporting period in which they occur. Until such time that we release our valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, the tax impact of any excess tax benefits and deficiencies will be offset with the change in our valuation allowance. In addition, we elected to account for forfeitures as they occur with the change applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative effect adjustment to accumulated deficit of $0.6 million. Due to the full valuation allowance on the U.S. deferred tax assets, we have determined that none of the provisions of ASU 2016-09 have a significant impact on our 2017 consolidated financial statements.
Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued authoritative guidance for Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASU 2014-09"), to supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle of the guidance is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that is expected to be received for those goods or services. The guidance defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and it is possible when the five step process is applied, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than required under existing U.S. GAAP, including identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The updated standard permits the use of either the retrospective or modified retrospective transition method and is effective for us in our first quarter of 2018. We will apply this standard using the modified retrospective method. We have completed our assessment of the new revenue standard and are finalizing the new required disclosures. We do not expect the timing of revenue recognition under the new standard to differ materially from our current revenue recognition policy. Our analysis of open contracts as of December 31, 2017, has resulted in no material cumulative effect from applying ASU 2014-09.
In July 2015, the FASB issued guidance in ASU 2015-11 to change the subsequent measurement of inventory from lower of cost or market to lower of cost and net realizable value. The guidance requires that inventory accounted for under the first-in, first-out (FIFO) or average cost methods be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value, where net realizable value represents the estimated selling price of inventory in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The guidance was effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which require a lessee to recognize a lease payment liability and a corresponding right of use asset on their balance sheet for all lease terms longer than 12 months, lessor accounting remains largely unchanged. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Accounting for Income Taxes - Intra-Entity Asset Transfer other than Inventory (Topic 740) (“ASU 2016-16”), which would require the recognition of the tax expense from the sale of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs, rather than when the asset is sold to a third party or otherwise recovered through use. The new guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The amendment should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning period of adoption. Due to the full valuation allowance on the U.S. deferred tax assets, we have determined that none of the provisions of ASU 2016-16 will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.
ITEM 7A. | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK |
Interest Rate Risk
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The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve our capital for the purpose of funding operations while at the same time maximizing the income we receive from our investments without significantly increasing risk. To achieve these objectives, our investment policy allows us to maintain a portfolio of cash equivalents and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including money market funds, U.S. Treasury debt and corporate debt securities. Due to the short-term nature of our investments, we believe that we have no material exposure to interest rate risk.
Foreign Currency Risk
A substantial portion of our operations are located in the United States, and the majority of our sales since inception have been made in United States dollars. Accordingly, we have assessed that we do not have any material net exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations at this time. However, as our business in markets outside of the United States continues to increase, we will be exposed to foreign currency exchange risk related to our foreign operations. Fluctuations in the rate of exchange between the United States dollar and foreign currencies, primarily the British Pound, the Euro, the Canadian Dollar, the Swedish Krona and the Swiss Franc, could adversely affect our financial results, including our revenues, revenue growth rates, gross margins, income and losses as well as assets and liabilities.
We do not currently engage in hedging or similar transactions to reduce our foreign currency risks. We will continue to monitor and evaluate our internal processes relating to foreign currency exchange, including the potential use of hedging strategies.
ITEM 8. | CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA |
The information required is set forth under “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm,” “Consolidated Balance Sheets,” “Consolidated Statements of Operations,” “Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss,” “Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity,” “Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows” and “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” on pages F-2 to F-29 of this annual report.
ITEM 9. | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
Not applicable.
ITEM 9A. | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 require public companies to maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” which are defined to mean a company’s controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and timely communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this report of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on their evaluation as of December 31, 2017, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of such date for this purpose.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during our last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and Board of Directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements.
Our management, with the participation of the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the 2013 Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework. Based on this assessment, our management, with the participation of the Chief Executive and Chief
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Financial Officers, believes that, as of December 31, 2017, our internal control over financial reporting is effective based on those criteria. The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP an independent Public Registered Accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included herein.
The certifications of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have been filed as Exhibits 31.01 and 31.02 to this report.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
Limitation on Effectiveness of Controls
It should be noted that any system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met. The design of any control system is based, in part, upon the benefits of the control system relative to its costs. Control systems can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. In addition, over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of these and other inherent limitations of control systems, we cannot guaranty that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Stockholders of DexCom, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited DexCom, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, DexCom, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of DexCom, Inc. as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) and our report dated February 27, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. 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 audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
San Diego, California
February 27, 2018
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ITEM 9B. | OTHER INFORMATION |
None.
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PART III
ITEM 10. | DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE |
The information concerning our directors required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the section in our Proxy Statement entitled “Proposal No. 1—Election of Directors.”
The information concerning our executive officers required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the section in our Proxy Statement entitled “Executive Officers.”
The information concerning compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the section in our Proxy Statement entitled “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance.”
We have adopted a written code of ethics for financial employees that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller and other employees of the finance department designated by our Chief Financial Officer. This code of ethics, titled the “Code of Conduct and Ethics for Chief Executive Officer and Senior Finance Personnel,” is publicly available on our Internet website at http://investor.shareholder.com/dexcom/governance.cfm. The information contained on our Internet website is not incorporated by reference into this Report on Form 10-K.
The information concerning the audit committee of the Board of Directors required by this Item is incorporated by reference to information set forth in the Proxy Statement.
The information concerning material changes to the procedures by which stockholders may recommend nominees to the Board of Directors required by this Item is incorporated by reference to information set forth in the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 11. | EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION |
The information required by this Item concerning executive compensation and our Compensation Committee is incorporated by reference to information set forth in the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 12. | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS |
The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to information set forth in the Proxy Statement under the headings “Principal Stockholders and Stock Ownership by Management” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information.”
ITEM 13. | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
The information required by this Item with respect to director independence is incorporated by reference to information set forth in the Proxy Statement.
The information concerning certain relationships and related transactions required by the Item is incorporated by reference to the section in our Proxy Statement entitled “Certain Transactions.”
ITEM 14. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES |
The information concerning principal accountant fees and services required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the section in our Proxy Statement entitled “Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”
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PART IV
ITEM 15. | EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES |
(a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report: |
1. Financial Statements. The financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report are incorporated by reference.
2. Financial Statement Schedules.
For the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2017—Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts, the financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report are incorporated by reference.
Schedules not listed above have been omitted because information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.
3. Exhibits.
Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description | Incorporated by Reference | Provided Herewith | ||||||||||||
Form | File No. | Date of First Filing | Exhibit Number | ||||||||||||
S-1/A | 333-122454 | March 3, 2005 | 3.03 | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | November 25, 2014 | 3.01 | ||||||||||||
S-1/A | 333-122454 | March 24, 2005 | 4.01 | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | May 12, 2017 | 4.1 | ||||||||||||
S-1 | 333-122454 | February 1, 2005 | 10.01 | ||||||||||||
S-1 | 333-122454 | February 1, 2005 | 10.02 | ||||||||||||
S-1/A | 000-51222 | March 24, 2005 | 10.03 | ||||||||||||
S-1/A | 000-51222 | March 24, 2005 | 10.04 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 27, 2006 | 10.14 | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | April 7, 2006 | 99.01 |
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Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description | Incorporated by Reference | Provided Herewith | ||||||||||||
Form | File No. | Date of First Filing | Exhibit Number | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | April 13, 2006 | 99.01 | ||||||||||||
8-K/A | 000-51222 | January 28, 2009 | 10.1 | ||||||||||||
8-K/A | 000-51222 | January 28, 2009 | 10.2 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | March 5, 2009 | 10.20 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | March 5, 2009 | 10.21 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 3, 2009 | 10.23 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | November 4, 2009 | 10.24 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | November 4, 2009 | 10.25 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | March 9, 2010 | 10.25 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | May 5, 2010 | 10.26 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | November 4, 2010 | 10.27 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | May 3, 2011 | 10.25 | ||||||||||||
10-Q/A | 000-51222 | July 1, 2011 | 10.26 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 3, 2011 | 10.27 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 3, 2011 | 10.28 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 23, 2012 | 10.26 |
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Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description | Incorporated by Reference | Provided Herewith | ||||||||||||
Form | File No. | Date of First Filing | Exhibit Number | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 21, 2013 | 10.26 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | May 1, 2013 | 10.27 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 20, 2014 | 10.28 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 20, 2014 | 10.29 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | May 1, 2014 | 10.30 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 6, 2014 | 10.31 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 6, 2014 | 10.32 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 25, 2015 | 10.32 | ||||||||||||
DEF 14A | 000-51222 | April 13, 2015 | Appendix A | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | June 2, 2015 | 10.2 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | November 4, 2015 | 10.32 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | April 27, 2016 | 10.36 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | April 27, 2016 | 10.37 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 2, 2016 | 10.38 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 2, 2016 | 10.39 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 2, 2016 | 10.40 |
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Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description | Incorporated by Reference | Provided Herewith | ||||||||||||
Form | File No. | Date of First Filing | Exhibit Number | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 2, 2016 | 10.41 | ||||||||||||
10-K | 000-51222 | February 28, 2017 | 10.42 | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | June 6, 2017 | 10.20 | 10.2 | |||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | June 6, 2017 | 10.30 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 1, 2017 | 10.42 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 1, 2017 | 10.46 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 1, 2017 | 10.47 | ||||||||||||
8-K | 000-51222 | August 1, 2017 | 10.10 | ||||||||||||
10-Q | 000-51222 | August 1, 2017 | 10.43 | ||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X |
71
Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description | Incorporated by Reference | Provided Herewith | ||||||||||||
Form | File No. | Date of First Filing | Exhibit Number | ||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
X | |||||||||||||||
101.INS | XBRL Instance Document | X | |||||||||||||
101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | X | |||||||||||||
101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | X | |||||||||||||
101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | X | |||||||||||||
101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | X | |||||||||||||
101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document | X |
* | Represents a management contract or compensatory plan. |
** | Confidential treatment has been requested for certain portions of this document pursuant to an application for confidential treatment sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such portions are omitted from this filing and were filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
*** | This certification is not deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certification will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that DexCom specifically incorporates it by reference. |
72
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None
73
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
DEXCOM, INC. (Registrant) | ||||||
Dated: February 27, 2018 | By: | /S/ QUENTIN S. BLACKFORD | ||||
Quentin S. Blackford, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Kevin Sayer and Quentin Blackford, jointly and severally, his attorneys-in-fact, each with the power of substitution, for him in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this Report on Form 10-K and to file same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact, or his substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/S/ KEVIN R. SAYER | President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | February 27, 2018 | ||
Kevin R. Sayer | ||||
/S/ QUENTIN S. BLACKFORD | Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | February 27, 2018 | ||
Quentin S. Blackford | ||||
/S/ TERRANCE GREGG | Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors | February 27, 2018 | ||
Terrance Gregg | ||||
/S/ MARK FOLETTA | Lead Independent Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Mark Foletta | ||||
/S/ STEVE ALTMAN | Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Steve Altman | ||||
/S/ NICHOLAS AUGUSTINOS | Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Nicholas Augustinos | ||||
/S/ BARBARA KAHN | Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Barbara Kahn | ||||
/S/ JAY SKYLER | Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Jay Skyler, M.D. | ||||
/S/ ERIC TOPOL | Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Eric Topol, M.D. | ||||
/S/ RICHARD COLLINS | Director | February 27, 2018 | ||
Richard Collins |
74
DEXCOM, INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 | |||
Consolidated Balance Sheets | F-3 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Operations | F-4 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss | F-5 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity | F-6 | |||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | F-7 | |||
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | F-8 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Stockholders of DexCom, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of DexCom, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have 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, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework) and our report dated February 27, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
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.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2000.
San Diego, California
February 27, 2018
F-2
DexCom, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In millions—except par value data)
As of December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Assets | |||||||
Current assets: | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 441.5 | $ | 94.5 | |||
Short-term marketable securities, available-for-sale | 107.1 | 29.2 | |||||
Accounts receivable, net | 134.3 | 101.7 | |||||
Inventory | 45.2 | 45.4 | |||||
Prepaid and other current assets | 16.6 | 9.2 | |||||
Total current assets | 744.7 | 280.0 | |||||
Property and equipment, net | 145.6 | 109.4 | |||||
Goodwill | 12.1 | 11.3 | |||||
Other assets | 1.7 | 2.1 | |||||
Total assets | $ | 904.1 | $ | 402.8 | |||
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity | |||||||
Current liabilities: | |||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 87.2 | $ | 68.1 | |||
Accrued payroll and related expenses | 48.5 | 33.4 | |||||
Deferred revenue | 3.2 | 0.9 | |||||
Total current liabilities | 138.9 | 102.4 | |||||
Other liabilities | 18.2 | 16.6 | |||||
Long term senior convertible notes | 327.6 | — | |||||
Total liabilities | 484.7 | 119.0 | |||||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 5) | |||||||
Stockholders’ equity: | |||||||
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 5.0 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively | — | — | |||||
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 200.0 authorized; 87.3 and 87.0 issued and outstanding, respectively, at December 31, 2017; and 100.0 authorized; 84.9 and 84.6 shares issued and outstanding, respectively, at December 31, 2016 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |||||
Additional paid-in capital | 1,093.7 | 905.7 | |||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (2.6 | ) | (1.0 | ) | |||
Accumulated deficit | (671.8 | ) | (621.0 | ) | |||
Total stockholders’ equity | 419.4 | 283.8 | |||||
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 904.1 | $ | 402.8 |
See accompanying notes
F-3
DexCom, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In millions—except per share data)
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Product revenue | $ | 718.5 | $ | 573.3 | $ | 400.7 | |||||
Development grant and other revenue | — | — | 1.3 | ||||||||
Total revenue | 718.5 | 573.3 | 402.0 | ||||||||
Cost of sales | 226.4 | 194.9 | 123.6 | ||||||||
Gross profit | 492.1 | 378.4 | 278.4 | ||||||||
Operating expenses | |||||||||||
Research and development | 185.4 | 156.1 | 137.5 | ||||||||
Selling, general and administrative | 349.2 | 286.2 | 198.0 | ||||||||
Total operating expenses | 534.6 | 442.3 | 335.5 | ||||||||
Operating loss | (42.5 | ) | (63.9 | ) | (57.1 | ) | |||||
Other income (expense) | 3.4 | (0.7 | ) | — | |||||||
Interest income | 3.3 | 0.4 | — | ||||||||
Interest expense | (12.8 | ) | (0.7 | ) | (0.4 | ) | |||||
Loss before income taxes | (48.6 | ) | (64.9 | ) | (57.5 | ) | |||||
Income tax expense | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | ||||||||
Net loss | $ | (50.2 | ) | $ | (65.6 | ) | $ | (57.6 | ) | ||
Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.58 | ) | $ | (0.78 | ) | $ | (0.72 | ) | ||
Shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share | 86.3 | 83.6 | 79.8 |
See accompanying notes
F-4
DexCom, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss
(In millions)
Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (50.2 | ) | $ | (65.6 | ) | $ | (57.6 | ) | |||
Unrealized loss on short-term available-for-sale marketable securities | (0.2 | ) | — | — | ||||||||
Foreign currency translation loss | (1.4 | ) | (0.7 | ) | (0.2 | ) | ||||||
Comprehensive loss | $ | (51.8 | ) | $ | (66.3 | ) | $ | (57.8 | ) |
See accompanying notes
F-5
DexCom, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity
(In millions)
Common stock | Additional paid-in capital | Accumulated other comprehensive loss | Accumulated deficit | Total stockholders’ equity | |||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2014 | 77.3 | $ | 0.1 | $ | 638.0 | $ | (0.1 | ) | $ | (497.8 | ) | $ | 140.2 | ||||||||||
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans | 3.9 | — | 15.3 | — | — | 15.3 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 0.1 | — | 3.8 | — | — | 3.8 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock related to Verily Collaboration Agreement | 0.4 | — | 36.5 | — | — | 36.5 | |||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation for employee stock option and award grants | — | — | 83.2 | — | — | 83.2 | |||||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | (57.6 | ) | (57.6 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Other comprehensive loss | — | — | — | (0.2 | ) | — | (0.2 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2015 | 81.7 | 0.1 | 776.8 | (0.3 | ) | (555.4 | ) | 221.2 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans | 2.7 | — | 4.4 | — | — | 4.4 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 0.1 | — | 6.0 | — | — | 6.0 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with acquisition | 0.1 | — | 7.2 | — | — | 7.2 | |||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation for employee stock option and award grants | — | — | 111.3 | — | — | 111.3 | |||||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | (65.6 | ) | (65.6 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Other comprehensive loss | — | — | — | (0.7 | ) | — | (0.7 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2016 | 84.6 | 0.1 | 905.7 | (1.0 | ) | (621.0 | ) | 283.8 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans | 2.3 | — | 2.7 | — | — | 2.7 | |||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 0.1 | — | 7.4 | — | — | 7.4 | |||||||||||||||||
Share-based compensation for employee stock option and award grants | — | — | 106.7 | — | — | 106.7 | |||||||||||||||||
Equity component of convertible note issuance, net of issuance costs | — | — | 70.6 | — | — | 70.6 | |||||||||||||||||
Adoption of ASU 2016-09 | — | — | 0.6 | — | (0.6 | ) | — | ||||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | (50.2 | ) | (50.2 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Other comprehensive loss | — | — | — | (1.6 | ) | — | (1.6 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2017 | 87.0 | $ | 0.1 | $ | 1,093.7 | $ | (2.6 | ) | $ | (671.8 | ) | $ | 419.4 |
See accompanying notes
F-6
DexCom, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In millions)
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Operating activities | |||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (50.2 | ) | $ | (65.6 | ) | $ | (57.6 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by operating activities: | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 16.1 | 15.0 | 10.8 | ||||||||
Share-based compensation | 106.2 | 110.8 | 82.7 | ||||||||
Non-cash interest expense | 9.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | ||||||||
Non-cash research and development charge through issuance of common stock | — | — | 36.5 | ||||||||
Other non-cash expenses | 7.9 | 2.2 | 0.8 | ||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net | (31.8 | ) | (27.2 | ) | (31.7 | ) | |||||
Inventory | 0.4 | (9.8 | ) | (19.2 | ) | ||||||
Prepaid and other assets | (6.7 | ) | (3.9 | ) | (2.5 | ) | |||||
Restricted cash | — | — | 1.0 | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 21.1 | 21.1 | 17.8 | ||||||||
Accrued payroll and related expenses | 14.8 | 8.5 | 7.7 | ||||||||
Deferred revenue | 2.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||||||||
Deferred rent and other liabilities | 2.6 | 4.9 | 2.4 | ||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | 92.0 | 56.2 | 49.0 | ||||||||
Investing activities | |||||||||||
Purchase of available-for-sale marketable securities | (171.8 | ) | (39.2 | ) | (45.2 | ) | |||||
Proceeds from the maturity of available-for-sale marketable securities | 93.4 | 38.7 | 27.5 | ||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment | (66.0 | ) | (55.7 | ) | (33.3 | ) | |||||
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired | — | 0.3 | (0.5 | ) | |||||||
Net cash used in investing activities | (144.4 | ) | (55.9 | ) | (51.5 | ) | |||||
Financing activities | |||||||||||
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock | 10.1 | 10.4 | 19.1 | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of convertible debt, net of issuance costs | 389.0 | — | — | ||||||||
Proceeds from short-term borrowings | 75.0 | — | — | ||||||||
Repayment of short-term borrowings | (75.0 | ) | — | — | |||||||
Repayment of long-term debt | — | (2.3 | ) | (2.3 | ) | ||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 399.1 | 8.1 | 16.8 | ||||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 0.3 | — | — | ||||||||
Increase in cash and cash equivalents | 347.0 | 8.4 | 14.3 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 94.5 | 86.1 | 71.8 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | 441.5 | $ | 94.5 | $ | 86.1 | |||||
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing transactions: | |||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with acquisition | $ | — | $ | 7.2 | $ | — | |||||
Acquisition-related holdback liability | $ | — | $ | 1.8 | $ | — | |||||
Assets acquired and financing obligation under build-to-suit leasing arrangement | $ | — | $ | 6.0 | $ | — | |||||
Acquisition of property and equipment included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 6.3 | $ | 10.5 | $ | 2.9 | |||||
Cash paid during the year for interest | $ | 2.4 | $ | 0.1 | $ | 0.3 | |||||
Cash paid during the year for taxes | $ | 1.4 | $ | 0.1 | $ | 0.1 |
F-7
DexCom, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
December 31, 2017
1. Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Organization and Business
DexCom, Inc. is a medical device company focused on the design, development and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring (“CGM”) systems for ambulatory use by people with diabetes and by healthcare providers for the treatment of people with diabetes. Unless the context requires otherwise, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” the “company,” or “DexCom” refer to DexCom, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Basis of Presentation
We have incurred operating losses since our inception and have an accumulated deficit of $671.8 million at December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2017, we had available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $548.6 million and working capital of $605.8 million. Our ability to transition to, and maintain, profitable operations is dependent upon achieving a level of revenues adequate to support our cost structure. If events or circumstances occur such that we do not meet our operating plan as expected, we may be required to reduce planned increases in compensation expenses and other operating expenses needed to support the growth of our business which could have an adverse impact on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. We believe our working capital resources will be sufficient to fund our operations through at least February 27, 2019.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of DexCom, Inc. and our wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Segment Reporting and Geographic Information
An operating segment is identified as a component of a business that has discrete financial information available, and one for which the chief operating decision maker must decide the level of resource allocation. In addition, the guidance for segment reporting indicates certain quantitative thresholds. None of the operations of our subsidiaries meet the definition of an operating segment and are currently not material, but may become material in the future.
We currently consider our operations to be, and manage our business globally within, one reportable segment, which is consistent with how our President and Chief Executive Officer, who is our chief operating decision maker, reviews our business, makes investment and resource allocation decisions and assesses operating performance.
We sell our products through a direct sales force in the United States, Canada and portions of Europe, and through distribution arrangements in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in portions of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. DexCom, Inc. is domiciled in the United States.
During the years ended 2017, 2016 and 2015, no individual country, outside the United States, generated revenue that represented more than 10% of our total revenue. Product revenue is designated based on the geographic location to which we deliver the product. Development grant and other revenue is attributed to countries based upon the location of the headquarters of our customer or their billing address. During fiscal years 2017, 2016 and 2015, total revenues attributable to the United States and outside of the United States were as follows (in millions, except percentages):
Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||
Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | |||||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||||||
United States | $ | 596.2 | 83 | % | $ | 497.5 | 87 | % | $ | 347.4 | 86 | % | ||||||||
Outside of the United States | 122.3 | 17 | % | 75.8 | 13 | % | 54.6 | 14 | % | |||||||||||
Total | $ | 718.5 | 100 | % | $ | 573.3 | 100 | % | $ | 402.0 | 100 | % |
Substantially all of our long-lived assets are located in the United States.
F-8
Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Significant estimates include excess or obsolete inventories, valuation of inventory, warranty accruals, convertible debt, clinical trial expenses, allowance for bad debt and refunds and rebates, including pharmacy rebates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
We invest our excess cash in bank deposits, money market accounts, and debt securities. We consider all highly liquid investments with a maturity of 90 days or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents.
Accounts Receivable
We grant credit to various customers in the normal course of business. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for potential credit losses. Uncollectible accounts are written-off against the allowance after appropriate collection efforts have been exhausted and when it is deemed that a customer account is uncollectible. Generally, receivable balances greater than one year past due are deemed uncollectible.
Letters of Credit
At December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had irrevocable letters of credit outstanding with a commercial bank for approximately $4.4 million and $4.3 million, respectively, securing our facility leases.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments which potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, short-term investment securities, and accounts receivable. We limit our exposure to credit loss by placing our cash with high credit quality financial institutions. We have established guidelines relative to diversification of our cash and investment securities and their maturities that are intended to secure safety and liquidity. These guidelines are periodically reviewed and modified to take advantage of trends in yields and interest rates and changes in our operations and financial position. The following table summarizes customers who accounted for 10% or more of net accounts receivable:
December 31, | ||||
2017 | 2016 | |||
Customer A | 13% | 22% | ||
Customer B | 19% | 18% |
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We record impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations when events and circumstances indicate that assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those assets. We have not experienced any material impairment losses on assets used in operations.
Share-Based Compensation
Share-based compensation expense is measured at the grant date based on the estimated fair value of the award and is recognized straight-line over the requisite service period of the individual grants, which typically equals the vesting period. Shared-based compensation arrangements include Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) and purchases of common stock at a discount under our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP. We estimate the fair value of RSUs based on the market price of our common stock on the date of grant and the fair value of ESPP purchase rights on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
As discussed under "Recent Accounting Guidance", we adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) (“ASU 2016-09”) in the first quarter of 2017 and elected to account for forfeitures as they occur with the change applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative effect adjustment to accumulated deficit of $0.6 million. Prior to the adoption of this accounting standard we estimated at grant the likelihood that the award will ultimately vest (the “pre-vesting forfeiture rate”), and revised the estimate, if necessary, in future periods if the actual forfeiture rate differed. We used our historical data and company-specific events to estimate pre-vesting forfeitures and recorded stock-based compensation expense only for those awards that were expected to vest.
F-9
Revenue Recognition
We sell our durable systems and disposable units through a direct sales force in the United States, Canada and portions of Europe, and through distribution arrangements in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in portions of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Components are individually priced and can be purchased separately or together. We receive payment directly from customers who use our products, as well as from distributors, organizations and third-party payors. Our durable system includes a reusable transmitter, a receiver, a power cord and a USB cable. Disposable sensors for use with the durable system are sold separately in packages of four. We provide free of charge software and mobile applications for use with our durable systems and disposable sensors. The initial durable system price is generally not dependent upon the subsequent purchase of any amount of disposable sensors.
Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue on product sales is generally recognized upon shipment, which is when title and the risk of loss have been transferred to the customer and there are no other post shipment obligations. With respect to customers who directly pay for products, the products are generally paid for at the time of shipment using a customer’s credit card and do not include customer acceptance provisions. We recognize revenue from contracted insurance payors based on the contracted rate. For non-contracted insurance payors, we obtain prior authorization from the payor and recognize revenue based on the estimated collectible amount and historical experience. We also receive a prescription or statement of medical necessity and, for insurance reimbursement customers, an assignment of benefits prior to shipment.
We generally provide a “30-day money back guarantee” program whereby customers who purchase a durable system and a package of four disposable sensors may return the durable system for any reason within thirty days of purchase and receive a full refund of the purchase price of the durable system. We accrue for estimated returns, refunds and rebates, including pharmacy rebates, by reducing revenues and establishing a liability account at the time of shipment based on historical experience. Returns have historically been immaterial. Allowances for rebates include contracted discounts with commercial payors and are amounts owed after the final dispensing of the product by a distributor or retail pharmacy to a pharmacy benefit plan participant and are based upon contractual agreements with private sector benefit providers. The allowance for rebates is based on contractual discount rates, expected utilization under each contract and our estimate of the amount of inventory in the distribution channel that will become subject to such rebates. Our estimates for expected utilization for rebates are based on historical rebate claims and to a lesser extent third party market research data. Rebates are generally invoiced and paid monthly or quarterly in arrears so that our accrual consists of an estimate of the amount expected to be incurred for the current month's or quarter’s activity, plus an accrual for unpaid rebates from prior periods, and an accrual for inventory in the distribution channel.
We have entered into distribution agreements with Byram Healthcare and its subsidiaries (“Byram”), Cardinal Health and affiliates (including Edgepark Medical Supplies) and other distributors that allow the distributors to sell our durable systems and disposable units. The majority of our distributors stock our products, and we refer to these distributors as Stocking Distributors, whereby the Stocking Distributors fulfill orders for our product from their inventory. We also have contracts with certain distributors that do not stock our products, but rather products are shipped directly to the customer by us on behalf of our distributor, and we refer to these distributors as Drop-Ship Distributors. Revenue is recognized based on contracted prices. Terms of distributor orders are generally Freight on Board (or Free Carrier (“FCA”) shipping point for international orders). Most distributors do not have rights of return per their distribution agreement outside of our limited warranty. The distributors typically have a limited time frame to notify us of any missing, damaged, defective or non-conforming products. For any such products, we shall either, at our option, replace the portion of defective or non-conforming product at no additional cost to the distributor or cancel the order and refund any portion of the price paid to us at that time for the sale in question. Shipping charges billed to customers are included in revenue while related costs are included as cost of sales.
One of our distributors, Byram, accounted for $98.5 million, $96.5 million and $74.1 million in product revenue, which represents 14%, 17% and 18% of our total revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Another one of our distributors, Cardinal Health and affiliates (including Edgepark Medical Supplies), accounted for $120.4 million, $93.2 million and $66.1 million in gross revenue, which represents 17%, 16% and 16% of our total revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Warranty Accrual
Estimated warranty costs associated with a product are recorded at the time of shipment. We estimate future warranty costs by analyzing historical warranty experience for the timing and amount of returned product, and expectations for future warranty activity based on changes and improvements to the product or process that are, or will be in place in the future. These estimates are evaluated on at least a quarterly basis to determine the continued appropriateness of such assumptions.
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Research and Development
All costs of research and development are expensed as incurred. Our research and development expenses primarily consist of engineering and research expenses related to our continuous glucose monitoring technology, clinical trials, regulatory expenses, quality assurance programs, materials and products for clinical trials. Research and development expenses are primarily related to employee compensation, including salary, fringe benefits, share-based compensation, and temporary employee expenses. We also incur significant expenses to operate our clinical trials including clinical site reimbursement, clinical trial product and associated travel expenses. Our research and development expenses also include fees for design services, contractors and development materials.
Foreign Currency
The financial statements of our foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. Assets and liabilities are translated at period-end exchange rates, and revenue and expense transactions are translated at average exchange rates for the period. Translation related adjustments are recognized as part of comprehensive income and are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the consolidated balance sheet. Gains and losses resulting from certain intercompany transactions as well as transactions with customers and vendors that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of each subsidiary give rise to foreign exchange gains or losses reflected in operations. To date the results of operations of these subsidiaries and related translation adjustments and foreign exchange gains or losses have not been material in our consolidated results.
Comprehensive Loss
We report all components of comprehensive loss, including net loss, in the consolidated financial statements in the period in which they are recognized. Comprehensive loss is defined as the change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. Net loss and comprehensive loss, including unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities and foreign currency translation adjustments, are reported, net of their related tax effect, to arrive at comprehensive loss.
Inventory
Inventory is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value on a part-by-part basis that approximates first in, first out. We make adjustments to reduce the cost of inventory to its net realizable value, if required, for estimated excess, obsolete and potential scrapped inventories. Factors influencing these adjustments include inventories on hand and on order compared to estimated future usage and sales for existing and new products, as well as judgments regarding quality control testing data, and assumptions about the likelihood of scrap and obsolescence. Once written down the adjustments are considered permanent and are not reversed until the related inventory is sold or disposed.
Our products require customized products and components that currently are available from a limited number of sources. We purchase certain components and materials from single sources due to quality considerations, costs or constraints resulting from regulatory requirements.
Deferred Rent
Rent expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The difference between rent expense accrued and amounts paid under the lease agreement is recorded as deferred rent in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Deferred Cost of Sales
Deferred Cost of Sales are associated with sales for which revenue recognition criteria are not met but product has shipped and released from inventory. These costs are recognized in cost of sales when the associated revenue is recognized. Deferred Cost of Sales are presented within “Prepaid and Other Current Assets” on our consolidated balance sheets.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, we determine deferred tax assets and liabilities on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities by using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
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We recognize deferred tax assets to the extent that we believe that these assets are more likely than not to be realized, which requires significant judgment. We establish a valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets to reduce them to the amount expected to be realized. The realization of deferred tax assets is dependent, in part, upon future taxable income. In assessing whether our deferred tax assets will be realized, we consider all available evidence, both positive and negative. Such evidence includes historical earnings, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of ongoing tax planning strategies.
We record uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) we determine whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.
We file federal and state income tax returns in the United States and income tax returns in various other foreign jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. Due to net operating losses incurred, our income tax returns from inception to date are subject to examination by taxing authorities. Our policy is to recognize interest expense and penalties related to income tax matters as a component of income tax expense. As of December 31, 2017, we had no interest or penalties accrued for uncertain tax positions.
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Act”) was signed into law making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Changes include, but are not limited to, a corporate tax rate decrease from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, the transition of U.S international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a territorial system, and a one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of cumulative foreign earnings as of December 31, 2017. The Company has made a provisional calculation of the impact of the Act in its year end income tax provision in accordance with its understanding of the Act and guidance available as of the date of this filing. As a result, we have reduced our net U.S. deferred tax assets by a provisional amount of $105.7 million offset by a decrease in the valuation allowance, resulting in no tax expense. The provisional amount related to the one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of foreign earnings was nil based on cumulative foreign deficits in earnings of $41.2 million.
On December 22, 2017, Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118") was issued to address the application of US GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Act. In accordance with SAB 118, the Company has determined that the $105.7 million of deferred tax expense offset by an increase in valuation allowance in connection with the remeasurement of our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities, and the analysis of our foreign deficits in earnings in connection with the transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of foreign earnings were provisional amounts and reasonable estimates at December 31, 2017. Additional work is necessary to do a more detailed analysis of the gross balances of our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities. Any subsequent adjustment to these amounts are expected to have no tax effect due to our valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets. We are evaluating the newly enacted tax on global intangible low-taxed income ("GILTI") and have not yet made an accounting policy election to reflect GILTI in deferred taxes or as period costs. This analysis will be completed within one year of the enactment date.
See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for further information regarding income taxes.
Marketable Securities
We have classified our marketable securities with remaining maturity at purchase of more than three months and remaining maturities of one year or less as short-term available-for-sale marketable securities. Marketable securities with remaining maturities of greater than one year are also classified as short-term available-for-sale marketable securities as such marketable securities represent the investment of cash that is available for current operations. We carry our marketable securities at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, if any, reported as a separate component of stockholders' equity and included in comprehensive loss. Realized gains and losses are calculated using the specific identification method and recorded as interest income or expense. We invest in various types of securities, including debt securities in government-sponsored entities, corporate debt securities, U.S. Treasury securities and commercial paper. We do not generally intend to sell the investments and it is not more likely than not that we will be required to sell the investments before recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be at maturity.
Fair Value Measurements
Our financial instruments consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, and Senior Convertible Notes.
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The fair value hierarchy described by the authoritative guidance for fair value measurements is based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value and include the following:
Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2—Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
We carry our marketable securities at fair value. The carrying amounts of financial instruments, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, are carried at cost, which approximate the related fair values due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. For additional detail see Note 7 “Fair Value Measurements.”
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment is stated at cost and depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally three years for computer equipment, two to fifteen years for machinery and equipment dependent on the nature of such equipment, and five years for furniture and fixtures, using the straight-line method. Leasehold improvements are stated at cost and amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the remaining lease term.
Goodwill
We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis. Also, between annual tests we test for impairment if events and circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value is less than the carrying value. Events that would indicate impairment and trigger an interim impairment assessment include, but are not limited to, current economic and market conditions, including a decline in market capitalization, a significant adverse change in legal factors, business climate or operational performance of the business and an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. The change in goodwill for the twelve months ended months ended December 31, 2017 represents translation adjustments on our foreign currency denominated goodwill related to the May 2016 acquisition of Nintamed, our distributor that served Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Advertising Costs
Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Advertising expense was $21.9 million, $11.9 million and $4.0 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively.
Recent Accounting Guidance
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) (“ASU 2016-09”), which is intended to simplify several areas of accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess benefits on the statement of cash flows, an accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. We adopted this standard in the first quarter of 2017.
We had excess tax benefits for which a benefit could not be previously recognized of approximately $161.8 million. Upon adoption, we recognized the previously unrecognized excess tax benefits of $161.8 million deferred tax assets with an offsetting increase in our valuation allowance using a modified retrospective method through a cumulative effect adjustment to the accumulated deficit, with no net impact on our financial statements. All excess tax benefits and all tax deficiencies generated in the current and future periods will be recognized prospectively and recorded as income tax benefit or expense in our Consolidated Statements of Operations in the reporting period in which they occur. Until such time that we release our valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, the tax impact of any excess tax benefits and deficiencies will be offset with the change in our valuation allowance. In addition, we elected to account for forfeitures as they occur with the change applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative effect adjustment to accumulated deficit of $0.6 million. Due to the full
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valuation allowance on the U.S. deferred tax assets, we have determined that none of the provisions of ASU 2016-09 have a significant impact on our 2017 consolidated financial statements.
Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued authoritative guidance for Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASU 2014-09"), to supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle of the guidance is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that is expected to be received for those goods or services. The guidance defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and it is possible when the five step process is applied, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than required under existing U.S. GAAP, including identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The updated standard permits the use of either the retrospective or modified retrospective transition method and is effective for us in our first quarter of 2018. We will apply this standard using the modified retrospective method. We have completed our assessment of the new revenue standard and are finalizing the new required disclosures. We do not expect the timing of revenue recognition under the new standard to differ materially from our current revenue recognition policy. Our analysis of open contracts as of December 31, 2017, has resulted in no material cumulative effect from applying ASU 2014-09.
In July 2015, the FASB issued guidance in ASU 2015-11 to change the subsequent measurement of inventory from lower of cost or market to lower of cost and net realizable value. The guidance requires that inventory accounted for under the first-in, first-out (FIFO) or average cost methods be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value, where net realizable value represents the estimated selling price of inventory in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The guidance was effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which require a lessee to recognize a lease payment liability and a corresponding right of use asset on their balance sheet for all lease terms longer than 12 months, lessor accounting remains largely unchanged. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Accounting for Income Taxes - Intra-Entity Asset Transfer other than Inventory (Topic 740) (“ASU 2016-16”), which would require the recognition of the tax expense from the sale of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs, rather than when the asset is sold to a third party or otherwise recovered through use. The new guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The amendment should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning period of adoption. Due to the full valuation allowance on the U.S. deferred tax assets, we have determined that none of the provisions of ASU 2016-16 will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.
2. Net Loss Per Common Share
Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and, when dilutive, potential common share equivalents from outstanding options and unvested RSUs settleable in shares of common stock (using the treasury-stock method), and potential common shares from convertible securities (using the if-converted method). Because the Company reported a net loss for the twelve months ended months ended December 31, 2017 and the twelve months ended months ended December 31, 2016, all potential dilutive common shares have been excluded from the computation of the diluted net loss per share for all periods presented, as the effect would have been anti-dilutive.
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Outstanding anti-dilutive securities not included in diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders calculation (in millions):
Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||
Options outstanding to purchase common stock | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | |||||
Unvested restricted stock units | 2.7 | 3.7 | 4.1 | |||||
Senior convertible notes | 4.0 | — | — | |||||
Total | 7.1 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
3. Financial Statement Details (in millions)
Short-Term Marketable Securities, Available-for-Sale
Short-term marketable securities, consisting solely of debt securities were as follows:
December 31, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
Amortized Cost | Gross Unrealized Gains | Gross Unrealized Losses | Estimated Market Value | ||||||||||||
U.S. government agencies | $ | 87.5 | $ | — | $ | (0.2 | ) | $ | 87.3 | ||||||
Commercial paper | 14.7 | — | — | 14.7 | |||||||||||
Corporate debt | 5.1 | — | — | 5.1 | |||||||||||
Total | $ | 107.3 | $ | — | $ | (0.2 | ) | $ | 107.1 |
December 31, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
Amortized Cost | Gross Unrealized Gains | Gross Unrealized Losses | Estimated Market Value | ||||||||||||
U.S. government agencies | $ | 22.2 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 22.2 | |||||||
Corporate debt | 3.8 | — | — | 3.8 | |||||||||||
Commercial paper | 3.2 | — | — | 3.2 | |||||||||||
Total | $ | 29.2 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 29.2 |
As of December 31, 2017, the estimated market value of available-for-sale marketable securities with contractual maturities of up to one year and up to 16 months were $92.7 million and $14.4 million, respectively.
Accounts Receivable
December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Accounts receivable | $ | 145.8 | $ | 114.3 | |||
Less allowance for doubtful accounts, sales returns and discounts | (11.5 | ) | (12.6 | ) | |||
Total | $ | 134.3 | $ | 101.7 |
Inventory
December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Raw materials | $ | 20.0 | $ | 20.1 | |||
Work-in-process | 8.2 | 2.3 | |||||
Finished goods | 17.0 | 23.0 | |||||
Total | $ | 45.2 | $ | 45.4 |
During 2016, we recorded charges of $3.5 million in cost of goods sold related to excess and obsolete receiver inventory primarily related to the February 23, 2016 customer notification regarding the audible alarms and alerts
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associated with our receivers which was classified as a voluntary Class 1 recall by the FDA and was closed as of August 11, 2017.
Property and Equipment
December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Building (1) | $ | 6.0 | $ | 6.0 | |||
Furniture and fixtures | 5.7 | 5.8 | |||||
Computer equipment | 25.6 | 22.7 | |||||
Machinery and equipment | 33.8 | 31.4 | |||||
Leasehold improvements | 41.7 | 25.6 | |||||
Construction in progress (2) | 87.6 | 65.1 | |||||
Total | 200.4 | 156.6 | |||||
Accumulated depreciation | (54.8 | ) | (47.2 | ) | |||
Property and equipment, net | $ | 145.6 | $ | 109.4 |
(1) As described in Footnote 5 “Commitments and Contingencies,” although we do not legally own these premises, we were deemed the owner of the construction project during the construction period of our new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona under a build-to suit lease arrangement.
(2) Construction in progress as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include approximately $33.6 million and $24.8 million, respectively, related to our new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona with the remaining balance as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 primarily related to machinery and equipment.
Depreciation expense related to property and equipment for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 was $16.1 million, $14.4 million, and $10.2 million, respectively.
During 2017 we recorded a $9.2 million loss on disposal of machinery and equipment, the majority of which was previously contained within the construction in progress balance. The loss on disposal was recorded in operating expense, primarily within the "Research and development" line item on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and was associated with changes in our product portfolio.
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities
December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Accounts payable trade(1) | $ | 46.7 | $ | 41.1 | |||
Accrued tax, audit, and legal fees | 7.1 | 4.5 | |||||
Accrued rebates | 13.9 | 8.2 | |||||
Accrued warranty | 8.8 | 9.8 | |||||
Accrued other(1) | 10.7 | 4.5 | |||||
Total | $ | 87.2 | $ | 68.1 |
Accrued Payroll and Related Expenses
December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Accrued paid time off | $ | 7.9 | $ | 6.4 | |||
Accrued wages, bonus and taxes | 37.6 | 24.5 | |||||
Other accrued employee benefits | 3.0 | 2.5 | |||||
Total | $ | 48.5 | $ | 33.4 |
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Accrued Warranty
Warranty costs are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations as cost of sales. A reconciliation of our accrued warranty costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 were as follows:
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Beginning balance | $ | 9.8 | $ | 3.3 | |||
Charges to costs and expenses | 18.4 | 25.0 | |||||
Costs incurred | (19.4 | ) | (18.5 | ) | |||
Ending balance | $ | 8.8 | $ | 9.8 |
Other Liabilities
December 31, 2017 | December 31, 2016 | ||||||
Financing lease obligations | $ | 6.7 | $ | 6.7 | |||
Deferred rent | 8.7 | 7.3 | |||||
Other | 2.8 | 2.6 | |||||
Total | $ | 18.2 | $ | 16.6 |
4. Debt
0.75% Senior Convertible Notes due 2022
(in millions) | December 31, 2017 | December 31, 2016 | |||||
0.75% Senior convertible notes due 2022: | |||||||
Principal amount | $ | 400.0 | $ | — | |||
Unamortized debt discount | (64.4 | ) | — | ||||
Unamortized debt issuance costs | (8.0 | ) | — | ||||
Net carrying amount of senior convertible notes | $ | 327.6 | $ | — | |||
Fair value of outstanding notes | $ | 381.3 | $ | — |
In May 2017, we completed an offering of $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0.75% convertible senior notes due 2022 ("2022 Notes") and, in June 2017 the initial purchasers exercised their option to purchase an additional $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2022 Notes. The 2022 Notes have a stated interest rate of 0.75% and a maturity date of May 15, 2022. The net proceeds from the offering, after deducting initial purchasers' discounts and costs directly related to the offering, were approximately $389.0 million. The 2022 Notes may be settled in cash, stock, or a combination thereof, solely at the Company's discretion. The initial conversion rate of the 2022 Notes is 10.0918 shares per $1,000 principal amount, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $99.09 per share, subject to adjustments. The Company uses the if-converted method for assumed conversion of the 2022 Notes to compute the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for diluted earnings per share.
As upon conversion by the holders, we may elect to settle such conversion in shares of our common stock, cash, or a combination thereof, we accounted for the cash conversion option as an equity instrument classified to stockholders’ equity, which resulted in recognizing $72.6 million in additional paid-in-capital during 2017.
The interest expense recognized on the 2022 Notes during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 includes $1.9 million, $8.2 million and $1.0 million for the contractual coupon interest, the accretion of the debt discount and the amortization of the debt issuance costs, respectively. The effective interest rate on the 2022 Notes is 5.1%, which includes the interest on the notes, amortization of the debt discount and debt issuance costs. The discount on the 2022 Notes is amortized through May 15, 2022. Interest on the 2022 Notes began accruing upon issuance and is payable semi-annually on May 15 and November 15 of each year.
Holders of the Notes who convert their Notes in connection with a make-whole fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture) or following the delivery by DexCom of a notice of redemption are, under certain circumstances, entitled to an increase in the conversion rate.
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Additionally, in the event of a fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture), holders of the Notes may require us to repurchase all or a portion of their Notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of Notes, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, including any additional interest, to, but excluding, the repurchase date.
Holders of the Notes may convert all or a portion of their Notes at their option prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the business day immediately preceding February 15, 2022, in multiples of $1,000 principal amount, only under the following circumstances:
• | during any calendar quarter commencing after September 30, 2017 (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of common stock for |
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• | at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the applicable conversion price of the Notes on each such trading day; |
• | during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes for each day of that five day consecutive trading day period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of common stock and the applicable conversion rate of the Notes on such trading day; |
• | if we call any or all of the Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close on business on the scheduled trading day immediately preceding the redemption date; or |
• | upon the occurrence of specified corporate transactions. |
On or after February 15, 2022, until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the business day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders of the Notes may convert all or a portion of their Notes regardless of the foregoing circumstances.
The redemption price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of such 2022 Notes to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. No principal payments are due on the 2022 Notes prior to maturity. Other than restrictions relating to certain fundamental changes and consolidations, mergers or asset sales and customary anti-dilution adjustments, the Indenture includes customary terms and covenants, including certain events of default after which the Notes may be due and payable immediately. We are unaware of any current events or market conditions that would allow holders to convert the 2022 Notes.
Revolving Credit Agreement
In June 2016, we entered into a $200.0 million revolving credit agreement (“Credit Agreement”), and amended in May 2017, with JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, as administrative agent, Bank of America, Silicon Valley Bank and Union Bank. In addition to allowing borrowings in US dollars, the Credit Agreement provides a $25.0 million sublimit for borrowings in Canadian Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen and any other currency that is subsequently approved by JPMorgan Chase and each lender. The Credit Agreement also provides a sub-facility of up to $10.0 million for letters of credit, of which $5.6 million is still available. The interest rate under the Credit Agreement ranges from 0.75% to 2.75% plus our choice of one of two base rates, LIBOR or a rate based on the publicly announced JPMorgan Chase prime rate, the federal funds rate or the overnight bank funding rate. We will also pay a commitment fee of between 0.25% and 0.45%, payable quarterly in arrears, on the average daily unused amount of the revolving facility based on our leverage ratio. The aggregate debt issuance costs and fees incurred with respect to entering into the Credit Agreement were $0.7 million, which have been capitalized on our Consolidated Balance Sheet within “Other Assets” and will be amortized through the maturity date of June 2021 on a straight line basis. Our obligations under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by our existing and future wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries, and are secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all of the assets of DexCom and the guarantors, including all or a portion of the equity interests of our domestic subsidiaries and first-tier foreign subsidiaries but excluding real property and intellectual property (which is subject to a negative pledge).
Short-term borrowings
On March 3, 2017 we drew $75.0 million on the Credit Agreement under a six month term. We repaid the entire principal balance on May 19, 2017. As of December 31, 2017 we had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement, and $200.0 million under the Credit Agreement remains available.
5. Commitments and Contingencies
Leases
F-19
Under the office lease agreement, as amended (“Office Lease”), with John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) (“Landlord”) we lease approximately 219,000 square feet of space in the buildings at 6340 Sequence Drive, 6310 Sequence Drive and 6290 Sequence Drive. The amended Office Lease term extends through March 2022 and we have an option to renew the lease upon the expiration of the initial term for two additional five-year terms by giving notice to the Landlord prior to the end of the initial term of the lease and any extension period, if applicable. Provided we are not in default under the Office Lease and the Office Lease is still in effect, we generally have the right to terminate the lease starting at the 55th month of the Office Lease. We have received $3.6 million of tenant improvement allowance associated with the Office Lease, which is recorded as a deferred rent obligation and amortized over the term of the lease and reflected as a reduction to rent expense. Leasehold improvements associated with the tenant improvement allowance are included in Property and equipment, net in our consolidated balance sheets. On February 1, 2016, we entered into a Sublease (“Sublease”) with Entropic Communications, LLC with respect to the building at 6350 Sequence Drive in San Diego, California (“6350 Building”). Under the Sublease, we have leased approximately 132,600 square feet of space in the 6350 Building. The Sublease term extends through January 2022.
On April 28, 2016, we entered into a certain Industrial Net Lease (“Mesa Lease”) with PRA/LB, L.L.C. with respect to facilities in the building at 232 South Dobson Road in Mesa, Arizona (“Mesa Building"). Under the Mesa Lease, we have leased approximately 148,797 square feet of space in the Mesa Building, of which approximately 78,000 square feet was available to us on May 1, 2016 and the remaining portion of the Mesa Building will become available to us on or around January 1, 2018. The term of the Mesa Lease extends through March 2028 with four options to extend the Mesa Lease term, each for five-year periods. The Mesa Lease arrangement involves the construction of our new manufacturing facility where we are involved in the design and construction of the leased space, including non-standard tenant improvements paid for by us. This arrangement is referred to as a build-to suit lease and for accounting purposes, we are considered the owner of the construction project during the construction period. During the second quarter of 2016, we capitalized the fair value of the Mesa Building of $6.0 million within “Property and Equipment, net,” and recorded a corresponding financing lease obligation liability of $6.0 million within “Other Liabilities” in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. We have concluded that the Mesa Lease does not qualify for “sale-leaseback” treatment due to prohibited continuing involvement, accordingly the Mesa Lease will be treated as a financing arrangement.
We have also entered into other operating lease agreements, primarily for office and warehouse space, that expire at various times through July 2026. These facility leases have annual rental increases ranging from approximately 2.5% to 4%. The difference between the straight-line expense over the term of the lease and actual amounts paid are recorded as deferred rent.
Rental obligations, excluding real estate taxes, operating costs, and tenant improvement allowances, under all lease agreements as of December 31, 2017 were as follows (in millions):
Fiscal Year Ending | |||
2018 | $ | 10.1 | |
2019 | 11.0 | ||
2020 | 11.4 | ||
2021 | 11.7 | ||
2022 | 3.7 | ||
Thereafter | 9.4 | ||
Total | $ | 57.3 |
Total rent expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $11.1 million, $9.0 million and $5.6 million, respectively.
Litigation
On March 28, 2016, AgaMatrix, Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, asserting that certain of our products infringe certain patents held by AgaMatrix. On June 6, 2016, AgaMatrix filed a First Amended Complaint asserting the same three patents. On August 25, 2016, we filed petitions for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking a determination that two of the three asserted patents are invalid under the U.S. patent law and those petitions were granted on March 6, 2017. Based on those grants, most activity in the patent infringement lawsuit against us in the District of Oregon was stayed until the inter partes review of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is completed. On March 8, 2017, we filed a petition for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board seeking a determination that the third of the three asserted patents is invalid under U.S. patent law. This petition was granted on September 15, 2017. It is our position that AgaMatrix’s assertions of infringement have no merit. As of December 31, 2017, no amounts have been accrued in respect of this litigation.
F-20
On August 6, 2016, DexCom filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States Central District Court of California ("C.D. Cal."), asserting certain AgaMatrix products infringed a patent held by DexCom. On September 30, 2016 DexCom filed a First Amended Complaint asserting the same patent. In a summary judgement ruling dated February 5, 2018, the C.D. Cal. judge found that the AgaMatrix products did not infringe DexCom’s asserted patent.
On September 15, 2017, DexCom filed a patent infringement lawsuit against AgaMatrix in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting certain single-point blood glucose monitoring products of AgaMatrix infringe two patents held by DexCom. The patents asserted in the Delaware litigation are unrelated to the patent asserted in the Central District of California litigation. On September 18, 2017, we also filed a Complaint against AgaMatrix in the International Trade Commission (“ITC”) requesting the ITC institute an investigation and issue an order excluding certain products of AgaMatrix from importation into or sale in the United States based on AgaMatrix’s infringement of the same two patents asserted in the Delaware litigation. The ITC granted DexCom’s request to institute the investigation on October 18, 2017.
On January 19, 2018, Arbmetrics, LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States Southern District of California. It is our position that Arbmetric’s assertions of infringement have no merit.
Neither the outcome of these lawsuits nor the amount and range of potential fees associated with the lawsuits can be assessed at this time. As of December 31, 2017, no amounts have been accrued in respect of these suits.
We are subject to various claims, complaints and legal actions that arise from time to time in the normal course of business, including commercial insurance, product liability and employment related matters. In addition from time to time, we may bring claims or initiate lawsuits against various third parties with respect to matters arising out of the ordinary course of our business, including commercial and employment related matters. We do not expect that the resolution of these matters would, or will, have a material adverse effect or material impact on our consolidated financial position.
Purchase Commitments
We are party to various purchase arrangements related to our manufacturing and development activities including materials used in our CGM systems. As of December 31, 2017, we had purchase commitments with vendors totaling $71.7 million due within one year. There are no material purchase commitments due beyond one year.
6. Development and Other Agreements
Collaboration with Verily Life Sciences
On August 10, 2015, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement (“Verily Collaboration Agreement”) with Google Life Sciences LLC, now renamed Verily Life Sciences (“Verily”). Pursuant to the Verily Collaboration Agreement, we and Verily have agreed to jointly develop a series of next-generation CGM products. The Verily Collaboration Agreement provides us with an exclusive license to use certain intellectual property of Verily related to the development, manufacture and commercialization of the products contemplated under the Verily Collaboration Agreement. The Verily Collaboration Agreement provides for the establishment of a joint steering committee, joint development committee and joint commercialization committee to oversee and coordinate the parties’ activities under the collaboration. We and Verily have agreed to make committee decisions by consensus. Certain aspects of this collaboration were clarified and amended on October 25, 2016.
Under the terms of Verily Collaboration Agreement we paid an upfront fee of $35.0 million through the issuance of 404,591 shares of our common stock. We recorded $36.5 million in research and development expense in our consolidated statement of operations during 2015 related to the issuance of the 404,591 shares of our common stock, based on our stock price of $90.29 per share as of the date of Verily Collaboration Agreement. In addition, we will pay Verily up to $65.0 million in additional milestones upon achievement of various development and regulatory objectives, which payments may be paid in cash or shares of our common stock at our sole election, calculated based on the volume weighted average trading price during a period of twenty consecutive trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the applicable objective has been achieved.
In addition, Verily is eligible to receive tiered royalty payments associated with the commercialization of the products contemplated under the Verily Collaboration Agreement, which are subject to regulatory approval. Unless we attain annual product sales subject to the Verily Collaboration Agreement in excess of $750.0 million, there will be no royalty paid by us to Verily. Above this range, and upon marketing approval of the initial product contemplated by the Verily Collaboration Agreement, or upon commercialization of any other DexCom product that incorporates Verily intellectual property, we will pay to Verily a royalty percentage starting in the high single digits and declining to the mid-single digits based on our annual aggregate product sales.
F-21
The Verily Collaboration Agreement shall be terminable by either party (a) upon uncured material breach of the Verily Collaboration Agreement by the other party, (b) if the second product contemplated by the Verily Collaboration Agreement has not been submitted to the FDA for approval by a specified date and (c) if the annual net sales for the products developed with Verily under the Verily Collaboration Agreement are less than a specified aggregate dollar amount. Additionally, we have the right to terminate the Verily Collaboration Agreement upon the expiration of the last to expire patent that covers a product developed under the Verily Collaboration Agreement.
7. Fair Value Measurements
We base the fair value of our Level 1 financial instruments that are in active markets using quoted market prices for identical instruments.
We obtain the fair value of our Level 2 financial instruments, which are not in active markets, from a primary professional pricing source using quoted market prices for identical or comparable instruments, rather than direct observations of quoted prices in active markets. Fair value obtained from this professional pricing source can also be based on pricing models whereby all significant observable inputs, including maturity dates, issue dates, settlement date, benchmark yields, reported trades, broker-dealer quotes, issue spreads, benchmark securities, bids, offers or other market related data, are observable or can be derived from, or corroborated by, observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset.
We validate the quoted market prices provided by our primary pricing service by comparing the fair values of our Level 2 marketable securities portfolio balance provided by our primary pricing service against the fair values of our Level 2 marketable securities portfolio balance provided by our investment managers.
The following table represents our fair value hierarchy for our financial assets (cash equivalents and marketable securities) measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2017 (in millions):
Fair Value Measurements Using | |||||||||||||||
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||||||||||
Cash equivalents | $ | 306.6 | $ | 38.0 | $ | — | $ | 344.6 | |||||||
Marketable securities, available for sale | |||||||||||||||
U.S. government agencies | — | 87.3 | — | 87.3 | |||||||||||
Commercial paper | — | 14.7 | — | 14.7 | |||||||||||
Corporate debt | — | 5.1 | — | 5.1 | |||||||||||
Total marketable securities, available for sale | $ | — | $ | 107.1 | $ | — | $ | 107.1 |
The following table represents our fair value hierarchy for our financial assets (cash equivalents and marketable securities) measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2016 (in millions):
Fair Value Measurements Using | |||||||||||||||
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||||||||||
Cash equivalents | $ | — | $ | 32.3 | $ | — | $ | 32.3 | |||||||
Marketable securities, available for sale | |||||||||||||||
U.S. government agencies | — | 22.2 | — | 22.2 | |||||||||||
Corporate debt | — | 3.8 | — | 3.8 | |||||||||||
Commercial paper | — | 3.2 | — | 3.2 | |||||||||||
Total marketable securities, available for sale | $ | — | $ | 29.2 | $ | — | $ | 29.2 |
There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 securities during the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. There were no transfers into or out of Level 3 securities during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.
8. Income Taxes
F-22
Income (Loss) before income taxes subject to taxes in the following jurisdictions is as follows:
December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
United States | $ | 12.4 | $ | (44.4 | ) | $ | (57.8 | ) | |||
Outside of the United States | (61.0 | ) | (20.5 | ) | 0.3 | ||||||
Total | $ | (48.6 | ) | $ | (64.9 | ) | $ | (57.5 | ) |
Significant components of the provision for income taxes are as follows:
December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Current: | |||||||||||
Federal | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||
State | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||||||||
Foreign | 1.5 | 0.8 | — | ||||||||
Total current income taxes | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | ||||||||
Deferred: | |||||||||||
Federal | — | (0.1 | ) | — | |||||||
State | — | — | — | ||||||||
Foreign | — | (0.1 | ) | — | |||||||
Total deferred income taxes | — | (0.2 | ) | — | |||||||
Total | $ | 1.6 | $ | 0.7 | $ | 0.1 |
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Act”) was signed into law making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Changes include, but are not limited to, a corporate tax rate decrease from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, the transition of U.S international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a territorial system, and a one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of cumulative foreign earnings as of December 31, 2017. The Company has made a provisional calculation of the impact of the Act in its year end income tax provision in accordance with its understanding of the Act and guidance available as of the date of this filing. As a result, we have reduced our net U.S. deferred tax assets by a provisional amount of $105.7 million offset by a decrease in the valuation allowance, resulting in no tax expense. The provisional amount related to the one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of foreign earnings was nil based on cumulative foreign deficits in earnings of $41.2 million.
On December 22, 2017, Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118") was issued to address the application of US GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Act. In accordance with SAB 118, the Company has determined that the $105.7 million of deferred tax expense offset by an increase in valuation allowance in connection with the remeasurement of our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities, and the analysis of our foreign deficits in earnings in connection with the transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of foreign earnings were provisional amounts and reasonable estimates at December 31, 2017. Additional work is necessary to do a more detailed analysis of the gross balances of our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities. Any subsequent adjustment to these amounts are expected to have no tax effect due to our valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets. We are evaluating the newly enacted tax on global intangible low-taxed income ("GILTI") and have not yet made an accounting policy election to reflect GILTI in deferred taxes or as period costs. This analysis will be completed within one year of the enactment date.
At December 31, 2017, we had federal, state and foreign tax net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $761.6 million, $456.3 million, and $42.1 million respectively. The federal and state tax loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2020 and 2018, respectively, unless previously utilized. California net operating loss carryforwards of $20.7 million will expire in 2028. California net operating loss carryforwards of $324.2 million will expire from 2029 through 2037. Other state net operating loss carryforwards of $111.4 million will begin to expire in 2020. The foreign net operating losses carry forward indefinitely.
We also had federal and state research and development tax credit carryforwards of approximately $33.3 million and $33.8 million, respectively. The federal research and development tax credit will begin to expire in 2020, unless previously utilized. The state research and development tax credit will carryforward indefinitely until utilized.
F-23
Utilization of net operating losses and credit carryforwards are subject to an annual limitation due to ownership change limitations provided by Section 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and similar state provisions. An ownership change limitation occurred as a result of the stock offering completed in February 2009. The limitation will likely result in approximately $2.1 million of U.S. income tax credits that will expire unused. The related deferred tax assets have been removed from the components of our deferred tax assets as summarized below. The tax benefits related to the remaining federal and state net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards may be further limited or lost if future cumulative changes in ownership exceed 50% within any three-year period.
Significant components of our deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 are shown below (in millions). A valuation allowance of approximately $263.5 million has been established as of December 31, 2017 to offset the deferred tax assets, as realization of such assets is uncertain.
December 31, | |||||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||||
Deferred tax assets: | |||||||
Net operating loss carryforwards | $ | 188.7 | $ | 101.9 | |||
Capitalized research and development expenses | 8.4 | 14.3 | |||||
Tax credits | 47.8 | 30.7 | |||||
Share-based compensation | 13.8 | 24.9 | |||||
Fixed and intangible assets | 0.4 | — | |||||
Accrued liabilities and reserves | 20.9 | 26.0 | |||||
Total gross deferred tax assets | 280.0 | 197.8 | |||||
Less: valuation allowance | (263.5 | ) | (193.4 | ) | |||
Deferred tax liability: | |||||||
Fixed assets and acquired intangibles assets | (0.1 | ) | (4.3 | ) | |||
Convertible debt discount | (15.9 | ) | — | ||||
Unrealized exchange gain | (0.4 | ) | — | ||||
Net deferred tax asset (liability) | $ | 0.1 | $ | 0.1 |
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) ("ASU 2016-09"), which is intended to simplify several areas of accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition for excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess benefits on the statement of cash flows, an accounting policy election for forfeitures, an amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. $161.8 million of excess tax benefits was recorded as an increase in deferred tax assets, with an offsetting increase in valuation allowance, through retained earnings.
The reconciliation between our effective tax rate on income (loss) from continuing operations and the statutory rate is as follows:
December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Income taxes at statutory rates | $ | (17.0 | ) | $ | (22.7 | ) | $ | (20.1 | ) | ||
State income tax, net of federal benefit | (0.7 | ) | 1.2 | (1.0 | ) | ||||||
Permanent items | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | ||||||||
Research and development credits | (13.3 | ) | (11.7 | ) | (10.0 | ) | |||||
Foreign rate differential | 5.4 | 4.5 | — | ||||||||
Stock and officers compensation | (10.4 | ) | 4.0 | 3.1 | |||||||
Rate change | (0.1 | ) | (0.1 | ) | 0.2 | ||||||
Unrecognized tax benefits | (15.4 | ) | 27.7 | — | |||||||
Impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 | 105.7 | — | — | ||||||||
Other | (2.2 | ) | — | 0.2 | |||||||
Change in valuation allowance | (51.1 | ) | (3.0 | ) | 27.4 | ||||||
Income taxes at effective rates | $ | 1.6 | $ | 0.7 | $ | 0.1 |
F-24
The following table summarizes the activity related to our gross unrecognized tax benefits (in millions):
Balance at January 1, 2015 | $ | 7.6 | |
Increases related to prior year tax positions | 2.6 | ||
Increase related to current year tax positions | 5.4 | ||
Balance at December 31, 2015 | 15.6 | ||
Decreases related to prior year tax positions | (8.4 | ) | |
Increases related to current year tax positions | 32.6 | ||
Balance at December 31, 2016 | 39.8 | ||
Decreases related to prior year tax positions | (14.9 | ) | |
Increases related to current year tax positions | 3.3 | ||
Decrease related to Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 | (5.4 | ) | |
Balance at December 31, 2017 | $ | 22.8 |
Due to the valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets, none of the total unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2017 would reduce our annual effective tax rate if recognized. Interest and penalties are classified as a component of income tax expense and were not material for all the periods presented. Due to net operating losses incurred, tax years from 1999 and forward for federal and state purposes and foreign jurisdictions from 2016 and forward remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions to which we are subject. The IRS commenced an audit of our 2015 and 2016 federal income tax returns in February 2018. We do not expect any changes to our unrecognized tax benefits over the next twelve months.
We intend to indefinitely reinvest all current accumulated earnings and profits related to our foreign subsidiaries to ensure working capital to support and expand existing operations outside of the United States. Accordingly, no U.S. income taxes have been provided on $1.2 million of undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries, as we currently intend to indefinitely reinvest these earnings in our foreign operations as of December 31, 2017. The amount of unrecognized deferred U.S. income tax liability related to these earnings is $0.4 million.
9. Employee Benefit Plans
401(k) Plan
We have a defined contribution 401(k) retirement plan (“401(k) Plan”) covering substantially all employees in the United States that meet certain age requirements. Employees may contribute up to 90% of their compensation per year (subject to a maximum limit by federal tax law). Under the 401(k) Plan, we may elect to match a discretionary percentage of contributions. No such matching contributions have been made to the 401(k) Plan since its inception.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP
In May 2015, we adopted a new ESPP, the 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“2015 ESPP”) which replaced our 2005 ESPP and permits our eligible employees to purchase shares of common stock, at semi-annual intervals, through periodic payroll deductions. Payroll deductions may not exceed 10% of the participant’s cash compensation subject to certain limitations, and the purchase price will not be less than 85% of the lower of the fair market value of the stock at either the beginning of the applicable Offering Period or the Purchase Date. Under our 2015 ESPP, each Offering Period is twelve months, with new Offering Periods commencing every six months on the dates of March 1 and September 1 of each year. Each Offering Period consists of two (2) six month purchase periods (each a “Purchase Period”) during which payroll deductions of the participants are accumulated under the ESPP. The last business day of each Purchase Period is referred to as the “Purchase Date.” Purchase Dates are every six months on the dates of February 28 or February 29 and August 31.
We issued 122,857 and 99,192 shares of common stock under the 2015 ESPP during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. We issued 8,539 and 115,848 shares of common stock under the 2005 ESPP during the years ended 2016 and 2015, respectively.
F-25
Equity Incentive Plans
In May 2015, we adopted the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (“2015 Plan”), which replaced the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan and provides for the grant of incentive and nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock, stock bonuses, stock appreciation rights, and restricted stock units to employees, directors or consultants of the Company. The total number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2015 Plan as of the date of adoption was 4.0 million and forfeited shares under the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan subsequent to May 28, 2015 are returned to the share reserve under the 2015 Plan and will be available for future awards. Stockholder approval is required to increase the maximum number of securities that may be issued under the 2015 Plan.
A summary of our stock option activity, and related information for the year ended December 31, 2017 is as follows (in millions except weighted-average exercise price and weighted-average remaining contractual term):
Number of Shares | Weighted- Average Exercise Price | Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2016 | 0.7 | $ | 7.40 | |||||||||
Exercised | (0.3 | ) | 8.21 | |||||||||
Forfeited | — | — | ||||||||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2017 | 0.4 | $ | 6.71 | 1.30 | $ | 19.5 | ||||||
Exercisable at December 31, 2017 | 0.4 | $ | 6.71 | 1.30 | $ | 19.5 |
The total intrinsic value of options exercised as of the date of exercise was as follows (in millions):
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Intrinsic value of options exercised | $ | 21.6 | $ | 39.9 | $ | 125.8 |
We define in-the-money options at December 31, 2017 as options that had exercise prices that were lower than the $57.39 closing market price of our common stock at that date. There were 0.4 million in-the-money options exercisable at December 31, 2017. The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding at December 31, 2017 is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying options and the market price of our common stock for the 0.4 million options that were in-the-money at that date.
Valuation and expense information
The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense related to employee stock options, restricted stock units and employee stock purchases for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (in millions):
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Cost of sales | $ | 9.6 | $ | 12.0 | $ | 8.1 | |||||
Research and development | 37.5 | 39.8 | 28.5 | ||||||||
Selling, general and administrative | 59.1 | 59.0 | 46.1 | ||||||||
Share-based compensation expense included in net loss | $ | 106.2 | $ | 110.8 | $ | 82.7 |
At December 31, 2017, unrecognized estimated compensation costs related to unvested restricted stock units totaled $128.4 million and are expected to be recognized through 2021.
We estimate the fair value of each option grant and ESPP purchase rights on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the below assumptions. We did not have any option grants during the years ended 2017, 2016 and 2015.
F-26
ESPP:
Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||
Risk free interest rate | 0.75 – 1.12 | 0.46 – 0.57 | 0.15 – 0.25 | |||||
Dividend yield | — | % | — | % | — | % | ||
Expected volatility of the Company’s stock | 0.33 – 0.56 | 0.33 – 0.57 | 0.30 – 0.44 | |||||
Expected life (in years) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
RSU awards typically vest annually over three or four years, and vesting is subject to continued employment. The RSUs had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $75.78, $68.16 and $63.63 per share for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The total fair value of RSUs vested was $112.2 million, $95.8 million and $60.0 million for the years ended 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
The following table sets forth a summary of our RSU activity as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017 (in millions except weighted average grant date fair value):
Shares | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | ||||||||
Nonvested at December 31, 2016 | 3.7 | $ | 62.51 | |||||||
Granted | 1.3 | 75.78 | ||||||||
Vested | (1.9 | ) | 58.92 | |||||||
Forfeited | (0.4 | ) | 67.97 | |||||||
Nonvested at December 31, 2017 | 2.7 | $ | 70.68 | $ | 154.5 |
Reserved Shares
We have reserved shares of common stock for future issuance as follows (in millions):
December 31, | |||||
2017 | 2016 | ||||
Stock options and awards under our plans: | |||||
Stock options granted and outstanding | 0.4 | 0.7 | |||
Unvested restricted stock units | 2.7 | 3.7 | |||
Reserved for future grant | 4.7 | 2.0 | |||
Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 1.3 | 1.4 | |||
Total | 9.1 | 7.8 |
F-27
10. Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)
The following is a summary of the quarterly results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in millions except per share data):
For the Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||
December 31 | September 30 | June 30 | March 31 | |||||||||||||
Year ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 221.0 | $ | 184.6 | $ | 170.6 | $ | 142.3 | ||||||||
Gross profit | 153.5 | 127.0 | 117.5 | 94.1 | ||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 141.5 | 127.5 | 131.1 | 134.5 | ||||||||||||
Net income (loss) | (9.4 | ) | (2.0 | ) | 2.9 | (41.7 | ) | |||||||||
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share (a) | $ | (0.11 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | $ | 0.03 | $ | (0.49 | ) | |||||
Year ended December 31, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 171.2 | $ | 148.6 | $ | 137.3 | $ | 116.2 | ||||||||
Gross profit | 116.7 | 101.1 | 85.5 | 75.1 | ||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 122.8 | 119.6 | 105.6 | 94.3 | ||||||||||||
Net loss | (7.4 | ) | (18.8 | ) | (20.2 | ) | (19.2 | ) | ||||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share (a) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.22 | ) | $ | (0.24 | ) | $ | (0.23 | ) |
(a) Basic and diluted earnings per share are computed independently for each of the quarters presented. Therefore, the sum of quarterly basic and diluted per share information may not equal annual basic and diluted earnings per share.
F-28
SCHEDULE II—VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015
(in millions)
Allowance for doubtful accounts | |||
Balance December 31, 2014 | $ | 4.3 | |
Provision for doubtful accounts | 7.8 | ||
Write-off and adjustments | (4.5 | ) | |
Recoveries | 0.2 | ||
Balance December 31, 2015 | $ | 7.8 |
Allowance for doubtful accounts | |||
Balance December 31, 2015 | $ | 7.8 | |
Provision for doubtful accounts | 9.5 | ||
Write-off and adjustments | (5.6 | ) | |
Recoveries | 0.7 | ||
Balance December 31, 2016 | $ | 12.4 |
Allowance for doubtful accounts | |||
Balance December 31, 2016 | $ | 12.4 | |
Provision for doubtful accounts | 5.3 | ||
Write-off and adjustments | (7.0 | ) | |
Recoveries | 0.7 | ||
Balance December 31, 2017 | $ | 11.4 |
F-29