GLAUKOS Corp - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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(Mark one)

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☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

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OR

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☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the transition period from:                          to                          

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Commission File No. 001-37463

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GLAUKOS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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(949) 367-9600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.    ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

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As of June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter, the aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing sales price for the registrant’s common stock as reported on The New York Stock Exchange, was $2,067 million.

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The number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock outstanding as of February 22, 2023 (latest practicable date) was 47,878,462 shares.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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Portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated herein by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the close of the registrant's fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.​

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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We use Glaukos, our logo, iStent, iStent inject, iStent infinite, iPrism, iDose, iPRIME, MIGS, Avedro, Photrexa, iLink, KXL, Epioxa, iLution, Retina XR and other marks as trademarks. This report contains references to our trademarks and service marks and to those belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this report, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other entities’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other entity.

References throughout this document to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or “Glaukos” refer to Glaukos Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). All statements other than statements of historical or current facts in this report or referred to or incorporated by reference into this report are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include statements regarding: future operations; expected operating results and financial performance; the Company’s strategy for growth; product development activities; regulatory approvals, including timing and likelihood of success; market position and expenditures, and may be included under Item 1 - “Business,” Item 1A - “Risk Factors,” Item 7 - “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions based on the information currently available to management. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we caution you that these forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

You are urged to carefully review the disclosures we make concerning the risks we face and other factors that may affect the outcome of our forward-looking statements and our business and operating results, including the risks set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K will prove to be accurate, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans or that any of our expectations will occur in any specified time frame, or at all. You are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which speak only as of the date of this document. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains market data and industry forecasts that were obtained from industry publications. These data involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such information. Although we believe that the industry publications on which the market and industry statements are based are reliable and we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any market data or industry forecasts presented herein, we have not independently verified any of the third party information. ​

WEBSITE REFERENCES

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we make references to our website at www.glaukos.com. References to our website through this Form 10-K are provided for convenience only and the content on our website does not constitute a part of, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

Overview

Glaukos is an ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal disease. We first developed Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) as an alternative to the traditional glaucoma treatment paradigm, launching our first MIGS device commercially in 2012, and continue to develop a portfolio of technologically distinct and leverageable platforms to support ongoing pharmaceutical and medical device innovations. Products and product candidates for each of these platforms are designed to advance the standard of care through better treatment options across the areas of glaucoma, corneal disorders such as keratoconus, dry eye and refractive vision correction, and retinal diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Ophthalmic diseases and disorders are a national and global health concern and, as the population ages, the number of individuals with vision impairment and blindness is increasing. Moreover, improving access to cost-effective tools is increasing the diagnosis of sight-threatening ocular diseases globally and driving demand for innovative products, technologies, and therapies that improve clinical outcomes, demonstrate favorable safety profiles and provide ease of use and reliability. In response to the significant unmet needs that exist within ophthalmology we have designed commercial and development-stage solutions to provide ophthalmologists with various treatment options.

Our commercial solutions and development-stage product candidates include:

Impact of the Current Global Economic Environment

The global economy and the regional economies that we serve have recently experienced significant volatility including inflation, supply shortages or delays, geopolitical developments, changes in supply and demand, labor shortages and turnover, natural disasters, higher energy costs, health epidemics or pandemics (including the COVID-19 pandemic), currency fluctuations, governmental actions such as mandatory shutdowns, and other conditions which have led to disruptions in commerce and pricing stability. The duration and scope of these conditions cannot be predicted, and therefore, it is uncertain what long-term impacts these economic pressures may have on our business.

While the COVID-19 pandemic materially impacted the global demand for our products, we have seen a general return toward more normalized levels for cataract and keratoconus procedures, with periodic volatility in certain geographies in which we operate, through December 31, 2022. Nevertheless, our business may be impacted by future developments, including any subsequent outbreaks or new variants of the COVID-19 virus, or other future health crises, which may require re-closures or other preventative measures. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread staffing shortages, and turnover including in ambulatory surgery centers, which has and may continue to impact elective procedures.

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Additionally, some of our vendors are continuing to experience supply challenges, both in the acquisition of raw materials as well as due to labor shortages and disruption. As a result of these supply chain challenges and due to current inflationary pressures, we have experienced higher costs for certain components and raw materials. We expect these supply challenges to continue into 2023. These challenges have occasionally led to longer lead times for, and delays and partial or unfulfilled deliveries of certain components needed for the manufacture of our products, in some cases requiring us to find alternative sources for materials. If these delays and partial or unfulfilled deliveries persist, they could impact our ability to ship some of our products to our customers, or bring some of our pipeline products to market, in a timely manner. For additional information, see the section titled Risks Related to Our Business within Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Developments

2023 U.S. reimbursement rates

On November 1, 2022, the United States (U.S.) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final rules for 2023 Medicare physician fee payment rates and 2023 Medicare facility fee payment rates for services furnished in both the ambulatory surgery center and hospital outpatient settings (Final Rules). These Final Rules did not materially modify the 2022 payment rates, which had reflected a significantly lower physician fee, a slightly lower facility fee reimbursement to ambulatory surgery centers, and a higher facility fee reimbursement to hospitals, related to the implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, compared to the 2021 payment rates. We estimate that approximately 80% of procedures utilizing our trabecular micro-bypass technologies in the U.S. are performed in the ambulatory surgery center setting and the remaining estimated 20% of procedures are performed in the hospital. Additionally, the Final Rules set facility fee payment rates for standalone insertion of an aqueous drainage device in the ambulatory surgery center and hospital settings, the procedure that such facilities would use with our iStent infinite product, that were substantially unchanged from the 2022 payment rates, which were lower than anticipated. These CMS reimbursement rates contained in the Final Rules took effect January 1, 2023. The physician fee payment rate for this procedure will be set by the multi-state, regional contractors, or Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), responsible for administering Medicare claims, the vast majority of which have not yet done so, and therefore will vary from region to region and is unknown at this time.

U.S. Glaucoma volumes were negatively impacted during our third and fourth quarter of 2021 as typical customer ordering patterns were disrupted and trialing of competitive products increased in anticipation of the potential 2022 CMS physician and facility fee reimbursement rate decreases becoming effective. The 2022 significantly lower physician fee reimbursement rate had an adverse impact on 2022 procedural iStent family product volumes, in conjunction with cataract surgery, which consequently impacted our 2022 U.S. combo-cataract Glaucoma revenues, gross profit, and net income, and we anticipate that such adverse impact will continue into 2023, the full extent of which is not known at this time.

Products and Pipeline

We operate in one operating segment and our primary business activity is the development and commercialization of therapies across several end markets within ophthalmology. In an effort to provide greater visibility into our business, the following discussion is presented based on our three principal end markets within ophthalmology: glaucoma, corneal disorders and retinal diseases.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by progressive, irreversible and largely asymptomatic vision loss in which elevated levels of IOP are often associated with optic nerve damage that can cause blindness. While some glaucoma patients do not experience an increase in IOP, it is widely considered a major risk factor in glaucoma’s progression, and reduction in IOP is the only clinically proven treatment for the disease. Elevated IOP occurs when aqueous humor is not circulating normally or properly draining from the front part of the eye. We have four primary commercialized products designed to treat glaucoma: the iStent, the iStent inject, the iStent inject W, and the iStent infinite.

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The iStent, the iStent inject (first generation), and the iStent inject W (second generation) are micro-bypass stents, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved that improve aqueous humor outflow and are inserted through the small corneal incision made during cataract surgery, and are designed to treat mild-to-moderate open angle glaucoma. Our iStent, a single stent device which reduces IOP by restoring the natural physiologic pathways for aqueous humor, obtained FDA clearance in 2012 and was the first commercially available MIGS treatment solution. The iStent inject and iStent inject W devices include two stents pre-loaded in an auto-injection system designed to allow the surgeon to inject stents through a single corneal entry. The iStent, iStent inject, and iStent inject W procedures are currently reimbursed in the U.S. by Medicare and all major national private payors. The iStent technologies are commercially available in numerous countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and a majority of the European Union (EU) members, and other countries, even though reimbursement may not always be available for all such procedures. The second generation iStent inject W has replaced the first generation iStent inject in nearly every country in which we sell them, and now comprises the vast majority of sales globally in the iStent inject line of products.

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In August 2022, we received 510(k) clearance for the iStent infinite indicated for use in the treatment of patients with glaucoma uncontrolled by prior medical and surgical therapy. The iStent infinite includes three heparin-coated titanium stents preloaded into an auto-injection system that allows the surgeon to inject stents across a span of up to approximately six clock hours around Schlemm’s canal, the eye’s primary drainage channel. Once in place, the stents are designed to lower IOP by restoring the natural, physiological outflow of aqueous humor. iStent infinite is our first FDA-cleared micro-bypass stent indicated for use in a standalone procedure for glaucoma patients.

We are also developing several pipeline products for the treatment of glaucoma patients, including iDose TR, which has not yet been approved for commercialization. The iDose drug delivery system is a targeted injectable implant based on our micro-scale device-platform that is designed to continuously deliver therapeutic levels of medication from within the eye for extended periods of time. We completed patient enrollment and randomization in our Phase 3 clinical trials in 2021 for iDose TR. In September 2022, we announced topline data for both Phase 3 pivotal trials of iDose TR that achieved its pre-specified primary efficacy endpoints through 3 months and demonstrated tolerability and a favorable safety profile through 12 months. Based on the combined efficacy and safety results from both Phase 3 pivotal trials, we anticipate submitting a new drug application (NDA) for iDose TR in 2023 with potential FDA approval of this product by the end of 2023.

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Additionally, our glaucoma pipeline includes the next-generation extended release iDose TREX; iDose ROCK; and programs for our iLution platform, including iLution Travoprost; which are still in a research and development (R&D) stage.

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In addition to our organic R&D efforts, we have licensed from Santen the PreserFlo MicroShunt. The MicroShunt is an ab-externo device being developed for treatment of glaucoma where IOP is uncontrolled with maximum tolerated medical therapy or where progression of the disease warrants surgery. Santen submitted a Pre-Market approval (PMA) application to the FDA in June 2020. In April 2022, the U.S. FDA completed its review for the MicroShunt PMA submission and notified InnFocus, Inc, a Santen company, of a Non-Approvable determination. We are evaluating alternate regulatory pathways for approval. As such the timing of a potential approval and U.S. commercial launch is currently unknown. We have commercialized the PreserFlo MicroShunt in Australia and Canada beginning in 2021.

Corneal Disorders

The cornea, the eye’s outermost layer, is a clear, dome-shaped surface that functions best as a lens when the cornea is strong and shaped properly. The cornea is responsible for the majority of the eye’s total focusing power and corneal disorders, including ectasia, refractive vision errors and dry eye, among others, can cause vision impairment. Corneal ectatic disorders are comprised of a class of diseases characterized by an ectatic, or misshaped, cornea. Corneal ectasia is typically caused by a weakening of the cornea, which can be due to a number of factors, including genetic causes, adverse side effects from ophthalmic refractive procedures such as LASIK, or excessive eye rubbing. We are currently targeting corneal disorders with our bio-activated pharmaceuticals including keratoconus, and corneal ectasia following refractive surgery. Keratoconus is mostly a hereditary, degenerative ectatic disease that is often first seen in

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older children or young adults in which the typically round, dome-shaped cornea progressively thins and weakens, causing a cone-like corneal bulge due to normal internal pressure of the eye. Corneal ectasia following refractive surgery is a serious complication that involves the cornea becoming weakened following a refractive procedure, such as LASIK, with symptoms similar to naturally occurring keratoconus. Refractive vision errors, or the inability of the cornea to properly focus light, are prevalent in the U.S. and abroad and include disorders such as presbyopia and myopia. Presbyopia is a natural part of aging due to the hardening of the eye’s crystalline lens over time, resulting in a loss of lens elasticity or the ability of the lens to change shape in order to focus incoming light on the retina. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a vision condition in which close objects are seen clearly, but objects farther away appear blurred, and is usually caused by an elongation of the eyeball or a cornea having too much curvature. Presbyopia affects nearly everyone over the age of 40 while myopia first occurs in school-age children and typically progresses until about age 20.

Our pharmaceutical iLink platform uses a suite of novel single-use drug formulations that are bio-activated by our proprietary systems to address these corneal diseases. The iLink therapies, bioactivated upon the delivery of ultraviolet A (UVA) light to the cornea, induce a biochemical reaction called corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL). CXL strengthens, stabilizes and reshapes the cornea to treat corneal ectatic disorders. Our KXL System, which delivers UVA light to a large portion of the cornea, in conjunction with our Photrexa therapy, is approved by the FDA for use in the U.S. following removal of the epithelium (often referred to as “iLink epi-off”), a procedure familiar to ophthalmologists. In February 2021, we announced topline data for the Phase 3 trial for the iLink system using Epioxa therapy for the treatment of keratoconus without the removal of the epithelium (often referred to as “iLink epi-on”). As a result of this Phase 3 trial, we began to prepare for an NDA submission. However, in 2022, based on feedback from the FDA during our pre-NDA submission meeting, we made the decision to commence a second confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial for iLink epi-on to support future NDA submission. We commenced patient enrollment for this trial in the first quarter of 2023. We also expect to advance a third generation iLink therapeutic system into clinical trials during 2023. Internationally, our pharmaceutical therapies can also be administered with the KXL System to address corneal weakening caused by refractive surgery such as LASIK. Our bio-activated pharmaceutical products may also offer a means of improving the vision of patients with presbyopia, myopia or other corneal diseases.

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We have also developed our iLution platform of cream-based drug formulations that are applied to the outer surface of the eyelid for dropless transdermal delivery of pharmaceutically active compounds for the treatment of eye disorders. Several iLution platform products leverage an exclusive global licensing arrangement with Intratus to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize a patented, non-invasive, transdermal drug delivery formulation designed for application on the eyelid in the treatment of dry eye disease, presbyopia, glaucoma, and other ocular surface diseases and disorders. In January 2022, we commenced patient enrollment in Phase 2 clinical trials of two investigational drug candidates for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (GLK-301) and presbyopia (GLK-302). In January 2023, we announced promising initial Phase 2a results for GLK-301. Based on these encouraging Phase 2a observations, we plan to advance GLK-301 into a Phase 2b clinical trial in 2023.

Lastly, in September 2021, we entered into a licensing agreement with Attillaps Holdings, Inc. (Attillaps) to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize Attillaps’ proprietary library of investigational pharmaceutical compounds that target the eradication of Demodex mites, which are the root cause of Demodex blepharitis and often associated with meibomian gland dysfunction and related ophthalmic diseases.

Retinal Diseases

Retinal diseases vary widely but universally affect the retina, a thin layer of tissue inside the back wall of the eye containing light-sensitive cells that convert light into neural signals. Most retinal diseases cause visual impairment, including blurred or distorted vision and vision loss. Our R&D efforts in our retinal franchise are focused on treating AMD, DME, RVO, and other retinal diseases. AMD is a progressive disease that occurs when the macula, the central portion of the retina, is impaired, which can result in severe vision problems. DME is highly prevalent among individuals with type 2 diabetes and is associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR), the impairment of small blood vessels in the retina caused by increased glucose levels. Advanced DR can lead to fluid leaking into the macula, which causes DME and severe vision impairment. RVO occurs when the flow of blood from the retina is blocked, often due to a blood clot blocking the retinal vein, which can result in severe vision problems.

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We are developing sustained release (SR) pharmaceutical retinal platforms leveraging our expanded pharmaceutical and sustained drug delivery R&D capabilities, including Triamcinolone Acetonide SR, Multi-Kinase Inhibitor SR and Anti-VEGF SR. If commercialized, these platforms would be designed to treat AMD, DME, RVO, and other retinal diseases. The focus of our retinal research and development efforts is to develop potential treatment options with a longer duration-of-effect than current standards of care products.

Research & Development

We devote significant resources to our R&D efforts, which are focused on developing new products, and enhancing the effectiveness, ease of use, safety, and reliability of our commercialized products. Our R&D objectives are:

A considerable portion of our R&D investment includes clinical trials and the collection of evidence that provide data for use in regulatory submissions and required post-market approval studies involving applications of our products. We expect our R&D and clinical expenditures to increase as we continue to devote significant resources to clinical trials and regulatory approvals of our pipeline products. We currently conduct R&D activities primarily in the U.S. but continue to expand our clinical capabilities to sites internationally.

Sales and Marketing

Our global sales efforts and promotional activities are currently aimed at ophthalmic surgeons and other eye care professionals. Our primary customers include ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices. In the U.S., we sell the majority of our products through a direct sales organization. Internationally, we sell our products through direct sales organizations in seventeen countries and a network of distribution partners in other markets where we do not have a direct commercial presence or maintain a modest commercial presence. In 2022, sales to customers inside U.S. and internationally accounted for 72% and 28% of our net sales, respectively. No single customer or distributor accounted for more than 10% of our total net sales in 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our iStent technologies, the iStent, the iStent inject, and the iStent inject W and related accessories, which comprise our key iStent platform, accounted for approximately 76% of our net sales, while our iLink therapies accounted for approximately 24% of our net sales.

Competition

The medical technology and pharmaceutical industries are highly competitive. We compete with many companies, including divisions of companies much larger than us that may have greater resources and name recognition, and smaller companies that compete against specific products or in certain geographies. Furthermore, new product development, discoveries, and technological change characterize the areas in which we compete. Our present or future products could be rendered obsolete as a result of advances by one or more of our present or future competitors or by other surgical or pharmaceutical therapy development. We must continue to develop and commercialize new products, technologies and therapies to remain competitive in the ophthalmology industry. We believe that we compete primarily on the basis of clinical superiority supported by extensive data and innovative features that enhance patient benefit, product performance, and safety.

The ophthalmic segment of the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries is dynamic and subject to significant change due to cost-of-care considerations, reimbursement levels, regulatory reform, industry and customer

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consolidation and evolving patient needs. The ability to provide products, technologies and therapies that demonstrate value, are reimbursed through government or third-party payors, improve clinical outcomes, demonstrate favorable safety profiles, and provide ease of use and reliability is becoming increasingly important for companies within ophthalmology.

In glaucoma, our MIGS offerings primarily compete against Ivantis, Inc. (which was acquired by Alcon in January 2022), Sight Sciences and New World Medical. However, there are a considerable number of large and small companies providing more invasive surgical glaucoma technologies, laser-based therapies, and pharmaceuticals that currently provide competition or with whom we may compete should our broad clinical development pipeline be approved and commercialized. In corneal disorders, we have, under an orphan drug designation, the only FDA approved bio-activated pharmaceutical therapy for the treatment of keratoconus but globally we compete against numerous providers of corneal crosslinking therapies such as PeschkeTrade GmBH. Our corneal disorder pipeline, if approved, would vastly expand our competition to numerous large companies such as AbbVie Inc., Alcon and Johnson & Johnson, as well as some small companies that provide medical technology and pharmaceutical therapies for several areas including dry eye and refractive conditions. Our retinal health pipeline, if approved, may face substantial competition from large pharmaceutical companies such as AbbVie Inc., Novartis AG, Genentech/Roche, Regeneron and Bayer, and there are also a considerable number of large and small companies with development efforts in the field.

Facilities, Manufacturing and Distribution

Our manufacturing operations for the iStent family of products are located in an approximately 98,000 square foot campus in San Clemente, California which is comprised of two main buildings. Our pharmaceutical therapies for keratoconus are primarily manufactured and supplied by third parties in the U.S. and Germany, and the manufacturing operations for the systems that bio-activate these therapies are located in approximately 60,000 square feet of space located in Burlington, Massachusetts. In the second quarter of 2022, we relocated our corporate headquarters, including certain administrative, laboratory, R&D and warehouse space, to three office buildings comprising approximately 160,000 rentable square feet of space located in Aliso Viejo, California (Aliso Facility).  We currently intend to maintain manufacturing facilities for the iStent family of products at our San Clemente location for the foreseeable future. Our international subsidiaries also lease facilities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Intellectual Property

The strength of our competitive position depends substantially upon our ability to obtain and enforce intellectual property rights protecting our technology both domestically and internationally. We rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, trade secrets and other similar intellectual property, as well as customary contractual protections and security measures used to protect our proprietary, trade secret information.

In the aggregate, our intellectual property assets are of material importance to our business. We are significantly dependent on our patent and other intellectual property rights and the failure to protect such rights could negatively impact our ability to sell current or future products or prohibit us from enforcing our patents or other intellectual property rights against others. For additional information see the section titled Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property within Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

As of December 31, 2022, we owned or exclusively licensed in certain fields of use over 300 issued patents, pending U.S. patent applications, issued foreign patents and pending foreign patent applications. We have obtained licenses from various parties, including Intratus, Inc., Attillaps Holdings, Inc. and Iveena Delivery Systems, Inc., for patents, patent applications or other technology that we are currently or may in the future use in our R&D efforts. We may, from time to time, choose to acquire or license additional patents and patent applications, or we may choose to abandon, sell, or license certain Company patents and patent applications, depending on our needs. The issued patents that protect our commercial products and current product pipeline expire between 2023 and 2038.

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Government Regulation

Our products and operations are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by federal, state, and local authorities, as well as foreign regulatory authorities. These governmental agencies regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacturing, approval, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, advertising, promotion and marketing, distribution, post approval monitoring and reporting, and import and export of medical devices and drugs (including drug/device combination products) in their respective jurisdictions to assure the safety and effectiveness of medical products and pharmaceuticals for their intended use. In general, there has been a trend of increased regulation of medical device and drug products, which has resulted in, and will likely continue to result in, increased prices to bring new products to market.

U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement

The FDA has broad regulatory authority over medical devices and drugs in the U.S. The FDA regulates, among other things, product safety, efficacy, manufacturing, advertising, labeling and safety reporting.

Medical Device Requirements

Each medical device commercially distributed in the United States requires one of the following: (i) exemption from or clearance under a 510(k) premarket notification; (ii) approval under a PMA application; or (iii) approval of a de-novo classification petition.

The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes—Class I, Class II or Class III—depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of manufacturing and regulatory control needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Class III devices, which include our iStent products that produce the majority of our revenue, are deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices and devices deemed not substantially equivalent to a predicate device that the FDA has already cleared for marketing. Class III devices require FDA approval of the more demanding PMA application before marketing of the device can proceed. While the iStent, iStent inject, iStent inject W and the PreserFlo MicroShunt are categorized as Class III devices and thus would generally be subject to the more rigorous PMA approval pathway, the FDA determined that an appropriate predicate device existed for the iStent infinite and that 510(k) premarket notification would be sufficient.

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PMA Approval Pathway

In a PMA application process, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the device is safe and effective for its intended use, and the PMA must be supported by extensive data, including data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. If the FDA accepts the application for review, it has 180 days under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to complete its review of a PMA, although in practice, the FDA’s review can take up to several years. The FDA will generally conduct a pre-approval inspection of the applicant or its third-party manufacturers’ or suppliers’ manufacturing facility or facilities to ensure compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR). Even after a PMA approval, the FDA may require post-approval conditions to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including additional clinical studies or post-market surveillance. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval. Certain changes to an approved device, such as changes in manufacturing facilities, methods, or quality control procedures, or changes in the design performance specifications, which may affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, require submission of a PMA supplement.

Clinical Trials of Medical Devices

Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA for a Class III device. All clinical investigations must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s IDE regulations. If the device presents a “significant risk,” to human health, as defined by the FDA, the FDA requires the device sponsor to submit an investigational drug exemption (IDE) application to the FDA, showing with appropriate data that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound.

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Regardless of the degree of risk presented by the medical device, clinical studies must be approved by, and conducted under the oversight of, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for each clinical site. During a study, the sponsor and any clinical investigators are required to comply with the applicable FDA requirements. After a trial begins, the sponsor, the FDA or the IRB could suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the anticipated benefits.

Post-Market Regulation

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

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

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Drug Requirements

The development and commercialization of drug products is subject to extensive regulation by governmental authorities in the U.S. Before marketing in the U.S., a drug must undergo rigorous preclinical and clinical studies and an extensive regulatory approval process implemented by the FDA under the FDCA. Several of our pipeline products, including our iDose implants and our iLution cream-based formulations, are drug products that are subject to this regulatory approval process.

Before commencing clinical studies in humans in the US, we must submit to the FDA an IND that includes, among other things, the general investigational plan and protocols for specific human studies and the results of preclinical studies. Once clinical studies have begun under the IND, they are usually conducted in three phases and under FDA oversight. These phases generally include the following:

Phase 1. Introduction into patients or healthy human volunteers and is tested for safety, dose tolerance and pharmacokinetics.

Phase 2. Introduction into a limited patient population to assess the efficacy of the drug in specific, targeted indications, assess dosage tolerance and optimal dosage, and identify possible adverse effects and safety risks.

Phase 3. Expansion to further demonstrate clinical efficacy, optimal dosage and safety within an expanded patient population.

The results of drug development, preclinical studies and clinical studies must be submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA. The NDA also must contain extensive manufacturing information. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) establishes timeframes for FDA review of NDAs and the 2007 Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act gave the FDA authority to require implementation of a formal Risk Evaluation and Management Strategy to ensure that the benefits of a drug outweigh its risks. At the end of the review period, the FDA communicates either approval of the NDA or a complete response listing the application’s deficiencies.

As part of the NDA approval, the FDA may require post-marketing studies, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 studies, to monitor the safety and effectiveness of approved drugs, which may limit further marketing of the drug based on the results of these post-marketing studies.

If regulatory approval for a drug is obtained, the marketing of the drug will be limited to those diseases and conditions approved by FDA and for which the drug was shown to be effective, as demonstrated through clinical studies and specified in the drug’s labeling. Even if this regulatory approval is obtained, a marketed drug, its manufacturer and its manufacturing facilities are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA. The FDA ensures the quality of approved drugs by carefully monitoring manufacturers’ compliance with its current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations, which contain minimum requirements for the methods, facilities, and controls used in manufacturing, processing, and packaging of a drug. The FDA may withdraw drug approval if compliance with post-marketing regulatory standards is not maintained or if safety or quality issues are identified after the drug reaches the marketplace.

The FDA has recently determined that products previously regulated as drugs, which are comprised of a drug constituent part and a device part, may become subject to regulation as drug-led combination products. This may impact some of our pipeline products, such as our iDose drug-eluting implants. These products that are considered to be drug-device combination products will require review and coordination by FDA’s drug and device centers prior to approval, which may delay approval. In the U.S., a combination product with a drug primary mode of action generally would be reviewed and approved pursuant to the drug approval processes under the FDCA. In reviewing the approval application for such a product, however, FDA reviewers in the drug center will consult with their counterparts in the device center to ensure that the device component of the combination product meet applicable requirements regarding safety, effectiveness, durability and performance. Under FDA regulations, combination products are subject to cGMP

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requirements applicable to both drugs and devices, including the Quality System (QS) regulations applicable to medical devices.

We are also subject to various laws and regulations regarding laboratory practices, the experimental use of animals and the use and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances in connection with our research. In each of these areas, as above, the FDA and other regulatory authorities have broad regulatory and enforcement powers, including the power to withdraw approvals.

Health Care Regulatory Laws

Additional laws and regulations also govern our business operations and products in the U.S., including among others:

Certain states also mandate implementation of corporate compliance programs, require adherence to the medical device or pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines, impose restrictions on manufacturer marketing practices, require registration or licensing of manufacturers and their sales representatives, and/or require tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation, and other remuneration to healthcare professionals and entities.

Additionally, some states have proposed or enacted legislation that will create new data privacy and security obligations for certain entities, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, the California Privacy Rights Act that went into effect January1, 2023, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act and the Colorado Privacy Act. Violations of these laws, or the health care regulatory laws described above, may subject us to administrative, civil, and criminal penalties, including imprisonment of individuals, the imposition of significant fines, monetary penalties, and damages, exclusion

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from participation in (or reimbursement for our products from) federal health care programs like Medicare or Medicaid, imposition of compliance obligations or monitoring, curtailment or restructuring of our operations, and damage to our reputation.

Reimbursement

Ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices that purchase our medical device products typically bill various third-party payors, such as government programs, private insurance plans and managed care programs, to cover all or a portion of the costs and fees associated with the therapeutics or procedures in which our products are used and bill patients for any applicable deductibles or co-payments. In the U.S., physicians are typically paid separately from the facility for surgical procedures involving our products. In the U.S., there are distinct billing codes that are used by healthcare providers to report the provision of medical procedures and the use of supplies for specific patients to payors. There are different categories of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes (Category I, II and III) based on the procedure or supply. Effective beginning in 2022, the temporary Category III CPT codes associated with payment rates for procedures related to our iStent, iStent inject and iStent inject W products converted to permanent Category I codes for facility fee and physician fee payments furnished in both the hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgery center settings. As compared to the payments rates in effect in 2021 under the Category III CPT code, the CMS 2022 Medicare payment rates reflected a significantly lower physician fee involving procedures of the implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, while the facility fee schedule related to reimbursement for surgeries that include implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, reflected a slight decrease in payment rate to an ambulatory surgery center, and an increase in reimbursements to a hospital. The CMS Medicare payment rates in effect for 2023 were not materially modified from the 2022 rates. We estimate that approximately 80% of procedures utilizing our trabecular micro-bypass technologies in the U.S. are performed in the ambulatory surgery center setting and the remaining estimated 20% of procedures are performed in the hospital. Even though a permanent billing code has been assigned to a product, there is no guarantee that coverage will be provided.

Additionally, effective in 2022, we obtained a temporary Category III CPT code associated with payment rates for facility fee payments for standalone insertion of an aqueous drainage device in the ambulatory surgery center and hospital setting, which is the procedure that such facilities would use with our iStent infinite product, that were lower than anticipated. Prior to expiration of a temporary code, there are two options: submit an application to convert a temporary code to a permanent code or submit an application for a five-year extension of the temporary code. In connection with a transition to a permanent code, both the physician fee and facility fee associated with the procedures using our iStent infinite product will be reevaluated. In some cases, the physician fees and/or facility fees have been decreased at the time codes are transitioned from temporary to permanent.

There is no published Medicare payment schedule at the national level for physician payment amounts for temporary Category III CPT code products. The physician payment rate is left to the discretion of the regional Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), with each MAC separately determining coverage and no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained from, or maintained by, the MACs. MACs have in the past, and may in the future, change coverage terms.

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Our Photrexa pharmaceutical therapy has received a permanent healthcare common procedure coding system J code and we have obtained temporary Category III CPT code for the professional fees associated with CXL.

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In the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement exists among third-party payors; coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor. In addition, payors continually review new products for possible coverage and existing products for changes in coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage.

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International Regulation & Reimbursement

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In addition to regulations in the U.S., we are subject to a variety of regulations in other jurisdictions governing clinical trials, commercial sales and distribution of our products and reporting of payments to physicians. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain authorization before commencing clinical trials or obtain marketing authorization or approval of a product under the comparable regulatory authorities of countries

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internationally. The approval process varies from country to country and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary greatly from country to country. In addition, certain countries have adopted transparency legislation that requires us to report contracts with or payments made to physicians in those countries and many have enacted anti-kickback laws and regulations, which generally prohibit the offer, receipt, or payment of remuneration in exchange for or to induce the use of our products.

Similar to the trend within the U.S., other major international markets are also moving toward more stringent regulatory frameworks for medical device and drug products. For example, in May 2017, the EU adopted a new regulatory scheme for medical devices under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). The MDR became effective in May 2021 with a transition period through May 2024 at the latest (although an extension of this date has been proposed by the European Commission), and will bring significant new requirements for many medical devices, including enhanced requirements for clinical evidence and documentation, increased focus on device identification and traceability, new definitions and registration of economic operators throughout the distribution chain, and additional post-market surveillance and vigilance, which could result in substantial additional expense.

The EU has also adopted increasingly stringent data protection and privacy rules that have and will continue to have a substantial impact on the use of patient data across the healthcare industry. The EU General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, became effective in May 2018 and applies across the EU (with the exception of the United Kingdom, which has adopted the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and a substantially equivalent version of the GDPR). The GDPR is wide-ranging in scope and imposes numerous requirements on companies that process personal data, including requirements relating to processing health and other sensitive data, obtaining consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, providing information to individuals regarding data processing activities, implementing safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of personal data, providing notification of data breaches, and taking certain measures when engaging third-party processors. Failure to comply with the GDPR requirements may result in costly government enforcement actions, private litigation, and negative publicity, each of which could further result in reputation damage and our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could suffer.

Reimbursement

Internationally, reimbursement levels vary significantly by country and by region within some countries. Reimbursement is obtained from a variety of sources, including government-sponsored and private health insurance plans, and combinations of both. Some countries require additional clinical data, or may impose additional obligations, such as payment of rebates, before granting or expanding coverage and reimbursement for our products. In general, obtaining broad-based reimbursement and adequate payment for new technologies is more difficult in these markets than in the U.S. Many countries require new medical technologies to not only be safe and effective, but also to be able to demonstrate clinical benefits that outweigh the costs when compared to the standard of care. As in the U.S., reimbursement decisions can change, resulting in the elimination or reduction of reimbursement payments, which could adversely affect our financial results and our ability to invest in and grow our business.

Other

Our operations and many of the products we manufacture or sell are subject to extensive regulation by numerous other governmental agencies, both within the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S., apart from the agencies discussed above, our facilities, operations, employees, products (their manufacture, sale, import and export) and services are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Health & Safety Administration, the Department of Labor, Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Justice and others. State agencies also regulate our facilities, operations, employees, products and services within their respective states. Government agencies internationally also regulate public health, product registration, manufacturing, environmental conditions, labor, exports, imports, bribery and corruption and other aspects of our global operations.

These regulatory agencies and any current or future legislation could impact our business operations, reimbursement for our products, and the healthcare environment generally, which could adversely affect our ability to

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operate our business and our financial results. We cannot estimate the expenses we may incur to comply with potential new laws or changes to existing laws, or the other potential effects these laws may have on our business.

Human Capital Management

Glaukos is committed to developing a comprehensive, cohesive and positive employee experience. We consider talent attraction, development, engagement and retention a key driver of our business success. As of December 31, 2022, we had 783 full-time employees. Our Board of Directors, through the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee, retains direct oversight of our human capital management process, including demographics, talent development, employee retention, material aspects of employee compensation as well as diversity and inclusion recruitment, retention and compensation efforts. Additionally, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee assists management with the implementation of the Company’s diversity strategy. We report on human capital matters at each regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting and periodically throughout the year. The most significant human capital measures or objectives that we focus on in managing our business and our related human capital initiatives include the following:

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Available Information

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are available on our web site at www.glaukos.com, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after the electronic filing of these reports with, or furnishing of these reports to, the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a web site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us.​

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

The risks discussed below are not the only ones facing our business but do represent those risks that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business. Please read the cautionary notice regarding forward-looking statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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Risks Related to Our Business

The reduced reimbursement rates established by CMS for 2022 and 2023 have impacted, and may continue to materially and adversely impact, our business operations and financial results.

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As described in Item 1, Business, “Recent Developments –2023 U.S. Reimbursement rates” contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) 2022 Medicare physician fee payment rates and 2022 Medicare facility fee payment rates imposed a new, significantly lower physician fee and a slightly reduced facility fee related to the implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, furnished in the ambulatory surgery center setting. We believe these CMS physician fee and facility fee rate decreases disrupted traditional customer ordering patterns and resulted in our customers’ trialing of competitive products, causing reduced glaucoma sales volumes in the U.S. in 2022. These rates were not significantly modified in CMS’ final rules for 2023 physician fee and facility rates. We expect the reduction of the physician fee will continue to have an adverse impact on procedural iStent family product volumes, in conjunction with cataract surgery, in 2023 as well as on our U.S. combo-cataract glaucoma revenues, gross profit, and net income, the full extent of which is not known at this time.

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Additionally, the facility fee payment rates for the standalone procedure that hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers will use with Glaukos’ iStent infinite product, which received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 2, 2022, were lower than anticipated for 2022. These rates were not significantly modified by CMS for 2023 facility fee payment rates. The physician fee payment rate for this procedure will be set by the multi-state, regional contractors, or Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), responsible for administering Medicare claims, the vast majority of which have not yet done so, and therefore will vary from region to region and is unknown at this time. This physician fee payment rate, alone or in combination with the standalone facility fee payment rate, may result in inadequate reimbursement and impact the use of this product, and our net sales.

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Unfavorable global and regional conditions have adversely affected, and could continue to materially and adversely affect, our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.

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Unfavorable global and regional conditions, including inflation, volatility in the financial and credit markets, higher interest rates and capital costs, geopolitical conflicts, changes in supply and demand resulting in shortages and delays, labor shortages and turnover, natural disasters, energy costs, currency fluctuations, governmental actions such as mandatory lockdowns, and other conditions beyond our control, have had, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on the global economy, the regional economies that we serve and our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows. The weak or declining economy has also, and likely will continue to, strain our third-party manufacturers or suppliers, both in raw material acquisition and due to labor shortages, resulting in supply disruptions, that could impact our ability to ship some of our products to our customers or bring some of our pipeline products to market in a timely manner, which could harm our reputation and affect our product sales, or may cause our customers to delay making payments. Any of the foregoing could harm our business and we cannot anticipate all of the ways in which the economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have adversely affected, and could in the future adversely affect, our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.

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We are subject to risks associated with public heath crises, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and cash flows. Other future public health crises may also have a negative impact on our business. In particular, we have experienced, and may in the future experience, material financial or operational impacts as a result of COVID-19 or other public health crises, including:

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For example, restrictions on elective procedures and therapies and the closures of ophthalmic practices during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the progress of our pipeline products, such as the slowdown in new patient enrollment in our iDose clinical trial in 2020 and 2021, which delayed the iDose approval timeline. Future public health crises could have a similar adverse impact. While we cannot predict the full impact of COVID-19 or future pandemic, epidemic or infectious disease outbreaks on the timing of completion of our clinical trials and the expected regulatory approvals of our pipeline products, our disclosed targeted approval dates anticipate, to our best estimate, such impact.

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If the supply and/or manufacture of our principal revenue-producing products, the iStent, the iStent inject models and our Photrexa therapies, is materially disrupted, it may adversely affect our ability to manufacture products and could reduce our gross margins and negatively affect our operating results.

Our sole manufacturing location for our iStent products is an approximately 98,000 square foot campus located in San Clemente, California, where we manufacture, inspect, package, release and ship nearly all of our iStent platform products. In 2022, we relocated our corporate administrative headquarters to a new facility in Aliso Viejo, California (Aliso Facility), which is the location where we conduct substantially all of our R&D activities, customer and technical support, and management and administrative functions. If either of our San Clemente or Aliso Facility suffers a crippling event or a natural disaster such as an earthquake, fire or flood, this could materially impact our ability to operate.

Additionally, we rely on a limited number of third-party suppliers, in some cases sole suppliers, to supply components for the iStent, the iStent inject models, the iStent infinite and our other pipeline products. If any one or more of our suppliers cease to provide us with sufficient quantities of components or drugs in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, we would have to seek alternative sources of supply. Because of factors such as the proprietary nature of our products, our domestic and international quality control standards and regulatory requirements including the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, the European Union’s Medical Device Regulation and Current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations, we may be unable to obtain components if our component suppliers are found to be in violation of such standards and we may have difficulty quickly engaging additional or replacement suppliers for some of our critical components, which could delay or impact our business, including regulatory approval timelines. If our manufacturing facilities or those of any of our component suppliers or contract facilities are found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations or fail to adequately remediate any issues discovered during an audit, the FDA or other regulatory bodies could take enforcement action. Even if we are able to identify and qualify a suitable second source to replace one of our key suppliers, if necessary, that replacement supplier would not have access to our previous supplier’s proprietary

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processes and would therefore be required to develop its own, which could result in significant delay. Despite our efforts to maintain an adequate supply of inventory, the loss of these suppliers, or their inability to provide us with an adequate supply of components or products, could cause delay in the manufacture of our products, thereby impairing our ability to meet the demand of our customers and causing significant harm to our business. Any disruption of this nature or increased expense could harm our commercialization efforts and adversely affect our operating results.

Our corneal health Photrexa therapies are produced by a small number of contract manufacturing organizations. The systems that bio-activate our Photrexa therapies are primarily manufactured in Burlington, Massachusetts. Any material disruption to the manufacture of these corneal health products could also adversely affect our operating results and clinical efforts.

We have incurred significant losses since inception and our operating results can be unpredictable and may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, requiring substantial capital and operating expenditures for our business to operate and grow. These factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the trading price of our common stock, and limit our ability to reach sustained profitability.

Since the Company’s inception in 1998, we have incurred significant operating losses. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $464.4 million, principally costs incurred in our clinical trial, research and development (R&D) programs, our selling, general and administrative expenses, and from amortization expense related to our developed technology intangible assets included in cost of sales. We have funded our operations to date from the sale of equity securities, including our June 2015 initial public offering, the issuance of notes payable, cash exercises of stock options and warrants to purchase equity securities, cash generated from commercial operations and the issuance of the Company’s 2.75% convertible notes due 2027 (Convertible Notes). To implement our global business strategies we need to, among other things, fund ongoing R&D activities, expand our manufacturing capabilities, grow our sales and marketing organization, enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, acquire companies or in-license products or intellectual property, and obtain regulatory clearance or approval to commercialize our existing products in international markets or to commercialize those currently under development in the U.S. and internationally. As a result, we expect our expenses to continue to increase as we pursue these objectives. While we believe we have sufficient cash to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months from the date our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022 are made publicly available, our ability to reach sustained profitability and generate positive cash flow in the future is highly uncertain.

Additionally, our net sales may experience volatility due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, among other things, impacts from the COVID-19 or other pandemic, macroeconomic conditions, fluctuating demand, pricing pressures applicable to our products, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, Medicare payment rates established by CMS, commercialization of our new and existing products and the marketing of competitive products, results of clinical research and trials, regulatory approval requirements and timings and legislative changes affecting our products, variances in the sales terms, an increase in demand for our patient assistance and/or free drug programs, supply chain and inventory management, shortage of raw materials, timing or volume of customer orders and the length of our sales cycle, which varies and may be unpredictable. As a result, you should not rely solely on our results in any past period as an indication of future results and you should anticipate that fluctuations in our quarterly and annual operating results may continue and could generate volatility in the price of our common stock. We believe that quarterly comparisons of our financial results should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.

Our success depends on our ability to continue to generate sales of our commercialized products and develop and commercialize additional products, which we may not be able to accomplish.

Our primary sales-generating commercial products have been the iStent, which we began selling in the U.S. in 2012, the iStent inject, which we began selling in the U.S. in the second half of 2018, and its successor, the iStent inject W, launched in the second half of 2020, as well as our Photrexa therapies, which we acquired in connection with our acquisition of Avedro, Inc. (Avedro) in November 2019. We expect to continue to derive a significant portion of our net sales from the iStent, the iStent inject models and the Photrexa therapies.

It is important that we continue to build a more complete product offering. Developing additional products is

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expensive and time-consuming. Even if we are successful in developing our additional pipeline products, the success of our new product offerings is inherently uncertain and there can be no assurance that our products will receive regulatory approval or be profitable. Any current or new products could also quickly be rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences, third party payor reimbursement levels, or the introduction by our competitors of products embodying superior technologies, features or better product safety, quality or efficacy. Our competitors include large publicly traded companies or divisions thereof and have more resources, greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more established relationships with healthcare professionals, customers and third-party payors, broader products lines, more established sales and marketing programs and distribution networks, and greater experience in obtaining regulatory clearance or approval. Additionally, our research programs, which are expensive and time-intensive, may fail to yield product candidates for clinical development despite showing initial promise. If we are unable to successfully commercialize additional products, our business prospects would be materially affected.

As our growth strategy turns increasingly global, we are, and will continue to be, subject to a variety of risks associated with our international operations, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Our existing foreign operations, as well as our planned international growth, expose us to additional uncertainty and risks beyond regulatory authorization and reimbursement levels. We sell our products through direct sales organizations in seventeen countries and a network of third-party distribution partners in other markets. These international operations expose us and our subsidiaries and third-party distributors to a variety of risks including, without limitation, the following:

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Additionally, we are exposed to changes in foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, which are references to the differences between the foreign-exchanges rates we use to convert the financial results of our international operations from local currencies into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. This impact of foreign-exchange rate changes is calculated based on the difference between the current period’s currency exchange rates and that of the comparable prior period. Further, significant foreign exchange rate fluctuations resulting in a decline in the respective local currency may decrease our revenues and earnings from our foreign operations. As a result of our global operations, our revenue, gross

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margins, operating expense and operating income in some international markets have been and may continue to be affected by foreign currency fluctuations.

If we experience any of these risks, our sales in non-U.S. jurisdictions may be harmed, our results of operations would suffer, and our reputation and business prospects would be negatively impacted.

If the quality or delivery of our products does not meet our customers’ expectations, our reputation could suffer and ultimately our sales and operating earnings could be negatively impacted.

As a manufacturer, we have addressed and must continue to address quality issues associated with our products, including in our engineering, design, manufacturing and delivery processes, as well as issues with third-party components included in our products. Because our products are highly complex, the occurrence of performance issues may increase as we continue to introduce new products and rapidly scale up manufacturing to meet increased demand. Although we have established internal procedures to minimize risks that may arise from product quality issues, there can be no assurance that we will be able to eliminate or mitigate occurrences of these issues and associated liabilities. In addition, identifying the root cause of performance or quality issues, particularly those affecting third-party components, may be difficult, which increases the time needed to address quality issues as they arise and increases the risk that similar problems could recur. Finding solutions to quality issues can be expensive and we may incur significant costs or lost revenue in connection with, for example, shipment holds, product recalls and warranty or other service obligations. Quality issues can also impair our relationships with new or existing customers or result in product liability suits against us, which may be expensive to defend and could impact the reimbursement coverage of our products, our product liability insurance rates and/or our cash reserves in the event our existing insurance coverage is insufficient. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could harm our reputation as a producer of high-quality products, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Ophthalmic surgeons may not use our products if they do not believe they are safe, efficient, effective and preferable alternatives to other treatment solutions in the market or may use our products without being adequately trained, which could result in inferior clinical outcomes.

We believe that ophthalmic surgeons will not use our products unless they conclude that our products provide a safe, efficient, effective and preferable alternative to currently available treatment options. If ophthalmic surgeons determine that any of our products are not sufficiently effective, efficient or safe, whether based on longer-term patient studies or clinical experience or unsatisfactory patient outcomes or patient injury, our sales would be harmed. Surgeons may base such determination on patient outcomes that are the result of other unqualified surgeons performing procedures for which they haven’t been trained. It is also possible that as our products become more widely used, latent defects could be identified, creating negative publicity and liability problems for us and adversely affecting demand for our products. If an increasing number of ophthalmic surgeons do not continue to adopt the use of our products, our operating and financial results will be negatively impacted.

If we fail to manage our anticipated growth effectively, we may not be able to meet customer demand for our products and our business could suffer.

Since the commercial launch of the iStent in 2012, we have seen significant period-to-period growth in our business, both organically and through transactions, and we must continue to grow in order to meet our business and financial objectives. However, continued growth creates numerous challenges, including, among others, new and increased responsibilities for our management team; increased competition; increased product demand which could strain our manufacturing capacity; the management of an increasing number of customer, supplier and other relationships; increased pressure on our operating, financial and reporting systems; entry into new international territories with unfamiliar regulations and business approaches; and the need to hire, train and manage additional qualified personnel. If we fail to manage any of these challenges effectively, our business may be harmed.

If we are unable to retain or recruit qualified personnel for growth, our business results could suffer.

We have benefited substantially from the leadership and performance of our senior management and other key

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employees. For example, our chief executive officer, as well as other key members of our senior management, has experience successfully developing novel technologies and scaling early-stage medical device and pharmaceutical companies to achieve profitability. We also rely on our qualified sales representatives and on consultants and advisors in our research, operations, clinical and commercial efforts to grow our business, develop and commercialize new products and implement our business strategies. Our success will depend on our ability to retain our current management, key employees and consultants and advisors, and to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future, including by providing competitive compensation and benefit programs, flexible work arrangements, career advancement prospects and sufficient opportunities to develop leadership, managerial and other valuable skills. The loss of services of these personnel, which could occur without notice and without cause or good reason, could prevent or delay our growth plans and the implementation and completion of our strategic objectives, or divert management’s attention to seeking qualified replacements. Our U.S. employees, including our senior management, are not subject to non-competition agreements. Accordingly, the adverse effect of losing key personnel could be compounded by our inability to prevent them from competing with us.

We have and may continue to enter into acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances or partnerships with third parties that could fail.

We have and may continue to enter into acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures and partnerships in order to retain our competitive position within the marketplace, develop new products or expand into new markets. Examples include our acquisitions of DOSE Medical and Avedro, as well as our licensing of Santen’s PRESERFLO® Microshunt® (Preserflo MicroShunt), the Intratus drug delivery platform and the Attillaps and iVeena pharmaceutical compounds. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully complete any future acquisition we may pursue, or that we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, product or technology in a cost-effective and non-disruptive manner. Our future successes will depend, in part, on our ability to manage an expanded business, which may pose substantial challenges for our management, such as the increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in managing such expanded business or that we will realize the expected economies of scale, synergies and other benefits currently anticipated from recent or future acquisitions or strategic transactions. Additionally, these collaborations, joint ventures, and partnerships may fail to result in any commercialized product, including due to delays in or failures to obtain regulatory approvals, such as the failure to receive approval of the PreserFlo MicroShunt in the U.S., and could require us to invest a substantial amount of resources only to ultimately change regulatory strategies or to fail. In addition, these arrangements may be terminated before we are able to realize net sales to sufficiently cover the costs associated therewith, which could materially impact our business. We cannot assure you that any such transaction would result in the benefits expected from the transaction, including revenue growth, increased profitability or an enhancement in our business prospects. Further, pursuing acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances or partnerships with third parties, whether or not completed, is costly and time-consuming and could distract Company management from the operation of the business, which could negatively impact our operating results.

Failure to protect our information technology infrastructure against cyber incidents, network security breaches, service interruptions, or data corruption could materially disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, operating results, or the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.

The efficient operation of our global business depends on our information technology systems, including telecommunications, the internet, network communications, email and various computer hardware and software applications. We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage sales and marketing data, accounting and financial functions, inventory management, product development tasks, clinical data, quality systems, customer service and technical support functions. Our information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters, terrorist attacks, power losses, computer system or data network failures, data corruption and security breaches or other cyber-based incidents, some of which we have experienced and which we continue to monitor. Cyber incidents can include ransomware, computer denial-of-service attacks, worms, and other malicious software programs introduced to our computers and networks, including intrusions that are designed to evade detection for an extended period of time, phishing attacks, social engineering attacks, and efforts to discover and exploit any design flaws, bugs, security vulnerabilities or weaknesses, as well as intentional or unintentional acts by employees or other insiders with access privileges, intentional acts of vandalism or fraud by third

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parties and sabotage. While none of the cyber incidents or service interruptions that we have experienced to date have had a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or operations, we cannot assure that future incidents will not materially and adversely impact us. In addition, some of our software systems are cloud-based data management applications, hosted by third-party service providers whose security and information technology systems are subject to similar risks. The failure to protect either our or our service providers’ information technology infrastructure could disrupt our entire operation, resulting in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, product shortages, or loss or misuse of intellectual property or proprietary, confidential, sensitive or personal information, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

Our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system is integral to our ability to accurately and efficiently maintain our books and records, record transactions, and prepare our financial statements. Any disruptions or difficulties that may occur in connection with our ERP system (whether in connection with the regular operation, periodic enhancements or upgrades of such systems, or due to cyber incidents) could adversely affect our ability to provide services, fulfill contractual obligations, file reports with the SEC in a timely manner, operate our business or otherwise affect our controls environment. If our independent registered public accounting firm determines that we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the New York Stock Exchange, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities. Any of these events could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Failure to comply with data privacy and security laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are subject to state, federal and foreign laws relating to data privacy and security in the conduct of our business, including state breach notification laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the U.K. Data Protection Act and the U.K. GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act, and the California Privacy Rights Act, among others. These laws affect how we collect and use data of our employees, consultants, customers and other parties. These laws, as well as similar laws being enacted by other states and countries, impose substantial requirements that involve the expenditure of significant resources and the investment of significant time and effort to comply. We also rely on third parties to host or otherwise process some of this data. In some instances, these third parties have experienced failures to protect data privacy. Our failure or the failure of these third parties to comply with these laws or prevent security breaches of such data could result in significant liability under applicable laws, cause disruption to our business, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business.

We cannot be certain that our net operating loss tax carryforwards will be available to offset future taxable income.

At December 31, 2022, we had approximately $449.1 million, $321.1 million and $10.8 million of net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards for federal, state and foreign purposes, respectively. Federal NOL carryforwards incurred prior to 2018 begin to expire in 2024, while federal NOL carryforwards of $241.1 million will not expire but can only be used to offset 80 percent of future taxable income. State and foreign NOL carryforwards begin to expire in 2023. At December 31, 2022, we had federal and state R&D credit carryforwards of approximately $40.4 million and $22.3 million, respectively. Federal and $4.3 million of state credits begin to expire in 2023, while $18.0 million of state credits carry forward indefinitely. We continue to provide a valuation allowance against a portion of these tax attributes because we believe that uncertainty exists with respect to their future realization. Utilization of these tax attributes may be subject to annual limitations under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) Section 382 and Section 383 if the Company experiences an ownership change. To the extent available, we intend to use these NOL and credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income and/or income tax liabilities associated with our operations. There can be no assurance that we will generate sufficient taxable income in the carryforward period to utilize the remaining tax attributes before they expire.

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Risks Related to Indebtedness

The requirement that we service our indebtedness could limit the cash flow available for our operations and have other consequences that could adversely affect our business, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our debt obligations.

As of December 31, 2022, we had $287.5 million in principal amount of indebtedness as a result of the issuance of the Convertible Notes. We may also incur additional indebtedness to meet future financing needs. Interest payments, fees, covenants and restrictions under agreements governing our current or future indebtedness, including the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, could have significant consequences, including the following: impairing our ability to successfully continue to commercialize our current or future products; limiting our ability to obtain additional financing on satisfactory terms; increasing our vulnerability to general economic downturns, competition and industry conditions; requiring the dedication of a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness; inhibiting our flexibility to plan for, or react to, changes in our business; and diluting the interests of our existing stockholders if we issue shares of our common stock upon conversion of the Convertible Notes. The occurrence of any one of these events could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows and ability to satisfy our obligations under the indenture governing the Convertible Notes and any other indebtedness.

Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal and interest on, or to refinance the amounts payable under, our current or future indebtedness, including the Convertible Notes, while still making necessary investments in our business, will depend on our operating and financial performance, including our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, which may be subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to sell assets, restructure existing debt or obtain additional debt financing or equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance any 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 or secure desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the Convertible Notes in cash or to repurchase the Convertible Notes upon a fundamental change, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon conversion or repurchase of the Convertible Notes.

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Noteholders may require us to repurchase their Convertible Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date. In addition, upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Convertible Notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of the Convertible Notes surrendered or Convertible Notes being converted. In addition, our ability to repurchase the Convertible Notes or to pay cash upon conversions of the Convertible Notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase Convertible Notes, or to pay any cash payable on future conversions of the Convertible Notes as required by the indenture governing the Convertible Notes would constitute a default under the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, which event, or the occurrence of the fundamental change itself, may lead to a default under any future credit facility or other agreements governing our future indebtedness. 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 and repurchase the Convertible Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.

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The conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

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In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of the Convertible Notes will have the option to convert the Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares

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of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering 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 Convertible Notes do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

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The capped call transactions may affect the value of our common stock, and subject us to counterparty risk.

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In connection with the issuance of the Convertible Notes, we entered into capped call transactions with certain option counterparties. The capped call transactions cover, subject to customary adjustments, the number of shares of common stock initially underlying the Convertible Notes. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution of our common stock upon any conversion of the Convertible Notes or at our election (subject to certain conditions), offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the aggregate principal amount of converted Convertible Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction or offset subject to a cap. We have been advised that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates have established initial hedges of the capped call transaction, and may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes (and are likely to do so on each exercise date of the capped call transactions, which are expected to occur during the 40 trading day period beginning on the 41st scheduled trading day prior to the maturity date of the Convertible Notes, or following any termination of any portion of the capped call transactions in connection with any repurchase, redemption or early conversion of the Convertible Notes). This activity could impact the market price of our common stock.

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The option counterparties to the capped call transactions are financial institutions, and we are subject to the risk that any or all of them might default under the capped call transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties is not secured by any collateral. Past global economic conditions have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of many financial institutions. If an option counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the capped call transactions with such option counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, an increase in our exposure will be correlated to an increase in the market price subject to the cap and in the volatility of our common stock. In addition, upon a default by an option counterparty, we may suffer more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our common stock. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of the option counterparties.

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Risks Related to our Regulatory Environment

Our business, products and processes are subject to extensive regulation both in the U.S. and abroad and it can be costly to comply with these regulations. Any failure to adhere to applicable regulations could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our medical devices, drugs, drug/device combination products and other products are subject to extensive government regulation in the U.S. by the FDA, state regulatory authorities and foreign regulatory authorities in the countries in which we conduct business. These regulations relate to, among other things, R&D, labeling, advertising, promotion, pricing, and discounts, recordkeeping, reporting, import and export, post-approval studies and the sale and distribution of our products. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation – U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” and “International Regulation & Reimbursement” contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, state or foreign regulatory authorities, which may include, among other things, warning letters, fines, injunctions, recalls, refusals to grant or delays in granting requests, civil fines and penalties, operating restrictions, withdrawal of approvals and even criminal prosecution.

The process of obtaining clearances or approvals to market our products can be expensive and lengthy, and we cannot guarantee that our current products will receive approval for additional indications or that our future products will

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receive clearance or approval on a timely basis, if at all. Additionally, based upon a recent FDA determination, our pipeline products that are determined to be drug-device combination products will require review and coordination by each of FDA’s drug and device centers prior to approval, which may delay approval. In some instances, we or our partners have pursued, and may in the future pursue, a regulatory clearance or approval that proves unsuccessful, such as the FDA’s recent failure to approve the PreserFlo Microshunt in the U.S. and our recent determination to conduct a second pivotal confirmatory study of our Epioxa pharmaceutical therapy based on recommendations from the FDA in pre-NDA submission meetings. When this occurs, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA or other regulatory approval may substantially increase or new competitive products could reach the market faster than our product candidate, which could materially adversely impact our competitive position and prospects. We cannot assure you that we will receive the requisite approvals to sell our product candidates on our anticipated timeline or at all.

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Before we can obtain regulatory approval for any product candidate, we may have to undertake complex, time-consuming and expensive clinical testing in humans to demonstrate safety and efficacy, the outcomes of which are inherently uncertain and may never result in approved products or commercial sales. We have experienced in the past, and could experience in the future, delays in the commencement or completion of clinical trials or testing that could significantly affect our product development costs. We do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll an adequate number of patients in a timely manner or be completed on schedule, if at all, or be deemed insufficient by the FDA, which may require additional lengthy, time-consuming and expensive trials, which would further delay approval. We may suffer significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after earlier clinical trials showed promising results, and failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process.  We, the clinical trial investigators, the independent review board responsible for overseeing the trial, the FDA, or another regulatory authority may suspend, delay or terminate clinical trials at any time due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or trial protocols, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using the product, lack of sufficient funding, medical device product malfunctions, adverse events, or to avoid exposing trial participants to unacceptable health risks. Any delay or failure in clinical trials would delay or prevent our ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.

As part of the regulatory application and approval process, the FDA will generally conduct a pre-approval inspection of the applicant or its third-party manufacturers’ or suppliers’ manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR) for medical devices or current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations for drug products. If our facilities, or those of our third-party manufacturers or suppliers, fail to meet the QSR or cGMP regulations, as applicable, or other standards required by the FDA, we could experience a delay in obtaining the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to commercialize our pipeline products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition and results.

Even after we have obtained the proper regulatory clearance or approval to market a product, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations and applicable foreign laws and regulations. We may also be required to seek additional regulatory approvals to modify our approved products or their manufacturing processes or indications, which may entail significant time and expense. We and our suppliers are subject to extensive post-marketing regulatory requirements including post-marketing studies, and failure to comply with applicable requirements in a timely manner could subject us to enforcement actions, including recall or product approval withdrawals. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements is subject to continual review and is monitored rigorously through periodic inspections by the FDA. Other post-market requirements on our products include establishment registration and device listing, quality system and good manufacturing requirements, reporting of adverse events and device malfunctions, product tracing, reporting of corrections and removals (recalls), labeling requirements, and promotional restrictions. Under FDA regulations, combination products are subject to the quality system and good manufacturing requirements applicable to both drugs and medical devices. Our products could malfunction, cause unexpected adverse events, or experience performance problems that require review and possible corrective action by us or a component supplier, including a recall or market withdrawal. Any recall or product withdrawal, whether required by the FDA or another regulatory authority or initiated by us, could harm our reputation with customers and negatively affect our sales.

In addition, our promotional materials, sales techniques, pricing programs and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the promotion of a drug or medical

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device for a use that has not been cleared or approved by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, also known as an “off-label” use. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may limit the indications for use of our products, thereby restricting our ability to promote the drug or device. Physicians may use our products, particularly newly-approved products, off-label or in combination with other products that are not indicated or appropriate, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician's choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. However, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials, sales techniques, pricing programs or training constitutes promotion of an off-label use or encourages over-utilization of our products or use of our products in combinations that are not indicated or appropriate, it could request that we modify our materials, techniques, programs or training or subject us to enforcement actions.

We are subject to healthcare fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, false claims and transparency laws and regulations, among others, which are enforced by federal, state and international governments with respect to our marketing, training, customer arrangements, discount, rebate and pricing programs, product bundling, financial arrangements with physicians, patient assistance programs, reimbursement support services, and other practices. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation – U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” and “International Regulation & Reimbursement” contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about the laws and regulations which apply to us. The U.S. Department of Justice has increased its scrutiny of interactions between manufacturers and healthcare providers, as well as various patient, product and reimbursement support programs and speaker bureaus, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Although we try to structure our arrangements within available safe harbors whenever possible, we may nevertheless become subject to government scrutiny or investigation. Violations may result in civil monetary penalties, criminal penalties, and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business.

We are also subject to compliance with various laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, which generally prohibit companies and their agents from making bribes or other improper payments to officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to limitations on trade with persons in sanctioned countries. Our exposure to international markets increases the inherent risks of encountering such issues. While our employees, distributors and agents are required to comply with these laws and regulations, no assurance can be given that our training efforts and internal policies and procedures will prevent violations of these laws. Any actual or alleged violations of these laws and regulations could subject us to government investigations, criminal sanctions, severe fines and penalties that could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The scope and enforcement of each of the laws applicable to our business and products is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the government regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs and the curtailment or restricting of our operations, any of which could harm our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Responding to a government investigation is time and resource intensive, and may cause harm to our business and reputation even if we are able to successfully defend against it. Additionally, resolution of any such investigation may require agreement to onerous corporate integrity agreements or other compliance or reporting requirements, which may negatively affect our business.

Legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system could hinder or prevent our products’ commercial success.

In the U.S. and in certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare systems in ways that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably, if at all. In the U.S. in recent years, new legislation has been proposed and adopted at the federal and state levels that is effecting major changes in the healthcare system. In addition, new regulations and interpretations of existing healthcare statutes and regulations are frequently adopted and we may not be able to comply with the changed laws, they could increase the cost of manufacturing, marketing or selling our product, could make approvals of pipeline products more difficult or prevent us from selling at all. We expect there will continue to be a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the U.S. health care system that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the regulatory approval, manufacture and marketing of regulated products or the reimbursement thereof and may impose additional costs or

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lengthen review times of planned or future products. It is also difficult to predict whether and how the policies and priorities of a new administration could materially impact the regulation governing our products.

In May 2017, the EU adopted Medical Devices Regulation 2017/745 (MDR), which repealed and replaced the Medical Device Directive (MDD). MDR went into effect in May 2021, and provides for stricter controls of medical devices than did MDD. Under provisions that govern the transition from MDD to MDR, medical devices with notified body certificates issued under the MDD prior to May 2021 may continue to be marketed and sold as long as those certificates are valid (up to a maximum of five years from the date of issue) or until May 2024 at the latest, although legislation was proposed by the European Commission in January 2023 to extend that date for qualifying products. After the expiration of any applicable transitional period, only devices that have been CE marked under MDR may be placed on the market in the EU. Our failure, or the failure of our contract manufacturers, to obtain CE marks for all of our products under MDR on a timely basis, or to comply with MDR, could restrict our ability to sell our products in the EU or other parts of the world, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. Additionally, the U.K.’s withdrawal from the EU and the end of the mutual recognition and related trade facilitating effects for medical devices between the EU and Switzerland in May 2021 have added certain costs and complexities to the shipment and sales of our products in those countries.

We may from time to time increase the prices of our products, as we do with our Photrexa therapies. Drug pricing by pharmaceutical manufacturers is subject to federal and state reporting requirements and is currently, and is expected to continue to be, under close scrutiny, including with respect to manufacturers that increase the price of products after acquiring those products from other companies. In some cases, such scrutiny has resulted in congressional inquiries and federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturers’ patient support programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products. Although our price increases have been based upon third party studies of the projected economic value of our products to the healthcare system, they may still become subject to such scrutiny.

Additionally, on August 16, 2022, the U.S. government enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which is designed to, among other things, have a direct impact on drug prices and reduce drug spending by the federal government. The Inflation Reduction Act requires drug manufacturers to pay rebates to Medicare if they increase prices faster than inflation for certain drugs used by Medicare beneficiaries. The expansion of inflation-based rebates may complicate our pricing strategies. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 or other similar legislation could have the effect of reducing the prices we can charge and reimbursement we receive for our products, thereby reducing our revenues and profitability.

If we cannot sell our products profitably, whether due to our own inability to comply with, or the inability of other economic operators in our supply chain to qualify under, any legislative reform, our business would be harmed. In addition, 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.

Inadequate or inconsistent reimbursement for our products may adversely impact our business.

Our ability to successfully commercialize and achieve market acceptance of our products, as well as compete against other therapies designed to address the same disease states, depends in significant part on adequate financial coverage and reimbursement from third party payors, including governmental payors (such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs in the U.S.), managed care organizations and private health insurers. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation – U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” and “International Regulation & Reimbursement” contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. Payors continually review the clinical evidence for new therapies and can change their coverage policies without notice or deny payment if the product was not used in accordance with the payor’s coverage policy. Therefore, coverage for our products can differ significantly from payor to payor. In addition, payors continually review new therapies for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage for these products and procedures. As a result, the coverage determination process is often time-consuming and costly and requires us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage will be obtained or will be maintained once it is obtained.

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In addition to uncertainties surrounding coverage policies, there are uncertainties regarding appropriate reimbursement for the procedures associated with our new products like iAccess, a precision blade, and iPRIME, a viscoelastic delivery system, as well as sporadic volatility in reimbursement levels of existing products, including our Photrexa therapy. The demand for, and the profitability of, our products could be materially harmed if the Medicaid program, Medicare program, other healthcare programs in the U.S. or elsewhere, or third party commercial payors in the U.S. or elsewhere, deny reimbursement for our products, limit the indications for which our products will be reimbursed, are unclear on appropriate reimbursement codes or provide reimbursement only on unfavorable terms. MACs have in the past, and may in the future, change coverage terms, which could result in inadequate reimbursement and impact the use of our products. Also, when procedures associated with our products transition from temporary CPT Category III codes to permanent CPT Category I codes, the physician and facility reimbursement levels associated with the procedures using these products could be decreased, such as the decreased payment rates for procedures using our iStent-related products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, established by CMS for 2022 and 2023, as discussed earlier in these Risk Factors under the heading “Risks Related to Our Business.” Even when a permanent billing code has been assigned to a product, there is no guarantee that coverage will be provided. If we are unable to maintain our existing codes or obtain new permanent codes for procedures using our products, use existing codes for new products or obtain new reimbursement codes for our other products in development, we may be subject to significant pricing pressure, which could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In the foreign markets in which we operate, different pricing and reimbursement systems, which could result in lower reimbursement, could harm our ability to operate our business.

We cannot predict to what extent current global economic conditions, including the continuing effects of the COVID-19 or a future pandemic, may disrupt global healthcare systems and access to our products or result in a widespread loss of individual health insurance coverage due to unemployment, a shift from commercial payor coverage to government payor coverage, or an increase in demand for patient assistance and/or free drug programs, any of which could adversely affect our net revenue. In addition, payers consistently engage in cost containment efforts, which could include efforts to decrease reimbursement levels for prescription drugs and the imposition of prior authorization for the use of our products. We cannot predict actions that third party payors may take, including limiting access to or the level of reimbursement for our products or refusal to provide any approvals or coverage.

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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property, our competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, which would substantially impair our ability to compete.

Our success and ability to compete depends significantly upon our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our proprietary rights and licensed intellectual property rights to the technologies and inventions used in or embodied by our products. We rely on a combination of patents and trademark rights, and to a lesser extent on trade secrets and copyrights, together with licenses and nondisclosure agreements to protect our technologies. These legal means, however, afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our business. We also have not pursued or maintained, and may not pursue or maintain in the future, patent protection for our products in every country or territory in which we sell or will in the future sell our products. In addition, we cannot be sure that any of our pending patent applications or pending trademark applications will issue or issue in a form that will be advantageous to us.

Despite our efforts, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to adequately protect our proprietary rights, which could substantially impair our ability to compete. Our patents may be challenged and held invalid or we may be unable to extend the protection on products with expiring patents. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. Further, although it is our policy to require each of our employees, consultants and any other parties who may be involved in the development of intellectual property on our behalf to execute proprietary information and inventions agreements, we may be unsuccessful in doing so with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The relevant assignment provisions may not be self-executing or may be breached, resulting in ownership disputes and/or litigation.

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We have many foreign patents and patent applications, and expect to pursue patent protection in the most significant markets in which we do business. The laws of other countries in which our products are or may be sold may not protect our product offerings and intellectual property to the same extent as U.S. laws, if at all. Many companies have encountered significant difficulties in obtaining, protecting and defending such rights in international markets. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, and certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. We also may be unable to protect our rights in trade secrets and unpatented proprietary technology in these countries. If we encounter such difficulties or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights in these countries, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be substantially harmed.

We may not be able to accurately estimate or control our future operating expenses in relation to obtaining, enforcing and/or defending intellectual property, which could lead to cash shortfalls. Our operating expenses may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of the costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other patent related costs, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation or costs associated with administrative proceedings and the results of such proceedings.

We have been and may in the future become involved in patent and other intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings relating to our intellectual property rights, which could be costly, time consuming and unsuccessful and could interfere with our ability to successfully commercialize our products.

Intellectual property rights are essential to our business. We have asserted and may in the future need to assert claims of infringement against third parties to protect our rights, or to invalidate or challenge the intellectual property rights of a third party, including those rights owned by our competitors. Additionally, third parties could assert infringement or misappropriation claims against us with respect to our current or future commercial products and seek to invalidate one or more of our patents or trademarks. Such claims could arise in situations where certain employees, consultants or contractors were previously, or are currently, employed by other medical device, biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors; we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, misappropriated the intellectual property or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information, of these other employers.

There is no guarantee that we would be successful enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights in court. A court could hold that some or all of our asserted intellectual property rights are not infringed, or could invalidate our rights, hold our rights unenforceable, or substantially narrow the scope of protection. Further, we could be prohibited from manufacturing or selling our products or a court could order us to pay substantial compensatory damages as well as other penalties and fines. Any such adverse result would undermine our competitive position. Regardless of the final outcome, any litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights in patents, copyrights, trade secrets or trademarks is highly unpredictable and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Anti-takeover provisions in our Charter and Bylaws and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Charter) and amended and restated bylaws (Bylaws) may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our Charter and Bylaws include provisions that:

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These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us.

The exclusive forum provisions in our organizational documents could limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees.

Our Charter and Bylaws provide that, unless the Company consents in writing, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company or its stockholders, (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our Charter or Bylaws, or (iv) any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine (the Delaware Exclusive Forum Provision). The Delaware Exclusive Forum Provision is intended to apply to claims arising under Delaware state law and would not apply to claims brought pursuant to the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

Further, our Bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the U.S. will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act (the Federal Forum Provision). Our decision to adopt the Federal Forum Provision followed a decision by the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware holding that such provisions are facially valid under Delaware law and means that suits brought by stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created under the Securities Act must be brought in federal court and cannot be brought in state court.

The exclusive forum provisions in our Charter and Bylaws will not relieve us of our duties to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder and, accordingly, actions by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder must be brought in federal courts. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with these laws, rules and regulations. The exclusive forum provisions in our Charter and Bylaws may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. In addition, stockholders who do bring a claim in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware pursuant to the Delaware Exclusive Forum Provision could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near Delaware. The court in the designated forum under our exclusive forum provisions may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to the Company than to our stockholders. Further, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies’ organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find any of our exclusive forum provisions to be inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings. If a court were to find all or any part of our exclusive forum provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we might incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.

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ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

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ITEM 2.PROPERTIES

The Company leases two adjacent facilities located in San Clemente, California. Each of these leases expires on May 31, 2030, and each contains an option to extend the lease for one additional five year period at market rates. The total leased square footage of both facilities equals approximately 98,000. Additionally, the Company leases one property containing three office buildings, comprising approximately 160,000 rentable square feet of space, located in Aliso Viejo, California. The term of the Aliso Facility commenced on May 1, 2019 and continues for thirteen years. The agreement contains an option to extend the lease for two additional five year periods at market rates. On December 18, 2018, we also purchased approximately 2.5 acres of vacant land located adjacent to the Aliso Facility for future expansion purposes. In 2022, the Company relocated its corporate administrative headquarters, along with certain laboratory, R&D and warehouse space, to the Aliso Facility. The Company’s San Clemente locations will continue to serve as its main manufacturing location for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, we currently occupy approximately 60,000 square feet of leased manufacturing space in Burlington, Massachusetts pursuant to a lease agreement that expires on July 31, 2033. Our additional U.S.-based and foreign subsidiaries’ leased office space, which includes small administrative offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, totals less than 14,000 square feet.

We believe our existing properties are well maintained, in good operating condition and are adequate to support our present level of operations.

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ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries is a party to, and none of their respective property is the subject of, any material legal proceeding, although we are from time to time party to legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business.

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ITEM 4.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

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

Market Information for Common Stock

Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “GKOS”.

As of February 22, 2023, we had 53 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees. The number of record holders also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

Stock Performance Graph

The following performance graph shows the cumulative total stockholder return during the last five years in (i) our common stock, (ii) the S&P Small Cap 600 index and (iii) the S&P Small Cap 600 Healthcare index. The graph assumes that $100 was invested at the closing price of our common stock on the last trading day of fiscal year 2017 and all dividends were reinvested. Stockholder returns over the indicated period should not be considered indicative of future stockholder returns.

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This performance graph shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

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Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock or any other securities. We anticipate that we will retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, for use in the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

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ITEM 6.[RESERVED]

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

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain forward-looking statements that reflect our current plans, expectations, estimates and beliefs that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events may differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. You should carefully read Item 1A - “Risk Factors” included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to gain an understanding of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. Please also see the section entitled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Industry Data.”

Overview

We are an ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal disease. We first developed Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) as an alternative to the traditional glaucoma treatment paradigm, launching our first MIGS device commercially in 2012, and continue to develop a portfolio of technologically distinct and leverageable platforms to support ongoing pharmaceutical and medical device innovations. Products or product candidates for each of these platforms are designed to advance the standard of care through better treatment options across the areas of glaucoma, corneal disorders such as keratoconus, dry eye and refractive vision correction, and retinal diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion.

Impact of the Current Global Economic Environment

Global and regional economies, the markets we serve and financial markets have recently experienced significant volatility including inflation, supply shortages or delays, geopolitical developments, changes in supply and demand, labor shortages and turnover, natural disasters, higher energy costs, health epidemics or pandemics (including the COVID-19 pandemic), currency fluctuations, governmental actions such as mandatory shutdowns, and other conditions which have led to disruptions in commerce and pricing stability. The duration and scope of these conditions cannot be predicted, and therefore, it is uncertain what long-term impacts these economic pressures may have on our business.

While the COVID-19 pandemic materially impacted the global demand for our products, we have seen a general return toward more normalized levels for cataract and keratoconus procedures, with periodic volatility in certain geographies in which we operate, through December 31, 2022. Nevertheless, our business may be impacted by future developments, including any subsequent outbreaks or new variants of the COVID-19 virus, or other future health crises, which may require re-closures or other preventative measures. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread staffing shortages, including in ambulatory surgery centers, which has and may continue to impact elective procedures.

Additionally, some of our vendors are continuing to experience supply challenges, both in the acquisition of raw materials as well as due to labor shortages and disruption. As a result of these supply chain challenges and due to current inflationary pressures, we have experienced higher costs for certain components and raw materials. We expect these supply challenges may continue into 2023. These challenges have occasionally led to longer lead times for, and delays and partial or unfulfilled deliveries of certain components needed for the manufacture of our products, in some cases requiring us to find alternative sources for materials. If these delays and partial or unfulfilled deliveries persist, they could impact our ability to ship some of our products to our customers, or bring some of our pipeline products to market, in a timely manner.

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Financial Overview

The most important financial indicators that we use to assess our business are net sales, gross margin, operating expenses, and cash on hand.

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Please see Results of Operations and Liquidity and Capital Resources below for a detailed discussion of each of the above items including analysis of the fluctuations from year to year.

We incurred net losses of $99.2 million, $49.6 million and $120.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020, respectively and as of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $464.4 million.

Recent Developments

2023 U.S. reimbursement rates

On November 1, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final rules on 2023 Medicare physician fee and facility fee payment rates (2023 Final Rules) for procedures using our iStent family of products furnished in both the ambulatory surgery center and hospital outpatient settings in conjunction with cataract surgery, as well as the facility fee payment rates, in both hospital and ambulatory surgery center settings, and for standalone insertion of an aqueous drainage device, such as our iStent infinite product. The 2023 Final Rules do not materially modify the Final Rules (as defined below) established for 2022.

iStent infinite

On August 2, 2022, we received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market the iStent infinite, an implantable device intended to reduce the intraocular pressure of the eye. It is indicated for use in adult patients with primary open-angle glaucoma in whom previous medical and surgical treatment has failed. We began commercial launch activities for this product in the fourth quarter of 2022.

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iLink Epioxa

In November 2022, we made the determination, based upon recommendations from the FDA in recent pre-New Drug Application (NDA) meetings, that we will not submit an NDA for our Epioxa (Epi-On) bio-activated pharmaceutical therapy for the treatment of keratoconus this year, but will instead conduct a second pivotal confirmatory study for this product to support a future NDA submission. We currently estimate that enrollment in this study will commence in the first half of 2023.

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iVeena Exclusive License Agreement

Effective June 9, 2022, we entered into an Exclusive License Agreement (iVeena License Agreement) with iVeena Delivery Systems, Inc. (iVeena), pursuant to which iVeena granted us an exclusive, worldwide license to manufacture and sell products incorporating certain of iVeena’s owned or controlled technologies, including certain chemical compositions, that may be utilized for the treatment of keratoconus. Pursuant to the terms of the iVeena License Agreement, we made a one-time upfront payment to iVeena of $10.0 million. We accounted for the transaction as an asset acquisition as the set of acquired assets did not constitute a business. We may have ongoing milestone and royalty payment obligations depending on the success of the development, approval and commercialization of the proprietary technologies.

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Factors Affecting Our Performance

The CMS final rules for 2022 Medicare physician fee payment rates and 2022 Medicare facility fee payment rates for services furnished in both the ambulatory surgery center and hospital outpatient settings (Final Rules) took effect on January 1, 2022. Compared to the reimbursement rates in effect for 2021, the Final Rules contained a significantly lower physician fee related to the implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery. Conversely, the facility fee schedule related to surgeries that include implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, slightly decreased reimbursements to an ambulatory surgery center and increased reimbursements to a hospital. Additionally, the Final Rules established facility fee payment rates that were lower than anticipated for standalone insertion of an aqueous drainage device in the ambulatory surgery center and hospital settings, which would be the procedure that such facilities would use with our iStent infinite product. We estimate that approximately 80% of procedures utilizing our trabecular micro-bypass technologies in the U.S. are performed in the ambulatory surgery center setting and the remaining estimated 20% of procedures are performed in the hospital. The significant reduction of the physician fee had a negative impact on 2022 U.S. procedural volumes of our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, which we expect will continue for 2023, adversely affecting our U.S. combo-cataract Glaucoma revenues, gross profit, and net loss, the full extent of which is not known at this time.

We expect our results of operations for 2023 and our near-term performance to reflect increasing competitive dynamics, the impact of the reduced physician fee reimbursement rates contained in the 2023 Final Rules, the continuing disruption resulting from labor and supply shortages and the effects of the macroeconomic environment, the full effects of which are difficult to predict at this time. In addition to the foregoing factors, our operations to date have been, and we believe our future growth and success will be, impacted by the following:

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Further, we have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in our global sales force, marketing programs, research and development (R&D) activities, clinical studies, and general and administrative infrastructure. FDA-approved investigational device exemption (IDE) or investigational new drug (IND) studies and new product development programs in our industry are expensive. Our operating expenses have increased significantly following our acquisition of Avedro, Inc. (Avedro), and we have also incurred additional construction costs related to our new facility in Aliso Viejo, California (Aliso Facility), as well as expansions of our existing facilities in San Clemente, California and Burlington, Massachusetts.

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Although we have been profitable for certain periods in our operating history, there can be no assurance that we will be profitable or generate cash from operations in the future.

Components of Results of Operations

Net Sales

We currently operate in one reportable segment and net sales are generated primarily from sales of our iStent family of products and sales of Photrexa and other associated drug formulations, as well as our proprietary bioactivation systems and royalty income. Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those products or services.

We sell the majority of our products through a direct sales organization in the United States. Internationally, we sell our products primarily through direct sales subsidiaries in seventeen countries and through independent distributors in certain countries in which we do not have a direct presence or maintain a modest commercial presence. The primary end-user customers for our products are surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices.

While net sales may increase as we expand our global sales and marketing infrastructure and continue to increase awareness of our products by expanding our sales base and increasing our marketing efforts, historically our net sales within a fiscal year have been impacted seasonally, as demand for U.S. ophthalmic procedures is typically softer in the first quarter and stronger in the fourth quarter of a given year. However, we did not experience the same seasonality pattern in 2021 due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, we saw the return of some seasonality patterns, however traditional U.S. revenue patterns were disrupted as a result of the CMS reimbursement cuts. The effect of COVID-19 and other macroeconomic conditions, including higher interest rates and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, on our commercial performance may continue into future reporting periods. The 2022 CMS physician fee and facility fee rate decreases, which were effective in 2022 and will continue into 2023 have also disrupted traditional U.S. customer ordering patterns and have resulted in our customers’ trialing of competitive products, causing reduced U.S. Glaucoma sales volumes during 2022. Our U.S. Corneal Health sales have experienced modest negative impacts due to sporadic reimbursement challenges. Additionally, unfavorable foreign exchange rates and global COVID dynamics in certain geographies in which we operate have negatively impacted our sales during the year ended December 31, 2022.

In addition to the foregoing, we had commercialized our products for several years in the U.S. with few or no direct competitors. Other competitive products have now become available in the U.S. and globally that have impacted and may continue to impact adoption of or demand for our products. We are also aware of similar products being developed by third parties that could enter the market and increase the competitive pressures we face. These other products could achieve greater commercial acceptance or demonstrate better safety or effectiveness, clinical results, ease of use or lower costs than our products, which could adversely impact our net sales.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales reflects the aggregate costs to manufacture our products and includes raw material costs, labor costs, manufacturing overhead expenses and the effect of changes in the balance of reserves for excess and obsolete inventory.

We manufacture our iStent family of products at our facility in San Clemente, California using components manufactured by third parties. We manufacture our KXL systems at our manufacturing facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we contract with third-party manufacturers in the U.S. and Germany to produce our Photrexa and other associated drug formulations. We currently intend to maintain our manufacturing facilities at our San Clemente and Burlington locations for the foreseeable future.

Due to the relatively low production volumes of our iStent family of products and our KXL systems compared to our potential capacity for those products, a significant portion of our per unit costs is comprised of manufacturing overhead expenses. These expenses include quality assurance, material procurement, inventory control, facilities, equipment and operations supervision and management.

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Cost of sales includes a charge equal to a low single-digit percentage of worldwide net sales of certain iStent products, with a required minimum annual payment of $0.5 million, which amount became payable to the Regents of the University of California (the University) in connection with our December 2014 agreement with the University related to a group of our U.S. patents (the Patent Rights). This ongoing product payment obligation changed as patent coverage on certain products has lapsed, and terminated entirely on the date the last of the Patent Rights expires, which was December 29, 2022.

Cost of sales includes amortization of the $252.2 million developed technology intangible asset. For each of the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the amortization expense was $22.1 million.

Our future gross profit as a percentage of net sales, or gross margin, will be impacted by numerous factors including commencement of sales of products in our pipeline, or any other future products, which may have higher product costs. Our gross margin will also be affected by manufacturing or supply chain inefficiencies that we may experience as we attempt to manufacture our products on a larger scale, manufacture new products and change our manufacturing capacity or output. Additionally, our gross margin will continue to be affected by royalty expenses on current or future products associated with various licensing agreements. Our gross margin in future periods may also be impacted by other factors adversely affecting our net sales in future periods, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, the current macroeconomic environment, including inflationary pressures and fluctuations in foreign currency, and the impact of the reductions on payment rates for certain of our products and related services as a result of the 2023 Final Rules.

Selling, General and Administrative

Our selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, sales commissions, bonuses, fringe benefits and stock-based compensation for our executive, financial, marketing, sales, and administrative functions. Other significant SG&A expenses include marketing programs; advertising; post-approval clinical studies; conferences and congresses; travel expenses; costs associated with obtaining and maintaining our patent portfolio; professional fees for accounting, auditing, consulting and legal services; costs associated with our global enterprise systems; and allocated facility expenses.

We expect SG&A expenses to continue to grow as we increase our global sales and marketing infrastructure and general administration infrastructure. We also expect other non-employee‐related costs, including sales and marketing program activities for new products, outside services and accounting and general legal costs to increase as our overall operations grow. The timing of these increased expenditures and their magnitude are primarily dependent on the commercial success and sales growth of our products, as well as on the timing of any new product launches and other potential business and operational activities.

Research and Development

Our R&D activities primarily consist of new product development projects, pre-clinical studies, IDE and IND studies, and other clinical trials. Our R&D expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, fringe benefits and stock-based compensation for our R&D employees; research materials; supplies and services; in-licenses, including event-based milestones; and the costs of conducting clinical studies, which include payments to investigational sites and investigators, clinical research organizations, consultants, and other outside technical services and the costs of materials, supplies and travel. We expense R&D costs as incurred. We expect our R&D expenses to continue to increase as we initiate and advance our development programs, including our expanding surgical and pharmaceutical development efforts and clinical trials across glaucoma, retinal disease and corneal health.

Completion dates and costs for our clinical development programs include seeking regulatory approvals and our research programs vary significantly for each current and future product candidate and are difficult to predict. As a result, while we expect our R&D costs to continue to increase for the foreseeable future, we cannot estimate with any degree of certainty the costs we will incur in connection with the development of our product candidates. We anticipate we will make determinations as to which programs and product candidates to pursue and how much funding to direct to

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each program and product candidate on an ongoing basis in response to the scientific success of early research programs, results of ongoing and future clinical trials, the availability of funding resources, as well as ongoing assessments as to each current or future product candidate’s commercial potential and our likelihood of obtaining necessary regulatory approvals. We are not currently able to fully track expenses by product candidate.

In-process Research and Development

IPR&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 totaled $10.0 million related to our iVeena licensing agreement previously discussed in Recent Developments above.

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Our IPR&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 relate to a $5.0 million upon signing our exclusive licensing agreement with Attillaps Holdings, Inc. and a $5.0 million payment upon signing our exclusive licensing agreement with Intratus, Inc.

Litigation-related Settlement

The $30.0 million cash payments we received pursuant to the terms of a Settlement Agreement dated September 14, 2021 (Settlement Agreement) are included in litigation-related settlement as a reduction of operating expenses on the consolidated statements of operations in each respective year.

Non-Operating Expense, Net

Non-operating expense, net primarily consists of interest expense associated with our finance lease for our Aliso Facility and for our 2.75% convertible notes due 2027 (Convertible Notes), interest income derived from our short-term investments and unrealized gains and losses arising from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, primarily related to intercompany loans.

Income Taxes

Our tax provision is primarily comprised of state and foreign income taxes. Our net deferred tax liability of $7.3 million at December 31, 2022 primarily represents the excess of our indefinite-lived deferred tax liabilities over our indefinite-lived deferred tax assets. We continue to provide a full valuation allowance against our other net deferred tax assets.

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We record reserves for uncertain tax positions where we believe the ability to sustain the tax position does not reach a more likely than not threshold.

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Results of Operations

For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2022.

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Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021

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NM = Not Meaningful

Net Sales

Our net sales are generated primarily from sales of iStent family of products to customers and sales of Photrexa and associated drug formulations as well as KXL systems to customers. Customers are primarily comprised of ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices, with distributors being used in certain international locations where we currently do not have a direct commercial presence.

Net sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $282.9 million and $294.0 million, respectively, reflecting a decrease of $11.1 million or 4%.

Net sales of glaucoma products in the United States were $144.7 million and $170.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, decreasing by approximately 15%. This decrease is primarily due to lower volumes caused by the significantly reduced CMS physicians’ fee that was implemented on January 1, 2022, which has disrupted traditional U.S. customer ordering patterns and has resulted in our customers’ trialing of competitive products. Additionally, sales in the second half of 2021 were positively impacted by abnormally high demand for cataract and glaucoma procedures following the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines and increasing normalized economic and operating conditions within certain markets in which we operated at that time.

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International sales of glaucoma products for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $69.6 million and $61.2 million, respectively, increasing by approximately 14%. The increase in international sales reflects broad-based growing demand in many key international markets for combined cataract and glaucoma procedures, the dollar-based results of which were substantially affected by unfavorable foreign exchange rates, primarily related to the Euro and Japanese Yen, during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.

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Net sales of corneal health products were $68.6 million and $62.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, increasing by 11%. Of the $6.6 million increase in net sales generated by our corneal health products, $5.6 million related to U.S. sales using direct sales operations, which was comprised of an increase of $6.0 million of Photrexa net sales partially offset by reductions of $0.4 million in U.S. capital equipment sales. Additionally, corneal health sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 were positively impacted by higher realized average sales and continued new account starts. Our international corneal health sales increased $1.0 million, in locations where we utilize distributors given we do not have a direct commercial presence.

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Cost of Sales

Cost of sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $69.0 million and $66.6 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of approximately $2.4 million or 4%. Our gross margin was approximately 76% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to approximately 77% for the year ended December 31, 2021. The variance from the prior year resulted primarily from an increase in the product mix of modestly lower margin products of international market sales and higher material costs due to the inflationary environment.

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $192.9 million and $179.3 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of $13.6 million or 8%.

Of the total $192.9 million, we incurred approximately $125.1 million of costs associated with commercial personnel and discretionary spending during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to $112.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, with the increase primarily due to compensation and related employee expenses associated with our sales infrastructure in glaucoma and corneal health, along with increased travel, meetings and accompanying costs as business activities have reopened and expanded over the course of the last twelve months. We also incurred approximately $67.8 million of costs associated with general and administrative personnel and discretionary spending during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to $63.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, associated with our ongoing administrative functions and amortization of our right-of-use asset related to our long-term lease for the Aliso Facility.

Research and Development Expenses

R&D expenses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $123.3 million and $101.0 million, respectively, reflecting an increase of $22.3 million or 22%.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred $80.4 million in core R&D expenses and $42.8 million in clinical expenses, comprised of $63.1 million in compensation and related employee expenses with the remaining $60.2 million spent on the continued research and development, clinical studies, regulatory activities, quality assurance, clinical inventory and supplies for surgical glaucoma product candidates and pharmaceutical projects, such as a pharmaceutical therapeutic system for the treatment of keratoconus without the removal of the epithelium (often referred to as “epi-on”), iDose and our earlier stage programs for dry eye, presbyopia, retina and other therapeutic investments. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we incurred $66.6 million in core R&D expenses and $34.4 million in clinical expenses, comprised of $50.1 million in compensation and related employee expenses with the remaining $50.9 million spent on the abovementioned programs.

In-process Research and Development

IPR&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 totaled $10.0 million related to our iVeena licensing agreement previously discussed in Recent Developments above.

IPR&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 related to the amendment of our exclusive licensing agreement with Intratus, Inc. and our exclusive licensing agreement with Attillaps Holdings, Inc. We paid $5.0 million upon signing of each of these agreements.

Litigation-related Settlement

The $30.0 million cash payments from the Settlement Agreement received during each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are included in litigation-related settlement as a reduction of operating expenses on the consolidated statements of operations.

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Non-Operating Expense, Net

We had non-operating expense, net of $16.1 million and $16.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The change in non-operating expense, net of $0.3 million primarily relates to increased interest income earned on investments, partially offset by recognition of unrealized foreign currency losses due to higher intercompany loan balances denominated in, and impacted by, unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates and higher interest expense recognized related to the Convertible Notes and to the finance lease for our Aliso Facility.

Income Tax Provision

Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2022 was (0.78)%. For the year ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we recorded a provision for income taxes of $0.8 million and $0.3 million, respectively. For each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 our tax provision was primarily comprised of state and foreign income tax expense.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity are our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, and generally cash generated from operating, financing and investing activities. Our primary uses of cash have been for selling and marketing activities, general and administrative expenses, research and development programs, and capital expenditures.

The following table summarizes our cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and selected working capital data as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (in thousands):

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Main Sources of Liquidity

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We plan to fund our operations, commitments for capital expenditures and other short and long-term known contractual and other obligations using existing cash and investments and, to the extent available, cash generated from commercial operations. Our existing cash and investments include the remaining net proceeds from the Convertible Notes issued in June 2020 (after payment for the related capped call transactions), and the two $30.0 million payments received from Ivantis, Inc. during each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, which are being used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Short-term Investments and Restricted Cash

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Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled approximately $352.7 million and our restricted cash totaled approximately $7.1 million.

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Cash Flow used in Operations

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For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, our operating activities used $33.1 million in net cash.

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Senior Convertible Notes

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Our Convertible Notes may be converted at the option of the holders at the times and under the circumstances and at the conversion rate described in Note 8 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements. As of December 31, 2022, none of the conditions allowing holders of the Convertible Notes to convert had been met. These conditions are measured each quarter. For example, if our trading price remains above 130% of the conversion price for at least 20 trading days during the 30 consecutive trading-day period ending on, and including, March 31, 2023, holders of the Convertible Notes would have the right to convert their Convertible Notes during the calendar quarter beginning April 1, 2023. Upon conversion, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election, in the manner and subject to the terms and conditions provided in the Indenture. Settling all or a portion of the conversion obligation in cash could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders of the Convertible Notes do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

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We may seek to obtain additional financing in the future through other debt or equity financings. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us, or at all and although we have been profitable for certain periods in our operating history, there can be no assurance that we will be profitable or generate cash from operations.

Short-term Liquidity Requirements

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Our short-term liquidity requirements primarily consist of regular operating costs, interest payments related to our Convertible Notes, R&D project funding, capital expenditures as we continue the development of our facilities and office spaces, operating and financing lease obligations and other firm purchase commitments. As of December 31, 2022, we had net working capital of $371.5 million, which indicates that our current assets are sufficient to cover our short-term liabilities.

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Long-term Liquidity Requirements

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Our long-term liquidity requirements primarily consist of interest and principal payments related to our Convertible Notes, capital expenditures for the development of our manufacturing facilities and office spaces, and long-term material cash requirements as described below. As demand grows for our products, we will continue to expand global operations to meet demand through investments in our manufacturing capabilities.

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Material Cash Requirements

The following table summarizes our material cash requirements, including commitments for capital expenditures and known contractual and other obligations as of December 31, 2022, and the amount required to satisfy those requirements in future periods.

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The Convertible Notes will mature on June 15, 2027, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased in accordance with their terms. In addition to the amounts included in the table above, we will incur material cash obligations related to our Convertible Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion.

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After funding the current operations of our commercial activities, the first planned use of our cash flow from operations is to provide capital funding for our R&D and clinical activities. In addition to investing in R&D and clinical activities, we expect to utilize cash for various capital expenditures including the expansion and enhancement of our facilities. We have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in our global sales force, marketing programs, research and development activities, clinical studies and general and administrative infrastructure. FDA-approved IDE and IND studies and new product development programs in our industry are expensive.

We believe that cash from operating, financing and investing activities, together with our cash and investment balances, will be sufficient to meet ongoing operations, capital expenditures, commitments, working capital requirements and other known contractual and other obligations and satisfy our liquidity requirements for at least the next 12 months and the foreseeable future.

Cash Flows

Our historical cash outflows have primarily been associated with cash used for operating activities such as the expansion of our sales, marketing and R&D activities; purchase of and growth in inventory and other working capital needs; the acquisition of intellectual property; and expenditures related to equipment and improvements used to increase our manufacturing capacity, to improve our manufacturing efficiency and for overall facility expansion.

The following table is a condensed summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

At December 31, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents were held for working capital purposes. We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes. Our policy is to invest any cash in excess of our immediate requirements in investments designed to preserve the principal balance and provide liquidity.

Operating Activities

In the year ended December 31, 2022 our operating activities used $33.1 million and for the year ended December 31, 2021 our operating activities provided $24.7 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, our net cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $99.2 million, adjusted for non-cash items of $79.6 million, primarily consisting of stock-based compensation expense of $38.6 million, depreciation of $6.7 million, amortization of intangible assets of $24.9 million, amortization of lease right-of-use assets of $4.4 million, and amortization of debt issuance costs of $1.4 million. Additionally, changes in operating assets and liabilities were $13.4 million, which resulted primarily from increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $7.2 million, and decreases in other assets of $0.3 million, offset by increases in inventory of $15.5 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.1 million and increases in prepaids and other current assets of $1.7 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, our net cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $49.6 million, adjusted for non-cash items of $70.7 million, primarily consisting of stock-based compensation expense of $30.1 million, depreciation $4.7 million, amortization of intangible assets of $24.9 million, amortization of lease right-

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of-use assets of $4.8 million, and amortization of debt issuance costs of $1.4 million. Additionally, this was partially offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.6 million, which resulted from increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $12.4 million and decreases in accounts receivable of $1.7 million, partially offset by increases in inventory of $7.7 million and prepaid expenses and other current assets of $3.1 million.

Investing Activities

In the year ended December 31, 2022 our investing activities provided cash of $44.8 million and for the year ended December 31, 2021 net cash from investing activities used approximately $58.2 million.

In the year ended December 31, 2022, we used approximately $59.3 million for purchases of short-term investments, approximately $30.3 million for purchases of property and equipment, primarily related to our facilities in Aliso Viejo, California; Burlington, Massachusetts; and San Clemente, California; and approximately $1.0 million related to investments in company-owned life insurance, and we received cash of approximately $135.2 million from sales and maturities of short-term investments.

In the year ended December 31, 2021, we used approximately $215.3 million for purchases of short-term investments, approximately $47.8 million for purchases of property and equipment, primarily related to our facilities in Aliso Viejo, California and San Clemente, California; and approximately $2.1 million related to investments in company-owned life insurance, and we received cash of approximately $206.9 million from sales and maturities of short-term investments.

We expect to continue our increased levels of capital expenditures into 2023 as we continue expansion of our manufacturing capacity for current and new products, improve our manufacturing efficiency and for overall facility expansion.

Financing Activities

In the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 our financing activities provided $6.3 million and $39.3 million of net cash, respectively.

In the year ended December 31, 2022, we received $9.2 million from the exercises of stock options and purchases of our common stock by employees pursuant to our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and used $2.7 million for payment of employee taxes related to restricted stock unit vestings. Additionally, we received $0.3 million in proceeds from our tenant improvement allowances of our Aliso Facility and paid $0.5 million in principal on our finance lease.

In the year ended December 31, 2021, we received $30.9 million from the exercises of stock options and purchases of our common stock by employees pursuant to our Employee Stock Purchase Plan and used $3.7 million for payment of employee taxes related to restricted stock unit vestings. Additionally, we received $12.7 million in proceeds from our tenant improvement allowances of our Aliso Facility and paid $0.7 million in principal on our finance lease.

We do not have any significant off-balance sheet arrangements or holdings in variable interest entities.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Generally, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions in accordance with GAAP that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions and such differences could be material to our financial position and results of operations.

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While our significant accounting policies are more fully described below and in the Notes to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe the following accounting policies to be most critical for fully understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

We derive our revenue from sales of our products in the United States and internationally. Customers are primarily comprised of ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals and physician private practices, with distributors being used in certain international locations where we do not have a direct commercial presence.

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We concluded that one performance obligation exists for the majority of our contracts with customers which is to deliver products in accordance with our normal delivery times. Revenue is recognized when this performance obligation is satisfied, which is the point in time when we consider control of a product to have transferred to the customer. Revenue recognized reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those products or services. We have determined the transaction price to be the invoice price, net of adjustments that reduce revenue, which includes estimates of variable consideration for certain product returns and warranty replacements. We only recognize revenue when it is probable that we will collect the consideration we are entitled to in exchange for the goods transferred to a customer. This requires management to perform an assessment related to the probability of collecting the consideration. The assessment can contain judgment when it is performed for customers with declining credit conditions or those with no history or a limited history of product sales with us.

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We offer volume-based rebate agreements to certain customers and, in these instances, we provide a rebate (in the form of a credit memo) at the contract’s conclusion, if earned by the customer. In such cases, the transaction price is allocated between our delivery of product and the issuance of a rebate at the contract’s conclusion for the customer to utilize on prospective purchases. The performance obligation to issue a customer’s rebate, if earned, is transferred over time and our method of measuring progress is the output method, whereby the progress is measured by the estimated rebate earned to date over the total rebate estimated to be earned over the contract period. The provision for volume-based rebates is estimated based on customers' contracted rebate programs and the customers’ projected sales levels. We periodically monitor our customer rebate programs to ensure the rebate allowance is fairly stated. Our rebate allowance is included in accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and estimated rebates accrued were not material during the periods presented.

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Additionally, we have performance obligations related to certain customers’ right to a future discount on single dose pharmaceutical purchases in the U.S., as well as voluntary patient assistance programs to provide financial assistance to qualified patients. Each of these performance obligations is expected to be recognized when the customer or patient elects to utilize the discount, which is generally within one year. The impact of these programs on revenue were not material for the periods presented.

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Customers are not granted specific rights of return; however, we may permit returns of certain products from customers if such product is returned in a timely manner and in good condition. We generally provide a warranty on our products for one year from the date of shipment, and offer an extended warranty for our KXL systems. Any product found to be defective or out of specification will be replaced or serviced at no charge during the warranty period. Estimated allowances for sales returns and warranty replacements are recorded at the time of sale of the product and are estimated based upon the historical patterns of product returns matched against sales, and an evaluation of specific factors that may increase the risk of product returns. Product returns and warranty replacements to date have been consistent with amounts reserved or accrued and have not been significant. If actual results in the future vary from our estimates, we will adjust these estimates which would affect net product revenue and earnings in the period such variances become known.

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Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-based compensation expense for a stock option award is measured at the date of grant, based on the estimated fair value of the award using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The estimation of the fair value of each stock-based option grant or issuance on the date of grant is impacted by numerous assumptions by management,

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including but not limited to expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards and the expected term of stock options. Our stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimates.

Stock-based compensation expense for a restricted stock unit (RSU) award is measured at the date of grant, based on the fair value of the award which is the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant.

For awards that vest based on service conditions, we use the straight-line method to recognize compensation expense over the respective service period. For awards that contain performance conditions, we determine the appropriate amount to expense based on the probable achievement of performance targets, which requires judgment, and which may include forecasting the achievement of future specified targets. At the date performance conditions are determined to be probable of achievement, we record a cumulative expense catch-up, with remaining expense amortized over the remaining service period. Throughout the performance period, we re-assess the estimated performance and update the number of performance-based awards that we believe will ultimately vest.

If factors change and we employ different assumptions, stock-based compensation expense may differ significantly from what we have recorded in the past. If there is a difference between the assumptions used in determining stock-based compensation expense and the actual factors which become known over time, we may change the input factors used in determining stock-based compensation expense for future grants. These changes, if any, may materially impact our results of operations in the period such changes are made. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant based on historical experience, and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

For a description of recent accounting pronouncements, see Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 7A.Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. Our cash and cash equivalents include cash in readily available checking and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. These securities are not dependent on interest rate fluctuations that could cause the principal amount of these assets to fluctuate and thus do not pose any interest rate risk to us. While we believe our cash and cash equivalents do not contain excessive risk, we cannot provide absolute assurance that in the future our investments will not be subject to adverse changes in market value.

In addition, we maintain significant amounts of cash and cash equivalents at one or more financial institutions that are in excess of federally insured limits.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

We have foreign currency risks related to our revenue and operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Increases or decreases in our foreign-denominated revenue from movements in foreign exchange rates are often partially offset by the corresponding increases or decreases in our foreign-denominated operating expenses.

To the extent that our international operations grow, our risks associated with fluctuation in currency rates will become greater, and we will continue to assess our approach to managing this risk. In addition, currency fluctuations or a weakening U.S. dollar can increase the costs of our international operations. To date, we have not entered into any foreign currency hedging contracts although we may do so in the future.

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A hypothetical 10% increase or decrease in the value of foreign exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2022 would have had an immaterial impact on our net loss.

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ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Glaukos Corporation

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Glaukos Corporation (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, 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, 2022, and the related notes  (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, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, 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, 2022, 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 24, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Adoption of ASU No. 2020-06

As discussed in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method for accounting for convertible debt in 2021 due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity.

Basis for Opinion

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

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

Critical Audit Matter 

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

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/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2006.

Irvine, California

February 24, 2023

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Glaukos Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except par values)

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See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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Glaukos Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

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See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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Glaukos Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands)

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See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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Glaukos Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands)