NEPHROS INC - Quarter Report: 2021 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended: September 30, 2021

OR

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

For the transition period from: _______ to _______

Commission File Number: 001-32288

NEPHROS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(201) 343-5202

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

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

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

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

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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

As of November 1, 2021, 10,233,083 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, were outstanding.

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

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

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

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

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands, except share amounts)

(Unaudited)

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

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

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

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Nature of Operations

Nephros, Inc. (“Nephros” or the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 3, 1997. The Company was founded by health professionals, scientists and engineers affiliated with Columbia University to develop advanced end stage renal disease (“ESRD”) therapy technology and products.

Beginning in 2009, Nephros introduced high performance liquid purification filters to meet the demand for water purification in certain medical markets. The Company’s filters, generally classified as ultrafilters, are primarily used in hospitals for the prevention of infection from waterborne pathogens, such as legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for the removal of biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate concentrate. The Company also develops and sells water filtration products for commercial applications, focusing on the hospitality and food service markets. The water filtration business is a reportable segment, referred to as the Water Filtration segment.

The Company’s pathogen detection systems are portable, near real-time systems designed to provide actionable data for infection control teams and other organizations. The pathogen detection systems business is a reportable segment, referred to as the Pathogen Detection segment.

In July 2018, the Company formed a new subsidiary, Specialty Renal Products, Inc. (“SRP”), to drive the development of its second-generation hemodiafiltration system and other products focused on improving therapies for patients with renal disease. The Company transferred three patents to SRP, which were carried at zero book value. SRP is a reportable segment, referred to as the Renal Products segment.

The Company’s primary U.S. facilities are located at 380 Lackawanna Place, South Orange, New Jersey 07079, 3221 Polaris Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102 and 1015 Telegraph Street, Unit B, Reno, Nevada 89502. These locations house the Company’s corporate headquarters, research, manufacturing, and distribution facilities. In addition, the Company maintains small administrative offices in various locations in the United States and Ireland.

Note 2 – Basis of Presentation and Liquidity

Interim Financial Information

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 was derived from the Company’s audited financial statements. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for annual financial statements. Results as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021.

The condensed consolidated interim financial statements and notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Consolidation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nephros, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including SRP, in which a controlling interest is maintained by the Company. Outside stockholders’ interest in SRP of 37.5% is shown on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as noncontrolling interest. All intercompany accounts and transactions were eliminated in the preparation of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amount of revenues and expenses, during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Included in these estimates are assumptions about the collection of accounts receivable, value of inventories, useful life of fixed assets and intangible assets, the assessment of expected cash flows used in evaluating goodwill and other long-lived assets, value of contingent consideration, the assessment of the ability to continue as a going concern and assumptions used in determining stock compensation such as expected volatility and risk-free interest rate.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications were made to the prior year’s amounts related to the gross up of the changes in lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows to conform to the 2021 presentation.

Liquidity

The Company has sustained operating losses and expects such losses to continue over the next several quarters. In addition, net cash from operations has been negative since inception, generating an accumulated deficit of $134.7 million as of September 30, 2021.

On September 5, 2018, SRP completed a private placement transaction whereby SRP sold preferred shares equivalent to 37.5% of its outstanding equity interests for aggregate proceeds of $3.0 million. As of approximately July 1, 2020, SRP had fully spent the proceeds from this private placement. On October 9, 2020, Nephros and SRP entered into a loan agreement under which Nephros agreed to lend up to $1.3 million to SRP, including the $1.0 million borrowed during the year ended December 31, 2020. These funds are to be used to fund SRP’s operating activities and are expected to be sufficient to fund SRP through the planned FDA 510(k) clearance process of SRP’s second-generation hemodiafiltration system, which was initially submitted to the FDA for “Special 510(k)” clearance in February 2021 and resubmitted for “Traditional 510(k)” clearance in June 2021. As of September 30, 2021, the outstanding balance, including accrued interest, was $1.3 million.

Based on cash that is available for the Company’s operations and projections of future Company operations, the Company believes that its cash balances will be sufficient to fund its current operating plan – including any remaining negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – through at least the next 12 months from the date of issuance of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Additionally, the Company’s operating plans are designed to help control operating costs and to increase revenue until such time as the Company generates sufficient cash flows from operations.

While significant progress has been made against the COVID-19 pandemic, some uncertainty remains with respect to the Company’s projections regarding the availability of sufficient cash resources, due to the possibility that COVID-19 infections could increase again and cause further disruption to economic conditions. During the pandemic, particularly during calendar year 2020, the Company saw decreased demand for its hospital filtration products, particularly in emergency pathogen outbreak response. In addition, sales to new customers – including water filtration and pathogen detection products – were hindered by pandemic-related travel restrictions. Also, the Company’s commercial filtration products, which are primarily targeted at the hospitality and food service markets, saw a decrease in demand, due to the closure of many hotels and restaurants. The Company believes that broad vaccine distribution has reduced the probability of further significant negative COVID-19 impacts, but if these decreases in demand return and the Company is unable to achieve its revenue plan, the Company may need to reduce budgeted expenditures as appropriate to preserve its available capital resources, which could slow its revenue growth plans.

On April 24, 2020, the Company obtained a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) in the amount of $0.5 million (“PPP loan”). Under the terms of the PPP, certain amounts of the loan may be forgiven if they are used for qualifying expenses during the first 24 weeks of the loan. On January 14, 2021, the U.S Small Business Administration notified the Company that, in accordance with the PPP terms, the PPP loan was forgiven in full, including all principal and interest outstanding as of the date of forgiveness. As such, $0.5 million has been recognized as an extinguishment of debt on the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2019, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2019-12, “Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes,” which removes certain exceptions to the general principles of the accounting for income taxes and also improves consistent application of and simplification of other areas when accounting for income taxes. The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2021 and the guidance did not have an impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements, Not Yet Effective

In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-04, “Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options,” which clarifies and reduces diversity in an issuer’s accounting for modifications or exchanges of freestanding equity-classified written call options that remain equity classified after modification or exchange. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, “Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers,” which requires that an entity recognize contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 and should be applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will assess the impact, if any, of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company deposits its cash in financial institutions. At times, such deposits may be in excess of insured limits. To date, the Company has not experienced any impairment losses on its cash. The Company also limits its credit risk with respect to accounts receivable by performing credit evaluations when deemed necessary.

Major Customers

For the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the following customers, all of which are in the Water Filtration segment, accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s revenues, respectively:

 Schedule of Revenues and Receivable Major Customers

For the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the following customers, all of which are in the Water Filtration segment, accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s revenues, respectively:

As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s accounts receivable, respectively:

Accounts Receivable

The Company provides credit terms to customers in connection with purchases of the Company’s products. Management periodically reviews customer account activity in order to assess the adequacy of the allowances provided for potential collection issues and returns. Factors considered include economic conditions, each customer’s payment and return history and credit worthiness. Adjustments, if any, are made to reserve balances following the completion of these reviews to reflect management’s best estimate of potential losses. The allowance for doubtful accounts was approximately $4,000 and $11,000 as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. There were no write-offs of accounts receivable for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. Write-offs of accounts receivable were approximately $25,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 which were reserved for in a prior period.

Depreciation Expense

Depreciation related to equipment utilized in the manufacturing process is recognized in cost of goods sold on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, depreciation expense was approximately $7,000 and $22,000, respectively. Approximately $3,000 of the approximately $7,000 and approximately $11,000 of the $22,000 of depreciation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, has been recognized in the cost of goods sold. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, depreciation expense was approximately $8,000 and $18,000, respectively. Approximately $4,000 of the approximately $8,000 and approximately $12,000 of the approximately $18,000 of depreciation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, has been recognized in the cost of goods sold.

Note 3 – Asset Acquisition

On July 9, 2021, the Company acquired 100% of GenArraytion, Inc. (“GenArraytion”). The acquisition did not qualify as a business combination and, as a result, was accounted for as an asset acquisition as the fair value of the gross assets acquired was primarily related to a single asset. The Company issued 123,981 shares of the Company’s common stock to GenArraytion, reflecting an aggregate purchase price of $1.2 million. The purchase price, including direct acquisition costs of approximately $49,000, was allocated among the acquired assets which include intellectual property and equipment, based upon their relative fair values at the date of acquisition.

Fifty percent of the 123,981 common shares issued were subject to a risk of forfeiture which lapsed during the three months ended September 30, 2021. The Company will also make royalty payments to GenArraytion equal to 5% of net sales of certain products over the next five years.

The total consideration of $1.2 million was allocated as follows to the acquired assets:

 Schedule of Assets Acquired

The acquired intellectual property is being amortized over its estimated useful life of 10 years.

Note 4 – Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue related to product sales when product is shipped via external logistics providers and the other criteria of ASC 606 are met. Product revenue is recorded net of returns and allowances. There was no allowance for sales returns for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 or 2020. In addition to product revenue, the Company recognizes revenue related to royalty and other agreements in accordance with the five-step model in ASC 606. Royalty and other revenues recognized for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 are comprised of:

 Schedule of License, Royal and Other Revenue

Bellco License Agreement

With regard to the OLpūr MD190 and MD220, on June 27, 2011, the Company entered into a License Agreement (the “License Agreement”), effective July 1, 2011, with Bellco S.r.l. (“Bellco”), an Italy-based supplier of hemodialysis and intensive care products, for the manufacturing, marketing and sale of the Company’s patented mid-dilution dialysis filters (the “Products”). Under the License Agreement, as amended, the Company granted Bellco a license to manufacture, market and sell the Products under its own name, label, and CE mark in certain countries on an exclusive basis, and to do the same on a non-exclusive basis in certain other countries. Under the License Agreement, the Company received upfront payments which were previously deferred and subsequently recognized as license revenue over the term of the License Agreement.

The License Agreement, as amended, also provides minimum sales targets which, if not satisfied, will, at the discretion of the Company, result in conversion of the license to non-exclusive status. Beginning on January 1, 2015 through and including December 31, 2021, Bellco will pay the Company a royalty based on the number of units of Products sold per year in the covered territory as follows: for the first 125,000 units sold in total, €1.75 (approximately $2.10) per unit; thereafter, €1.25 (approximately $1.50) per unit. The License Agreement also provides for a fixed royalty payment payable to the Company for the period beginning on January 1, 2015 through and including December 31, 2021 if the minimum sales targets are not met.

Note 5 – Fair Value Measurements

The Company measures certain financial instruments and other items at fair value.

To determine the fair value, the Company uses the fair value hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs market participants would use to value an asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from independent sources. Unobservable inputs are inputs based on assumptions about the factors market participants would use to value an asset or liability.

To measure fair value, the Company uses the following fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques and also includes instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant judgment or estimation.

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The Company evaluates its financial assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis to determine the appropriate level of classification for each reporting period.

At September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company’s cash equivalents consisted of money market funds. The Company values its cash equivalents using observable inputs that reflect quoted prices for securities with identical characteristics and classify the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 1.

At September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the fair value measurements of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis were as follows:

 Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recognized a change in the fair value of contingent consideration of approximately $0.2 million on its condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. This was due to the settlement of the contingent consideration liability. In October 2020, the Company entered into a Second Amendment to the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement dated December 31, 2018 related to the acquisition of the Aether business, in which the Company agreed to pay a lump sum of $0.1 million in full consideration for the Company’s obligation to make payments of contingent consideration under the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement. As such, there were no outstanding amounts related to contingent consideration on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2021 or December 31, 2020.

Assets and Liabilities Not Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.

The carrying amounts of the secured long-term note payable, lease liabilities and equipment financing approximate fair value as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 because those financial instruments bear interest at rates that approximate current market rates for similar agreements with similar maturities and credit.

Note 6 – Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out method and consists of raw materials and finished goods. The Company’s inventory components as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 were as follows:

 Schedule of Inventory, Net

Note 7 – Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Intangible Assets, net

Intangible assets at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 are set forth in the table below. Gross carrying values and accumulated amortization of the Company’s intangible assets by type are as follows:

 Schedule of Intangible Assets

The Company recognized amortization expense of approximately $11,000 for each of the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and such amounts are included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company recognized amortization expense of approximately $21,000 for each of the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and such amounts are included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying condensed statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

As of September 30, 2021, future amortization expense for each of the next five years is (in thousands):

 Schedule of Future Amortization Expense

The Company did not recognize any intangible asset impairment charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 or 2020.

Goodwill

Goodwill has a carrying value on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets of $0.8 million at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. Goodwill has been allocated to the Water Filtration segment. The Company concluded the carrying value of goodwill was not impaired as of September 30, 2021 or December 31, 2020 as the Company determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair value of goodwill was less than its carrying value.

Note 8 – License and Supply Agreement, net

On April 23, 2012, the Company entered into a License and Supply Agreement (the “License and Supply Agreement”) with Medica S.p.A. (“Medica”), an Italy-based medical product manufacturing company, for the marketing and sale of certain filtration products based upon Medica’s proprietary Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology in conjunction with the Company’s filtration products, and for an exclusive supply arrangement for the filtration products. Under the License and Supply Agreement, as amended, Medica granted to the Company an exclusive license, with right of sublicense, to market, promote, distribute, offer for sale and sell the filtration products worldwide, with certain limitations on territory, during the term of the License and Supply Agreement. In addition, the Company granted to Medica an exclusive license under the Company’s intellectual property to make the filtration products during the term of the License and Supply Agreement. The filtration products covered under the License and Supply Agreement includes both certain products based on Medica’s proprietary Versatile microfiber technology and certain filtration products based on Medica’s proprietary Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology. The term of the License Agreement with Medica expires on December 31, 2025, unless earlier terminated by either party in accordance with the terms of the License and Supply Agreement.

In exchange for the license, the gross value of the intangible asset capitalized was $2.3 million. License and supply agreement, net, on the condensed consolidated balance sheet is $0.6 million and $0.7 million as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Accumulated amortization is $1.7 million and $1.6 million, respectively, as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. The intangible asset is being amortized as an expense over the life of the License and Supply Agreement. Amortization expense of approximately $33,000 was recognized in each of the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 on the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Amortization expense of approximately $100,000 was recognized in each of the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 on the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

As of September 2013, the Company has an understanding with Medica whereby the Company has agreed to pay interest to Medica at a 12% annual rate calculated on the principal amount of any outstanding invoices that are not paid pursuant to the original payment terms. There was no interest recognized for the three or nine months ended September 30, 2021 or September 30, 2020.

In addition, for the period beginning April 23, 2014 through December 31, 2025, the Company will pay Medica a royalty rate of 3% of net sales of the filtration products sold, subject to reduction as a result of a supply interruption pursuant to the terms of the License and Supply Agreement. Approximately $70,000 and $60,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, was recognized as royalty expense and is included in cost of goods sold on the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Approximately $198,000 and $173,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, was recognized as royalty expense and is included in cost of goods sold on the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Approximately $70,000 in royalties are included in accrued expenses as of September 30, 2021. Approximately $68,000 in royalties are included in accounts payable as of December 31, 2020.

Note 9 – Secured Revolving Credit Facility

On August 17, 2017, the Company entered into the Loan and Security Agreement, subsequently amended on December 20, 2019 (the “Loan Agreement”) with Tech Capital, LLC (“Tech Capital”). The Loan Agreement provided for a secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the “Revolver”) of up to $2.5 million, which the Company drew upon and repaid from time to time during the term of the Loan Agreement. The Company used these proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes.

On May 26, 2020, the Company terminated the Revolver and, as a result, recognized fees of approximately $7,000, which are included in interest expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2020. Although the Revolver was terminated, the Loan Agreement, as amended on May 26, 2020 to reflect this termination, remains in place for purposes of specifying obligations related to the Secured Note (see Note 10 – Secured Note Payable).

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, excluding approximately $7,000 related to the termination of the Revolver, approximately $17,000 and $40,000, respectively, was recognized as interest expense on the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Note 10 – Secured Note Payable

On March 27, 2018, the Company entered into a Secured Promissory Note Agreement (the “Secured Note”) with Tech Capital for a principal amount of $1.2 million. The Secured Note was amended and restated on May 26, 2020 to reflect the then-current balance on the Secured Note. There were no other changes to the terms and conditions of the Secured Note. As of September 30, 2021, the principal balance of the Secured Note was $0.4 million.

The Secured Note has a maturity date of April 1, 2023. The unpaid principal balance accrues interest at a rate of 8% per annum. Principal and interest payments are due on the first day of each month commencing on May 1, 2018. The Secured Note is subject to the terms and conditions of and is secured by security interests granted by the Company in favor of Tech Capital under the Loan Agreement (see Note 9 – Secured Revolving Credit Facility). An event of default under such Loan Agreement is an event of default under the Secured Note and vice versa. In addition, the accounts receivable, inventory, and other assets of Nephros International Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, are available collateral in meeting the Company’s obligations under the Loan Agreement.

During each of the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company made payments under the Secured Note of approximately $72,000 and $73,000, respectively. Included in the total payments made, approximately $9,000 and $14,000, respectively, was recognized as interest expense on the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. During each of the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company made payments under the Secured Note of approximately $216,000 and $217,000, respectively. Included in the total payments made, approximately $30,000 and $45,000 was recognized as interest expense on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

As of September 30, 2021, future principal maturities are as follows (in thousands):

 Schedule of Future Debt Principal Maturities

Note 11 – Leases

The Company has operating leases for corporate offices, an automobile and office equipment. The leases have remaining lease terms of 1 year to 4 years.

Lease cost, as presented below, includes costs associated with leases for which right-of-use (“ROU”) assets have been recognized as well as short-term leases.

The components of total lease costs were as follows:

 Schedule of Components of Lease Cost

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:

 Schedule of Supplemental Cash Flow Information Related to Leases

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

 Schedule of Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases

As of September 30, 2021, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:

 Schedule of Maturities of Lease Liabilities

Note 12 – Stock Plans and Share-Based Payments

The fair value of stock options and restricted stock is recognized as stock-based compensation expense in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company calculates stock-based compensation expense in accordance with ASC 718. The fair value of stock-based awards is amortized over the vesting period of the award.

Stock Options

The Company granted stock options to purchase 59,868 and 232,296 shares of common stock, respectively, to employees during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. These stock options are being expensed over the respective vesting period, which is based on a service condition. The fair value of the stock options granted during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, was $0.3 million and $1.2 million.

The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The below assumptions for the risk-free interest rates, expected dividend yield, expected lives and expected stock price volatility were utilized for the stock options granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.

 Schedule of Fair Value Assumptions

Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was $212,000 and $166,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. For the three months ended September 30, 2021, approximately $203,000 and $12,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the three months ended September 30, 2020, approximately $150,000 and $16,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was $661,000 and $483,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, approximately $626,000 and $35,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, approximately $435,000 and $48,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

There was no tax benefit related to expense recognized in the three or nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, as the Company is in a net operating loss position. As of September 30, 2021, there was $2.0 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock-based awards granted under the equity compensation plans, which will be amortized over the weighted average remaining requisite service period of 4.5 years.

Restricted Stock

Total stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock on the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss was approximately $55,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and is included in selling, general and administrative expenses. There was no stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock recognized during the three months ended September 30, 2020.

Total stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock was approximately $161,000 and $52,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, approximately $161,000 is included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, approximately $42,000 and $10,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidation statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Approximately $168,000 of restricted stock was granted to employees during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 for services rendered during the year ended December 31, 2020.

As of September 30, 2021, there was approximately $213,000 of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock-based awards granted under the equity compensation plans, which will be amortized over the weighted average remaining requisite service period of 2.4 years.

The aggregate shares of common stock legally issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2021 is greater than the aggregate shares of common stock outstanding for accounting purposes by the amount of unvested restricted shares.

SRP Equity Incentive Plan

SRP’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan was approved on May 7, 2019 under which 150,000 shares of SRP’s common stock are reserved for the issuance of options and other awards.

There were no SRP stock options granted during the three or nine months ended September 30, 2021. There was no stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP stock options for the three months ended September 30, 2021. There was approximately $3,000 recognized for stock-based compensation expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 which was included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP stock options was approximately $6,000 and $38,000, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. For the three months ended September 30, 2020, approximately $2,000 and $4,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, approximately $16,000 and $22,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

As of September 30, 2021, all outstanding SRP stock options were vested. SRP stock options were expensed over the respective vesting period, which was based on a service condition. Stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP stock options is presented by the Company as noncontrolling interest on the consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2021 and December 30, 2020.

Note 13 – Stockholders’ Equity

July 2021 Common Stock Issuance

On July 9, 2021, the Company issued 123,981 shares of common stock to acquire 100% of GenArraytion. The purchase price was $1.2 million, including transaction costs of approximately $49,000, and was allocated among the acquired assets based upon their relative fair values at the date of acquisition. Fifty percent of the 123,981 common shares issued were subject to a risk of forfeiture which lapsed during the three months ended September 30, 2021.

February 2020 Common Stock Issuance

On February 4, 2020, the Company issued 937,500 shares of common stock through a public offering resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $7.5 million. The purchase price for each share was $8.00. Proceeds, net of equity issuance costs of $0.7 million, recorded as a result of the offering were $6.8 million.

Noncontrolling Interest

On September 5, 2018, SRP entered into a Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with certain purchasers pursuant to which SRP sold 600,000 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred”) for $5.00 per share. The aggregate purchase price was $3.0 million. SRP incurred transaction-related expenses of approximately $30,000, which were included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2018. The net proceeds from the issuance of the Series A Preferred were restricted to SRP expenses and may not be used for the benefit of the Company or other affiliated entities, except to reimburse for expenses directly attributable to SRP. Following the Series A Preferred transaction, the Company retained a 62.5% ownership interest in SRP, holding 100% of the outstanding common shares, and holders of Series A Preferred retained a 37.5% interest in SRP on a fully diluted basis, holding 100% of the outstanding preferred shares. Of the 600,000 shares of Series A Preferred issued, the shares purchased by related parties comprised of persons controlled by members of management and by the Company’s largest stockholder amounted to 18,000 and 400,000 shares, respectively.

Each share of Series A Preferred is initially convertible into one share of SRP common stock, subject to adjustment for stock splits and recapitalization events. Subject to customary exempt issuances, in the event SRP issues additional shares of its common stock or securities convertible into common stock at a per share price that is less than the original Series A Preferred price, the conversion price of the Series A Preferred will automatically be reduced to such lower price.

In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of SRP, the holders of the Series A Preferred are entitled to be paid out of the assets of SRP available for distribution to its stockholders or, in the case of a deemed liquidation event, out of the consideration payable to stockholders in such deemed liquidation event or the available proceeds, before any payment shall be made to the holders of SRP common stock by reason of their ownership thereof, an amount per share equal to one times (1x) the Series A Preferred original issue price, plus any accruing dividends accrued but unpaid thereon, whether or not declared, together with any other dividends declared but unpaid thereon (the “Series A Liquidation Preference”). If upon any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up of SRP or deemed liquidation event, the assets of SRP available for distribution to its stockholders shall be insufficient to pay the Series A Liquidation Preference in full, the holders of Series A Preferred shall share ratably in any distribution of the assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts which would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full. After the full payment of the Series A Liquidation Preference, the holders of the Series A Preferred and the holders of common stock will share ratably in any remaining proceeds available for distribution on an as-converted to common stock basis.

Each share of Series A Preferred accrues dividends at the rate per annum of $0.40 per share. The accruing dividends shall accrue from day to day, whether or not declared, and shall be cumulative and shall be payable only when, as, and if declared by the Board.

Holders of Series A Preferred shall be entitled to cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of common stock into which the shares of Series A Preferred held by such holder are convertible as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote. Except as provided by law or by the other provisions, the holders of Series A Preferred vote together with the holders of common stock as a single class. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for as long as at least 150,000 shares of Series A Preferred are outstanding, SRP is required to obtain the affirmative vote or written consent of a majority of the Series A Preferred in order to effect certain corporate transactions, including without limitation, the issuance of any securities senior to or on parity with the Series A Preferred, a liquidation or deemed liquidation of SRP, amendments to SRP’s charter documents, the issuance of indebtedness in excess of $250,000, any annual budget for the Company’s operations, and the hiring or firing of any executive officers of SRP. In addition, the holders of the Series A Preferred are entitled to elect two members of SRP’s board of directors.

The noncontrolling interest in SRP held by holders of the Series A Preferred has been classified as equity on the accompanying consolidated interim balance sheet, as the noncontrolling interest is redeemable only upon the occurrence of events that are within the control of the Company.

Warrants

There were no warrants exercised during the three months ended September 30, 2021. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued an aggregate of 120,966 shares of its common stock upon the exercise of outstanding warrants relating to an aggregate of 126,008 shares of common stock. Of such 120,966 shares issued, 110,003 were issued in cash exercises resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $0.3 million (the “Cash Exercises”) and 10,963 shares were issued in connection with cashless (net) exercises of outstanding warrant relating to 16,005 shares of common stock (the “Cashless Exercises”). Among the shares issued in connection with the Cash Exercises, 66,667 shares were issued to the Company’s largest stockholder, which resulted in proceeds to the Company of $0.2 million. Among the Cashless Exercises, 4,570 shares of common stock were issued to persons affiliated with members of the Company’s management upon the exercise of warrants relating to 6,669 shares.

During the three months ended September 30, 2020, there were no warrants exercised. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, warrants to purchase 40,012 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised, resulting in proceeds of $0.2 million and the issuance of 40,012 shares of the Company’s common stock.

Note 14 – Net Loss per Common Share

Basic loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss available to common shareholders by the number of weighted average common shares issued and outstanding. Diluted loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares issued and outstanding for the period, plus amounts representing the dilutive effect from the exercise of stock options and warrants and unvested restricted stock, as applicable. The Company calculates dilutive potential common shares using the treasury stock method, which assumes the Company will use the proceeds from the exercise of stock options and warrants to repurchase shares of common stock to hold in its treasury stock reserves.

The following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computations of diluted weighted average shares outstanding as they would be antidilutive:

 Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share

Note 15 – Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase Commitments

In exchange for the rights granted under the License and Supply Agreement with Medica (see Note 8 – License and Supply Agreement, net), the Company agreed to make certain minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica over the term of the License and Supply Agreement. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company has agreed to make minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica of €3.3 million (approximately $4.0 million). As of September 30, 2021, the Company’s aggregate purchase commitments totaled €2.8 million (approximately $3.3 million).

Contractual Obligations

See Note 11 – Leases for a discussion of the Company’s contractual obligations.

Note 16 – Segment Reporting

The Company has defined three reportable segments: Water Filtration, Pathogen Detection and Renal Products. The Water Filtration segment primarily develops and sells high performance water purification filters. The Pathogen Detection segment develops and sells portable, real-time water testing systems designed to provide actionable data on waterborne pathogens in approximately one hour. The Renal Products segment is focused on the development of medical device products for patients with renal disease, including a 2^nd generation hemodiafiltration system for the treatment of patients with ESRD.

The Company’s chief operating decision maker evaluates the financial performance of the Company’s segments based upon segment revenues, gross margin and operating expenses which include research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses. Items below loss from operations are not reported by segment, since they are excluded from the measure of segment profitability reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker. The Company does not report balance sheet information by segment since such information is not reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker.

The accounting policies for the Company’s segments are the same as those described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The tables below present segment information reconciled to total Company loss from operations, with segment operating loss including gross profit less direct research and development expenses and direct selling, general and administrative expenses to the extent specifically identified by segment:

 Schedule of Segment Information

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion includes forward-looking statements about our business, financial condition and results of operations including discussions about management’s expectations for our business. These statements represent projections, beliefs and expectations based on current circumstances and conditions and in light of recent events and trends, and these statements should not be construed either as assurances of performances or as promises of a given course of action. Instead, various known and unknown factors are likely to cause our actual performance and management’s actions to vary, and the results of these variances may be both material and adverse.

Business Overview

We are a commercial-stage company that develops and sells high performance water solutions to the medical and commercial markets.

In medical markets, we sell water filtration products and waterborne pathogen detection products. Our medical water filters, mostly classified as ultrafilters, are used primarily by hospitals for the prevention of infection from waterborne pathogens, such as legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for the removal of biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate concentrate. Because our ultrafilters capture contaminants as small as 0.005 microns in size, they minimize exposure to a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and endotoxins.

In commercial markets, we manufacture and sell water filters that improve the taste and odor of water and reduce biofilm, bacteria, and scale build-up in downstream equipment. Marketed under both the Nephros and AETHER brands, our products are marketed primarily to the food service, hospitality, convenience store, and health care markets.

Our pathogen detection systems are portable, near real-time systems designed to provide actionable data for infection control teams, biomedical engineers in dialysis clinics, and water quality teams in building management organizations.

We also have a subsidiary, Specialty Renal Products, Inc. (“SRP”), a development-stage medical device company, focused primarily on developing hemodiafiltration (“HDF”) technology. SRP is developing a second-generation of the Nephros OLpūr H2H Hemodiafiltration System, the FDA 510(k)-cleared medical device that enables nephrologists to provide HDF treatment to patients with end stage renal disease (“ESRD”).

We were founded in 1997 by healthcare professionals affiliated with Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital to develop and commercialize an alternative method to hemodialysis. We have extended our filtration technologies to meet the demand for liquid purification in other areas, in particular, water purification.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Most customers and prospects – including healthcare, hospitality, and food and beverage– have begun to re-open to our sales activity as the country has progressed through the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, our filter emergency response business has begun to normalize. We expect the pandemic to continue its overall trend toward abatement in the coming months, but recent infection increases from new viral variants such as the Delta variant may interrupt that abatement for a period of time.

During the pandemic, we maintained full operations, supporting our customers and strategic partners, with no significant interruptions in supply chain or service capabilities.

We believe that, as the COVID-19 pandemic generally subsides, we may experience a net positive impact on demand for our products, due especially to increased global awareness of infectious pathogens and the serious problems they cause. Specifically, we expect that:

Our Products

Water Filtration Products

We develop and sell water filtration products used in both medical and commercial applications. Our water filtration products employ multiple filtration technologies, as described below.

In medical markets, our primary filtration mechanism is to pass liquids through the pores of polysulfone hollow fiber. Our filters’ pores are significantly smaller than those of competing products, resulting in highly effective elimination of waterborne pathogens, including legionella bacteria (the cause of Legionnaires disease) and viruses, which are not eliminated by most other microbiological filters on the market. Additionally, the fiber structure and pore density in our hollow fiber enables significantly higher flow rates than in other polysulfone hollow fiber.

Our primary sales strategy in medical markets is to sell through value-added resellers (“VARs”). Leveraging VARs has enabled us to expand rapidly our access to target customers without significant sales staff expansion. In addition, while we are currently focused in medical markets, the VARs that support these customers also support a wide variety of commercial and industrial customers. We believe that our VAR relationships will facilitate growth in filter sales outside of the medical industry.

In commercial markets, we develop and sell our Nephros- and AETHER-branded filters, for which carbon-based absorption is the primary filtration mechanism. Aether products allow us to improve water’s odor and taste, to reduce scale and heavy metals, and to reduce other water contaminants for customers who are primarily in the food service, convenience store, and hospitality industries.

Our Aether filter offerings have the potential to generate accretive revenue growth in at least three ways. First, we expect the business to continue its organic growth. Second, cross-selling opportunities are generated by offering taste/odor-focused products to the medical markets, as well as pathogen-focused filtration to the commercial markets. Finally, as part of the more substantial Nephros organization, Aether may be able to compete for larger filtration contracts than may have been available to it as a smaller, independent firm. In the year since we acquired the AETHER brand, we have seen some promising results in each of these strategies, but it is still too early to judge the likelihood or magnitude of their long-term success.

In commercial markets, our model combines both direct and indirect sales. Our sales staff have sold products directly to a number of convenience stores, hotels, casinos, and restaurants. We are also pursuing large corporate contracts through partnerships.

Target Markets

Our ultrafiltration products currently target the following markets:

Hospitals and Other Healthcare Facilities. Nephros filters are a leading tool used to provide proactive protection to patients in high-risk areas (e.g., ice machines, surgical rooms, NICUs) and reactive protection to patients in broader areas during periods of water pathogen outbreaks. Our products are used in hundreds of medical facilities to aid in infection control, both proactively and reactively.

According to the American Hospital Association, approximately 6,200 hospitals, with approximately 931,000 beds, treated over 36 million patients in the United States in 2017. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that healthcare associated infections (“HAI”) occurred in approximately 1 out of every 31 hospital patients, or about 687,000 patients in 2015. HAIs affect patients in hospitals or other healthcare facilities and are not present or incubating at the time of admission. They also include infections acquired by patients in the hospital or facility, but appearing after discharge, and occupational infections among staff. Many HAIs are caused by waterborne bacteria and viruses that can thrive in aging or complex plumbing systems often found in healthcare facilities.

In June 2017, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced the addition of requirements for facilities to develop policies and procedures that inhibit the growth and spread of legionella and other opportunistic pathogens in building water systems. Going forward, CMS surveyors will review policies, procedures, and reports documenting water management implementation results to verify that facilities are compliant with these requirements. We believe that these CMS regulations may have a positive impact on the sale of our HAI-inhibiting ultrafilters.

We currently have FDA 510(k) clearance on the following portfolio of medical device products for use in the hospital setting to aid in infection control:

Our complete hospital infection control product line, including in-line, point-of-use, and cartridge filters, can be viewed on our website at http://www.nephros.com/infection-control/. We are not including the information on our website as a part of, nor incorporating it by reference into, this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Dialysis Centers - Water/Bicarbonate. In the dialysis water market, Nephros ultrafiltration products are among the highest performing products on the market. The DSU-D, SSU-D and the SSUmini have become the standard endotoxin filter in many portable reverse osmosis systems. The EndoPur^®, our large-format ultrafilter targeted at dialysis clinic water systems, provides the smallest pore size available. Following a long pilot project at a major dialysis provider, we are now seeing growth in the use of this product. In addition, we aim to expand EndoPur’s usage into heat-disinfected water systems, which will further open the market for this product.

To perform hemodialysis, all dialysis clinics have dedicated water purification systems to produce water and bicarbonate concentrate, two essential ingredients for making dialysate, the liquid that removes waste material from the blood. According to the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, there are approximately 6,500 dialysis clinics in the United States servicing approximately 468,000 patients annually. We estimate that there are over 100,000 hemodialysis machines in operation in the United States.

Medicare is the main payer for dialysis treatment in the United States. To be eligible for Medicare reimbursement, dialysis centers must meet the minimum standards for water and bicarbonate concentrate quality set by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (“AAMI”), the American National Standards Institute (“ANSI”) and the International Standards Organization (“ISO”). We anticipate that the stricter standards approved by these organizations in 2009 will be adopted by Medicare in the near future.

We currently have FDA 510(k) clearance on the following portfolio of medical device products for use in the dialysis setting to aid in bacteria, virus, and endotoxin retention:

Commercial and Industrial Facilities. Our commercial NanoGuard^® product line accomplishes ultrafiltration via small pore size (0.005 micron) technology, filtering bacteria and viruses from water. In addition, the recently acquired AETHER brand expands our product line to include water filtration and purification technologies that are primarily focused on improving odor and taste and on reducing scale and heavy metals from filtered water.

We purchased the AETHER brand to expedite our access to commercial markets and to expand our filtration expertise and capabilities. Our commercial market focus is in the hotel, restaurant, and convenience store markets. In the first year post-acquisition, we upgraded Aether facilities to increase production and logistics capacity, integrated Aether products into the Nephros infection control product portfolio, and initiated sales efforts with a number of large commercial customers. We have recently added to our commercial sales team and, going forward, expect to close on one or more large contracts that may result in step-change increases in commercial market revenue.

Over time, we believe that the same water safety management programs currently underway at medical facilities may migrate to commercial markets. As the epidemiology of waterborne pathogens expands, links to contamination sources will become more efficient and the data more readily available. In cases where those sources are linked to restaurants, hotels, office buildings and residential complexes, the corporate owners of those facilities will likely face increasing liability exposure. We expect that building owners will come to understand ASHRAE-188, which outlines risk factors for buildings and their occupants, and provides water safety management guidelines. We believe, in time, most commercial buildings will need to follow the basic requirements of ASHRAE-188: create a water management plan, perform routine testing, and establish a plan to treat the building in the event of a positive test.

As demand for water testing and microbiological filtration grows, we will be ready to deploy our expertise and solutions based on years of experience servicing the medical market. We believe that we have an opportunity to offer unique expertise and products to the commercial market, and that our future revenue from the commercial market could even surpass our infection control revenue.

We currently market the following portfolio of proprietary products for use in the commercial, industrial, and food service settings:

AETHER products combine effectively with NanoGuard ultrafiltration technologies to offer full-featured solutions to the commercial water market, including to existing users of Everpure filter manifolds.

Military and Outdoor Recreation. We developed our individual water treatment device (“IWTD”) in both in-line and point-of-use configurations. Our IWTD allows a soldier in the field to derive drinking water from any freshwater source. This enables the soldier to remain hydrated, to help maintain mission effectiveness and unit readiness, and to extend mission reach. Our IWTD has been validated by the military to meet the NSF Protocol P248 standard. It has also been approved by the U.S. Army Public Health Command and the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command for deployment.

In May 2015, we entered into a Sublicense Agreement (the “Sublicense Agreement”) with CamelBak Products, LLC (“CamelBak”). Under this Sublicense Agreement, we granted CamelBak an exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide (with the exception of Italy) sublicense and license, in each case solely to market, sell, distribute, import and export the IWTD. In exchange for the rights granted to CamelBak, CamelBak agreed, through December 31, 2022, to pay us a percentage of the gross profit on any sales made to a branch of the U.S. military, subject to certain exceptions, and to pay us a fixed per-unit fee for any other sales made. CamelBak was also required to meet or exceed certain minimum annual fees payable to us, and, if such fees are not met or exceeded, we were able to convert the exclusive sublicense to a non-exclusive sublicense with respect to non-U.S. military sales. In the first quarter of 2019, the Sublicense Agreement was amended to eliminate the minimum fee obligations starting May 6, 2018 and, as such, CamelBak has no further minimum fee obligations. Related to this Sublicense Agreement, approximately $20,000 of revenue was recognized in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. There was no royalty revenue recognized during the three or nine months ended September 30, 2020. CamelBak product sales have been slower than originally expected. However, military contracts often take years to close, and we remain optimistic about these products and markets.

Pathogen Detection Systems

Pathogen Detection in Infection Control. We recently expanded our portfolio of solutions with the introduction of our PluraPath™ pathogen detection system, which we believe represents a significant growth opportunity for Nephros.

We developed the PluraPath pathogen detection system to provide real-time data to infection control teams executing their water management plans. We integrated our ultrafilter technology with emerging, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology and real-time analytics. We chose a portable, open-source qPCR platform that allows us to parallel-processes up to 15 different bacteria and virus assays. We worked with industry experts to select and develop DNA- and RNA-based assays that could meet our goals of providing quantitative precision within one hour. We also developed a mobile application to extract and process the data real-time. Furthermore, we designed the system so that anyone can perform qPCR testing, not just someone with training in microbiological laboratory techniques.

With the PluraPath system, it will be possible to map and track the changes to levels of multiple bacterial and viral pathogens in a building’s water system on a real-time basis, at cost levels equivalent to assays that currently take 24-72 hours or more and typically provide data on only a single pathogen. Using PluraPath, we expect that infection control teams will be able to quickly assess approximate levels of a broad array of pathogens in their water systems, and optimally focus their secondary disinfection efforts and point-of-use filtration; services and products offered by our strategic partners.

The PluraPath system does not replace culture-based assays, which are the current regulatory requirements for confirmation in testing for waterborne pathogens. Rather, we believe PluraPath will become a valuable tool in the arsenal of defense, permitting faster decision making about a larger target population of pathogens. Our objective is to provide our customers and strategic partners with a user-friendly system that delivers dependable, actionable data to infection control teams in less than an hour.

Pathogen Detection in Dialysis Facilities. We have also been investigating pathogen detection efforts in the dialysis space. The LAL (limulus amebocyte lysate) test is a dialysis industry standard assay that identifies the presence of potential endotoxins, agnostic to the source species. The source of endotoxins are gram-negative bacteria. LAL testing routinely takes 48-72 hours to provide results from the time of shipping the sample to a central laboratory. When dialysis clinics have urgent contamination or severely elevated endotoxin issues, they may have to shut down for extended periods of time creating enormous logistical issues for patients and increasing the cost of care.

To provide a real-time solution for this testing paradigm, we announced the DialyPath™ pathogen detection and endotoxin estimation system in October 2020. The DialyPath system mirrors our PluraPath but includes a gram-negative DNA marker test and test for six different gram-negative bacteria. The DialyPath system is designed to provide data on two test samples in one run in less than one hour. The system will provide an estimate of the overall endotoxin in the sample, as well as estimated levels of six specific endotoxin-generating bacteria known to be frequent invaders of dialysis clinic water systems.

Facility-Wide Pathogen Detection. Bacterial contaminants in water systems can originate from thousands of different bacterial families. The technology now exists to map the water system biome in real-time, on-site, using an enhanced form of the portable PluraPath system and a bioinformatics database. The SequaPath system provides the capability to screen water for over 20,000 different bacterial genera (families), including genera of the 40+ pathogenic bacteria listed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in their “Opportunistic Pathogens of Premise Plumbing.” The system incorporates our proprietary filtration technology and a DNA sequencing step that makes it possible to screen rapidly for genera of waterborne pathogens. Like PluraPath, the SequaPath platform is portable, allowing for same-day on-site analysis.

The SequaPath technology was used in 2020 to perform an academic study that found far more bacteria in buildings unoccupied during the COVID-19 pandemic than in occupied buildings. The potential for building biome mapping is enormous. We are developing the technology, processes, and procedures to perform as many as 96 tests in a single run. SequaPath is currently available as a service offering.

While this service could be of value to the management of any water system in any building in any part of the world, we will first focus on the hospital customers of our strategic partners. Once proven in the hospital space, we believe that SequaPath has the potential to shift the building water testing paradigm across multiple markets and geographies.

On July 9, 2021, the Company acquired 100% of GenArraytion, Inc. (“GenArraytion”). The acquisition did not qualify as a business combination and, as a result, was accounted for as an asset acquisition. The Company issued 123,981 shares of the Company’s common stock to GenArraytion, reflecting an aggregate purchase price of $1.2 million. This acquisition will give us access to GenArraytion’s many proprietary assays, multiplexing technology, and selection methods for detecting waterborne pathogens and other microorganisms using Polymerase Chain Reaction technology. GenArraytion’s assets will be integrated into our Pathogen Detection Systems segment.

Specialty Renal Products: HDF System

Introduction to HDF

The current standard of care in the United States for patients with chronic renal failure is hemodialysis (“HD”), a process in which toxins are cleared via diffusion. Patients typically receive HD treatments at least 3 times weekly for 3-4 hours per treatment. HD is most effective in removing smaller, easily diffusible toxins. For patients with acute renal failure, the current standard of care in the United States is hemofiltration (“HF”), a process where toxins are cleared via convection. HF offers a much better removal of larger sized toxins when compared to HD; however, HF treatment is more challenging for patients, as it is performed on a daily basis, and typically takes 12-24 hours per treatment.

Hemodiafiltration (“HDF”) is an alternative dialysis modality that combines the benefits of HD and HF into a single therapy by clearing toxins using both diffusion and convection. Though not widely used in the United States, HDF is prevalent in Europe and is performed for a growing number of patients. Clinical experience and literature show the following clinical and patient benefits of HDF:

However, like HD, HDF can be resource-intensive and can require a significant amount of time to deliver one course of treatment.

Nephros HDF Background

Over the course of our history, we originally developed a medical device that enabled a standard HD machine to perform HDF. We refer to our approach as an on-line mid-dilution hemodiafiltration (“mid-dilution HDF”) system. Our original solution included an OLpūr H2H Hemodiafiltration Module (“H2H Module”), an OLpūr MD 220 Hemodiafilter (“HDF Filter”) and an H2H Substitution Filter (“Dialysate Filter”).

Our H2H Module attaches to a standard HD machine to perform on-line HDF therapy. The HD machine controls and monitors the basic treatment functions, as it would normally when providing HD therapy. The H2H Module is a free-standing, movable device that is placed next to either side of an HD machine. The H2H Module connects to the clinic’s water supply, drain, and electricity.

The H2H Module utilizes the HDF Filter, and is very similar to a typical hollow fiber dialyzer assembled with a single hollow fiber bundle made with a high-flux (or high-permeability) membrane. The fiber bundle is separated into two discrete, but serially connected, blood paths. Dialysate flows in one direction that is counter-current to blood flow in Stage 1 and co-current to blood flow in Stage 2.

In addition to the HDF Filter, the H2H Module also utilizes a Dialysate Filter during patient treatment. The Dialysate Filter is a hollow fiber, ultrafilter device that consists of two sequential (redundant) ultrafiltration stages in a single housing. During on-line HDF with the H2H Module, fresh dialysate is redirected by the H2H Module’s hydraulic (substitution) pump and passed through this dual-stage ultrafilter before being infused as substitution fluid into the extracorporeal circuit. Providing ultrapure dialysate is crucial for the success of on-line HDF treatment.

Our original HDF system conformed with current ANSI/AAMI/ISO standards and was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for the treatment of patients with chronic renal failure in 2012. To date, our HDF System is the only HDF system cleared by the FDA.

Over the last four years, DaVita Healthcare Partners, the Renal Research Institute (a research division of Fresenius Medical Care), and Vanderbilt University conducted post-market evaluations of our hemodiafiltration system in their clinics. We gathered direct feedback from these evaluations to develop a better understanding of how our system best fits into the current clinical and economic ESRD treatment paradigm. The ultimate goal of the evaluations was to better understand the potential for HDF in the U.S. clinical setting in order to (a) improve the quality of life for the patient, (b) reduce overall expenditure compared to other dialysis modalities, (c) minimize the impact on nurse work flow at the clinic, and (d) demonstrate the pharmacoeconomic benefit of the HDF technology to the U.S. healthcare system, as has been done in Europe with other HDF systems. The last evaluation was concluded at Vanderbilt in the first quarter of 2018.

Specialty Renal Products, Inc.

Over the past two years, we have dramatically simplified and redesigned our HDF device. Our updates have made the system significantly easier to use. By shifting from a reusable substitution ultrafilter to a disposable substitution ultrafilter, we were able to simplify the set-up process and substantially reduce the time required between patient treatments – two of the key complaints from users of our first-generation system. We used real-time user feedback to aid in the fine-tuning of our changes to the system that impacted usability. We believe our second-generation HDF system will meet the needs of both clinicians and patients.