STRATA Skin Sciences, Inc. - Annual Report: 2005 (Form 10-K)
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
þ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from
to
Commission file number 000-51481
ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 13-3986004 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
incorporation or organization) |
3 West Main Street, Suite 201
Irvington, New York 10533
(Address, including zip code, of registrants principal executive offices)
(914) 591-3783
Registrants telephone number, including area code:
Irvington, New York 10533
(Address, including zip code, of registrants principal executive offices)
(914) 591-3783
Registrants telephone number, including area code:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, $0.001 par value
(Title of class)
None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, $0.001 par value
(Title of class)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as
defined in Rule 405 of the Security Act. Yes o No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ
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 þ No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation
S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in
definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K
or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated
filer or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated
filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o Accelerated filer o Non-accelerated filer þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act).
Yes o No þ
The registrant commenced trading following its initial public offering on October 28, 2005.
The aggregate market value of the 9,105,783 shares of common stock held by non-affiliates of the
registrant as of February 28, 2006 was $50,263,922 based on the last reported sale price of $5.52
per share on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 28, 2006. (For this computation, the registrant
excluded the market value of all the shares of its common stock held by Directors and Officers of
the registrant and a certain shareholder holding approximately 10.1% of the registrants shares
outstanding; such exclusion shall not be deemed to constitute an admission that any such person is
an affiliate of the registrant). The number of shares outstanding of the registrants common
stock as of February 28, 2006 was 10,865,917 shares.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Registrants Proxy Statement for the 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders,
which is to be filed subsequent to the date hereof, are incorporated by reference into Part III of
this Form 10-K.
ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC.
2005 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT
2005 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT
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EX-10.17: AMENDED AND RESTATED CONSULTING AGREEMENT | ||||||||
EX-21.1: SUBSIDIARIES OF THE REGISTRANT | ||||||||
EX-31.1: CERTIFICATION | ||||||||
EX-31.2: CERTIFICATION | ||||||||
EX-32.1: CERTIFICATIONS |
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This Annual report on Form 10-K, including the sections labeled Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, contains forward-looking statements that
you should read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes to financial statements that
we have included elsewhere in this report. These statements are based on our current expectations,
assumptions, estimates and projections about our business and our industry, and involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our or our industrys results,
levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results,
levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied in, or contemplated by, the
forward-looking statements. We generally identify these statements by words or phrases such as
believe, anticipate, expect, intend, plan, will, may, should, estimate,
predict, potential, continue, or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Our
actual results and the timing of events may differ significantly from the results discussed in the
forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Factors
that might cause such a difference include those discussed below under the heading Risk Factors,
as well as those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We disclaim any intent or
obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the
period covered by this report or otherwise.
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are a medical device company focused on the design and development of a non-invasive,
point-of-care instrument to assist in the early diagnosis of melanoma. Our flagship product,
MelaFind®, features a hand-held imaging device that emits multiple wavelengths of light to capture
images of suspicious pigmented skin lesions and extract data. The data are then analyzed against
our proprietary database of melanomas and benign lesions using our sophisticated algorithms in
order to provide information to the physician and produce a recommendation of whether the lesion
should be biopsied.
The components of the MelaFind® system include:
| a hand-held imaging device, which employs high precision optics and multi-spectral illumination (multiple colors of light including near infra-red); | |
| our proprietary database of pigmented skin lesions, which we believe to be the largest in the US; | |
| our lesion classifiers, which are sophisticated mathematical algorithms that extract lesion feature information and classify lesions; and | |
| a central server in our offices that is intended to perform quality control functions and provide reports to the physician and in commercial use, will be connected to physicians offices via the internet. |
We have entered into a binding Protocol Agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), which is an agreement for the conduct of the pivotal trial in order to establish the safety
and effectiveness of MelaFind®. We believe the presence of the Protocol Agreement significantly
enhances our ability to expedite the FDA approval process. We stopped a study that was initiated in
late 2004 under the Protocol Agreement due to technical difficulties with some of the MelaFind®
clinical trial instruments. The FDA has provided confirmation that our plan to correct the
technical issues and start a new pivotal trial to satisfy the Protocol Agreement is acceptable.
Management estimates that the pivotal trial will commence in 2006 at over 20 US clinical study
sites, and anticipates premarket approval (PMA) to commercialize MelaFind® in 2007.
To date, we have not generated any revenues from MelaFind®. All of our historical revenues
have come from activities and products that have since been discontinued, including our DIFOTI®
product, a non-invasive imaging device for the detection of dental cavities. We decided to
discontinue all operations associated with our DIFOTI® product, effective as of April 5, 2005, in
order to focus our resources on the development and commercialization of MelaFind®.
Cancers of the skin have a higher incidence than all other cancers combined, and the rates are
rising dramatically. In 2005, over 120,000 new cases of melanoma are projected. Melanoma is
responsible for approximately 80% of skin cancer fatalities and is the deadliest of all skin
cancers as there is currently no cure for advanced stage melanoma. However, early detection of skin
cancers like melanoma can lead to
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virtually a 100% cure rate. Advanced stage melanoma is costly to treat and is responsible for
approximately 90% of the total spending on melanoma treatment in the US, costing up to $170,000 per
patient. If diagnosed early, however, melanoma is almost always cured by simple resection at a cost
of approximately $1,800 per patient.
Because early detection is critical to survival, the American Cancer Society recommends that
individuals age 40 years and older have complete skin examinations on an annual basis. According to
the 2000 US Census data, over 100 million Americans in the US are over age 40. Furthermore, there
are more than 20 million individuals in the US who have dysplastic nevi, a type of pigmented skin
lesion that when present is associated with an increased risk of melanoma. These individuals
warrant more frequent observation.
Melanomas are mainly diagnosed by dermatologists and/or primary care physicians using visual
clinical evaluation. Physicians assess pigmented skin lesions using the ABCDE criteria,
Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, Diameter greater than
6 mm, and Evolving change in ABCD over time. This assessment is subjective and results in
missed melanomas, as well as a ratio of benign lesions biopsied to melanomas confirmed that is
highly variable and as high as 40 to 1 for dermatologists and as high as 50 to 1 for primary care
physicians.
To date, MelaFind® has been studied on over 5,000 skin lesions from over 3,500 patients at
over 20 clinics. Our clinical studies have demonstrated that MelaFind® missed fewer melanomas and
produced fewer false positives than experienced by study dermatologists, who are skin cancer
specialists. The performance of a diagnostic is measured in terms of sensitivity (the ability to
detect disease when disease is present) and specificity (the ability to exclude disease when
disease is not present). In the largest blinded trial that we have performed to date on 562
suspicious pigmented skin lesions, using our most advanced system, MelaFind® missed a single
melanoma in situ, and study dermatologists, who are skin cancer experts, missed an invasive
melanoma. Further, the specificity of MelaFind® was 45.1%, compared to study dermatologists 20.0%
(p<0.0001).
We believe that with the assistance provided by MelaFind®, physicians could diagnose more
melanomas at the earliest, curable stage, which would reduce both treatment costs and the number of
unnecessary biopsies, and improve quality of life.
Our objective is for MelaFind® to become an integral part of the standard of care in melanoma
detection.
The Market Opportunity
Cancer of the skin (non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers combined) is the most common of all
cancers, projected to be over 1.3 million cases in 2005 and estimated to account for more than 50%
of all cancers. In 2005, over 120,000 new cases of melanoma are projected. There are three
significant forms of skin cancer: basal cell, accounting for approximately 75% of skin cancer;
squamous cell, totaling approximately 20%; and melanoma, which accounts for an estimated 4% of skin
cancer cases, but is responsible for approximately 80% of all deaths from skin cancer. The American
Cancer Society projects 10,600 deaths from skin cancer in 2005 7,800 from melanoma and 2,800 from
other skin cancers. Since 1973, the mortality rate for melanoma has increased by 50%. Since
approximately 62% of melanomas and 45% of melanoma deaths occur prior to age 65, melanoma places
significant burdens on the healthcare system well beyond Medicare.
Melanoma, if left untreated, can be fatal. If diagnosed and removed early in its evolution,
when confined to the outermost skin layer and deemed to be in situ, it is virtually 100% curable.
Invasive melanomas that are thin and extend into the uppermost regions of the second skin layer
still have excellent cure rates (greater than 90%). However, once the cancer advances into the
deeper layers of skin, the risk of metastasis (spreading to other parts of the body) increases.
Metastases can occur when the tumor enters into lymphatic channels and newly formed blood vessels,
potentially resulting in significant morbidity (illness) and mortality (death). Once the cancer has
advanced and metastasized to other parts of the body, it is difficult to treat. At this advanced
stage, the five year survival rate is reported to be only 10%. Moreover, survival prospects for
those with advanced melanoma have not improved over the past three decades.
Melanoma is currently the subject of significant attention in the medical community. In part,
this attention is due to the fact that it is the fastest growing cancer. It is also the most common
cancer in young adults ages 20-30, and currently there are more new cases of melanoma than HIV/
AIDS. In women ages 25-30, melanoma is the primary cause of cancer death. In women ages 30-35,
melanoma is the second leading cause of death after breast cancer. Recent published papers identify
a strong correlation between breast cancer and melanoma.
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Because early detection is critical to survival, the American Cancer Society recommends that
individuals 40 years and older have complete skin examinations on an annual basis. The 2000 US
Census indicates that there are over 100 million Americans over the age of 40 in the US.
Furthermore, there are more than 20 million individuals in the US who have dysplastic nevi, a type
of pigmented skin lesion that when present is associated with an increased risk of melanoma. Such
individuals warrant more frequent observation.
Our Strategy
Our objective is for MelaFind® to become an integral part of the standard of care in melanoma
detection. To achieve this objective, we are pursuing the following strategy:
| Pursue the timely FDA approval of MelaFind®. We have entered into a binding Protocol Agreement with the FDA for the conduct of the pivotal trial of MelaFind®. Management estimates that the study will commence in 2006 at over 20 US clinical study sites, and anticipates PMA approval to commercialize MelaFind® in 2007. | |
| Establish MelaFind® as the leading technology for assisting in the detection of melanoma. We have invested considerable capital and expertise into developing our core technology platform, which is protected by six US patents. We will continue to refine and optimize this technology to ensure that MelaFind® is the leading system for assisting in the detection of melanoma. | |
| Obtain third party payor reimbursement to support our recurring revenue pricing model. We intend to offer MelaFind® on a per patient basis, creating a recurring revenue stream. To do so, we will seek to obtain third party reimbursement as well as private pay alternatives. We are working with experts to create an evidence-based medicine evaluation model consistent with those used to support positive coverage decisions by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and private payors for similar products. The value drivers in the model include the cost savings associated with early detection (approximately $168,000 per patient) and fewer biopsies. We believe that the use of MelaFind® could result in substantial savings to the US healthcare system. | |
| Commercialize MelaFind® using multiple sales and marketing strategies. Our internal sales and marketing effort will focus initially on high volume/key opinion leader dermatologists with specialties in the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. To enter the larger US markets of general dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and primary care physicians, and for international markets, we intend to establish partnerships with pharmaceutical and/or diagnostic device companies with an established presence in these markets. While we believe obtaining a positive coverage decision from CMS may take an additional 18 to 36 months following PMA approval, and obtaining a positive coverage decision from private payors, managed care organizations and state Medicare administrative contractors may take at least 6 to 12 months following PMA approval, we intend to commence sales of MelaFind® immediately upon receiving PMA approval for physicians to offer MelaFind® to their patients on a self-pay basis. |
Limitations of Current Melanoma Diagnosis
The current primary method for detecting melanoma is based on physicians ability to recognize
patterns using the naked eye; this is known as clinical examination. Physicians assess pigmented
skin lesions using the ABCDE criteria: Asymmetry, Border irregularity,
Color variation, Diameter greater than 6 mm, and Evolving change in ABCD over
time. This subjective interpretation relies on physician experience and skill. The ratio of benign
lesions biopsied to melanomas confirmed can be variable, ranging as high as 40 to 1 for
dermatologists and as high as 50 to 1 for primary care physicians. In contrast, MelaFind® delivers
an objective assessment based on numerical scores assigned to the suspicious skin lesion under
evaluation. Further, clinical examination is limited to the surface appearance of the suspicious
pigmented skin lesion, whereas MelaFind® utilizes information derived from up to 2.5 mm deep into
the skin.
Dermatologists who specialize in the management of pigmented skin lesions may also use
dermoscopy, a method of viewing lesions under magnification. Although dermoscopy provides more
information than unaided visual examination, mastery of the technique necessitates many years of
training and experience. Proper use of dermoscopy can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies of
benign lesions, but even dermoscopy experts biopsy 3-10 benign lesions for every melanoma detected.
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Most dermatologists generally use only visual clinical evaluation for melanoma detection.
Consequently, they biopsy up to 40 benign lesions for every melanoma detected. While many primary
care physicians immediately refer patients with suspicious pigmented skin lesions to a specialist,
an increasing number perform biopsies on skin lesions themselves. Their lack of specialist training
in identifying suspect lesions makes their diagnostic accuracy much lower in terms of both
sensitivity and specificity. This results in 40% misdiagnosed melanomas and a ratio of benign
lesions biopsied to melanomas confirmed of up to 50 to 1.
MelaFind® Product Description
MelaFind® is a non-invasive system for assisting in the early detection of melanoma. The
MelaFind® system is comprised of a point-of-care, hand-held imaging device that, in commercial use,
is intended to be connected via the internet to a central server in our offices. MelaFind® employs
multiple wavelengths of light to obtain data from images of suspicious lesions; the data are
analyzed against our proprietary database of melanomas and benign lesions using our sophisticated
algorithms. When marketed, a report will be transmitted to the physicians office containing
MelaFind®s recommendation of whether the lesion should be biopsied. The key components
of the MelaFind® system are listed below:
A hand-held imaging device, which is comprised of several components:
| an illuminator that shines 10 different specific wavelengths of light, including near infra-red bands; | |
| a lens system composed of nine elements that creates images of the light reflected from the lesions; | |
| a photon (light) sensor; and | |
| an image processor employing proprietary algorithms to extract many discrete characteristics or features from the images. |
Our proprietary database of pigmented skin lesions, which includes in vivo
MelaFind® images and corresponding histological results of over 5,000 biopsied lesions
from over 3,500 patients, which we believe to be the largest such database in the US and a
substantial barrier to competition.
Our lesion classifiers, which are sophisticated mathematical algorithms that analyze the
MelaFind® images and extract lesion feature information from the images; the features are used to
classify the lesions as either suspicious for melanoma or not suspicious for melanoma.
A central server located in our offices, which is intended to perform quality control
functions and provide diagnostic reports to the physician.
The brain of the MelaFind® system, the Lesion Classifier, distinguishes melanoma from
non-melanoma using the lesion features extracted and measured by the hand-held imaging device. The
Lesion Classifiers are developed from our proprietary database of pigmented skin lesions and
sophisticated mathematical algorithms. The mathematical formulas and algorithms used by the Lesion
Classifiers are devised and optimized through the process of classifier training using lesions
from our proprietary database. Lesion Classifier development and training is an iterative process
involving: (1) selection of the lesion features that provide for optimal lesion discrimination; (2)
optimization of the mathematical formulas to differentiate benign lesions from melanoma; and (3)
expansion of the size and diversity of our proprietary lesion database. The performance of the
Lesion Classifiers is directly related to the size of the database used in classifier training, as
well as the degree to which the training database is representative of the lesions that will be
evaluated by MelaFind® in commercial use.
As with many diagnostic systems, the diagnostic performance of MelaFind® is
characterized using two measures: (1) sensitivity the ability to detect disease when it is
present; and (2) specificity the ability to exclude disease when it is not present. Since
sensitivity and specificity are typically trade-offs, meaning that as one parameter increases the
other decreases, the MelaFind® Lesion Classifier is developed and trained with the
intention that MelaFind® will detect all melanomas in the training data set with the
highest possible specificity.
Reliable functioning of the MelaFind® system is critical to its utility and success
in the marketplace. Automated self-calibration tests are performed by the hand-held device to
ensure proper functionality. When marketed, the central server will also perform tests on the
hand-held device to determine whether its functioning is within appropriate limits, that is, that
the quantitative data on lesion and calibration image
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features provided by MelaFind® are within a pre-determined expected range of values. The
server will not permit MelaFind® to provide diagnostic information unless the hand-held
device is functioning properly.
MelaFind® Regulatory Status
In late 2004, we entered into a binding Protocol Agreement with the FDA for our pivotal
clinical study. A pivotal trial is a clinical study that is used by the FDA as the basis for
determining the effectiveness of a device in a PMA application. The Protocol Agreement specified
the inclusion criteria (description of patients and lesions eligible for the trial), sample size,
endpoints, and performance criteria necessary to establish the safety and effectiveness of
MelaFind®. The Protocol Agreement requires that the study include at least 1,200
pigmented skin lesions, and at least 93 eligible melanomas for analysis.
The primary endpoints of the study include: (1) greater than 95% lower confidence bound (a
statistically derived lower limit of a measured or observed value based on the number of
observations used to derive the measured or observed value) sensitivity for detection of melanoma
(99% observed sensitivity); and (2) statistically significant greater specificity in ruling out
melanoma when compared to study dermatologists. The lower confidence bound of 95% sensitivity is a
statistically-derived lower limit of sensitivity based on an observed sensitivity of 99%. This
means that in order to satisfy the sensitivity requirement, MelaFind® must correctly
identify at least 92 of the 93 melanomas, that is, miss either none or one melanoma in the pivotal
trial. In order to satisfy the specificity requirement, MelaFind® must demonstrate a
higher specificity than study dermatologists at a level where the probability of obtaining such a
result by chance is less than 5%. For illustrative purposes, assuming a specificity of 25% for
study dermatologists, the specificity of MelaFind® would need to be at least 32% in
order for the difference to be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
We initiated a clinical trial under the terms of the Protocol Agreement at the end of 2004.
However, technical operational issues with the systems were experienced, requiring further
refinement. We are continuing this study as a supportive pilot study. A pilot study is one that
provides information regarding the operation of a device in the clinical setting as well as the
feasibility of various clinical trial evaluations. Pilot studies are often used to help refine
certain elements of a planned pivotal trial and serve to train study personnel in advance of a
pivotal trial.
In 2005, we initiated an effort to refine the MelaFind® hardware with ASKION (Gera,
Germany), which specializes in precision optics. We recently
commenced delivery of MelaFind® systems to the field for beta
testing. Following beta testing and additional refinements, as required, we expect to have
new systems available in order to start the pivotal trial in 2006. The pivotal trial for PMA
approval of MelaFind® will be conducted under the terms of the Protocol Agreement. We
have reviewed our strategy with the FDA and have obtained confirmation from the FDA that our plan
to correct the technical issues by refining the hardware systems and to start a new pivotal trial
to satisfy the Protocol Agreement is acceptable.
For commercialization outside the US, approvals from appropriate regulatory bodies within
other countries will be required. Once PMA approval is obtained, we may proceed with applications
to commercialize in various countries pending further assessment of market opportunities and the
possible identification of strategic partners.
Clinical Studies of MelaFind®
Goals and Objectives
MelaFind® has been studied on over 5,000 skin lesions from over 3,500 patients
during the past five years at over 20 clinical sites in the US, as well as two sites in Europe and
one in Australia. We aim to develop a system with a sensitivity of at least 95% in detecting
melanoma. Our goals are to complete pre-commercialization design and testing of the hand-held
imaging device and its associated software, as well as to establish a database of approximately 300
melanomas, including in vivo MelaFind® images and biopsy results, for
MelaFind® Lesion Classifier algorithm development and training. Statistically, in order
to have a high level of confidence of success, we set the lower confidence bound at 99%, which
requires approximately 300 melanomas in the classifier training database. To date, the
MelaFind® lesion database includes approximately 275 melanomas.
We are developing in parallel several MelaFind® Lesion Classifiers, which differ in
the algorithms, as well as in the specific lesion features and relative weights used in the
mathematical formulas. Prior to conducting the analysis of the data from the pivotal trial under
the Protocol Agreement, the optimal Lesion Classifier will be selected. The primary means by which
the performance of the MelaFind® Lesion
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Classifiers is evaluated is through measures of sensitivity (the ability to detect disease when
present) and specificity (the ability to exclude disease when not present).
The reference standard used for comparison of the results of MelaFind® and study dermatologists is
histological analysis of the biopsied lesions by a group of expert pathologists. MelaFind® images
of pigmented skin lesions (melanomas and non-melanomas) and the histological results of the
corresponding biopsied lesions comprise our training database of lesions. When the Lesion
Classifiers are tested on the database used in training, this is called a training study. When
the Lesion Classifiers are tested on a set of lesions not used in training, this is called a
blinded test, which is a simulation of anticipated real-life prospective classifier performance.
Our ultimate goal for MelaFind® is to demonstrate sensitivity of at least 95%, and
superior specificity as compared to study dermatologists in the pivotal blinded test for PMA
approval.
MelaFind® Development History Hardware and Software
In developing the MelaFind® system we have tested both a first and second
generation hand-held imaging device, and are in the process of developing a pre-commercialization
version for use in our pivotal clinical trial. Our research, development and clinical testing
efforts have been designed to improve our MelaFind® technology platform, including the imaging
device and lesion classifiers, and to enhance our lesion database.
We began using first generation hand-held imaging devices in clinical studies in 2001. In
2002, we expanded the clinical research program to additional study sites equipped with second
generation hand-held imaging devices. The aim of the study, which is ongoing, is to build the
MelaFind® proprietary lesion database for use in Lesion Classifier training. The study calls for
the MelaFind® hand-held imaging device to acquire images of pigmented skin lesions scheduled for
biopsy. After biopsy, the histological slides are collected and sent for central histological
review by a panel of experts.
The results of initial training studies and blinded tests were not to the expected level of
performance. We determined the cause to be a flaw in the second generation hand-held imaging
devices, which were subsequently shown to exhibit highly variable levels of stray light, an optical
artifact. Therefore, we ceased producing this generation of hand-held imaging devices and purged
the training database of lesion images acquired with several of them. We also incorporated a
manufacturing specification for stray light which, prior to this time, was not included. Subsequent
training studies and blinded tests performed using only first generation hand-held imaging devices
confirmed our earlier favorable results: MelaFind® missed none or very few melanomas, and was shown
to have higher specificity than study dermatologists.
We initiated a clinical study under the terms of the Protocol Agreement with the FDA in late 2004
using first generation hand-held imaging devices. However, several technical operating issues with
these older systems were experienced, requiring further refinement. Third generation hand-held
imaging devices were produced in 2004 and early 2005. These serve as the basis of the design that
is currently being used to generate final, pre-commercialization hand-held imaging devices, which
will be utilized in the pivotal study for PMA approval under the terms of the Protocol Agreement.
We recently commenced delivery of MelaFind® systems to the field for
beta testing. Following beta testing and
additional refinements, as required, we expect to have new systems available in order to start the
pivotal trial in 2006.
Along with hardware development efforts, we have also developed, tested, and continue to
refine the software components of the system, including lesion quality control filters, calibration
algorithms, lesion classification algorithms, and hardware normalization software. We plan to
finalize these key elements of the software prior to the analysis of the data obtained from the
pivotal trial for PMA approval.
Current Results of Training Studies and Blinded Tests
The following data were presented at the 2006 American Academy of Dermatology meeting in March
2006. These represent the most current results of the MelaFind® system. The current
version of the MelaFind® classifier was trained on a set of 2,265 lesions including 221
melanomas, 87 high grade dysplastic nevi, and 1,957 other pigmented skin lesions. Following testing
on the training set, it was then tested on the largest blinded series that we have performed to
date 562 lesions including 54 melanomas, 22 high grade dysplastic nevi, and 486 other pigmented
skin lesions. The following table summarizes the results of the tests on the training and blinded
data sets.
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February 2006 Training Study and Blinded Test Results
Training | Blinded test | ||||||||||||||
MelaFind® | MelaFind® | Study Dermatologists | |||||||||||||
Sensitivity |
100% | Missed 1 in situ Melanoma | Missed 1 invasive Melanoma | ||||||||||||
Specificity |
50.7% | 45.1% | 20.0% | ||||||||||||
(p < 0.0001) |
|||||||||||||||
Over-Biopsy Ratio |
4.4:1 | 5:1 | 7.3:1 |
The study dermatologists, who are experts in the detection of skin cancer, missed an invasive
melanoma, indicating that the lesion was not suspicious for melanoma; the lesion was biopsied due
to patient concern. MelaFind® missed one melanoma in situ. The specificity of
MelaFind® was statistically significantly superior to that of study dermatologists (p
< 0.0001). The over biopsy ratio, that is, the ratio of false
positive interpretations to true positive interpretations, is higher
for study dermatologists than for MelaFind®.
In a separate reader study of small lesions derived from the training and blinded data sets, above,
the diagnostic performance of MelaFind® was compared with that of nine independent
expert dermoscopists. This study was performed on 99 small lesions (49 melanomas and 50
non-melanomas), defined as lesions ranging from 2mm to 6mm in diameter. The following table
demonstrates the performance (sensitivity and specificity) of the nine readers and
MelaFind®. The doctors impression of whether a lesion is a melanoma or not a melanoma
on dermoscopic grounds is assessed by asking the question, Is this a melanoma. Whether a lesion
is sufficiently suspicious to warrant biopsy is assessed by asking the question, Would you biopsy
this lesion to rule-out melanoma? MelaFind® answers both
questions the same. The MelaFind® results compare quite favorably to the
dermoscopists on these small, difficult to differentiate lesions.
Would you biopsy this lesion to | ||||||||||
Is this a melanoma? | rule-out melanoma? | |||||||||
Sensitivity / Specificity | Sensitivity / Specificity | |||||||||
Expert Dermatologists |
38.78% / 82.32% | 70.61% / 48.89% | ||||||||
MelaFind® | Sensitivity 98% / Specificity 44% |
In another study of 68 lesions derived from the training and blinded data sets, above, the ABCD
(asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, and diameter) criteria were assessed by two
expert readers who pioneered the use of the ABCD criteria, and MelaFind®. The 68 lesions
included 14 melanomas, 4 high grade dysplastic nevi, and 50 other lesions. The concordance of the
ABCD criteria between MelaFind® and Reader 1 was 51.5% (A), 61.8% (B), 79.4% (C), and 83.8% (D);
for Reader 2 and MelaFind®, the concordance was 57.4% (A), 57.4% (B), 80.9% (C), and 81.3% (D).
There is appreciable but not complete overlap between the sets of lesions identified as being at
risk for melanoma by clinical ABCD by expert dermatologists compared with quantitative ABCD using
MelaFind®. The study further demonstrated that quantitative ABCD characteristics have
very high sensitivity to melanoma.
The studies performed to date have been executed with prototype hardware systems as well as
MelaFind® classifiers and software that were under development. We believe that results
derived from blinded tests utilizing pre-commercialization hardware systems with the most advanced
software and MelaFind® classifiers will be equivalent or superior to the results
obtained to date using the prototype systems and developmental software. We believe that the
results of the pivotal study, which will utilize the optimized hardware and software, will satisfy
the requirements of the Protocol Agreement.
Sales and Marketing
We plan to offer MelaFind® as a point-of-care online service. This approach is
intended to provide us with the advantage of recurring revenues corresponding to the number of
patients examined and to provide the physician with access to our technology without having to make
a significant capital investment.
Our sales and marketing strategy is to initially establish a focused sales, marketing, and
distribution organization in North America. We plan to focus our commercialization efforts
initially on high volume/key opinion leader dermatologists who are strongly focused on the
diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. For the expansion to the larger US markets of general
dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and primary care physicians, and for international markets, we
intend to establish development and commercialization partnerships with pharmaceutical and/or
diagnostic device companies with an
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established competency in the market to accelerate the product introduction and to maximize the
breadth of the commercial opportunity. At this time, we have not yet established any
commercialization partnerships.
We believe that the ultimate market for MelaFind® is in the primary care setting. When used by
primary care physicians, MelaFind® could have a significant public health benefit and a favorable
impact on healthcare costs. Primary care physicians are at the front line of early detection, but
their lack of specialist training in identifying suspect lesions makes the achievement of a high
level of diagnostic accuracy
challenging. We believe that MelaFind® can significantly assist primary care physicians in
improving their diagnostic acumen.
The MelaFind® Value Proposition for the Healthcare System
We are currently working with experts on a quantitative analysis of the value proposition of
the use of MelaFind® by both dermatologists and primary care physicians using Evidence-Based
Medicine evaluation techniques. This strategy is consistent with the approach that has been used to
support positive coverage decisions by CMS and private payors for other products. The value drivers
include: (1) the diagnosis of melanoma at the early curable stages, as opposed to advanced stages,
allowing for both a greater opportunity to cure and a reduction in treatment costs by approximately
99%; and (2) reduced number of referrals for evaluation and biopsy of benign pigmented skin
lesions. We believe that the use of MelaFind® could result in substantial savings to the US
healthcare system.
Our Reimbursement Strategy
We are aware of no Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code that is specifically applicable
to the use of MelaFind®. Therefore, we have engaged the services of expert consultants with
extensive experience in the CPT and coverage decision processes to assist us in the submission of
appropriate applications to obtain a CPT code(s) and positive coverage decisions from CMS and
private payors.
In advance of obtaining a CPT code, we intend to extend our efforts to secure coverage by
private payors and Medicare administrative contractors. Securing coverage first through private
payors and Medicare administrative contractors is a common strategy for facilitating national
Medicare coverage. Our efforts to secure reimbursement for services using MelaFind® will focus
first on private payors and Medicare administrative contractors, particularly in sunbelt locations
and in areas that have been shown to be underserved by dermatologists.
In the US, healthcare providers that utilize medical systems such as MelaFind®, generally rely
on third-party payors, including Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance carriers, and managed
care organizations, to reimburse part, but not necessarily all, of the costs and fees associated
with the procedures performed using these devices. Public and professional concern about the cost
of medical care and new technologies has evoked a variety of remedies. Third-party payors are
increasingly challenging the pricing of medical products and procedures. Guidelines have been
established that recognize the need for clinical strategies to assess the cost-effectiveness of new
diagnostic tools or procedures (Evidence-Based Medicine), in the hope of reducing the variations in
diagnostic and treatment protocols and reducing healthcare expenditures.
Insurers are also attempting to curb utilization by applying a rational analysis of the costs
versus benefits of new technologies.
The Evidence-Based Medicine evaluation that we are undertaking is central to our efforts to
obtain positive coverage decisions from CMS and private insurers. The importance of Evidence-Based
Medicine is underscored by recent actions by CMS, including its proposed Covered with Evidence
Development initiative designed to provide quicker access to new technologies for beneficiaries
while assuring that appropriate evidence for final coverage decisions will be obtained.
Assuming FDA approval of MelaFind® in 2007, we anticipate submitting an application for a new
CPT code to the American Medical Association (AMA) CPT Editorial Panel in late 2007, anticipating
possible issuance of a new CPT code and positive national or regional Medicare coverage
determinations in the first or second quarter of 2009. The Evidence-Based Medicine evaluation will
be included in the application. If the CPT Editorial Panel concurs that a new CPT code is needed
and appropriate, and we are able to demonstrate that MelaFind® is reasonable and necessary for the
Medicare population, we anticipate that the new code would be referred to the AMAs Relative Value
Scale Update Committee (RUC) to determine the appropriate level of Medicare Part B reimbursement
for the procedure, relative to other physician services. This analysis would include a survey of
physicians utilizing MelaFind® in the commercial setting. In setting Medicare reimbursement rates,
CMS is generally guided, though not bound,
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by the recommendation of the RUC. Medicare coverage and payment policies significantly influence
the practices and policies of private payors, managed care organizations, and state Medicaid
agencies. We expect to commence efforts to obtain positive coverage decisions from private payors,
managed care organizations, Medicaid agencies, and state Medicare administrative contractors
following the completion
of the pivotal clinical trial or PMA submission. Presentations to the various committees that evaluate new technologies will be made. These will include the Evidence-Based Medicine evaluation and value proposition. We believe it is likely that the private payors, managed care organizations, and state Medicare administrative contractors will desire to establish pilot programs of MelaFind® to determine the impact of the product in their systems following PMA approval. In the case of private payors, managed care organizations and state Medicare administrative contractors, we anticipate that obtaining a positive coverage decision for MelaFind® may take at least 6 to 12 months following PMA approval.
of the pivotal clinical trial or PMA submission. Presentations to the various committees that evaluate new technologies will be made. These will include the Evidence-Based Medicine evaluation and value proposition. We believe it is likely that the private payors, managed care organizations, and state Medicare administrative contractors will desire to establish pilot programs of MelaFind® to determine the impact of the product in their systems following PMA approval. In the case of private payors, managed care organizations and state Medicare administrative contractors, we anticipate that obtaining a positive coverage decision for MelaFind® may take at least 6 to 12 months following PMA approval.
One of the keys to securing reimbursement is the desire of physicians to use a new technology
in order to enhance their diagnostic acumen and improve the standard of care. Likewise, we believe
that once patients become aware of the availability of MelaFind®, they may demand that their
physicians utilize MelaFind®. We believe that MelaFind® will represent an improvement in the
standard of care for the detection of melanoma. As such, we anticipate that its adoption by
physicians and reimbursement by payors will be facilitated by medical and scientific evidence
published in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific and medical meetings including
the American Academy of Dermatology annual and regional meetings. We plan to execute a publication
strategy and to provide information for continuing medical education efforts in order to
communicate the potential of MelaFind® to improve patient care. We also plan to sponsor clinical
trials following PMA approval in order to evaluate MelaFind® in additional settings. We anticipate
that the results of these studies will also be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at
scientific and medical meetings. We anticipate that these studies will help to demonstrate the
potential of MelaFind® to improve patient care.
We recognize that a favorable reimbursement environment will have a significant impact on
MelaFind®s adoption and commercial success. Even if a procedure is eligible for reimbursement, the
level of reimbursement may not be adequate. In addition, third-party payors may deny reimbursement
if they determine that the device used in the treatment was not cost-effective or was used for a
non-approved indication. We have anticipated this need and have employed an active strategy to
obtain medical coverage, identify appropriate coding and establish adequate payment.
Pending approval of a CPT code and the availability of third party reimbursement, we plan to
offer MelaFind® to physicians, who would pay for using MelaFind®, and may or may not charge
patients directly for its use. For example, in capitated systems such as certain managed care plans
(where physicians cannot pass costs on to patients, but rather are paid a fixed amount per patient
managed under the plan, whether or not treated) physicians may conclude that it is cost-effective
to use MelaFind® in order to reduce utilization of other services such as biopsies, for example,
when the MelaFind® result indicates biopsy is not recommended. In addition, we believe that roughly
ten percent of all dermatological practices are focused on cosmetic dermatology. Most procedures
performed in cosmetic dermatological practices and Medi-Spas are provided on a patient self-pay
basis. Medi-Spas are health and beauty clubs and spas in which medical care and supervision by
licensed medical practitioners such as doctors, nurses and physicians assistants is provided; they
specialize in aesthetic medicine. We believe that healthcare consumers that seek these services are
likely to pay for MelaFind®, as well.
Competition
We are not aware of any direct competitors to MelaFind®. A number of systems for visualization
and assessment of pigmented skin lesions are in use or in development. These include clinical
(naked eye) examination, whole body mole mapping systems, dermoscopes (also known as
dermatoscopes), digital dermoscopes, spectrophotometric intercutaneous analysis (analysis of skin
structures through measurement of how they absorb light of different wavelengths), confocal
microscopy, and spectrophotometric (color) analysis. These systems rely on physician experience and
expertise in recognizing patterns that are associated with melanoma and non-melanoma in order to
render an interpretation and diagnosis.
The current primary method for detecting melanoma relies on physicians to interpret whether a
pigmented skin lesion is suspicious for melanoma (thereby requiring biopsy) based on their ability
to recognize patterns using clinical examination. Physicians use the ABCDE criteria:
Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, Diameter greater than
6 mm, and Evolving in ABCD, in their assessment. Whole body mole mapping consists of
periodic photography of patients, typically those at high risk for developing melanoma. The
pictures are reviewed clinically. This service is provided at some diagnostic imaging
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centers and dermatology offices. DigitalDerm, Inc. offers a computerized system for acquisition,
storage, and review of the pictures.
Dermoscopy, or epiluminescence microscopy, allows for non-invasive visualization of colors and
microstructures of the epidermis, the dermal-epidermal junction, and the papillary dermis not
visible to the naked eye. Manufacturers of dermoscopes include (but are not limited to) Welch
Allyn, Inc. (US), Heine Optotechnik (Germany), and 3Gen, LLC (US). Digital dermoscopes allow for
dermoscopic images to be visualized on a computer screen at larger magnification. In addition,
images may be stored and compared to images taken previously. Manufacturers of digital dermoscopes
include (but are not limited to) Derma Medical Systems, Inc. (Austria), ZN Vision Technologies AG
(Germany), Polartechnics, Ltd. (Australia), Linos Photonics, Inc. (Germany), and Biomips
Engineering (Italy). Dermoscopy is a tool used by approximately 25% of dermatologists in the US and
is associated with a long learning curve. Physicians experienced in the use of dermoscopy have been
shown to have an increased diagnostic accuracy of 10 to 20% over clinical examination. Although
some digital dermoscopes provide information regarding the probability that a lesion may be
melanoma compared to a database of lesions, no system, to our knowledge, is under PMA development
for objective interpretation.
An article published in 2005 describes the results of a study utilizing the DB-Mips system
from Biomips Engineering. The database of lesions used in this study differs significantly from our
proprietary database. For example, our database includes a substantial number of lesions such as
seborrheic keratoses (benign lesions derived from skin cells called
Keratinocytes) and pigmented basal cell carcinomas, which can be difficult to differentiate
from melanoma. The DB-Mips database included none of these lesions. Further, our database includes
many more melanomas that are minimally invasive as well as a much higher percentage of dysplastic
nevi compared to the DB-Mips database. Minimally invasive melanomas are more difficult to diagnose
than melanomas that have significantly invaded the skin, and dysplastic nevi can be very difficult
to differentiate from melanoma. Thus, we believe that the DB-Mips database does not include as many
pigmented lesions that are difficult to differentiate from melanoma as our database. This is
further confirmed by the fact that the specificity of dermatologists in other DB-Mips studies was
reported to be over 80% while the specificity of dermatologists in MelaFind® studies is typically
under 30%. The DB-Mips system has a reported specificity of up to 79%, which is roughly equivalent
to the specificity of the dermatologists in DB-Mips studies. The DB-Mips system has a reported
sensitivity to melanoma of about 95%. We believe that because the DB-Mips database includes
relatively few early melanomas, direct comparison with MelaFind®s sensitivity is not meaningful.
Another article published in November 2005 describes the results of a study conducted using the
SolarScan system developed by PolarTechnics, Ltd. The sensitivity and specificity of SolarScan on
a training set of 1,644 melanocytic lesions (skin lesions derived
from skin cells called melanocytes), including 260 melanomas was 90% and 61%,
respectively. In a blinded study of 786 melanoncytic lesions including 122 melanomas, the
sensitivity and specificity of SolarScan was 91% and 65%, respectively. In a reader study of 78
melanocytic lesions including 13 melanomas, the sensitivity and specificity of SolarScan was 85%
and 65%, respectively, compared to the sensitivity and specificity of skin cancer experts (90% and
59%, respectively) and dermatologists (81% and 60%, respectively). SolarScan did not perform well
on non-melanocytic lesions; for example, only 13% of seborrheic keratoses were successfully
classified. We believe that since SolarScan is intended for melanocytic lesions only, its use is
limited to expert dermatologists. Further, we believe that a sensitivity in the range of 90% would
not gain market approval.
Spectrophotometric intercutaneous analysis is a technique of visualizing collagen, blood, and
pigment. Astron Clinica (UK) manufactures a device utilizing this technique. Confocal microscopy is
an experimental approach for non-invasive visualization of skin structures at the cellular level;
such a device utilizing this technique is in development by Lucid (US).
A spectrophotometer (an instrument for measuring absorption of light of different wavelengths)
is offered by Medical High Technologies S.p.A. (Switzerland). In contrast to MelaFind®, the product
does not perform automatic quality control of images and has an external light source. We believe
that the reported sensitivity of 80.4% would not gain market approval. Further, we are not aware of
comparative data on physicians performance in corresponding data sets. The system does not have
PMA approval, nor are we aware of efforts directed to obtain PMA approval of the product.
The broad market for precision optical imaging devices used for medical diagnosis is intensely
competitive, subject to rapid change and significantly affected by new product introductions and
other market activities of industry participants. If our products are approved for marketing, we
will potentially be subject to competition from major optical imaging companies, such as General
Electric Co., Siemens AG, Bayer AG, Eastman Kodak Company, Olympus Corporation, Carl Zeiss AG
Deutschland and others, each
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of which manufactures and markets precision optical imaging products for the medical market and
could decide to develop or acquire a product to compete with MelaFind®.
Manufacturing
We are currently focusing our manufacturing efforts on hardware engineering in order to make
the functioning of the MelaFind® hand-held imaging devices more consistent and robust, and to
facilitate larger-scale manufacturing methods of the pre-commercialization devices that will be
used in the pivotal clinical trial. Data from the clinical studies as well as from engineering
tests under stress and different environmental conditions are being used to refine appropriate manufacturing and field
specifications before the design is fixed.
For this crucial phase in development, we have contracted with a third-party vendor, ASKION
(Gera, Germany), which specializes in precision optics. We are currently negotiating with Carl
Zeiss Jena (Jena, Germany), an international optics house, to supply lenses to ASKION to be used in
post-clinical trial models of the hand-held clinical units. The pre-commercialization hand-held
imaging devices to be assembled by ASKION are expected to be available for pivotal trial initiation
planned for 2006. The pre-commercialization hand-held imaging devices are expected to be more
robust while having at least the same or better performance than the hand-held imaging devices used
in the clinical program to date. We recently commenced delivery of
MelaFind® systems to the field for beta testing.
Following beta testing and additional refinements, as required, we expect to have new systems
available in order to start the pivotal trial in 2006.
In March 2005, we were inspected by the FDA for the manufacturing and commercialization of
DIFOTI®, our dental cavities detection product that has been discontinued for business reasons. The
FDA inspectors observed deficiencies that were documented on FDA Form 483 that was issued to us
following the inspection. We have had a follow-up meeting with the FDA and are working with the FDA
and consultants to address the inspectional findings, particularly as they relate to current
MelaFind® design development and ultimate MelaFind® commercial manufacturing. We believe that the
issues can be addressed to the satisfaction of the FDA and will not materially adversely effect our
operations.
Research and Development Efforts
Our research and development efforts are currently focused on finalization and validation of
the pre-commercialization hand-held imaging device, and completion of the development of the
MelaFind® Lesion Classifiers. To date, we have developed and tested four-step classifiers and we
are currently working on five-step versions. The classifiers have been trained on 221 melanomas to
date, and our goal is to use 300 melanomas (and over 4,000 non-melanoma pigmented lesions) for
training. To date we have collected approximately 275 melanomas, which are available for classifier
training.
We have engaged a consultant to perform specific technical services supporting our algorithm
and software development and other efforts.
Our R&D plan also includes further improvements such as incorporating wireless technology and
an internet connection for hand-held imaging device quality monitoring, as well as faster and
easier software downloads for future software versions. The internet based monitoring of the
performance of our hand-held imaging device, known as Intelligent Device Management, is intended to
enable us to continuously monitor our hand-held imaging device, advise the user of errors in
handling, and thus enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
We have performed feasibility studies of a MelaFind® software add-on feature called
MelaMetertm, an enhancement to MelaFind® that provides information regarding the depth
of penetration of a pigmented skin lesion. This information may be useful to physicians in
determining the necessary depth and breadth of a biopsy of a pigmented skin lesion. Initial
clinical studies of MelaMetertm demonstrate the ability of MelaMetertm to
non-invasively estimate the Breslow thickness (the thickness of a cutaneous malignant melanoma
measured from the epidermis to the deepest malignant cells present) comparably to histological
examination of excised lesions. We plan to continue the development of MelaMetertm and
seek its FDA approval after receiving PMA approval of MelaFind®.
Following commercialization of MelaFind®, we intend to evaluate the potential use of our light
based computer vision platform in other applications, including the non-invasive detection of basal
cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer. New hardware systems for the imaging of blood and
blood vessel patterns are needed since the majority of basal cell carcinomas are not pigmented and,
accordingly, the MelaFind® system as currently developed is not appropriate for this use. However,
we believe MelaFind®s software programs and algorithms will be applicable.
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Intellectual Property
Our policy is to protect our intellectual property by obtaining US and foreign patents to
protect technology, inventions and improvements important to the development of our business. To
date we have been awarded 14 US patents with numerous foreign counterparts, of which six US patents
and two Australian patents relate to various aspects of MelaFind®. In addition, we have applied for
two additional US patents and have filed certain foreign patent applications relating to MelaFind®,
of which two foreign patent applications are currently in the European regional phase. Also, we
have obtained non-exclusive licenses from several of our suppliers for critical components of
MelaFind®. We have not granted any significant licenses with respect to our intellectual property.
We cannot be certain that our patents will not be challenged or circumvented by competitors.
Whether a patent is infringed and is valid, or whether a patent application should be granted, are
all complex matters of science and law, and therefore we cannot be certain that, if challenged, our
patents, patent applications and/or other intellectual property rights would be upheld. If one or
more of those patents, patent applications and other intellectual property rights are invalidated,
rejected or found unenforceable, that could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage.
We also rely on trade secrets and technical know-how in the manufacture and marketing of
MelaFind®. We require our employees, consultants and contractors to execute confidentiality
agreements with respect to our proprietary information.
We have obtained US trademark registrations for the following marks: MelaFind® and
DIFOTI®, as well as the corporate logo for eos-electro-optical sciences, inc.® The goods
covered by these registrations are in International Class 010 and US Classes 26, 39 and 44. For
MelaFind®, the description of goods and services covered by the trademark is: medical devices,
namely, electro-optical devices incorporating hardware for obtaining images in different spectral
bands and software for analyzing the images for use in analyzing skin lesions and determining the
existence of melanoma. For DIFOTI®, the description of goods and services covered by the trademark
is: electro-optical apparatus to diagnose dental conditions. For eos-electro-optical sciences,
inc.®, the description of goods and services covered by the trademark is: instrumentation
comprising computer assisted optical imagers and image analyzers for use in the detection of dental
cavities, cutaneous melanoma, and other pathologies of the teeth, skin and other tissues. We also
have registered the internet domain names: www.eo-sciences.com, www.eosciences.com,
www.melafind.com, www.difoti.com, www.smartlightsensors.com, and www.skinsurf.com.
The following table lists the fundamental US patents that cover the MelaFind® methodology,
apparatus, and systems:
US Patents Relating to MelaFind®
Patent # | Title | Issued | Expiration | |||
6,081,612
|
Systems and Methods for the Multispectral Imaging and Characterization of Skin Tissue | 06/27/00 | 02/27/17 | |||
6,208,749
|
Systems and Methods for the Multispectral Imaging and Characterization of Skin Tissue | 03/27/01 | 02/27/17 | |||
6,307,957
|
Multispectral Imaging and Characterization of Biological Tissue | 10/23/01 | 02/27/17 | |||
6,626,558
|
Apparatus for Uniform Illumination of an Object | 09/30/03 | 08/31/21 | |||
6,657,798
|
Method for Optimizing the Number of Good Assemblies Manufacturable From a Number of Parts | 12/02/03 | 02/10/23 | |||
6,710,947
|
Method for Assembling Lens Elements | 03/23/04 | 02/27/23 |
The first two listed patents improve the specificity and sensitivity of the software
algorithms that classify lesions as suspicious for melanoma or as not suspicious. The third patent
extends the prior patents for potential use in evaluating gastro-intestinal lesions. The fourth
patent covers a novel way of providing illumination with which to capture images. The fifth and
sixth patents describe cost-saving methods of lens assembly. We believe that our patented methods
and apparatus, together with unpatented related trade-secret technology, give us a competitive
advantage; however, we cannot be certain that, if challenged, our patented methods and apparatus
and/or trade-secret technology would be upheld. If one or more of our
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patented methods, patented apparatus or trade secret technology rights are invalidated, rejected or
found unenforceable, that could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage we might otherwise
have had.
US patent No. 6,081,612 relates to the MelaFind® system and methods employed in building
MelaFind® classification algorithms involving the use of novel multi-spectral lesion features by
means of wavelet maxima representations. Wavelet maxima representations use specific types of
mathematical transformations called wavelets to represent a signal, such as an image of a lesion
taken by the MelaFind®
system, at different detail levels. The wavelet maxima representation retains information of
potential diagnostic value. This information is quantified in the form of statistical features used
for automatic classification. Patent No. 6,208,749 relates to methods employed in building
MelaFind® classification algorithms involving the use of novel features of multispectral lesion
images that do not involve the use of wavelet transformations to determine whether the lesion is or
is not a melanoma. We believe the inclusion of the described wavelets and non-wavelets features
improves significantly the sensitivity and specificity of the melanoma classifiers. Patent No.
6,307,957 extends the use of the novel features of the MelaFind® system to endoscopy (examination
of gastro-intestinal tissues using fiber-optic probes). We have no present plans to develop
endoscopy applications of our technology.
Patent 6,626,558 covers the array of numerous light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are used in
the MelaFind® hand-held device to provide uniform illumination of lesions in multiple spectral
bands of illumination. Patent 6,657,798 involves the use of a computer algorithm to optimize the
number of lens assemblies possible from a given number of sets of lens elements. Patent 6,710,947
describes a method for the economical assembly of the nine elements of the MelaFind® hand-held
devices optical lens apparatus.
We also have developed trade secret calibration methods, classifier programs, and search
engines; these programs have been developed over many years and incorporate decades of experience
in optical computer vision. In addition, our proprietary MelaFind® database of over 5,000 lesions
has been compiled over a number of years and would be difficult to replicate.
FDA Regulation
Our product, MelaFind®, is regulated as a medical device and is subject to extensive
regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the US. The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(FD&C Act) and other federal and state statutes and regulations govern the research, design,
development, preclinical and clinical testing, manufacturing, safety, approval or clearance,
labeling, packaging, storage, record keeping, servicing, promotion, import and export, and
distribution of medical devices.
Unless an exemption applies, each medical device we wish to commercially distribute in the US
will require either prior premarket notification, or 510(k) clearance, or PMA approval, from the
FDA. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes. Devices requiring fewer controls
because they are deemed to pose lower risk are placed in Class I or II. Class I devices are subject
to general controls such as labeling, premarket notification, and adherence to the FDAs Quality
System Regulation (a set of current good manufacturing practice requirements put forth by the FDA
which govern the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the design,
manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage, installation and servicing of finished devices) (QSR).
Class II devices are subject to special controls such as performance standards, postmarket
surveillance, FDA guidelines, as well as general controls. Some Class I and Class II devices are
exempted by regulation from the premarket notification, or 510(k), clearance requirement or the
requirement of compliance with certain provisions of the QSR. Devices are placed in Class III,
which requires approval of a PMA application, if insufficient information exists to determine that
the application of general controls or special controls are sufficient to provide reasonable
assurance of safety and effectiveness, or they are life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable
devices, or the FDA deems these devices to be not substantially equivalent either to a previously
510(k) cleared device or to a preamendment Class III device in commercial distribution before May
28, 1976, for which PMA applications have not been required. The FDA classifies MelaFind® as a
Class III device, requiring PMA approval.
A PMA application must be supported by valid scientific evidence, which typically requires
extensive data, including technical, pre-clinical, clinical, manufacturing and labeling data, to
demonstrate to the FDAs satisfaction the safety and effectiveness of the device. A PMA application
must include, among other things, a complete description of the device and its components, a
detailed description of the methods, facilities and controls used to manufacture the device, and
proposed labeling. A PMA application also must be accompanied by a user fee, unless exempt. For
example, the FDA does not require the submission of a user fee for a small businesss first PMA.
After a PMA application is submitted and found to be sufficiently complete, the FDA begins an
in-depth review of the submitted information. During this review period, the
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FDA may request additional information, or clarification of information already provided. Also
during the review period, the FDA has informed us that an advisory panel of experts from outside
the FDA will be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the
FDA as to the approvability of the device. In addition, the FDA generally will conduct a
pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility to ensure compliance with the QSR, which
requires manufacturers to follow design, testing, control, documentation and other quality
assurance procedures. We commenced the PMA application process for MelaFind® by filing a proposed
Shell (an outline of a PMA) for a three module PMA on September 30, 2002. We filed as a Small
Business Entity exempt from the user fee requirement. The Shell was accepted and two Modules have
been filed and reviewed. The third Module will include the results of the pivotal clinical study,
and cannot be filed until after that study is complete and its results have been evaluated. The FDA
can delay, limit or deny approval of a PMA application for many reasons, including:
| MelaFind® may not be safe or effective to the FDAs satisfaction; | |
| The data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support approval; | |
| The manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements; and | |
| changes in FDA approval policies or adoption of new regulations may require additional data. |
If the FDA evaluations of both the PMA application and the manufacturing facilities are
favorable, the FDA will either issue an approval letter, or approvable letter, which usually
contains a number of conditions which must be met in order to secure final approval of the PMA.
When and if those conditions have been fulfilled to the satisfaction of the FDA, the agency will
issue a PMA approval letter authorizing commercial marketing of the device for certain indications.
If the FDAs evaluation of the PMA or manufacturing facilities is not favorable, the FDA will deny
approval of the PMA or issue a not approvable letter. The FDA may also determine that additional
clinical trials are necessary, in which case the PMA approval may be delayed while the trials are
conducted and the data acquired is submitted in an amendment to the PMA. Even with additional
trials, the FDA may not approve the PMA application. The PMA process can be expensive, uncertain
and lengthy and a number of devices for which FDA approval has been sought by other companies have
never been approved for marketing.
New PMA applications or PMA supplements may be required for modifications to the manufacturing
process, labeling and device specifications, materials or design of a device that is approved
through the PMA process. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information
as an initial PMA application, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to
support any changes from the device covered by the original PMA application, and may not require as
extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel.
Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA application, and are sometimes
required for a 510(k) clearance. These trials generally require submission of an application for an
Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to the FDA. We have not been required to file an IDE
application for the MelaFind® clinical studies because FDA has considered the trials
Non-Significant Risk (NSR) studies subject to abbreviated IDE regulations, which do not require
formal IDE submission. An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and
laboratory testing results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the
testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE application must be approved in advance by the
FDA for a specified number of patients, unless the product is deemed a non-significant risk device
and eligible for more abbreviated IDE requirements. Generally, clinical trials for a significant
risk device may begin once the IDE application is approved by the FDA and the study protocol and
informed consent form are approved by appropriate institutional review boards (IRBs) at the
clinical trial sites. The FDAs approval of an IDE allows clinical testing to go forward, but does
not bind the FDA to accept the results of the trial as sufficient to prove the products safety and
effectiveness, even if the trial meets its intended success criteria. All clinical trials must be
conducted in accordance with the FDAs IDE regulations that govern investigational device labeling,
prohibit promotion of the investigational device, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting
and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. As stated above, the
clinical studies of MelaFind® are considered by the FDA as NSR. Consequently, the trials are
conducted under the auspices of an abbreviated IDE. Clinical trials must further comply with the
FDAs regulations for IRB approval and for informed consent. Required records and reports are
subject to inspection by the FDA. The results of clinical testing may be unfavorable or, even if
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the intended safety and effectiveness success criteria are achieved, may not be considered
sufficient for the FDA to grant approval or clearance of a product. The commencement or completion
of any of our clinical trials may be delayed or halted, or be inadequate to support approval of a
PMA application, or 510(k) clearance, for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, the
following:
| the FDA, other regulatory authorities, or an IRB do not approve a clinical trial protocol or a clinical trial, or place a clinical trial on hold; | |
| Patients do not enroll in clinical trials at the rate we expect; | |
| Physicians do not comply with trial protocols; | |
| patient follow-up is not at the rate we expect; | |
| Patients experience adverse events; | |
| IRBs and third-party clinical investigators may delay or reject our trial protocol; | |
| third-party clinical investigators decline to participate in a trial or do not perform a trial on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical trial protocol, GCPs or other FDA requirements; | |
| third-party organizations do not perform data collection and analysis in a timely or accurate manner; | |
| regulatory inspections of our clinical trials or manufacturing facilities may, among other things, require us to undertake corrective action or suspend or terminate our clinical trials, or invalidate our clinical trials; | |
| Changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions; and | |
| the interim or final results of the clinical trial are inconclusive or unfavorable as to safety or effectiveness. |
Our clinical trials may not generate favorable data to support any PMA applications, and we may not
be able to obtain such approvals on a timely basis, or at all. Delays in receipt of or failure to
receive such approvals, the withdrawal of previously received approvals, or failure to comply with
existing or future regulatory requirements would have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations. Even if granted, the approvals may include
significant limitations on the intended use and indications for use for which our products may be
marketed.
After a device is approved or cleared and placed in commercial distribution, numerous
regulatory requirements apply. These include:
| establishment registration and device listing; | |
| QSR, which requires manufacturers to follow design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures; | |
| labeling regulations, which prohibit the promotion of products for unapproved or off-label uses and impose other restrictions on labeling; | |
| medical device reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA if a device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur; and | |
| corrections and removal reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and product recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FD&C Act that may present a risk to health. |
Also, the FDA may require us to conduct postmarket surveillance studies or order us to
establish and maintain a system for tracking our products through the chain of distribution to the
patient level. The FDA enforces regulatory requirements by conducting periodic, unannounced
inspections and market
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surveillance. Inspections may include the manufacturing facilities of our subcontractors. Thus, we
must continue to spend time, money, and effort to maintain compliance.
Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, including those applicable to the
conduct of our clinical trials, can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may lead to any
of the following sanctions:
| warning letters; | |
| fines and civil penalties; | |
| unanticipated expenditures; | |
| delays in approving or refusal to approve our applications, including supplements; | |
| withdrawal of FDA approval; | |
| product recall or seizure; | |
| interruption of production; | |
| operating restrictions; | |
| injunctions; and | |
| criminal prosecution. |
We and our contract manufacturers, specification developers, and some suppliers of components,
are also required to manufacture our products in compliance with cGMP requirements set forth in the
QSR. The QSR requires a quality system for the design, manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage,
installation and servicing of marketed devices, and includes extensive requirements with respect to
quality management and organization, device design, equipment, purchase and handling of components,
production and process controls, packaging and labeling controls, device evaluation, distribution,
installation, complaint handling, servicing, and record keeping. The FDA enforces the QSR through
periodic unannounced inspections that may include the manufacturing facilities of our
subcontractors. We expect that our manufacturing facility and those of our subcontractors will be
subject to domestic and international regulatory inspection and review. If the FDA believes we or
any of our contract manufacturers or regulated suppliers are not in compliance with these
requirements, it can shut down our manufacturing operations, require recall of our products, refuse
to approve new marketing applications, institute legal proceedings to detain or seize products,
enjoin future violations, or assess civil and criminal penalties against us or our officers or
other employees. Any such action by the FDA would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with all applicable FDA regulations.
Government Regulation
The advertising of our MelaFind® product will be subject to both FDA and Federal Trade
Commission regulations. In addition, the sale and marketing of MelaFind® will be subject to a
complex system of federal and state laws and regulations intended to deter, detect, and respond to
fraud and abuse in the healthcare system. These laws and regulations restrict and may prohibit
pricing, discounting, commissions and other commercial practices that may be typical outside of the
healthcare business. In particular, anti-kickback and self-referral laws and regulations will limit
our flexibility in crafting promotional programs and other financial arrangements in connection
with the sale of our products and related services, especially with respect to physicians seeking
reimbursement through Medicare or Medicaid. These federal laws include, by way of example, the
following:
| the anti-kickback statute prohibits certain business practices and relationships that might affect the provision and cost of healthcare services reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, including the payment or receipt of remuneration for the referral of patients whose care will be paid by Medicare or other federal healthcare programs; |
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| the physician self-referral prohibition, commonly referred to as the Stark Law, which prohibits referrals by physicians of Medicare or Medicaid patients to providers of a broad range of designated healthcare services in which the physicians or their immediate family members have ownership interests or with which they have certain other financial arrangements; |
| the anti-inducement law, which prohibits providers from offering anything to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary to induce that beneficiary to use items or services covered by either program; |
| the Civil False Claims Act, which prohibits any person from knowingly ? presenting or causing to be presented false or fraudulent claims for payment by the federal government, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs; and the Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which authorizes the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to impose civil penalties administratively for fraudulent or abusive acts. |
Sanctions for violating these federal laws include criminal and civil penalties that range
from punitive sanctions, damage assessments, money penalties, imprisonment, denial of Medicare and
Medicaid payments, or exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, or both. These laws also
impose an affirmative duty on those receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding to ensure that they do
not employ or contract with persons excluded from the Medicare and other government programs.
Many states have adopted or are considering legislative proposals similar to the federal fraud
and abuse laws, some of which extend beyond the Medicare and Medicaid programs to prohibit the
payment or receipt of remuneration for the referral of patients and physician self-referrals
regardless of whether the service was reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid. Many states have also
adopted or are considering legislative proposals to increase patient protections, such as limiting
the use and disclosure of patient-specific health information. These state laws typically impose
criminal and civil penalties similar to the federal laws.
In the ordinary course of their business, medical device manufacturers and suppliers have been
and are subject regularly to inquiries, investigations and audits by federal and state agencies
that oversee these laws and regulations. Recent federal and state legislation has greatly increased
funding for investigations and enforcement actions, which have increased dramatically over the past
several years. This trend is expected to continue. Private enforcement of healthcare fraud also has
increased, due in large part to amendments to the Civil False Claims Act in 1986 that were designed
to encourage private persons to sue on behalf of the government. These whistleblower suits by
private persons, known as qui tam relators, may be filed by almost anyone, including physicians and
their employees and patients, our employees, and even competitors. The Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), in addition to its privacy provisions, created a series of
new healthcare-related crimes.
Environmental Regulation
Our research and development and clinical processes involve the handling of potentially
harmful biological materials as well as hazardous materials. We and our investigators and vendors
are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, handling, storage
and disposal of hazardous and biological materials and we incur expenses relating to compliance
with these laws and regulations. If violations of environmental, health and safety laws occur, we
could be held liable for damages, penalties and costs of remedial actions. These expenses or this
liability could have a significant negative impact on our financial condition. We may violate
environmental, health and safety laws in the future as a result of human error, equipment failure
or other causes. Environmental laws could become more stringent over time, imposing greater
compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with violations. We are subject to
potentially conflicting and changing regulatory agendas of political, business and environmental
groups. Changes to or restrictions on permitting requirements or processes, hazardous or biological
material storage or handling might require an unplanned capital investment or relocation. Failure
to comply with new or existing laws or regulations could harm our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
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International Regulation
International sales of medical devices are subject to foreign government regulations, which
may vary substantially from country to country from having no regulations to having a premarket
notice or premarket acceptance. The time required to obtain approval in a foreign country may be
longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval, and the requirements may differ. There is a
trend towards harmonization of quality system standards among the European Union, US, Canada and
various other industrialized countries.
The European Union, which includes most of the major countries in Europe, has adopted numerous
directives and standards regulating the design, manufacture, clinical trials, labeling and adverse
event reporting for medical devices. Devices that comply with the requirements of a relevant
directive will be entitled to bear the CE conformity marking, indicating that the device conforms
to the essential requirements of the applicable directives and, accordingly, can be commercially
distributed throughout Europe. The method of assessing conformity varies depending on the class of
the product, but normally involves a combination of self-assessment by the manufacturer and a third
party assessment by a Notified Body. This third party assessment may consist of an audit of the
manufacturers quality system and specific testing of the manufacturers product. An assessment by
a Notified Body of one country within the European Union is required in order for a manufacturer to
commercially distribute the product throughout the European Union. As part of the CE compliance,
manufacturers are required to comply with the ISO 9000 series of standards for quality operations
(an international standard for quality management requirements maintained by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO)). Other countries, such as Switzerland, have voluntarily
adopted laws and regulations that mirror those of the European Union with respect to medical
devices. Outside of the European Union, regulatory approval needs to be sought on a
country-by-country basis in order for us to market our products.
Product Liability and Insurance
Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that is inherent in the
testing, manufacturing and marketing of medical devices, including those which may arise from the
misuse or malfunction of, or design flaws in, our products. We may be subject to product liability
claims if MelaFind® causes, or merely appears to have caused, an injury. Claims may be made by
patients, healthcare providers or others involved with MelaFind®. MelaFind® will require from the
FDA approval prior to commercialization in the US. The clinical studies of MelaFind® are considered
by the FDA as NSR. Consequently, the trials are conducted under the auspices of an abbreviated IDE.
We therefore do not maintain domestic clinical trial liability insurance. We have placed clinical
trial liability insurance in certain European countries where required by statute or clinical site
policy. Although we have general liability insurance that we believe is appropriate, and anticipate
obtaining adequate product liability insurance before commercialization of MelaFind®, this
insurance is and will be subject to deductibles and coverage limitations. Our anticipated product
liability insurance may not be available to us in amounts and on acceptable terms, if at all, and,
if available, the coverages may not be adequate to protect us against any future product liability
claims. If we are unable to obtain insurance at an acceptable cost or on acceptable terms with
adequate coverage or otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, we will be
exposed to significant liabilities, which may harm our business.
Employees
As of December 31, 2005, we had 28 full-time and 2 part-time employees, of whom 14 were
engaged in research and development (including clinical and regulatory affairs), 7 in production
(including document control and quality assurance) and 9 in marketing, sales and administrative
activities. We believe that our relationship with our employees is good.
Discontinued Business
As of April 5, 2005, we decided to discontinue all operations associated with our DIFOTI®
product, a non-invasive imaging device for the detection of dental cavities, in order to focus our
resources on the development and commercialization of MelaFind®. We are currently seeking an
acquirer for the DIFOTI® assets. Once a disposition relating to the DIFOTI® assets is complete, we
do not expect to have any significant continuing responsibility for the DIFOTI® business.
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Risk factors
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the
following risk factors, as well as the other information contained in this report. If any of the
following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations would
suffer. In that case, the trading price of our common stock would likely decline and you might lose
all or part of your investment in our common stock.
Risks Relating to Our Business
We currently do not have, and may never develop, any commercialized products.
We currently do not have any commercialized products or any significant source of revenue. We have
invested substantially all of our time and resources over the last five years in developing
MelaFind®. MelaFind® will require additional development, clinical evaluation, regulatory approval,
significant marketing efforts and substantial additional investment before it can provide us with
any revenue. Our efforts may not lead to commercially successful products for a number of reasons,
including:
| we may not be able to obtain regulatory approvals for MelaFind®, or the approved indication may be narrower than we seek; | |
| MelaFind® may not prove to be safe and effective in clinical trials; | |
| physicians may not receive any reimbursement from third-party payors, or the level of reimbursement may be insufficient to support widespread adoption of MelaFind® | |
| we may experience delays in our development program; | |
| any products that are approved may not be accepted in the marketplace by physicians or patients; | |
| we may not have adequate financial or other resources to complete the development or to commence the commercialization of MelaFind® and we will not have adequate financial or other resources to achieve significant commercialization of MelaFind® | |
| we may not be able to manufacture our products in commercial quantities or at an acceptable cost; and | |
| rapid technological change may make our technology and products obsolete. |
We do not expect to be able to commercialize MelaFind® before 2007. If we are unable to develop,
obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize MelaFind®, we will be unable to
generate revenue.
We have not received, and may never receive, FDA approval to market MelaFind®.
We do not have the necessary regulatory approvals to market MelaFind® in the US or in any foreign
market. We have not filed, and currently do not have plans to file, for regulatory approval in any
foreign market. We plan initially to launch MelaFind®, once approved, in the US. The regulatory
approval process for MelaFind® in the US involves, among other things, successfully completing
clinical trials and obtaining PMA approval from the FDA. We commenced the PMA application process
for MelaFind® by filing a proposed outline for a Modular PMA application (a compilation of
well-delineated components submitted separately) on September 30, 2002. The PMA process requires us
to prove the safety and effectiveness of MelaFind® to the FDAs satisfaction. This process is
expensive and uncertain, and requires detailed and comprehensive scientific and human clinical
data. FDA review may take years after a PMA application is filed. The FDA may never grant approval.
The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of a PMA application for many reasons, including:
| MelaFind® may not be safe or effective to the FDAs satisfaction; | |
| the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support approval; | |
| the manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements; and |
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Changes
in FDA approval policies or adoption of new regulations may require
additional data.
No precedent has been established for FDA approval of a device such as MelaFind® to assist in
determining the appropriateness of biopsies of suspicious pigmented skin lesions. Before submitting
a PMA application (the final module), we must successfully complete a pivotal clinical trial to
demonstrate that MelaFind® is safe and effective. Product development, including clinical trials,
is a long, expensive and uncertain process, and is subject to delays and failure at any stage.
Furthermore, the data obtained from the trial may be inadequate to support approval of a PMA
application. While we obtained a Protocol Agreement from the FDA, FDA approval of a Protocol
Agreement does not mean that the FDA will consider the data gathered in the trial sufficient to
support approval of a PMA application, even if the trials intended endpoints are achieved. There
may be unexpected findings, particularly those that may only become evident from the larger scale
of the pivotal clinical trial, as compared with the smaller scale tests done to date. For example,
we initiated a clinical trial and encountered several technical problems which required us to
refine the MelaFind® system. The data obtained in the pivotal trial may not be sufficient to
support the anticipated indication for use, and may not support a more limited indication for use.
The occurrence of unexpected findings in connection with the pivotal trial or any subsequent
clinical trial required by the FDA may prevent or delay obtaining PMA approval, and may adversely
affect coverage or reimbursement determinations. The FDA may also determine that additional
clinical trials are necessary, in which case the PMA approval may be delayed for several months or
even years while the trials are conducted and the data acquired are submitted in an amendment to
the PMA. If we are unable to complete the clinical trials necessary to successfully support the
MelaFind® PMA application, our ability to commercialize MelaFind®, and our business, financial
condition, and results of operations would be materially adversely affected, thereby threatening
our ability to continue operations.
If MelaFind® is approved by the FDA, it may be approved only for narrow indications.
Even if approved, MelaFind® may not be approved for the indications that are necessary or desirable
for successful commercialization. Our preference is to obtain a broad indication for use in
assisting in the diagnosis of almost all pigmented melanomas (other than those on palms, soles of
the feet, in or near the eye, and inaccessible areas such as the edge of the nose). The final
MelaFind® lesion classifier may be able to identify the maximum number of types of melanoma
possible. The indications for use must specify those lesion types for which the classifier has not
been trained. Approximately five percent of melanoma lesions may be amelanotic, meaning they are
not pigmented. These lesions cannot be differentiated by MelaFind®, which will be restricted to
pigmented lesions. Approximately ten percent of pigmented melanoma lesions are nodular, a type of
melanoma that is often missed by dermatologists in early stages. If nodular melanoma lesions are
not sufficiently well-represented in the MelaFind® training database, the classifier may not
differentiate nodular melanomas from non-melanomas with sufficient sensitivity and specificity. If
we restrict the indications for use of MelaFind® to exclude certain melanoma lesion types, in
addition to the other restrictions, then the size of the market for MelaFind® and the rate of
acceptance of MelaFind® by physicians may be adversely affected.
If we wish to modify MelaFind® after receiving FDA approval, including changes in indications or
other modifications that could affect safety and effectiveness, additional approvals could be
required from the FDA. We may be required to submit extensive pre-clinical and clinical data,
depending on the nature of the changes. Any request by the FDA for additional data, or any
requirement by the FDA that we conduct additional clinical studies, could delay the
commercialization of MelaFind® and require us to make substantial additional research, development
and other expenditures. We may not obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to market MelaFind® in
the US or anywhere else. Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, approval for MelaFind®
could prevent us from generating revenue or achieving profitability, and our business, financial
condition, and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.
MelaFind® may not be commercially viable if we fail to obtain an adequate level of reimbursement by
Medicare and other third party payors. The markets for MelaFind® may also be limited by the
indications for which its use may be reimbursed.
The availability of medical insurance coverage and reimbursement for newly approved medical devices
is uncertain. In the US, physicians and other healthcare providers performing biopsies for
suspicious skin lesions are generally reimbursed for all or part of the cost of the diagnosis and
biopsy by Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payors.
The commercial success of MelaFind® in both domestic and international markets will significantly
depend on whether third-party coverage and reimbursement are available for services involving
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MelaFind®. Medicare, Medicaid, health maintenance organizations and other third-party payors are
increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both the scope of coverage and the
level of reimbursement of new medical devices, and as a result, they may not cover or provide
adequate payment for the use of MelaFind®. In order to obtain satisfactory reimbursement
arrangements, we may have to agree to a fee or sales price lower than the fee or sales price we
might otherwise charge. Even if Medicare and other third-party payors decide to cover procedures
involving our product, we cannot be certain that the reimbursement levels will be adequate.
Accordingly, even if MelaFind® or future products we develop are approved for commercial sale,
unless government and other third-party payors provide adequate coverage and reimbursement for our
products, some physicians may be discouraged from using them, and our sales would suffer.
Medicare reimburses for medical devices in a variety of ways, depending on where and how the device
is used. However, Medicare only provides reimbursement if CMS determines that the device should be
covered and that the use of the device is consistent with the coverage criteria. A coverage
determination can be made at the local level by the Medicare administrative contractor (formerly
called carriers and fiscal intermediaries), a private contractor that processes and pays claims on
behalf of CMS for the geographic area where the services were rendered, or at the national level by
CMS through a national coverage determination. There are new statutory provisions intended to
facilitate coverage determinations for new technologies, but it is unclear how these new provisions
will be implemented. Coverage presupposes that the device has been cleared or approved by the FDA
and further, that the coverage will be no broader than the approved intended uses of the device as
approved or cleared by the FDA, but coverage can be narrower. A coverage determination may be so
limited that relatively few patients will qualify for a covered use of the device. Should a very
narrow coverage determination be made for MelaFind®, it may undermine the commercial viability of
MelaFind®.
Obtaining a coverage determination, whether local or national, is a time-consuming, expensive and
highly uncertain proposition, especially for a new technology, and inconsistent local
determinations are possible. On average, according to an industry report, Medicare coverage
determinations for medical devices lag 15 months to five years or more behind FDA approval for that
device. The Medicare statutory framework is also subject to administrative rulings, interpretations
and discretion that affect the amount and timing of reimbursement made under Medicare. Medicaid
coverage determinations and reimbursement levels are determined on a state by state basis, because
Medicaid, unlike Medicare, is administered by the states under a state plan filed with the
Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Medicaid generally reimburses at
lower levels than Medicare. Moreover, Medicaid programs and private insurers are frequently
influenced by Medicare coverage determinations.
Any adverse results in our clinical trials, or difficulties in conducting our clinical trials,
could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Clinical studies in the US have been ongoing for over five years, and we have a Protocol Agreement
with the FDA, but we have not conducted the pivotal clinical trial required for PMA approval. We
initiated a trial under the terms of the Protocol Agreement at the end of 2004. However, technical
operational issues with the systems were experienced, requiring further refinement. We are
currently refining the hardware systems and expect to have new systems available in order to start
the pivotal clinical trial in 2006. However, we cannot provide any assurances that we will have
these systems available on a timely basis. In addition, the pivotal clinical trial and supporting
clinical studies will require the involvement of larger numbers of clinical sites than we have
previously engaged at any single time, and the recruitment of large numbers of patients. If the
clinical sites, which enroll patients on a best efforts basis, do not provide cases at rates
anticipated for any reason (such as, for example, lower than forecasted clinical site
productivity), we may face delays or may be unable to complete the development of MelaFind®.
Risk of delay in product development.
We could encounter delays in our pivotal trial or in obtaining PMA approval because of a number of
factors. We will require the receipt of all information specified in our Protocol Agreement on the
required number of melanomas before the pivotal clinical trial can be concluded. The MelaFind®
classifier will then be utilized to evaluate the lesions acquired during the pivotal trial, and the
results will be analyzed to determine if we have achieved the endpoints specified in the Protocol
Agreement.
The final training of the classifier, required to be completed before the classifier is utilized as
described above, is expected to take approximately two months. Accordingly, the classifier must be
ready for final training two months before the end of the pivotal trial. For the classifier to be
ready for final training, approximately 300 melanoma lesions are targeted to have been received.
Therefore, in addition to acquiring
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the melanoma lesions required to complete the pivotal trial (approximately 100), we must have
completed the acquisition of approximately 300 training melanoma lesions on schedule. Currently,
approximately 275 melanoma lesions are in the training database. The current classifier has been
trained on 221 of these melanoma lesions. Our schedule for the acquisition of these lesions is
based upon the projected numbers of imaging devices to be located at participating sites, the
projected productivity of those sites in terms of melanomas and other lesions biopsied per month,
and the projected efficiency of the study pathologists in classifying the lesion slides presented
for histological analysis (the microscopic examination of excised or biopsied tissue specimens) and
reporting their results. If we are unable to produce and maintain a sufficient number of imaging
devices at participating sites, if the clinicians do not maintain sufficient productivity, or if
the pathologists do not produce reports with sufficient efficiency, then our ability to maintain
our schedule will be adversely affected, the start or conclusion of the pivotal trial may be
delayed, and the submission of the completed PMA will be delayed.
To date, the lesion images in the training database have been acquired using first-generation
hand-held devices, which also extract data from the lesions that are used by the classifiers.
Pre-commercialization hand-held devices are being developed for use in the pivotal trial. If the
lesion data obtained with pre-commercialization devices are not consistent with data from the first
generation hand-held devices, the classifier will need to be trained solely on lesions imaged using
only one or the other generation of hand-held devices. Were this need to arise, significant delay
and expense could be incurred, which could jeopardize our ability to complete the development of
MelaFind®.
We have incurred losses for a number of years, and anticipate that we will incur continued losses
for the foreseeable future.
We began operations in December 1989. At that time we provided research services, mostly to US
government agencies, on classified projects. We have financed our operations since 1999 primarily
through the sale of our equity securities, and have devoted substantially all of our resources to
research and development relating to MelaFind®. Our net loss for the twelve months ended December
31, 2005 was $6.7 million, and as of December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of
approximately $20.6 million. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in
connection with our clinical trials and other development activities related to MelaFind®. If we
receive PMA approval for MelaFind® from the FDA, we expect to incur significant sales and marketing
expenses, which will require additional funding, and manufacturing expenses. Additionally, we
expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase due to the additional operational
and regulatory responsibilities applicable to public companies. As a result, we expect to continue
to incur significant and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. These losses,
among other things, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders
equity.
We expect to operate in a highly competitive market, we may face competition from large,
well-established medical device manufacturers with significant resources, and we may not be able to
compete effectively.
We do not know of any product possessing the diagnostic assistance capabilities of MelaFind®. We
believe that electro-optical products designed to enhance the visualization and analysis of
potential melanomas have been approved or are under development by: Welch Allyn, Inc.; Heine
Optotechnik; 3Gen, LLC; Derma Medical Systems, Inc.; Medical High Technologies S.p.A.; ZN Vision
Technologies AG; Polartechnics, Ltd.; Astron Clinica, Ltd.; LINOS Photonics, Inc.; and Biomips
Engineering. The broader market for precision optical imaging devices used for medical diagnosis is
intensely competitive, subject to rapid change, and significantly affected by new product
introductions and other market activities of industry participants. If our products are approved
for marketing, we will potentially be subject to competition from major optical imaging companies,
such as: General Electric Co.; Siemens AG; Bayer AG; Eastman Kodak Company; Welch Allyn, Inc.;
Olympus Corporation; Carl Zeiss AG Deutschland; and others, each of which manufactures and markets
precision optical imaging products for the medical market, and could decide to develop or acquire a
product to compete with MelaFind®. These companies enjoy numerous competitive advantages,
including:
significantly greater name recognition; | |||
established relations with healthcare professionals, customers and third-party payors; | |||
established distribution networks; |
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| additional lines of products, and the ability to offer rebates, higher discounts or incentives to gain a competitive advantage; | |||
| greater experience in conducting research and development, manufacturing, clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval for products, and marketing approved products; and | |||
| greater financial and human resources for product development, sales and marketing, and patent litigation. |
As a result, we may not be able to compete effectively against these companies or their products.
Technological breakthroughs in the diagnosis or treatment of melanoma could render MelaFind®
obsolete.
The precision optical imaging field is subject to rapid technological change and product
innovation. MelaFind® is based on our proprietary technology, but a number of companies and medical
researchers are pursuing new technologies. Companies in the medical device industry with
significantly greater financial, technical, research, marketing, sales and distribution and other
resources have expertise and interest in the exploitation of computer-aided diagnosis, medical
imaging, and other technologies MelaFind® utilizes. Some of these companies are working on
potentially competing products or therapies, including confocal microscopy (a type of scanning
microscopy for 3-dimensional specimens, which produces blur-free images at various depths), various
forms of spectroscopy (a study of the way molecules absorb and emit light), other imaging
modalities, including molecular imaging in which tagged antibodies search for cancer cell antigens,
and molecular and genetic screening tests. In addition, the National Institutes of Health and other
supporters of cancer research are presumptively seeking ways to improve the diagnosis or treatment
of melanoma by sponsoring corporate and academic research. There can be no assurance that one or
more of these companies will not succeed in developing or marketing technologies and products or
services that demonstrate better safety or effectiveness, superior clinical results, greater ease
of use or lower cost than MelaFind®, or that such competitors will not succeed in obtaining
regulatory approval for introducing or commercializing any such products or services prior to us.
FDA approval of a commercially viable alternative to MelaFind® produced by a competitor could
significantly reduce market acceptance of MelaFind®. Any of the above competitive developments
could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations. There is no assurance that products, services, or technologies introduced prior to or
subsequent to the commercialization of MelaFind® will not render MelaFind® less marketable or
obsolete.
We depend on clinical investigators and clinical sites to enroll patients in our clinical trials
and other third parties to manage the trials and to perform related data collection and analysis,
and, as a result, we may face costs and delays that are outside of our control.
We rely on clinical investigators and clinical sites, some of which are private practices, and some
of which are research university or government-affiliated, to enroll patients in our clinical
trials. We rely on: pathologists and pathology laboratories; a contract research organization to
assist in monitoring, collection of data, and ensuring FDA Good Clinical Practices (GCP) are
observed at our sites; a consultant biostatistician; and other third parties to manage the trial
and to perform related data collection and analysis. However, we may not be able to control the
amount and timing of resources that clinical sites and other third parties may devote to our
clinical trials. If these clinical investigators and clinical sites fail to enroll a sufficient
number of patients in our clinical trials, or if the clinical sites fail to comply adequately with
the clinical protocols, we will be unable to complete these trials, which could prevent us from
obtaining regulatory approvals for MelaFind®. Our agreements with clinical investigators and
clinical sites for clinical testing place substantial responsibilities on these parties and, if
these parties fail to perform as expected, our trials could be delayed or terminated. If these
clinical investigators, clinical sites or other third parties do not carry out their contractual
duties or obligations or fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the
clinical data they obtain are compromised due to their failure to adhere to our clinical protocols
or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may be
unable to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, MelaFind®.
In addition to the foregoing, our clinical trial may be delayed or halted, or be inadequate to
support approval of a PMA application, for numerous other reasons, including, but not limited to,
the following:
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| the FDA, an IRB, or other regulatory authorities place our clinical trial on hold; | |
| patients do not enroll in clinical trials at the rate we expect; | |
| Patient follow-up is not at the rate we expect; | |
| IRBs and third-party clinical investigators delay or reject our trial protocol; | |
| third-party organizations do not perform data collection and analysis in a timely or accurate manner; | |
| regulatory inspections of our clinical trials or manufacturing facilities, among other things, require us to undertake corrective action or suspend or terminate our clinical trials, or invalidate our clinical trials; | |
| changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions; and | |
| the interim or final results of the clinical trial are inconclusive or unfavorable as to safety or effectiveness. |
If MelaFind® is approved for reimbursement, we anticipate experiencing significant pressures on
pricing.
Even if Medicare covers a device for certain uses, that does not mean that the level of
reimbursement will be sufficient for commercial success. We expect to experience pricing pressures
in connection with the commercialization of MelaFind® and our future products due to efforts by
private and government-funded payors to reduce or limit the growth of healthcare costs, the
increasing influence of health maintenance organizations, and additional legislative proposals to
reduce or limit increases in public funding for healthcare services. Private payors, including
managed care payors, increasingly are demanding discounted fee structures and the assumption by
healthcare providers of all or a portion of the financial risk. Efforts to impose greater discounts
and more stringent cost controls upon healthcare providers by private and public payors are
expected to continue. Payors frequently review their coverage policies for existing and new
diagnostic tools and can, sometimes without advance notice, deny or change their coverage policies.
Significant limits on the scope of services covered or on reimbursement rates and fees on those
services that are covered could have a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize
MelaFind® and therefore, on our liquidity and our business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
In some foreign markets, which we may seek to enter in the future, pricing and profitability of
medical devices are subject to government control. In the US, we expect that there will continue to
be federal and state proposals for similar controls. Also, the trends toward managed healthcare in
the US and proposed legislation intended to control the cost of publicly funded healthcare programs
could significantly influence the purchase of healthcare services and products, and may force us to
reduce prices for MelaFind® or result in the exclusion of MelaFind® from reimbursement programs.
MelaFind® may never achieve market acceptance even if we obtain regulatory approvals.
To date, only those patients who were treated by physicians involved in our clinical trials have
been evaluated using MelaFind® and even if we obtain regulatory approval, patients with suspicious
lesions and physicians evaluating suspicious lesions may not endorse MelaFind®. Physicians tend to
be slow to change their diagnostic and medical treatment practices because of perceived liability
risks arising from the use of new products and the uncertainty of third party reimbursement.
Physicians may not utilize MelaFind® until there is long-term clinical evidence to convince them to
alter their existing methods of diagnosing or evaluating suspicious lesions and there are
recommendations from prominent physicians that MelaFind® is effective. We cannot predict the speed
at which physicians may adopt the use of MelaFind®. If MelaFind® receives the appropriate
regulatory approvals but does not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by patients, physicians
and healthcare payors, we may not generate significant product revenue and we may not become
profitable. The degree of market acceptance of MelaFind® will depend on a number of factors,
including:
| perceived effectiveness of MelaFind® | |
| convenience of use; | |
| cost of the use of MelaFind® |
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| availability and adequacy of third-party coverage or reimbursement; | |
| approved indications and product labeling; | |
| Publicity concerning MelaFind® or competitive products; | |
| potential advantages over alternative diagnostic methodologies; | |
| introduction and acceptance of competing products or technologies; and | |
| extent and success of our sales, marketing and distribution efforts. |
The identification and screening of melanomas is now dominated by visual clinical evaluation, with
a minority of dermatologists using dermoscopy. Even if MelaFind® proves to be as effective as
visual inspection by an expert dermatologist, and if all approvals are obtained, the success of
MelaFind® will depend upon the acceptance by dermatologists and other physicians who perform skin
examinations and treat skin disorders, including industry opinion leaders, that the diagnostic
information provided by MelaFind® is medically useful and reliable. We will be subject to intense
scrutiny before physicians will be comfortable incorporating MelaFind® in their diagnostic
approaches. We believe that recommendations by respected physicians will be essential for the
development and successful marketing of MelaFind®, and there can be no assurance that any such
recommendations will be obtained. To date, the medical community outside the limited circle of
certain dermatologists specializing in melanoma has had little exposure to us and MelaFind®.
Because the medical community is often skeptical of new companies and new technologies, we may be
unable to gain access to potential customers in order to demonstrate the operation and
effectiveness of MelaFind®. Even if we gain access to potential customers, no assurance can be
given that members of the dermatological, or later the general practice, medical community will
perceive a need for or accept MelaFind®. In particular, given the potentially fatal consequences of
failing to detect melanoma at the early, curable stages, practitioners may remain reluctant to rely
upon MelaFind® even after we receive approval from the FDA for marketing the product.
Any of the foregoing factors, or other currently unforeseen factors, could limit or detract from
market acceptance of MelaFind®. Insufficient market acceptance of MelaFind® would have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to complete the development and commence commercialization of MelaFind® or other
products without additional funding and we will not be able to achieve significant
commercialization without additional funding.
Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash for each of the last six years. We
currently believe that our available cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, including
the proceeds from our recently completed initial public offering, will be sufficient to fund our
anticipated levels of operations through mid 2007. However, our business or operations may change
in a manner that would consume available resources more rapidly than we anticipate. We expect to
continue to spend substantial amounts on research and development, including conducting a clinical
trial for MelaFind®. We will need additional funds to fully commercialize the product, including
development of a direct sales force and expansion of manufacturing capacity. We expect that our
cash used by operations will increase significantly in each of the next several years, and should
we encounter any material delays or impediments, we may need additional funds to complete the
development of MelaFind® and commence commercialization of MelaFind® and we will need additional
funds to achieve significant commercialization of MelaFind®. Any additional financing may be
dilutive to stockholders, or may require us to grant a lender a security interest in our assets.
The amount of funding we will need will depend on many factors, including:
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| the schedule, costs, and results of our clinical trials; | |
| the success of our research and development efforts; | |
| the costs and timing of regulatory approval; | |
| reimbursement amounts for the use of MelaFind® that we are able to obtain from Medicare and third party payors, or the amount of direct payments we are able to obtain from patients and/or physicians utilizing MelaFind® | |
| the cost of commercialization activities, including product marketing and building a domestic direct sales force; | |
| the emergence of competing or complementary technological developments; | |
| the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other rights, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation; | |
| the costs involved in defending any patent infringement actions brought against us by third parties; and | |
| our ability to establish and maintain any collaborative, licensing or other arrangements, and the terms and timing of any such arrangements. |
Additional financing may not be available to us when we need it, or it may not be available on
favorable terms. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, we may be
required to significantly curtail or cease one or more of our development and marketing programs.
We could be required to seek funds through arrangements with collaborators or others that may
require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies, product candidates or products that we
would otherwise pursue on our own. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support and other
resources devoted to our products. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our
then-existing stockholders will experience ownership dilution, could experience declines in our
share price and the terms of any new equity securities may have preferences over our common stock.
If we are unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or enter into and
maintain arrangements with third parties to sell, market and distribute MelaFind®, our business may
be harmed.
We do not have a sales organization, and have no experience as a company in the marketing and
distribution of devices such as MelaFind®. To achieve commercial success for MelaFind®, we must
develop a sales and marketing force and enter into arrangements with others to market and sell our
products. Following product approval, we currently plan to establish a small direct sales force to
market MelaFind® in the US, focused on introducing it at high volume dermatologists offices and
training their staff in its use, but we have not made any final determinations regarding the use of
a particular marketing channel. We anticipate that we will need additional funds in order to
implement this marketing plan. In addition to being expensive, developing such a sales force is
time consuming, and could delay or limit the success of any product launch. We may not be able to
develop this capacity on a timely basis or at all. Qualified direct sales personnel with experience
in the medical device market are in high demand, and there is no assurance that we will be able to
hire or retain an effective direct sales team. Similarly, qualified, independent medical device
representatives both within and outside the US are in high demand, and we may not be able to build
an effective network for the distribution of our product through such representatives. We have no
assurance that we will be able to enter into contracts with representatives on terms acceptable or
reasonable to us. Similarly, there is no assurance that we will be able to build an alternate
distribution framework, should we attempt to do so.
We will need to contract with third parties in order to sell and install our products in larger
markets, including non-specialist dermatologists and primary care physicians. To the extent that we
enter into arrangements with third parties to perform marketing and distribution services in the
US, our product revenue could be lower and our costs higher than if we directly marketed MelaFind®.
Furthermore, to the extent that we enter into co-promotion or other marketing and sales
arrangements with other companies, any revenue received will depend on the skills and efforts of
others, and we do not know whether these
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efforts will be successful. If we are unable to establish and maintain adequate sales, marketing
and distribution capabilities, independently or with others, we will not be able to generate
product revenue, and may not become profitable.
We have limited manufacturing capabilities and manufacturing personnel, and if our manufacturing
capabilities are insufficient to produce an adequate supply of MelaFind®, our growth could be
limited and our business could be harmed.
We have not yet completed the development and testing of MelaFind®, and as a result have no
experience in manufacturing MelaFind® for commercial distribution. We currently have limited
resources, facilities and experience to commercially manufacture MelaFind®. In order to produce
MelaFind® in the quantities we anticipate to meet market demand, we will need to increase our
third-party manufacturing capacity. There are technical challenges to increasing manufacturing
capacity, including equipment design and automation, material procurement, problems with production
yields, and quality control and assurance. Developing commercial-scale manufacturing facilities
that meet FDA requirements would require the investment of substantial additional funds and the
hiring and retaining of additional management and technical personnel who have the necessary
manufacturing experience.
We currently plan to outsource certain production aspects to contract manufacturers. Any
difficulties in the ability of third-party manufacturers to supply devices of the quality, at the
times, and in the quantities we need, could have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition, and results of operations. Similarly, when we enter into contracts for the
third-party manufacture of our devices, any revenue received will depend on the skills and efforts
of others, and we do not know whether these efforts will be successful. Manufacturers often
encounter difficulties in scaling up production of new products, including problems involving
product yields, controlling and anticipating product costs, quality control and assurance,
component supply, and shortages of qualified personnel. We cannot assure you that the third-party
contract manufacturers with whom we are developing relationships will have or sustain the ability
to produce the quantities of MelaFind® needed for development or commercial sales, or will be
willing to do so at prices that allow MelaFind® to compete successfully in the market.
Assuming that MelaFind® receives regulatory approval, if we are unable to manufacture or obtain a
sufficient supply of product, maintain control over expenses, or otherwise adapt to anticipated
growth, or if we underestimate growth, we may not have the capability to satisfy market demand, and
our business will suffer. Additionally, if MelaFind® receives regulatory approval and we then need
to make manufacturing changes, we may need to obtain additional approval for these changes.
MelaFind® is complex and may contain undetected design defects and errors when first introduced, or
errors that may be introduced when enhancements are released. Such defects and errors may occur
despite our testing, and may not be discovered until after our devices have been shipped to and
used by our customers. The existence of these defects and errors could result in costly repairs,
returns of devices, diversion of development resources and damage to our reputation in the
marketplace. Any of these conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business,
financial condition and results of operations. In addition, when we contract with third-party
manufacturers for the production of our products, these manufacturers may inadvertently produce
devices that vary from devices we have produced in unpredictable ways that cause adverse
consequences.
Our manufacturing operations are dependent upon third-party suppliers, making us vulnerable to
supply problems and price fluctuations, which could harm our business. We anticipate contracting
for final device assembly and integration, but no contract for such services on a commercial basis
has yet been procured.
Our manufacturing efforts currently rely on FillFactory, a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor
Corp., to manufacture and supply the complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor in MelaFind®,
on Pracownia Optyki Instrumentalnej (Optyka) for lens elements, on Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH (Zeiss) for
lens objective assemblies, on ASKION GmbH (ASKION) for the main subassembly and on Fairchild
Semiconductor Corp., Panasonic Corp., Roithner-Laser Vienna, CompServ and others for light-emitting
diodes, or LEDs, printed circuit boards, and other elements or components of our devices. We have
written agreements with several of these vendors, under which the vendor is obligated to perform
services or produce components for us. There can be no assurance that these third parties will meet
their obligations under the agreements. Each of these suppliers is a sole-source supplier. Our
contract manufacturers also rely on sole-source suppliers to manufacture some of the components
used in our products. Our manufacturers and suppliers may encounter problems during manufacturing
due to a variety of reasons,
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including failure to procure their raw material on time, failure to follow specific protocols
and procedures, failure to comply with applicable regulations, equipment malfunction and
environmental factors, any of which could delay or impede their ability to meet our demand. Our
reliance on these outside manufacturers and suppliers also subjects us to other risks that could
harm our business, including:
| suppliers may make errors in manufacturing components that could negatively affect the effectiveness or safety of our products, or cause delays in shipment of our products; | |
| we may not be able to obtain adequate supply in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms; | |
| we may have difficulty locating and qualifying alternative suppliers for our sole-source suppliers; | |
| switching components may require product redesign and submission to the FDA of a PMA supplement or possibly a separate PMA, either of which could significantly delay production; | |
| our suppliers manufacture products for a range of customers, and fluctuations in demand for the products these suppliers manufacture for others may affect their ability to deliver components to us in a timely manner; and | |
| our suppliers may encounter financial hardships unrelated to our demand for components, which could inhibit their ability to fulfill our orders and meet our requirements. |
Any interruption or delay in the supply of components or materials, or our inability to obtain
components or materials from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could
impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders.
We have entered into a development agreement with ASKION GmbH (ASKION) to complete developmental
engineering and testing of our hand-held imaging device, and have also entered into a production
agreement with ASKION to assemble the components and produce initial quantities of our hand-held
imaging devices for clinical trials. We intend to enter into a contract for commercial production
of the hand-held imaging devices once specifications for MelaFind® have been finalized, but we may
not be able to enter such an agreement on mutually acceptable terms. Failure to enter into such an
agreement with ASKION would require us to expand our own manufacturing facilities or obtain such
services elsewhere. Similarly, we have entered into a confidentiality agreement and a development
agreement with Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH for lens objective assemblies, and we intend to enter into a
contract for the commercial production of lenses. These lenses are currently assembled by ASKION
utilizing the lens elements produced by Optyka. The manufacturing agreement with ASKION will
include integration of these lenses in the hand-held imaging devices. Our planned reliance upon an
outside provider for assembly and production services subjects us to the risk of adverse
consequences from delays and defects caused by the failure of such outside supplier to meet its
contractual obligations, including confidentiality obligations in the case of Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH,
which is an affiliate of Carl Zeiss AG, a potential competitor. The failure by us or our supplier
to produce a sufficient number of hand-held imaging devices that can operate according to our
specifications could delay the pivotal clinical trial and/or the commercial sale of MelaFind®, and
would adversely affect both our ability to successfully commercialize MelaFind® and our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
We will not be able to sell MelaFind® unless and until its design is verified and validated in
accordance with current good manufacturing practices as set forth in the US medical device Quality
System Regulation.
We are in the process, but have not yet successfully completed, all the steps necessary to verify
and validate the design of the MelaFind® system that are required to be performed prior to
commercialization. If we are delayed or unable to complete verification and validation
successfully, we will not be able to sell MelaFind®, and we will not be able to meet our plans for
the commercialization of MelaFind® in 2007.
Assuming that regulatory approval of MelaFind® is granted, the approval may be subject to
limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed, or may contain
requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or
effectiveness of the device. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with MelaFind®,
including manufacturing problems, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements such as the
QSR, may result in restrictions on MelaFind® or its manufacturing processes, withdrawal of
MelaFind® from the market, patient or physician notification,
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voluntary or mandatory recalls, fines, withdrawal of regulatory approvals, refusal to approve
pending applications or supplements to approved applications, refusal to permit the import or
export of our products, product seizures, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal
penalties. Should any of these enforcement actions occur, our business, financial condition and
results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Assuming that MelaFind® is approved by regulatory authorities, if we or our suppliers fail to
comply with ongoing regulatory requirements, or if we experience unanticipated problems with
MelaFind®, it could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market.
Any product for which we obtain marketing approval, along with the manufacturing processes,
post-approval clinical data and promotional activities for such product, will be subject to
continuous review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory bodies. In particular,
we and our suppliers are required to comply with the QSR and other regulations which cover the
methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling,
packaging, storage, promotion, distribution, and shipping of MelaFind®, and with record keeping
practices. We also will be subject to ongoing FDA requirements, including required submissions of
safety and other post-market information and reports and registration and listing requirements. To
the extent that we contract with third parties to manufacture some of our products, our
manufacturers will be required to adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)
requirements enforced by the FDA as part of QSR, or similar regulations required by regulatory
agencies in other countries. The manufacturing facilities of our contract manufacturers must be
inspected or must have been inspected, and must be in full compliance with cGMP requirements before
approval for marketing. The FDA enforces the QSR and other regulatory requirements through
unannounced inspections. We have not yet been inspected by the FDA for MelaFind®, and will have to
complete such an inspection successfully before we ship any commercial MelaFind® devices. However,
we were previously inspected in connection with DIFOTI®, which we have discontinued for business
reasons, and were cited for failures to comply fully with QSR mandated procedures. The FDA
inspectors observed deficiencies that were documented on FDA Form 483 that was issued to us
following the inspection. We have discussed the findings in a subsequent meeting with the FDA and
are in the process of addressing the deficiencies. We are working with consultants to address the
inspectional findings, particularly as they relate to current MelaFind® design development and
ultimate MelaFind® commercial manufacturing. If we are not successful in convincing the FDA that we
are capable of addressing its concerns, or if our efforts to address the deficiencies should prove
unsuccessful, we might be subject to additional FDA action of a type described below, which could
negatively affect our ability to commercialize MelaFind®.
There can be no assurance that the future interpretations of legal requirements made by the FDA or
other regulatory bodies with possible retroactive effect, or the adoption of new requirements or
policies, will not adversely affect us. We may be slow to adapt, or may not be able to adapt to
these changes or new requirements. Failure by us or one of our suppliers to comply with statutes
and regulations administered by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, or failure to take adequate
response to any observations, could result in, among other things, any of the following actions:
| Warning letters; | |
| fines and civil penalties; | |
| unanticipated expenditures; | |
| delays in approving or refusal to approve MelaFind® | |
| withdrawal of approval by the FDA or other regulatory bodies; | |
| Product recall or seizure; | |
| interruption of production; | |
| operating restrictions; | |
| injunctions; and |
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| Criminal prosecution. |
If any of these actions were to occur, it would harm our reputation and cause our product sales and
profitability to suffer.
We are involved in a heavily regulated sector, and our ability to remain viable will depend on
favorable government decisions at various points by various agencies.
From time to time, legislation is introduced in the US Congress that could significantly change the
statutory provisions governing the approval, manufacture and marketing of a medical device.
Additionally, healthcare is heavily regulated by the federal government, and by state and local
governments. The federal laws and regulations affecting healthcare change constantly, thereby
increasing the uncertainty and risk associated with any healthcare related venture, including our
business and MelaFind®. In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or
reinterpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. It
is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted or FDA regulations, guidance,
or interpretations changed, and what the impact of such changes, if any, may be.
The federal government regulates healthcare through various agencies, including but not limited to
the following: (i) the FDA, which administers the FD&C Act, as well as other relevant laws; (ii)
CMS, which administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs; (iii) the Office of Inspector General
(OIG) which enforces various laws aimed at curtailing fraudulent or abusive practices, including by
way of example, the Anti-Kickback Law, the Anti-Physician Referral Law, commonly referred to as
Stark, the Anti-Inducement Law, the Civil Money Penalty Law, and the laws that authorize the OIG to
exclude healthcare providers and others from participating in federal healthcare programs; and (iv)
the Office of Civil Rights, which administers the privacy aspects of HIPAA. All of the
aforementioned are agencies within HHS. Healthcare is also provided or regulated, as the case may
be, by the Department of Defense through its TriCare program, the Public Health Service within HHS
under the Public Health Service Act, the Department of Justice through the Federal False Claims Act
and various criminal statutes, and state governments under Medicaid and other state sponsored or
funded programs and their internal laws regulating all healthcare activities.
In addition to regulation by the FDA as a medical device manufacturer, we are subject to general
healthcare industry regulations. The healthcare industry is subject to extensive federal, state and
local laws and
regulations relating to:
| billing for services; | |
| quality of medical equipment and services; | |
| confidentiality, maintenance and security issues associated with medical records and individually identifiable health information; | |
| false claims; and | |
| labeling products. |
These laws and regulations are extremely complex and, in some cases, still evolving. In many
instances, the industry does not have the benefit of significant regulatory or judicial
interpretation of these laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any
of the federal, state or local laws and regulations that govern our activities, we may be subject
to the applicable penalty associated with the violation, including civil and criminal penalties,
damages, fines or curtailment of our operations. The risk of being found in violation of these laws
and regulations is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the
regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of
interpretations. Any action against us for violation of these laws or regulations, even if we
successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our
managements time and attention from the operation of our business.
We must comply with complex statutes prohibiting fraud and abuse, and both we and physicians
utilizing MelaFind® could be subject to significant penalties for noncompliance.
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There are extensive federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting fraud and abuse in the
healthcare industry that can result in significant criminal and civil penalties. These federal laws
include: the anti-kickback statute which prohibits certain business practices and relationships,
including the payment or receipt of remuneration for the referral of patients whose care will be
paid by Medicare or other federal healthcare programs; the physician self-referral prohibition,
commonly referred to as the Stark Law; the anti-inducement law, which prohibits providers from
offering anything to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary to induce that beneficiary to use items or
services covered by either program; the Civil False Claims Act, which prohibits any person from
knowingly presenting or causing to be presented false or fraudulent claims for payment by the
federal government, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs and; the Civil Monetary Penalties
Law, which authorizes HHS to impose civil penalties administratively for fraudulent or abusive
acts.
Sanctions for violating these federal laws include criminal and civil penalties that range from
punitive sanctions, damage assessments, money penalties, imprisonment, denial of Medicare and
Medicaid payments, or exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, or both. As federal and
state budget pressures continue, federal and state administrative agencies may also continue to
escalate investigation and enforcement efforts to root out waste and to control fraud and abuse in
governmental healthcare programs. Private enforcement of healthcare fraud has also increased, due
in large part to amendments to the Civil False Claims Act in 1986 that were designed to encourage
private persons to sue on behalf of the government. A violation of any of these federal and state
fraud and abuse laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and
financial condition. An investigation into the use of MelaFind® by physicians may dissuade
physicians from either purchasing or using MelaFind®, and could have a material adverse effect on
our ability to commercialize MelaFind®.
The application of the privacy provisions of HIPAA is uncertain.
HIPAA, among other things, protects the privacy and security of individually identifiable health
information by limiting its use and disclosure. HIPAA directly regulates covered entities
(insurers, clearinghouses, and most healthcare providers) and indirectly regulates business
associates with respect to the privacy of patients medical information. Certain entities that
receive and process protected health information are required to adopt certain procedures to
safeguard the security of that information. It is uncertain whether we would be deemed to be a
covered entity under HIPAA, and it is unlikely that based on our current business model, we would
be a business associate. Nevertheless, we will likely be contractually required to physically
safeguard the integrity and security of the patient information that we or our physician customers
receive, store, create or transmit. If we fail to adhere to our contractual commitments, then our
physician customers may be subject to civil monetary penalties, and this could adversely affect our
ability to market MelaFind®. We also may be liable under state laws governing the privacy of health
information.
We may become subject to claims of infringement or misappropriation of the intellectual property
rights of others, which could prohibit us from shipping affected products, require us to obtain
licenses from third parties or to develop non-infringing alternatives, and subject us to
substantial monetary damages and injunctive relief. Our patents may also be subject to challenge on
validity grounds, and our patent applications may be rejected.
Third parties could, in the future, assert infringement or misappropriation claims against us with
respect to our current or future products. Whether a product infringes a patent involves complex
legal and factual issues, the determination of which is often uncertain. Therefore, we cannot be
certain that we have not infringed the intellectual property rights of such third parties. Our
potential competitors may assert that some aspect of MelaFind® infringes their patents. Because
patent applications may take years to issue, there also may be applications now pending of which we
are unaware that may later result in issued patents that MelaFind® infringes. There also may be
existing patents of which we are unaware that one or more components of our MelaFind® system may
inadvertently infringe.
Any infringement or misappropriation claim could cause us to incur significant costs, could place
significant strain on our financial resources, divert managements attention from our business and
harm our reputation. If the relevant patents were upheld as valid and enforceable and we were found
to infringe, we could be prohibited from selling our product that is found to infringe unless we
could obtain licenses to use the technology covered by the patent or are able to design around the
patent. We may be unable to obtain a license on terms acceptable to us, if at all, and we may not
be able to redesign MelaFind® to avoid infringement. A court could also order us to pay
compensatory damages for such infringement, plus prejudgment interest and could, in addition,
treble the compensatory damages and award attorney fees.
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These damages could be substantial and could harm our reputation, business, financial condition and
operating results. A court also could enter orders that temporarily, preliminarily or permanently
enjoin us and our customers from making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing MelaFind®,
and/or could enter an order mandating that we undertake certain remedial activities. Depending on
the nature of the relief ordered by the court, we could become liable for additional damages to
third parties.
We also may rely on our patents, patent applications and other intellectual property rights to give
us a competitive advantage. Whether a patent is valid, or whether a patent application should be
granted, is a complex matter of science and law, and therefore we cannot be certain that, if
challenged, our patents, patent applications and/or other intellectual property rights would be
upheld. If one or more of those patents, patent applications and other intellectual property rights
are invalidated, rejected or found unenforceable, that could reduce or eliminate any competitive
advantage we might otherwise have had.
New product development in the medical device industry is both costly and labor intensive with very
low success rates for successful commercialization; if we cannot successfully develop or obtain
future products, our growth would be delayed.
Our long-term success is dependent, in large part, on the design, development and commercialization
of MelaFind® and other new products and services in the medical device industry. The product
development process is time-consuming, unpredictable and costly. There can be no assurance that we
will be able to develop or acquire new products, successfully complete clinical trials, obtain the
necessary regulatory clearances or approvals required from the FDA on a timely basis, or at all,
manufacture our potential products in compliance with regulatory requirements or in commercial
volumes, or that MelaFind® or other potential products will achieve market acceptance. In addition,
changes in regulatory policy for product approval during the period of product development, and
regulatory agency review of each submitted new application, may cause delays or rejections. It may
be necessary for us to enter into licensing arrangements, in order to market effectively any new
products or new indications for existing products. There can be no assurance that we will be
successful in entering into such licensing arrangements on terms favorable to us or at all. Failure
to develop, obtain necessary regulatory clearances or approvals for, or successfully market
potential new products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
We face the risk of product liability claims and may not be able to obtain or maintain adequate
insurance.
Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that is inherent in the testing,
manufacturing and marketing of medical devices, including those which may arise from the misuse or
malfunction of, or design flaws in, our products. We may be subject to product liability claims if
MelaFind® causes, or merely appears to have caused, an injury or if a patient alleges that
MelaFind® failed to provide appropriate diagnostic information on a lesion where melanoma was
subsequently found to be present. Claims may be made by patients, healthcare providers or others
involved with MelaFind®. MelaFind® will require PMA approval prior to commercialization in the US.
The clinical studies of MelaFind® are considered by the FDA as NSR. Consequently, the trials are
conducted under the auspices of an abbreviated IDE. We therefore do not maintain domestic clinical
trial liability insurance. We have obtained clinical trial liability insurance in certain European
countries where required by statute or clinical site policy. Although we have general liability
insurance that we believe is appropriate, and anticipate obtaining adequate product liability
insurance before commercialization of MelaFind®, this insurance is and will be subject to
deductibles and coverage limitations. Our anticipated product liability insurance may not be
available to us in amounts and on acceptable terms, if at all, and if available, the coverages may
not be adequate to protect us against any future product liability claims. If we are unable to
obtain insurance at an acceptable cost or on acceptable terms with adequate coverage, or otherwise
protect against potential product liability claims, we will be exposed to significant liabilities,
which may harm our business. A product liability claim, recall or other claim with respect to
uninsured liabilities or for amounts in excess of insured liabilities could result in significant
costs and significant harm to our business.
We may be subject to claims against us even if the apparent injury is due to the actions of others.
For example, we rely on the expertise of physicians, nurses and other associated medical personnel
to operate MelaFind®. If these medical personnel are not properly trained or are negligent, we may
be subjected to liability. These liabilities could prevent or interfere with our product
commercialization efforts. Defending a suit, regardless of merit, could be costly, could divert
management attention and might result in adverse publicity, which could result in the withdrawal
of, or inability to recruit, clinical trial volunteers, or result in reduced acceptance of
MelaFind® in the market.
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Insurance and surety companies have reassessed many aspects of their business and, as a result, may
take actions that could negatively affect our business. These actions could include increasing
insurance premiums, requiring higher self-insured retentions and deductibles, reducing limits,
restricting coverages, imposing exclusions, and refusing to underwrite certain risks and classes of
business. Any of these actions may adversely affect our ability to obtain appropriate insurance
coverage at reasonable costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
We may be adversely affected by a data center failure.
The success of MelaFind® is dependent upon our ability to protect our data center against damage
from fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, natural disaster, sabotage or a similar
catastrophic event. Substantially all of our computer equipment and data operations are located in
a single facility. Our prospective failure to maintain off-site copies of information contained in
our MelaFind® database, or our inability to use alternative sites in the event we experience a
natural disaster, hardware or software malfunction or other interruption of our data center, or any
interruption in the ability of physicians to obtain access to our MelaFind® server and its database
could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be adversely affected by breaches of online security.
Our MelaFind® lesion database does not contain any information that allows us to identify specific
patients. However, we must identify certain data as belonging to or as derived from specific
patients for regulatory, quality assurance and billing purposes. To the extent that our activities
involve the storage and transmission of confidential information, security breaches could damage
our reputation and expose us to a risk of loss, or to litigation and possible liability. Our
business may be materially adversely affected if our security measures do not prevent security
breaches. In addition, such information may be subject to HIPAA privacy and security regulations,
the potential violation of which may trigger concerns by healthcare providers, which may adversely
impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are dependent upon telecommunications and the internet.
The connection between the MelaFind® hand-held imaging device and the central server in our offices
will be dependent on the internet. Our success will depend in large part on the continued
availability of electronic means for storing and transmitting encoded compressed diagnostic
information, and storing and transmitting the results of the comparison of such information with
our electronically-maintained database through the internet. If the domestic and international
telecommunications infrastructure required for these transmissions fails, our business could be
materially adversely affected.
We plan to use the internet as a medium to provide diagnostic assistance services to physicians. We
also plan to use the internet to inform the public about the availability of our products and to
market to and communicate with physicians who are potential or actual customers. Our success will
therefore depend in part on the continued growth and use of the internet. If our ability to use the
internet fails, it may materially adversely affect our business.
We will be obligated to comply with Federal Communications Commission regulations for radio
transmissions used by our products.
Versions of MelaFind® may rely on radio transmissions from the hand-held imaging device to a base
station that is connected to the internet. Applicable requirements will restrict us to a particular
band of frequencies allocated to low power radio service for transmitting data in support of
specific diagnostic or therapeutic functions. Failure to comply with all applicable restrictions on
the use of such frequencies, or unforeseeable difficulties with the use of such frequencies, could
impede our ability to commercialize MelaFind®.
All of our operations are conducted at a single location. Any disruption at our facility could
increase our expenses.
All of our operations are conducted at two adjacent buildings in Irvington, New York. We take
precautions to safeguard our facility, including insurance, health and safety protocols, contracted
off-site engineering services, provision for off-site manufacturing, and storage of computer data.
However, a natural disaster, such as a fire, flood or earthquake, could cause substantial delays in
our operations, damage or destroy our manufacturing equipment or inventory, and cause us to incur
additional expenses. The insurance we maintain against fires, floods, earthquakes and other natural
disasters may not be adequate to cover our losses in any particular case.
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We may be liable for contamination or other harm caused by materials that we handle, and changes in
environmental regulations could cause us to incur additional expense.
Our manufacturing, research and development and clinical processes do not generally involve the
handling of potentially harmful biological materials or hazardous materials, but they may
occasionally do so. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the
use, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous and biological materials. If violations of
environmental, health and safety laws occur, we could be held liable for damages, penalties and
costs of remedial actions. These expenses or this liability could have a significant negative
impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may violate
environmental, health and safety laws in the future as a result of human error, equipment failure
or other causes. Environmental laws could become more stringent over time, imposing greater
compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with violations. We may be subject
to potentially conflicting and changing regulatory agendas of political, business and environmental
groups. Changes to or restrictions on permitting requirements or processes, hazardous or biological
material storage or handling might require an unplanned capital investment or relocation. Failure
to comply with new or existing laws or regulations could harm our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
Failure to obtain and maintain regulatory approval in foreign jurisdictions will prevent us from
marketing abroad.
Following commercialization of MelaFind® in the US, we may market MelaFind® internationally.
Outside the US, we can market a product only if we receive a marketing authorization and, in some
cases, pricing approval, from the appropriate regulatory authorities. The approval procedure varies
among countries and can involve additional testing, and the time required to obtain approval may
differ from that required to obtain FDA approval.
The foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA
approval, in addition to other risks. Foreign regulatory bodies have established varying
regulations governing product standards, packaging requirements, labeling requirements, import
restrictions, tariff regulations, duties and tax requirements. We may not obtain foreign regulatory
approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Foreign regulatory agencies, as well as the FDA,
periodically inspect manufacturing facilities both in the US and abroad. Approval by the FDA does
not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one foreign
regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries
or by the FDA. We have not taken any significant actions to obtain foreign regulatory approvals. We
may not be able to file for regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to
commercialize MelaFind® in any market on a timely basis, or at all. Our inability or failure to
comply with varying foreign regulation, or the imposition of new regulations, could restrict our
sale of products internationally.
Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain our personnel.
We are highly dependent on our senior management, especially Joseph V. Gulfo, M.D., our President
and Chief Executive Officer, Gerald Wagner, Ph.D., our Acting Chief Operating Officer and Dina
Gutkowicz-Krusin, Ph.D., our Director of Clinical Studies. Our success will depend on our ability
to retain our current management and to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future,
including scientists, clinicians, engineers and other highly skilled personnel. Competition for
senior management personnel, as well as scientists, clinicians, engineers, and experienced sales
and marketing individuals, is intense, and we may not be able to retain our personnel. The loss of
the services of members of our senior management, scientists, clinicians or engineers could prevent
the implementation and completion of our objectives, including the development and introduction of
MelaFind®. The loss of a member of our senior management or our professional staff would require
the remaining executive officers to divert immediate and substantial attention to seeking a
replacement. Each of our officers may terminate their employment at any time without notice and
without cause or good reason.
We expect to expand our operations and grow our research and development, product development and
administrative operations. This expansion is expected to place a significant strain on our
management, and will require hiring a significant number of qualified personnel. Accordingly,
recruiting and retaining such personnel in the future will be critical to our success. There is
competition from other companies and research and academic institutions for qualified personnel in
the areas of our activities. If we fail to identify, attract, retain and motivate these highly
skilled personnel, we may be unable to continue our development and commercialization activities.
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Our financial results for future periods may be adversely affected by changes required by financial
and accounting regulatory agencies.
Our reported financial results may be adversely affected by changes in accounting principles
generally accepted in the US. Generally accepted accounting principles in the US are subject to
interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and various bodies
formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles
or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results, and could
affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement of a change.
For example, we currently are not required to record stock-based compensation charges if the
employees stock option exercise price is equal to or exceeds the fair value of our common stock at
the date of grant. However, several companies have recently elected to change their accounting
policies, and have begun to record the fair value of stock options as an expense. New FASB
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (FASB
Statement No. 123R), requires companies to recognize in the income statement the grant-date fair
value of stock options and other equity-based compensation issued to employees. Under FASB
Statement No. 123R, SEC registrants would have been required to implement this standard for interim
or annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005, or after December 15, 2005 for small business
issuers. On April 14, 2005, the SEC adopted a new rule amending the compliance dates for FASB
Statement No. 123R. The SECs new rule permits companies to implement FASB Statement No. 123R at
the beginning of their next fiscal year, instead of the next reporting period that begins after
June 15, 2005, or December 15, 2005 for small business issuers. Awards to most non-employee
directors will be accounted for as employee awards. All public companies must use either the
modified prospective or the modified retrospective transition method. Under the modified
prospective method, awards that are granted, modified, or settled after the date of adoption should
be measured and accounted for in accordance with FASB Statement No. 123R. Under the modified
retrospective method, the previously-reported amounts are restated to either the beginning of the
year of adoption or for all periods presented. Although we believe that our accounting practices
are consistent with current accounting pronouncements, changes to or interpretations of accounting
methods or policies in the future may require us to reclassify, restate or otherwise change or
revise our financial statements.
Our financial results for future periods will be affected by the attainment of milestones.
We have granted to certain employees stock options that vest with the attainment of various
performance milestones. Upon the attainment of these milestones we will be required to recognize a
stock based compensation expense in an amount based on the fair value
of the options. In May 2005, we
amended option agreements for 125,000 shares in the aggregate of three key employees to immediately
vest upon the completion of a successful initial public offering. We recorded in the fourth quarter
of 2005 a charge to operations in the amount of $544,000 with respect to these options based upon
the initial public offering price of $5.00 per share. We have also granted options that vest upon
attainment of development milestones. Upon the attainment of each of the relevant development
milestones there could be a significant compensation charge based on the fair value of such
options. .
If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, our ability to provide accurate
financial statements could be impaired and any failure to maintain our internal controls and
provide accurate financial statements could cause our stock price to decrease substantially.
We will face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses as a public
company that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), as well
as new rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and
the NASDAQ Capital Market, require changes in the corporate governance practices of public
companies. We expect these new rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance
costs, to divert management attention from operations and strategic opportunities, and to make
legal, accounting and administrative activities more time-consuming and costly. We also expect to
incur substantially higher costs to maintain directors and officers insurance. We are in the
process of instituting changes to our internal procedures to satisfy the requirements of the SOX.
We are evaluating our internal controls systems in order to allow us to report on, and our
independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, our internal controls, as required by
Section 404 of the SOX. While we anticipate being able to fully implement the requirements relating
to internal controls and all other aspects of Section 404 of the SOX in a timely fashion, we cannot
be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and remediation
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actions or the impact of the same on our operations, since there is no precedent available by which
to measure compliance adequacy. As a small company with limited capital and human resources, we
will need to divert managements time and attention away from our business in order to ensure
compliance with these regulatory requirements. As a public company, we will require greater
financial resources than we have had as a private company. Implementing these changes may require
new information technologies systems, the auditing of our internal controls, and compliance
training for our directors, officers and personnel. Such efforts would require a potentially
significant expense. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls as such standards
are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to provide accurate
financial statements and comply with the SOX. Any failure to maintain the adequacy of our internal
controls and provide accurate financial statements could cause the trading price of our common
stock to decrease substantially.
Risks Relating to our Common Stock
An active trading market for our common stock may not develop.
We only recently completed our initial public offering. Prior to our initial public offering, there
was no public market for our common stock. An active public market for our common stock may not
continue to develop or be sustained. Further, we cannot be certain that the market price of our
common stock will not decline below the initial public offering price or below the amount required
by NASDAQ to maintain a listing on its Capital Market. Should we fail to meet the minimum standards
established by NASDAQ for its Capital Market, we could be de-listed, meaning shareholders might be
subject to limited liquidity.
Our stock price will be volatile, meaning purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial
losses.
Our stock price is likely to be volatile. The stock market in general and the market for medical
technology companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been
unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. The following factors, in addition
to other risk factors described in this section and general market and economic conditions, may
have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock:
| results of our research and development efforts and our clinical trials; | |
| the timing of regulatory approval for our products; | |
| failure of any of our products, if approved, to achieve commercial success; | |
| the announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our competitors; | |
| regulatory developments in the US and foreign countries; | |
| ability to manufacture our products to commercial standards; | |
| developments concerning our clinical collaborators, suppliers or marketing partners; | |
| Changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts; | |
| public concern over our products; | |
| developments or disputes concerning patents or other intellectual property rights; | |
| Product liability claims and litigation against us or our competitors; | |
| the departure of key personnel; | |
| the strength of our balance sheet; | |
| variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us; | |
| Changes in the structure of and third-party reimbursement in the US and other countries; |
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| Changes in accounting principles or practices; | |
| general economic, industry and market conditions; and | |
| future sales of our common stock. |
A decline in the market price of our common stock could cause you to lose some or all of your
investment and may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain employees and raise capital.
In addition, stockholders may initiate securities class action lawsuits if the market price of our
stock drops significantly. Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought against us could result
in substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our management. Our insurance to
cover claims of this sort may not be adequate.
If our directors, executive officers, and principal stockholders choose to act together, they may
have the ability to influence all matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
As of February 28, 2006, our directors, executive officers, holders of more than 5% of our common
stock, and their affiliates in the aggregate, beneficially owned approximately 46% of our
outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, subject to any fiduciary duties owed to
our other stockholders under Delaware law, will be able to exercise a controlling influence over
matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of
significant corporate transactions, and will have significant control over our management and
policies. Some of these persons or entities may have interests that are different from yours. For
example, these stockholders may support proposals and actions with which you may disagree or which
are not in your interests. The concentration of ownership could delay or prevent a change in
control of our company or otherwise discourage a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain
control of our company, which in turn could reduce the price of our common stock. In addition,
these stockholders, some of whom have representatives sitting on our board of directors, could use
their voting influence to maintain our existing management and directors in office, delay or
prevent changes of control of our company, or support or reject other management and board
proposals that are subject to stockholder approval, such as amendments to our employee stock plans
and approvals of significant financing transactions.
If there are substantial sales of our common stock, our stock price could decline.
If our
existing stockholders sell a large number of shares of our common
stock or the public market perceives that these sales may occur, the
market price of our common stock could decline significantly. At
February 28, 2006, we had 10,865,917 shares of common stock
outstanding. All of the shares offered in our initial public offering
completed on November 2, 2005 are freely tradeable without
restriction or further registration under the federal securities laws,
unless purchased by our affiliates or subject to a lock-up agreement.
As of February 28, 2006, 4,191,671 shares of our common stock were
subject to lock-up agreements that have been entered into by certain
of our stockholders. These lock-up agreements expire on July 24,
2006. We estimate that all of the 6,523,164 shares of our common
stock outstanding prior to our initial public offering not previously
eligible for sale pursuant to Rule 144(k) will become available for
sale under Rule 144(k) beginning October 27, 2006, except for
approximately 525,534 shares held by our affiliates which will be
eligible for sale subject to the volume, manner of sale and other
limitations under Rule 144.
On or before July 28, 2006, we intend to register up to 1,899,875 shares of common stock that are
authorized for issuance under our stock option plans. As of December 31, 2005, 1,115,415 shares
were subject to outstanding options, of which 572,607 shares were vested. Once we register these
shares, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to the lock-up
agreements referred to above and restrictions on our affiliates.
Our charter documents and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover that stockholders consider favorable
and could also limit the market price of our stock.
Provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and applicable provisions of
Delaware law may make it more difficult for or prevent a third party from acquiring control of us
without the approval of our board of directors. These provisions are:
| set limitations on the removal of directors; | |
| limit who may call a special meeting of stockholders; |
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| establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings; | |
| do not permit cumulative voting in the election of our directors, which would otherwise permit less than a majority of stockholders to elect directors; | |
| prohibit stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders; and | |
| provide our board of directors the ability to designate the terms of and issue a new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval. |
In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law generally limits our ability to
engage in any business combination with certain persons who own 15% or more of our outstanding
voting stock or any of our associates or affiliates who at any time in the past three years have
owned 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock.
These provisions may have the effect of entrenching our management team and may deprive you of the
opportunity to sell your shares to potential acquirers at a premium over prevailing prices. This
potential inability to obtain a control premium could reduce the price of our common stock.
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Item 2. Properties
We lease approximately 2,800 square feet of office space at 3 West Main Street, Suite 201,
Irvington, New York, and an additional 3,700 square feet of office, laboratory, and assembly space
in an adjacent building with the street address of 1 Bridge Street, Suite 15, Irvington, New York.
The lease on the 2,800 square feet of space expires in November 2010. The lease on the 3,700 square
feet of space expires in June 2009. We believe that these facilities are adequate to meet our
current and reasonably foreseeable requirements. We believe that we will be able to obtain
additional space, if required, on commercially reasonable items.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any
material legal proceeding threatened against us. From time to time, we may be a party to certain
legal proceedings, incidental to the normal course of our business. While the outcome of these
legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not expect that these proceedings will
have a material effect upon our financial condition or results of operations.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of fiscal year
2005.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrants Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of
Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock has been traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market since October 28, 2005 under the
symbol MELA. Prior to such time, there was no public market for our common stock. The following
table sets forth the range of the high and low intraday prices for the period October 28, 2005
through December 31, 2005 as reported by the NASDAQ Capital Market:
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2005 |
High | Low | ||||||
October 28, 2005 - December 31, 2005 |
$ | 8.68 | $ | 5.00 |
As of February 28, 2006, there were approximately 230 holders of record of our common stock. This
number does not include the number of persons whose shares are in nominee or in street name
accounts through brokers.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain
our cash for the development of our business. We do not intend to pay cash dividends to our
stockholders in the foreseeable future.
Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our
board of directors and will depend on then existing conditions, including our earnings, financial
condition, results of operations, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions, capital
requirements, business prospects and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant. Our
board of directors ability to declare a dividend is also subject to limits imposed by Delaware
law.
Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The information required by this Item concerning the Companys equity compensation plans is
discussed in Note 1-Principal Business Activities and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Deferred Compensation, Note 10-Stock Options and Warrants,
and Note 15-Subsequent Events to the financial statements
contained in Part II Item 8 of this annual report.
Use of Proceeds From Registered Securities
On October 28, 2005, the Company completed an initial public offering. The Company issued 4,000,000
shares of common stock on October 28, 2005 and 262,300 shares of common stock on November 15, 2005,
both issuances at $5.00 per share. After deducting underwriting discounts and expenses and
offering-related expenses, the initial public offering resulted in net proceeds to the Company of
$17,687,000. A summary of the terms of the initial public offering can be found in the Companys
registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-125517), which was declared effective
by the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28, 2005.
No payments for such expenses were made directly or indirectly to (i) any of our directors,
officers or their associates, (ii) and person(s) owning 10% or more of any class of our equity
securities or (iii) any of our affiliates.
The net proceeds have been invested in investment grade securities and money market accounts.
We are using, and intend to continue to use, these proceeds for research and development activities
including clinical trials, development of our sales and marketing capabilities and general
corporate
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purposes including general and administrative expenses, as described in the use of proceeds section
of our final prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) (4) on October 28, 2005.
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Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The following table sets forth selected financial data for our Company. The financial information
for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and as of December 31, 2004 and 2005, has been
derived from our audited financial statements and related notes appearing in Part II Item 8 of
this report and should be read together with such financial
statements and the Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations section appearing in Part II Item 7 of
this report. The financial information for the
years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002 and as of December 31, 2001, 2002, and 2003, has been derived
from our audited financial statements not included in this report. The historical results are not
necessarily indicative of results of any future periods.
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
Statements of Operations Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue from grants |
$ | 290 | $ | 547 | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||
Cost of grant revenue |
193 | 564 | | | | |||||||||||||||
General and administrative
expenses |
2,563 | 511 | 1,034 | 1,234 | 2,636 | |||||||||||||||
Research and development |
144 | 404 | 828 | 1,892 | 3,822 | |||||||||||||||
Operating loss from continuing
operations |
(2,610 | ) | (932 | ) | (1,862 | ) | (3,126 | ) | (6,458 | ) | ||||||||||
Interest (income)/expense |
(85 | ) | 8 | 76 | 67 | (174 | ) | |||||||||||||
Loss from continuing operations |
(2,525 | ) | (940 | ) | (1,938 | ) | (3,193 | ) | (6,284 | ) | ||||||||||
Loss from discontinued operations |
(343 | ) | (201 | ) | (12 | ) | (426 | ) | (442 | ) | ||||||||||
Net loss |
(2,868 | ) | (1,141 | ) | (1,950 | ) | (3,619 | ) | (6,726 | ) | ||||||||||
Preferred stock deemed dividends |
(213 | ) | (214 | ) | (322 | ) | (676 | ) | (1,199 | ) | ||||||||||
Preferred stock accretion |
(180 | ) | (180 | ) | (25 | ) | (258 | ) | (1,077 | ) | ||||||||||
Stock distribution of preferred
Series B shares |
| | (102 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||
Net loss attributable to
common stockholders |
$ | (3,261 | ) | $ | (1,535 | ) | $ | (2,399 | ) | $ | (4,553 | ) | $ | (9,002 | ) | |||||
Net loss per share, basic and
diluted: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Continuing operations |
$ | (1.90 | ) | $ | (0.87 | ) | $ | (1.48 | ) | $ | (2.34 | ) | $ | (2.44 | ) | |||||
Discontinued operations |
(0.23 | ) | (0.13 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.24 | ) | (0.13 | ) | ||||||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per
common share |
$ | (2.13 | ) | $ | (1.00 | ) | $ | (1.49 | ) | $ | (2.58 | ) | $ | (2.57 | ) | |||||
Basic and diluted weighted average
number of shares outstanding |
1,534,760 | 1,534,760 | 1,614,897 | 1,766,608 | 3,508,835 | |||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except share and per share
data)
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total current assets |
$ | 867 | $ | 111 | $ | 217 | $ | 6,813 | $ | 18,873 | ||||||||||
Total assets |
1,131 | 344 | 432 | 7,096 | 19,166 | |||||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
247 | 529 | 650 | 691 | 916 | |||||||||||||||
Redeemable convertible preferred
stock |
2,155 | 2,244 | 4,067 | 9,955 | | |||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(7,197 | ) | (8,518 | ) | (10,288 | ) | (13,907 | ) | (20,633 | ) | ||||||||||
Total stockholders
equity/(deficiency) |
(3,408 | ) | (4,657 | ) | (4,285 | ) | (3,550 | ) | 18,249 |
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Item 7. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion contains forward looking statements, which involve risks and
uncertainties. Our actual results could differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth above under the caption
Business-Risk Factors. You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial
condition and results of operations together with our financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2005 and the related notes appearing in Part II Item 8 of this report.
Overview
We are a medical device company focused on the design and development of a non-invasive,
point-of-care instrument to assist in the early diagnosis of melanoma. Our flagship product,
MelaFind®, features a hand-held imaging device that emits multiple wavelengths of light to capture
images of suspicious pigmented skin lesions and extract data. We currently do not have any
commercialized products or any significant source of revenue; however, the financial results for
all periods discussed below account for the revenues and the related expenses associated with our
DIFOTI® product, a non-invasive imaging device for the detection of dental cavities, as a
discontinued operation. We decided to discontinue all operations associated with our DIFOTI®
product effective as of April 5, 2005, in order to focus our resources and attention on the
development and commercialization of MelaFind®. We are currently seeking an acquirer for the
DIFOTI® assets, and we do not expect to have any significant continuing responsibility for the
DIFOTI® business after its disposition. Unless otherwise indicated, the following discussion
relates to our continuing operations.
Our revenue for the foreseeable future will depend on the commercialization of MelaFind® and
may vary substantially from year to year and quarter to quarter. Our operating expenses may also
vary substantially from year to year and quarter to quarter based on the timing of the pivotal
trial and patient enrollment. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our results of
operations are not meaningful and should not be relied on as indicative of our future performance.
We commenced operations in December 1989 as a New York corporation and re-incorporated as a
Delaware corporation in September 1997. Since our inception, we have generated significant losses.
As of December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $20.6 million. We expect to continue to
spend significant amounts on the development of MelaFind®. We expect to incur significant
commercialization costs when we begin to introduce MelaFind® into the US market. On October 28,
2005, the Company completed an initial public offering. The company issued 4,000,000 shares of
common stock on October 28, 2005 and 262,300 shares of common stock on November 15, 2005, both
issuances at $5.00 per share. After deducting underwriting discounts and expenses and offering
related expenses, the initial public offering resulted in net proceeds to the Company of
approximately $17.7 million. We will need to raise additional funds in order to achieve significant
commercialization of MelaFind® and generate significant revenues.
Most of our expenditures to date have been for research and development activities and general
and administrative expenses. Research and development expenses represent costs incurred for product
development, clinical trials and activities relating to regulatory filings and manufacturing
development efforts. We expense all of our research and development costs as they are incurred.
Our research and development expenses incurred for the year ended December 31, 2005 were
expenses related primarily to the development of MelaFind®. We expect to incur additional research
and development expenses relating to MelaFind® prior to its commercial launch in the US and
selected markets outside the US. These additional expenses are subject to the risks and
uncertainties associated with clinical trials and the FDA regulatory review and approval process.
As a result, these additional expenses could exceed our estimated amounts, possibly materially.
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses,
general corporate activities and costs associated with our efforts to obtain PMA approval for
MelaFind® and toward development of a commercial infrastructure to market and sell MelaFind®. We
anticipate that general and administrative expenses will increase as a result of the expected
expansion of our operations, facilities and other activities associated with the planned expansion
of our business, together with the additional costs associated with operating as a public company.
We expect selling, general and administrative expenses
to increase as we build our sales force and marketing capabilities to support placing MelaFind® in
selected markets.
At December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2005, we had available net operating loss carryforwards
for federal income tax reporting purposes of approximately $12.2 million and $18.9 million,
respectively. The
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net operating loss carryforwards may be available to offset future taxable income expiring at
various dates through the year 2025. The Companys ability to utilize its net operating losses may
be significantly limited due to changes in the companys ownership as defined by federal income tax
regulations.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our managements discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations
are based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the US. The preparation of these financial statements requires us
to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and
the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well
as the reported revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we
evaluate our judgments related to accounting estimates. We base our estimates on historical
experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the
results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and
liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these
estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 1 to our financial
statements included in this report, we believe that the following accounting policies and
significant judgments and estimates relating to revenue recognition, stock-based compensation
charges, and accrued expenses are most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating
our reported financial results.
Revenue Recognition
We decided to discontinue all operations associated with our DIFOTI® product effective as of
April 5, 2005, and account for the DIFOTI® revenue and expenses as a discontinued operation.
Revenue from the DIFOTI® product sales had been recognized at the time of delivery and acceptance,
after consideration of all the terms and conditions of the customer contract. The DIFOTI® products
which were being sold prior to December 31, 2004 included a 30-day return policy. Revenue on these
products was recognized after the shipment was made and the 30-day return period had elapsed.
DIFOTI® products sold subsequent to December 31, 2004 were sold without a right of return and
revenue was therefore recognized after the shipment was made. Deferred revenues at December 31,
2004 consisted of revenues that were billed or paid in advance of the shipment of the product.
We currently do not have any products approved for sale.
Stock-Based Compensation
We account for non-employee stock-based awards in which goods or services are the
consideration received for the equity instruments issued based on the fair value of the equity
instruments issued in accordance with the Emerging Issues Task Force Issue No. 96-18, Accounting
for Equity Instruments That Are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring, or in Conjunction
With Selling, Goods or Services.
We account for stock-based compensation to employees under the intrinsic-value-based method of
accounting prescribed by Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock
Issued to Employees, and disclose the effect of the differences which would result had we applied
the fair-value-based method of accounting, on a pro forma basis, as required by FASB Statement No.
123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, as amended by Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards (SFAS) No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, Transition and Disclosure. In
December 2004, FASB issued FASB Statement No. 123R, which addresses the accounting for share-based
awards to employees and requires companies to recognize the fair value of stock options and other
stock-based compensation to employees in their statement of operations. Because we currently
account for our stock- based compensation plans in accordance with APB Opinion No. 25, the adoption
of FASB Statement No. 123R could have a material effect on our financial statements in future
accounting periods.
Prior to October 28, 2005, our common stock had not been publicly traded. As a result, the
determination of the fair value of our common stock involved considerable judgment. In making this
determination, we evaluated, among other things, our common stock transactions, the pricing of
private equity sales, the rights and preferences of the security being valued, current market
conditions, and company specific operational milestones. Since our initial public offering, the
fair value of stock-based compensation has been based on the price of our common stock on the
measurement date.
In May 2005, we amended stock option agreements for 125,000 shares of our common stock in the
aggregate, of three key employees to immediately vest upon the completion of our initial public
offering. In
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the fourth quarter of 2005, the Company recorded a charge to operations in the amount of $544,000
with respect to these options based upon the initial public offering price of $5.00 per share.
We have also granted to certain employees stock options that vest with the attainment of
development milestones. Upon the attainment of the relevant development milestones, there could be
a significant compensation charge based on the fair value of such options.
Upon the
closing of the initial public offering, the Company issued to Gerald
Wagner, Ph.D., Acting Chief Operating Officer and a member of the
Companys Board of Directors, pursuant to a consulting agreement
dated June 1, 2005, an option to purchase 50,000 shares of
common stock with an exercise price equal to the initial public
offering price of $5.00 per share. The fair value of these options
was based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the Company
recognized compensation expense of $138,000 during the year ended
December 31, 2005, as these options vested immediately. On
March 24, 2006, the Company entered into an amended and restated consulting
agreement with Gerald Wagner, Ph.D. to be effective as of
April 1, 2006. In connection with his ongoing engagement as a
consultant, Dr. Wagner received a stock option grant of
50,000 shares of the Companys common stock which vests
in full immediately upon commencement of the pivotal trial for
MelaFind®
(refer to Note 15 Subsequent Events for further details). In
addition, on March 24, 2006, Dr. Wagner received another
stock option grant of 49,500 shares of the Companys common
stock which vests immediately. The exercise price for these two stock
option grants is the closing price per share of the Companys
common stock on the option grant date and the compensation charge to operations will be
based on the fair value of such options.
Accrued Expenses
As part of the process of preparing financial statements, we are required to estimate accrued
expenses. This process involves identifying services that have been performed on our behalf and
estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for such service where
we have not been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost .Examples of estimated accrued
expenses include:
| professional service fees; | ||
| contract clinical service fees; | ||
| fees paid to contract manufacturers in conjunction with the production of clinical components or materials; and | ||
| fees paid to third party data collection organizations and investigators in conjunction with the clinical trials. |
In connection with such service fees, our estimates are most affected by our projections of
the timing of services provided relative to the actual level of services incurred by such service
providers. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services
performed. In the event that we do not identify certain costs that have begun to be incurred or we
under or over estimate the level of services performed or the costs of such services, our actual
expenses could differ from such estimates. The date on which certain services commence, the level
of services performed on or before a given date, and the cost of such services are often subjective
determinations. We make these judgments based upon the facts and circumstances known to us in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the US. This is done as of each balance
sheet date in our financial statements.
Results of Operations (in thousands)
Year
Ended December 31, 2005 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2004
Research and Development Expense. Research and development expense increased by $1,930 to $3,822
for the year ended December 31, 2005, from $1,892 for the year ended December 31, 2004. Of this
increase, $494 was attributable to higher personnel and personnel related costs as we increased
headcount to support our research and development programs, and higher outside product development
and research consulting fees in the amount of $882 and $494 respectively, which relates to the
development of our MelaFind® product. In addition, regulatory expense increased by $60 which
represents actions taken by the Company to fully comply with FDA quality system regulations. For
the year ended December 31, 2005 research and development costs were approximately 59% of total
operating expenses. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in connection with
our clinical trials and other development activities as we advance our MelaFind® pivotal study and
complete the PMA regulatory approval process.
General and Administrative Expense. General and administrative expense increased by $1,402 to
$2,636 for the year ended December 31, 2005 from $1,234 for the year ended December 31, 2004. The
change was due to higher personnel and personnel related costs of $291 associated with the addition
of key management positions, and $392 related to rent, utilities and moving expenses associated
with an office expansion and a lease renewal. The increase in share-based compensation of $465 is
principally attributable to the immediate vesting of 125,000 stock options upon completion of the
initial public
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offering. In addition, information technology consulting fees and the higher professional services
cost associated with being a public company contributed to $233 of the overall increase. For the
year ended December 31, 2005, general and administrative expenses were approximately 41% of total
operating expenses. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase to support
the additional costs associated with being a public company.
Interest (Income)/Expense. Interest (income)/expense for the year ended December 31, 2005 was
($174) compared to $67 for the corresponding period in 2004. The increase in income for the for the
year ended December 31,2005 was due to the higher average cash, cash equivalents and marketable
securities balance compared to the prior year period. The interest expense for the year ended
December 31, 2004 was principally related to an imputed interest charge of $80 in connection with
financings from related parties.
Year Ended December 31, 2004 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2003
Research and Development Expense. Research and development expenses increased by $1,064, from
$828 for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $1,892 for the year ended December 31, 2004. This
increase related to increased headcount to support our research and development programs in the
amount of $715, and $332 represents increased consulting and outside research fees related to the
development of MelaFind®. For the year ended December 31, 2004 research and development costs were
approximately 60% of total operating expenses. Clinical and regulatory expense, a component of
research and development expense, totaled approximately $797 for the year ended December 31, 2004..
General and Administrative Expense. General and administrative expenses increased by $200, to
$1,234 for the year ended December 31, 2004 from $1,034 for the year ended December 31, 2003. The
increase was principally attributable to $150 in stock-based compensation to non-employee board
members, an increase in personnel costs of $63, MelaFind® reimbursement and pre-marketing costs of
$69, offset in part by lower consulting fees of $82. For the year ended December 31, 2004, general
and administrative expenses were approximately 40% of total operating expenses.
Interest (Income)/ Expense. Interest (income)/ expense for the year ended December 31, 2004
was $67 compared to $76 for the corresponding period in 2003. The decrease was due principally to
higher interest income in 2004 associated with a higher average cash, cash equivalents and
marketable securities balance compared to the prior year.
Liquidity and Capital Resources (in thousands)
From inception, we have financed our operations primarily through the use of working capital
from the sale of equity securities and by applying for and obtaining a series of National Institute
of Health Small Business Innovative Research grants and similar grants. To date, we have not
borrowed (other than by issuing convertible notes, all of which have been converted into equity) or
financed our operations through equipment leases, financing loans or other debt instruments. As of
December 31, 2005, we had $18,505 in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as compared
to $6,703 at December 31, 2004, an increase of $11,802. The increase resulted primarily from the
net proceeds of $17,687 from the Companys initial public offering, partially offset by cash used
in operating activities. Our cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2005 are liquid investments
with a maturity of three months or less and consist of investments in money market funds with a
commercial bank.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities. Net cash used in operations was $5,865 for the year
ended December 31, 2005. For the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2004 the net cash used in
operations was $1,699, and $3,065 respectively. For all periods, cash used in operations was
attributable primarily to net losses after adjustment for non-cash charges related to noncash
compensation, depreciation and other changes in operating assets and liabilities.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities. Net cash provided by our investing activities was $6,502
for the year ended December 31, 2005 principally relating to the redemption of marketable
securities. For the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2004 the net cash used in investing
activities was $8 and $6,677 respectively. The cash used in investing activities for the year 2004
was principally related to the purchase of marketable securities and equipment from the proceeds
of our private placement financings.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities. Net cash provided by financing activities was $17,760
for the year ended December 31, 2005 and reflects the net proceeds received from the Companys
initial public offering. For the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2004 the net cash flows provided
by financing activities were, $1,816 and $9,733 respectively. For these periods, financing cash
flows reflected the proceeds from the issuance of common stock, preferred stock and notes payable.
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Operating Capital and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We face certain risks and uncertainties, which are present in many emerging medical device
companies. At December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $20.6 million. To date, we have
not commercialized our principal product, MelaFind®. We anticipate that we will continue to incur
net losses for the foreseeable future as we continue to develop the MelaFind® system, expand our
clinical development team and corporate infrastructure, and prepare for the potential commercial
launch of MelaFind®. We do not expect to generate significant product revenue until we successfully
obtain PMA approval for and begin selling MelaFind®. In order to achieve significant
commercialization of MelaFind® we will need to obtain additional funding. We believe that the net
proceeds from our recently completed initial public offering, including our current cash and cash
equivalents and interest we earn on these balances, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash
needs for working capital and capital expenditures through mid 2007. If existing cash and cash
generated from our recently completed initial public offering are insufficient to satisfy our
liquidity requirements, or if we develop additional products, we may seek to sell additional equity
or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. If additional funds are raised through the issuance
of debt securities, these securities could have rights senior to those associated with our common
stock, and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations. Any additional financing may
not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we are unable to obtain
this additional financing, we may be required to reduce the scope of, delay or eliminate some or
all of planned product research development and commercialization activities, which could harm our
business.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of medical
devices such as MelaFind®, we are unable to estimate the exact amounts of capital outlays and
operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated clinical trials. Our future
funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
| The schedule, costs, and results of our clinical trials; | |
| The success of our research and development efforts; | |
| The costs and timing of regulatory approval; | |
| reimbursement amounts for the use of MelaFind® that we are able to obtain from Medicare and third party payors, or the amount of direct payments we are able to obtain from patients and/or physicians utilizing MelaFind® | |
| the cost of commercialization activities, including product marketing and building a domestic direct sales force; | |
| The emergence of competing or complementary technological developments; | |
| the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other rights, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation; | |
| the costs involved in defending any patent infringement actions brought against us by third parties; and | |
| our ability to establish and maintain any collaborative, licensing or other arrangements, and the terms and timing of any such arrangements. |
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Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes our outstanding contractual obligations as of December 31, 2005
and the effect those obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future
periods:
Payments Due by Period
Less than | More than | |||||||||||||||||||
Contractual Obligations | Total | 1 year | 1-3 years | 4-5 years | 5 years | |||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operating Leases |
$ | 909 | $ | 204 | $ | 600 | $ | 105 | | |||||||||||
Total |
$ | 909 | $ | 204 | $ | 600 | $ | 105 | |
Our long-term obligations are two non-cancelable operating leases for space expiring June 2009 and
November 2010. The lease on 3,700 square feet of office, laboratory and assembly space expires in
June 2009 and the lease on 2,800 square feet of office space expires November 2010.
Related Party Transactions
For a description of our related party transactions, see our financial statements and the
related notes to our financial statements included in this report.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not currently have, nor have we ever had, any relationships with unconsolidated entities
or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special
purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance
sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. In addition, we do not engage
in trading activities involving non-exchange traded contracts. As such, we are not materially
exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in
these relationships.
Recent Accounting Developments
On December 16, 2004 the FASB issued Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (SFAS
123R). This Statement requires that the cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be
recognized in the financial statements and establishes fair value as the measurement objective in
accounting for all share-based payment arrangements. On March 29, 2005, the SEC issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 107, Stock-Based Payment, which summarizes the views of the staff regarding
the interaction between SFAS 123R and certain SEC rules and regulations, and provides the staffs
views regarding the valuation of share-based payment arrangements for public companies. SFAS 123R
was originally effective as of the beginning of the first interim or annual reporting period after
June 15, 2005. However, on April 14, 2005 the SEC announced a new rule that amended the effective
date for SFAS 123R. The new rule allows companies to implement SFAS 123R at the beginning of their
next fiscal year, instead of the next reporting period beginning after June 15, 2005. As such, we
will adopt SFAS 123R as of the beginning of the first quarter of 2006. The Company expects that
upon the adoption of SFAS 123R it will apply the modified prospective application transition
method, as permitted by the statement. Under such transition method, upon the adoption of SFAS
123R, the Companys financial statements for periods prior to the effective date of the statement
will not be restated. The impact of this statement on the Companys financial statements or its
results of operations will depend upon various factors, among them, its future compensation
strategy. The Company expects that the effect of applying this statement on its results of
operations as it relates to existing option plans could have a material effect on our financial
statements.
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Our exposure to market risk at December 31, 2005 is confined to our cash and cash equivalents.
We invest in high credit quality financial instruments; primarily money market funds with an
original maturity of three months or less at the date of acquisition. We currently do not hedge
interest rate exposure. Due to the short-term nature of our investments, we do not believe that we
have any material exposure to interest rate risk arising from our investments. In January 2006, the
Company invested $17,250,000 in high credit quality available-for-sale marketable debt securities
with a weighted average maturity not to exceed twelve months. There has been no material change to
our market risk since December 31, 2005.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page | ||||
50 | ||||
51 | ||||
52 | ||||
53 | ||||
54 | ||||
55 |
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders
Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc.
Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc. as of December
31, 2004 and 2005, and the related statements of operations, stockholders equity/(deficiency), and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2005. These financial
statements are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An
audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the
financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material
respects, the financial position of Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc., as of December 31, 2004 and
2005, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2005, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America.
/s/ Eisner, LLP
New York, New York
March 17, 2006, except as to
the second paragraph
of Note 15, the date
of which is March 24, 2006
March 17, 2006, except as to
the second paragraph
of Note 15, the date
of which is March 24, 2006
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ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC.
BALANCE SHEETS
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2004 | 2005 | |||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current Assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 108,705 | $ | 18,505,030 | ||||
Marketable securities |
6,594,751 | | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
7,128 | | ||||||
Inventories |
69,755 | | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
32,844 | 210,940 | ||||||
Assets held for sale |
| 156,677 | ||||||
Total Current Assets |
6,813,183 | 18,872,647 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net |
89,306 | 175,369 | ||||||
Patents and trademarks, net |
163,459 | 84,052 | ||||||
Other assets |
30,201 | 33,612 | ||||||
Total Assets |
$ | 7,096,149 | $ | 19,165,680 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIENCY) |
||||||||
Current
Liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts payable (includes related parties of $2,000 as of
December 31, 2004, and $11,263 as of December 31, 2005) |
$ | 338,821 | $ | 329,462 | ||||
Accrued expenses (includes related parties of $15,000 as of
December 31, 2005) |
228,583 | 570,052 | ||||||
Deferred revenues |
106,335 | | ||||||
Other current liabilities |
17,284 | 16,828 | ||||||
Total Current Liabilities |
691,023 | 916,342 | ||||||
REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK |
||||||||
Redeemable Preferred Stock Series B convertible 992,986 shares
designated (liquidation preference $2.26 per share); issued
and outstanding 992,986 shares at December 31, 2004 |
2,244,147 | | ||||||
Redeemable Preferred Stock Series C convertible 5,744,340 shares
designated (liquidation preference $2.26 per share); issued
and outstanding 5,414,779 shares at December 31, 2004 |
7,711,027 | | ||||||
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 6) |
||||||||
Stockholders Equity (Deficiency): |
||||||||
Preferred stock $.10 par value; authorized 16,936,704 shares
as of December 31, 2004, and 10,000,000 shares as of
December 31, 2005 |
||||||||
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, 199,380 shares
designated (liquidation preference $5.00 per share);
issued and outstanding 198,000 shares at December 31, 2004 |
972,311 | | ||||||
Common stock
$0.001 par value; authorized 30,000,000 shares: |
||||||||
issued and outstanding 1,809,758 shares at December 31, 2004
and 10,837,833 shares at December 31, 2005 |
1,810 | 10,838 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
9,611,094 | 38,934,420 | ||||||
Notes receivable for stock subscriptions |
(69,000 | ) | | |||||
Deferred compensation |
(159,300 | ) | (62,610 | ) | ||||
Accumulated deficit |
(13,906,963 | ) | (20,633,310 | ) | ||||
Stockholders Equity (Deficiency) |
(3,550,048 | ) | 18,249,338 | |||||
Total Liabilities and Stockholders Equity (Deficiency) |
$ | 7,096,149 | $ | 19,165,680 | ||||
See accompanying notes to the financial statements
51
Table of Contents
ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Year ended | ||||||||||||
December 31, 2003 | December 31, 2004 | December 31, 2005 | ||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||
Research and development |
$ | 828,239 | $ | 1,891,551 | $ | 3,821,712 | ||||||
General and administrative |
1,034,397 | 1,234,210 | 2,636,064 | |||||||||
Operating loss from continuing operations |
(1,862,636 | ) | (3,125,761 | ) | (6,457,776 | ) | ||||||
Interest income |
(1,373 | ) | (27,935 | ) | (173,888 | ) | ||||||
Interest expense |
76,923 | 94,976 | | |||||||||
75,550 | 67,041 | (173,888 | ) | |||||||||
Loss from continuing operations |
(1,938,186 | ) | (3,192,802 | ) | (6,283,888 | ) | ||||||
Loss from discontinued operations |
(11,917 | ) | (426,344 | ) | (442,459 | ) | ||||||
Net loss |
(1,950,103 | ) | (3,619,146 | ) | (6,726,347 | ) | ||||||
Less: |
||||||||||||
Preferred stock deemed dividends |
321,830 | 676,218 | 1,198,439 | |||||||||
Preferred stock accretion |
25,228 | 257,545 | 1,077,492 | |||||||||
Stock distribution of preferred Series B shares |
101,700 | | | |||||||||
Net Loss Attributable to Common Stockholders |
$ | (2,398,861 | ) | $ | (4,552,909 | ) | $ | (9,002,278 | ) | |||
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted: |
||||||||||||
Continuing operations |
(1.48 | ) | (2.34 | ) | (2.44 | ) | ||||||
Discontinued operations |
(0.01 | ) | (0.24 | ) | (0.13 | ) | ||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
$ | (1.49 | ) | $ | (2.58 | ) | $ | (2.57 | ) | |||
Basic and diluted weighted average number of
common shares outstanding |
1,614,897 | 1,766,608 | 3,508,835 | |||||||||
See accompanying notes to the financial statements
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ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC.
STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIENCY)
Years Ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005
Years Ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005
Convertible | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred Stock | Additional | Stockholders | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series A | Common Stock | Paid-in | Notes | Deferred | Accumulated | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Receivable | Compensation | Deficit | (Deficiency) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2002 |
198,000 | $ | 972,311 | 1,534,760 | $ | 1,535 | $ | 2,752,165 | | $ | (45,000 | ) | $ | (8,337,714 | ) | $ | (4,656,703 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Preferred stock accretion |
(25,228 | ) | (25,228 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization of deferred
compensation |
22,500 | 22,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in
exchange for notes receivable |
150,000 | 150 | 68,850 | (69,000 | ) | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjustment for reduction to
liquidation value of Series B
preferred stock |
2,329,000 | 2,329,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock distribution of preferred
Series B shares |
(101,700 | ) | (101,700 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock options issued
for consulting fees |
96,836 | 96,836 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
(1,950,103 | ) | (1,950,103 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2003 |
198,000 | $ | 972,311 | 1,684,760 | $ | 1,685 | $ | 5,119,923 | $ | (69,000 | ) | $ | (22,500 | ) | $ | (10,287,817 | ) | $ | (4,285,398 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Sale of common stock |
124,998 | 125 | 137,375 | 137,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred compensation-stock
option awards to employees |
159,300 | (159,300 | ) | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of options to
non-employee directors |
150,450 | 150,450 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred stock accretion |
(257,545 | ) | (257,545 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Warrants issued in connection
with preferred Series C stock |
2,643,392 | 2,643,392 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beneficial conversion feature in
connection with preferred
Series C stock |
1,465,003 | 1,465,003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of options to consultants |
72,800 | 72,800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of warrants to consultant |
120,396 | 120,396 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization of deferred
compensation |
22,500 | 22,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
(3,619,146 | ) | (3,619,146 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2004 |
198,000 | $ | 972,311 | 1,809,758 | $ | 1,810 | $ | 9,611,094 | $ | (69,000 | ) | $ | (159,300 | ) | $ | (13,906,963 | ) | $ | (3,550,048 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Preferred stock accretion |
(1,077,492 | ) | (1,077,492 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion of preferred stock
in connection with the
Initial Public Offering |
(198,000 | ) | (972,311 | ) | 3,398,105 | 3,398 | 12,001,578 | 11,032,665 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of employee options vesting
on attainment of milestone |
479,000 | 479,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of options to consultant |
138,000 | 138,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of option by
non-employee directors |
27,500 | 28 | 15,322 | 15,350 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise of options by
former employees |
23,361 | 23 | 23,359 | 23,382 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Restricted stock award to employee |
11,488 | 12 | 62,598 | (62,610 | ) | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retirement of note receivable |
69,000 | 69,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization of deferred
compensation |
159,300 | 159,300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Warrants
exchanged for
common stock |
1,305,321 | 1,305 | (1,305 | ) | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of shares of common stock
in connection with the Initial
Public Offering (net of expenses) |
4,262,300 | 4,262 | 17,682,266 | 17,686,528 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
(6,726,347 | ) | (6,726,347 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at December 31, 2005 |
| $ | | 10,837,833 | $ | 10,838 | $ | 38,934,420 | $ | | $ | (62,610 | ) | $ | (20,633,310 | ) | $ | 18,249,338 | ||||||||||||||||||
See accompanying notes to the financial statements
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ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year ended | ||||||||||||
December 31, 2003 | December 31, 2004 | December 31, 2005 | ||||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Loss from continuing operations |
$ | (1,938,186 | ) | $ | (3,192,802 | ) | $ | (6,283,888 | ) | |||
Loss from discontinued operations |
(11,917 | ) | (426,344 | ) | (442,459 | ) | ||||||
Net loss |
(1,950,103 | ) | (3,619,146 | ) | (6,726,347 | ) | ||||||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Allowance for doubtful accounts |
(13,288 | ) | (9,000 | ) | (1,000 | ) | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
30,987 | 35,860 | 49,098 | |||||||||
Noncash compensation and amortization of deferred compensation |
22,500 | 172,950 | 638,300 | |||||||||
Common stock
options and warrants issued for consulting fees |
96,836 | 193,196 | 138,000 | |||||||||
Retirement of stock subscription receivable for consulting services |
| | 34,500 | |||||||||
Amortization of discount on marketable securities |
| (10,001 | ) | (33,502 | ) | |||||||
Imputed interest expense attributable to preferred Series C |
45,000 | | | |||||||||
Imputed interest expense from bridge loan |
| 80,000 | | |||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Decrease in receivables |
53,585 | 20,662 | 8,128 | |||||||||
(Increase) decrease in inventories |
(39,296 | ) | 3,110 | (16,122 | ) | |||||||
Increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets |
(3,464 | ) | (36,211 | ) | (181,507 | ) | ||||||
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and accrued expenses |
137,414 | (7,676 | ) | 332,110 | ||||||||
(Decrease) increase in deferred revenues |
(57,300 | ) | 106,335 | (106,335 | ) | |||||||
(Decrease) increase in other current liabilities |
(21,879 | ) | 5,308 | (456 | ) | |||||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(1,699,008 | ) | (3,064,613 | ) | (5,865,133 | ) | ||||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
||||||||||||
Patent costs |
(5,986 | ) | (3,166 | ) | (5,316 | ) | ||||||
Purchases of property and equipment |
(2,432 | ) | (88,884 | ) | (121,239 | ) | ||||||
(Purchase) sale of marketable securities |
| (6,584,750 | ) | 6,628,253 | ||||||||
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities |
(8,418 | ) | (6,676,800 | ) | 6,501,698 | |||||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Proceeds from Initial Public Offering |
| | 21,311,500 | |||||||||
Expenses related to Initial Public Offering |
| | (3,624,972 | ) | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of Series C preferred stock |
1,500,000 | 9,171,480 | | |||||||||
Expenses related to Series C preferred stock offering |
(252,278 | ) | (447,553 | ) | | |||||||
Proceeds from (repayment of) notes payable stockholders |
48,000 | (48,000 | ) | | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of notes payable |
520,000 | 920,000 | | |||||||||
Proceeds from sale of common stock |
| 137,500 | 38,732 | |||||||||
Payment for stock subscription receivable |
| | 34,500 | |||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
1,815,722 | 9,733,427 | 17,759,760 | |||||||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents |
108,296 | (7,986 | ) | 18,396,325 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
8,395 | 116,691 | 108,705 | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 116,691 | $ | 108,705 | $ | 18,505,030 | ||||||
Supplemental Cash Flow Information: |
||||||||||||
Cash paid for interest |
$ | 24,378 | $ | 14,976 | ||||||||
Supplemental Schedule of Noncash Financing Activities: |
||||||||||||
Notes payable exchanged for Series C preferred stock |
$ | 505,000 | $ | 1,015,000 | ||||||||
Notes receivable received for common stock |
$ | 69,000 | | |||||||||
Preferred stock accretion |
$ | 25,228 | $ | 257,545 | $ | 1,077,492 | ||||||
Reduction to liquidation value Series B preferred stock |
$ | 2,329,000 | ||||||||||
Beneficial conversion feature in connection with Series C preferred stock |
$ | 1,465,003 | ||||||||||
Fair value of warrants issued in connection with Series C preferred stock |
$ | 2,643,392 | ||||||||||
Reclassification of inventories and patents to assets held for sale |
$ | 156,677 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements
54
Table of Contents
Notes to Financial Statements
(In thousands, except for share and per share data)
(For the years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003)
(For the years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003)
1. Principal Business Activities and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies:
Organization and Business
Electro-Optical Sciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), is focused on the design
and development of a non-invasive, point-of-care instrument for assisting in the early diagnosis of
melanoma. The Company has entered into a Protocol Agreement with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) which is an agreement for the conduct of the pivotal trial and to establish the safety and
effectiveness of the MelaFind® device. Upon obtaining premarket approval, or PMA, from the FDA, the
Company plans to launch MelaFind® in the United States.
To date the Company has not generated any revenues from MelaFind®. All of the Companys historical
revenues have come from activities and products that have since been discontinued, including our
DIFOTI® product, a non-invasive imaging device for the detection of dental cavities. The Company
discontinued all operations associated with its DIFOTI® product effective as of April 5, 2005, in
order to focus its resources on the development and commercialization of MelaFind®. The Company is
currently seeking a buyer for the DIFOTI® assets, and does not expect to have any significant
continuing responsibility for the DIFOTI® business after the sale of the DIFOTI® assets. (See Note
12).
At December 31, 2005, the Company has an accumulated deficit of $20,633 and anticipates that
it will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future in the development and
commercialization of the Melafind® device. From inception, the Company has financed operations
primarily through the sale of convertible preferred stock and subsequent to that sold common stock
as part of an initial public offering on October 28, 2005. (Refer to Note 9, Initial Public
Offering of Common Stock, and Note 8, Stockholders Equity (Deficiency) and Redeemable
Convertible Preferred Stock, for further details.)
The Company faces certain risks and uncertainties, which are present in many emerging medical
device companies regarding future profitability, ability to obtain future capital, protection of
patents and property rights, competition, rapid technological change, government regulations,
changing health care marketplace, recruiting and retaining key personnel, and third party
manufacturing organizations.
Business Segments
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an
Enterprise and Related Information, requires an enterprise to report segment information based on
how management internally evaluates the operating performance of its business units (segments). The
Companys operations are confined to one business segment: the design and development of MelaFind®.
Reverse Stock Split and Conversion of Preferred Stock
The Board of Directors approved on May 13, 2005, a one-for-two reverse stock split, which became
effective subsequent to June 30, 2005. All references to common stock, common shares outstanding,
average number of common shares outstanding, per share amounts, common stock options and warrants
in these financial statements and notes to financial statements have been restated to reflect the
one-for-two common stock reverse split on a retroactive basis.
In September 2005, the effective date of the automatic conversion of the Companys designated
preferred stock was changed to the date of completion of the Companys initial public offering.
Upon the completion of the Companys initial public offering on October 28, 2005, all of the
companys redeemable convertible preferred stock was automatically converted into 3,398,105 shares
of the Companys common stock and all related deemed but unpaid dividends on the redeemable
convertible preferred stock were forfeited.
Reclassification
Certain short term liabilities previously classified as accounts payable at December 31, 2004 have
been reclassified as accrued expenses to conform with the current years presentation.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company maintains cash in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured
limits. The Company has not experienced any losses on these accounts. Cash equivalents include all
highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of
acquisition. The carrying value of these instruments approximates fair value.
55
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Marketable Securities
Marketable securities consist of debt securities that the Company has the intent and ability to
hold to maturity. The Company classifies the marketable securities as held-to-maturity in
accordance SFAS No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities.
Held-to-maturity securities are recorded at amortized cost.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are reported at their outstanding unpaid principal balances reduced by an
allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company estimates doubtful accounts based on historical bad
debts, factors related to specific customers ability to pay and current economic trends. The
Company writes off accounts receivable against the allowance when a balance is determined to be
uncollectible.
Inventories
Inventories, which consist primarily of DIFOTI® supplies, are stated at the lower of cost,
determined by the first-in, first-out method, or market.
Assets Held for Sale
Assets held for sale at December 31, 2005 consisted of DIFOTI® related inventories and patents.
Property and Equipment
Depreciation of property and equipment is provided for by the straight-line method over the
estimated useful lives of the related assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser
of the assets useful lives or the remaining term of the lease.
Patents
Patents are carried at cost less accumulated amortization which is calculated on a straight-line
basis over a period of 15 years.
Revenue Recognition
During
April 2005, the Company discontinued the sale of the DIFOTI® product line. (Note 12). Revenue
from DIFOTI® product sales was recognized at the time of delivery and acceptance, and after
consideration of all the terms and conditions of the customer contract. Certain of the Companys
products which were being sold prior to December 31, 2004 included a 30-day return policy. Revenue
on these products was recognized after the shipment was made and the 30-day return period had
elapsed. Effective January 1, 2005 all products were sold without a right of return and revenue was
therefore recognized upon shipment. Deferred revenues at December 31, 2004 consisted of revenues
that were billed and paid in advance of the shipment of the product.
The Company has not received FDA approval for the sale of MelaFind® and has had no revenues from
products other than DIFOTI®.
Warranty Costs
The Company generally warranted its only commercialized product, DIFOTI®, for one year after the
sale had been completed. Through March 31, 2005, warranty costs were de minimus, and were recorded
by the Company as incurred. As of June 30, 2005, in connection with the discontinuance of its
DIFOTI® product line, the Company established a reserve for warranty expense in accordance with the
requirements of SFAS No. 5 Accounting for Contingencies, since the Company believed it was
probable that such discontinuance would lead to warranty claims. As of December 31, 2005, prior
sales of approximately $75 were subject to possible warranty claims.
Income Taxes
The Company utilizes the liability method of accounting for income taxes as required by SFAS No.
109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are
recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the
amounts of existing assets and liabilities recorded in the financial statements and their
respective tax bases and the benefits arising from the realization of operating loss and tax credit
carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using tax rates in effect for the
year in which those temporary differences are expected to be
recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax
assets to the amount expected to be realized.
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Table of Contents
Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America requires the use of estimates and assumptions by management that
affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and
liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and
expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Long-lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. An asset is considered to be
impaired when the sum of the undiscounted future net cash flows expected to result from the use of
the asset and its eventual disposition exceeds its carrying amount. The amount of impairment loss,
if any, is measured as the difference between the net book value of the asset and its estimated
fair value.
Research and Development
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company applies the intrinsic-value method of accounting prescribed by the Accounting
Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25 and related interpretations to account for the Companys
fixed-plan employee stock options. Under this method, compensation expense is recorded on the date
of grant only if the then current market price of the underlying stock exceeded the exercise price.
SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, as amended by SFAS No. 148, Accounting for
Stock-Based Compensation, Transition and Disclosure, established accounting and disclosure
requirements using a fair-value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation
plans. As allowed by SFAS No. 123 and No. 148, the Company has elected to continue to apply the
intrinsic-value based method of accounting for employee stock options described above, and has
adopted only the disclosure requirements of SFAS No. 123. Had the Company elected to recognize
compensation cost based on the fair value of the options granted at the grant date, as prescribed
by SFAS No. 123, the Companys net loss and net loss per share would have been adjusted to the pro
forma amounts indicated below:
December 31, | ||||||||||||
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||
Net loss attributable to common
stockholders, as reported |
$ | (2,399 | ) | $ | (4,553 | ) | $ | (9,002 | ) | |||
Add: stock-based employee compensation
included in reported net loss, net of income
tax effect |
23 | 173 | 638 | |||||||||
Deduct: stock-based employee compensation
expense determined under fair-value-based
method, net of related tax effect |
(65 | ) | (186 | ) | (539 | ) | ||||||
Pro forma net loss |
$ | (2,441 | ) | $ | (4,566 | ) | $ | (8,903 | ) | |||
Basic and diluted loss per share, as reported |
$ | (1.49 | ) | $ | (2.58 | ) | $ | (2.57 | ) | |||
Basic and diluted loss per share, pro forma |
$ | (1.51 | ) | $ | (2.58 | ) | $ | (2.54 | ) | |||
The per share weighted-average fair value of stock options granted during 2003, 2004 and 2005
was $.34, $3.00, and $3.63, respectively, on the dates of grant using the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model. The following weighted-average assumptions were used:
57
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December 31, | ||||||||||||
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||
Expected volatility |
1 | % | 60 | % | 60 | % | ||||||
Risk-free interest rate |
4.52 | % | 3.17 | % | 4.39 | % | ||||||
to | to | |||||||||||
5.43 | % | 3.94 | % | |||||||||
Expected option life (in years) |
10 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
Expected dividend yield |
0 | % | 0 | % | 0 | % |
Options or warrants issued to non-employees for services are recorded at fair value and accounted
for in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 96-18, Accounting for Equity
Instruments That Are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring, or in Conjunction with Selling,
Goods or Services. For equity instruments that are not immediately vested, compensation cost is
measured on the date such instruments vest or a performance commitment, as defined in EITF 96-18,
is reached. The costs are classified in the accompanying statements of operations based on the
nature of the services performed.
Deferred Compensation
Deferred compensation attributable to unvested common stock options and restricted stock awards is
measured at the measurement date for the respective grants, and reflected as a deduction from
stockholders equity. In connection with the grant of certain stock options to employees during the
month of December, 2004, the Company recorded total deferred compensation of $159 representing the
difference between the fair value of the common stock and the option exercise price at the date of
grant. Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting period or upon achievement of a
business-related milestone. The Company recognized $23 and $159 of amortization of deferred
compensation as compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2005 respectively.
During 2005, the unvested portion of the aforementioned December 2004 stock options vested
immediately upon completion of the Companys initial public offering. (Refer to Note 10 Stock
Options and Warrants for further details.)
In addition, the Company issued a restricted stock award of 11,488 shares to an employee in
December, 2005 at the closing market price of the Companys stock at the date of grant and
compensation expense in the amount of $63 for this award will be recognized on a straight line
basis over the nontransferable period.
Financial Instruments
The Companys financial instruments consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, marketable
securities, accounts receivable and accounts payable. The Company believes the financial
instruments recorded values approximate current values because of their nature and respective
durations.
Net Loss per Common Share
Net loss per share is presented in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 128, Earnings
Per Share (EPS). Basic EPS excludes dilution for potentially dilutive securities and is computed
by dividing loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common
shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS gives effect to dilutive options, warrants and
other potential common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per common share is
equal to basic net loss per common share since all potentially dilutive securities are
anti-dilutive for each of the periods presented. Potential common stock equivalents excluded
consist of stock options, warrants and redeemable convertible preferred stock which are summarized
as follows:
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||
Common stock options |
290,678 | 965,203 | 1,115,415 | |||||||||
Warrants |
369,993 | 2,758,923 | 298,280 | |||||||||
Redeemable convertible preferred stock |
1,144,277 | 3,398,105 | | |||||||||
Total |
1,804,948 | 7,122,231 | 1,413,695 | |||||||||
Recent Accounting Developments
On December 16, 2004, the FASB issued Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (SFAS
123R). This Statement requires that the cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be
recognized in the financial statements and establishes fair value as the measurement objective in
accounting for all share-based payment arrangements. On March 29, 2005, the SEC issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin
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No. 107, Stock-Based Payment, which summarizes the views of the staff regarding
the interaction between SFAS 123R and certain SEC rules and regulations, and provides the staffs
views regarding the valuation of share-based payment arrangements for public companies. SFAS 123R
was originally effective as of the beginning of the first interim or annual reporting period after
June 15, 2005. However, on April 14, 2005 the SEC announced a new rule that amended the effective
date for SFAS 123R. The new rule allows companies to implement SFAS 123R at the beginning of their
next fiscal year, instead of the next reporting period beginning after June 15, 2005. As such, the
Company adopted SFAS 123R as of the beginning of the first quarter of 2006 and began expensing the
cost of equity instruments awarded as part of the Employee Stock Incentive Plan over the requisite
period related to such awards. The Company has elected to implement this new standard under the
modified prospective application. Under the modified prospective application, the Company will
expense the cost of new or modified awards over the requisite service period and the cost of
previously granted unvested awards for the requisite service period remaining after December 31,
2005. In addition, upon the adoption of the SFAS 123R, the Companys financial statements for
periods prior to the effective date of the statement will not be restated. The impact of this
statement on the Companys financial position or its results of operations will depend upon various
factors including its future compensation strategy. The Company expects that the effect of applying
this statement on its results of operations as it relates to existing option plans could have a
material effect on its financial statements.
2. Marketable Securities:
The Companys investments mature within one year. All marketable securities held-to-maturity were
redeemed or liquidated prior to December 31, 2005 at their approximate carrying values. The
Company realized a loss of $3 on the proceeds from the sale of $6,628 of held-to-maturity
securities during the year ended December 31, 2005. Investments in marketable securities are
summarized as follows for the year ended December 31, 2004:
December 31, 2004 | ||||||||||||
Gross | ||||||||||||
unrealized | Fair | Amortized | ||||||||||
Loss | value | Cost | ||||||||||
Corporate commercial paper |
$ | | $ | 2,500 | $ | 2,500 | ||||||
Corporate debt |
(10 | ) | 2,497 | 2,507 | ||||||||
United States Treasury note |
(8 | ) | 1,580 | 1,588 | ||||||||
$ | (18 | ) | $ | 6,577 | $ | 6,595 | ||||||
In January 2006, the Company invested $17,250 in high credit quality available-for-sale marketable
debt securities with a weighted average maturity not to exceed twelve months.
3. Property and Equipment:
Property and equipment, at cost, consists of the following:
December 31, | ||||||||||||
Estimated | ||||||||||||
2004 | 2005 | useful life | ||||||||||
Leasehold improvements |
$ | 32 | $ | 86 | Lease Term | |||||||
Laboratory and research equipment |
119 | 131 | 5 years | |||||||||
Office furniture and equipment |
135 | 190 | 5 years | |||||||||
286 | 407 | |||||||||||
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization |
197 | 232 | ||||||||||
$ | 89 | $ | 175 | |||||||||
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Depreciation and amortization expense amounted to approximately $15, $18 and $34, for the years
ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively.
4. Patents:
Patents are shown in the accompanying balance sheets net of accumulated amortization of $101 and
$115 at December 31, 2004 and 2005, respectively. In connection with the discontinuance of DIFOTI®
operations in April 2005, patents with a net book value of $71 have been reclassified as assets
held for sale. Amortization expense related to the patents was approximately $17, $18 and $15 for
the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively.
The estimated future amortization expense related to the patents is as follows:
Year ended December 31, | ||||
2006 |
$ | 10 | ||
2007 |
10 | |||
2008 |
10 | |||
2009 |
10 | |||
2010 |
10 | |||
Thereafter |
34 | |||
$ | 84 | |||
5. Notes Payable-Stockholders:
During 2003, the Company had notes payable to two of its stockholders totaling $48. These notes
were payable in October 2004, bore interest at 6%, and were repaid during 2004. Interest expense
amounted to approximately $1 and $2 for the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2004, respectively.
In addition, the Company had a demand note payable to one of its stockholders in the amount of $15
with interest accruing at 12% per annum. During October 2004, the note and accrued interest of $1
were converted into 6,999 shares of Series C preferred stock.
6. Commitments and Contingencies:
The Company is obligated under two non cancelable operating leases for office space expiring June
2009 and November 2010. The leases are subject to escalations for increases in operating expenses.
The approximate aggregate minimum future payments under these leases are due as follows:
Year ended December 31, | ||||
2006 |
$ | 204 | ||
2007 |
213 | |||
2008 |
217 | |||
2009 |
170 | |||
2010 |
105 | |||
$ | 909 | |||
Rent expense charged to operations amounted to approximately $113, $110 and $202 for the years
ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively.
During January 2004, the Company entered into an employment agreement with its President and Chief
Executive Officer through December 31, 2005, which provides for a base salary of $175, stock
options and
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performance bonuses. The agreement provides for automatic one year renewal terms and
renewed automatically for 2006.
During January 2004, the Company amended its employment agreement with its former President and
Chief Science and Technology Officer. The agreement was originally entered into in May 2003 with a
three-year term. The amended agreement included a salary of $175 and provided for stock options and
performance bonuses. As of May 31, 2005, a new consulting agreement was entered into with this
former employee, which superceded the amended employment agreement (see Note 11).
The Company is not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor to managements
knowledge is any material legal proceeding threatened against the Company.
7. Employee Benefit Plan:
The Company has a defined contribution plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code
covering all qualified employees. An officer of the Company serves as trustee of the plan. The
Company provides a matching contribution of up to 3% of each employees salary. Contributions to
this plan amounted to approximately $12, $25 and $35 for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004
and 2005, respectively.
8. Stockholders Equity (Deficiency) and Redeemable Preferred Stock:
During January 2003, the Company received $180 in exchange for issuing a convertible promissory
note bearing interest at 10% per annum. The note was convertible at a discount of 20% on the next
round of financing. In June 2003, the note was converted into Series C redeemable convertible
preferred stock. (See discussion below.) Upon conversion of the note the Company recorded a charge
of $45 to reflect the value of the beneficial conversion of the shares since the shares were
converted at $1.81 per share, a 20% discount. In addition, the Company granted the note holder
five-year warrants to purchase 25% of the total number of securities issued upon conversion of the
note, which amounted to 99,558 shares (or 24,890 warrants), at an exercise price equal to the per
share price of the next financing as defined in the loan agreement. The value of these warrants was
de minimus. For the year ended December 31, 2003, interest on these notes amounted to approximately
$8.
During February 2003, certain stockholders loaned the Company $325 bearing interest at 12% per
annum. In June 2003, these loans were converted into 143,802 shares of Series C redeemable
convertible preferred stock at $2.26 per share. For the year ended December 31, 2003, interest on
these notes amounted to approximately $21.
During June 2003, the Company completed a private placement whereby investors agreed to acquire up
to 1,400,000 preferred Series C units. Each unit consisted of one share of Series C redeemable
convertible preferred stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise
price of $13.00 per share. Of the 1,400,000 units, the first tranche of 663,717 units was sold for
an aggregate of $1,500. Costs associated with this issuance amounted to $252 and the accretion to
redemption value for this amount for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005 is presented
in the recorded accretion table below. The value of the warrants was de minimus.
In order to complete the June 2003 private placement, the Series A and B stockholders consented to
modifications to certain of their rights, preferences, and privileges. The Series A preferred
shares were split 1,000 for 1 and due to the anti-dilution provision, the conversion ratio of
Series A was changed to 0.5818 to 1 (totaling 16,202 shares of common stock). Additionally, the
Company granted a stock distribution of 45,000 shares of Series B preferred stock to the Series B
stockholders, valued at $102 or $2.26 per share. As a result of these modifications, the Company
adjusted the carrying amount of the Series B preferred stock. Due to the anti-dilution provision,
the conversion ratio of Series B was changed to 0.5796 to 1 (totaling 79,043 shares of common
stock). The Series C redeemable convertible preferred stock converts to common stock at a ratio of
0.50 to 1.
In connection with the private placement, 150,000 shares of common stock were sold to the
promoters, who are related parties, at $.46 per share. Notes of $69 were received for this purchase
and are shown as a reduction in stockholders equity (deficiency) for the year ended December 31,
2004. The notes bear interest at 3.06% and are due June 20, 2008. Interest income amounted to
approximately $2 and $1 for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. During the
month of June 2005, the notes of $69 were retired by a cash payment and consulting services
rendered.
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During 2004, the second tranche of the Series C private placement was completed and an additional
486,725 of Series C units were issued for total proceeds of $1,100. An additional 427 units were
distributed in order to comply with minimum ownership provisions. The value of the distribution was
de minimus. In order to induce the investment in this second tranche, the Company issued additional
warrants to purchase 60,840 shares of Series C redeemable convertible preferred stock at a price of
$4.52 per share. These warrants were valued at $179.
During May 2004, the Company obtained bridge loans in the amount of $1,000 from related parties.
The loans bear interest at 1.57% and were payable on December 31, 2004. During October 2004 these
loans
were converted into 442,469 preferred Series C units at a price of $2.26 per unit. The warrants
were valued at $327. The Company also sold approximately 125,000 shares of common stock to the
lenders at $.46 per share for $57. The Company ascribed a value to the common stock and recorded an
imputed interest charge of $80.
During October 2004, the Company completed a second private placement and sold 3,578,081 preferred
Series C units for total proceeds of approximately $8,100 at a price of $2.26 per unit. The
warrants were valued at $2,643. Costs of the Series C private placement amounted to approximately
$448 and the accretion to redemption value for this amount for the years ended December 31, 2003,
2004 and 2005 is presented in the recorded accretion table below.
During 2004, the Company issued 4,507,702 shares of Series C redeemable convertible preferred stock
with 2,253,792 warrants to purchase common stock at $13.00 per share and 60,840 Series C redeemable
convertible preferred stock warrants at an exercise price of $4.52 per share for gross proceeds of
$10,186. The net proceeds of $9,738 were allocated to redeemable convertible preferred stock and
additional paid-in capital based on the relative fair values of the preferred stock and warrants.
The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes method. The assumptions used
to value these warrants are described in Note 10. The Company recorded a beneficial conversion
feature of $1,465.
The following table summarizes the recorded accretion to redemption value for the Series C for the
years ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005:
Accretion | Year ended | |||||||||||||||||||
Total | period in | December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
Amount | months | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
June 2003 Series C financing costs |
$ | 252 | 60 | $ | 25 | $ | 51 | $ | 42 | |||||||||||
Oct. 2004 Series C financing costs |
448 | 44 | 20 | 102 | ||||||||||||||||
Value of Series C warrants |
2,643 | 44 | 120 | 601 | ||||||||||||||||
Beneficial Conversion Series C |
1,465 | 44 | | 67 | 333 | |||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 4,808 | $ | 25 | $ | 258 | $ | 1,078 | ||||||||||||
Deemed Dividends
Dividends on the Series B and Series C redeemable convertible preferred stock may be declared at
the discretion of the board of directors at an annual rate equal to 10%, as adjusted, of the
accreted value per share and shall be payable in preference and priority to any declaration or
payment of any distribution on Series A preferred stock or common stock and will be cumulative.
Upon the completion of the Companys initial public offering on October 28, 2005, all of the
companys preferred stock converted to common stock and all related deemed dividends were
forfeited.
Series C Preferred Stock Carrying Value
The following table summarizes the changes in carrying amount of the Companys Series C redeemable
convertible preferred stock for the year ended December 31, 2004.
Balance at December 31, 2003 |
$ | 1,823 | ||
Issuance of
Series C preferred stock in 2004, less associated costs of $448, value of
warrants sold therewith of $2,643, and allocation to beneficial conversion feature
of $1,465 |
5,630 | |||
Preferred stock accretion |
258 | |||
Balance at December 31, 2004 |
$ | 7,711 | ||
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9. Initial Public Offering of Common Stock
On October 28, 2005, the Company completed an initial public offering. The company issued
4,000,000 shares of common stock on October 28, 2005 and 262,300 shares of common stock on November
15, 2005, both issuances at $5.00 per share. After deducting underwriting discounts and expenses
and offering-related expenses, the initial public offering resulted in net proceeds to the Company
of approximately $17,687. In connection with the initial public offering, all of the outstanding
shares of the Companys redeemable convertible preferred stock were automatically converted into
3,398,105 shares of the Companys common stock. A summary of the terms of the initial public
offering can be found in the Companys registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No.
33-125517), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28,
2005.
10. Stock Options and Warrants:
Warrants
During 2005, the Company issued 1,305,321 shares of common stock in exchange for 2,610,643
outstanding warrants (a conversion ratio of one share of common stock for two warrants). The
Company recorded this transaction as an exchange of equity instruments at fair value which had no
net effect on stockholders equity. The fair value of the warrants was determined using the
Black-Scholes method and assumed the following: common stock value of $10.00 per share, remaining
warrant life of 6.25 years, risk-free interest rate of 3.2%, and an expected volatility of 60%.
The warrants outstanding at December 31, 2005 include a 5 year warrant to purchase 75,000
shares of common stock at an exercise price of $7.00 per share issued to one of the Companys
consultants in 2004 and a 7 year warrant to purchase 73,280 shares of Series C preferred stock at
an exercise price of $4.52 per share issued in connection with the sale of Series C redeemable
convertible preferred stock. Upon completion of the Companys initial public offering on October
28, 2005, the Series C preferred stock warrants became exercisable for an aggregate of 73,280
shares of the Companys common stock. Additionally, in connection with the Companys initial public
offering which closed on November 2, 2005, the Company issued 150,000 warrants to the underwriters
to purchase common stock at $6.25 per share. The warrants are exercisable commencing October 28,
2006 and have a five year term.
Stock Options
The Company has three stock option plans (the Plans) which allow the board of directors to grant
incentives to employees, directors, consultants and collaborating scientists in the form of
incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options and restricted stock. At December 31, 2005,
stock options to purchase 1,115,415 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $.40 to
$ 6.85 per share are outstanding and are exercisable at various dates through 2015. There are
798,907 shares available for future grant under the Companys stock option plans as of December 31,
2005.
In January 2003, the Company issued an option to acquire 24,209 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $1.00 per share valued at approximately $97 to outside consultants. During 2004,
the Company issued options to acquire 27,750 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $.46
per share valued at approximately $73 to outside consultants. The fair value for these options
granted to outside consultants was calculated using the Black-Scholes method. For the options
granted during 2004 to outside consultants, the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model were:
common stock valued ranged from $0.46 to $4.00, expected life of 5 years, risk-free interest rate
ranged from 3.39% to 3.94%, and an expected volatility of 60%.
During 2004 the Company issued 262,500 options to certain employees and Board members. The value of
62,500 of these options resulted in a charge to operations in the amount of $150 and $71 during the
years ended December 31, 2004 and 2005, respectively. The share based compensation expense for
these option grants represent the amount by which the fair value per common share of $4.00 exceeds
the exercise price per share of $0.46. The remaining 200,000 aforementioned stock options issued
vest upon the attainment of certain milestones.
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Stock option activity during the periods indicated is as follows:
Weighted- | ||||||||
average | ||||||||
Number | exercise | |||||||
of shares | price | |||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2003 |
142,581 | $ | 2.16 | |||||
Granted |
158,565 | .94 | ||||||
Expired/ Forfeited |
(10,468 | ) | .96 | |||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2003 |
290,678 | 1.12 | ||||||
Granted |
679,525 | .46 | ||||||
Expired/Forfeited |
(5,000 | ) | 1.00 | |||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2004 |
965,203 | .66 | ||||||
Granted |
212,780 | 2.43 | ||||||
Exercised |
(50,881 | ) | .76 | |||||
Expired/Forfeited |
(11,687 | ) | 4.85 | |||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2005 |
1,115,415 | $ | .95 | |||||
Options exercisable at December 31, 2005 |
572,607 | $ | 1.07 | |||||
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding at December 31,
2005:
Options Outstanding | Options Exercisable | |||||||||||||||||||
Weighted- | ||||||||||||||||||||
average | Weighted- | Weighted- | ||||||||||||||||||
remaining | average | average | ||||||||||||||||||
Range of | Number | contractual | exercise | Number | exercise | |||||||||||||||
exercise prices | Outstanding | life | price | Exercisable | price | |||||||||||||||
$.01-$.46 |
804,811 | 3.7 years | $ | .46 | 296,503 | $ | .46 | |||||||||||||
$.47-$1.00 |
230,604 | 4.8 years | 1.00 | 226,104 | 1.00 | |||||||||||||||
$1.01-$6.85 |
80,000 | 4.9 years | 5.69 | 50,000 | 5.00 | |||||||||||||||
$.01-$6.85 |
1,115,415 | 4.4 years | $ | .95 | 572,607 | $ | 1.07 | |||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2005, of the total stock options outstanding, 508,308 of these options will vest
upon the attainment of certain development milestones and will be charged to operations based on
the fair value of such options.
The employment agreement with the President and Chief Executive Officer (Dr. Gulfo) includes three
separate grants of common stock options. The first two stock option grants for a total of 81,753
shares of the Companys common stock have fully vested. The number of shares of the Companys
common stock
subject to the third stock option can only be calculated at the time of PMA approval of MelaFind®.
The number of shares under this option is equal to that number of shares of our common stock equal
to four percent of the Companys fully diluted capital stock at the time of PMA approval of
MelaFind® minus the 81,753 options granted to Dr. Gulfo under the employment agreement.
In May 2005, the Company amended option agreements for 125,000 shares in the aggregate of three key
employees to immediately vest upon the completion of a successful initial public offering. In the
fourth quarter 2005, the Company recorded a charge to operations in the amount of $544 with respect
to these options based upon the initial public offering price of $5.00 per share.
Upon the closing of the initial public offering, the Company issued a member of the Companys Board
of Directors pursuant to a consulting agreement an option to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock
with an exercise price equal to the initial public offering price of $5.00. The fair value of these
options was based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model using the following assumptions: 60%
volatility, expected
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dividend yield of 0%, an expected life of 5 years and risk-free interest rate
of 4.375% and the Company recognized compensation expense of $138 during the year ended December
31, 2005, as these options vested immediately.
11. Related Party Consulting Agreements:
The Company has in place the following consulting agreements with related parties.
Consulting Agreement with Breaux Castleman
In June 2003, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Breaux Castleman, the Chairman
of the Companys Board of Directors, for consulting services related to the FDA approval of
MelaFind®, and the Companys business and financial strategy. Under this agreement, Mr. Castleman
receives compensation for each month of services rendered. The Company made payments pursuant to
this consulting agreement of $48 in 2003, $22 in 2004, and $26 in 2005. This consulting agreement
is terminable by either party on 30 days written notice.
Consulting Agreement with Marek Elbaum, Ph.D.
Pursuant to a consulting agreement effective as of May 31, 2005, the Company retained Marek Elbaum,
Ph.D., the Companys founder and former Chief Science and Technology Officer, as the Companys
Chief Scientist. In consideration of the services to be provided, the Company has agreed to pay Dr.
Elbaum a monthly fee of $15. The term of this agreement extends for a period of two years and is
automatically renewable for an additional one year period. In the event of a non-renewal, and in
the event that Dr. Elbaums services terminate as a result of his death or disability, we will pay
to Dr. Elbaum a termination fee of $100.
Consulting Agreement with Robert Friedman, M.D.
Effective as of June 1, 2005, the Company retained the services of Robert Friedman, M.D., for an
initial term of one year as a consultant, medical advisor to our Board of Directors, and in
connection with the clinical testing of MelaFind®. In consideration for these services, Dr.
Friedman will be paid at a rate of $5 per day. This consulting agreement is automatically renewed
for successive one-year terms unless either party terminates the agreement at least 30 days prior
to the expiration of the agreement. The Company accrued $10 for the year ended December 31, 2005
pursuant to this consulting agreement.
Consulting Agreement with Gerald Wagner, Ph.D.
On June 1, 2005, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Gerald Wagner, Ph.D., a
member of the Companys Board of Directors, to direct our MelaFind® product development efforts and
oversee the manufacturing process. The agreement ends three months following the initiation of the
Companys pivotal clinical trial of MelaFind®. The consulting agreement provides for a flat fee of
$150, payable ratably over the course of the term, and a stock option grant to purchase 50,000
shares of the Companys common stock, which was granted immediately upon the completion of the
Companys initial public offering at the public offering price of $5.00 per share.
12. Discontinued Operations and Assets Held For Sale:
On March 9 through March 21, 2005, the Company was inspected by the FDA in connection with its
DIFOTI® product, a non-invasive imaging device for the detection of dental cavities. On March 21,
2005,
the Company was cited for failures to comply fully with FDA Quality System Regulation, or QSR,
mandated procedures. These inspectional findings were discussed in a subsequent meeting with the
FDA on April 28, 2005. The Company is in the process of addressing the deficiencies noted in
accordance with the agreement reached with FDA.
The Company decided to discontinue all operations associated with its DIFOTI® product effective as
of April 5, 2005, in order to focus its resources and attention on the development and
commercialization of MelaFind®. The Company is currently seeking an acquirer for the DIFOTI®
assets, and does not expect to have any significant continuing responsibility for the DIFOTI®
business after its disposition.
Losses attributable to DIFOTI® operations discontinued in April 2005 amounted to $12, $426 and $442
for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively.
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SFAS No. 144 requires that long-lived assets to be disposed by sale be measured at the lower of
carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. SFAS No. 144 also broadened the reporting of
discontinued operations to include all components of an entity with operations that will be
eliminated from ongoing operations of the entity in a disposal transaction. At December 31, 2005,
assets held for sale consisted of DIFOTI® related inventories and patents.
In accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 144, the results of operations of the discontinued
business have been reported as discontinued operations for all periods presented in the
accompanying financial statements.
13. Income Taxes:
There is no provision for income taxes because the Company has incurred losses. At December 31,
2005, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $18,934 available to offset
future taxable income expiring at various dates through the year 2025. The Companys ability to
utilize its net operating losses may be significantly limited due to changes in the Companys
ownership as defined by federal income tax regulations. Without regard to any such limitations, the
Company had a deferred tax asset of approximately $4,883, and $7,574 at December 31, 2004 and 2005,
respectively. Because the Company anticipates continued losses for the foreseeable future, the
Company has recorded a 100% valuation allowance against its deferred income tax assets for all
periods. The increase in the valuation allowance for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2004, and
2005 amounted to $753, $1,440 and $2,691, respectively.
14. Quarterly Operating Results (Unaudited)
The following is a summary of operating results by quarter for the years ended December 31,
2005 and 2004:
Quarter Ended | ||||||||||||||||
March 31, | June 30, | September 30, | December 31, | |||||||||||||
2005: |
||||||||||||||||
Loss from continuing operations |
$ | (1,114 | ) | $ | (1,365 | ) | $ | (1,371 | ) | $ | (2,434 | ) | ||||
Loss from discontinued operations |
$ | (129 | ) | $ | (201 | ) | $ | (72 | ) | $ | (40 | ) | ||||
Net Loss |
$ | (1,243 | ) | $ | (1,566 | ) | $ | (1,443 | ) | $ | (2,474 | ) | ||||
Net loss attributable to common stockholders |
$ | (1,928 | ) | $ | (2,247 | ) | $ | (2,125 | ) | $ | (2,702 | ) | ||||
Basic and diluted net loss
per share of common stock |
$ | (1.07 | ) | $ | (1.24 | ) | $ | (1.14 | ) | $ | (0.32 | ) | ||||
2004: |
||||||||||||||||
Loss from continuing operations |
$ | (689 | ) | $ | (725 | ) | $ | (626 | ) | $ | (1,152 | ) | ||||
Loss from discontinued operations |
$ | (81 | ) | $ | (21 | ) | $ | (120 | ) | $ | (205 | ) | ||||
Net Loss |
$ | (770 | ) | $ | (746 | ) | $ | (746 | ) | $ | (1,357 | ) | ||||
Net loss attributable to common stockholders |
$ | (893 | ) | $ | (890 | ) | $ | (891 | ) | $ | (1,878 | ) | ||||
Basic and diluted net loss
per share of common stock |
$ | (0.53 | ) | $ | (0.51 | ) | $ | (0.49 | ) | $ | (1.04 | ) |
15.
Subsequent Events
In January 2006, the Company entered into an agreement with ASKION GmbH to produce and test
commercial grade Melafind® hand-held imaging device systems. Under the agreement, ASKION is to
produce up to forty Melafind® imaging devices for the Company to be utilized in the Companys
pivotal trial which will be conducted at over twenty clinical study sites in the United States. The
Company is required to make payments to ASKION upon the delivery of the forty separate Melafind®
systems which commenced in February 2006 and is scheduled for completion in May 2006. The Company
believes that the total payments to ASKION pursuant to this agreement will not exceed $1.0 million.
On March 24, 2006, the Company entered into an amended and
restated
consulting agreement with Gerald Wagner, Ph.D., Acting Chief
Operating Officer and a member of the Companys Board of
Directors. The effective date of this amended and restated agreement is
April 1, 2006. Under this amended consulting agreement, the
Company agrees to pay Dr. Wagner the annual amount of $180,000
payable monthly over the term of the agreement. The agreement will
end at the option of Dr. Wagner or the Company, at any time by providing thirty days prior
written notice or immediately upon the mutual agreement of the
Company and Dr. Wagner. In addition, in connection with his
ongoing engagement as a consultant, Dr. Wagner received a stock option grant
of 50,000 shares of the Companys common stock which vests
in full immediately upon commencement of the pivotal trial for
Melafind®.
Also, on March 24, 2006, Dr. Wagner received another stock
option grant of 49,500 shares of the Companys common stock
which vests immediately. The exercise price for these two stock
option grants is the closing price per share of the Companys
common stock on the option grant date and the compensation charge to
operations will be based on the fair value of such options.
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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
Not applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures
Based on their evaluation as of December 31, 2005, our Chief Executive Officer and Principal
Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules
13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) were sufficiently
effective to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in this annual report on
Form 10-K was recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the
SECs rules and Form 10-K.
Change in internal control over financial reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended
December 31, 2005 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting.
Limitations
on the effectiveness of controls
Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance
that the objectives of our disclosure control system are met. Because of inherent limitations in
all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control
issues, if any, within a company have been detected.
Item 9B. Other Information.
Not applicable.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
The information required by this item will be contained in our definitive proxy statement to be
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Annual Meeting of our
Stockholders (the Proxy Statement), which is expected to be filed no later than 120 days after
the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, and is incorporated in this report by
reference.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this item will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and is incorporated
in this report by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The information required by this item will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and is incorporated
in this report by reference.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
The information required by this item will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and is incorporated
in this report by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information required by this item will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and is incorporated
in this report by reference.
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a) Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules:
(1) Financial Statements
See the Index to Financial Statements in Part II Item 8 of this report.
(2) Financial Statement Schedules
Not applicable.
(3) Exhibits
A list of exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K filed or incorporated by reference is
found in the Exhibit Index immediately following Part IV of this report.
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit | ||
Number | Exhibit Title | |
3.1
|
Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant. (1) | |
3.2
|
Third Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant. (2) | |
4.1
|
Specimen Stock Certificate.(2) | |
4.2
|
Second Amended and Restated Investors Rights Agreement dated as of October 26, 2004 by and among the Registrant and the parties listed therein. (3) | |
10.1*
|
Form of Indemnification Agreement for directors and executive officers. (2) | |
10.2*
|
1996 Stock Option Plan. (3) | |
10.3*
|
2003 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended. (3) | |
10.4*
|
2005 Stock Incentive Plan. (2) | |
10.5*
|
Employment Agreement dated as of January 5, 2004 between the Registrant and Joseph V. Gulfo. (3) | |
10.6
|
Consulting Agreement dated as of May 31, 2005 between the Registrant and Marek Elbaum. (3) | |
10.7
|
Lease Agreement dated as of December 16, 1998, by and between the Registrant and Bridge Street Properties LLC, for office space located at One Bridge Street, Irvington, New York. (3) | |
10.8
|
First Amendment to the Lease Agreement dated as of May 17, 2001 by and between the Registrant and Bridge Street Properties LLC. (3) | |
10.9
|
Second Amendment to the Lease Agreement dated as of June 19, 2003 by and between the Registrant and Bridge Street Properties LLC. (3) | |
10.10
|
Lease Agreement dated as of November 23, 2004, by and between the Registrant and Bridge Street Properties LLC, for office space located at 3 West Main Street, Irvington, New York. (3) | |
10.11*
|
Consulting Agreement dated as of June 1, 2005 between the Registrant and Gerald Wagner Consulting, LLC. (1) | |
10.12*
|
Consulting Agreement dated as of June 20, 2003 between the Registrant and Breaux Castleman, as amended. (1) | |
10.13
|
Consulting Agreement dated as of June 1, 2005 between the Registrant and Robert Friedman, M.D. (1) | |
10.14
|
Task Order Agreement dated as of July 13, 2005 between the Registrant and Battelle Memorial Institute. (2) | |
10.15
|
Third Amendment dated as of June 6, 2005, by and between the Registrant and Bridge Street Properties LLC, for office space located at 1 Bridge Street, Irvington, New York. (1) |
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Exhibit | ||
Number | Exhibit Title | |
10.16
|
Production Agreement between the Registrant and ASKION GmbH dated as of January 25, 2006. (4) | |
10.17#
|
Amended and Restated Consulting Agreement effective as of April 1, 2006 between the Registrant and Gerald Wagner Consulting LLC | |
21.1#
|
Subsidiaries of Registrant. | |
31.1#
|
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
31.2#
|
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
32.1#
|
Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
* | Indicates management compensatory plan, contract or arrangement | |
1 | Incorporated by reference to the Registrants
Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-125517), as filed
on July 15, 2005. |
|
2 | Incorporated by reference to the Registrants Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-125517), as filed on August 8, 2005. | |
3 | Incorporated by reference to the Registrants
Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-125517), as filed
on June 3, 2005. |
|
4 | Incorporated by reference to the Registrants Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 31, 2006. | |
# | Filed herewith. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized.
ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIENCES, INC. | ||||||||
Dated:
March 29, 2006
|
By: | /s/ Joseph V. Gulfo | ||||||
Joseph V. Gulfo | ||||||||
President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
(Principal Executive Officer) |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Joseph V. Gulfo, M.D.
Joseph V. Gulfo, M.D.
|
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ Karen Krumeich
Karen Krumeich
|
Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ Breaux Castleman
Breaux Castleman
|
Chairman of the Board of Directors | March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ Sidney Braginsky
Sidney Braginsky
|
Director | March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ George C. Chryssis
George C. Chryssis
|
Director | March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ Martin D. Cleary
Martin D. Cleary
|
Director | March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ Dan W. Lufkin
Dan W. Lufkin
|
Director | March 29, 2006 | ||
/s/ Gerald Wagner, PhD.
Gerald Wagner, PhD.
|
Director | March 29, 2006 |
72