VIVEVE MEDICAL, INC. - Annual Report: 2016 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

or

For the transition period from _______________.to _______________.

Commission file number 1-11388

VIVEVE MEDICAL, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

150 Commercial Street

Sunnyvale, California 94086

(Address of principal executive offices - Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (408) 530-1900

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

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒    No ☐

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 the Registrant’s 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. ☐

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

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

As of June 30, 2016, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the last reported sales price of the Registrant’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, on The NASDAQ Capital Market on such date, was approximately $26,985,811.

Number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s common stock, as of February 7, 2017: 10,700,606

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

VIVEVE MEDICAL, INC.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms “Viveve”, “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar designations in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to Viveve Medical, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Viveve, Inc. and Viveve BV.

PART I

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. You can find many (but not all) of these statements by looking for words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions in this report. In particular, forward-looking statements include statements relating to future actions, prospective products, applications, customers and technologies, and future performance or future financial results. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs and assumptions and are made as of the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this report to conform such statements to actual results or changes in our expectations. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Item 1. Business

Viveve designs, develops, manufactures and markets a medical device for the non-invasive treatment of vaginal introital laxity, for improved sexual function, and for vaginal rejuvenation, depending on the relevant country-specific clearance or approval, that we refer to as Geneveve™. Women can develop vaginal laxity for a number of reasons, including aging, genetic predisposition, lifestyle, and/or the trauma of natural childbirth. Vaginal laxity can often cause decreased sexual function and satisfaction in women, yet most surveyed physicians who practice obstetrics and gynecology (“OB/GYNs”) and urogynecologists recognize that it is an underreported, yet bothersome, medical condition that impacts relationship happiness as well as sexual function. Currently, few medical treatments are available to effectively treat vaginal laxity. The most widely prescribed treatments include Kegel exercises, although, to our knowledge, there is no validated evidence indicating that Kegel exercises improve vaginal laxity, and surgical procedures, which are not only invasive and expensive but sometimes lead to worse outcomes as a result of scarring. At this time, Geneveve™ is indicated for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis in the United States, but the device has not been cleared or approved for use for the treatment of vaginal laxity, to improve sexual function, or for vaginal rejuvenation in the United States. Accordingly, the Company is prohibited under current U.S. regulations from promoting it to physicians or consumers for these unapproved uses.

Geneveve is a non-invasive solution for vaginal laxity which includes three major components: the Viveve System™ (an RF, or radio frequency, generator housed in a table-top console), a reusable handpiece and a single-use treatment tip, as well as several other consumable accessories. Physicians attach the single-use treatment tip to the handpiece, which is connected to the console. The generator authenticates the treatment tip and programs the system for the desired treatment without further physician intervention. The treatment is performed in a physician’s office, in less than 30 minutes, and does not require the use of anesthesia. The tissue tightening effect resulting from Geneveve has been demonstrated by our pre-clinical and clinical research.

We believe that Geneveve provides a number of benefits for physicians and patients, including:

Currently, Geneveve is cleared for marketing in 51 countries throughout the world under the following indications for use: 

In the U.S., Geneveve is indicated for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis and we market and sell through a direct sales force to health care practitioners. Outside the U.S., we market and sell through an extensive network of distribution partners.

Our goal is to become the leading provider of non-invasive solutions to treat vaginal laxity by:

As of December 31, 2016, we have sold 217 Viveve Systems and approximately 4,050 single-use treatment tips in countries outside of the U.S.

On September 23, 2014, Viveve Medical, Inc. (formerly PLC Systems, Inc.), a Delaware corporation (“Viveve Medical”, “Viveve”, “we”, “us” or “our”) completed a reverse acquisition and recapitalization pursuant to the terms and conditions of an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) by and among PLC Systems Acquisition Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of PLC Systems Inc., with and into Viveve, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Merger”). In conjunction with the Merger, we changed our name from PLC Systems Inc. to Viveve Medical, Inc. to better reflect our new business. Viveve Medical competes in the women’s health industry by marketing the Geneveve™ product as a way to improve the overall sexual well-being and quality of life of women suffering from vaginal laxity, depending on the relevant country-specific clearance or approval. We are currently located at 150 Commercial Street, Sunnyvale, California and our telephone number is (408) 530-1900. We plan to relocate the corporate headquarters toward the end of the first quarter of 2017 as discussed in Part II – Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Recent Events. Our website can be accessed at www.viveve.com. The information contained on or that may be obtained from our website is not a part of this report. Viveve, Inc. operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Viveve Medical and was incorporated in 2005. 

Market Overview

Overview of Vaginal Laxity

Vaginal laxity and tissue architecture have often been overlooked as contributing etiological factors to female sexual dysfunction. Vaginal laxity can lead to diminished physical sensation during intercourse. This reduction in sensation is often coupled with a reduction in sexual satisfaction, all of which can also impact a woman’s sense of sexual self-esteem and her relationship with her sexual partner.

Vaginal laxity is rarely discussed in the clinical situation, yet most surveyed OB/GYNs and urogynecologists recognize that it is an underreported, yet bothersome, medical condition that impacts relationship happiness and sexual function.¹ Another survey of OB/GYNs, found that vaginal laxity is the most frequent physical change seen or discussed post-vaginal delivery². Additionally, in a survey of women ranging from 25-45 years of age, who had experienced at least one vaginal delivery, approximately half expressed some degree of concern over “looseness” of the vaginal introitus.³

Women can develop vaginal laxity for a number of reasons, including aging, genetic predisposition, lifestyle, and/or trauma. As women age, slower cellular renewal coupled with reduced vascular and glandular networks contributes to loss of underlying supportive fibrous tissue. Some women may have underlying pathophysiological issues with collagen formation, remodeling and repair; and their lifestyle choices (e.g., alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and excessive food consumption) also play a role in the integrity of vaginal tissue. Vaginal trauma (e.g., childbirth, surgery, self-stimulation, or coitus) can also contribute to vaginal laxity.

All women who have given birth vaginally undergo stretching of the tissues of the vaginal opening to accommodate the fetal head. Often the effects are permanent and many women have long-term physical and psychological consequences including sexual dissatisfaction. One significant issue is the loosening of the introitus ─ the vaginal opening. This happens with the first vaginal delivery and usually is made worse with subsequent vaginal deliveries. Vaginal laxity can result in decreased sexual pleasure for both women and their partners during intercourse. We believe that this condition is not frequently discussed because women are embarrassed, fear that their concerns will be dismissed or fear that their physicians will not understand. Physicians hesitate to discuss the situation with their patients because historically there has been no safe and effective treatment. Physicians frequently recommend Kegel exercises. However, these exercises only strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and do not address the underlying cause of vaginal laxity – loss of tissue elasticity. While surgery can be performed to tighten the vaginal canal, the formation of scar tissue from the surgery may lead to painful intercourse and permanent side effects.

As a consequence of the physical tissue damage that can result from childbirth, a significant decrease in sexual satisfaction has been reported in women who underwent vaginal delivery, when assessed two years after delivery, in comparison with those who underwent elective caesarian section. In the past several years there has been a marked increase in the number of women requesting delivery by caesarian section with the intention of preventing damage to the pelvic floor and introitus. Caesarian sections are not without risk to both the baby and mother. Whether or not to agree to a woman’s request for an elective caesarian section has generated considerable controversy among obstetricians. If a procedure were available to address the concerns of women about vaginal laxity, we believe the perceived need to have a caesarian section to prevent vaginal tissue damage may decrease significantly.

¹ Pauls RN, Fellner AN, Davila GW. Vaginal laxity: a poorly understood quality of life problem; a survey of physician members of the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA). Int Urogynecol J. 2012 Oct;23(10):1435-48.

² Lukes A, Kigsberg S. OB/GYNs Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Sexual Health of Patients After Delivery. Poster at ISSWSH Annual Meeting. 2010.

³ Millheiser L, Kingsberg S, Pauls R. A cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence and symptoms associated with laxity of the vaginal introitus. ICS Annual Meeting 2010. Abstract #206

Market for a Proven Solution to Vaginal Laxity

In 2009, we sponsored several on-line marketing surveys in the U.S. with both OB/GYNs and women, ages 25-55, to assess attitudes of physicians and women about vaginal laxity and towards a safe, non-invasive solution to treat this condition.

Results from these surveys suggested that vaginal laxity is a significant unmet medical need, and that patients and physicians would benefit significantly from a safe and effective non-invasive treatment that would also increase physical sensation and sexual satisfaction following vaginal childbirth. Of the 421 patient respondents, up to 48% felt that vaginal laxity was a concern post-childbirth. Furthermore, it is evident that patients and their OB/GYNs are not discussing vaginal laxity on a regular basis; in fact, we believe such conversations occur quite infrequently due to many factors, including patient embarrassment and fear of being ridiculed, lack of time and lack of solutions for physicians. Of the nearly 525 OB/GYNs surveyed, 84% indicated that vaginal laxity is the number one post-delivery physical change for women, being more prevalent than weight gain, urinary incontinence and stretch marks, and believe that it is under-reported by their patients. Additionally, in a separate international survey of urogynecologists, 83% of the 563 respondents described vaginal laxity as underreported by their patients and the majority considered it a bothersome condition that impacts sexual function and relationships. Despite the lack of communication regarding this issue, we believe there is a strong interest among patients and doctors for a treatment that is clinically proven and safe.

Applying U.S. census data, CDC Vital Statistics data and our projections as a result of these studies, we estimate there are approximately 6 million post-partum women who are potential candidates for this procedure in the U.S. alone, approximately 3 million of whom could be early adopters for Geneveve.

In 2012, we conducted a similar consumer study in Japan and Canada in order to understand cultural differences that may exist towards vaginal laxity and Geneveve. The results corroborated our U.S. survey conclusions. Applying World Health Organization census data as well as data from individual countries, we estimate there are 25-30 million women outside the U.S. that could be early adopters of Geneveve.

Current Treatments and Their Limitations

Currently, few clinically proven medical treatments are available to effectively treat vaginal laxity. The most widely prescribed treatments include Kegel exercises and invasive surgical procedures, known as laser vaginal rejuvenation (“LVR”) or vaginoplasty.

The Viveve Solution

We believe that Geneveve provides a compelling, clinically proven, safe, non-invasive treatment for vaginal laxity and improvement of sexual function. Geneveve consists of three major components: the Viveve System™ (an RF, or radio frequency, generator housed in a table-top console), a reusable handpiece and a single-use treatment tip, as well as several other consumable accessories. Geneveve is typically performed in a medical office setting by, or under the supervision of, trained and qualified physicians, that may include obstetricians and gynecologists, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, general surgeons, urologists, urogynecologists or family practitioners.

Benefits of the Viveve Solution

Our solution provides a number of benefits for physicians and patients:

Our Technology

Geneveve uses a patented method of delivering monopolar RF energy for heating tissue.

Geneveve

Geneveve includes three major components: the Viveve System™ (an RF, or radio frequency, generator housed in a table-top console), a reusable handpiece and a single-use treatment tip, as well as several other consumable accessories. Physicians or nurses attach the single-use treatment tip to the handpiece, which is connected to the console. The generator authenticates the treatment tip and programs the system for the desired treatment without further physician intervention.

Geneveve also includes other consumable components. The console houses a canister of coolant that can be used for approximately four to five procedures. Each procedure requires a new return pad, which is typically adhered to the patient’s upper leg to allow a path of travel for the RF current through the body and back to the generator. We also sell proprietary single-use bottles of coupling fluid, a viscous liquid that helps ensure electrical and thermal contact with the treatment tip.

Geneveve is conducted on an outpatient basis in a physician’s office. The procedure typically takes less than 30 minutes and does not require any form of anesthesia. To perform the procedure, a physician or nurse attaches the single-use treatment tip to the handpiece. As described above, the return pad is then adhered to the patient’s upper leg to allow a path of travel for the RF current back to the generator. Prior to treatment, the treatment area is bathed in coupling fluid, which is used for conduction and lubrication. The area from the 1:00 o’clock position to the 11:00 o’clock position just inside the hymenal ring is treated using the Viveve treatment tip by delivering a three-phased pulse: Phase 1 – cooling, Phase 2 – 90 Joules/cm2 of RF energy, and Phase 3 – cooling. Each pulse lasts approximately eight seconds. The Viveve treatment tip is then repositioned in an overlapping fashion clockwise and the three-phased treatment pulse is repeated. The entire circumferential treatment area from the 1:00 o’clock position to the 11:00 o’clock position is treated five times with overlapping pulses. Treatment of the urethral area is avoided. During the treatment procedure patients are expected to feel a sensation of warmth when the RF phase is delivered and a cooling sensation when the cooling phases are delivered. Based on our current clinical results, Geneveve is only required once, with efficacy lasting for at least 12 months.

Our Customers

To date, we have focused our initial commercial efforts in markets where we have received regulatory clearances for Geneveve, or in the case of Japan, where we use a physician import license pathway to sell our product. Within each market, we target thought leaders in the OB/GYN and plastic surgery specialties in order to increase awareness of vaginal laxity and accelerate patient acceptance of Geneveve. As our markets mature, we intend to target a broader number of physician specialties, including urogynecologists, dermatologists, urologists, general surgeons, and family practitioners.

Through our sales employees, and distributors, we currently target physicians who have a demonstrated commitment to building a high-volume, non-invasive, treatment business within their practice. As distribution of our product continues to expand globally, we intend to continue to utilize distribution partners in all countries except the U.S. and Canada where we have a direct sales force. To date, we are heavily reliant on our relationships with distribution partners for the sale of our products outside the U.S.

Business Strategy

Our goal is to become the leading provider of non-invasive solutions to treat vaginal laxity by:

Increasing the Installed Base of Geneveve. In our existing markets, we plan to expand the number of Geneveve users from our initial base of early adopters by leveraging our current and future clinical study results and through innovative marketing programs directed at both physicians and patients, where permitted by law. As a condition that has historically had no viable, non-invasive solutions, we intend to focus much of our marketing effort on physician and patient education. Further, we intend to expand the number of regulatory approvals both internationally and in the U.S., to further increase the areas in which we can market Geneveve.

Driving Increased Treatment Tip Usage. Unlike the capital equipment model of other businesses, we maintain an active, continuous relationship with our physician customer base because of the single-use, disposable nature of the treatment tips. We work collaboratively with our physician customer base to increase treatment tip usage by enhancing customer awareness and facilitating the marketing efforts of our physician customers to their patients. We believe that our customers’ interests are closely aligned with our interests, and we plan to monitor the market to foster continued procedure growth for our customers and treatment tip sales for us. We intend to launch innovative marketing programs with physician customers to develop a profitable Geneveve practice. 

Broadening Our Physician Customer Base. While our initial focus is on marketing our procedure to the OB/GYN specialty, we intend to selectively expand our sales efforts into other physician specialties, such as plastic surgery, dermatology, urology, urogynecology, general surgery and family practice. Additionally, we intend to pursue sales from physician-directed medi-spas with track records of safe and successful aesthetic treatments.

Developing New Treatment Tips and System Enhancements. We intend to continue to expand our line of treatment tips to allow for even shorter procedure times to benefit both physicians and patients. We also plan to pursue potential system modifications and next generation enhancements that will further increase the ease-of-use of Geneveve.

Investing in Intellectual Property and Patent Protection. We will continue to invest in expanding our intellectual property portfolio, and we intend to file for additional patents to strengthen our intellectual property rights. Areas in which we may pursue additional patent protection include, but are not limited to, redesign of certain system components, disposable components and software algorithms. We believe that our intellectual property rights protect our position as the exclusive provider of a vaginal laxity treatment using monopolar RF technology in the U.S. and in many other countries. (See discussion under the heading “Patents and Proprietary Technology”.) 

Sales and Marketing

International

We currently market and sell Geneveve, including the single-use treatment tips, in 51 countries outside the U.S. through trained sales employees and distributors. As of the date of this report, we had four sales directors (Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America), and 26 sales distributors covering 69 countries throughout the world.

By using a consultative sales process, we form strong relationships with our customers through frequent interactions. Beyond performing initial system installation and on-site training, which can occur within two weeks of a physician’s purchase decision, our sales consultants provide ongoing consultation to physicians on how to integrate Geneveve into their practices and market procedures to their patients.

We also provide comprehensive training and education to each physician upon delivery of Geneveve. We require this initial training to assist physicians in safely and effectively performing Geneveve treatment.

Our strategy to grow sales internationally is to:

Further, we intend to actively engage in promotional opportunities through participation in industry tradeshows, clinical workshops and company-sponsored conferences with expert panelists, as well as through trade journals, brochures and our website. We intend to actively seek opportunities to obtain positive media exposure, and plan to engage in direct-to-consumer marketing of Geneveve, including extensive use of social media.

United States

In December 2008, we received regulatory clearance from the FDA for a previous version of the device, no longer manufactured, for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis. In March 2015, we submitted a Special 510(k) to the FDA seeking clearance for the updated Viveve System to take into account the design modifications to the original 510(k) cleared device, which include improved user interface capabilities and enhanced manufacturability. In October 2016, we received clearance from the FDA to sell the updated device for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis.

We intend to seek regulatory clearance or approval from the FDA to allow us to begin to market Geneveve for the treatment of vaginal tissue to improve sexual function, to physicians practicing in the U.S. and to build awareness of Geneveve in patients residing in the U.S. In September 2016, we submitted an Investigational Device Exemption (“IDE”) application to FDA to begin a U.S. clinical study and the FDA has responded with additional questions regarding the proposed protocol and other aspects of the clinical study design, which we are working to address. If and when approval is received, we intend to begin our U.S. clinical study to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device to treat vaginal laxity and/or improve sexual function.

Clinical Studies  

We have completed several pre-clinical studies, as well as three human clinical studies and we are currently preparing to conduct a fourth human clinical study within the U.S., if and when we receive approval of our IDE application from the FDA. While we believe the three completed studies have shown that Geneveve has a very strong safety profile and is highly effective in the treatment of vaginal laxity and improvement of sexual function, there is risk that the FDA will not agree with this assessment.

Pre-clinical Studies

In 2010, in collaboration with West Virginia University, we conducted an animal study in sheep to assess the safety, and further understand the mechanism of action, of Geneveve. The vaginal introitus of five parous sheep were treated once with Geneveve using a variety of energy levels (75−90 Joules/cm2). Each sheep then underwent serial vaginal biopsies immediately after treatment, at approximately one week, and at one, three and six months (4-5 samples per occurrence). Control biopsies were also obtained from three untreated parous sheep. We examined the vaginal mucosa and underlying connective tissue for thermal changes and subsequent tissue responses over a six month period through light microscopic examination of haematoxylin and eosin (“H&E”) stained slides that were reviewed by pathologists who were blinded as to the treated and untreated sheep.

The results of the study indicated that the optimal level of RF energy delivered was 90 J/cm2 and the biopsies supported the hypothesis that the mechanism of action of our technology involves connective tissue remodeling with fibroblast activation and new collagen production. Given the post-treatment absence of ulcerations, regional necrosis or diffuse fibrosis, throughout the six month follow-up period, we believe that FDA will eventually agree with our assessment regarding the safety profile of Geneveve.

As part of our clinical studies, we have studied and continue to study, the interaction of RF energy and tissue to further understand the mechanism of action of Geneveve. We have used transmission electron microscopy on ovine biopsied tissue samples to corroborate that our product induces subtle collagen modification and the deposition of new collagen that leads to tissue tightening and restoration of tissue elasticity. We have developed histology techniques to investigate the depth of heat in tissue, fibroblast activation and collagen deposition that we believe is responsible for long-term improvement and tightening of tissue. We have also created three-dimensional computer models to study tissue heating with our product. Determining the effectiveness of this type of treatment is inherently a subjective evaluation. When performing our clinical studies, we attempt to utilize the most compelling measures we can in order to provide convincing evidence of efficacy.

Clinical Studies

In 2008 and 2010, we conducted two single-arm (non-placebo controlled) human clinical studies using Geneveve, one in the U.S. and one in Japan, respectively. Both studies were designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Geneveve for the treatment of vaginal laxity and improvement of sexual function and were submitted to regulatory authorities in Europe and Canada for the purpose of seeking regulatory clearance for the use and distribution of Geneveve in such locations. Each study resulted in patients reporting that Geneveve restored vaginal tightness to pre-childbirth level and improved sexual function. The results of our clinical trials are based on information reported by clinical patients in various response questionnaires (referred to as patient reported outcomes), designed to measure vaginal laxity and sexual function, completed by each clinical patient prior to treatment with respect to pre and post childbirth levels and at various times following treatment. All patient reported scores for each questionnaire and at each time point are compared to those scores reported by the same patients at baseline (prior to treatment) in order to assess whether patients have experienced a change due to the treatment. This change in score is then tested for statistical relevance (i.e. whether or not the change measured is due to chance). It is widely accepted by clinical trial industry standards that if the probability is less than 5% (p< .05) that this change is due to chance, than the results are deemed to be “Statistically Significant”. In other words, there is a 95% probability that the change in score measured is due to the treatment. Therefore, when we indicate that our clinical patients experienced a Statistically Significant result, we are referring to the change in responses as reported by such patients on the response questionnaires from the pre-treatment assessment (baseline) as compared to the post-treatment assessments at the various time points specified.

United States

We conducted our first human study of Geneveve beginning in November 2008. The study was a single-arm study (without a control group) conducted in 24 female subjects, ages 25-44 years old, each of whom had experienced at least one full-term vaginal delivery. The study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the procedure at three RF dosing levels. Each woman was treated once with Geneveve, with no anesthesia – three patients received 60 joules/cm2, three patients received 75 joules/cm2, and 18 patients received 90 joules/cm2. Patient outcomes were measured at baseline, one month, three months, six months, and 12 months using several validated patient-reported outcome measures, including a company-designed vaginal laxity/tightness questionnaire (“VSQ”), Female Sexual Function Index (“FSFI”), Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (“FSDS-R”) and the Global Response Assessment.

Within one month after treatment with Geneveve, patients reported a Statistically Significant improvement in vaginal laxity scores, sexual function and sexual satisfaction scores to pre-childbirth levels. These results continued throughout the 12 month follow-up period. Additionally, patients reported a Statistically Significant decrease at one month, and thereafter, in their personal distress scores from sexual activity. 

Geneveve also demonstrated a strong safety profile throughout the study. The treatment was well tolerated and there were no procedure-related adverse events or serious adverse events through the 12 month follow-up period. Notwithstanding the safety in trials to date of Geneveve, patients may experience undesirable side effects such as temporary swelling or reddening of the treated tissue.

Japan

Our second human clinical study of Geneveve began in March 2010. This study was an open-label study conducted in 30 female subjects, ages 21-55 years old, each of whom had experienced at least one full-term vaginal delivery. The study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the procedure. Each woman was treated once with Geneveve, with no anesthesia, using 90 joules/cm2 of RF energy as the therapeutic dose.

Patient reported outcomes were measured at baseline, one month, three months, six months, and 12 months using several validated patient-reported outcome measures, including VSQ, FSFI, FSDS-R and the Global Response Assessment.

Within one month after Geneveve, patients reported a Statistically Significant improvement in vaginal laxity scores, sexual function and sexual satisfaction scores to pre-childbirth levels. These results continued throughout the 12 month follow-up period. Additionally, patients reported a Statistically Significant decrease at one month, and thereafter, in their personal distress scores from sexual activity.

Geneveve continued to demonstrate a strong safety profile. The treatment was well tolerated and there were no procedure-related adverse events or serious adverse events through the 12 month follow-up period.

VIVEVE I Clinical Study

In the fourth quarter of 2014, we began the VIVEVE I clinical study (VIveve Treatment of the Vaginal Introitus to EValuate Effectiveness), sometimes referred to in this report as the “OUS Clinical Trial,” a randomized, blinded and sham-controlled trial designed to further demonstrate the efficacy and safety of Geneveve versus a sham-control procedure for the treatment of vaginal laxity. The study was designed to demonstrate that Geneveve was superior to the sham treatment for the primary effectiveness and safety endpoints described below. Nine clinical sites in four countries (Canada, Italy, Spain and Japan) enrolled 174 patients, which included pre-menopausal females 18 years of age or older who experienced at least one full term vaginal delivery at least 12 months prior to enrollment date, randomized in a 2:1 ratio to either an active treatment group or sham-control group. Patients were followed for six months post-treatment to assess the primary effectiveness and safety endpoints of the study with data being collected at one, three and six month intervals. The study also included a prospective interim data analysis at the 3 month endpoint of 50% of the patients enrolled. Patients randomized to the sham arm were offered the opportunity to receive Geneveve once they had completed the 6-month evaluation following the sham intervention.

The primary endpoint of the study was the proportion of subjects in the active arm as compared to the proportion of subjects in the sham arm reporting no vaginal laxity at six months post-intervention. “No vaginal laxity” is operationally defined as a score > 4 on the VSQ, a patient reported global assessment of vaginal laxity based on a 7 point scale. Additionally, the primary safety endpoint was the proportion of subjects in the active arm experiencing an adverse event (“AE”) by six months post-treatment as compared to the proportion of the subjects in the sham arm experiencing an AE by six months post-intervention. Secondary endpoints included the adjusted change in mean score on the FSFI, FSDS-R and the Vaginal Laxity Inventory (“VALI”). The VALI was created specifically for the assessment of vaginal laxity by external medical experts. Its use as a comprehensive patient reported outcome questionnaire is currently being scientifically validated by us to assess women’s vaginal laxity on a 7 point scale.

In April 2016, we completed the VIVEVE I study and reported the following results:

At 6 months (n=155), the proportion of patients reporting “no vaginal laxity” in the active arm, as measured by the VSQ, was 41.7%, while the proportion of patients reporting “no vaginal laxity” in the sham arm on the VSQ was 19.2% (p=0.005). Moreover, the likelihood of having “no vaginal laxity” following treatment in the active arm was more than three times greater than for the sham arm (p=0.006). Further, nearly 80% of the subjects in the active arm experienced a positive change in VSQ score versus baseline.

At 6 months, for those patients who scored less than a 26.5 total score on the FSFI at baseline (n=103), the adjusted mean change from baseline score between the active arm and the sham arm was 3.2 (p=0.009). Moreover, for each of the six individual domains of the FSFI, subjects in the active group reported a greater increase in score than in the sham group. Change in scores from baseline for both the sexual arousal and orgasm domains were Statistically Significant and nearly 93% of subjects in the active arm experienced an increase in score versus baseline.

At 6 months, FSDS-R and VALI were also assessed as part of the secondary end-point analysis. While subjects in the active arm reported a greater increase in scores than the sham arm, the results for the FSDS-R and VALI were not Statistically Significant.

Safety for the study was assessed on the entire study population (n=174). Subjects reported the same level of unrelated (32.5% active versus 35.1% sham), related (11.1% active versus 12.3% sham) and serious (0.0% active versus 1.8% sham) adverse events in both the active and sham arm, further demonstrating that Geneveve is well tolerated with no safety concerns.

We believe that the consistency of results across these three clinical study populations, is indicative of the cross-cultural similarities in this medical condition and the positive impact that an effective non-invasive treatment can have on the sexual health of women after vaginal childbirth.

Research and Development

We intend to focus on various research and development efforts for Geneveve, including but not limited to:

We have formed strategic relationships with outside contractors for assistance on research and development projects, and we work closely with experts in the medical community to supplement our research and development resources. Research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 were $8,365,000 and $4,988,000, respectively. In the future, we expect to pursue further research and development initiatives to improve and extend our technological capabilities and to foster an environment of innovation and quality.

Manufacturing

Our manufacturing strategy involves the combined utilization of internal manufacturing resources and expertise, as well as approved suppliers and contract manufacturers. Our internal manufacturing activities include the testing and packaging of Viveve treatment tips and handpieces, as well as the final integration, system testing and packaging of Geneveve. We outsource the manufacture of components, subassemblies and certain finished products that are produced to our specifications and shipped to our Sunnyvale facility for final assembly or inspection, testing and certification. Our finished products are stored at and distributed from our Sunnyvale facility. Quality control, risk management, efficiency and the ability to respond quickly to changing requirements are the primary goals of our manufacturing operations.

We have arrangements with our suppliers that allow us to adjust the delivery quantities of components, subassemblies and finished products, as well as delivery schedules, to match our changing requirements. The forecasts we use are based on historical trends, current utilization patterns and sales forecasts of future demand. Lead times for components, subassemblies and finished products may vary significantly depending on the size of the order, specific supplier requirements and current market demand for the components and subassemblies. Most of our suppliers have no contractual obligations to supply us with, and we are not contractually obligated to purchase from them, the components used in our devices.

We obtain programmable memory chips for our treatment tips and the coolant valve for the handpiece from single suppliers, for which we attempt to mitigate risks through inventory management and utilization of 12- to 18-month purchase orders, and sterilization services from a single vendor, for which we attempt to mitigate risks by using two sterilization chambers at each of two locations. Other products and components come from single suppliers, but alternate suppliers have been qualified or, we believe, can be readily identified and qualified. In addition, the availability of cryogen for our cooling module, which we can source from multiple suppliers, may fluctuate due to changes in the global supply of this material. To date, shipments of finished products to our customers have not been delayed due to material delays in obtaining any of our components, subassemblies or finished products.

We are required to manufacture our product in compliance with Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 820 (“21 CFR 820”) enacted by the FDA (known as the Quality System Regulation or QSR). 21 CFR 820 regulates the methods and documentation relating to the design, testing, control, manufacturing, labeling, quality assurance, packaging, storage and shipping of our product. We maintain quality assurance and quality management certifications to enable us to market our product in the member states of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and countries which have entered into Mutual Recognition Agreements with the European Union. These certifications include EN ISO 9001:2000 and CAN/CSA ISO 13485:2003. We are also required to maintain our product registration in a number of other foreign markets such as Canada.

We use small quantities of common cleaning products in our manufacturing operations, which are lawfully disposed of through a routine waste management program. Except for costs that may be incurred in the future in connection with environmental regulations requiring the phase out of R134a, a hydrofluorocarbon, or HFC, upon which our cooling module relies, we do not anticipate any material costs due to compliance with environmental laws or regulations. In 2007, the European Union enacted directives aimed at the automotive industry for the removal of HFC's from air conditioning. As a result of these directives, we anticipate that similar directives may be imposed on the medical device industry over the next decade. While we do not anticipate that we will have to incur costs in the near future to develop an alternative cooling module for our device which is not dependent on HFCs, if and when we are required to do so, and if we do not do so in a timely or cost-effective manner, Geneveve may not be in compliance with environmental regulations, which could result in fines, civil penalties and the inability to sell our products in certain major international markets.

Given our limited commercial history, we only offer a one year warranty providing for the repair, rework or replacement (at the Company’s option) of products that fail to perform within stated specifications. To the extent that any of our components have performance related or technical issues in the field, we typically replace those components as necessary.

Patents and Proprietary Technology

We rely on patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark laws and confidentiality agreements to protect our technology and Geneveve. We have an exclusive license to or own 4 issued U.S. patents directed to our technology and Geneveve Additionally, we have 3 pending U.S. patent applications, 49 issued foreign patents, and 20 pending foreign patent applications, some of which foreign applications preserve an opportunity to pursue patent rights in multiple countries. 

All of our employees and consultants are required to execute confidentiality agreements in connection with their employment and consulting relationships with us. We also require them to agree to disclose and assign to us all inventions conceived or made in connection with the employment or consulting relationship. We cannot provide any assurance that our employees and consultants will abide by the confidentiality or invention assignment terms of their agreements. Despite measures taken to protect our intellectual property, unauthorized parties may copy aspects of our product or obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary.

“Viveve,” is a registered trademark in the U.S. and several foreign countries. Geneveve is a registered trademark in the European Community and South Korea; there are pending applications in the U.S. as well as 4 foreign countries. As of the date of this report, we have one registered trademark in the U.S., as well as various foreign registrations protecting the mark in 19 countries outside of the U.S. We may file for additional trademarks to strengthen our trademark rights, but we cannot be certain that our trademark applications will issue or that our trademarks will be enforceable.

Edward Knowlton Licensed Patents

On February 10, 2006, Viveve, Inc. entered into an Intellectual Property Assignment and License Agreement with Edward W. Knowlton (“Knowlton”), as amended on May 22, 2006 and July 20, 2007 (collectively, the “Knowlton IP Agreement”), pursuant to which Knowlton granted to Viveve, Inc. an exclusive, royalty-free and perpetual worldwide sublicense to certain intellectual property and technology licensed to Knowlton from a third party, including rights to several patents and patent applications owned by Thermage, Inc. outside the field of contraction, remodeling and ablation of the skin through and including (but not beyond) the subcutaneous fat layer below the skin (collectively, the “Knowlton Licensed IP”). The sublicense under the Knowlton Licensed IP is fully-paid, transferable, sublicensable and permits us to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale and import any product or technology solely for use in the field of transmucosal treatment of the vagina or vulva (the “Field”) and to practice any process, method, or procedure solely in the Field. The Knowlton IP Agreement also assigns to us all technology and related intellectual property rights owned by Knowlton for the development and commercialization of devices, including any improvements, in the Field (the “Knowlton Assigned IP”). We are obligated to file and reasonably prosecute any patent applications that include a description of the Knowlton Assigned IP as prior art and maintain all patents included in the Knowlton Assigned IP, at our expense. In consideration of the sale, assignment, transfer, release and conveyance and other obligations of Knowlton under the Knowlton IP Agreement, Viveve, Inc. issued 200,000 shares of our common stock to Knowlton and agreed to engage the consulting services of Knowlton.

      Also on February 10, 2006, Viveve, Inc. entered into a Consulting Agreement with Knowlton (“Knowlton Consulting Agreement”), pursuant to which Knowlton assigned all rights to any inventions and intellectual property developed during the course of providing consulting services in the Field during the term of the agreement. Unless earlier terminated pursuant to the provisions described therein, the term of the Knowlton Consulting Agreement continued until the earlier to occur of (i) the date that is six months after the closing of an initial public offering of Viveve, Inc.’s stock; or (ii) the acquisition by a third party of all or substantially all of the business or assets of Viveve, Inc., whether by asset or stock acquisition, merger, consolidation or otherwise. The agreement could be renewed only upon the mutual written agreement of the parties prior to its expiration. The Knowlton Consulting Agreement expired by its terms on September 23, 2014, the effective date of the Merger. The assignment of the intellectual property developed during the term of the Knowlton Consulting Agreement survives termination.

Agreement with Solta Medical

Effective April 30, 2010, Viveve, Inc. entered into a Supply Agreement (the “Supply Agreement”) with Solta Medical, Inc. (“Solta”), pursuant to which Solta agreed to sell to Viveve, Inc. the cryogen cooling method and coupling fluid that Solta uses with its ThermaCool® System (“TC3 System”) for use with our compatible radio frequency medical device for the purpose of conducting our initial clinical trials. The applicable term of the Supply Agreement is the later of the period through completion of our initial clinical trials or six months following the effective date. On October 14, 2010, the parties amended the term of the Supply Agreement to remain in effect for so long as Solta supports its TC3 System. In the event that Solta discontinues support of its TC3 System and terminates the Supply Agreement, Solta agrees to (i) provide us with information for Solta’s cryogen supplier, (ii) permit us to make any arrangement with such supplier for a continued supply of cryogen and (iii) grant us a royalty free, non-exclusive perpetual license under any Solta intellectual property directed to the design of the cryogen container in the field of treating vaginal tissue.

The portion of the Supply Agreement relating to coupling fluid was subsequently superseded by the parties’ Coupling Fluid License and Product Supply Agreement on September 30, 2010, pursuant to which Solta agreed to (i) grant to Viveve, Inc. a license for the coupling fluid and (ii) supply the coupling fluid at preferred pricing for two years and at non-preferred pricing after two years. The agreement grants to us a royalty-free, fully paid-up, worldwide, perpetual, exclusive license in the field of treating vaginal tissue, with a right to grant sublicenses in such field, to make, have made, use and sell coupling fluid for an aggregate license fee of $125,000. The agreement was for an initial term of three years, after which it continues to remain in effect unless and until terminated in accordance with the terms therein. In addition, while the terms of the original agreement permit the use of the cryogen cooling method for initial clinical trials, Viveve also purchases the cryogen cooling method and coupling fluid from Solta for commercial purposes.  We currently do not have an alternative source of cryogen and if Solta refuses to sell to us for commercial reasons, or otherwise, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Agreement with Stellartech Research Corporation

On June 12, 2006, Viveve, Inc. entered into the Stellartech Agreement, as amended and restated on October 4, 2007, with Stellartech for an initial term of three years in connection with the performance of development and manufacturing services by Stellartech and the license of certain technology and intellectual property rights to each party. Under the Stellartech Agreement, we agreed to purchase 300 units of generators manufactured by Stellartech. In conjunction with the Agreement, Stellartech purchased 37,500 shares of Viveve, Inc.’s common stock at $0.008. Under the Stellartech Agreement, we paid Stellartech $6,485,000 and $3,446,000 for goods and services during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In addition, Stellartech granted to us a non-exclusive, nontransferable, worldwide, royalty-free license in the Field (defined above in the discussions titled “Edward Knowlton Licensed Patents”) to use Stellartech’s technology incorporated into deliverables or products developed, manufactured or sold by Stellartech to us pursuant to the Stellartech Agreement (the “Stellartech Products”) to use, sell, offer for sale, import and distribute the Stellartech Products within the Field, including the use of software object code incorporated into the Stellartech Products. The Stellartech technology consists of know-how applicable to the manufacturing and repair of Geneveve, including any other intellectual property which Stellartech developed or acquired separate and apart from the Stellartech Agreement and all related derivative works. In addition, once we purchase a minimum commitment of 300 units of the RF generator component (the “Minimum Commitment”) and the Stellartech Agreement expires, Stellartech is to grant us a nonexclusive, nontransferable, worldwide, royalty-free, fully-paid license to use the Stellartech technology incorporated into the Stellartech Products to make and have made Stellartech Products in the Field.

Stellartech also granted (i) an exclusive (even as to Stellartech), nontransferable, worldwide, royalty-free license within the Field under those certain intellectual property rights licensed to Stellartech pursuant to a development and supply agreement between Stellartech and Thermage, dated October 1, 1997 (the “Thermage Technology”), to use any elements of the Thermage Technology incorporated into the Stellartech Products, solely for the use, sale, offer for sale, importation and distribution within the Field; (ii) upon our satisfaction of the Minimum Commitment and the expiration of the Stellartech Agreement, an exclusive, nontransferable, worldwide, royalty-free, fully-paid license within the Field under Stellartech’s license rights in the Thermage Technology to use any elements of the Thermage Technology which are incorporated into the Stellartech Products to make and have made Stellartech Products in the Field; and (iii) the exclusive right within the Field to prosecute infringers of the portion of Stellartech’s Thermage Technology rights exclusively licensed to us. Our license rights in Thermage Technology also include the use of software object code for Thermage Technology used in the Stellartech Products. As of the date of this report, the Stellartech Agreement has expired by its terms, however, the parties still continue to operate under the terms of the agreement. In addition, we have not yet met the Minimum Commitment requirement, and therefore we are not permitted to use the Stellartech technology with any other manufacturer. If Stellartech refuses or is unable to meet our delivery requirements for Geneveve, our business could be materially adversely affected.

In March 2012, Viveve, Inc. entered into a Quality and Regulatory Agreement with Stellartech, pursuant to which the parties clarified their respective quality and regulatory responsibilities under the Stellartech Agreement. The Quality and Regulatory Agreement provides that we will serve as the legal manufacturer for all Stellartech Products developed and sold to us thereunder and that we are obligated to maintain all relevant quality assurance and regulatory processes and requirements required by any regulatory authority and to comply with the processes and requirements set forth in the schedule of responsibilities provided in the agreement.

Government Regulation

Geneveve is a medical device subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by international regulatory bodies as well as the FDA. These regulations govern the following activities that we perform, or that are performed on our behalf, to ensure that medical products exported internationally or distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses:

In addition to the regulatory approvals already received in connection with the sale of Geneveve in the foreign jurisdictions described below and the approvals/clearances being sought in the U.S., we are currently seeking regulatory approval or clearance for the sale of our product in many other countries around the world.

International

Sales of our product outside the U.S. are subject to foreign regulatory requirements that vary widely from country to country. In addition, exports of medical devices from the U.S. are regulated by the FDA. Complying with international regulatory requirements can be an expensive and time-consuming process and approval is not certain. The time required to obtain registrations or approvals, as required by other countries, may be longer than that required for FDA clearance, and requirements for such registrations or approvals may significantly differ from FDA requirements. We may be unable to obtain or maintain registrations or approvals in other countries. We may also incur significant costs in attempting to obtain and in maintaining foreign regulatory approvals. If we experience delays in receiving necessary registrations or approvals to market our product outside the U.S., or if we fail to receive those registrations or approvals, we may be unable to market our product or enhancements in international markets effectively, or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and growth strategy.

An entity that seeks to export an unapproved Class III medical device from the U.S. to a “non-Tier I” country is required to obtain export approval from the FDA. The Tier I countries are largely defined as industrialized countries with established regulatory infrastructure, such as, among others, Canada and the European Union. In January of 2011, we sought to obtain FDA approval to export Geneveve to Mexico, Brazil and Korea (all non-Tier I countries). An export approval was obtained on March 7, 2011. Exportation of an unapproved Class III medical device to a Tier I country is permitted without FDA approval provided that certain conditions are met. Accordingly, we have exported Geneveve to Canada and the European Union without FDA approval in accordance with Section 802 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDC Act).

Once an entity has obtained a marketing authorization for the product in a Tier I country (e.g., a CE mark, etc.), the device can then be shipped from the U.S. to any country in the world without FDA approval. On December 7, 2010, we obtained a CE Mark for Geneveve. As a result, we may now legally export Geneveve to non-Tier I countries, such as China and Hong Kong without FDA approval.

Entities legally exporting products from the U.S. are often asked by foreign customers or foreign governments to supply an export certificate issued by the FDA to accompany a device. An export certificate is a document prepared by the FDA containing information about a product’s regulatory or marketing status in the U.S. Although we have requested the issuance of export certificates to allow exports into many countries around the world, the FDA has not yet issued export certificates to us.

Currently, Geneveve is cleared for marketing in 51 countries throughout the world under the following indications for use: 

Outside the U.S., we market and sell through an extensive network of distribution partners. In the U.S., Geneveve is indicated for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis and we market and sell through a direct sales force.

United States

FDA’s Premarket Clearance and Approval Requirements

Unless an exemption applies, any medical device we wish to commercially distribute in the U.S. will require either premarket clearance or approval from the FDA. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes. The classification system is risk based, with devices deemed to pose the lowest risk being Class I, and devices posing the most risk being Class III. Most Class I devices are exempt from the requirement to obtain FDA premarket clearance or approval. For most Class II devices (and a small number of Class I devices), a company must submit to the FDA a premarket notification (known as 510(k) submission) requesting clearance to commercially distribute the device. Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices, or devices deemed not substantially equivalent to a previously cleared 510(k) device, are placed in Class III, requiring FDA premarket approval via a Premarket Approval (“PMA”) application. The FDA has issued regulations identifying the Class into which different types of devices fall and identifying whether the device type is exempt from the 510(k) process or if a 510(k) is needed.

510(k) Clearance Pathway

When a 510(k) clearance is required, we must submit a premarket notification to the FDA demonstrating that our device is substantially equivalent to a previously cleared and legally marketed device or a device that was in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 for which the FDA has not yet called for the submission of PMAs (known as a predicate device). The FDA strives to make a determination that the device is substantially equivalent (SE) (i.e., clear the device) or not substantially equivalent (NSE) within 90 days of submission of the notification. As a practical matter, clearance often takes significantly longer. The FDA may require further information, including clinical data, to make a determination regarding substantial equivalence. If the FDA determines that the device is not substantially equivalent to a previously cleared device, the FDA will issue an NSE letter and place the device into Class III.

Any modification to a 510(k)-cleared device that would constitute a major change in its intended use, or any change that could significantly affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, requires a new 510(k) clearance and may even, in some circumstances, require a PMA, if the change raises complex or novel scientific issues or the product has a new intended use. The FDA requires every manufacturer to make the determination regarding the need for a new 510(k) submission in the first instance, but the FDA may review any manufacturer’s decision. If the FDA were to disagree with a manufacturer’s determination that changes did not require a new 510(k), the FDA could require the manufacturer to cease marketing and distribution and/or recall the modified device until 510(k) clearance or PMA approval is obtained and the manufacturer could be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties.

In December 2008, a predecessor company to Viveve received 510(k) clearance for a previous version of the Geneveve device. Since then, we have made design modifications to the original 510(k)-cleared device. In March 2015, we submitted a Special 510(k) to the FDA seeking clearance for the updated Viveve System to take into account the design modifications to the original 510(k)-cleared device, which included improved user interface capabilities and enhanced manufacturability. In October 2016, we received clearance from the FDA to sell the updated device for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis.

De Novo Process

If FDA has not issued a regulation classifying a particular type of device as Class I, and if there is no known predicate for a device (i.e., a legally-marketed device that is not subject to premarket approval with comparable indications for use and technological characteristics), the device is automatically Class III, regardless of the risk the device poses. If a device is automatically/statutorily classified into Class III in this manner, a company can petition FDA to reclassify the category of devices into Class II or Class I via a process known as “Evaluation of Automatic Class III Designation,” which is typically referred to as the “de novo process.” The direct de novo process allows a company to request that a new product classification be established without the company first submitting a 510(k) notification for the device. . The reclassification petition should include a risk-benefit analysis demonstrating that, when subject to general controls or general and special controls, the probable benefits to health from use of the device outweigh any probable injury or illness from such use. The submitter also must describe why general controls or general and special controls are adequate to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness and for proposed Class II devices, provide proposed special controls. If a product is classified as Class II through the direct de novo review process, then that device may serve as a predicate device for subsequent 510(k) premarket notifications, including by competitors.

We intend to seek FDA authorization to market Geneveve for the treatment of vaginal tissue to improve sexual function by utilizing the direct de novo process. However, we cannot predict when or if approval of such a petition will be obtained. In addition, if FDA fails to grant a de novo petition, we will be required to seek FDA premarket approval (via the more stringent PMA process) for Geneveve. Delays in receipt of FDA clearance or failure to receive FDA clearance or approval could reduce our sales, profitability and future growth prospects.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are almost always required to support an FDA de novo reclassification, and are sometimes required for 510(k) clearance. With respect to Geneveve, the FDA has asked us to conduct a clinical study under an IDE, to support a future product submission. In the U.S., clinical trials on medical devices generally require submission of an application for an IDE to the FDA if the device is a “significant risk” device. The IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory testing results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE must be approved in advance by the FDA for a specific number of patients. Clinical trials for significant risk devices may not begin until the IDE application is approved by both the FDA and the appropriate institutional review boards (“IRBs”) at the clinical trial sites. Our clinical trials must be conducted under the oversight of an IRB at the relevant clinical trial sites and in accordance with FDA regulations, including, but not limited to, those relating to good clinical practices. We are also required to obtain the patients’ informed consent, in compliance with both FDA requirements and state and federal privacy regulations. We, the FDA, or the IRB at each site at which a clinical trial is being performed may suspend a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the benefits. Even if a trial is completed, the results of clinical testing may not demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the device, may be equivocal or may otherwise not be sufficient to obtain clearance or approval of the product. Similarly, in Europe and other regions, clinical study protocols must be approved by the local ethics committee and in some cases, including studies with high-risk devices, by the Ministry of Health in the applicable country.

In June 2012, we submitted a pre-IDE application and requested an in-person meeting with the FDA to solicit feedback in advance of filing an IDE to conduct a clinical study of Geneveve to support regulatory submission. In August 2012, we met with the FDA and received feedback on our pre-clinical data, historical clinical data, and a clinical protocol for a prospective randomized controlled trial. We had a second meeting with the FDA on December 17, 2015 and received additional feedback on our clinical protocol design and indication for use. In September 2016 we submitted an IDE application to FDA to begin a U.S. clinical study and the FDA has responded with additional questions regarding the proposed protocol and other aspects of the clinical study design, which we are working to address. If and when approval is received, we intend to begin our U.S. clinical study to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device to treat vaginal laxity and/or improve sexual function. 

Continuing Regulation

After a device is placed on the market, numerous regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:

The FDA has broad post-market and regulatory enforcement powers. We and our third-party manufacturers are subject to announced and unannounced inspections by the FDA and state equivalents such as the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Health Services (“CDHS”), to determine compliance with the QSR and other regulations. In the past, our facility has been inspected, and observations were noted, including an April 2012 CDHS inspection that cited deficiencies related to signature authority of inspection documentation, incomplete corrective action responses, and labeling indicating that our product contained no latex without proper objective evidence. The FDA and CDHS have accepted our responses to these observations, and we believe that we and our third-party manufacturer are in substantial compliance with the QSR.

Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may include any of the following actions:

If any of these events were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are also subject to a wide range of federal, state and local laws and regulations, including those related to the environment, health and safety, land use, advertising, and quality assurance. We believe that compliance with these laws and regulations as currently in effect will not have a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures, earnings and competitive and financial position.

Competition

The medical device industry is characterized by intense competition and rapid innovation. While we believe that our solution to treat vaginal laxity is unique and offers a more effective solution from that which is on the market currently, we also believe that the market for the treatment of vaginal laxity and women’s sexual function remains a tremendous, under-developed opportunity. Therefore, competition is expected to increase, particularly as the market becomes more developed with further solutions. Aside from Kegel exercises and invasive surgical procedures, such as LVR, there are many companies developing or that have developed energy-based technologies for vaginal rejuvenation as well as others developing drug therapies and therapeutics for the treatment of various types of female sexual dysfunction. Further, the overall size and attractiveness of the market may compel larger companies focused in the OB/GYN, aesthetic or women’s health markets, and with much greater capital and other resources, to pursue development of or acquire technologies that may address these areas. Potential competitors include, but are not limited to Cynosure, Syneron Medical, Fotona, Thermi Aesthetics (acquired by Almirall, S.A.), Cutera, Apricus, and others, some of whom have more established products and customer relationships than we have.

Employees

As of February 8, 2017, we had 42 full-time employees and we retain the services of several qualified consultants. We believe that our future success will depend in part on our continued ability to attract, hire and retain qualified personnel. None of our employees is represented by a labor union, and we believe that our employee relations are good.

Continuance into Delaware

On July 22, 2015, at our 2015 Annual and Special Meeting of Stockholders, our stockholders approved a special resolution authorizing a continuance of the Company (the “Continuance”) into the State of Delaware under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and the adoption of charter documents that comply with the DGCL in connection therewith, effective as of a date to be determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, no more than 12 months from the date of the meeting. On May 9, 2016, the Company filed the necessary Application for Authorization to Continue into Another Jurisdiction and Statutory Declaration with the Yukon registrar. On May 10, 2016, the Company filed a Certificate of Conversion and Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to move its domicile from the Yukon Territory to Delaware.

The Continuance did not involve any change in our business, properties, corporate headquarters or management. The officers of the Company immediately prior to the Continuance continued to serve as our officers following the Continuance, and the current members of the Board of Directors continued to serve as the members of the Board following the Continuance. There was no change in our operations, assets, liabilities or obligations as a result of the Continuance. Other than the approval of our stockholders and the filings with the Yukon Registrar of Corporations and the Secretary of State of Delaware, there were no federal or state regulatory requirements that we were required to comply with or approvals that we were required to obtain in connection with the Continuance.

Upon the effectiveness of the Continuance, each outstanding share of our common stock continued to be an outstanding share of our common stock as incorporated in Delaware and each outstanding option, right or warrant to acquire shares of our common stock continued to be an option, right or warrant to acquire an equal number of shares of common stock under the same terms and conditions. Upon effectiveness of the Continuance, we were governed by the Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware and by bylaws prepared in accordance with the DGCL, which were approved by our stockholders at the 2015 Annual and Special Meeting. Following the Continuance, we were governed by the DGCL instead of the Yukon Business Corporation Act.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Prospective investors should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included or referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before purchasing shares of our common stock. There are numerous and varied risks that may prevent us from achieving our goals. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and investors in our common stock could lose all or part of their investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

We are dependent upon the success of Geneveve, which has a limited commercial history. If Geneveve fails to gain or loses market acceptance, our business will suffer.

In 2012, we began marketing Geneveve in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan, and we expect that sales of Geneveve, including the Viveve System (radio frequency generator), single-use treatment tips and other ancillary consumables, will account for substantially all of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Geneveve may not significantly penetrate current or new markets, including the U.S. and elsewhere. If demand for Geneveve does not increase as we anticipate, or if demand declines, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed.

We compete against companies that have more established products, longer operating histories and greater resources, which may prevent us from achieving significant market penetration or increased operating results.

The medical device and aesthetics markets are highly competitive and dynamic, and are marked by rapid and substantial technological development and product innovations. Demand for Geneveve could be diminished by equivalent or superior products and technologies developed by competitors. Specifically, Geneveve competes against other offerings in these markets, including laser and other light-based medical devices, pharmaceutical and consumer products, surgical procedures and exercise therapies.

Competing in these markets could result in price-cutting, reduced profit margins and loss of market share, any of which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our ability to compete effectively depends upon our ability to distinguish our company and Geneveve from our competitors and their products, on such factors as:

Some of our competitors have more established products and customer relationships than we have, which could inhibit our market penetration efforts. For example, we may encounter situations where, due to pre-existing relationships, potential customers decide to purchase additional products from our competitors.  Potential customers may need to recoup the cost of expensive products that they have already purchased to perform LVR surgery or vaginoplasty and thus may decide not to purchase, or to delay the purchase of, Geneveve. If we are unable to achieve continued market penetration, we will be unable to compete effectively and our business will be harmed.

In addition, potential competitors could have significantly greater financial, research and development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing resources than we have and could utilize their greater resources to acquire or develop new technologies or products that could effectively compete with our existing product. Given the relatively few competitors currently in the market, any such action could exacerbate existing competitive pressures, which could harm our business.

Performing clinical studies on, and collecting data from, Geneveve is inherently subjective, and we have limited data regarding the efficacy of Geneveve. If future data is not positive or consistent with our prior experience, rates of physician adoption will likely be harmed.

 We believe that in order to significantly grow our business, we will need to conduct future clinical studies of the effectiveness of Geneveve. Clinical studies of vaginal laxity and sexual function are subject to a number of limitations. First, these studies do not involve objective standards for measuring the effectiveness of treatment. Subjective, patient reported outcomes are the most common method of evaluating effectiveness. As a result, clinical studies may conclude that a treatment is effective even in the absence of objective measures. Second, as with other non-invasive, energy-based devices, the effect of Geneveve varies from patient to patient and can be influenced by a number of factors, including the age, ethnicity and level of vaginal laxity and sexual function of the patient, among other things.

 Current published studies of Geneveve conducted in the U.S. and Japan have investigated the tissue-tightening effect of Viveve’s monopolar RF technology using single-arm studies where all patients enrolled in the trial received the same treatment without comparison to a control group. Clinical studies designed in a randomized, blinded and controlled fashion (e.g., assessing the efficacy of a product or therapy versus a placebo or sham group) represent the gold-standard in clinical trial design. A sham-controlled treatment or procedure refers to a procedure performed as a control and that is similar to the treatment or procedure under investigation without the key therapeutic element being investigated. Future clinical studies, which may be required to drive physician adoption or support regulatory clearance or approval, will likely require randomized, blinded and controlled trial designs. In the fourth quarter of 2014, we initiated a new randomized, blinded and sham-controlled clinical trial in Europe and Canada designed to demonstrate the efficacy of Geneveve versus a sham-controlled procedure for the treatment of vaginal laxity and sexual function (the “OUS Clinical Trial”). In April 2016, we completed this study. (See discussion under the heading “Clinical Studies”.)

Additionally, we have not conducted any head-to-head clinical studies that compare results from treatment with Geneveve to surgery or treatment with other therapies. Without head-to-head studies against competing alternative treatments, which we have no current plans to conduct, potential customers may not find clinical studies of our technology sufficiently compelling to purchase Geneveve. If we decide to pursue additional studies in the future, such studies could be expensive and time consuming, and the data collected may not produce favorable or compelling results. If the results of such studies do not meet physicians’ expectations, Geneveve may not become widely adopted, physicians may recommend alternative treatments for their patients, and our business may be harmed.

We currently have clearance to market Geneveve in the U.S. for general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis but not for vaginal laxity or sexual function. If we want to sell Geneveve and single-use treatment tips in the U.S. for the treatment of vaginal laxity or sexual function, we will need to obtain additional FDA clearance or approval, which may not be granted.

 Developing and promoting Geneveve in additional countries for additional indications, including the U.S., is a key element of our future growth strategy. We currently do not have FDA clearance or approval to market Geneveve in the U.S. for the treatment of vaginal laxity or sexual function. We intend to seek clearance or approval from the FDA to expand our marketing efforts and have engaged with the FDA to help improve our likelihood of success. However, we cannot predict whether we will receive such clearances or approvals. The FDA will require us to conduct clinical trials to support regulatory clearance or approval, which trials may be time-consuming and expensive, and may produce results that do not result in clearance or approval of our FDA marketing application. In the event that we do not obtain FDA clearance or approval of Geneveve for the treatment of vaginal laxity or sexual function, we will be unable to promote Geneveve in the U.S. for those indications, and the ability to grow our revenues may be adversely affected.

Our business is not currently profitable, and we may not be able to achieve profitability even if we are able to generate significant revenue.

 As of December 31, 2016, we have incurred losses since inception of approximately $68.6 million. In 2016, we incurred a loss of $20.1 million and in 2015 a loss of $12.4 million. Even though our revenue may increase, we expect to incur significant additional losses while we grow and expand our business. We cannot predict if and when we will achieve profitability. Our failure to achieve and sustain profitability could negatively impact the market price of our common stock and may require us to seek additional financing for our business. There are no assurances that we will be able to obtain any additional financing or that any such financing will be on terms that are favorable to us.

If there is not sufficient consumer demand for the procedures performed with our products, demand for our products could decline, which would adversely affect our operating results. 

The medical device and aesthetic markets in which we operate are particularly vulnerable to economic trends. The procedures performed using our aesthetic treatment systems are elective procedures that are not reimbursable through government or private health insurance. The cost of these elective procedures must be borne by the patient. As a result, the decision to undergo a procedure that uses our products may be influenced by the cost. 

Consumer demand, and therefore our business, is sensitive to a number of factors that affect consumer spending, including political and macroeconomic conditions, health of credit markets, disposable consumer income levels, consumer debt levels, interest rates, consumer confidence and other factors. If there is not sufficient consumer demand for the procedures performed with our products, practitioner demand for our products would decline, and our business would suffer. 

It is difficult to forecast future performance, which may cause our financial results to fluctuate unpredictably.

 Our limited operating history makes it difficult to predict future performance. Additionally, the demand for Geneveve may vary from quarter to quarter. A number of factors, over which we have limited or no control, may contribute to fluctuations in our financial results, such as:

Our limited operating history has limited our ability to determine an appropriate sales price for our products.

 Our historical operating performance has limited our ability to determine the proper sales prices for Geneveve and the single-use treatment tips. Establishing appropriate pricing for our capital equipment and components has been challenging because there have not existed directly comparable competitive products. We may experience similar pricing challenges in the future as we enter new markets or introduce new products, which could have an unanticipated negative impact on our financial performance.

If there is not sufficient patient demand for our treatments, practitioner demand for Geneveve could drop, resulting in unfavorable operating results.

 All procedures performed using Geneveve are elective procedures, the cost of which must be borne by the patient, and are not reimbursable through government or private health insurance. The decision to undergo Geneveve is thus driven by consumer demand, which may be influenced by a number of factors, such as:

Our financial performance could be materially harmed in the event that any of the above factors discourage patients from seeking Geneveve.

The failure of Geneveve to meet patient expectations or the occurrence of unpleasant side effects from Geneveve could impair our financial performance.

 Our future success depends upon patients having a positive experience with Geneveve in order to increase physician demand for our products, as a result of positive feedback and word-of-mouth referrals. Patients may be dissatisfied if their expectations of the procedure, side effects and results, among other things, are not met. Despite what we believe to be the safety of Geneveve, patients may experience undesirable side-effects such as temporary swelling or reddening of the treated tissue. Experiencing any of these side effects could discourage a patient from completing Geneveve or discourage a patient from having future procedures or referring Geneveve to others. In order to generate referral business, we believe that patients must be satisfied with the effectiveness of Geneveve. Results obtained from Geneveve are subjective and may be subtle. Geneveve may produce results that may not meet patients’ expectations. If patients are not satisfied with the procedure or feel that it is too expensive for the results obtained, our reputation and future sales will suffer.

Our success depends on growing physician adoption of Geneveve and continued use of treatment tips.

 Some of our target physician customers already own self-pay device products. Our ability to grow our business and convince physicians to purchase Geneveve depends on the success of our sales and marketing efforts. Our business model involves both a capital equipment purchase of Geneveve and continued purchases by our customers of single-use treatment tips and ancillary consumables. This may be a novel business model for many potential customers who may be used to competing products that are exclusively capital equipment, such as many laser-based systems. We must be able to demonstrate that the cost of Geneveve and the revenue that the physician can derive from performing procedures using it are compelling when compared to the cost and revenue associated with alternative products or therapies. When marketing to plastic surgeons, we must also, in some cases, overcome a bias against non-invasive procedures. If we are unable to increase physician adoption of Geneveve and use of the treatment tips, our financial performance will be adversely affected.

To successfully market and sell Geneveve internationally, we must address many issues with which we have limited experience.

Sales outside the U.S. accounted for 96% of our revenue during the year ended December 31, 2016 and 100% of our revenue during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. We believe that a significant portion of our business will continue to come from sales outside the U.S. through increased penetration in countries where we currently sell Geneveve, combined with expansion into new international markets. However, international sales are subject to a number of risks, including:

If one or more of these risks were realized, it could require us to dedicate significant resources to remedy the situation, and even if we are able to find a solution, our revenues may still decline.

We depend on distributors to market and sell Geneveve internationally. If they are not successful, our marketing and sales efforts will be harmed.

 We currently depend exclusively on third-party distributors to sell and service Geneveve internationally and to train our international customers, and if these distributors terminate their relationships with us or under-perform, we may be unable to maintain or increase our level of international revenue. We will also need to engage additional international distributors to grow our business and expand the territories in which we sell Geneveve. Distributors may not commit the necessary resources to market, sell and service Geneveve to the level of our expectations. If current or future distributors do not perform adequately, or if we are unable to engage distributors in particular geographic areas, our revenue from international operations will be adversely affected.

 We currently have limited sales and marketing resources or experience and failure to build and manage a sales force or to market and distribute Geneveve effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 We expect to rely on a direct sales force to sell Geneveve in the U.S. In order to meet our future anticipated sales objectives, we expect to grow our domestic sales organization significantly over the next several years. There are significant risks involved in building and managing our sales organization, including risks related to our ability to:

 It is difficult to predict how well our sales force will perform. Our failure to adequately address these risks could have a material adverse effect on our ability to sell Geneveve, causing our revenue to be lower than expected and harming our results of operations.

Competition among providers of devices for the medical device and aesthetics markets is characterized by rapid innovation, and we must continuously innovate Geneveve and develop new products or our revenue may decline.

While we attempt to protect Geneveve through patents and other intellectual property rights, there are few barriers to entry that would prevent new entrants or existing competitors from developing products that compete directly with our products. For example, while we believe our monopolar RF technology maintains a strong intellectual property position, there may be other companies employing competing technologies which claim to have a similar clinical effect to our technology. Additionally, there are others who may market monopolar RF technology for competing purposes in a direct challenge to our intellectual property position. As we continue to create market demand for a non-surgical, non-invasive way to treat vaginal laxity and sexual dysfunction, competitors may enter the market with other products making similar or superior claims. We expect that any competitive advantage we may enjoy from our current and future innovations may diminish over time, as companies successfully respond to our innovations, or create their own. Consequently, we believe that we will have to continuously innovate and improve Geneveve and technology or develop new products to compete successfully. If we are unable to develop new products or innovate successfully, Geneveve could become obsolete and our revenue will decline as our customers purchase competing products.

We outsource the manufacturing and repair of key elements of Geneveve to a single manufacturing partner.

We outsource the manufacture and repair of Geneveve to a single contract manufacturer, Stellartech. If Stellartech’s operations are interrupted or if Stellartech is unable to meet our delivery requirements due to capacity limitations or other constraints, we may be limited in our ability to fulfill new customer orders or to repair equipment at current customer sites, and we may be required to seek new manufacturing partners in the future. Stellartech has limited manufacturing capacity, is itself dependent upon third-party suppliers and is dependent on trained technical labor to effectively repair components making up Geneveve. In addition, Stellartech is a medical device manufacturer and is required to demonstrate and maintain compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, or QSR. If Stellartech or any future manufacturing partner fails to comply with the FDA’s QSR, its manufacturing and repair operations could be halted. In addition, both the availability of our product to support the fulfillment of new customer orders as well as our ability to repair those products installed at current customer sites would be impaired. In addition, as of the date of this report, the development and manufacturing agreement under which Viveve and Stellartech operate has expired without any subsequent extension or renewal by the parties and the minimum conditions to the licenses granted therein have not been satisfied by us. Although the parties continue to operate under the terms of this agreement, our manufacturing operations could be adversely impacted if we are unable to enforce Stellartech’s performance under this agreement, or enter into a new agreement with Stellartech or a potential new manufacturer, if necessary, upon favorable terms or at all.

Our manufacturing operations and those of our key manufacturing subcontractors are dependent upon third-party suppliers, making us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations, which could harm our business.

 The single source supply of Geneveve from Stellartech could not be replaced without significant effort and delay in production. Also, several other components and materials that comprise Geneveve are currently manufactured by a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers. In many of these cases, we have not yet qualified alternate suppliers and we rely upon purchase orders, rather than long-term supply agreements. A supply interruption or an increase in demand beyond our current suppliers’ capabilities could harm our ability to manufacture Geneveve until new sources of supply are identified and qualified. Our reliance on these suppliers subjects us to a number of risks that could harm our business, including:

Any interruption in the supply of components or materials, or our inability to obtain substitute components or materials from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers, which would have an adverse effect on our business.

If, in the future, we decide to perform additional manufacturing functions internally that we currently outsource, our business could be harmed by our limited manufacturing experience and related capabilities.

In the future, for financial or operational purposes, we may elect to perform component or system manufacturing functions internally. Our limited experience with manufacturing processes could lead to difficulties in producing sufficient quantities of manufactured items that meet our quality standards and that comply with applicable regulatory requirements in a timely and cost-effective manner. In addition, if we experience these types of manufacturing difficulties, it may be expensive and time consuming to engage a new or previous subcontractor or supplier to fulfill our replacement manufacturing needs. The occurrence of any of these events could harm our business.

If Geneveve malfunctions or if we discover a manufacturing defect that could lead to a malfunction, we may have to initiate a product recall or replace components, which could adversely impact our business.

Problems in our manufacturing processes, or those of our manufacturers or subcontractors, which lead to an actual or possible malfunction in any of the components of Geneveve, may require us to recall product from customers or replace components and could disrupt our operations. For example, in December 2012, we began replacing handpiece assemblies that were causing system malfunctions due to fiber optic damage that occurred during the manufacturing process. We subsequently worked with our manufacturer to redesign and test the reliability of the newly designed handpiece. The problem was resolved within several weeks and did not have a significant impact on our ability to supply products to our customers or, more generally, on our results of operations. However, our results of operations, reputation and market acceptance of our products could be harmed if we encounter difficulties in manufacturing that result in a more significant issue or significant patient injury, and delays our ability to fill customer orders.

 We may not be able to develop an alternative cooling module that will be in compliance with changing environmental regulations in a timely or cost-effective manner.

Our cooling module relies upon a hydrofluorocarbon, or HFC, called R134a, to protect the outer layer of the tissue from over-heating while the device delivers RF energy to the submucosal tissue. New environmental regulations phasing out HFCs over the next decade have been adopted or are under consideration in a number of countries. Since 2007, European Union directives aimed at the automotive industry require the phase-out of HFCs and prohibit the introduction of new products incorporating HFCs and it is currently anticipated that such directives may impact the medical device industry. As a result, if we are unable to develop an alternative cooling module for our device which is not dependent on HFCs in a timely or cost-effective manner, Geneveve may not be in compliance with environmental regulations, which could result in fines, civil penalties and the inability to sell our products in certain major international markets.

 In addition, the impending restrictions on HFCs have reduced their current availability, as suppliers have less of an incentive to expand production capacity or maintain existing capacity. This change in supply could expose us to supply shortages or increased prices for R134a, which could impair our ability to manufacture Geneveve and adversely affect our results or operations. HFCs may also be classified by some countries as a hazardous substance and, therefore, subject to significant shipping surcharges that may negatively impact profit margins.

We rely on a limited number of suppliers and third-party manufacturers, and if they are unable or unwilling to continue to work with us, our business could be materially adversely affected.

 We rely on a limited number of suppliers and third-party manufacturers. Our reliance on them increases our risk since in the event of an interruption from one or more of them, we may not be able to develop alternative resources without incurring additional costs or delays. For example, we entered into a Coupling Fluid License and Product Supply Agreement with Solta Medical (“Solta”) pursuant to which Solta agreed to grant to us a license for the coupling fluid and supply the coupling fluid at preferred pricing for two years and at non-preferred pricing after two years. The agreement was for an initial term of three years, after which it continues to remain in effect unless and until terminated in accordance with the terms therein. We use the cryogen cooling method and coupling fluid with our compatible radio frequency medical device for the purpose of conducting our clinical trials as well as for commercial purposes. Since we currently do not have any alternative sources of cryogen, if Solta refuses to sell to us for commercial reasons, or otherwise, our business could be materially adversely affected.

We forecast sales to determine requirements for components and materials used in Geneveve, and if our forecasts are incorrect, we may experience delays in shipments or increased inventory costs.

We keep limited materials, components and finished product on hand. To manage our manufacturing operations with our suppliers, we forecast anticipated product orders and material requirements to predict our inventory needs up to six months in advance and enter into purchase orders on the basis of these requirements. Our limited historical experience may not provide us with enough data to accurately predict future demand. If our business expands, our demand for components and materials would increase and our suppliers may be unable to meet our demand. If we overestimate our component and material requirements, we will have excess inventory, which would increase our expenses. If we underestimate our component and material requirements, we may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt, delay or prevent delivery of Geneveve to our customers. Any of these occurrences would negatively affect our financial performance and the level of satisfaction that our customers have with our business.

Even though we require training for users of Geneveve and we do not sell Geneveve to non-physicians, there exists a potential for misuse, which could harm our reputation and our business.

 Outside of the U.S., our independent distributors sell in many jurisdictions that do not require specific qualifications or training for purchasers or operators of Geneveve. We do not supervise the procedures performed with Geneveve, nor can we be assured that direct physician supervision of our equipment occurs according to our recommendations. We and our distributors require purchasers of Geneveve to undergo an initial training session as a condition of purchase, but do not require ongoing training. In addition, we prohibit the sale of Geneveve to companies that rent Geneveve to third parties, but we cannot prevent an otherwise qualified physician from contracting with a rental company in violation of his or her purchase agreement with us.

 In the U.S., we only sell Geneveve to licensed physicians who have met certain training requirements. However, current federal regulations will allow us to sell Geneveve to “licensed practitioners,” if we receive FDA approval. The definition of “licensed practitioners” varies from state to state. As a result, Geneveve may be operated by licensed practitioners with varying levels of training, and in many states by non-physicians, including physician assistants, registered nurses and nurse practitioners. Thus, in some states, the definition of “licensed practitioner” may result in the legal use of Geneveve by non-physicians.

 The use of Geneveve by non-physicians, as well as noncompliance with the operating guidelines set forth in our training programs, may result in product misuse and adverse treatment outcomes, which could harm our reputation and expose us to costly product liability litigation.

Product liability suits could be brought against us due to defective design, labeling, material or workmanship, or misuse of Geneveve, and could result in expensive and time-consuming litigation, payment of substantial damages and an increase in our insurance rates.

 If Geneveve is defectively designed, manufactured or labeled, contains defective components or is misused, we may become subject to substantial and costly litigation by our customers or their patients. Misusing Geneveve or failing to adhere to operating guidelines could cause serious adverse events. In addition, if our operating guidelines are found to be inadequate, we may be subject to liability. We may, in the future, be involved in litigation related to the use of Geneveve. Product liability claims could divert management’s attention from our business, be expensive to defend and result in sizable damage awards against us. We may not have sufficient insurance coverage for all future claims. We may not be able to obtain insurance in amounts or scope sufficient to provide us with adequate coverage against all potential liabilities. Any product liability claims brought against us, with or without merit, could increase our product liability insurance rates or prevent us from securing continuing coverage, could harm our reputation in the industry and reduce product sales. Product liability claims in excess of our insurance coverage would be paid out of cash reserves, harming our financial condition and adversely affecting our operating results.

After-market modifications to treatment tips by third parties and the development of counterfeit products could reduce our sales, expose us to product liability litigation and dilute our brand quality.

 Third parties may introduce adulterated after-market modifications to our treatment tips, which enable re-use of treatment tips in multiple procedures. Because the treatment tips are designed to withstand a finite number of pulses, modifications intended to increase the number of pulses could result in patient injuries caused by the use of worn-out or damaged treatment tips. In addition, third parties may seek to develop counterfeit products that are compatible with Geneveve and available to practitioners at lower prices. If security features incorporated into the design of Geneveve are unable to prevent after-market modifications to the treatment tips or the introduction of counterfeit products, we could be subject to reduced sales, product liability lawsuits resulting from the use of damaged or defective goods and damage to our reputation.

We depend on skilled and experienced personnel to operate our business effectively. If we are unable to recruit, hire and retain these employees, our ability to manage and expand our business will be harmed, which would impair our future revenue and profitability.

 Our success largely depends on the skills, experience and efforts of our officers and other key employees. While we have employment contracts with our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, these officers and other key employees may terminate their employment at any time. The loss of any senior management team members could weaken our management expertise and harm our business.

 Our ability to retain our skilled labor force and our success in attracting and hiring new skilled employees will be a critical factor in determining whether we will be successful in the future. We may not be able to meet our future hiring needs or retain existing personnel. We will face particularly significant challenges and risks in hiring, training, managing and retaining engineering and sales and marketing employees, as well as independent distributors, most of whom are geographically dispersed and must be trained in the use and benefits of Geneveve. Failure to attract and retain personnel, particularly technical and sales and marketing personnel, would materially harm our ability to compete effectively and grow our business.

 Any acquisitions or in-licenses that we make could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition.

 We expect to evaluate potential strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses, products or technologies. We may also consider joint ventures and other collaborative projects, including in-license opportunities. We may not be able to identify appropriate acquisition candidates or strategic partners, or successfully negotiate, finance or integrate acquisitions of any businesses, products or technologies, as applicable, on favorable terms or at all. Furthermore, the integration of any acquisition or in-license and management of any collaborative project may divert management’s time and resources from our business and disrupt our operations. We do not have any experience with acquiring companies or products or in-licensing of technologies. If we decide to expand our product offerings, we may spend time and money on projects that do not increase our revenues. Our inability to identify and secure such opportunities may harm our financial condition and our ability to compete and grow our business.

 Risks Related to Regulatory Matters

We or our distributors may be unable to obtain or maintain international regulatory clearances or approvals for our current or future products, or our distributors may be unable to obtain necessary qualifications, which could harm our business.

 Sales of Geneveve internationally are subject to foreign regulatory requirements that vary widely from country to country. In addition, the FDA regulates exports of medical devices from the U.S. Complying with international regulatory requirements can be an expensive and time-consuming process, and marketing approval or clearance is not certain. The time required to obtain clearances or approvals, if required by other countries, may be longer than that required for FDA clearance or approvals, and requirements for such clearances or approvals may significantly differ from FDA requirements. We may rely on third-party distributors to obtain all regulatory clearances and approvals required in other countries, and these distributors may be unable to obtain or maintain such clearances or approvals. Our distributors may also incur significant costs in attempting to obtain and in maintaining foreign regulatory approvals or clearances, which could increase the difficulty of attracting and retaining qualified distributors. If our distributors experience delays in receiving necessary qualifications, clearances or approvals to market our products outside the U.S., or if they fail to receive those qualifications, clearances or approvals, we may be unable to market our products or enhancements in international markets effectively, or at all.

  Foreign governmental authorities that regulate the manufacture and sale of medical devices have become increasingly stringent and, to the extent we market and sell our products outside of the U.S., we may be subject to rigorous international regulation in the future. In these circumstances, we would be required to rely on our foreign independent distributors to comply with the varying regulations, and any failures on their part could result in restrictions on the sale of our product in foreign countries.

 If we fail to maintain regulatory approvals and clearances, or if we are unable to obtain, or experience significant delays in obtaining, FDA clearances or approvals for Geneveve or any future products we may develop or acquire, including product enhancements, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 Geneveve is, and any future products we may acquire or develop will be, subject to rigorous regulation by the FDA and numerous other federal, state and foreign governmental authorities. The process of obtaining regulatory clearances or approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time consuming, and we may not be able to obtain these clearances or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. In particular, the FDA permits commercial distribution of a new medical device only after the device has received clearance under section 510(k) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, (unless the device is exempt from the 510(k) requirements), has been classified pursuant to a de novo classification request, or is the subject of an approved premarket approval application, or PMA. The FDA will permit marketing of a lower risk medical device through the 510(k) process if the manufacturer demonstrates that the new product is substantially equivalent to another 510(k)-cleared product, referred to as a predicate device. Devices deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting, or implantable devices, or devices not deemed substantially equivalent to a previously cleared device, require the approval of a PMA. The PMA process is more costly, lengthy and uncertain than the 510(k) clearance process. A PMA application must be supported by extensive data, including, but not limited to, technical, preclinical, clinical trial, manufacturing and labeling data, to demonstrate to the FDA a reasonable assurance of the safety and efficacy of the device for its intended use.

If FDA has not issued a regulation classifying a particular type of device as Class I, and if there is no known predicate for a device, the device is automatically Class III, regardless of the risk the device poses. If a device is automatically/statutorily classified into Class III in this manner, a company can petition FDA to reclassify the category of devices into Class II or Class I via a process known as “Evaluation of Automatic Class III Designation,” which is typically referred to as the de novo process. The direct de novo process allows a company to request that a new product classification be established without the company first submitting a 510(k) notification for the device.   Our plan is to seek FDA authorization to market Geneveve for the treatment of vaginal tissue to improve sexual function by utilizing the direct de novo process. However, we cannot predict when or if such de novo classification will be obtained. If FDA fails to reclassify the device pursuant to the de novo process, we will be required to seek FDA premarket approval (via the more stringent PMA process) for Geneveve. Delays in receipt of FDA clearance or approval or failure to receive FDA clearance or approval could adversely affect our business, results of operations and future growth prospects.

Our marketed products may be used by physicians for indications that are not cleared by the FDA. If the FDA finds that we marketed our products in a manner that promoted off-label use, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.

Under the FDCA and other laws, we are prohibited from promoting our products for off-label uses. This means that we may not make claims about the use of any of our marketed medical device products outside of their approved or cleared indications, and that our website, advertising promotional materials and training methods may not promote or encourage unapproved uses. Therefore, we may not provide information to physicians or patients that promote off-label uses, except in limited circumstances, such as in response to unsolicited requests for off-label information or the distribution of scientific and medical publications under certain circumstances. The FDA does not generally restrict physicians from prescribing products for off-label uses (or using products in an off-label manner) in their practice of medicine. Should the FDA determine that our activities constitute the promotion of off-label uses, the FDA could bring action to prevent us from distributing our devices for the off-label use and could impose fines and penalties on us and our executives. In addition, failure to follow FDA rules and guidelines relating to promotion and advertising can result in, among other things, the FDA’s refusal to approve or clear products, the withdrawal of an approved/cleared product from the market, product recalls, fines, disgorgement of profits, operating restrictions, injunctions or criminal prosecutions. Any of these adverse regulatory actions could result in substantial costs and could significantly and adversely impact our reputation and divert management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

If the Office of Inspector General within the Department of Health and Human Services, the DOJ, or another federal or state agency determines that we have promoted off-label use of our products, we may be subject to various penalties, including civil or criminal penalties, and the off-label use of our products may result in injuries that lead to product liability suits, which could be costly to our business.

In addition to the FDA restrictions on our marketed products, other state and federal healthcare laws have been applied by DOJ and state attorneys general to restrict certain marketing practices in the medical device industry. While physicians may generally prescribe and administer products for off-label uses, if we engage in off-label promotion, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties including signifigant fines and could be prohibited from participating in government healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Even if we are successful in resolving such matters without incurring penalties, responding to investigations or prosecutions will likely result in substantial costs and could significantly and adversely impact our reputation and divert management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and ability to finance our operations. In addition, the off-label use of our products may increase the risk of injury to patients, and, in turn, the risk of product liability claims. Product liability claims are expensive to defend and could divert our management’s attention and result in substantial damage awards against us.

If we modify an FDA-cleared device, we may need to seek and obtain new clearances, which, if not granted, would prevent the sale of our modified product or require us to redesign the product.

 Any modifications to an FDA-cleared device that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness or that would constitute a major change in its intended use would require a new 510(k) clearance or possibly a premarket approval. We may not be able to obtain additional 510(k) clearances or premarket approvals for new products or for modifications to, or additional indications for, our existing product in a timely fashion, or at all. Delays in obtaining future clearances or approvals would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn could harm our revenue and potential future profitability. We have made modifications to our device in the past and may make additional modifications in the future that we believe do not or will not require additional clearances or approvals. If the FDA disagrees, and requires new clearances or approvals for the modifications, we may be required to recall and to stop marketing the modified device, which could harm our operating results and require us to redesign the product.

Clinical trials necessary to support a 510(k)notification, de novo petition or PMA application will be expensive and will require the enrollment of large numbers of patients. Suitable patients may be difficult to identify and recruit. Delays or failures in our clinical trials may prevent us from commercializing our current product or any modified or new products and will adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.

 The FDA has asked us to conduct a clinical study, pursuant to the agency’s investigational device exemption, or IDE, regulations, to support a future product submission for Geneveve. Initiating and completing clinical trials necessary to support a 510(k) notification, de novo petition, or PMA application for Geneveve, as well as other possible future product candidates, will be time consuming and expensive and the outcome is uncertain. Moreover, the results of early clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results, and any product we advance into clinical trials may not have favorable results in later clinical trials.

Conducting successful clinical studies will require the enrollment of patients, and suitable patients may be difficult to identify and recruit. Patient enrollment in clinical trials and completion of patient participation and follow-up depends on many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the desirability of, or the discomforts and risks associated with, the treatments received by enrolled subjects, the availability of appropriate clinical trial investigators and support staff, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the ability of patients to comply with the eligibility and exclusion criteria for participation in the clinical trial and patient compliance. For example, patients may be discouraged from enrolling in our clinical trials if the trial protocol requires them to undergo extensive post-treatment procedures or follow-up to assess the safety and effectiveness of our product or if they determine that the treatments received under the trial protocols are not desirable or involve unacceptable risk or discomfort.

 Development of sufficient and appropriate clinical protocols to demonstrate safety and efficacy are required and we may not adequately develop such protocols to support clearance or approval. Further, the FDA may require us to submit data on a greater number of patients than we originally anticipated and/or for a longer follow-up period or change the data collection requirements or data analysis applicable to our clinical trials. Delays in patient enrollment or failure of patients to continue to participate in a clinical trial may cause an increase in costs and delays in the approval or clearance and attempted commercialization of our product or result in the failure of the clinical trial. In addition, despite considerable time and expense invested in clinical trials, the FDA may not consider our data adequate to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Such increased costs and delays or failures could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.

If the third parties on which we rely to conduct our clinical trials and to assist us with preclinical development do not perform as contractually required or expected, we may not be able to obtain the regulatory clearance or approval which would permit us to commercialize our products.

 We do not have the ability to independently conduct the preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product, therefore we must rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories to conduct the studies and trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines, if these third parties need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our preclinical development activities or clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory clearance or approval for, or be able to successfully commercialize, our product on a timely basis, if at all. In that event, our business, operating results and prospects may be adversely affected.

 The results of our clinical trials may not support our proposed product claims or may result in the discovery of adverse side effects. Any of these events could have a material adverse impact on our business.  

 Even if our clinical trials are completed as planned, it cannot be certain that the results of the clinical trials will support our proposed claims for Geneveve, that the FDA or foreign authorities will agree with our conclusions regarding them or that even if our product receives regulatory approval or clearance, that it will not later result in adverse side effects that limit or prevent its use. Success in preclinical studies and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that the later trials will replicate the results of prior trials and preclinical studies. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our product is safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses. Any delay of our clinical trials or failure by the FDA or other foreign authorities to accept our product claims will delay, or even prevent, our ability to commercialize our product and generate revenues.  

Even if our product is approved by regulatory authorities, if we or our suppliers fail to comply with ongoing FDA or other foreign regulatory authority requirements, or if we experience unanticipated problems with our product, the product could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market.

 Any product for which we obtain clearance or approval, and the manufacturing processes, reporting requirements, post-approval clinical data and promotional activities for such product, will be subject to continued regulatory review, oversight and periodic inspections by the FDA and other domestic and foreign regulatory bodies, such as the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Health Services, or CDHS. In particular, we and our suppliers are required to comply with the FDA’s QSR, and International Standards Organization, or ISO, standards for the manufacture of our product and other regulations which cover the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, storage and shipping of any product for which we obtain clearance or approval. Regulatory bodies, such as the FDA, enforce the QSR and other regulations through periodic inspections. In the past, our facility has been inspected by the FDA and CDHS, and observations were noted. The FDA and CDHS have accepted our responses to these observations, and we believe that we are in substantial compliance with the QSR. Any future failure by us or one of our suppliers to comply with applicable statutes and regulations administered by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, or the failure to timely and adequately respond to any adverse inspectional observations or product safety issues, could result in, among other things, any of the following enforcement actions and unanticipated expenditures to address or defend such actions:

If any of these actions were to occur it would harm our reputation and cause our product sales to suffer and may prevent us from generating revenue. Furthermore, our third party manufacturers may not currently be, or may not continue to be, in compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements which could result in a failure to produce our product on a timely basis and in the required quantities, if at all.

Even if regulatory clearance or approval of a product is granted for Geneveve or future products, such clearance or approval may be subject to limitations on the intended uses for which the product may be marketed and reduce our potential to successfully commercialize the product and generate revenue from the product. If the FDA determines that our promotional materials, labeling, training or other marketing or educational activities constitute promotion of an unapproved use, it could request that we cease or modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our training or other promotional materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties under other statutory authorities, such as laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement.

In addition, we may be required by the FDA or other foreign regulatory bodies to conduct costly post-market testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or effectiveness of our products, and we must comply with medical device reporting requirements, including the reporting of adverse events and malfunctions related to our products. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, manufacturing problems, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements such as the QSR, may result in changes to labeling, restrictions on such products or manufacturing processes, withdrawal of the products from the market, voluntary or mandatory recalls, a requirement to repair, replace or refund the cost of any medical device we manufacture or distribute, fines, suspension of regulatory approvals, product seizures, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties which would adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.

Geneveve may also be subject to state regulations which are, in many instances, in flux. Changes in state regulations may impede sales. For example, federal regulations may allow Geneveve to be sold to, or on the order of, “licensed practitioners,” as determined on a state-by-state basis. As a result, in some states, non-physicians may legally purchase and operate Geneveve. However, a state could change its regulations at any time, disallowing sales to particular types of end users. We cannot predict the impact or effect of future legislation or regulations at the federal or state levels.

If we or our third-party manufacturers fail to comply with the FDA’s QSR, our business would suffer.

We and our third-party manufacturers are required to demonstrate and maintain compliance with the FDA’s QSR. The QSR is a complex regulatory scheme that covers the methods and documentation of the design, testing, control, manufacturing, labeling, quality assurance, packaging, storage and shipping of our product. The FDA enforces the QSR through periodic unannounced inspections. We anticipate that in the future we will be subject to such inspections. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to take satisfactory corrective action in response to an adverse QSR inspection could result in enforcement actions, including a public warning letter, a shutdown of our manufacturing operations, a recall of our product, civil or criminal penalties or other sanctions, which would cause our reputation, sales and business to suffer.

If our product causes or contributes to a death or a serious injury, or malfunctions in certain ways, we will be subject to medical device reporting regulations, which can result in voluntary corrective actions or agency enforcement actions.

 Under the FDA’s medical device reporting regulations, medical device manufacturers are required to report to the FDA information that a device has or may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or has malfunctioned in a way that would be likely to cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction of the device were to recur. If we fail to report these events to the FDA within the required timeframes, or at all, the FDA could take enforcement action against us. Any such adverse event involving Geneveve or future products could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls or customer notifications, or agency action, such as inspection or enforcement action. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, as well as mounting a defense to a legal action, if one were to be brought, would require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business, and may harm our reputation and financial results.

Geneveve may, in the future, be subject to product recalls that could harm our reputation, business and financial results.

 The FDA and similar foreign governmental authorities have the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture. In the case of the FDA, the authority to require a recall must be based on an FDA finding that there is a reasonable probability that the device would cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, recall a product if any material deficiency in a device is found. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us or one of our distributors could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues. A recall of our product would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The FDA requires that certain classifications of recalls be reported to the FDA within 10 working days after the recall is initiated. Companies are required to maintain certain records of recalls, even if they are not reportable to the FDA. In the future, we may initiate one or more voluntary correction or removal actions involving our product that we determine do not require notification to the FDA. If the FDA disagrees with our determinations, the FDA could require us to report those actions as recalls. A future recall announcement could harm our reputation with customers and negatively affect our sales. In addition, the FDA could take enforcement action for failing to report the recalls when they were conducted.

Federal and state regulatory reforms may adversely affect our ability to sell our product profitably.

 From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the clearance or approval, manufacture and marketing of a medical device. In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect our business and our product. It is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted or FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, and what the impact of such changes, if any, may be. 

 For example, in August 2010, the FDA issued its preliminary recommendations on reform of the 510(k) premarket notification process for medical devices. On January 19, 2011, the FDA announced its “Plan of Action” for implementing these recommendations. The Plan of Action included 25 action items, many of which have now been implemented by the agency, and to streamline the review process for innovative, lower risk products (the “de novo” process); improving training for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health staff; increasing reliance on external experts; and addressing and improving internal processes. In August 2016, the FDA released its proposals for reforming long-standing procedures and requirements related to modifications to medical devices already on the market.  In December 2016, Congress passed the 21^st Century Cures Act, which makes multiple changes to FDA’s rules for medical devices as well as for clinical trials, and Congress is expected to pass another large piece of legislation related to medical devices during 2017 (the Medical Device User Fee reauthorization package).  

The FDA or Congress may implement other reforms in the future. Future reforms could have the effect of making it more difficult and expensive for us to obtain FDA clearance or approval.  Such changes may also be made by legislators or regulators in the foreign jurisdictions in which we do business and could similarly affect our operations and profitability in those markets.

 In addition, a state could change its statutes or regulations at any time, disallowing sales to particular types of end users or placing restrictions on certain chemicals, such as those used in our cryogen. We cannot predict the impact or effect of future legislation or regulations at the federal or state levels, or in any foreign jurisdiction in which we do business.

Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws associated with our activities outside the U.S. could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

 A significant portion of our revenues is and will be from jurisdictions outside of the U.S. We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, which generally prohibits U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making payments to foreign officials for the purpose of directing, obtaining or keeping business, and requires companies to maintain reasonable books and records and a system of internal accounting controls. The FCPA applies to companies and individuals alike, including company directors, officers, employees and agents. Under the FCPA, U.S. companies may be held liable for the corrupt actions taken by employees, strategic or local partners or other representatives. In addition, the government may seek to rely on a theory of successor liability and hold us responsible for FCPA violations committed by companies or associated with assets which we acquire. In recent years, the medical device and pharmaceutical industries have been a focus of the U.S. government’s FCPA enforcement priorities, and settlements often include very significant payments potentially consisting of millions of dollars. Other countries have similar laws to which we may be subject, including the United Kingdom Bribery Act.

 In many foreign countries where we operate, particularly in countries with developing economies, it may be a local custom for businesses to engage in practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other similar laws and regulations. In contrast, we have implemented a company policy requiring our employees and consultants to comply with the FCPA and similar laws. At the present time, we have not conducted formal FCPA compliance training for our foreign distributors and partners, but we are in the process of devising a training schedule for certain of our employees, agents and partners. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that our employees, partners and agents, as well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, will not take actions in violation of the FCPA or our policies for which we may be ultimately held responsible. As a result of our anticipated growth, our development of infrastructure designed to identify FCPA matters and monitor compliance is at an early stage. If we or our intermediaries fail to comply with the requirements of the FCPA or similar legislation, governmental authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere could seek to impose civil and/or criminal fines and penalties which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results and financial conditions. We may also face collateral consequences, such as debarment and the loss of our export privileges. 

Viveve’s relationships with customers and healthcare providers and professionals may be subject to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, as well as comparable state and foreign laws, which could expose Viveve to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings. 

Healthcare providers and physicians play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any medical product, including the Geneveve system marketed by the Company.  Viveve’s future arrangements with customers, healthcare providers and other medical professionals could expose Viveve to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which Viveve markets, sells and distributes its medical device products.  There are various federal and state healthcare laws and regulations that impose restrictions that may apply to Viveve, and there may also be comparable foreign laws and regulations that similarly could apply to the Company.

The federal healthcare anti-kickback statute prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service, for which payment may be made under federally funded healthcare programs.  This statute has been broadly interpreted to apply to manufacturer arrangements with prescribers and purchasers, among others.  There are similar laws at the state level in the U.S., and several other countries, including the United Kingdom, have enacted similar anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, and healthcare laws and regulations.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, imposes criminal and civil liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and also imposes obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information.  HIPAA also imposes criminal liability for knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services.

The federal Physician Sunshine Act requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, referred to together as the Affordable Care Act, require manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under title XVIII of the Social Security Act [Medicare] or under a State plan under title XIX [Medicaid] or XXI [SCHIP] of the Social Security Act (or a waiver of such a plan) to report to the Department of Health and Human Services information related to payments and other transfers of value made to or at the request of covered recipients, such as physicians and teaching hospitals, and physician ownership and investment interests in such manufacturers.  Payments made to physicians and research institutions for clinical trials are included within the scope of this federal disclosure law. 

Analogous state laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by nongovernmental third-party payors, including private insurers.  Some state laws also require pharmaceutical and medical device companies to comply with the relevant industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines, in addition to requiring manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other health care providers or marketing expenditures.  There may also be comparable foreign laws and regulations that could impact Viveve’s business and operations. 

If Viveve’s operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to it, the Company may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, or fines.  Moreover, if any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom Viveve expects to do business are found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, or potentially to other sanctions in foreign jurisdictions. 

 Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Intellectual property rights may not provide adequate protection for Geneveve, which may permit third parties to compete against us more effectively.

 We rely on patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark laws and confidentiality agreements to protect our technology and Geneveve. We have an exclusive license to or own 4 issued U.S. patents primarily covering our technology and Geneveve and methods of use. Additionally, we have 3 pending U.S. patent applications; 49 issued foreign patents; and 20 pending foreign patent applications, some of which foreign applications preserve an opportunity to pursue patent rights in multiple countries. Some of Geneveve components are not, and in the future may not be, protected by patents. Additionally, our patent applications may not issue as patents or, if issued, may not issue in a form that will be advantageous to us. Any patents we obtain may be challenged, invalidated or legally circumvented by third parties. Consequently, competitors could market products and use manufacturing processes that are substantially similar to, or superior to, ours. We may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical knowledge or other trade secrets by consultants, vendors, former employees or current employees, despite the existence generally of confidentiality agreements and other contractual restrictions. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. Moreover, we do not have patent rights in all foreign countries in which a market may exist, and where we have applied for foreign patent rights, the laws of many foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S.

 In addition, competitors could purchase Geneveve and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, willfully infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. If our intellectual property is not adequately protected so as to defend our market against competitors’ products and methods, our competitive position and business could be adversely affected.

We are currently involved in and may be involved in future costly intellectual property litigation, which could impact our future business and financial performance.

Our industry has been characterized by frequent intellectual property litigation. Our competitors or other patent holders may assert that Geneveve and the methods we employ are covered by their patents. If Geneveve or methods are found to infringe, we could be prevented from marketing Geneveve. In addition, we do not know whether our competitors or potential competitors have applied for, or will apply for or obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make, use, sell, import or export Geneveve. We may also initiate litigation against third parties to protect our intellectual property that may be expensive, protracted or unsuccessful. In the future there may be companies that market products for competing purposes in direct challenge to our intellectual property position, and we may be required to initiate litigation in order to stop them. For example, in October, 2016 we filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ThermiGen, LLC, ThermiAesthetics, LLC and Dr. Dred Alinsod alleging unauthorized use of certain of our patented technologies. If we initiate additional litigation to protect our rights, we run the risk of having our patents invalidated, which would undermine our competitive position.

 Litigation related to infringement and other intellectual property claims, with or without merit, is unpredictable, can be expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention from our business. If we lose this kind of litigation, a court could require us to pay substantial damages, and prohibit us from using technologies essential to Geneveve, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In that event, we do not know whether necessary licenses would be available to us on satisfactory terms, or whether we could redesign Geneveve or processes to avoid infringement.

 Competing products may also appear in other countries in which our patent coverage might not exist or be as strong. If we lose a foreign patent lawsuit, we could be prevented from marketing Geneveve in one or more countries.

 In addition, we may hereafter become involved in litigation to protect our trademark rights associated with our name or the names used with Geneveve. Names used with Geneveve and procedures may be claimed to infringe names held by others or to be ineligible for proprietary protection. If we have to change the name of the company or Geneveve, we may experience a loss in goodwill associated with our brand name, customer confusion and a loss of sales.

Risks Related to our Securities

Public company compliance may make it more difficult to attract and retain officers and directors.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission have required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. As a public company, these rules and regulations increase our compliance costs and make certain activities more time consuming and costly. These rules and regulations may also make it more difficult and expensive for us to maintain our director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers, and to maintain insurance at reasonable rates, or at all.

Concentration of ownership of our common stock may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control.

As of February 7, 2017, our officers, directors and principal stockholders, i.e., stockholders who beneficially own greater than 10% of our outstanding common stock, collectively beneficially own approximately 40% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, if they act together, will be able to control the management and affairs of our company and most matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock. This concentration of ownership may not be in the best interests of our other stockholders.

We are a holding company with no business operations of our own and we depend on cash flow from Viveve, Inc. to meet our obligations.

 As a result of the Merger, we are a holding company with no business operations of our own or material assets other than the stock we own in Viveve, Inc. All of our operations are conducted by Viveve, Inc. As a holding company, we will require dividends and other payments from our subsidiary to meet cash requirements. The terms of any agreements governing indebtedness that we may enter into may restrict our subsidiary from paying dividends and otherwise transferring cash or other assets to us. If there is an insolvency, liquidation or other reorganization of our subsidiary, our stockholders likely will have no right to proceed against its assets. Creditors of our subsidiary will be entitled to payment in full from the sale or other disposal of the assets of our subsidiary before we, as an equity holder, would be entitled to receive any distribution from that sale or disposal. If Viveve, Inc. is unable to pay dividends or make other payments to us when needed, we will be unable to satisfy our obligations.

Our stock price may be volatile.

 The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following:

In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Our shares of common stock are thinly traded, the price may not reflect our value, and there can be no assurance that there will be an active market for our shares of common stock either now or in the future.

 Our shares of common stock are thinly traded, our common stock is held by a small number of holders, and the price may not reflect our actual or perceived value. There can be no assurance that there will be an active market for our shares of common stock either now or in the future. The market liquidity will be dependent on the perception of our operating business, among other things. We will take certain steps including utilizing investor awareness campaigns, investor relations firms, press releases, road shows and conferences to increase awareness of our business. Any steps that we might take to bring us to the awareness of investors may require that we compensate consultants with cash and/or stock. There can be no assurance that there will be any awareness generated or the results of any efforts will result in any impact on our trading volume. Consequently, investors may not be able to liquidate their investment or liquidate it at a price that reflects the value of the business, and trading may be at a depressed price relative to the performance of the Company due to, among other things, the availability of sellers of our shares. If an active market should develop, the price may be highly volatile. Because there is currently a relatively low per-share price for our common stock, many brokerage firms or clearing firms are not willing to effect transactions in the securities or accept our shares for deposit in an account. Many lending institutions will not permit the use of low priced shares of common stock as collateral for any loans.

Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

 If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market upon the expiration of any statutory holding period under Rule 144, or shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, it could create a circumstance commonly referred to as an “overhang” and, in anticipation of which, the market price of our common stock could fall. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, also could make more difficult our ability to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.

 In general, under Rule 144, a non-affiliated person who has held restricted shares of our common stock for a period of six months may sell into the market all of their shares, subject to the Company being current in our periodic reports filed with the Commission.

 As of February 7, 2017, there were approximately 3,552,465 shares of common stock of the 10,700,606 shares issued and outstanding that could be sold pursuant to Rule 144, 18,750 shares of restricted stock, 425,274 shares subject to outstanding warrants, 1,909,764 shares subject to outstanding options and an additional538,855 shares reserved for future issuance under our 2013 Employee Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended, all of which will become eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by any applicable vesting requirements or Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

 We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and have no plans to do so in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain any earnings to develop, carry on, and expand our business.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None

Item 2. Properties

We currently lease office and laboratory facilities at 150 and 154 Commercial St., Sunnyvale, California 94086. The space consists of approximately 7,777 square feet, leased from the Castine Group. The term of the lease agreement, dated January 25, 2012, as amended in January 2015 and September 2016, commenced in March 2012 and will terminate on March 31, 2018. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was $236,000 and $210,000, respectively. Future minimum payments under the lease are approximately as follows:

On February 1, 2017, the Company entered into a sublease agreement (the “Sublease”) for approximately 12,400 square feet of building space for the relocation of the Company’s corporate headquarters to Englewood, Colorado (the “Sublease Premises”), which was effective as of January 26, 2017. Physical relocation is planned toward the end of the first quarter of 2017 pending completion of the build-out of all office and warehouse facilities.

The term of the Sublease will commence on the later of (i) 120 days after the date sublandlord delivers possession of the Sublease Premises to the Company or (iii) upon substantial completion of the tenant improvements pursuant to the Sublease (the “Commencement Date”), and will expire 36 months after the Commencement Date, or such earlier date as the Master Lease may be terminated pursuant to the terms thereof. 

The monthly base rent under the Sublease will be equal to $20.50 per rentable square foot of the Sublease Premises during the first year. The monthly base rent will be equal to $21.12 and 21.75 per rentable square foot during the second and third years, respectively.

We believe that these facilities are adequate for our current business operations.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

On March 11, 2016, the Company filed a demand for Arbitration with the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") against a former employee asserting common law and statutory negligence claims against the former employee arising from the former employee's negligent performance of certain work duties. The demand seeks damages for lost profits, along with attorney's fees, interest, and costs.  The former employee filed a counterclaim in the proceeding, alleging discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and various claims for alleged wage and hour violations under the California Labor Code, stemming from the cessation of her employment with the Company.  The former employee seeks damages for lost wages, punitive damages, statutory penalties, injunctive relief, and attorney’s fees, interest and costs.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

As of February 7, 2017, our common stock is trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “VIVE”. Prior to June 14, 2016, our common stock traded on the OTCQB of the OTC Markets Group Inc. under the symbol VIVMF, and prior to October 22, 2014, our common stock traded under the symbol “PLCSF” and “PLCSD”.

The following table sets forth, (i) for the periods during which the Company was listed on the OTCQB, the high and low bid prices for our common stock for the periods indicated as reported by the OTCQB, and (ii) for the periods during which the Company has been listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market, the high and low sales price for the periods indicated as reported by The NASDAQ Capital Market. The bid quotations reported by the OTCQB reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission, and may not represent actual transactions. The bid quotations reflect a one-for-100 reverse stock split we effected on September 23, 2014.

The last reported closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on February 7, 2017 was $4.91 per share.

Holders

As of February 7, 2017 there were 598 holders of record of our common stock.

Dividends

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and we currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the expansion of our business; we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The decision whether to pay cash dividends on our common stock will be made by our board of directors, in their discretion, and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors considers significant.

Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The Company has issued equity awards in the form of stock options from three employee benefit plans. The plans include the Company’s 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2005 Plan”), the Viveve Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Plan (the “2006 Plan”) and the Company’s Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”).

The following table sets forth information about the 2005 Plan, the 2006 Plan and the 2013 Plan as of December 31, 2016:

The 2006 Plan was adopted by the board of directors of Viveve and was terminated in conjunction with the Merger. Outstanding stock option awards have been assumed by Viveve Medical and will continue to be administered in accordance with the terms of the 2006 Plan until such awards are exercised, expire, terminate or are forfeited. There are currently outstanding stock option awards issued from the 2006 Plan covering a total of 38,378 shares of our common stock and no shares available for future awards. The weighted average exercise price of the outstanding stock options is $10.49 per share and the weighted average remaining contractual term is 5.88 years. Additionally, prior to the Merger, the board of directors voted to accelerate the vesting of all unvested options that were outstanding as of the date of the Merger such that all options would be immediately vested and exercisable by the holders. Furthermore, at the Merger, outstanding options to purchase shares of Viveve, Inc. common stock issued from the 2006 Plan were converted into options to purchase shares of Viveve Medical common stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share). The number of shares of Viveve Medical common stock into which the 2006 Plan options were converted was determined by multiplying the number of shares covered by each 2006 Plan option by the exchange ratio of 0.0080497. The exercise price of each 2006 Plan option was determined by dividing the exercise price of each 2006 Plan option immediately prior to the Merger by the exchange ratio of 0.0080497 (rounded up to the nearest cent).

On August 22, 2016, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the 2013 Plan increasing the maximum number of shares of common stock reserved and available for awards under the 2013 Plan (the “Stock Issuable”) by 737,500 shares from 1,262,500 shares to a total of 2,000,000 shares and to add an “evergreen” provision to the 2013 Plan which will automatically increase annually, on the first day of each January, the Stock Issuable by an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the number of shares that will increase the Stock Issuable by 4% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding (on a fully diluted basis) or (ii) an amount determined by the board of directors. On December 23, 2016, the board of directors approved the 2017 evergreen increase equal to 4% of the total number of fully diluted common shares or 523,209 shares, which is effective January 1, 2017.

Issuances of Unregistered Securities

Not applicable.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

As a "smaller reporting company" as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K, the Company is not required to provide information required by this Item.

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including, "could" "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential" and the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially.

While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested in this Annual Report.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition to historical information, the following discussion contains forward looking statements based upon current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ substantially from those referred to herein due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors”.

Overview of Our Business

In the discussion below, when we use the terms “we”, “us” and “our”, we are referring to Viveve Medical, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiaries, Viveve, Inc. and Viveve BV.

We design, develop, manufacture and market a medical device for the non-invasive treatment of vaginal laxity, for improved sexual function, and for vaginal rejuvenation, depending on the relevant country-specific clearance or approval, that we refer to as Geneveve™, which includes a radio frequency (RF) generator, which we refer to as the Viveve System, single-use treatment tips and other ancillary disposables. Currently, Geneveve is cleared for marketing in 51 countries throughout the world under the following indications for use: 

In the U.S., Geneveve is indicated for use in general surgical procedures for electrocoagulation and hemostasis and we market and sell through a direct sales force. Outside the U.S., we market and sell through distribution partners. As of December 31, 2016, we have sold 217 Viveve Systems and approximately 4,050 single-use treatment tips in countries primarily outside of the U.S.

Because the revenues we have earned to date have not been sufficient to support our operations, we have relied on sales of our securities, loans from related parties and bank term loans to fund our operations. We are currently located in Sunnyvale, California. We plan to relocate the corporate headquarters toward the end of the first quarter of 2017 as discussed below in “Recent Events.”

 Recent Events

On April 15, 2016, we effected a 1-for-8 reverse stock split of our common stock. On the effective date of the reverse stock split, (i) each 8 shares of outstanding common stock were reduced to one share of common stock; (ii) the number of shares of common stock into which each outstanding warrant or option to purchase common stock is exercisable were proportionately reduced on an 8-to-1 basis; and (iii) the exercise price of each outstanding warrant or option to purchase common stock were proportionately increased on a 1-to-8 basis. All of the share numbers, share prices, and exercise prices have been adjusted, on a retroactive basis, to reflect this 1-for-8 reverse stock split.

On May 9, 2016, we filed the necessary Application for Authorization to Continue into Another Jurisdiction and Statutory Declaration with the Yukon registrar. On May 10, 2016, we filed a Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to move our domicile from the Yukon Territory to Delaware.

 On June 17, 2016, in connection with the closing of a public offering (the “June 2016 Offering”), we issued an aggregate of 3,105,000 shares of common stock, including the shares issued in connection with the exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option, at a public offering price of $5.00 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $15.5 million. The net proceeds to us, after the deduction of underwriting discounts, commissions and other offering expenses, were approximately $13.9 million.

On June 20, 2016, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “2016 Loan Agreement”) with Western Alliance Bank (“WAB”), pursuant to which WAB agreed to loan us up to an aggregate of $10.0 million payable in two tranches of $7.5 million and $2.5 million. The funding conditions for both tranches were satisfied as of the closing date, and therefore, the aggregate principal amount of $10.0 million was provided to us on June 20, 2016. The proceeds received were used to repay outstanding existing indebtedness under a Loan and Security Agreement, as amended on February 19, 2015, May 14, 2015, November 30, 2015 and March 18, 2016 (collectively, the “2014 Loan Agreement”), with Pacific Western Bank (as successor in interest by merger to Square 1 Bank), and the remaining balance will be used for working capital purposes and to fund general business requirements. The borrowings are repayable in interest only payments until July 1, 2017 and then 30 monthly equal installments of principal and interest. The term loan bears interest on the outstanding obligations under the loan at a floating per annum rate equal to the greater of (i) the Index Rate (i.e., the 30 day U.S. LIBOR rate reported in the Wall Street Journal) plus 6.96%, determined as of the last day of each month, and (ii) 7.40%.

On January 13, 2017, we entered into a waiver and amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the 2016 Loan Agreement with WAB. Pursuant to the First Amendment, WAB agreed to waive the default resulting from the failure to comply with the performance to plan revenue covenants described in the 2016 Loan Agreement for the measuring periods ended October 31, 2016 and November 30, 2016. In addition, the First Amendment added a financial covenant that until the Company maintains a ratio of minimum unrestricted cash in accounts with WAB to indebtedness of at least 1.25 to 1.00, the Company must at all times maintain unrestricted cash in accounts with WAB in an amount equal to or greater than $2,000,000, which financial covenant shall no longer apply at such time that the Company achieves a ratio of minimum unrestricted cash in accounts with WAB to indebtedness of at least 1.25 to 1.00.

 On February 1, 2017, the Company entered into a sublease agreement (the “Sublease”) for approximately 12,400 square feet of building space for the relocation of the Company’s corporate headquarters to Englewood, Colorado (the “Sublease Premises”), which is effective as of January 26, 2017. Physical relocation is planned toward the end of the first quarter of 2017 pending completion of the build-out of all office and warehouse facilities.

The term of the Sublease will commence on the later of (i) 120 days after the date sublandlord delivers possession of the Sublease Premises to the Company or (iii) upon substantial completion of the tenant improvements pursuant to the Sublease (the “Commencement Date”), and will expire 36 months after the Commencement Date, or such earlier date as the Master Lease may be terminated pursuant to the terms thereof. 

The monthly base rent under the Sublease will be equal to $20.50 per rentable square foot of the Sublease Premises during the first year. The monthly base rent will be equal to $21.12 and 21.75 per rentable square foot during the second and third years, respectively. In connection with the execution of the Sublease, the Company also agreed to pay a security deposit of approximately $22,000. The Company is entitled to an allowance of approximately $88,000 for certain tenant improvements relating to the engineering, design and construction of the Sublease Premises.

We are subject to risks, expenses and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in the medical device industry. These risks include, but are not limited to, intense competition, whether we can be successful in obtaining U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) approval for the sale of our product and whether there will be a demand for the Geneveve, given that the cost of the procedure will likely not be reimbursed by the government or private health insurers. In addition, we will continue to require substantial funds to support our clinical trials and fund our efforts to expand regulatory approval for our products in locations in which we do not currently have approval to market our product, including the U.S. We cannot be certain that any additional required financing will be available when needed or on terms which are favorable to us. As noted above, our operations to date have been primarily funded through the sales of our securities, loans from related parties and bank term loans. Various factors, including our limited operating history with minimal revenues to date and our limited ability to market and sell our product have resulted in limited working capital available to fund our operations. The merger that took place on September 23, 2014 between PLC Systems Inc., Viveve, Inc. and PLC Systems Acquisition Corp. (the “Merger”) and the concurrent private offering was consummated in an effort to raise additional capital and increase public awareness of Viveve, as well as to create opportunities for access to additional capital by increasing liquidity. There are no assurances that we will be successful in securing additional financing in the future to fund our operations going forward. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, raise additional capital or reduce certain discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Plan of Operation

We intend to increase our sales both internationally and in the United States market by seeking regulatory approvals for the sale and distribution of our products, identifying and training qualified distributors and expanding the scope of physicians who offer the Geneveve to include plastic surgeons, dermatologists, general surgeons, urologists, urogynecologists and primary care physicians.

In addition, we intend to use the strategic relationships that we have developed with outside contractors and medical experts to improve our products by focusing our research and development efforts on various areas including, but not limited to:

The net proceeds received from sales of our securities and the term loans have been used to support commercialization of our product in existing and new markets, for our research and development efforts and for protection of our intellectual property, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. We expect that our cash will be sufficient to fund our activities for the next six months, however, we will continue to require funds to fully implement our plan of operation. Our operating costs include employee salaries and benefits, compensation paid to consultants, professional fees and expenses, costs associated with our clinical trials, capital costs for research and other equipment, costs associated with research and development activities including travel and administration, legal expenses, sales and marketing costs, general and administrative expenses, and other costs associated with an early stage public company subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We also expect to incur expenses related to obtaining regulatory approvals in the U.S. and internationally as well as legal and related expenses to protect our intellectual property. We expect capital expenditures, for the foreseeable future, to be less than $500,000 annually.  

We intend to continue to meet our operating cash flow requirements through the sales of our products and by raising additional funds from the sale of equity or debt securities. If we sell our equity securities, or securities convertible into equity, to raise capital, our current stockholders will likely be substantially diluted. We may also consider the sale of certain assets, or entering into a strategic transaction, such as a merger, with a business complimentary to ours, although we do not currently have plans for any such transaction. While we have been successful in raising capital to fund our operations since inception, other than as discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we do not have any committed sources of financing and there are no assurances that we will be able to secure additional funding, or if we do secure additional financing that it will be on terms that are favorable to us. If we cannot obtain financing, then we may be forced to curtail our operations or consider other strategic alternatives.

Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2016 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2015

Revenue

 We recorded revenue of $7,141,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to revenue of $1,447,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $5,694,000. The increase in revenue was primarily due to sales of 175 Viveve Systems and disposable treatment tips and other ancillary consumables to our new distributors. Sales in 2015 included only 34 Viveve Systems and were limited primarily because of insufficient commercial inventory available for sale and the majority of inventory during the first half of 2015 was used to support our OUS Clinical Trial.

Gross Profit

 Gross profit was $2,529,000, or 35% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to gross profit of $462,000, or 32% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2015. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to sales of 175 Viveve Systems to our new distributors in 2016. Sales in 2015 included only 34 Viveve Systems and were limited to smaller quantities of disposable treatment tips and other ancillary consumables primarily because of insufficient commercial inventory available for sale and the majority of inventory during the first half of 2015 was used to support our OUS Clinical Trial.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses totaled $8,365,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to research and development expenses of $4,988,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $3,377,000, or approximately 68%. Spending on research and development increased in 2016 primarily due to costs associated with increased engineering and development work with our contract manufacturer related to product improvement efforts. Research and development expense during 2016 also included higher personnel costs for new employees and related additional stock-based compensation expense for stock options granted to new employees and additional stock options granted to existing employees for performance bonuses.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $12,868,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to $7,464,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $5,404,000, or approximately 72%. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses in 2016 was primarily attributable to increased sales and marketing efforts to build brand and market awareness, expenses associated with being a public company and financing efforts. Selling, general and administrative expenses during 2016 also included higher personnel costs for new employees (primarily in connection with our sales and marketing efforts) and related additional stock-based compensation expense for stock options granted to new employees and additional options granted to existing employees for performance bonuses.

Interest expense

During the year ended December 31, 2016, we had interest expense of $1,370,000, compared to $415,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015. The increase of $955,000, or approximately 230%, resulted primarily from the additional interest expense in connection with the payoff in June 2016 of the term loan under the 2014 Loan Agreement, and interest expense for the term loan in 2016, which was computed on a higher loan balance compared to the loan balance in 2015.

Other income (expense), net

During the year ended December 31, 2016 we had other expense, net, of $37,000 as compared to other expense, net, of $21,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Year Ended December 31, 2016

Liquidity is our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operating activities to meet our obligations and commitments. In addition, liquidity includes the ability to obtain appropriate financing or to raise capital. We have funded our operations since inception through the sale of our securities, loans from related parties and bank term loans. To date, we have not generated sufficient cash flows from operating activities to meet our obligations and commitments, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future. We expect that our cash will be sufficient to fund our activities for the next six months, however, we will continue to require funds to fully implement our plan of operation.

Because we have incurred losses and reported negative cash flow from operations since inception, our consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

The following table summarizes the primary sources and uses of cash for the periods presented below (in thousands):

 Operating Activities

We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, significant expenses in the areas of research and development, regulatory and clinical study costs associated with Geneveve.

Operating activities used $18,087,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to $12,195,000 used for the year ended December 31, 2015. The primary use of our cash was to fund selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses associated with Geneveve. Net cash used during the year ended December 31, 2016 consisted of a net loss of $20,111,000 adjusted for non-cash expenses including depreciation and amortization of $111,000, stock-based compensation of $981,000, fair value of warrants issued to distributor and consultants of $162,000, a restricted stock award granted to a consultant of $39,000, non-cash interest expense of $456,000 and cash inflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities of $275,000. Net cash used during the year ended December 31, 2015 consisted of a net loss of $12,426,000 adjusted for non-cash expenses including depreciation and amortization of $77,000, stock-based compensation of $220,000, fair value of warrants issued to employees for performance bonuses of $286,000, fair value of warrants issued to service providers of $251,000 (primarily related to nonemployee contractors), non-cash interest expense of $197,000, and cash outflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities of $800,000.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was $256,000 and $109,000, respectively. Net cash used in investing activities during 2016 and 2015 was used for the purchase of property and equipment. We expect to continue to purchase property and equipment in the normal course of our business. The amount and timing of these purchases and the related cash outflows in future periods is difficult to predict and is dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, any increase in the number of our employees and any changes to the capital equipment requirements related to our development programs and clinical trials.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during year ended December 31, 2016 was $19,069,000 which was the was primarily the result of the net proceeds of $13,886,000 from our June 2016 Offering, the proceeds of $10,000,000 from the drawdown of funds from the first and second tranches of the new term loan under the 2016 Loan Agreement (partially offset by debt issuance costs of $90,000), and proceeds from the exercise of warrants and stock options of $106,000, partially offset by the repayment of the existing term loan under the 2014 Loan Agreement of $4,833,000.

Net cash provided by financing activities during year ended December 31, 2015 was $18,769,000, which was primarily the result of the net proceeds of $11,040,000 from the May 2015 Offering, the net proceeds of $5,393,000 from our November 2015 Offering, the proceeds of $2,500,000 from the drawdown of funds from the second and third tranches of the term loan under the 2014 Loan Agreement.

Contractual Payment Obligations

We have obligations under a non-cancelable operating lease, a bank term loan and a purchase commitment for inventory. As of December 31, 2016, our contractual obligations are as follows (in thousands):

In June 2006, we entered into a Development and Manufacturing Agreement with Stellartech Research Corporation (the "Agreement"). The Agreement was amended on October 4, 2007. Under the Agreement, we agreed to purchase 300 generators manufactured by Stellartech. As of December 31, 2016, we have purchased 345 units. The price per unit is variable and dependent on the volume and timing of units ordered. 

In January 2012, we entered into a lease agreement for office and laboratory facilities in Sunnyvale, California. The lease agreement, as amended in September 2016, commenced in March 2012 and will terminate in March 2018.

As described above, on February 1, 2017, we entered into a Sublease for approximately 12,400 square feet of building space for the relocation of the Company’s corporate headquarters to Englewood, Colorado. The lease term is 36 months and the monthly base rent for the first, second and third years is $20.50, $21.12 and $21.75 per rentable square foot, respectively. In connection with the execution of the Sublease, the Company paid a security deposit of approximately $22,000. The Company is also entitled to an allowance of approximately $88,000 for certain tenant improvements relating to the engineering, design and construction of the Sublease Premises.

As described above, on June 20, 2016, we entered into the 2016 Loan Agreement with WAB pursuant to which we received a term loan in the amount of $10.0 million. The proceeds from the term loan were used to repay the existing outstanding indebtedness with another financial institution and to provide general working capital to fund our operations. As of December 31, 2016 and the date of this filing, the outstanding term loan principal balance was $10.0 million.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Certain accounting policies and estimates are particularly important to the understanding of our financial position and results of operations and require the application of significant judgment by our management or can be materially affected by changes from period to period in economic factors or conditions that are outside of our control. As a result, they are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. In applying these policies, management uses their judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of certain estimates. Those estimates are based on our historical operations, our future business plans and projected financial results, the terms of existing contracts, observance of trends in the industry, information provided by our customers and information available from other outside sources, as appropriate. Please see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for a more complete description of our significant accounting policies.

 Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, cost being determined on an actual cost basis on a first-in, first-out method and market being determined as the lower of replacement cost or net realizable value. Inventory as of December 31, 2016 is mainly finished goods but also includes a small quantity of raw materials. All inventory as of December 31, 2015 is finished goods. We regularly assess the valuation of inventory and write down inventory which is obsolete or in excess of forecasted usage to their estimated realizable value. Estimates of realizable value are based upon our analysis and assumptions including, but not limited to, forecasted sales by product, expected product life cycle, product development plans and future demand requirements. If market conditions are less favorable than our forecast or actual demand from customers is lower than our estimates, we may be required to record additional inventory write-downs. At the point of write down, a new lower-cost basis for that inventory is established, and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis. If there were to be a sudden and significant decrease in demand for our products, or if there were a higher incidence of inventory obsolescence because of rapidly changing technology and customer requirements, we could be required to increase inventory write-downs, and our gross margin could be adversely affected. If demand is higher than expected, we may sell inventories that had previously been written down.

 Impairment of 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 might not be recoverable. When such an event occurs, management determines whether there has been an impairment by comparing the anticipated undiscounted future net cash flows to the related asset’s carrying value. If an asset is considered impaired, the asset is written down to fair value, which is determined based either on discounted cash flows or appraised value, depending on the nature of the asset. The Company has not identified any such impairment losses to date.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of its products, the Viveve System, single-use treatment tips and ancillary consumables. Revenue is recognized upon shipment, provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Sales of our products are subject to regulatory requirements that vary from country to country. The Company has regulatory clearance, or can sell its products without a clearance, in many countries throughout the world, including countries within the following regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

The Company does not provide its customers with a right of return.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

We make ongoing assumptions relating to the collectibility of our accounts receivable in our calculation of the allowance for doubtful accounts. In determining the amount of the allowance, we make judgements about the creditworthiness of customers based on ongoing credit evaluations and assess current economic trends affecting our customers that might impact the level of credit losses in the future and result in different rates of bad debts than previously seen. We also consider our historical level of credit losses. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, there was no allowance for doubtful accounts.

Product Warranty

The Company’s products are generally subject to a one year warranty, which provides for the repair, rework or replacement of products (at the Company’s option) that fail to perform within stated specification. The Company has assessed the historical claims and, to date, product warranty claims have not been significant. The Company will continue to assess if there should be a warranty accrual going forward.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are charged to operations as incurred. Research and development costs include, but are not limited to, payroll and personnel expenses, prototype materials, laboratory supplies, consulting costs, and allocated overhead, including rent, equipment depreciation, and utilities.

Income Taxes

Accounting for income taxes requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be recognized using enacted tax rates for the effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities. The liability method is used in accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between financial reporting and the tax basis of assets and liabilities, and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets may be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. We evaluate annually the realizability of our deferred tax assets by assessing our valuation allowance and by adjusting the amount of such allowance, if necessary. The factors used to assess the likelihood of realization include our forecast of future taxable income and available tax planning strategies that could be implemented to realize the net deferred tax assets. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance for our deferred tax assets based on our historical losses and the uncertainty regarding our ability to project future taxable income. In future periods if we are able to generate income, we may reduce or eliminate the valuation allowance.

Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes

We consider many factors when evaluating and estimating our tax positions and tax benefits, which may require periodic adjustments and which may not accurately anticipate actual outcomes. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Whether the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is met for a tax position is a matter of judgment based on the individual facts and circumstances of that position evaluated in light of all available evidence.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation cost is measured at grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as expense over the employee’s service period. The Company recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award.

We determined that the Black-Scholes option pricing model is the most appropriate method for determining the estimated fair value for stock options. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the use of highly subjective and complex assumptions which determine the fair value of share-based awards, including the option’s expected term and the price volatility of the underlying stock.

Equity instruments issued to nonemployees are recorded at their fair value on the measurement date and are subject to periodic adjustment as the underlying equity instruments vest.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 In May 2014, as part of its ongoing efforts to assist in the convergence of US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” The new guidance sets forth a new five-step revenue recognition model which replaces the prior revenue recognition guidance in its entirety and is intended to eliminate numerous industry-specific pieces of revenue recognition guidance that have historically existed in US GAAP. The underlying principle of the new standard is that a business or other organization will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects what it expects in exchange for the goods or services. The standard also requires more detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for transactions that were not addressed completely in the prior accounting guidance. The ASU provides alternative methods of initial adoption and is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The FASB has issued several updates to the standard which i) defer the original effective date from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018, while allowing for early adoption as of January 1, 2017 (ASU 2015-14); ii) clarify the application of the principal versus agent guidance (ASU 2016-08); iii) clarify the guidance on inconsequential and perfunctory promises and licensing (ASU 2016-10); and clarify the guidance on certain sections of the guidance providing technical corrections and improvements (ASU 2016-10). In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients”, to address certain narrow aspects of the guidance including collectibility criterion, collection of sales taxes from customers, noncash consideration, contract modifications and completed contracts. This issuance does not change the core principle of the guidance in the initial topic issued in May 2014. We are currently evaluating the impact that this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. This guidance is effective for our annual reporting period ending December 31, 2016 and all annual and interim reporting periods thereafter. We adopted this standard for the year ended December 31, 2016. This guidance requires us to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for at least 12 months from the issuance date of the consolidated financial statements and to provide related footnote disclosures

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory” (“ASU 2015-11”). ASU 2015-11 requires that an entity should measure inventory within the scope of this pronouncement at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The pronouncement does not apply to inventory that is being measured using the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method or the retail inventory method. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory measured using LIFO or the retail inventory method. We plan to adopt this guidance as of January 1, 2017 and believe the adoption of the guidance will not have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)”. Under this guidance, an entity is required to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. This guidance offers specific accounting guidance for a lessee, a lessor and sale and leaseback transactions. Lessees and lessors are required to disclose qualitative and quantitative information about leasing arrangements to enable a user of the financial statements to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within the reporting period, and requires a modified retrospective adoption, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”. This guidance identifies areas for simplification involving several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, an option to recognize gross stock compensation expense with actual forfeitures recognized as they occur, as well as certain classifications on the statement of cash flows. We plan to adopt this guidance as of January 1, 2017 and believe the adoption of the guidance will not have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (Topic 230). This guidance addresses specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the diversity in practice for the treatment of these issues.  The areas identified include: debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments; contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies; distributions received from equity method investees; beneficial interests in securitization transactions and application of the predominance principle with respect to separately identifiable cash flows.  This guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows, Restricted Cash (Topic 230). This guidance requires that a statement of cash flows explain the total change during the period of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Amounts described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning of period and end of period to total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. This guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Transactions

We do not have any off-balance sheet transactions.

Trends, Events and Uncertainties

Research, development and commercialization of new technologies and products is, by its nature, unpredictable. Although we will undertake development efforts, including efforts, with commercially reasonable diligence, there can be no assurance that we will have adequate capital to develop or commercialize our technology to the extent needed to create future sales to sustain our operations.

We cannot assure you that our technology will be adopted, that we will ever earn revenues sufficient to support our operations, or that we will ever be profitable. Furthermore, since we have no committed source of financing, we cannot assure you that we will be able to raise money as and when we need it to continue our operations. If we cannot raise funds as and when we need them, we may be required to severely curtail, or even to cease, our operations.

Other than as discussed above and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we are not aware of any trends, events or uncertainties that are likely to have a material effect on our financial condition.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

As a "smaller reporting company" as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K, the Company is not required to provide information required by this Item.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

See pages beginning with page F-1.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer and effected by our board of directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and includes those policies and procedures that:

Because of our inherent limitations, our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013 Framework).

Based on this assessment, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and our Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer), has concluded that, as of December 31, 2016, our internal control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. 

We carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2016, the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based upon the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2016, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes during the last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information

None.

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Set forth below is certain information regarding our current executive officers and directors. Each of the directors was elected to serve until our next annual meeting of stockholders or until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Our officers are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the board of directors.

Biographical information with respect to our executive officers and directors is provided below. There are no family relationships between any of our executive officers or directors.

Patricia Scheller. Ms. Scheller was elected as a director of Viveve Medical, Inc. on September 18, 2014 (with her service beginning following the merger with PLC Systems Acquisition Corporation that was completed on September 23, 2014) and has been a director of our wholly-owned subsidiary, Viveve, Inc., since June 2012. Ms. Scheller also serves as our Chief Executive Officer and, since May 2012, as Chief Executive Officer of Viveve, Inc. Prior to joining Viveve, Inc., she served as the Chief Executive Officer of Prescient Medical, Inc. (“PMI”), a privately held company that developed diagnostic imaging catheters and coronary stents designed to reduce deaths from heart attacks, from September 2004 through April 2012 and as a director of PMI from July 2004 to September 2011. Prior to joining PMI, from August 2003 to September 2004, she was the Chief Executive Officer of SomaLogic, a biotechnology company focused on the development of diagnostic products using aptamer technology. From December 2000 to April 2003, Ms. Scheller also managed several business units at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a Johnson & Johnson company, and from October 1997 to November 2000 served in key executive positions at Dade Behring, a clinical diagnostics firm. While at Dade Behring Holdings, Inc., she directed the commercialization of the hsCRP diagnostic test, a screening test for systemic inflammation, which has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks. The hsCRP test was the first diagnostic test added to the cardiac test panel by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association in over 30 years. As Director of Cardiology Systems at Cordis Corporation (a Johnson & Johnson company) from February 1994 to February 1996, Ms. Scheller managed the launch of the first Palmaz-Schatz® balloon-expandable coronary stent, the first major product entry into what became a $6 billion market. Ms. Scheller received a B.S.E. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and completed executive business education programs at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University and Northwestern University. Because of her extensive experience in the healthcare industry, we concluded that Ms. Scheller should serve as a director. 

Lori Bush. Ms. Bush joined our Board on May 11, 2016. Since January 2016, Ms. Bush has been a consultant, speaker, advisor and activist for micro-entrepreneurship and women’s leadership. From October 2007 to January 2016, Ms. Bush served as the President and General Manager, then President and CEO of Rodan + Fields, LLC (Rodan + Fields). Prior to joining Rodan + Fields, Ms. Bush served as Chief Operating Officer of Helix BioMedix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical discovery and development company from October 2006 to October 2007, and was the Managing Director of the Gremlin Group, a health and consumer product consulting company from March 2006 to October 2007. From May 2001 to May 2006, Ms. Bush served as President of Nu Skin, a division of Nu Skin Enterprises, a NYSE-listed direct selling company that markets premium quality personal care and nutrition products through a global network of sales representatives. Ms. Bush served as Vice President of Marketing of Nu Skin from February 2000 to May 2001. Prior to joining Nu Skin, she worked at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Companies as the worldwide executive director over skin care ventures from May 1998 to February 2000. She also served as Vice President of Professional Marketing at Neutrogena Corporation. Ms. Bush earned a Masters of Business Administration from Temple University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University. Until its merger with Wonder Holdings Acquisition Corp., Ms. Bush was a director of Matrixx Initiatives Inc., formerly a publicly traded company. We determined that Ms. Bush should serve as a director because of her extensive executive and marketing experience in the over-the-counter healthcare industry.

Daniel Janney. Mr. Janney was elected as a director of Viveve Medical, Inc. on September 18, 2014 (with his service beginning following the merger with PLC Systems Acquisition Corporation that was completed on September 23, 2014). Since November 2012, Mr. Janney has served as a director of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPR). Mr. Janney is a managing director at Alta Partners, a life sciences venture capital firm, which he joined in 1996. Prior to joining Alta, from 1993 to 1996, he was a Vice President in Montgomery Securities’ healthcare and biotechnology investment banking group, focusing on life sciences companies. Mr. Janney is a director of a number of companies including Alba Therapeutics Corporation, Lithera, Inc., Prolacta Bioscience, Inc., Sutro Biopharma and ViroBay, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from the Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles. Because of Mr. Janney's experience working with and serving on the board of directors of various life sciences companies and his experience working in the venture capital industry, we concluded that he should serve as a director.

Debora Jorn. Ms. Jorn joined our Board on May 11, 2016. Ms. Jorn is currently serving as the Executive Vice President Corporate and Commercial Development at pSivida Corp. Ms. Jorn joined pSivida in November 2016. From August 2013 through March 2016, Ms. Jorn was Executive Vice President and Group Company Chair of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. Ms. Jorn served as Chief Global Marketing Officer of Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals from June 2010 to August 2013. She served as Group Vice President Women’s Healthcare and Fertility at Schering Plough from June 2008 to January 2010. She was the World Wide Vice President Internal Medicine and Early Commercial Input at Johnson & Johnson and the Vice President, Urology at Pharmacia Corporation. From 1989 to 2010, Ms. Jorn served as Acting Head of the ACE Inhibitor Franchise – Merck and Company. She served as Worldwide Vice President of Internal Medicine, Executive Director (Respiratory Franchise), Director of Marketing (Merck Frosst Canada), and various other roles for Merck. Since May 2016 Ms. Jorn has served on the board of directors of Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company located in La Jolla, California. Ms. Jorn received her M.B.A from NYU Stern Graduate School of Business Administration and her B.A. from Rutgers University. Ms. Jorn’s extensive executive and marketing experience in the healthcare industry led us to believe that she should serve as a director.

Arlene Morris. Ms. Morris joined our Board of Directors on May 11, 2016. Ms. Morris has served as the CEO of Willow Advisors, LLC since May 2015. From May 2011 to April 2015, Ms. Morris was the President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Syndax Pharmaceutical, a Boston based epigenetic company. Prior to her employment with Syndax, from June 2003 to February 2011 she was the President, CEO and a member of the board of directors of Affymax, Inc. During her eight years at Affymax, Ms. Morris led the company through the development of OMONTYS peginesatide, a strategic collaboration with Takeda, an initial public offering, and several follow on offerings. Prior to Affymax, Ms. Morris was the President and CEO of Clearview Projects, an advisory firm which counsels biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on strategic transactions. Before that, she was the Senior Vice President of Business Development at both Coulter Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Scios. Ms. Morris began her career at Johnson & Johnson as a sales representative, rising to Vice President of Business Development. Ms. Morris serves on the board of directors of Neovacs SA, Palatin Technologies, Dimension Therapeutics and the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation for Research and Development. We believe Ms. Morris’ qualifications to serve on our Board include her many years serving as a senior executive with companies in the biopharma industry and her extensive experience serving on boards of directors.

Jon Plexico. Mr. Plexico was appointed as a director of Viveve Medical, Inc. on March 14, 2016. Mr. Plexico is currently one of two Managing Members of Stonepine Capital Management, LLC (“Stonepine Management”). Stonepine Management is the General Partner of Stonepine Capital, L.P. (“Stonepine”), a holder of approximately 25% of the outstanding common stock of the Company. Mr. Plexico was appointed to the Board of Directors as a representative of Stonepine, at Stonepine’s election, under the terms of that certain letter agreement dated May 12, 2015 (the “Letter Agreement”) by and between the Company and Stonepine, pursuant to which, among other things, for so long as Stonepine owns at least 15% of the Company’s outstanding equity securities, Stonepine shall have the option, but not the obligation, to designate a Stonepine representative to serve on the Board. The Company and Stonepine entered into the Letter Agreement in connection with a private offering of our securities undertaken in May 2015.

Mr. Plexico has approximately 25 years of life science industry operational and advisory experience, including ten years as Managing Member and Founder of Stonepine Management. Previously, Mr. Plexico was Managing Director at Merriman Curhan Ford & Co., now known as Merriman Capital, where he managed healthcare corporate finance focusing on private investments in public equity, secondary offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to that, Mr. Plexico was co-founding partner of Venture Ready Partners, a life science advisor providing capital raising services to private biotechnology companies. Mr. Plexico served as director of business development at Chemdex Corporation, an electronic life-science commerce company that grew to 500 employees and completed an initial public offering during his tenure. He began his career at Quidel Corporation, where he became National Sales Manager for the Autoimmune Division. He has served on the boards of directors of Zila, Inc. and Immunetech, Inc. Mr. Plexico is a graduate of Colgate University. Mr. Plexico’s extensive experience in advising life sciences companies and in raising funds for them led us to believe that he should serve as a director.

Scott Durbin. Mr. Durbin joined Viveve, Inc. as its Chief Financial Officer in February 2013 and was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Viveve Medical, Inc. on September 23, 2014. From June 2012 to January 2013, he served as an advisor and Acting Chief Financial Officer for Viveve, Inc. Prior to joining Viveve, Inc., from June 2010 to October 2011, he was Chief Financial Officer of Aastrom Biosciences (“Aastrom”), a publicly traded, cardiovascular cell therapy company. Before Aastrom, he spent six years as Chief Operating and Financial Officer for Prescient Medical (“Prescient”) from May 2004 to June 2010, a privately held company that developed diagnostic imaging catheters and coronary stents designed to reduce deaths from heart attacks. Prior to Prescient, from January 2003 to April 2004, he spent several years as a financial consultant for two publicly traded biotech companies, Scios Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, and Alteon Inc. Mr. Durbin began his career in corporate finance as an investment banker in the Healthcare and M&A groups at Lehman Brothers Inc. from August 1999 to January 2003, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and financings for the life science industry. At Lehman, he successfully executed over $5 billion in transactions for medical device and biotechnology companies. He began his career as a Director of Neurophysiology for Biotronic, Inc. Mr. Durbin received a B.S. from the University of Michigan and an M.P.H. in Health Management with Honors from the Yale University School of Medicine and School of Management.

James Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson was appointed to serve as the Chief Business Officer and President of the Company and Viveve, Inc. effective as of February 4, 2015. Mr. Atkinson has over 30 years of experience in medical device sales, marketing and business development with both Fortune 50 and start-up medical device companies. Mr. Atkinson was a founding principal at Ulthera, Inc. where he served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing from October 2006 through April 2014. While at Ulthera, he assisted in growing the company from 3 to 165 employees and established a global distribution network that included 42 distributors, covering 52 countries. Mr. Atkinson’s prior experience includes various executive positions, including (i) Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Cardiac Surgery Division at St. Jude Medical, Inc. from October 2004 to October 2006 where his responsibilities included launching the Biocor® stented tissue valve, recognized as the fastest growing heart valve brand in the industry, (ii) Vice President of Sales for Medtronic Vascular, a $200 million division of Medtronic, Inc., a company whose stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (Ticker: MDT), from January 2003 to September 2004 and (iii) co-founder and Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Medical Simulation Corporation. Mr. Atkinson’s career began as a sales representative at Ethicon Endosurgery, a Johnson & Johnson company, where he progressed through positions with increasing responsibility to Regional Manager.

Legal Proceedings

To the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or executive officers has, during the past ten years, been involved in any legal proceedings described in subparagraph (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance 

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership (Forms 3, 4 and 5) with the SEC. Officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required to furnish us with copies of all such forms which they file.

We believe that, during the year ended December 31, 2016, our directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of more than 10% of the Company’s common stock complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements, except that one Form 4 filed on behalf of Patricia Scheller, one Form 4 filed on behalf of James Atkinson, one Form 4 filed on behalf of Jim Robbins, one Form 4 filed on behalf of Debora Jorn, one Form 4 filed on behalf of Lori Bush and one Form 4 filed on behalf of Arlene Morris were inadvertently filed late due to administrative error. In making this statement, we have relied upon examination of the copies of Forms 3, 4 and 5, and amendments thereto, provided to the Company and the written representations of its directors and executive officers.

Code of Ethics

The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to every director, officer and employee of the Company. Such Code of Conduct includes written standards that are reasonably designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:

Director Nominations

The Company does not have any defined procedures by which stockholders may submit nominations for directors and there has been no change to that policy.

Audit Committee and Audit Committee Financial Expert

The board of directors of the Company has an audit committee to oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company and the audits of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The members of our audit committee are Daniel Janney, Arlene Morris and Jon Plexico.  The board of directors has determined that Daniel Janney is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by applicable SEC rules.

 Item 11. Executive Compensation

2016 Summary Compensation Table

The following table provides information regarding the total compensation for services rendered in all capacities that was earned during the fiscal year indicated by our named executive officers for 2016.

(1) The amounts reported represent bonuses awarded with respect to the years indicated based upon the achievement of corporate performance goals related to (a) strengthening financial position; (b) expanding market opportunities and ensure competitiveness; (c) providing clinically proven solutions; and (d) ensuring reliable quality supply of products for the years indicated. The amounts reported for 2015 were paid in January 2016 and the amounts reported for 2016 are payable upon the closing of the Company’s next equity financing, which is expected to occur in 2017. Bonuses for the year ended December 31, 2015 were paid in a combination of cash and restricted stock (and for Mr. Atkinson a combination of restricted stock and a common tock warrant) and the amounts reported represent above the amount of cash paid and the grant date fair value of the restricted stock as follows: (i) Ms. Scheller received $108,990 in cash and restricted stock with a grant date fair value of $45,706, (ii) Mr. Durbin received $97,695 in cash and no restricted stock and (iii) Mr. Atkinson received $0 in cash, a restricted stock with a grant date fair value of $114,904 and a common stock warrant with a grant date fair value of $30,250. The warrant issued to Mr. Atkinson has a contractual life of ten years and is exercisable immediately in whole or in part, on or before 10 years from the issuance date. See Note 9 of the notes to our financial statements in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion of our assumptions in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards.

(2) The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards granted to our named executive officers computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 9 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of our assumptions in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be recognized by the named executive officers.

(3) The amounts reported represent cash-out of accrued PTO hours in accordance with the Company’s PTO Policy.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth certain information regarding outstanding equity awards granted to our named executive officers that were outstanding as of December 31, 2016. These awards were granted under the 2006 Plan and the 2013 Plan.

(1) Except as otherwise set forth below, the shares of our common stock underlying each of the outstanding stock options vest and become exercisable in equal monthly installments over 48 months following the grant date.

(2) This stock option was fully vested upon the merger that took place on September 23, 2014 between PLC Systems Inc., Viveve, Inc. and PLC Systems Acquisition Corp. Prior to merger, the board of directors voted to accelerate the vesting of all unvested options that were outstanding as of the date of the merger such that all options would be immediately vested and exercisable by the holders.

(3) This stock option was fully vested on the date of grant.

(4) The shares of common stock underlying this stock option vest and become exercisable as follows: ¼ of the shares vested on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining shares vest in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months.

Employment Agreements, Severance and Change-in Control Arrangements

Patricia Scheller

 On May 14, 2012, Viveve, Inc. entered into an employment agreement with Patricia Scheller, the terms of which we have assumed. Pursuant to the agreement, Ms. Scheller serves as our Chief Executive Officer on an at-will basis and as a director. Ms. Scheller currently receives a base salary of $402,000, which is subject to periodic review and adjustment. Ms. Scheller is also eligible for an annual performance bonus targeted at 50% of her base salary and to participate in the employee benefit plans generally available to employees, subject to the terms of those plans.

Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement, if Ms. Scheller’s employment is terminated by us without cause (as defined in her employment agreement), Ms. Scheller terminates her employment with us for good reason (as defined in her employment agreement) or Ms. Scheller’s employment is terminated due to her death or disability, Ms. Scheller will be entitled to receive: (i) base salary continuation for 12 months following termination and (ii) continued payment of the employer portion of her monthly health insurance premium until the earlier of 12 months following the date of termination, the expiration of her continuation coverage under COBRA or the date she becomes eligible for substantially equivalent health insurance coverage in connection with new employment or self-employment. Receipt of the severance payments and benefits described above is conditioned upon Ms. Scheller returning all Company property, resigning as a member of our board of directors and the boards of directors of any of our subsidiaries and entering into an effective release of claims against the Company and our affiliates.

Scott Durbin

On January 23, 2013, Viveve, Inc. entered into an employment agreement with Scott Durbin, the terms of which we have assumed. Pursuant to the agreement, Mr. Durbin serves as our Chief Financial Officer on an at-will basis. Mr. Durbin currently receives a base salary of $336,000, which is subject to periodic review and adjustment. Mr. Durbin is also eligible for an annual performance bonus targeted at 40% of his base salary and to participate in the employee benefit plans generally available to employees, subject to the terms of those plans.

Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement, if Mr. Durbin’s employment is terminated by us without cause (as defined in his employment agreement), Mr. Durbin terminates his employment with us for good reason (as defined in his employment agreement) or Mr. Durbin’s employment is terminated due to his death or disability, Mr. Durbin will be entitled to receive: (i) base salary continuation for 10 months following termination and (ii) continued payment of the employer portion of his monthly health insurance premium until the earlier of 10 months following the date of termination, the expiration of his continuation coverage under COBRA or the date he becomes eligible for substantially equivalent health insurance coverage in connection with new employment or self-employment. Receipt of the severance payments and benefits described above is conditioned upon Mr. Durbin returning all Company property, resigning as a member of the board of directors and the boards of directors of any of our subsidiaries and entering into an effective release of claims against the Company and our affiliates. 

James Atkinson 

On January 30, 2015, Viveve, Inc. entered into an employment agreement with James Atkinson, the terms of which we have assumed. Pursuant to the agreement, Mr. Atkinson serves as our Chief Business Officer and President on an at-will basis. Mr. Atkinson currently receives a base salary of $343,000, which is subject to periodic review and adjustment. Mr. Atkinson is also eligible for an annual performance bonus targeted at 40% of his base salary and to participate in the employee benefit plans generally available to employees, subject to the terms of those plans.

Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement, if Mr. Atkinson’s employment is terminated by us without cause (as defined in his employment agreement), Mr. Atkinson terminates his employment with us for good reason (as defined in his employment agreement) or Mr. Atkinson’s employment is terminated due to his death or disability, Mr. Atkinson will be entitled to receive: (i) base salary continuation for six months following termination and (ii) continued payment of the employer portion of his monthly health insurance premium until the earlier of six months following the date of termination, the expiration of his continuation coverage under COBRA or the date he becomes eligible for substantially equivalent health insurance coverage in connection with new employment or self-employment. Receipt of the severance payments and benefits described above is conditioned upon Mr. Atkinson returning all Company property, resigning as a member of the board of directors and the boards of directors of any of our subsidiaries and entering into an effective release of claims against the Company and our affiliates.

Employee Benefits

Our executive officers are eligible to participate in all of our employee benefit plans, in each case on the same basis as other employees, including the 401(k) plan. The Company has not made any contributions to the 401(k) plan to date.

Director Compensation

Director Compensation Policy

On December 23, 2016, the board of directors adopted an independent director compensation policy, effective immediately, that is designed to compensate non-employee directors of the Company for their time, commitment and contributions to the Company’s board of directors. Under this policy, all non-employee directors will be paid cash compensation as set forth below, pro-rated to reflect the number of days served during any calendar quarter:  

In addition, under the policy, each new non-employee director who is initially appointed or elected to the board of directors after effectiveness of the policy will be granted an equity-based award with a value at the time of issuance equal to two times the Subsequent Award (defined below) in effect at the time of election, which will vest in three equal annual installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to the director’s continued service on the board of directors (the “Initial Award”). In addition, on the date of each annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders, each continuing non-employee director will be eligible to receive an annual option grant to purchase 17,500 shares of common stock, which will vest in full on the first anniversary of the grant date, subject to the director’s continued service on the board of directors (each a “Subsequent Award”). A non-employee director elected for the first time to the board of directors at an annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders shall only receive an Initial Award in connection with such election, and shall not receive a Subsequent Award until the annual meeting for the next fiscal year. In the event a non-employee director’s service on the board of directors terminates, the vesting and exercise of such director’s unvested stock options shall be subject to the terms of the applicable award agreement.

The Company has also agreed to reimburse all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by non-employee directors in attending board of directors and committee meetings.

2016 Director Compensation Table

The following table presents information regarding the compensation of our non-employee directors for the year ended December 31, 2016. Patricia Scheller, our Chief Executive Officer, serves on our board of directors but did not receive compensation for her service as a director and the compensation paid to Ms. Scheller as an employee during the year ended December 31, 2016 is set forth in the “2016 Summary Compensation Table” above.

(1) On May 11, 2016, Mr. Collela notified the board of directors of his resignation from the board of directors and all committees of the board of directors, effective immediately.

(2) On May 11, 2016, Mr. Simpson notified the board of directors of his resignation from the board of directors and all committees of the board of directors, effective immediately.

(3) On September 13, 2016, Ms. Smith notified the board of directors of his resignation from the board of directors and all committees of the board of directors, effective as of September 30, 2016.

(4) The amounts reported represent the cash retainers for the fourth quarter of 2016, which were paid in January 2017.

(5) The amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value of restricted stock awards and stock options granted to our non-employee directors in 2016, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 9 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion of our assumptions in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be recognized by the directors.

(6) As of December 31, 2016, our non-employee directors serving on that date held outstanding stock options to purchase the following number of shares of common stock: Ms. Bush – 35,000; Mr. Janney – 35,000; Ms. Jorn – 35,000; Ms. Morris – 35,000; and Mr. Plexico – 35,000. Ms. Smith and Messrs. Colella and Simpson did not hold any outstanding stock options or other equity awards as of December 31, 2016. None of our non-employee directors held unvested restricted stock or other unvested equity awards as of December 31, 2016.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The disclosure in Item 5 under the heading “Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans” is hereby incorporated by reference.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The following table sets forth certain information as of February 7, 2017 regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock by the following persons: