Company: CRL
Filing Date: 2025-02-19
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001100682-25-000011
Chunk: 59

Company: CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-02-19
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 59
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 to identify new technologies of interest to our clients. Even if we are able to identify these opportunities, negotiating license agreements on commercially acceptable terms may prove difficult. In addition, our ongoing internal research and development efforts may not always yield offerings that meet client demand. If we are unable to develop new services and products and/or create demand for those newly developed services and products, our future business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Costs increasing more rapidly than market prices in certain of our businesses could reduce profitability.

The cost of collecting, processing and testing products has risen significantly in recent years and will likely continue to increase given stringency of demands on raw materials. These cost increases are related to new and improved testing procedures, increased regulatory requirements, and higher staff and supply costs, including labor inflation. Competition and fixed price contracts may limit our ability to maintain existing operating margins. Some competitors have greater resources than us to sustain periods of marginally profitable or unprofitable sales. Costs increasing more rapidly than market prices may reduce profitability and may have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Legal and Regulatory Risk Factors

Any failure by us to comply with applicable regulations and related guidance could harm our reputation and operating results, and compliance with new regulations and guidance may result in additional costs.

Any failure on our part to comply with applicable regulations could result in the termination of ongoing research or the disqualification of data for submission on behalf of our clients to regulatory authorities. This could harm our reputation, our prospects for future work and our operating results. For example, the issuance of a notice of objectionable observations or a warning letter from the FDA based on a finding of a material violation affecting data integrity by us for GLP or cGMP requirements that are not addressed to the regulatory monitoring authorities’ satisfaction could materially and adversely affect us. If our operations are found to violate any applicable law or other governmental regulations, we might be subject to civil and criminal penalties, damages and fines or the temporary closure of our facilities. Any action against us for violation of these laws or regulations, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses, divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business and damage our reputation.

Where applicable, our clients expect us to timely deliver their non-clinical data compliant with the FDA’s SEND (Standardization for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) standards. Notwithstanding, some of these standards require additional operating and capital expenses that will impact not only us and our industry competitors,