EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1624326
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1624326_10-K_2023_0001493152-23-007481.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
Background and Overview
PAVmed is a highly differentiated, multi-product, commercial-stage medical technology company organized to advance a broad pipeline of innovative medical technologies from concept to commercialization, employing a business model focused on capital efficiency and speed to market.
Our current central focus is predominantly on commercial expansion and execution including the acceleration of EsoGuard and Veris Cancer Care Platform commercialization. As resources permit, we will continue to explore internal and external innovations that fulfill our project selection criteria without limiting ourselves to any target specialty or condition. More broadly, we strive to maintain balance within our pipeline with shorter-term, lower-risk projects with the prospect for rapid commercialization and revenue generation supporting development of longer-term projects. At the same time, we are continuously re-assessing each project’s long-term commercial potential relative to other projects in our pipeline, accelerating or decelerating the project and reallocating resources accordingly.
The Company operates in one segment as a medical technology company, with the following lines of business: Diagnostics, Medical Devices and Digital Health. Below is a summary of each of our key products within these sectors, including in particular EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, currently our two leading products. We are also pursuing a number of research and development project and product opportunities across these three lines of business, which have either been developed internally or have been presented to us by clinician innovators and academic medical institutions for consideration.
EsoGuard and EsoCheck
We believe that the flagship product of our majority-owned subsidiary Lucid Diagnostics Inc. (Nasdaq: LUCD) (“Lucid”), the EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test, performed on samples collected with the EsoCheck Esophageal Cell Collection Device, constitutes the first and only commercially available diagnostic test capable of serving as a widespread screening tool to prevent esophageal adenocarcinoma (“EAC”) deaths, through early detection of esophageal precancer in at-risk gastroesophageal reflux disease (“GERD,” also commonly known as chronic heartburn, acid reflux or simply reflux) patients.
EsoGuard is a bisulfite-converted next-generation sequencing (NGS) DNA assay performed on surface esophageal cells collected with EsoCheck. It quantifies methylation at 31 sites on two genes, Vimentin (VIM) and Cyclin A1 (CCNA1). The assay was evaluated in a 408-patient multicenter case-control study published in Science Translational Medicine and showed greater than 90% sensitivity and specificity at detecting esophageal precancer and all conditions along the BE-EAC spectrum, including on samples collected with EsoCheck (Moinova, et al. Sci Transl Med. 2018 Jan 17;10(424): eaao5848). EsoGuard is commercially available in the U.S. as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) performed at our CLIA-certified laboratory. Cell samples, including those collected with EsoCheck, as discussed below, are sent to our laboratory for testing and analyses using our proprietary EsoGuard NGS DNA assay.
EsoCheck is an FDA 510(k) and CE Mark cleared noninvasive swallowable balloon capsule catheter device capable of sampling surface esophageal cells in a less than five-minute office procedure. It consists of a vitamin pill-sized rigid plastic capsule tethered to a thin silicone catheter from which a soft silicone balloon with textured ridges emerges to gently swab surface esophageal cells. When vacuum suction is applied, the balloon and sampled cells are pulled into the capsule, protecting them from contamination and dilution by cells outside of the targeted region during device withdrawal. We believe this proprietary Collect+Protect™ technology makes EsoCheck the only noninvasive esophageal cell collection device capable of such anatomically targeted and protected sampling.
EsoGuard and EsoCheck are based on patented technology licensed by Lucid from Case Western Reserve University (“CWRU”). EsoGuard and EsoCheck have been developed to provide an accurate, non-invasive, patient-friendly screening test for the early detection of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus (“EAC”) and Barrett’s Esophagus (“BE”), including dysplastic BE and related pre-cursors to EAC in patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux (“GERD”).
Market Opportunity
In 2023, approximately 20,000 U.S. GERD patients are projected to be diagnosed with EAC and approximately 16,000 will die from it. Over 80% of EAC patients will die within five years of diagnosis, making it the second most lethal cancer in the U.S. The U.S. incidence of EAC has increased 500% over the past four decades, while the incidences of other common cancers have declined or remained flat. In nearly all cases, EAC silently progresses until it manifests itself with new symptoms of advanced disease. EAC is nearly always invasive at diagnosis, and, unlike other common cancers, mortality rates are high even in its earlier stages.
As discussed below under the heading “Clinical Guidelines for At-Risk Population”, the American Gastroenterology Association (“AGA”) recently significantly expanded the target population for esophageal precancer screening, recommending screening in at-risk patients without symptoms of GERD. Based on this revision, we believe the cohort recommended for screening consists of an estimated 30 million U.S. individuals with at least 3 established risk factors for BE. Accordingly, we believe EsoGuard’s total addressable U.S. market opportunity exceeds $60 billion based on an effective Medicare payment of $1,938 and the estimated 30 million U.S. patients recommended for screening by clinical practice guidelines. (In December 2019, we secured “gapfill” determination for EsoGuard’s PLA code 0114U through the CMS CLFS process. This allowed us to engage directly with Medicare contractor Palmetto GBA and its MolDx Program on CMS payment and coverage. In October 2020, CMS granted EsoGuard final Medicare payment determination of $1,938.01, effective January 1, 2021.)
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, less than 10% of at-risk patients who are recommended for screening undergo traditional invasive upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (EGD). We believe that the profound tragedy of an EAC diagnosis is that likely death could have been prevented if the at-risk patient had been screened and then undergone surveillance and curative endoscopic esophageal ablation of dysplastic BE.
Since mortality rates are high even in early stage EAC, preventing EAC deaths requires detection and intervention at the precancer stage. Most of the necessary elements for such an early detection program are already well established-an at-risk population (at-risk GERD patients), a precancer (BE), and an intervention which can halt progression to EAC (endoscopic esophageal ablation). The only missing element for such an early detection program is a widespread screening tool that can detect BE prior to EAC.
We believe EsoGuard, used with EsoCheck, constitutes that missing element-the first and only commercially available diagnostic test capable of serving as a widespread screening tool to prevent EAC deaths through early detection of esophageal precancer and cancer in patients with 3 or more risk factors.
Clinical Guidelines for At-Risk Population
The subgroup of long-standing or severe GERD patients at-risk for BE and progression to EAC is well defined in clinical practice guidelines, including the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) BE Guidelines. In its Recommendation 5, the ACG suggests a single screening endoscopy in patients with chronic GERD symptoms and 3 or more additional risk factors for BE, including male sex, age greater than 50 years, White race, tobacco smoking, obesity, and family history of BE or EAC in a first-degree relative.
An ACG clinical guideline entitled “Diagnosis and Management of Barrett’s Esophagus: An Updated ACG Guideline,” the first such update since 2016, was published online last year in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The clinical guideline reiterates the ACG’s long-standing recommendation for esophageal precancer screening in at-risk patients with GERD. For the first time, however, the clinical guideline also endorses nonendoscopic biomarker screening as an acceptable alternative to costly and invasive endoscopy stating that “a swallowable nonendoscopic capsule device combined with a biomarker is an acceptable alternative to endoscopy for BE.” The clinical guideline specifically mentions EsoCheck, along with Lucid’s EsophaCap® device, as such swallowable, nonendoscopic esophageal cell collection devices, as well as methylated DNA biomarkers such as EsoGuard. The summary of evidence for this recommendation includes a reference to the seminal NIH-funded, multicenter, case-control study published in 2018 in Science Translational Medicine, which demonstrated that EsoGuard is highly accurate at detecting esophageal precancer and cancer, including on samples collected with EsoCheck.
In July 2022, the AGA published in their “Clinical Practice Update on New Technology and Innovation for Surveillance and Screening in Barrett’s Esophagus” updated clinical guidance that mirrors the same furnished by the ACG as described above, endorsing the use of non-endoscopic cell collection tools to screen for BE like our EsoCheck Cell Collection Device, which is cited in the update, as an acceptable alternative to endoscopy to directly address the need for noninvasive screening tools that are easy to administer, patient friendly, and cost-effective for the detection of BE. The clinical practice update by the AGA also significantly expands the target population for esophageal precancer screening, including for EsoGuard and EsoCheck, by recommending, for the first time, screening in at-risk patients without symptoms of GERD. The AGA does so by adding a history of chronic GERD as merely an additional, seventh risk factor to the six risk factors for BE and EAC that have traditionally identified at-risk symptomatic patients recommended for screening.
Commercialization
Our EsoGuard commercialization efforts span multiple channels including targeting primary care physicians and GI physicians, who have generally embraced our message that EsoGuard has the potential to expand the funnel of BE-EAC patients who will need long term EGD surveillance and, potentially, treatment with endoscopic esophageal ablation.
To assure sufficient testing capacity and geographic coverage, we have built our own network of Lucid Test Centers, staffed by Lucid-employed clinical personnel, where patients can undergo the EsoCheck procedure and have the sample sent for EsoGuard testing at Lucid’s CLIA-certified laboratory. Our current test center network currently includes locations in metropolitan areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Utah.
In addition to our base test center network, Lucid has established a satellite test center program, whereby we are expanding our footprint by making our personnel available to perform cell collection services in physician offices. Further, we have sought to expand our outreach by successfully conducting multiple “#CheckYourFoodTube Precancer Testing Event” for organizations such as the San Antonio Fire Department, where samples are collected from the organization’s employees for testing with EsoGuard at Lucid’s CLIA-certified laboratory.
We have also established an EsoGuard Telemedicine Program, in partnership with UpScript, LLC, an independent third-party telemedicine provider, that accommodates EsoGuard self-referrals from direct-to-consumer marketing.
Reimbursement and Market Access
As noted above, in December 2019, we secured “gapfill” determination for EsoGuard’s PLA code 0114U through the CMS CLFS process. This allowed us to engage directly with Medicare contractor Palmetto GBA and its MolDx Program on CMS payment and coverage. In October 2020, CMS granted EsoGuard final Medicare payment determination of $1,938.01, effective January 1, 2021.
A proposed Local Coverage Determination (“LCD”) DL39256, entitled “Molecular Testing for Detection of Upper Gastrointestinal Metaplasia, Dysplasia, and Neoplasia” was published recently on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) website by MAC Palmetto GBA. The proposed LCD is a further step in Lucid’s efforts to secure Medicare coverage and payment for EsoGuard. The proposed LCD, which the CMS website explicitly characterizes as a “work in progress” for “public review,” outlines criteria that MolDX expects upper gastrointestinal precancer and cancer molecular diagnostic tests to meet. These criteria include active GERD with at least two risk factors, as well as evidence of analytic validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility. Although the proposed LCD indicated that it found that no currently existing test has fulfilled all criteria, it indicated that it will “monitor the evidence and will provide coverage based on the pertinent literature and society recommendations.” Notably, the proposed LCD pre-dated, and therefore does not include consideration of, the most recent AGA clinical practice update endorsing swallowable, nonendoscopic capsule devices combined with a biomarker, such as EsoCheck and EsoGuard, as an alternative to endoscopy. The publication of the proposed LCD triggers a written comment period, and MolDX also held an open meeting on May 10, 2022, during which stakeholders and other interested parties will have the opportunity to address the proposed LCD. We presented at the public meeting and made a written submission during the comment period as well. A final LCD will not be issued until the MAC has had the opportunity to assess and consider all stakeholder comments.
While we await a Palmetto MolDX LCD coverage determination, Lucid is aggressively pursuing EsoGuard commercial insurer payment and coverage. Although the claim adjudication cycle can be prolonged during the early commercialization of a new test, Lucid has received out-of-network commercial insurance payments for the EsoGuard test, and has entered into agreements with insurers that provide access to, in the aggregate, over 70 million patients.
Clinical Utility and Clinical Trials
Demonstrating EsoGuard’s clinical utility, which requires providing evidence that the test has a meaningful impact on clinical practice, is very important for a variety of purposes, including, importantly, for Medicare and private payor payment and coverage. It has been established that one of the most important factors to private payors in deciding whether to grant payment and coverage will be demonstration that the EsoGuard test, when ordered by physicians, provides information that can be used to identify or exclude patients who would benefit from additional management and/or treatment. Clinical utility studies are also important for general EsoGuard commercialization by facilitating physician understanding of test indications and potential benefit to the patients.
We are currently seeking to accelerate our collection of clinical utility data through a range of trials that can be efficiently executed. These efforts include a planned investigator-initiated, retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on the approximately 400 San Antonio fire fighters who underwent testing as part of a community-sponsored cancer awareness event (in respect of which we expect to publish results in the first half of 2023); an ongoing investigator-initiated, retrospective, single-center, study with 500 patients (in respect of which we expect to publish results mid-2023), a virtual-patient randomized controlled trial with intended recruitment of 100-200 physician participants (in respect of which we expect to publish results this year); a Lucid-sponsored multi-center, prospective, observational study with 500 patients; and a Lucid-sponsored registry at existing Lucid Test Centers, whereby all patients undergoing EsoCheck testing will be given the opportunity to provide informed consent and contribute data about their risk factors, EsoGuard results, and subsequent diagnostic and/or therapeutic journey. Both Lucid-sponsored observational/registry studies expect to have preliminary results and/or interim analysis before the end of 2023.
As previously disclosed, consequently, we have decided to delay for the time being the two previously commenced clinical trials, the “EsoGuard screening study” (“BE-1”) and the “EsoGuard case-control study” (“BE-2”), as we are devoting our clinical resources to the studies cited above, which we expect will more efficiently generate the clinical data we are currently prioritizing to drive EsoGuard commercialization.
Manufacturing
EsoCheck is currently manufactured for us by our partners Coastline International, a high-volume device manufacturer, and Sage Product Development. Through mid-2023, we expect to further transition from Sage to Coastline as the manufacturing process is further optimized. Our current line capacity can produce up to 25,000 units per year. With Coastline’s improvement and expansion, there is capacity to scale exponentially. Our EsoGuard Specimen Kits are currently manufactured for us by our partner Path-Tec. The warehousing, logistics, fulfillment and customer support of our products is managed for us by our partners HealthLink International (a leading third-party logistics company) and Path-Tec.
License Agreement
Under the terms of Lucid’s license agreement with Case Western Reserve University (“CWRU”), Lucid acquired an exclusive worldwide right to use the intellectual property rights to the EsoGuard and EsoCheck technology for the detection of changes in the esophagus and on sample preservation. Lucid is required to pay CWRU royalties on net sales of licensed products as follows: 5% of net sales of less than $100 million per year; and 8% of net sales greater than $100 million per year. Lucid is also required to pay CWRU minimum annual royalty payments as follows: $50,000 per year, beginning January 1 following the first anniversary of a commercial sale of a licensed product; $150,000 per year, if net sales of a licensed product exceed $25 million in a year; $300,000 per year, if net sales of a licensed product exceed $50 million in a year; and $600,000 per year, if net sales of a licensed product exceed $100 million in a year. Minimum yearly royalty amounts are subject to increase based on the percentage change in the CPI-W Consumer Price Index and are credited against the royalties otherwise due. The license agreement was subject to four regulatory and commercialization milestones, of which one remains unachieved and unpaid. The remaining milestone is the FDA PMA submission of a licensed product, upon the achievement of which we will pay CWRU a milestone payment of $200,000. The license agreement terminates upon the expiration of the last-to-expire licensed patent, or on May 12, 2038, in countries where no such patents exist, or upon expiration of any exclusive marketing rights for a licensed product that have been granted by FDA or other U.S. government agency, whichever comes later. The EsoCheck patents, which are currently the last to expire, begin to expire in May 2035.
Regulatory
In June 2019, we received FDA 510(k) clearance to market EsoCheck in the U.S. as a device indicated for use in the collection and retrieval of surface cells of the esophagus in adults followed by FDA 510(k) clearance in 2022, expanding the use of EsoCheck in adults and pediatric populations in the U.S. In December 2019, our CLIA-certified then-laboratory partner, completed documentation of EsoGuard analytical validity allowing us to commercialize it as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT).
In February 2020, we received FDA “Breakthrough Device Designation” for EsoGuard as an in-vitro diagnostic (“IVD”) medical device. The FDA Breakthrough Device Program was created to offer patients more timely access to breakthrough technologies which provide for more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating human disease or conditions by expediting their development, assessment and review through enhanced communications and more efficient and flexible clinical study design, including more favorable pre/post market data collection balance. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the United States Congress continue to work to provide an expedited coverage pathway for emerging technologies.
In May 2021, we received CE Mark certification for EsoCheck (under the Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EEC), and in June 2021, we completed CE Mark self-certification for EsoGuard (under the European In-Vitro Diagnostic Devices Directive (IVDD 98/79/EC)), indicating both may be marketed in CE Mark European countries.
Our longer-term strategy is to secure a specific indication, based on published guidelines, for BE screening in certain at-risk populations using EsoGuard on samples collected with EsoCheck. This use of EsoGuard together with EsoCheck as a screening system must be cleared or approved by the FDA as an IVD device.
Laboratory Operations
On February 25, 2022, our new, wholly owned subsidiary, LucidDx Labs Inc. (“LucidDx Labs”), acquired from RDx, certain licenses and other related assets necessary for LucidDx Labs to operate its own new CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited clinical laboratory located in Lake Forest, CA. Since March 2022, we have conducted EsoGuard testing at our own laboratory with, until recently, the assistance of RDx, which had continued to provide certain testing and related services for the laboratory in accordance with the terms of a management services agreement (“MSA-RDx”), dated and effective February 25, 2022. Recently, however, the Company accelerated the development of internal resources necessary to operate the laboratory entirely on its own. Accordingly, Lucid’s subsidiary LucidDx Labs and RDx agreed terminate the MSA-RDx effective as of February 10, 2023, such that LucidDx Labs now operates the laboratory itself, which the Company believes will improve the efficiency of the performance of the EsoGuard assay.
Competition
The U.S. market for esophageal cancer (i.e., EAC) and pre-cancer (i.e., BE, with or without dysplasia) screening is large, consisting of more than 30 million at-risk individuals over the age of 50. Given the large market for pre-cancer screening, we likely will face numerous competitors, some of which possess significantly greater financial and other resources and development capabilities than us. Our EsoGuard test faces competition from procedure-based detection technologies such as upper endoscopy, and other screening technologies such as multi-cancer early detection products. Our EsoCheck device faces competition from other manufactures with devices designed to collect cell samples from targeted regions of the esophagus. For example, Cytosponge is a small mesh sponge within a soluble gelatin capsule that dissolves in the stomach and then is pulled thru the targeted region brushing the lining of the esophagus and then later retrieved, although, unlike EsoCheck, it is unprotected from contamination. Our competitors may also be developing additional methods of detecting esophageal cancer and pre-cancer that have not yet been announced.
Accordingly, the market for our products is highly competitive and is characterized by extensive research and clinical efforts and rapid technological change. In order to compete effectively, EsoGuard and EsoCheck will have to achieve market acceptance, receive adequate insurance coverage and reimbursement, be cost effective and be simultaneously safe and effective. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets are:
● diagnostic accuracy and the quality of outcomes for medical conditions;
● acceptance by physicians and the medical device market generally;
● ease of use and reliability;
● technical leadership and superiority;
● effective marketing and distribution;
● speed to market; and
● product price and qualification for coverage and reimbursement.
Most of our existing and potential competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, sales, distribution, manufacturing and technological resources. We may be unable to compete effectively against our competitors either because their products and services are superior or more cost efficient, or because of they have access to greater resources than us. These competitors may have greater name recognition than we do. Many of these competitors have obtained all desirable FDA or other regulatory approvals, and superior patent protection, for their products. Certain of our competitors have already commercialized their products, and others may commercialize their products in advance of our products. In addition, our competitors may make technical advances that render our products obsolete. We may be unable to respond to such technical advances.
Veris Cancer Care Platform
Overview
In May 2021, we formed Veris Health, a majority-owned subsidiary, focused on digital health technology. In connection with its formation, Veris Health acquired Oncodisc, a digital health company with groundbreaking tools to improve personalized cancer care through remote patient monitoring. Oncodisc’s core technologies include the first intelligent implantable vascular access port with biologic sensors and wireless communication, combined with an oncologist-designed remote digital healthcare platform that provides patients and physicians with new tools to improve outcomes and optimize the delivery of cost-effective care through remote monitoring and data analytics.
Oncodisc was founded in 2018 experienced physician entrepreneurs, James Mitchell, M.D., who joined Veris Health as its full-time Chief Medical Officer, and Andrew Thoreson, M.D., who serves as a Veris Health consultant. They previously co-founded Redsmith, Inc., an interventional catheter company whose technology was acquired by C.R. Bard Inc., now BD Inc. (NYSE: BDX). Oncodisc received a National Science Foundation (“NSF”) Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) grant award to support its early work and completed both the MedTech Innovator Accelerator and UCSF Rosenman Institute Accelerator programs.
The Veris Cancer Care Platform (“CCP”) is a digital cancer care platform with physiologic data collection, symptom reporting and telehealth functions, designed to improve personalized cancer care through remote patient monitoring. Cancer patients enrolled in the Veris CCP receive a VerisBox™ with Veris-branded Bluetooth enabled connected health care devices. The devices transmit clinical data to cancer care teams to detect early signs of common cancer-related complications, provide longitudinal trends of physiologic and clinical data, and offer data-driven risk management tools for precision oncology. Veris CCP integrates directly with practices’ and systems’ Electronic Health Record (“EHR”) systems, allowing care teams to easily view and interact with this data. We are also currently developing a groundbreaking implantable physiologic monitor containing biologic sensors capable of generating continuous data on key physiologic parameters known to predict adverse outcomes in cancer patients undergoing treatment. The implantable will seamlessly interact with the Veris CCP. These technologies are the subject of multiple patent applications and one issued patent.
Veris Health leverages a business-to-business sales model. Its software-as-a-service recurring-revenue business model seeks to generate 100% recurring revenue through oncology practice and hospital-based subscriptions. These entities pay monthly fees for each patient on the platform, through which they are able to drive revenues from remote physiologic monitoring (and, in the future, device implantation) under existing CPT codes, as well as through the upcoming CMS Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) bonuses and incentives. Veris also plans to build a commercialization model around the oncology data it is collecting. We have identified multiple potential use cases across a number of verticals, including clinical trials, commercial use cases, and as a means to improve patient care.
In addition to targeting the oncology market, Veris plans to expand into the hospital-at-home market, cardiovascular diseases, end-stage renal disease, and lung disorders like COPD. We have already initiated R&D efforts around an enhanced implantable cardiac monitor capable of detecting cardiac arrhythmias and other physiologic parameters critical for high-risk cardiac patients. Future devices will combine novel sensing technology with seamless communication, engaging user interface design, and data analytics driving actionable clinical insights for patients with congestive heart failure. These technologies will then be expanded for high-risk kidney disease and pulmonary patients.
Market Opportunity
In 2022, approximately 1.9 million people in the U.S. were newly diagnosed with cancer, and cancer incidence in the U.S. is expected to continue to increase. Cancer patients face high rates of complications during the courses of their treatment which drive poor patient outcomes and healthcare costs. One driver of these issues is avoidable hospitalizations. We believe Veris Health’s offerings can help drive costs down and improve outcomes through providing care teams with better, more continuous data.
Based on the aforementioned cancer prevalence in the U.S. and our current business model, we believe Veris Health’s total addressable U.S. market opportunity exceeds $2 billion. In the future, we believe this opportunity will only expand through the implantable physiologic monitor, data commercialization, and the expansion into other markets aside from oncology.
Commercialization/Sales
Our Veris commercialization efforts have targeted the full spectrum of oncology care providers, with a focus on independent oncology practices, participants in CMS’s Oncology Care Model (OCM) and EOM, and innovative, progressive health systems. The growing adoption of value-based models has provided a strong tailwind, as the Veris CCP addresses many requirements of these programs, including electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (“ePROs”) and the use of data for quality improvement.
Manufacturing
The components comprising the Veris Cancer Care Platform are currently supplied to us by our partners TransTek and their U.S.-based subsidiary, Mio Labs. Each has passed a SOC-2 audit by an outside auditor. The final packaging of the overall box and order fulfillment is managed by Impilo, a partner with TransTek and Mio Labs. The customer support is currently managed internally, while partnering with Zendesk for customer service management.
Regulatory
The Veris CCP software is considered a non-device Medical Device Data System (“MDDS”) that is excluded from the statutory definition of a medical device under the FDC Act and as confirmed in the FDA’s MDDS Guidance: Medical Device Data Systems, Medical Image Storage Devices, and Medical Image Communications Devices. Therefore, Veris CCP is not subject to the FDA’s regulatory requirements for devices.
Veris Health is also developing an implantable cardiac monitor and is currently interacting with the FDA via pre-submission process, seeking agreement on regulatory strategy and required testing to seek clearance of the monitor. We current plan to make our 510(k) submission for the implantable monitor in late 2023.
As Veris Health is currently sourcing the devices included in the VerisBox™ from the third-party 510(k) holders for those products, such holders are responsible for any losses, damages, claims or other liabilities that may arise with respect to those devices used with the Veris CCP software, notwithstanding Veris Health commercial branding being added to the devices or the devices’ packaging.
Competition
The U.S. market for cancer patient care is large. There are many existing competitors in the remote patient monitoring space, some of which possess significantly greater financial and other resources and development capabilities than us. Our Veris CCP faces competition from other digital care platforms providing many of the same features, including EHR integration and remote patient monitoring capabilities. While we are not aware of other implantable physiologic monitors containing biologic sensors, our competitors may also be developing similar devices that have not yet been announced.
Product Pipeline
Below is a summary of certain of the other leading products within our development pipeline. While we currently are devoting substantially all of our resources to the acceleration of EsoGuard and Veris Cancer Care Platform commercialization, as resources permit, we will continue to explore innovative technologies, such as our EsoCure, CarpX and NextFlo products as more fully described below, that fulfill our project selection criteria without limiting ourselves to any target specialty or condition.
Esocure
In connection with our efforts to expand our presence in the EAC diagnostic market, we are also developing the EsoCure Esophageal Ablation Device, with the intent to allow a clinician to treat dysplastic BE before it can progress to EAC, a highly lethal esophageal cancer, and to do so without the need for complex and expensive capital equipment. We have successfully completed a pre-clinical feasibility animal study of EsoCure demonstrating excellent, controlled circumferential ablation of the esophageal mucosal lining. An acute and survival animal study of EsoCure Esophageal Ablation Device has also been completed, demonstrating successful direct thermal balloon catheter ablation of esophageal lining through the working channel of a standard endoscope. When resources permit, we plan to conduct additional development work and animal testing of EsoCure to support a future FDA 510(k) submission.
CarpX
CarpX is a patented, single-use, disposable, minimally invasive surgical device for use in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. We believe CarpX is designed to allow the physician to relieve the compression on the median nerve without an open incision or the need for endoscopic or other imaging equipment, and therefore will be significantly less invasive than existing treatments. To use CarpX, the operator first advances a guidewire through the carpal tunnel under the ligament, and then advanced over the wire and positioned in the carpal tunnel under ultrasonic and/or fluoroscopic guidance. When the CarpX balloon is inflated it creates tension in the ligament positioning the cutting electrodes underneath it and creates space within the tunnel, providing anatomic separation between the target ligament and critical structures such as the median nerve. Radiofrequency energy is briefly delivered to the electrodes, rapidly cutting the ligament, and relieving the pressure on the nerve. We believe CarpX will be significantly less invasive than existing treatments.
CarpX received FDA 510(k) marketing clearance in April 2020, with the first commercial procedure successfully performed in December 2020. In May 2021 European CE Mark Certification was received for CarpX. Our limited-release commercialization efforts through 2022 were focused on engaging key opinion hand surgeons designed to solicit input for ergonomic improvements to the device, procedure development and surgical-time optimization, and ease of use. As a result of this clinical input, we have initiated a product development project to incorporate intraluminal ultrasound into the device to include real time imaging of the ligament to be cut together with critical anatomic structures, and will continue to pursue that project, as resources permit.
PortIO
Our PortIO implantable intraosseous vascular access device is being developed as a means for infusing fluids, medications and other substances directly into the bone marrow cavity and from there into the central venous circulation. The intraosseous route provides a means for infusing fluids, medications and other substances directly into the bone marrow cavity which communicates with the central venous circulation via nutrient and emissary veins. This route is well established, having been used for decades in a variety of settings including trauma, especially military trauma, and pediatric emergencies. It has been shown to be bioequivalent to the intravenous route. Complication rates are low and there are few contraindications. Currently available intraosseous devices pass through the skin into the bone and are therefore limited to short term use. PortIO is a novel, implantable intraosseous vascular access device which does not require accessing the central venous system and does not have an indwelling intravascular component. It is designed to be highly resistant to occlusion and, we believe, may not require regular flushing. It features simplified, near-percutaneous insertion and removal, without the need for surgical dissection or radiographic confirmation.
Recent Developments
Business
Status of Lucid Clinical Trials
Lucid is currently seeking to accelerate our collection of clinical utility data through a range of trials that can be efficiently executed. These efforts include a planned investigator-initiated, retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on the approximately 400 San Antonio fire fighters who underwent testing as part of a community-sponsored cancer awareness event (in respect of which we expect to publish results in the first half of 2023); an ongoing investigator-initiated, retrospective, single-center, study with 500 patients (in respect of which we expect to publish results mid-2023), a virtual-patient randomized controlled trial with intended recruitment of 100-200 physician participants (in respect of which we expect to publish results this year); a Lucid-sponsored multi-center, prospective, observational study with 500 patients; and a Lucid-sponsored registry at existing Lucid Test Centers, whereby all patients undergoing EsoCheck testing will be given the opportunity to provide informed consent and contribute data about their risk factors, EsoGuard results, and subsequent diagnostic and/or therapeutic journey. Both Lucid-sponsored observational/registry studies expect to have preliminary results and/or interim analysis before the end of 2023.
As previously disclosed, consequently, Lucid has decided to delay for the time being the two previously commenced clinical trials, the “EsoGuard screening study” (“BE-1”) and the “EsoGuard case-control study” (“BE-2”), as Lucid is devoting our clinical resources to the studies cited above, which we expect will more efficiently generate the clinical data Lucid is currently prioritizing to drive EsoGuard commercialization.
LucidDx Labs Laboratory Operations Update
On February 14, 2023, Lucid Diagnostics and LucidDx Labs Inc. entered into an agreement (the “MSA Termination Agreement”) with RDx, pursuant to which the parties mutually agreed to terminate the MSA-RDx without cause. The termination was effective as February 10, 2023. Until the termination of the MSA-RDx, RDx had continued to provide certain testing and related services for the Laboratory in accordance with the terms of the MSA-RDx. Recently, however, Lucid accelerated the development of internal resources necessary to operate the Laboratory entirely on its own. Accordingly, the Company believes that termination of the MSA-RDx will improve the efficiency of the performance of the EsoGuard assay.
Among other things, the MSA Termination Agreement reduces the remaining amounts of the earnout payments and management fees due under the APA-RDx and the MSA-RDx to $725,000 (from the $3,450,000 that would otherwise have been payable under the APA and MSA if the MSA had remained in effect through the balance of its stated term), resulting in a net savings to Lucid Diagnostics of $2,725,000. The payment was satisfied through the issuance of 553,436 shares of Lucid Diagnostics’ common stock on February 25, 2023. Lucid Diagnostics was not required to make any cash payments in connection with the termination.
#CheckYourFoodTube Events
In January 2023, Lucid successfully completed its first #CheckYourFoodTube Precancer Testing Event, in partnership with Rachelle Hamblin, M.D., M.P.H., and the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), to detect esophageal precancer in at-risk members of the department. The SAFD testing event was held over two weekends in January, which has been designated as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). A total of 391 members, nearly one-quarter of the department, who were deemed by Dr. Hamblin to be at-risk for esophageal precancer, underwent a brief, on-site, noninvasive cell collection procedure, performed by Lucid clinical personnel using its EsoCheck® Esophageal Cell Collection Device. Firefighters with suspected esophageal precancer based on a positive EsoGuard result were identified, including some less than forty years of age, and will undergo appropriate monitoring and treatment, as indicated by clinical practice guidelines, to prevent progression to esophageal cancer. These events, which Lucid looks to expand across the country, are an extension of Lucid’s recently introduced and expanding satellite Lucid Test Center (sLTC) program, which brings our precancer testing directly to patients-at their physician’s office and now at large testing day events. Lucid demonstrated that its nurse practitioners can each perform up to fifty EsoCheck procedures in a day, and its laboratory team handled over two hundred incoming samples in a day, while maintaining turnaround times at target. These successes provide an excellent foundation for future testing events as we continue to drive EsoGuard commercialization using all the tools at our disposal.
Veris Health Commercialization Update
In December 2022, Veris Health signed a license agreement for the Veris CCP software with its first customer, New Jersey Cancer Care. Since, Veris Health onboarded the first cohort of patients of that practice onto the Veris CCP as well, and has signed license agreements with two additional cancer centers. These successes lay the groundwork for Veris Health’s expansion plans with respect to the Veris CCP software as it seeks to onboard cancer centers and patients across the country.
NASDAQ Notice
On December 29, 2022, the Company received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq stating that, for the prior 30 consecutive business days (through December 28, 2022), the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock had been below the minimum of $1 per share required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The notification letter stated that the Company would be afforded 180 calendar days (until June 27, 2023) to regain compliance. In order to regain compliance, the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock must be at least $1 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. In February 2023, the Company distributed a proxy statement for a special meeting of shareholders to be held on March 31, 2023 (the “Special Meeting”), at which the Company will be seeking approval of an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, to effect, at any time prior to the one-year anniversary date of the Special Meeting, (i) a reverse split of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock at a specific ratio, ranging from 1-for-5 to 1-for-15, to be determined by the board of directors of the Company in its sole discretion, and (ii) an associated reduction in the number of shares of common stock the Company is authorized to issue, from 250,000,000 shares to 50,000,000 shares. If the proposed reverse stock split is approved, the Company anticipates it will regain compliance with the Nasdaq requirements for continued listing.
Payroll and Benefit Expense Reimbursement Agreement
On November 30, 2022, PAVmed and Lucid entered into a payroll and benefit expense reimbursement agreement (the “PBERA”). Historically, PAVmed has paid for certain payroll and benefit-related expenses in respect of Lucid’’s personnel on behalf of Lucid, and Lucid has reimbursed PAVmed for the same. Pursuant to the PBERA, PAVmed will continue to pay such expenses, and Lucid will continue to reimburse PAVmed for the same. The PBERA now provides that the expenses will be reimbursed on a quarterly basis or at such other frequency as the parties may determine, in cash or, subject to approval by the board of directors of each of PAVmed and Lucid, in shares of Lucid’s common stock, with such shares valued at the volume weighted average price of such stock during the final ten trading days preceding the later of the two dates on which such stock issuance is approved by the board of directors of each of PAVmed and Lucid (subject to a floor price of $0.40 per share), or in a combination of cash and shares. However, in no event shall Lucid issue any shares of its common stock to PAVmed in satisfaction of all or any portion of the expenses if the issuance of such shares of its common stock would exceed the maximum number of shares of common stock that the Issuer may issue under the rules or regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), unless Lucid obtains the approval of its stockholders as required by the applicable rules of the Nasdaq for issuances of shares of its common stock in excess of such amount.
Financing
Securities Purchase Agreement - March 31, 2022 - Senior Secured Convertible Note - April 4, 2022 and Senior Secured Convertible Note - September 8, 2022
Effective as of March 31, 2022, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with an accredited institutional investor (“Investor”, “Lender”, and /or “Holder”), pursuant to which we agreed to sell, and the Investor agreed to purchase an aggregate of $50.0 million face value principal of Senior Secured Convertible Notes. The SPA provided for the sale to the Investor of an initial Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of $27.5 million, which closed on April 4, 2022 (the “April 2022 Senior Convertible Note”). The SPA also provided for sales of additional Senior Secured Convertible Notes in one or more additional closings (upon the satisfaction of certain conditions), with an aggregate face value principal of up to an additional $22.5 million. The April 2022 Senior Convertible Note proceeds were $24.4 million after deducting a $2.5 million lender fee and the Company’s offering costs of approximately $0.6 million, inclusive primarily of $0.5 million placement agent fees.
On September 8, 2022, we completed an additional closing under the SPA, in which we sold to the Investor an additional Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of $11.25 million (the “September 2022 Senior Convertible Note”). The September 2022 Senior Convertible Note proceeds were $10.0 million after deducting a $1.0 million lender fee and the Company’s offering costs of approximately $0.2 million, inclusive primarily of placement agent fees.
See our accompanying consolidated financial statements Note 14, Debt, for further discussion of the SPA dated March 31, 2022 and the senior convertible notes.
Lucid Diagnostics Inc. - Committed Equity Facility and ATM Facility
In March 2022, our majority-owned subsidiary, Lucid Diagnostics, entered into a committed equity facility with an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald (“Cantor”). Under the terms of the facility, Cantor committed to purchase up to $50 million of Lucid Diagnostics common stock from time to time upon the request of Lucid Diagnostics. While there are distinct differences, the facility is structured similarly to a traditional at-the-market equity facility, insofar as it allows Lucid Diagnostics to raise primary capital on a periodic basis at prices based on the existing market price. Through December 31, 2022, 680,263 shares of common stock of Lucid Diagnostics were issued under this facility for total proceeds of approximately $1.8 million.
In November 2022, Lucid Diagnostics also entered into an “at-the-market offering” for up to $6.5 million of its common stock that may be offered and sold under a Controlled Equity Offering Agreement between Lucid Diagnostics and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. In the year ended December 31, 2022, there were no Lucid Diagnostics shares sold through their at-the-market equity facility. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, through March 9, 2023, Lucid Diagnostics sold 230,068 shares through its at-the-market equity facility for approximately $0.3 million.
Lucid Diagnostics - Series A Preferred Stock Offering
On March 7, 2023, Lucid entered into subscription agreements for the sale of 13,625 shares (the “Lucid Series A Preferred Stock”). Each share of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock has a stated value of $1,000 and a conversion price of $1.394. The terms of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock also include a one times preference on liquidation and a right to receive dividends equal to 20% of the number of shares of Lucid common stock into which such Lucid Series A Preferred Stock is convertible, payable on the one-year and two-year anniversary of the issuance date. The Lucid Series A Preferred Stock is a non-voting security, other than with respect to limited matters related to changes in terms of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock. The aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of shares in such offering were $13.625 million.
Lucid Diagnostics - Private Placement - Securities Purchase Agreement
Effective as of March 13, 2023, Lucid entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“Lucid SPA”) with an accredited institutional investor (“Lucid Investor”, “Lucid Lender”, and /or “Lucid Holder”), pursuant to which Lucid agreed to sell, and the Lucid Investor agreed to purchase a Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of up to $11.1 million (the “March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note”). The issuance of the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note is subject to customary closing conditions.
The March 2023 Lucid Senior Secured Convertible Note would have a 7.875% annual stated interest rate, a contractual conversion price of $5.00 per share of Lucid’s common stock (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction), and a contractual maturity date of the two-year anniversary of the date of issuance. The March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note would be convertible into or otherwise paid in shares of Lucid’s common stock.
Under the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note, Lucid is and would be subject to certain customary affirmative and negative covenants regarding the incurrence of indebtedness, the existence of liens, the repayment of indebtedness and the making of investments, the payment of cash in respect of dividends, distributions or redemptions, the transfer of assets, the maturity of other indebtedness, and transactions with affiliates, among other customary matters. Under the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note, Lucid would also be subject to financial covenants requiring that (i) the amount of Lucid’s available cash equal or exceed $5.0 million at all times, (ii) the ratio of (a) the outstanding principal amount of the notes issued under the Lucid SPA, accrued and unpaid interest thereon and accrued and unpaid late charges to (b) Lucid’s average market capitalization over the prior ten trading days, not exceed 30%, and (iii) that Lucid’s market capitalization shall at no time be less than an amount to be agreed upon.
Intellectual Property
Our business depends on our ability to create or acquire proprietary medical device and diagnostics technologies to commercialize. We own or have the right to use intellectual property rights, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and know-how, pertaining to our EsoCheck and EsoGuard technology, our Veris technology and our EsoCure, CarpX and PortIO products, among other technologies and products.
We intend to vigorously protect our proprietary technologies’ intellectual property rights in patents, trademarks and copyrights, as available through registration in the United States and internationally. We currently have applied for, license or own 55 domestic and foreign patents across 11 families of products, including patents protecting our EsoCheck, EsoGuard and Veris technology. The date the patents protecting certain of our owned and licensed technology will first begin to expire is as set forth in the table below (although currently pending patent applications, both foreign and domestic, are positioned to provide protection beyond such date in each instance).
Technology Year
EsoCheck May
EsoGuard August
Veris Health November
EsoCure March
CarpX November
PortIO November
Patent protection and other proprietary rights are thus essential to our business. Our policy is to aggressively file patent applications to protect our proprietary technologies including inventions and improvements to inventions. We seek patent protection, as appropriate, on:
● the product itself including all embodiments with future commercial potential;
● the methods of using the product; and
● the methods of manufacturing the product.
In addition to filing and prosecuting patent applications in the United States, we intend to file counterpart patent applications in other countries worldwide where there is a value in doing so. Foreign filings can be cumbersome and expensive, and we will pursue such filings when we believe they are warranted as we try to balance our international commercialization plans with our desire to protect the global value of the technology.
The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, a patent’s term may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over another patent or as a result of delays in patent prosecution by the patentee, and a patent’s term may be lengthened by patent term adjustment (PTA), which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in granting a patent, or patent term extension, which restores time lost due to regulatory delays.
We intend to continuously reassess and fine-tune our intellectual property strategy in order to fortify our position in the United States and internationally. Prior to acquiring or licensing a technology from a third party, we will evaluate the existing proprietary rights, our ability to adequately obtain and protect these rights and the likelihood or possibility of infringement upon competing rights of others.
We also rely upon trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological innovation, and upon licensing opportunities, to develop and maintain our competitive position. We intend to protect our proprietary rights through a variety of methods, including confidentiality agreements and/or proprietary information agreements with suppliers, employees, consultants, independent contractors and other entities who may have access to proprietary information. We will generally require employees to assign patents and other intellectual property to us as a condition of employment with us. All of our consulting agreements will pre-emptively assign to us all new and improved intellectual property that arise during the term of the agreement.
PAVmed also has (directly or through its subsidiaries) proprietary rights to a range of trademarks, including, among others, PAVmed™, Lucid Diagnostics™, LUCID™, VERIS™, Oncodisc™, CarpX®, EsoCheck®, EsoGuard®, EsoCheck Cell Collection Device®, Collect + Protect®, EsoCure Esophageal Ablation Device™, NextFlo™, and PortIO™. (Solely as a matter of convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to herein may or may not be accompanied with the requisite marks of “™” or “®”. However, the absence of such marks is not intended to indicate, in any way, PAVmed Inc. or its subsidiaries will not assert, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, their respective rights to such trademarks and trade names.)
Health Insurance Coverage and Reimbursement
Our ability to successfully commercialize our products will depend in part on the extent to which governmental authorities, private health insurers and other third-party payors provide coverage for and establish adequate reimbursement levels for the procedures during which our products are used.
In the United States, third-party payors continue to implement initiatives that restrict the use of certain technologies to those that meet certain clinical evidentiary requirements. In addition to uncertainties surrounding coverage policies, there are periodic changes to reimbursement. Third-party payors regularly update reimbursement amounts and also from time to time revise the methodologies used to determine reimbursement amounts. This includes annual updates to payments to physicians, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers for procedures during which our products are used. An example of payment updates is the Medicare program’s updates to hospital and physician payments, which are done on an annual basis using a prescribed statutory formula. In the past, when the application of the formula resulted in lower payment, Congress has passed interim legislation to prevent the reductions.
A product’s reimbursement profile, both in the U.S. and internationally, is an important component of the product’s commercial opportunity. We prefer projects with existing reimbursement codes, the opportunity to seek reimbursement under higher-value surgical procedure codes or the potential to seek reimbursement under narrow, product-specific codes as opposed to bundled procedure codes. For those products that have high strategic value, but with less defined reimbursement, we have engaged reimbursement experts and support from industry associations to accelerate the acquisition of satisfactory reimbursement levels.
See “EsoGuard and EsoCheck-Reimbursement and Market Access” above for a fuller discussion of the reimbursement status for EsoCheck and EsoGuard.
Competition for New Medical Device Innovation
Developing and commercializing new products is highly competitive. The market is characterized by extensive research and clinical efforts and rapid technological change. We face intense competition worldwide from medical device, biomedical technology and medical products and combination products companies, including major medical products companies. We may be unable to respond to technological advances through the development and introduction of new products. Most of our existing and potential competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, sales, distribution, manufacturing and technological resources. These competitors may also be in the process of seeking FDA or other regulatory approvals, or patent protection, for new products. Our competitors may commercialize new products in advance of our products. Our products also face competition from numerous existing products and procedures, some of which currently are considered part of the standard of care. We believe the principal competitive factors in our markets are:
● the quality of outcomes for medical conditions;
● acceptance by surgeons and the medical device market generally;
● ease of use and reliability;
● technical leadership and superiority;
● effective marketing and distribution;
● speed to market; and
● product price and qualification for coverage and reimbursement.
We will also compete in the marketplace to recruit and retain qualified scientific, management and sales personnel, as well as in acquiring technologies and licenses complementary to our products or advantageous to our business. We are aware of several companies that compete or are developing technologies in our current and future products areas. In order to compete effectively, our products will have to achieve market acceptance, receive adequate insurance coverage and reimbursement, be cost effective and be simultaneously safe and effective.
See “EsoGuard and EsoCheck-Competition” and “Veris Cancer Care Platform-Competition” above for a fuller discussion of the competitive environment for our key products, EsoCheck, EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform.
Government Regulation
Key U.S. Regulation
FDA Regulation
Generally, products we develop must be cleared by the FDA before they are marketed in the United States. Before and after approval or clearance in the United States, our products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA under the FDCA and/or the Public Health Service Act, as well as by other regulatory bodies. FDA regulations govern, among other things, the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, safety, storage, recordkeeping, market clearance or approval, advertising and promotion, import and export, marketing and sales, and distribution of medical devices and products.
In the United States, medical devices are subject to varying degrees of regulatory control and are classified in one of three classes depending on the extent of controls the FDA determines are necessary to reasonably ensure their safety and efficacy:
● Class I: general controls, such as labeling and adherence to quality system regulations;
● Class II: special controls, pre-market notification (often referred to as a 510(k) application), specific controls such as performance standards, patient registries, post-market surveillance, additional controls such as labeling and adherence to quality system regulations; and
● Class III: special controls and approval of a PMA application.
In general, the higher the classification, the greater the time and cost to obtain approval to market. There are no “standardized” requirements for approval, even within each class. For example, the FDA could grant 510(k) status, but require a human clinical trial, a typical requirement of a PMA. They could also initially assign a device Class III status but end up approving a device as a 510(k) device if certain requirements are met. The range of the number and expense of the various requirements is significant. The quickest and least expensive pathway would be 510(k) approval with just a review of existing data. The longest and most expensive path would be a PMA with extensive randomized human clinical trials. We cannot predict how the FDA will classify our products, nor predict what requirements will be placed upon us to obtain market approval, or even if they will approve our products at all.
To request marketing authorization by means of a 510(k) clearance, we must submit a pre-market notification demonstrating the proposed device is substantially equivalent to another currently legally marketed medical device, has the same intended use, and is as safe and effective as a currently legally marketed device and does not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness than does a currently legally marketed device. 510(k) submissions generally include, among other things, a description of the device and its manufacturing, device labeling, medical devices to which the device is substantially equivalent, safety and biocompatibility information, and the results of performance testing. In some cases, a 510(k) submission must include data from human clinical studies. Marketing may commence only when the FDA issues a clearance letter finding substantial equivalence. After a device receives 510(k) clearance, any product modification that could significantly affect the safety or effectiveness of the product, or would constitute a significant change in intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance or, if the device would no longer be substantially equivalent, would require PMA, or possibly, a de novo pathway under section 513(f)2 of the FDCA. In addition, any additional claims the Company wished to make at a later date may require a PMA. If the FDA determines the product does not qualify for 510(k) clearance, they will issue a Not Substantially Equivalent letter, at which point the Company must submit and the FDA must approve a PMA or issue premarket clearance using the de novo before marketing can begin.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) added the de novo classification pathway under section 513(f)(2) of the FD&C Act, establishing an alternate pathway to classify new devices into Class I or II that had automatically been placed in Class III after receiving a Not Substantially Equivalent (NSE) determination in response to a 510(k) submission. In this process, a sponsor who receives an NSE determination may, within 30 days of receiving notice of the NSE determination, request FDA to make a risk-based classification of the device under section 513(a)(1) of the Act.
In 2012, section 513(f)(2) of the FD&C Act was amended by section 607 of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), to provide a second option for de novo classification. In this second pathway, a sponsor who determines there is no legally marketed device upon which to base a determination of substantial equivalence may request FDA to make a risk-based classification of the device under section 513(a)(1) of the Act without first submitting a 510(k).
During the review of a 510(k) submission, the FDA may request more information or additional studies and may decide the indications for which we seek approval or clearance should be limited. In addition, laws and regulations and the interpretation of those laws and regulations by the FDA may change in the future. We cannot foresee what effect, if any, such changes may have on us.
FDA Regulations will continue to change and evolve including the 2016-21st Century Cures Act which mandated the creation and revision of policies and processes intended to speed patient access to new medical devices and codifying into law the FDA’s expedited review program for breakthrough devices for which EsoGuard was so designated. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act (FDARA) which included improvements to premarket review times and investments in strategic initiatives like the National Evaluation System for health Technology (NEST) and patient input and decoupling accessory classification from classification of the parent device. We must continue to be aware of these changes that possibly impact our development and commercialization work. The Company has a network of professionals with extensive experience in these matters that advise us on both the pre-approval/clearance requirements as well as the post market surveillance compliance obligations.
Clinical Trials of Medical Technology
One or more clinical trials may be necessary to support an FDA submission. Clinical studies of unapproved or uncleared medical devices or devices being studied for uses for which they are not approved or cleared (investigational devices) must be conducted in compliance with FDA requirements. If an investigational device could pose a significant risk to patients, the sponsor company must submit an Investigational Device Exemption, or IDE application to the FDA prior to initiation of the clinical study. An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory test results, showing it is safe to test the device on humans and the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless the FDA notifies the company the investigation may not begin. Clinical studies of investigational devices may not begin until an institutional review board (“IRB”) has approved the study.
During any study, the sponsor must comply with the FDA’s IDE requirements. These requirements include investigator selection, trial monitoring, adverse event reporting, and record keeping. The investigators must obtain patient informed consent, rigorously follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of investigational devices, and comply with reporting and record keeping requirements. We, the FDA, or the IRB at each institution at which a clinical trial is being conducted may suspend a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable risk. During the approval or clearance process, the FDA typically inspects the records relating to the conduct of one or more investigational sites participating in the study supporting the application.
Post-Approval Regulation of Medical Devices
After a device is cleared or approved for marketing, numerous and pervasive regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:
● the FDA Quality Systems Regulation (QSR), which governs, among other things, how manufacturers design, test manufacture, exercise quality control over, and document manufacturing of their products;
● labeling and claims regulations, which prohibit the promotion of products for unapproved or “off-label” uses and impose other restrictions on labeling; and,
● the Medical Device Reporting regulation, which requires reporting to the FDA of certain adverse experience associated with use of the product.
We will continue to be subject to inspection by the FDA to determine our compliance with regulatory requirements.
Manufacturing cGMP Requirements
Manufacturers of medical devices are required to comply with FDA manufacturing requirements contained in the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) set forth in the quality system regulations promulgated under section 520 of the FDCA. cGMP regulations require, among other things, quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Failure to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements subjects a manufacturer to possible legal or regulatory action, including the seizure or recall of products, injunctions, consent decrees placing significant restrictions on or suspending manufacturing operations, and civil and criminal penalties. Adverse experiences with the product must be reported to the FDA and could result in the imposition of marketing restrictions through labeling changes or in product withdrawal. Product approvals may be withdrawn if compliance with regulatory requirements is not maintained or if problems concerning safety or efficacy of the product occur following the approval. We expect to use contract manufacturers to manufacture our products for the foreseeable future we will therefore be dependent on their compliance with these requirements to market our products. We work closely with our contract manufacturers to assure our products are in strict compliance with these regulations.
Laboratory Certification, Accreditation and Licensing
Lucid’s CLIA-certified laboratory is subject to U.S. and state laws and regulations regarding the operation of clinical laboratories. CLIA requirements and laws of certain states, including those of California, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Florida, impose certification requirements for clinical laboratories, and establish standards for quality assurance and quality control, among other things. CLIA provides that a state may adopt different or more stringent regulations than federal law and permits states to apply for exemption from CLIA if the state’s laboratory laws are equivalent to, or more stringent than, CLIA. For example, the State of New York’s clinical laboratory regulations, which have received an exemption from CLIA, contain provisions that are in certain respects more stringent than federal law. Therefore, as long as New York maintains a licensure program that is CLIA-exempt, Lucid will need to comply with New York’s clinical laboratory regulations in order to offer Lucid clinical laboratory products and services in New York.
Lucid has current certificates to perform clinical laboratory testing. Clinical laboratories are subject to inspection by regulators and to sanctions for failing to comply with applicable requirements. Sanctions available under CLIA and certain state laws include prohibiting a laboratory from running tests, requiring a laboratory to implement a corrective plan, and imposing civil monetary penalties. If Lucid’s CLIA-certified laboratory fails to meet any applicable requirements of CLIA or state law, that failure could adversely affect any future CMS consideration of its technologies, prevent their approval entirely, and/or interrupt the commercial sale of any products and services and otherwise cause Lucid to incur significant expense.
Other U.S. Regulation
In addition to FDA restrictions on marketing and promotion of drugs and devices, other federal and state laws restrict our business practices. These laws include, without limitation, anti-kickback and false claims laws, data privacy and security laws, as well as transparency laws regarding payments or other items of value provided to healthcare providers.
Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available under such laws, it is possible that some of our business activities, including certain sales and marketing practices and the provision of certain items and services to our customers, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the health regulatory laws described above or any other laws that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including potentially significant criminal and civil and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, administrative burdens, diminished profits and future earnings, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. To the extent any of our products are sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws, which may include, for instance, applicable post-marketing requirements, including safety surveillance, anti-fraud and abuse laws and implementation of corporate compliance programs and reporting of payments or transfers of value to healthcare professionals.
Physician Payment Sunshine Act
There has been a recent trend of increased federal and state regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals or entities. On February 8, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, released its final rule implementing section 6002 of the Affordable Care Act known as the Physician Payment Sunshine Act that imposes new annual reporting requirements on device manufacturers for payments and other transfers of value provided by them, directly or indirectly, to physicians and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their family members. A manufacturer’s failure to submit timely, accurately and completely the required information for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests may result in civil monetary penalties of up to an aggregate of $150,000 per year, and up to an aggregate of $1 million per year for “knowing failures.” Manufacturers that produces at least one product reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, or Children’s Health Insurance Program and (i) if the product is a drug or biological, and it requires a prescription (or physician’s authorization) to administer; or (ii) if the product is a device or medical supply, and it requires premarket approval or premarket notification by the FDA are required to comply with the Open Payments (commonly referred to as the Sunshine Act) filing requirements under CMS. We currently do not have any products covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Children’s Health Insurance Program as none of our products have premarket approval or clearance notification. We expect once our products receive regulatory clearance, we will be required to comply with the Sunshine Act provisions.
Certain states, such as California and Connecticut, also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs, and other states, such as Massachusetts and Vermont, impose restrictions on device manufacturer marketing practices and require tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to healthcare professionals and entities. The shifting commercial compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with different compliance or reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions increase the possibility a healthcare company may fail to comply fully with one or more of these requirements.
Federal Anti-Kickback Statute
The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of any good, facility, item or service reimbursable, in whole or in part, under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all its facts and circumstances. Several courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the Anti-Kickback Statute has been violated.
Additionally, the intent standard under the Anti-Kickback Statute was amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, collectively the Affordable Care Act, to a stricter standard such that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the Affordable Care Act codified case law that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act.
Federal False Claims Act
The False Claims Act prohibits, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval to the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. The False Claims Act also applies to false submissions that cause the government to be paid less than the amount to which it is entitled, such as a rebate. Intent to deceive is not required to establish liability under the False Claims Act. Several pharmaceutical, device and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for, among other things, allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation the customers would bill federal programs for the product. Other companies have been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of products for unapproved, and thus non-covered uses.
The government may further prosecute, as a crime, conduct constituting a false claim under the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act prohibits the making or presenting of a claim to the government knowing such claim to be false, fictitious, or fraudulent and, unlike civil claims under the False Claims Act, requires proof of intent to submit a false claim.
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, prohibits any U.S. individual or business from paying, offering, or authorizing payment or offering of anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign official, political party or candidate for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of the foreign entity in order to assist the individual or business in obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with accounting provisions requiring the company to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations. Activities that violate the FCPA, even if they occur wholly outside the United States, can result in criminal and civil fines, imprisonment, disgorgement, oversight, and debarment from government contracts.
Healthcare Reform
Current and future legislative proposals to further reform healthcare or reduce healthcare costs may result in lower reimbursement for our products, or for the procedures associated with the use of our products, or limit coverage of our products. The cost containment measures that payors and providers are instituting and the effect of any healthcare reform initiative implemented in the future could significantly reduce our revenues from the sale of our products. Alternatively, the shift away from fee-for-service agreements to capitated payment models may support the value of our products which can be shown to decrease resource utilization and lead to cost saving-for both payors and providers.
HIPAA and Other Privacy Laws
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HIPAA”) established comprehensive protection for the privacy and security of health information. The HIPAA standards apply to three types of organizations, or “Covered Entities”: health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and healthcare providers that conduct certain healthcare transactions electronically. Covered Entities and their business associates must have in place administrative, physical, and technical standards to guard against the misuse of individually identifiable health information. Some of our activities, including at our Lucid Test Centers and within our clinical trials, involve interactions with patients and their health information which implicate HIPAA. Our activities also involve us entering into specific kinds of relationships with Covered Entities and business associates of Covered Entities, which also implicate HIPAA. Penalties for violations of HIPAA include civil money and criminal penalties.
Our activities must also comply with other applicable privacy laws, which impose restrictions on the access, use and disclosure of personal information. More state and international privacy laws are being adopted. Many state laws are not preempted by HIPAA because they are more stringent or are broader in scope than HIPAA. Since 2020 we have also had to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which protects personal information other than health information covered by HIPAA. In the E.U., the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) took effect in May 2018 and imposes increasingly stringent data protection and privacy rules. All of these laws may impact our business and may change periodically, which could have an effect on our business operations if compliance becomes substantially costlier than under current requirements. Our failure to comply with these privacy laws or significant changes in the laws restricting our ability to obtain stool, blood and other patient samples and associated patient information could significantly impact our business and our future business plans.
Self-Referral Law
The federal “self-referral” law, commonly referred to as the “Stark” law, provides that physicians who, personally or through a family member, have ownership interests in or compensation arrangements with a laboratory are prohibited from making a referral to that laboratory for laboratory tests reimbursable by Medicare, and also prohibits laboratories from submitting a claim for Medicare payments for laboratory tests referred by physicians who, personally or through a family member, have ownership interests in or compensation arrangements with the testing laboratory. The Stark law contains a number of specific exceptions which, if met, permit physicians who have ownership or compensation arrangements with a testing laboratory to make referrals to that laboratory and permit the laboratory to submit claims for Medicare payments for laboratory tests performed pursuant to such referrals. We are subject to comparable state laws, some of which apply to all payors regardless of source of payment, and do not contain identical exceptions to the Stark law.
International Regulation
In order to market any product outside of the United States, we would need to comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries and jurisdictions regarding quality, safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and distribution of our products. We may be subject to regulations and product registration requirements in the areas of product standards, packaging requirements, labeling requirements, import and export restrictions and tariff regulations, duties and tax requirements. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we would need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable foreign regulatory authorities before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in foreign countries and jurisdictions. The time required to obtain clearance required by foreign countries may be longer or shorter than required for FDA clearance, and requirements for licensing a product in a foreign country may differ significantly from FDA requirements.
European Union
The European Union or EU will require a CE mark certification or approval in order to market our products in the various countries of the European Union or other countries outside the United States. To obtain CE mark certification of our products, we will be required to work with an accredited European notified body organization to determine the appropriate documents required to support certification in accordance with existing medical device directive. The predictability of the length of time and cost associated with such a CE mark may vary or may include lengthy clinical trials to support such a marking. Once the CE mark is obtained, we may market our product in the countries of the EU. The new European Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR 2017/745) which was scheduled to go into effect on May 26, 2020 has been extended by one year to May 26, 2021. The EU MDR imposes strict new requirements on medical device companies marketing their products in Europe. As such, many device companies have been scrambling to renew existing CE certificates granted under the Medical Devices Directive (MDD 93/42/EEC). Notified Bodies are now focused on their current customers and those customers’ current devices making it virtually impossible to submit a new MDD application before May 2020.
European Good Manufacturing Practices
In the European Union, the manufacture of medical devices is subject to good manufacturing practice (GMP), as set forth in the relevant laws and guidelines of the European Union and its member states. Compliance with GMP is generally assessed by the competent regulatory authorities. Typically, quality system evaluation is performed by a Notified Body, which also recommends to the relevant competent authority for the European Community CE Marking of a device. The Competent Authority may conduct inspections of relevant facilities, and review manufacturing procedures, operating systems and personnel qualifications. In addition to obtaining approval for each product, in many cases each device manufacturing facility must be audited on a periodic basis by the Notified Body. Further inspections may occur over the life of the product.
Other Laws
Occupational Safety and Health
In addition to its comprehensive regulation of health and safety in the workplace in general, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established extensive requirements aimed specifically at laboratories and other healthcare-related facilities. In addition, because Lucid’s operations may require employees to use certain hazardous chemicals, Lucid also must comply with regulations on hazard communication and hazardous chemicals in laboratories. These regulations require Lucid, among other things, to develop written programs and plans, which must address methods for preventing and mitigating employee exposure, the use of personal protective equipment, and training.
Specimen Transportation
Our commercialization activities for EsoGuard subject Lucid to regulations of the Department of Transportation, the United States Postal Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that apply to the surface and air transportation of clinical laboratory specimens.
Environmental
The cost of compliance with federal, state and local provisions related to the protection of the environment has had no material effect on our business. There were no material capital expenditures for environmental control facilities in the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Employees
Currently, as of March 9, 2023 we had 124 employees (all of whom were full-time employees), inclusive of our executive officers - our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), our President and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), our Chief Operating Officer (“COO”), our Chief Medical Officer (“CMO”) and our General Counsel and Secretary (“General Counsel”). No employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in Delaware on June 26, 2014. Our corporate headquarters address is 360 Madison Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017, and our main telephone number is (212) 949-4319.
Available Information
We make available free of charge through our website (www.pavmed.com) our periodic reports and registration statements filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act.” We make these reports available through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such reports with, or furnish such reports to the SEC.
We also make available, free of charge on our website, the reports filed with the SEC by our named executive officers, directors, and 10% stockholders pursuant to Section 16 under the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after those filings are provided to us by those persons. The public also may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549, on official business days during the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding us that we file electronically with the SEC.
Our website address is www.pavmed.com. The content of our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, nor in any other report or document we file or furnish with and /or submit to the SEC, and any reference to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following risk factors and other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should be carefully considered. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or we presently deem less significant may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
Risk Factor Summary
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should consider before investing in our common stock. These risks are described more fully below and include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the following:
Risks Related to Financial Position and Capital Resources
● We have incurred operating losses since our inception and may not be able to achieve profitability.
● Servicing our indebtedness may require a significant amount of cash, and the restrictive covenants contained in our indebtedness could adversely affect our business plan, liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.
● The March 2023 Senior Convertible Note has not been issued, and it may not be issued, including if certain closing conditions to the issuance of such note are not satisfied.
● The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the Senior Convertible Notes, is the subject of recent changes that could have a material effect on our reported financial results.
Risks Associated with Our Business
● We will need substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed, which could force us to delay, reduce, eliminate or abandon growth initiatives or product development programs.
● The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and we may not be able to effectively compete against other providers of medical devices, particularly those with greater resources.
● We have finite resources, which may restrict our success in commercializing our current products and other products we may develop, and we may be unsuccessful in entering into or maintaining third-party arrangements to support our internal efforts.
● If we are unable to deploy and maintain effective sales, marketing and medical affairs capabilities, we will have difficulty achieving market awareness and selling our tests and other products.
● Our products may never achieve market acceptance.
● Recommendations, guidelines and quality metrics issued by various organizations may significantly affect payors’ willingness to cover, and healthcare providers’ willingness to prescribe, our products.
● We or our third-party manufacturers may not have the manufacturing and processing capacity to meet the production requirements of clinical testing or consumer demand in a timely manner.
● We currently perform our EsoGuard test in one laboratory facility. If demand for our EsoGuard test grows, we may lack adequate facility space and capabilities to meet increased processing requirements. Moreover, if these or any future facilities or our equipment were damaged or destroyed, or if we experience a significant disruption in our operations for any reason, our ability to continue to operate our business could be materially harmed.
● We may make investments in products we have not yet developed, and those investments may not be realized.
● Our products and services may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, thereby harming our business.
● Our products and services may cause serious adverse side effects or even death or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial desirability of an approved label or result in significant negative consequences following any marketing approval.
● Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.
● We may not be able to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could impair our competitive position.
● We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims by third parties which could be costly to defend, divert management’s attention and resources, and may result in liability.
● Competitors may violate our intellectual property rights, and we may bring litigation to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, which may result in substantial expense and may divert our attention from implementing our business strategy.
● Our business may suffer if we are unable to manage our growth.
● Our officers may allocate their time to other businesses thereby potentially limiting the amount of time they devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our operations.
● Our ability to be successful will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel.
● Our officers and directors have fiduciary obligations to other companies and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
● Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the political and economic conditions of the countries in which we conduct business.
● Our business may be adversely affected by health epidemics and or pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
● Failure in our information technology or storage systems could significantly disrupt our operations and our research and development efforts, which could adversely impact our revenues, as well as our research, development and commercialization efforts.
● We may become the subject of various claims, threats of litigation, litigation or investigations which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or price of our common stock.
Risks Related to Regulatory Matters
● Any future products or services we may develop may not be approved for sale in the U.S. or in any other country. In order to obtain approval, we may need to conduct clinical trials necessary to support a FDA 510(k) notice or PMA application will be expensive and will require the enrollment of large numbers of patients, and suitable patients may be difficult to identify and recruit.
● The results of the Company’s clinical trials may not support our product candidate claims or may result in the discovery of adverse side effects. In addition, delays or termination of our clinical trials may have an adverse impact on our ability to commercialize our product candidates.
● Even if we receive regulatory approval for any product we may develop, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and subject us to penalties if we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
● Healthcare reform measures could hinder or prevent our products’ commercial success.
● If we fail to comply with healthcare regulations, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
● The Company’s medical products may in the future be subject to product recalls that could harm its reputation, business and financial results.
● If the Company’s medical products cause or contribute to a death or a serious injury, or malfunction in certain ways, we will be subject to medical device reporting regulations, which can result in voluntary corrective actions or agency enforcement actions.
● If the Company is found to be promoting the use of its devices for unapproved or “off-label” uses or engaging in other noncompliant activities, the Company may be subject to recalls, seizures, fines, penalties, injunctions, adverse publicity, prosecution, or other adverse actions, resulting in damage to its reputation and business.
Risks Associated with Ownership of Our Common Stock
● We may issue shares of our common and /or preferred stock in the future which could reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and might cause a change in control of our ownership.
● Our subsidiary Lucid may issue shares of its common and/or preferred stock in the future which could reduce the equity interest of PAVmed in Lucid and might cause us to cease to control a majority of the voting stock of Lucid.
● Our management and their affiliates control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
● There can be no assurance that our common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market or another national securities exchange.
● A robust public market for our common stock may not be sustained, which could affect your ability to sell our common stock or depress the market price of our common stock.
● Our stock price may be volatile, and purchasers of our securities could incur substantial losses.
● Our outstanding warrants and other convertible securities may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
● We do not intend to pay any dividends on our common stock at this time.
● We are subject to evolving corporate governance and public disclosure expectations and regulations that impact compliance costs and risks of noncompliance.
● We incur significant costs as a result of our and Lucid Diagnostics operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.
● If we experience material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future, our business may be harmed.
● If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
● Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Risks Related to Financial Position and Capital Resources
We have incurred operating losses since our inception and may not be able to achieve profitability.
We have incurred net losses since our inception.
To date, since our inception in June 2014, we have financed our operations principally through issuances of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, and debt, in both private placements and public offerings of our securities. Our ability to generate sufficient revenue from any of our products in development, and to transition to profitability and generate consistent positive cash flows is dependent upon factors that may be outside of our control. We expect our operating expenses will continue to increase as we continue to build our commercial infrastructure, develop, enhance and commercialize new products and incur additional operational and reporting costs associated with being a public company. As a result, we expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future.
Servicing our indebtedness may require a significant amount of cash, and the restrictive covenants contained in our indebtedness could adversely affect our business plan, liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may be required to repay or redeem, or to pay interest on, the April 2022 Senior Convertible Note and the September 2022 Senior Convertible Note (collectively, the “Senior Convertible Notes”) or any future permitted indebtedness incurred by us or our subsidiaries, in cash. Despite our right to pay the interest and principal balance of the Senior Convertible Notes by issuing shares of our common stock, we may be required to repay such indebtedness in cash, if we do not meet certain customary equity conditions (including minimum price and volume thresholds) or in certain other circumstances. For example, we may be required to repay the outstanding principal balance and accrued but unpaid interest, along with a premium, upon the occurrence of certain changes of control or an event of default.
Our ability to make payments of the principal of, to pay interest on, or to redeem our indebtedness in cash, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. We have not generated material revenue from operations to date, and our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our indebtedness and make necessary capital expenditures. In addition, the Senior Convertible Notes contain, and any future indebtedness may contain, restrictive covenants, including financial covenants. These payment obligations and covenants could have important consequences on our business. In particular, they could:
● require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness;
● limit, among other things, our ability to borrow additional funds and otherwise raise additional capital, and our ability to conduct acquisitions, joint, ventures or similar arrangements, as a result of our obligations to make such payments and comply with the restrictive covenants in the indebtedness;
● limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our businesses and the industries in which we operate;
● increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; and
● place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have lower fixed costs.
The debt service requirements of any other permitted indebtedness we incur or issue in the future, as well as the restrictive covenants contained in the governing documents for any such indebtedness, could intensify these risks. For example, while the Company is currently in compliance with the financial covenants under the Senior Convertible Notes, from time to time since the date of issuance of such notes (including, in the case of the indebtedness to market capitalization ratio test under such notes, as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2022), the Company was not in compliance with certain financial covenants thereunder. While the holders of such notes agreed to waive any such non-compliance during such aforementioned time periods, there can be no assurance that it will do so in the future.
If we are unable to make the required cash payments, there could be a default under one or more of the instruments governing our indebtedness. Any such default or acceleration may further result in an event of default and acceleration of our other indebtedness. In such event, or if a default otherwise occurs under our indebtedness, including as a result of our failure to comply with the financial or other covenants contained therein, the holders of our indebtedness could require us to immediately repay the outstanding principal and interest on such indebtedness in cash, in some cases subject to a premium. Furthermore, the holders of our secured indebtedness could foreclose on their security interests in our assets.
If we are required to make payments under our indebtedness in cash and are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, we may be required to sell assets, or we may seek to refinance the remaining balance, by either refinancing with the holder of the indebtedness, by raising sufficient funds through a sale of equity or debt securities or by obtaining a credit facility. No assurances can be given that we will be successful in making the required payments under our indebtedness, or in refinancing our obligations on favorable terms, or at all. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. A failure to refinance could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial position, and results of operations. Should we refinance, it could be dilutive to shareholders or impose onerous terms on us.
The March 2023 Senior Convertible Note has not been issued, and it may not be issued, including if certain closing conditions to the issuance of such note are not satisfied.
On March 13, 2023, Lucid entered into the Lucid SPA, pursuant to which Lucid anticipates issuing the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note. However, such issuance is subject to certain closing conditions, some of which are outside of Lucid’s control. If any of the closing conditions to the issuance of the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note are not met, or if the Lucid Investor fails to purchase the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note when required to do so under the Lucid SPA, the note may not be issued.
The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the Senior Convertible Notes, is the subject of recent changes that could have a material effect on our reported financial results.
In May 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued FASB Staff Position No. APB 14-1, Accounting for Convertible Debt Instruments That May Be Settled in Cash Upon Conversion (Including Partial Cash Settlement), which has subsequently been codified as Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, or “ASC 470-20.” Under ASC 470-20, an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of the convertible debt instruments (such as the Senior Convertible Notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for the Senior Convertible Notes is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital section of stockholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet and the value of the equity component would be treated as original issue discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of the Senior Convertible Notes. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense in current periods presented as a result of the amortization of the discounted carrying value of the Senior Convertible Notes to their face amount over the term of the Senior Convertible Notes. We will report lower net income in our financial results because ASC 470-20 will require interest to include both the current period’s amortization of the debt discount and the instrument’s coupon interest, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, and the market price of our common stock.
In addition, under certain circumstances, convertible debt instruments (such as the Senior Convertible Notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash are currently accounted for utilizing the treasury stock method, the effect of which is that the shares issuable upon conversion of the Senior Convertible Notes are not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share except to the extent that the conversion value of the Senior Convertible Notes exceeds their principal amount. Under the treasury stock method, for diluted earnings per share purposes, the transaction is accounted for as if the number of shares of our common stock that would be necessary to settle such excess, if we elected to settle such excess in shares, are issued. We cannot be sure that the accounting standards in the future will continue to permit the use of the treasury stock method. If we are unable to use the treasury stock method in accounting for the shares issuable upon conversion of the Senior Convertible Notes, then our diluted earnings per share would be adversely affected.
Risks Associated with Our Business
We will need substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed, which could force us to delay, reduce, eliminate or abandon growth initiatives or product development programs.
We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth. Because we have not generated any revenue or cash flow to date, we will require additional funds to:
● Continue our research and development;
● Pursue clinical trials;
● Commercialize our new products and services;
● Achieve market acceptance of our products and services;
● Establish and expand our sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities for our products and services;
● protect our intellectual property rights or defend, in litigation or otherwise, any claims we infringe third-party patents or other intellectual property rights;
● invest in businesses, products and technologies, although we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to do so.
● Otherwise fund our operations;
If we do not have, or are not able to obtain, sufficient funds, we may have to delay product development initiatives or license to third parties the rights to commercialize products or technologies we would otherwise seek to market. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support or other resources devoted to our products.
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and we may not be able to effectively compete against other providers of medical devices, particularly those with greater resources.
We face intense competition from companies with dominant market positions in the medical device industry. These competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we have and may be better able to:
● respond to new technologies or technical standards;
● react to changing customer requirements and expectations;
● acquire other companies to gain new technologies or products may displace our products;
● manufacture, market and sell products;
● acquire, prosecute, enforce and defend patents and other intellectual property;
● devote resources to the development, production, promotion, support and sale of products; and
● deliver a broad range of competitive products at lower prices.
We expect competition in the markets in which we participate to continue to increase as existing competitors improve or expand their product offerings.
We have finite resources, which may restrict our success in commercializing our current products and other products we may develop, and we may be unsuccessful in entering into or maintaining third-party arrangements to support our internal efforts.
To grow our business as planned, we must expand our sales, marketing and customer support capabilities, which will involve developing and administering our commercial infrastructure and/or collaborative commercial arrangements and partnerships. We must also maintain satisfactory arrangements for the manufacture and distribution of our tests and other products.
We have only two products, EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, that we are actively seeking to commercialize, and have not generated substantial revenue from product sales to date. We have limited experience managing a sales force, customer support operation, manufacturing and clinical laboratory operations for multiple products in multiple locations with divergent regulatory requirements. We may encounter difficulties retaining and managing the specialized workforce these activities require. We may seek to partner with others to assist us with any or all of these functions. Additionally, we may be unable to find appropriate third parties with whom to enter into these arrangements.
If we are unable to deploy and maintain effective sales, marketing and medical affairs capabilities, we will have difficulty achieving market awareness and selling our tests and other products.
To achieve commercial success for our EsoGuard test and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, as well as any products we commercialize in the future, we must continue to develop and grow our sales, marketing and medical affairs organizations to effectively explain to healthcare providers the reliability, effectiveness and benefits of our current and future tests and other products as compared to alternatives. We may not be able to successfully manage our dispersed or inside sales forces or our sales force may not be effective. Because of the competition for their services, we may be unable to hire, partner with or retain additional qualified sales representatives or marketing or medical affairs personnel, either as our employees or independent contractors or through independent sales or other third-party organizations. Market competition for commercial, marketing and medical affairs talent is significant, and we may not be able to hire or retain such talent on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
Establishing and maintaining sales, marketing and medical affairs capabilities will be expensive and time-consuming. Our expenses associated with maintaining our sales force may be disproportional compared to the revenues we may be able to generate on sales of our EsoGuard test and the Veris Cancer Care Platform or any future tests or other products, and in order to establish and maintain these capabilities may required our raising additional capital, which we may be unable to do.
Our products may never achieve market acceptance.
To date, we have not generated significant sales revenues from our products and services. Our ability to generate sales revenues from product and services, and to achieve profitability will depend upon our ability to successfully commercialize our products and services. As we only recently began to market our two products and services for sale, we have no basis to predict whether our current products and services (or potential future products and services) will achieve market acceptance. A number of factors may limit the market acceptance of any of our products, including:
● the timing of regulatory approvals of our products and services and market entry compared to competitive products;
● the effectiveness of our products and services, including any potential side effects, as compared to alternative treatments;
● the rate of adoption of our products and services by hospitals, doctors and nurses and acceptance by the health care community;
● the labeling and /or inserts required by regulatory authorities for each of our products and services;
● the competitive features of our products and services, including price, as compared to other similar products and services;
● the availability of insurance or other third-party reimbursement, such as Medicare, for patients using our products and services;
● the extent and success of our marketing efforts and those of our collaborators; and
● unfavorable publicity concerning our products and services or similar products and services.
Recommendations, guidelines and quality metrics issued by various organizations may significantly affect payors’ willingness to cover, and healthcare providers’ willingness to prescribe, our products.
Securing influential recommendations, inclusion in healthcare guidelines and inclusion in quality measures are keys to our healthcare provider and payor engagement strategies. These guidelines, recommendations and quality metrics may shape payors’ coverage decisions and healthcare providers’ cancer screening procedures. There can be no assurance that we will be able to secure such recommendations or inclusion in healthcare guidelines and inclusion in quality measures. Any such failures could have a material impact on our ability to commercialize our products.
We or our third-party manufacturers may not have the manufacturing and processing capacity to meet the production requirements of clinical testing or consumer demand in a timely manner.
Our capacity to conduct clinical trials and commercialize our products will depend in part on our ability to manufacture or provide our products on a large scale, at a competitive cost and in accordance with regulatory requirements. We must establish and maintain a commercial scale manufacturing process for all of our products to complete clinical trials. We or our third-party manufacturers may encounter difficulties with these processes at any time that could result in delays in clinical trials, regulatory submissions or the commercialization of products.
For some of our products, we or our third-party manufacturers will need to have sufficient production and processing capacity in order to conduct human clinical trials, to produce products for commercial sale at an acceptable cost. We have limited experience in large-scale product manufacturing, nor do we have the resources or facilities to manufacture most of our products on a commercial scale. We cannot guarantee that we or our third-party manufacturers will be able to increase capacity in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all.
Initially, we will not directly manufacture our products and will rely on third parties to do so for us. If our manufacturing and distribution agreements are not satisfactory, we may not be able to develop or commercialize products as planned. In addition, we may not be able to contract with third parties to manufacture our products in an economical manner. Furthermore, third-party manufacturers may not adequately perform their obligations, may delay clinical development or submission of products for regulatory approval or otherwise may impair our competitive position. We may not be able to enter into or maintain relationships with manufacturers that comply with good manufacturing practices. If a product manufacturer fails to comply with good manufacturing practices, we could experience significant time delays or we may be unable to commercialize or continue to market the products. Changes in our manufacturers could require costly new product testing and facility compliance inspections. In the United States, failure to comply with good manufacturing practices or other applicable legal requirements can lead to federal seizure of violative products, injunctive actions brought by the federal government, and potential criminal and civil liability on the part of a company and its officers and employees. Because of these and other factors, we may not be able to replace our manufacturing capacity quickly or efficiently in the event that our manufacturers are unable to manufacture our products at one or more of their facilities. As a result, the sales and marketing of our products could be delayed or we could be forced to develop our own manufacturing capacity, which could require substantial additional funds and personnel and compliance with extensive regulations.
The manufacturing processes for our products have not yet been tested at commercial levels, and it may not be possible to manufacture or process these materials in a cost-effective manner.
We currently perform our EsoGuard test in one laboratory facility. If demand for our EsoGuard test grows, we may lack adequate facility space and capabilities to meet increased processing requirements. Moreover, if these or any future facilities or our equipment were damaged or destroyed, or if we experience a significant disruption in our operations for any reason, our ability to continue to operate our business could be materially harmed.
We currently perform the EsoGuard test in a single laboratory facility in Lake Forest, CA. The laboratory facility, without purchasing additional lab equipment applicable to our test, is expected to have an annual capacity of approximately 50,000 tests per year. If demand for the EsoGuard test outstrips this capacity, and we fail to add additional equipment and staff, or complete, or timely complete, an expansion of its available laboratory facilities, it may significantly delay our EsoGuard processing times and limit the volume of EsoGuard tests we can process, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation. In addition, our financial condition may be adversely affected if they are unable to complete these expansion projects on budget and otherwise on terms and conditions acceptable to us. Finally, our financial condition will be adversely affected if demand for our products and services does not materialize in line with our current expectations and if, as a result, we end up building excess capacity that does not yield a reasonable return on our investment.
If our present, or any future, laboratory facilities were to be damaged, destroyed or otherwise unable to operate, whether due to fire, floods, storms, tornadoes, other inclement weather events or natural disasters, employee malfeasance, terrorist acts, power outages, or otherwise, our business could be severely disrupted. We may not be able to perform our EsoGuard test or generate test reports as promptly as patients and healthcare providers require or expect, or possibly not at all. If we are unable to perform our EsoGuard test or generate test reports within a timeframe that meets patient and healthcare provider expectations, our business, financial results and reputation could be materially harmed.
We currently maintain insurance against damage to our property and equipment and against business interruption, subject to deductibles and other limitations. If we have underestimated our insurance needs with respect to an interruption, or if an interruption is not subject to coverage under our insurance policies, we may not be able to cover our losses.
We may make investments in products we have not yet developed, and those investments may not be realized.
While we are currently focused on the commercialization of our EsoGuard test and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, technology remains an important component of our business and growth strategy, and our success may depend on the development, implementation and acceptance of new products. Commitments to develop new products must be made well in advance of any resulting sales, and technologies and standards may change during development, potentially rendering our products outdated or uncompetitive before their introduction. Our ability to develop products to meet evolving industry requirements and at prices acceptable to our customers will be significant factors in determining our competitiveness. We may expend considerable funds and other resources on the development of new products without any guarantee these products will be successful. If we are not successful in bringing one or more products to market, whether because we fail to address marketplace demand, fail to develop viable technologies or otherwise, we may not generate any revenues and our results of operations could be seriously harmed.
Our products and services may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, thereby harming our business.
The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new products vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a product before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain regulatory approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the product and negatively impact the revenue we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more other products we may develop, even if our other products we may develop obtain regulatory approval.
Our ability to commercialize any products we may develop successfully also will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these products and related treatments becomes available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which treatments they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and these third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular treatments. We cannot be sure reimbursement will be available for any product we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any product for which we obtain marketing approval. If reimbursement is not available or is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product we successfully develop.
Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply any product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Payment rates may vary according to the use of the product and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost products that are already reimbursed and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for products may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of products from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the U.S. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable payment rates from both government funded and private payors could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product to other available therapies. Our business could be materially harmed if reimbursement of any products we may develop, if any, is unavailable or limited in scope or amount or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels.
Our products and services may cause serious adverse side effects or even death or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial desirability of an approved label or result in significant negative consequences following any marketing approval.
The risk of failure of clinical development is high. It is impossible to predict when or if our current products and services or any we may develop will prove safe enough to receive regulatory approval. Undesirable side effects caused by our products and services or we may develop could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials. They could also result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authority.
Additionally, even after receipt of marketing approval of our products and services, if we or others later identify undesirable side effects or even deaths caused by such product, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
● we may be forced to recall such product and suspend the marketing of such product;
● regulatory authorities may withdraw their approvals of such product;
● regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label that could diminish the usage or otherwise limit the commercial success of such products;
● the FDA or other regulatory bodies may issue safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or other communications containing warnings about such product;
● the FDA may require the establishment or modification of Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategies or a comparable foreign regulatory authority may require the establishment or modification of a similar strategy that may, for instance, restrict distribution of our products and impose burdensome implementation requirements on us;
● we may be required to change the way the product is administered or conduct additional clinical trials;
● we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to subjects or patients;
● we may be subject to litigation or product liability claims; and
● our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product.
Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the sale of any products we may develop. The marketing, sale and use of our current products and services and any we may additionally develop could lead to the filing of product liability claims against us if someone alleges product failures, product malfunctions, manufacturing flaws, or design defects, resulted in injury to patients. We may also be subject to liability for a misunderstanding of, or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that any product, we may develop caused injuries, we may incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
● decreased demand for our products;
● injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
● withdrawal of patients from clinical studies or cancellation of studies;
● significant costs to defend the related litigation and distraction to our management team;
● substantial monetary awards to patients;
● loss of revenue; and
● the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.
In addition, insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.
We may not be able to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could impair our competitive position.
Our success depends significantly on our ability to protect our rights to the patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and all the other intellectual property rights used, or expected to be used, in our products. Protecting intellectual property rights is costly and time consuming. We rely primarily on patent protection and trade secrets, as well as a combination of copyright and trademark laws and nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements to protect our technology and intellectual property rights. However, these legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or maintain any competitive advantage. Despite our intellectual property rights practices, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our technology without authorization, develop similar technology independently or design around our patents.
We cannot be assured that any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of a patent to us. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”), or the applicable authorized in other countries in which we may seek to protect our intellectual property rights, may deny or require significant narrowing of claims in our pending patent applications, and patents issued as a result of the pending patent applications, if any, may not provide us with significant commercial protection or be issued in a form that is advantageous to us. We could also incur substantial costs in proceedings before the PTO, or foreign patent offices. Patents that may be issued to or licensed by us in the future may expire or may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing related technologies. Upon expiration of our issued or licensed patents, we may lose some of our rights to exclude others from making, using, selling or importing products using the technology based on the expired patents. There is no assurance that competitors will not be able to design around our patents.
We also rely on unpatented proprietary technology. We cannot assure you that we can meaningfully protect all our rights in our unpatented proprietary technology or that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary products or processes or otherwise gain access to our unpatented proprietary technology. We seek to protect our know-how and other unpatented proprietary technology, as trade secrets or otherwise, with confidentiality agreements and/or intellectual property assignment agreements with our team members, independent distributors and consultants. However, such agreements may not be enforceable or may not provide meaningful protection for our proprietary information in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure or other breaches of the agreements or in the event that our competitors discover or independently develop similar or identical designs or other proprietary information. Our trade secrets may be vulnerable to disclosure or misappropriation by employees, contractors and other persons.
We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims by third parties which could be costly to defend, divert management’s attention and resources, and may result in liability.
The medical device industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights. Companies in the medical device industry have used intellectual property litigation to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. From time to time, third parties may assert against us their patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights relating to technologies that are important to our business. Searching for existing intellectual property rights may not reveal important intellectual property and our competitors may also have filed for patent protection, which is not publicly-available information, or claimed trademark rights that have not been revealed through our availability searches. We may be subject to claims that our team members have disclosed, or that we have used, trade secrets or other proprietary information of our team members’ former employers. Our efforts to identify and avoid infringing on third parties’ intellectual property rights may not always be successful. Any claims that our products or processes infringe these rights, regardless of their merit or resolution, could be costly, time consuming and may divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. In addition, we may not prevail in such proceedings given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation.
Any claims of patent or other intellectual property infringement against us, even those without merit, could:
● increase the cost of our products;
● be expensive and/or time consuming to defend;
● result in our being required to pay significant damages to third parties;
● force us to cease making or selling products that incorporate the challenged intellectual property;
● require us to redesign, reengineer or rebrand our products and technologies;
● require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements in order to obtain the right to use a third party’s intellectual property on terms that may not be favorable or acceptable to us;
● require us to develop alternative non-infringing technology, which could require significant effort and expense;
● require us to indemnify third parties pursuant to contracts in which we have agreed to provide indemnification for intellectual property infringement claims; and,
● result in our customers or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of the affected products impacted by the claims until the claims are resolved.
Any of the foregoing could affect our ability to compete or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Competitors may violate our intellectual property rights, and we may bring litigation to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, which may result in substantial expense and may divert our attention from implementing our business strategy.
We believe that the success of our business depends, in significant part, on obtaining patent protection for our products and technologies, defending our patents and preserving our trade secrets. Our failure to pursue any potential claim could result in the loss of our proprietary rights and harm our position in the marketplace. Therefore, we may be forced to pursue litigation to enforce our rights. Future litigation could result in significant costs and divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations and the implementation of our business strategy.
Our business may suffer if we are unable to manage our growth.
If we fail to effectively manage our growth, our ability to execute our business strategy could be impaired. Any unanticipated rapid growth of our business may place a strain on our management, operations and financial systems. We need to ensure our existing systems and controls are adequate to support our business and its anticipated growth.
Our officers may allocate their time to other businesses thereby potentially limiting the amount of time they devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our operations.
Our officers are not required to commit their full time to our affairs, which could create a conflict of interest when allocating their time between our operations and their other commitments. We presently expect each of our employees to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. Certain of our officers are engaged in other business endeavors. If our officers’ other business affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to such affairs, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs and could have a negative impact on our operations. We cannot assure you these conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
Our ability to be successful will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel.
Our ability to successfully carry out our business plan is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us. We may also be unable to attract and retain additional key personnel in the future. As of March 9, 2023, we only have 672,190 shares available for issuance under our long-term incentive plan, which could limit our ability to attract and retain key personnel, until such amount is increased. An inability to attract and retain key personnel may impact our ability to continue and grow our operations.
Our officers and directors have fiduciary obligations to other companies and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Certain of our officers and directors have fiduciary obligations to other companies engaged in medical device business activities. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our business. As a result, a potential business opportunity may be presented by certain members of our board or management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in such a transaction.
Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the political and economic conditions of the countries in which we conduct business.
Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the political and economic conditions of the countries in which we conduct business. These factors include:
● challenges associated with cultural differences, languages and distance;
● differences in clinical practices, needs, products, modalities and preferences;
● longer payment cycles in some countries;
● credit risks of many kinds;
● legal and regulatory differences and restrictions;
● currency exchange fluctuations;
● foreign exchange controls that might prevent us from repatriating cash earned in certain countries;
● political and economic instability and export restrictions;
● variability in sterilization requirements for multi-usage surgical devices;
● potential adverse tax consequences;
● higher cost associated with doing business internationally;
● challenges in implementing educational programs required by our approach to doing business;
● negative economic developments in economies around the world and the instability of governments, including the threat of war, terrorist attacks, epidemic or civil unrest;
● adverse changes in laws and governmental policies, especially those affecting trade and investment;
● health epidemics and /or pandemics, such as the epidemics resulting from the Ebola virus, or the enterovirus, or the avian influenza virus, or the pandemic resulting from a novel strain of a coronavirus designated “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” - or “SARS-CoV-2”, which may adversely affect our workforce as well as our local suppliers and customers;
● import or export licensing requirements imposed by governments;
● differing labor standards;
● differing levels of protection of intellectual property;
● the threat that our operations or property could be subject to nationalization and expropriation;
● varying practices of the regulatory, tax, judicial and administrative bodies in the jurisdictions where we operate; and
● potentially burdensome taxation and changes in foreign tax.
Our business may be adversely affected by health epidemics and or pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse impact on our operations, supply chains, and distribution systems and /or those of our contractors of our laboratory partner, and increase our expenses, including as a result of impacts associated with preventive and precautionary measures being taken, restrictions on travel, quarantine polices. Such adverse impact may include, for example, the inability of our employees and /or those of our contractors or laboratory partner to perform their work or curtail their services provided to us.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the United States’ healthcare and healthcare regulatory systems which could divert healthcare resources away from, or materially delay United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval with respect to our products.
Furthermore, our clinical trials have been and may be further affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as site initiation and patient enrollment may be delayed, for example, due to prioritization of hospital resources toward the virus and /or illness response, as well as travel restrictions imposed by governments, and the inability to access clinical test sites for initiation and monitoring.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse impact on the economies and financial markets of many countries, including the United States, resulting in an economic downturn that could adversely affect demand for our products and services and /or our product candidates.
Although we are continuing to monitor and assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (or a similar health epidemic) is highly uncertain and subject to change, and therefore, its impact on our consolidated financial condition, consolidated results of operations, and /or consolidated cash flows, the adverse impact could be material.
Failure in our information technology or storage systems could significantly disrupt our operations and our research and development efforts, which could adversely impact our revenues, as well as our research, development and commercialization efforts.
Our ability to execute our business strategy depends, in part, on the continued and uninterrupted performance of our information technology (“IT”) systems that support our operations and our research and development efforts, and those IT systems within the control of our contract manufacturers and contract laboratories. The integrity and protection of our own data, and that of our customers and employees, is critical to our business. The regulatory environment governing information, security and privacy laws is increasingly demanding and continues to evolve. IT systems are vulnerable to damage from a variety of sources, including telecommunications or network failures, malicious human acts and natural disasters. Moreover, despite network security and back-up measures, some of our servers are potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses and similar disruptive problems. Despite the precautionary measures we have taken to prevent unanticipated problems that could affect our IT systems, and the precautionary measures taken by our contract parties, sustained or repeated system failures that interrupt our ability to generate and maintain data, could adversely affect our ability to operate our business. Furthermore, any breach in our IT systems could lead to the unauthorized access, disclosure and use of non-public information, including protected health information, which is protected by HIPAA and other laws. Any such access, disclosure, or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and damage to our reputation.
System upgrades, enhancements and replacements, as well as new systems, are required from time to time, and require significant expenditures and allocation of valuable employee resources. Delays in integration or disruptions to our business from implementation of these new or upgraded systems could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results. There can be no assurance that our process of improving existing systems, developing new systems to support our expanding operations, integrating new systems, protecting confidential patient information, and improving service levels will not be delayed or that additional systems issues will not arise in the future. Failure to adequately protect and maintain the integrity of our information systems issues and data may result in a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
We may become the subject of various claims, threats of litigation, litigation or investigations which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or price of our common stock.
We may become subject to various claims, threats of litigation, litigation or investigations, including commercial disputes and employee claims, and from time to time may be involved in governmental or regulatory investigations or similar matters. Any claims asserted against us or our management, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, could harm our reputation and have an adverse impact on our relationship with our clients, distribution partners and other third parties and could lead to additional related claims. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves in pending or future litigation or similar matters under various laws. Any judgments or settlements in any pending litigation or future claims, litigation or investigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and price of our common stock.
Risks Relating to Regulatory Matters
Any future products or services we may develop may not be approved for sale in the U.S. or in any other country. In order to obtain approval, we may need to conduct clinical trials necessary to support a FDA 510(k) notice or PMA application will be expensive and will require the enrollment of large numbers of patients, and suitable patients may be difficult to identify and recruit.
Our only products for which we have obtained approval or clearance from the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority is our EsoCheck cell sample collection device and our CarpX minimally invasive surgical device. In certain limited circumstances, we also may market our products without such approval or clearance, as is the case for the EsoGuard LDT. Generally, however, neither we nor any future collaboration partner can commercialize any products we may develop in the U.S. or in any foreign country without first obtaining regulatory approval for the product, where applicable, from the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. The approval route in the U.S. for any products we may develop may be either via the PMA process, a de novo 510(k) pathway, or traditional 510(k). The PMA approval process is more complex, costly and time consuming than the 510(k) process. Additional randomized, controlled clinical trials may be necessary to obtain approval. The approval process may take several years to complete and may never be obtained. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any product we may develop in the U.S., we must demonstrate with substantial evidence, gathered in preclinical and well-controlled clinical studies, that the planned products are safe and effective for use for that target indication. We may not conduct such a trial or may not successfully enroll or complete any such trial. Any products we may develop may not achieve the required primary endpoint in the clinical trial and may not receive regulatory approval. We must also demonstrate that the manufacturing facilities, processes and controls for any products we may develop are adequate. Moreover, obtaining regulatory approval in one country for marketing of any products we may develop does not ensure we will be able to obtain regulatory approval in other countries, while a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in other countries. Failure to obtain regulatory approvals in foreign jurisdictions will prevent us from marketing our products internationally.
Even if we or any future collaboration partner were to successfully obtain a regulatory approval for any product we may develop, any approval might contain significant limitations related to use restrictions for specified age groups, warnings, precautions or contraindications, or may be subject to burdensome post-approval study or risk management requirements. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for any products, we may develop in one or more jurisdictions, or any approval contains significant limitations, we may not be able to obtain sufficient revenue to justify commercial launch. Also, any regulatory approval of a product, once obtained, may be withdrawn. If we are unable to successfully obtain regulatory approval to sell any products we may develop in the U.S. or other countries, our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects could be adversely affected.
Initiating and completing clinical trials necessary to support a FDA 510(k) notice or a PMA application will be time-consuming and expensive and the outcome uncertain. Moreover, the results of early clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results, and any product the Company advances into clinical trials may not have favorable results in early or later clinical trials. Conducting successful clinical studies will require the enrollment of large numbers 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 depend on many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the attractiveness of, or the discomforts and risks associated with, the treatments received by patients enrolled as subjects, the availability of appropriate clinical trial investigators, support staff, and proximity of patients to clinical sites and ability 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 products or if they determine that the treatments received under the trial protocols are not attractive or involve unacceptable risks or discomforts. Patients may also not participate in our clinical trials if they choose to participate in contemporaneous clinical trials of competitive products. In addition, patients participating in clinical trials may die before completion of the trial or suffer adverse medical events unrelated to investigational products. Further, the FDA may require the Company to submit data on a greater number of patients than it originally anticipated and/or for a longer follow-up period or change the data collection requirements or data analysis for any 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 and attempted commercialization of our products or result in the failure of the clinical trial. Such increased costs and delays or failures could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
The results of the Company’s clinical trials may not support our product candidate claims or may result in the discovery of adverse side effects. In addition, delays or termination of our clinical trials may have an adverse impact on our ability to commercialize our product candidates.
Because of unanticipated delays, the Company has been unable to successfully complete its clinical trials related to the EsoGuard test to generate clinical utility data showing that the results of the test influence’s provider decisionmaking in providing medical care. As such clinical utility data is important to decisions by payor’s to provide reimbursement for the test, continued delays in such trials will adversely impact our ability to commercialize the EsoGuard test and generate revenues from sales of the same.
Even if any of the Company’s clinical trials are completed as planned, it cannot be certain that study results will support product candidate claims or that the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities will agree with our conclusions regarding them. Success in pre-clinical evaluation 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 pre-clinical studies. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses or otherwise influence medical decisions in the manner we need to show to evidence the clinical utility of our product candidates, which could cause us to abandon a product candidate and may delay development of others. In addition, if clinical data does not support our product candidate claims, the FDA could then bring legal or regulatory enforcement actions against the Company and/or its products including, but not limited to, recalls or requirements for pre-market 510(k) authorizations. The Company can give no assurance that its data will be substantiated in studies involving more patients. In such a case, the Company may never achieve significant revenues or profitability. Any delay or termination of our clinical trials will delay the filing of any related product submissions and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate revenues (in particular where evidence of clinical utility is a critical factor to payor’s decisions around reimbursement). It is also possible that patients enrolled in clinical trials will experience adverse side effects that are not currently part of the product candidate’s profile.
Even if we receive regulatory approval for any product we may develop, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and subject us to penalties if we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
Once regulatory approval has been obtained, the approved product and its manufacturer are subject to continual review by the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory authorities. Our regulatory approval for any products we may develop may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed. Future approvals may contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing follow-up studies to monitor the safety and efficacy of the approved product. In addition, we are subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements by the FDA and other regulatory authorities with regard to the labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for our products. In addition, we are required to comply with cGMP regulations regarding the manufacture of any products we may develop, which include requirements related to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Further, regulatory authorities must approve these manufacturing facilities before they can be used to manufacture drug products, and these facilities are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations. If we or a third party discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturer or us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing.
Healthcare reform measures could hinder or prevent our products’ commercial success.
There likely will be legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at containing or lowering the cost of health care. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future or their full impact. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect:
● our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our products;
● our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability; and
● the availability of capital.
Further, changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may occur, both in the United States and in foreign countries, and we may need to amend clinical study protocols to reflect these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical study protocols to IRB’s for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical study. In light of widely publicized events concerning the safety risk of certain drug and medical device products, regulatory authorities, members of Congress, the Governmental Accounting Office, medical professionals and the general public have raised concerns about potential safety issues. These events have resulted in the recall and withdrawal of medical device products, revisions to product labeling that further limit use of products and establishment of risk management programs that may, for instance, restrict distribution of certain products or require safety surveillance or patient education. The increased attention to safety issues may result in a more cautious approach by the FDA or other regulatory authorities to clinical studies and the drug approval process. Data from clinical studies may receive greater scrutiny with respect to safety, which may make the FDA or other regulatory authorities more likely to terminate or suspend clinical studies before completion or require longer or additional clinical studies that may result in substantial additional expense and a delay or failure in obtaining approval or approval for a more limited indication than originally sought.
Given the serious public health risks of high profile adverse safety events with certain products, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may require, as a condition of approval, costly risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, which may include safety surveillance, restricted distribution and use, patient education, enhanced labeling, special packaging or labeling, expedited reporting of certain adverse events, preapproval of promotional materials and restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising.
If we fail to comply with healthcare regulations, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Even though we do not and will not control referrals of healthcare services or bill directly to Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors, certain federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse and patients’ rights are and will be applicable to our business. We could be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse and patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The regulations that may affect our ability to operate include, without limitation:
● the federal healthcare program Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, any person from knowingly and willfully offering, soliciting, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce 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 federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
● the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, which prohibits payments or the provision of anything of value to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business;
● the federal False Claims Act, or FCA, which prohibits, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, false claims, or knowingly using false statements, to obtain payment from the federal government, and which may apply to entities like us which provide coding and billing advice to customers;
● federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters;
● the federal transparency requirements under the Health Care Reform Law requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report to the Department of Health and Human Services information related to physician payments and other transfers of value and physician ownership and investment interests;
● the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which governs the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and protects the security and privacy of protected health information; and
● state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Any penalties, damages, fines, curtailment or restructuring of our operations could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. Moreover, achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable federal and state privacy, security and fraud laws may prove costly.
The Company’s medical products may in the future be subject to product recalls that could harm its reputation, business and financial results.
The FDA has the authority to require the recall of commercialized medical device 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 injury 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 the Company or one of its distributors could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues. Recalls of any of the Company’s products would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations. The FDA requires that certain classifications of recalls be reported to the FDA within ten (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. The Company may initiate voluntary recalls involving its products in the future that the Company determines do not require notification of the FDA. If the FDA disagrees with the Company’s determinations, they could require the Company to report those actions as recalls. A future recall announcement could harm the Company’s reputation with customers and negatively affect its sales. In addition, the FDA could take enforcement action for failing to report the recalls when they were conducted. No recalls of the Company’s medical products have been reported to the FDA.
If the Company’s medical products cause or contribute to a death or a serious injury, or malfunction 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 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 likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction of the device or one of our similar devices were to recur. If the Company fails to report these events to the FDA within the required timeframes, or at all, the FDA could take enforcement action against the Company. Any such adverse event involving its products also 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 defending ourselves in a lawsuit, will require the dedication of the Company’s time and capital, distract management from operating our business, and may harm its reputation and financial results.
If the Company is found to be promoting the use of its devices for unapproved or “off-label” uses or engaging in other noncompliant activities, the Company may be subject to recalls, seizures, fines, penalties, injunctions, adverse publicity, prosecution, or other adverse actions, resulting in damage to its reputation and business.
The Company’s labeling, advertising, promotional materials and user training materials must comply with the FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the promotion of a medical device for a use that has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. Obtaining 510(k) clearance or PMA approval only permits the Company to promote its products for the uses specifically cleared by the FDA. Use of a device outside its cleared or approved indications is known as “off-label” use. Physicians and consumers may use the Company’s products off-label because the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician’s choice of treatment within the practice of medicine nor is there oversight on patient use of over-the-counter devices. Although the Company may request additional cleared indications for our current products, the FDA may deny those requests, require additional expensive clinical data to support any additional indications or impose limitations on the intended use of any cleared product as a condition of clearance. Even if regulatory clearance or approval of a product is granted, 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 the Company’s labeling, advertising, promotional materials, or user training materials, or representations made by Company personnel, include the promotion of an off-label use for the device, or that the Company has made false or misleading or inadequately substantiated promotional claims, or claims that could potentially change the regulatory status of the product, the agency could take the position that these materials have misbranded the Company’s devices and request that the Company modifies its labeling, advertising, or user training or promotional materials and/or subject the Company to regulatory or legal enforcement actions, including the issuance of an Untitled Letter or a Warning Letter, injunction, seizure, recall, adverse publicity, civil penalties, criminal penalties, or other adverse actions. It is also possible that other federal, state, or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider the Company’s labeling, advertising, promotional, or user training materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines, penalties, or other adverse actions under other statutory authorities, such as laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement. In that event, we would be subject to extensive fines and penalties and the Company’s reputation could be damaged and adoption of the products would be impaired. Although the Company intends to refrain from statements that could be considered off-label promotion of its products, the FDA or another regulatory agency could disagree and conclude that the Company has engaged in off-label promotion. For example, the Company has made statements regarding some of its devices that the FDA may view as off-label promotion. In addition, any such off-label use of the Company’s products may increase the risk of injury to patients, and, in turn, the risk of product liability claims, and such claims are expensive to defend and could divert the Company’s management’s attention and result in substantial damage awards against the Company.
Risks Associated with Ownership of Our Common Stock
We may issue shares of our common and /or preferred stock in the future which could reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and might cause a change in control of our ownership.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.001 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.001 per share. We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our common stock or preferred stock, or a combination of common and preferred stock, to raise additional funds or in connection with any strategic acquisition. The issuance of additional shares of our common stock or any number of shares of our preferred stock:
● may significantly reduce the equity interest of investors;
● may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded to our common stockholders;
● may cause a change in control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards, if any, and most likely also result in the resignation or removal of some or all of our present officers and directors; and
● may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.
Our subsidiary Lucid may issue shares of its common and/or preferred stock in the future which could reduce the equity interest of PAVmed in Lucid and might cause us to cease to control a majority of the voting stock of Lucid.
As of the date hereof, our subsidiary Lucid has sold $13.625 million in shares of Series A Preferred Stock. If the maximum amount of common stock underlying such securities were issued, the percentage of shares of Lucid common stock held by PAVmed would be reduced from approximately 72% to approximately 59%. This reduced percentage would be further diluted in the event of future convertible debt or stock issuances by Lucid or by issuances under Lucid’s long-term incentive plan and employee stock purchase plan. While PAVmed would still retain a large ownership interest in Lucid in such event, it may cease to control the vote on matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of Lucid’s board of directors.
Our management and their affiliates control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
As of December 31, 2022, our management and their affiliates collectively owned approximately 10% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, these individuals would have considerable influence regarding the outcome of any transaction that requires stockholder approval. Furthermore, our Board of Directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a consequence of our “staggered” Board of Directors, only a minority of the Board of Directors will be considered for election in any given year and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome.
There can be no assurance that our common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market or another national securities exchange.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to meet Nasdaq Capital Market listing standards. If we are unable to maintain compliance with all applicable listing standards, our common stock may no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market or another national securities exchange and the liquidity and market price of our common stock may be adversely affected. On December 29, 2022, the Company received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC stating that, for the prior 30 consecutive business days (through December 28, 2022), the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock had been below the minimum of $1 per share required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The notification letter stated that the Company would be afforded 180 calendar days (until June 27, 2023) to regain compliance. The Company intends to regain compliance through a reverse stock split. A special annual meeting at which the reverse stock split will be voted on is scheduled for March 31, 2023. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain the requisite shareholder vote to approve such a transaction.
A robust public market for our common stock may not be sustained, which could affect your ability to sell our common stock or depress the market price of our common stock.
We are unable to predict whether an active trading market for our common stock will be sustained. If an active market is not sustained for any reason, it may be difficult for you to sell your securities at the time you wish to sell them, at a price that is attractive to you, or at all. If the proposed reverse stock split discussed above is completed, the related reduction in outstanding shares would likely reduce the liquidity in our common stock.
Our stock price may be volatile, and purchasers of our securities could incur substantial losses.
Our stock price is likely to be volatile. The stock market in general, and the market for life science companies, and medical device companies in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including the following:
● factors in the public trading market for our stock that may produce price movements that may or may not comport with macro, industry or company-specific fundamentals, including, without limitation, the sentiment of retail investors (including as may be expressed on financial trading and other social media sites and online forums), the direct access by retail investors to broadly available trading platforms, the amount and status of short interest in our securities, access to margin debt, trading in options and other derivatives on our common stock and any related hedging and other trading factors
● speculation in the press or investment community about our company or industry
● our ability to successfully commercialize, and realize revenues from sales of, any products we may develop;
● the performance, safety and side effects of any products we may develop;
● the success of competitive products or technologies;
● results of clinical studies of any products we may develop or those of our competitors;
● regulatory or legal developments in the U.S. and other countries, especially changes in laws or regulations applicable to any products we may develop;
● introductions and announcements of new products by us, our commercialization partners, or our competitors, and the timing of these introductions or announcements;
● actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to our products, clinical studies, manufacturing process or sales and marketing terms;
● variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
● the success of our efforts to acquire or in-license additional products or other products we may develop;
● developments concerning our collaborations, including but not limited to those with our sources of manufacturing supply and our commercialization partners;
● developments concerning our ability to bring our manufacturing processes to scale in a cost-effective manner;
● announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
● developments or disputes concerning patents or other proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our products;
● our ability or inability to raise additional capital and the terms on which we raise it;
● the recruitment or departure of key personnel;
● changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
● market conditions in the medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
● actual or anticipated changes in earnings estimates or changes in stock market analyst recommendations regarding our common stock, other comparable companies or our industry generally;
● trading volume of our common stock;
● sales of our common stock by us or our stockholders;
● general economic, industry and market conditions; and
● the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section.
These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Our outstanding warrants and other convertible securities may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
As of December 31, 2022, there were 94,510,537 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, and, as of such date, we also had issued and outstanding:
(i) stock options to purchase 11,568,655 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $2.71 per share, with such total number inclusive of both stock options granted under the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Equity Plan (“PAVmed Inc. 2014 Equity Plan”);and 2,563,843 shares of our common stock reserved for issuance, but not subject to outstanding stock-based equity awards under the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Equity Plan; and 626,081 shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the PAVmed Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“PAVmed Inc. ESPP”)
(ii) Series Z Warrants to purchase 11,937,450 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.60 per share; and
(iii) Series B Convertible Preferred Stock of 1,205,759 shares, convertible into the same number of shares of our common stock.
In addition, the Senior Convertible Notes have a current outstanding principal amount of $32.7 million, which are convertible into 6,549,400 shares of our common stock (assuming the Senior Convertible Notes were converted in full on such date at the initial fixed conversion price of $5.00 per share). The number of shares of our common stock underlying the Senior Convertible Notes may increase if we conduct additional closings under the March 2022 SPA, pursuant to which we may issue Senior Convertible Notes with up to an additional $11,250,000 of principal amount. Furthermore, the number of shares of common stock to be issued under the Senior Convertible Notes may be substantially greater than the estimate set forth in this paragraph, if we pay the interest and the installments of principal in shares of our common stock, because in such cases (and in certain other cases as described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) the number of shares issued will be determined based on the then current market price (but in any event not more than fixed conversion price per share or less than a floor price specified in the notes). We cannot predict the market price of our common stock at any future date, and therefore, we are unable to accurately forecast or predict the total amount of shares that ultimately may be issued under these notes. In addition, the number of shares issued under these notes may be substantially greater if we voluntarily lower the conversion price, which we are permitted to do pursuant to the terms thereof.
The issuance of these shares will dilute our other equity holders, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
We do not intend to pay any dividends on our common stock at this time.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date. The payment of cash dividends on our common stock in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition and will be within the discretion of our Board of Directors. It is the present intention of our Board of Directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our Board of Directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. As a result, any gain you will realize on our common stock (including common stock obtained upon exercise of our warrants) will result solely from the appreciation of such shares.
We are subject to evolving corporate governance and public disclosure expectations and regulations that impact compliance costs and risks of noncompliance.
We are subject to changing rules and regulations promulgated by a number of governmental and self-regulatory organizations, including the SEC and Nasdaq, as well as evolving investor expectations around corporate governance and environmental and social practices and disclosures. These rules and regulations continue to evolve in scope and complexity, and many new requirements have been created in response to laws enacted by the U.S. and foreign governments, making compliance more difficult and uncertain. The increase in costs to comply with such evolving expectations, rules and regulations, as well as any risk of noncompliance, could adversely impact us.
We incur significant costs as a result of our and Lucid Diagnostics operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.
As a public company, with a majority-owned subsidiary that is also a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the other rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and the rules and regulations of Nasdaq or any other national securities exchange on which our securities are then trading. Compliance with the various reporting and other requirements applicable to public companies requires considerable time and attention of management. For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules of the SEC and Nasdaq have imposed various requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. Our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. These rules and regulations result in significant legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costlier.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, we will be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K following the date on which we are no longer a smaller reporting company. Our compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and as our business expands, we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
Our ability to successfully implement our business plan and comply with Section 404 requires us to be able to prepare timely and accurate financial statements. We expect that we will need to continue to improve existing, and implement new operational and financial systems, procedures and controls to manage our business effectively. Any delay in the implementation of, or disruption in the transition to, new or enhanced systems, procedures or controls, may cause our operations to suffer and we may be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective and to obtain an unqualified report on internal controls from our auditors if required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This, in turn, could have an adverse impact on trading prices for our common stock, and could adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets.
Under our management services agreement with Lucid Diagnostics, many of our personnel and other resources are devoted to ensuring Lucid Diagnostics complies with the above requirements applicable to public companies. This further exhausts management and other personnel resources that could be used for other revenue-generating activities.
If we experience material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future, our business may be harmed.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting and for evaluating and reporting on the effectiveness of our system of internal control. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. As a public company, we are required to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other rules that govern public companies. In particular, we are required to certify our compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires us to furnish annually a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
Although our management determined that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022, we may experience material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any necessary remediation efforts would place a significant burden on management and add increased pressure to our financial resources and processes. If we were are unable to successfully remediate any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that may be identified in the future in a timely manner, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected; our liquidity, our access to capital markets, the perceptions of our creditworthiness may be adversely affected; we may be unable to maintain or regain compliance with applicable securities laws, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market; we may be subject to regulatory investigations and penalties; investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting; our reputation may be harmed; and our stock price may decline.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If any analyst who covers us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. In addition, if our operating results fail to meet the forecast of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our corporate charter and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board of Directors. Because our Board of Directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. Among others, these provisions include the following.
● our Board of Directors is divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms which may delay or prevent a change of our management or a change in control;
● our Board of Directors has the right to elect directors to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of our Board of Directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which will prevent stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors;
● our certificate of incorporation prohibits cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
● our stockholders are required to provide advance notice and additional disclosures in order to nominate individuals for election to our Board of Directors or to propose matters that can be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company; and
● our Board of Directors is able to issue, without stockholder approval, shares of undesignated preferred stock, which makes it possible for our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to acquire us.
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15.0% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15.0% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Property
Our corporate offices are located at 360 Madison Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The lease for this space is for seven years and eight months, starting on February 1, 2023, and may not be terminated prior to expiration of its stated term, except in limited circumstances due to misconduct by our landlord. The Company or its subsidiaries also have entered into leases for a research and development facility in Massachusetts with 7,375 square feet, which has a remaining term of 4.25 years, a CLIA laboratory in California with 21,019 square feet, which has a remaining term of 2 years, and an office space in Pennsylvania with 4,300 square feet, which has a remaining term of 4.8 years. We also have lease agreements for our Lucid Test Centers in various locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Utah that in the aggregate approximate 11,429 square feet. At this time, we consider our facility space to be commensurate with our current operations. Notwithstanding, we may obtain additional space in the future, as warranted by our business operations.
Effective with the respective lease commencement dates, subsequent to December 31, 2022, the Company and its subsidiaries have entered into additional lease agreements for additional Lucid Testing Centers with an aggregate of approximately 2,046 square feet.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
See Note 12, Commitment and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings, of the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, for a description of certain material legal proceedings involving the Company, which description is incorporated herein by reference.
Delaware Court of Chancery Complaint
On November 2, 2020, a stockholder of the Company, on behalf of himself and other similarly situated stockholders, filed a complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery alleging broker non-votes were not properly counted in accordance with the Company’s bylaws at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders on July 24, 2020, and, as a result, asserted certain matters deemed to have been approved were not so approved (including matters relating to the increase in the size of the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Equity Plan and the PAVmed Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan). The relief sought under the complaint included certain corrective actions by the Company, but did not seek any specific monetary damages. The Company did not believe it was clear the prior approval of these matters was invalid or otherwise ineffective. However, to avoid any uncertainty and the expense of further litigation, on January 5, 2021, the Company’s board of directors determined it would be advisable and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to re-submit these proposals to the Company’s stockholders for ratification and/or approval. In this regard, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders on March 4, 2021, at which such matters were ratified and approved. The parties reached agreement on a Settlement Term Sheet Agreement, dated January 28, 2021, to settle the complaint, the terms of which did not contemplate payment of monetary damages to the putative class in the proceeding. In connection with the foregoing, on August 3, 2022, the parties agreed that plaintiff’s counsel would not seek an award from the Court in excess of $450,000, to be paid by the Company, upon Court approval, as compensation for the benefits conferred by the settlement, and the Company would not object to an award of up to such maximum amount. The settlement and a plaintiff’s fee award of $450,000 were approved by the Court on November 3, 2022, with such award having been subsequently paid by the Company in December 2022.
Benchmark Investments, Inc. / Benchmark Investments LLC
On December 23, 2020, Benchmark Investments, Inc. filed a complaint against the Company in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York alleging the registered direct offerings of shares of common stock of the Company completed in December 2020 were in violation of provisions set forth in an engagement letter between the Company and Kingswood Capital Markets, a “division” of Benchmark Investments, Inc. On December 16, 2021, the court granted PAVmed’s motion to dismiss the case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. On February 7, 2022, Benchmark Investments LLC, which claimed to be a successor to Benchmark Investments, Inc., filed a new complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, asserting claims similar to those in the federal action, and adding to its allegations that financings conducted by the Company in January 2021 and February 2021 also violated the Company’s engagement letter with Kingswood Capital Markets. In November 2022, the Company filed its answer to such complaint and asserted certain counterclaims against Kingswood Capital Markets, including for fraudulent inducement and breach of contract. The Company disagrees with the allegations made by Kingswood Capital Markets set forth in the complaint and intends to vigorously contest the complaint. On February 13, 2023, the Company entered into a settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) with EF Hutton, a division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (f/k/a Kingswood Capital Markets, a division of Benchmark Investments, Inc.) (“EF Hutton”) and Benchmark Investments, LLC (f/k/a Benchmark Investments, Inc.). Under the Settlement Agreement, the Company agreed to pay EF Hutton $450,000 in full and final satisfaction of all claims and disputes the parties made or could have made against one another arising out of or relating in any way to the above described actions. The Settlement Agreement also included a mutual release and certain other covenants that are customary for agreements of this nature. On February 17, 2023, the Company wired the settlement payment to EF Hutton. On that same date, the parties filed a stipulation of discontinuance, ending the action and resolving the dispute.
In the ordinary course of our business, particularly as it begins commercialization of its products, the Company may be subject to certain other legal actions and claims, including product liability, consumer, commercial, tax and governmental matters, which may arise from time to time. Except as otherwise noted herein, the Company does not believe it is currently a party to any other pending legal proceedings. Notwithstanding, legal proceedings are subject-to inherent uncertainties, and an unfavorable outcome could include monetary damages, and excessive verdicts can result from litigation, and as such, could result in a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations, and /or cash flows. Additionally, although the Company has specific insurance for certain potential risks, the Company may in the future incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims which may have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations, and /or cash flows.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrants Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market for Common Equity
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PAVM” and our Series Z Warrants are traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PAVMZ.” On December 29, 2022, we received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq stating that, for the prior 30 consecutive business days (through December 28, 2022), the closing bid price of our common stock had been below the minimum of $1 per share required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The notification letter stated that the Company would be afforded 180 calendar days (until June 27, 2023) to regain compliance. See “Recent Developments-Business-Nasdaq Notice” in Item 7 below for more information.
Holders
As of March 9, 2023, there were 98,419,795 shares of our common stock outstanding. Our shares of common stock are held by an estimated 214 holders of record and we believe our shares of common stock are held by significantly more beneficial owners.
Dividends
Common Stock
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date. Any future decisions regarding dividends will be made by our board of directors. We do not anticipate paying dividends in the foreseeable future but expect to retain earnings to finance the growth of our business. Subject to the restrictions described below and applicable law, our board of directors has complete discretion on whether to pay dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions, amongst and other factors deemed relevant.
As long as the Senior Convertible Notes (see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Item 7 below) are outstanding, we may not, directly or indirectly, redeem, or declare or pay any cash dividend or cash distribution on, any of our securities without the prior express written consent of the purchasers of the Senior Convertible Notes (other than as required by the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock). Furthermore, our common stock is junior to the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock with respect to dividends.
Series B Convertible Preferred Stock
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock has a par value of $0.001 per share, no voting rights, a stated value of $3.00 per share, and at the holders’ election, is convertible into shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $3.00 per share.
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock accrues dividends at a rate of 8% per annum based on the $3.00 per share stated value. Dividends are payable in arrears on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, 2023. Dividends accrue and cumulate whether or not declared by our board of directors. All accumulated and unpaid dividends compound quarterly at the rate of 8% of the stated value per annum. Dividends are payable at our election in any combination of shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, cash or shares of our common stock.
During the periods ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, at each of the respective holders’ election, a total of 45 and 210,448 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock were converted into the same number of shares of common stock of PAVmed Inc.
During the period ended December 31, 2022, the Company’s board of directors declared an aggregate of approximately $276 of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock dividends, earned as of December 31, 2021, March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022, and September 30, 2022, which have been settled by the issue of an additional aggregate 91,885 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.
During the period ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s board of directors declared an aggregate of approximately $288 of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock dividends, earned as of December 31, 2020, March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021, and September 30, 2021, which have been settled by the issue of an additional aggregate 96,262 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.
Subsequent to December 31, 2022, in January 2023, the Company’s board of directors declared a Series B Convertible Preferred Stock dividend earned as of December 31, 2022 and payable as of January 1, 2023, of approximately $72, to be settled by the issue of an additional 24,128 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (with such dividend not recognized as a dividend payable as of December 31, 2022, as the Company’s board of directors had not declared such dividends payable as of such date).
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Except as previously disclosed in our current reports on Form 8-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or as described under the heading “Recent Developments-Financing” in Item 7 below, we did not sell any unregistered securities or repurchase any of our securities during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our consolidated financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Financial Statements”). Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties and should be read together with the “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Unless the context otherwise requires, references herein to “we”, “us”, and “our”, and to the “Company” or “PAVmed” are to PAVmed Inc. and Subsidiaries, including its majority-owned subsidiaries, including Lucid Diagnostics Inc. (“Lucid Diagnostics” or “LUCID”) and Veris Health Inc. (“Veris Health” or “VERIS”).
Overview
PAVmed is a highly differentiated, multi-product, commercial-stage medical technology company organized to advance a broad pipeline of innovative medical technologies from concept to commercialization, employing a business model focused on capital efficiency and speed to market.
Our current central focus is predominantly on commercial expansion and execution including the acceleration of EsoGuard and Veris Cancer Care Platform commercialization. As resources permit, we will continue to explore internal and external innovations that fulfill our project selection criteria without limiting ourselves to any target specialty or condition. More broadly, we strive to maintain balance within our pipeline with shorter-term, lower-risk projects with the prospect for rapid commercialization and revenue generation supporting development of longer-term projects. At the same time, we are continuously re-assessing each project’s long-term commercial potential relative to other projects in our pipeline, accelerating or decelerating the project and reallocating resources accordingly.
The Company operates in one segment as a medical technology company, with the following lines of business: Diagnostics, Medical Devices and Digital Health. Above in Part I, Item 1 - Business is a summary of each of our key products within these sectors, including in particular EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, currently our two leading products. We are also pursuing a number of research and development project and product opportunities across these three lines of business, which have either been developed internally or have been presented to us by clinician innovators and academic medical institutions for consideration..
Recent Developments
Business
Status of Lucid Clinical Trials
Lucid is currently seeking to accelerate its collection of clinical utility data through a range of trials that can be efficiently executed. These efforts include a planned investigator-initiated, retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on the approximately 400 San Antonio fire fighters who underwent testing as part of a community-sponsored cancer awareness event (in respect of which we expect to publish results in the first half of 2023); an ongoing investigator-initiated, retrospective, single-center, study with 500 patients (in respect of which we expect to publish results mid-2023), a virtual-patient randomized controlled trial with intended recruitment of 100-200 physician participants (in respect of which we expect to publish results this year); a Lucid-sponsored multi-center, prospective, observational study with 500 patients; and a Lucid-sponsored registry at existing Lucid Test Centers, whereby all patients undergoing EsoCheck testing will be given the opportunity to provide informed consent and contribute data about their risk factors, EsoGuard results, and subsequent diagnostic and/or therapeutic journey. Both Lucid-sponsored observational/registry studies expect to have preliminary results and/or interim analysis before the end of 2023.
As previously disclosed, consequently, Lucid has decided to delay for the time being the two previously commenced clinical trials, the “EsoGuard screening study” (“BE-1”) and the “EsoGuard case-control study” (“BE-2”), as Lucid is devoting our clinical resources to the studies cited above, which we expect will more efficiently generate the clinical data Lucid is currently prioritzing to drive EsoGuard commercialization.
LucidDx Labs Laboratory Operations Update
On February 14, 2023, Lucid Diagnostics and LucidDx Labs Inc. entered into an agreement (the “MSA Termination Agreement”) with RDx, pursuant to which the parties mutually agreed to terminate the MSA-RDx without cause. The termination was effective as February 10, 2023. Until the termination of the MSA-RDx, RDx had continued to provide certain testing and related services for the Laboratory in accordance with the terms of the MSA-RDx. Recently, however, Lucid accelerated the development of internal resources necessary to operate the Laboratory entirely on its own. Accordingly, the Company believes that termination of the MSA-RDx will improve the efficiency of the performance of the EsoGuard assay.
Among other things, the MSA Termination Agreement reduces the remaining amounts of the earnout payments and management fees due under the APA-RDx and the MSA-RDx to $725,000 (from the $3,450,000 that would otherwise have been payable under the APA and MSA if the MSA had remained in effect through the balance of its stated term), resulting in a net savings to Lucid Diagnostics of $2,725,000. The payment was satisfied through the issuance of 553,436 shares of Lucid Diagnostics’ common stock on February 25, 2023. Lucid Diagnostics was not required to make any cash payments in connection with the termination.
#CheckYourFoodTube Events
In January 2023, Lucid successfully completed its first #CheckYourFoodTube Precancer Testing Event, in partnership with Rachelle Hamblin, M.D., M.P.H., and the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), to detect esophageal precancer in at-risk members of the department. The SAFD testing event was held over two weekends in January, which has been designated as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). A total of 391 members, nearly one-quarter of the department, who were deemed by Dr. Hamblin to be at-risk for esophageal precancer, underwent a brief, on-site, noninvasive cell collection procedure, performed by Lucid clinical personnel using its EsoCheck® Esophageal Cell Collection Device. Firefighters with suspected esophageal precancer based on a positive EsoGuard result were identified, including some less than forty years of age, and will undergo appropriate monitoring and treatment, as indicated by clinical practice guidelines, to prevent progression to esophageal cancer. These events, which Lucid looks to expand across the country, are an extension of Lucid’s recently introduced and expanding satellite Lucid Test Center (sLTC) program, which brings our precancer testing directly to patients-at their physician’s office and now at large testing day events. Lucid demonstrated that its nurse practitioners can each perform up to fifty EsoCheck procedures in a day, and its laboratory team handled over two hundred incoming samples in a day, while maintaining turnaround times at target. These successes provide an excellent foundation for future testing events as we continue to drive EsoGuard commercialization using all the tools at our disposal.
Veris Health Commercialization Update
In December 2022, Veris Health signed a license agreement for the Veris CCP software with its first customer, New Jersey Cancer Care. Since, Veris Health onboarded the first cohort of patients of that practice onto the Veris CCP as well, and has signed license agreements with two additional cancer centers. These successes lay the groundwork for Veris Health’s expansion plans with respect to the Veris CCP software as it seeks to onboard cancer centers and patients across the country.
NASDAQ Notice
On December 29, 2022, the Company received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq stating that, for the prior 30 consecutive business days (through December 28, 2022), the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock had been below the minimum of $1 per share required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The notification letter stated that the Company would be afforded 180 calendar days (until June 27, 2023) to regain compliance. In order to regain compliance, the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock must be at least $1 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. In February 2023, the Company distributed a proxy statement for a special meeting of shareholders to be held on March 31, 2023 (the “Special Meeting”), at which the Company will be seeking approval of an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, to effect, at any time prior to the one-year anniversary date of the Special Meeting, (i) a reverse split of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock at a specific ratio, ranging from 1-for-5 to 1-for-15, to be determined by the board of directors of the Company in its sole discretion, and (ii) an associated reduction in the number of shares of common stock the Company is authorized to issue, from 250,000,000 shares to 50,000,000 shares. If the proposed reverse stock split is approved and implemented, the Company anticipates it will regain compliance with the Nasdaq requirements for continued listing.
Payroll and Benefit Expense Reimbursement Agreement
On November 30, 2022, PAVmed and Lucid entered into a payroll and benefit expense reimbursement agreement (the “PBERA”). Historically, PAVmed has paid for certain payroll and benefit-related expenses in respect of Lucid’’s personnel on behalf of Lucid, and Lucid has reimbursed PAVmed for the same. Pursuant to the PBERA, PAVmed will continue to pay such expenses, and Lucid will continue to reimburse PAVmed for the same. The PBERA now provides that the expenses will be reimbursed on a quarterly basis or at such other frequency as the parties may determine, in cash or, subject to approval by the board of directors of each of PAVmed and Lucid, in shares of Lucid’s common stock, with such shares valued at the volume weighted average price of such stock during the final ten trading days preceding the later of the two dates on which such stock issuance is approved by the board of directors of each of PAVmed and Lucid (subject to a floor price of $0.40 per share), or in a combination of cash and shares. However, in no event shall Lucid issue any shares of its common stock to PAVmed in satisfaction of all or any portion of the expenses if the issuance of such shares of its common stock would exceed the maximum number of shares of common stock that the Issuer may issue under the rules or regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), unless Lucid obtains the approval of its stockholders as required by the applicable rules of the Nasdaq for issuances of shares of its common stock in excess of such amount.
Financing
Securities Purchase Agreement - March 31, 2022 - Senior Secured Convertible Note - April 4, 2022 and Senior Secured Convertible Note - September 8, 2022
Effective as of March 31, 2022, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with an accredited institutional investor (“Investor”, “Lender”, and /or “Holder”), pursuant to which we agreed to sell, and the Investor agreed to purchase an aggregate of $50.0 million face value principal of Senior Secured Convertible Notes. The SPA provided for the sale to the Investor of an initial Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of $27.5 million, which closed on April 4, 2022 (the “April 2022 Senior Convertible Note”). The SPA also provided for sales of additional Senior Secured Convertible Notes in one or more additional closings (upon the satisfaction of certain conditions), with an aggregate face value principal of up to an additional $22.5 million. The April 2022 Senior Convertible Note proceeds were $24.4 million after deducting a $2.5 million lender fee and the Company’s offering costs of approximately $0.6 million, inclusive primarily of $0.5 million placement agent fees.
On September 8, 2022, we completed an additional closing under the SPA, in which we sold to the Investor an additional Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of $11.25 million (the “September 2022 Senior Convertible Note”). The September 2022 Senior Convertible Note proceeds were $10.0 million after deducting a $1.0 million lender fee and the Company’s offering costs of approximately $0.2 million, inclusive primarily of placement agent fees.
See Note 14, Debt, to the Financial Statements for further discussion of the SPA dated March 31, 2022 and the senior convertible notes.
Lucid Diagnostics Inc. - Committed Equity Facility and ATM Facility
In March 2022, our majority-owned subsidiary, Lucid Diagnostics, entered into a committed equity facility with an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald (“Cantor”). Under the terms of the facility, Cantor committed to purchase up to $50 million of Lucid Diagnostics common stock from time to time upon the request of Lucid Diagnostics. While there are distinct differences, the facility is structured similarly to a traditional at-the-market equity facility, insofar as it allows Lucid Diagnostics to raise primary capital on a periodic basis at prices based on the existing market price. Through December 31, 2022, 680,263 shares of common stock of Lucid Diagnostics were issued under this facility for total proceeds of approximately $1.8 million.
In November 2022, Lucid Diagnostics also entered into an “at-the-market offering” for up to $6.5 million of its common stock that may be offered and sold under a Controlled Equity Offering Agreement between Lucid Diagnostics and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. In the year ended December 31, 2022, there were no Lucid Diagnostics shares sold through their at-the-market equity facility. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, through March 9, 2023, Lucid Diagnostics sold 230,068 shares through its at-the-market equity facility for approximately $0.3 million.
Lucid Diagnostics - Series A Preferred Stock Offering
On March 7, 2023, Lucid entered into subscription agreements for the sale of 13,625 shares (the “Lucid Series A Preferred Stock”). Each share of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock has a stated value of $1,000 and a conversion price of $1.394. The terms of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock also include a one times preference on liquidation and a right to receive dividends equal to 20% of the number of shares of Lucid common stock into which such Lucid Series A Preferred Stock is convertible, payable on the one-year and two-year anniversary of the issuance date. The Lucid Series A Preferred Stock is a non-voting security, other than with respect to limited matters related to changes in terms of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock. The aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of shares in such offering were $13.625 million.
Lucid Diagnostics - Private Placement - Securities Purchase Agreement
Effective as of March 13, 2023, Lucid entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“Lucid SPA”) with an accredited institutional investor (“Lucid Investor”, “Lucid Lender”, and /or “Lucid Holder”), pursuant to which Lucid agreed to sell, and the Lucid Investor agreed to purchase a Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of up to $11.1 million (the “March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note”). The issuance of the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note is subject to customary closing conditions.
The March 2023 Lucid Senior Secured Convertible Note would have a 7.875% annual stated interest rate, a contractual conversion price of $5.00 per share of Lucid’s common stock (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction), and a contractual maturity date of the two-year anniversary of the date of issuance. The March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note would be convertible into or otherwise paid in shares of Lucid’s common stock.
Under the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note, Lucid is and would be subject to certain customary affirmative and negative covenants regarding the incurrence of indebtedness, the existence of liens, the repayment of indebtedness and the making of investments, the payment of cash in respect of dividends, distributions or redemptions, the transfer of assets, the maturity of other indebtedness, and transactions with affiliates, among other customary matters. Under the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note, Lucid would also be subject to financial covenants requiring that (i) the amount of Lucid’s available cash equal or exceed $5.0 million at all times, (ii) the ratio of (a) the outstanding principal amount of the notes issued under the Lucid SPA, accrued and unpaid interest thereon and accrued and unpaid late charges to (b) Lucid’s average market capitalization over the prior ten trading days, not exceed 30%, and (iii) that Lucid’s market capitalization shall at no time be less than an amount to be agreed upon.
Results of Operations
Overview
Revenue
The Company recognized revenue resulting from the delivery of patient EsoGuard test results when the Company considered the collection of such consideration to be probable to the extent that it is unconstrained. Additionally, revenue was recognized with respect to the EsoGuard Commercialization Agreement, dated August 1, 2021, between the Lucid Diagnostics Inc. and ResearchDx Inc. (“RDx”), a CLIA certified commercial laboratory service provider. On February 25, 2022, the EsoGuard Commercialization Agreement was terminated upon the execution of an Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary of LucidDx Labs Inc. and RDx.
Cost of revenue
Cost of revenues recognized from the delivery of patient EsoGuard test results includes costs related to EsoCheck device usage, shipment of test collection kits, royalties and the cost of services to process tests and provide results to physicians. We incur expenses for tests in the period in which the activities occur, therefore, gross margin as a percentage of revenue may vary from quarter to quarter due to costs being incurred in one period that relate to revenues recognized in a later period.
We expect that gross margin for our services will continue to fluctuate and be affected by EsoGuard test volume, our operating efficiencies, patient compliance rates, payor mix, the levels of reimbursement, and payment patterns of payors and patients.
The cost of revenue recognized with respect to the revenue recognized under the EsoGuard Commercialization Agreement is inclusive of: a royalty fee incurred under the Amended CWRU License Agreement; employee related costs of employees engaged in the administration to patients of the EsoCheck cell sample collection procedure (principally at the Lucid Test Centers); the EsoCheck devices and EsoGuard mailers (cell sample shipping costs) distributed to medical practitioners locations and the Lucid Test Centers; and Lucid Test Centers operating expenses, including rent expense and supplies.
Sales and marketing expenses
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for employees engaged in sales and marketing activities, as well as advertising and promotion expenses. We anticipate our sales and marketing expenses will increase in the future, to the extent we expand our commercial sales and marketing operations as resources permit.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel, travel expenses, facility-related costs, professional fees, accounting and legal services, employees involved in third-party payor reimbursement contract negotiations and consultants and expenses associated with obtaining and maintaining patents within our intellectual property portfolio.
We anticipate our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as and to the extent our business operations grow. We also anticipate continued expenses related to being a public company, including audit, legal, regulatory, and tax-related services associated with maintaining compliance as a public company, insurance premiums and investor relations costs.
Research and development expenses
Research and development expenses are recognized in the period they are incurred and consist principally of internal and external expenses incurred for the research and development of our products, including:
● consulting costs charged to us by various external contract research organizations we contract with to conduct clinical and preclinical studies and engineering design and development;
● salary and benefit costs associated with our chief medical officer and engineering personnel;
● costs associated with regulatory filings;
● patent license fees;
● cost of laboratory supplies and acquiring, developing, and manufacturing preclinical prototypes;
● product design engineering studies; and
● rental expense for facilities maintained solely for research and development purposes.
Our current research and development activities, including our clinical trials, are focused principally on the acceleration of EsoGuard and Veris Cancer Care Platform commercialization. We will resume research and development activities with respect to as well as applicable new technologies, as resources permit.
Other Income and Expense, net
Other income and expense, net, consists principally of changes in fair value of our convertible notes and losses on extinguishment of debt upon repayment of such convertible notes.
Results of Operations - continued
Presentation of Dollar Amounts
All dollar amounts in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are presented as dollars in millions, except for per share amounts.
The year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021
Revenue
In the year ended December 31, 2022, revenue was $0.4 million as compared to $0.5 million in the prior year. The $0.1 million decrease principally relates to the termination of the EsoGuard Commercialization Agreement with RDx, as the Company transitioned to its own laboratory operations effective February 25, 2022. The decrease was partially offset by revenue for our EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test performed in our own CLIA laboratory for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Cost of revenue
In the year ended December 31, 2022, cost of revenue was approximately $3.6 million as compared to $0.6 million in the prior year. The $3.0 million increase principally related to:
● approximately $0.5 million increase in compensation related costs as a result of an increase in headcount;
● approximately $0.8 million increase in EsoCheck and EsoGuard supplies usage costs; and
● approximately $1.7 million increase in laboratory operations costs.
Sales and marketing expenses
In the year ended December 31, 2022, sales and marketing costs were approximately $19.3 million, compared to $8.9 million in the prior year. The net increase of $10.4 million was principally related to:
● approximately $7.4 million increase in compensation related costs principally as a result of an increase in headcount;
● approximately $1.2 million increase in stock based compensation from RSA grants to Lucid Diagnostics and PAVmed employees and non-employees, and an increase in stock options granted corresponding with the increase in headcount;
● approximately $1.6 million increase in consulting and outside professional services; and
● approximately $0.2 million increase general business expenses.
General and administrative expenses
In the year ended December 31, 2022, general and administrative costs were approximately $41.0 million, compared to $25.4 million in the prior year. The net increase of $15.6 million was principally related to:
● approximately $3.5 million increase in compensation related costs principally as a result of an increase in headcount;
● approximately $1.3 million increase in stock based compensation from RSA grants to Lucid and PAVmed employees and non-employees, and an increase in stock options granted corresponding with the increase in the number of employees;
● approximately $9.2 million increase in consulting services related to patents, regulatory compliance, legal processes for contract review, transition of public relations and investor relations firms, and public company expenses; and
● approximately $1.6 million increase in general business expenses.
Research and development expenses
In the year ended December 31, 2022, research and development costs were approximately $25.5 million as compared to $19.8 million in the prior year. The net increase $5.7 million was principally related to:
● approximately $3.2 million increase in development costs, particularly in clinical trial activities and outside professional and consulting fees with respect to EsoCheck, Veris Cancer Care Platform, CarpX, EsoCure and PortIO; and
● approximately $2.5 million increase in compensation related costs and related to expanded clinical and engineering staff.
As mentioned above, above we have paused research and development with respect to CarpX, EsoCure and PortIO. Until such time as resources permit, we expect to devote our research and development efforts to EsoGuard, EsoCheck and the Veris Cancer Care Platform.
Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets
In the year ended December 31, 2022, the amortization of acquired intangible assets was approximately $1.8 million as compared to $0.1 million in the prior year. The net increase was principally related to the purchase of a defensive asset in Q4 2021 and the purchase of laboratory licenses and certifications and laboratory information management software in Q1 2022.
Results of Operations - continued
The year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 - continued
Other Income and Expense
Change in fair value of convertible debt
In the year ended December 31, 2022, the non-cash expense recognized for the change in the fair value of our convertible notes was approximately $1.3 million, related to both the April 2022 and September 2022 Senior Convertible Notes. The April 2022 and September 2022 Senior Convertible Notes were initially measured at their issue-date estimated fair value and subsequently remeasured at estimated fair value as of the reporting period date. The Company initially recognized a $3.5 million fair value non-cash expense on the issue-dates. This initial recognition was partially offset by $2.2 million of decreases in fair value upon remeasurements through December 31, 2022.
In the year ended December 31, 2021, the non-cash income (expense) recognized for the change in the fair value of our convertible notes was approximately $1.7 million of other income. The change in the fair value adjustment of the convertible notes is principally related to each of the convertible notes being repaid-in-full during the year ended December 31, 2021, as discussed herein below under “Loss from Extinguishment of Debt.”
Loss on Issue and Offering Costs - Senior Secured Convertible Note
In the year ended December 31, 2022, in connection with the issue of both the April 2022 and the September 2022 Senior Convertible Notes, we recognized a total of approximately $4.3 million of other expense, inclusive of approximately $3.5 million of lender fee non-cash expense, and approximately $0.8 million of offering costs paid by us.
Loss on Debt Extinguishment
In the year ended December 31, 2022, a debt extinguishment loss in the aggregate of approximately $5.4 million was recognized in connection with our April 2022 Senior Convertible Note as discussed below.
● In 2022, approximately $6.0 million of principal repayments along with $0.4 million of interest expense thereon, were settled through the issuance of 7,189,358 shares of common stock of the Company, with such shares having a fair value of approximately $11.8 million (with such fair value measured as the respective conversion date quoted closing price of the common stock of the Company). The conversions resulted in a debt extinguishment loss of $5.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2022.
In the prior year ended December 31, 2021, a debt extinguishment loss in the aggregate of approximately $3.7 million was recognized in connection with the (previous) convertible notes, as discussed below.
● On January 5, 2021, the repayment of the remaining face value principal of the November 2019 Senior Convertible Note, along with the payment of interest thereon of approximately $1.0 million, were settled with the issuance of 667,668 shares of our common stock, with a fair value of approximately $1.7 million (with such fair value measured as the respective conversion date quoted closing price of our common stock), resulting in the recognition of a loss from extinguishment of debt of approximately $0.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2021; and,
● On January 30, 2021, we paid in cash a $350 partial principal repayment of the Senior Convertible Note dated April 30, 2020 (“April 2020 Senior Convertible Note”); and on March 2, 2021, we made a cash payment of approximately $14.5 million, resulting in the repayment-in-full on such date of both the April 2020 Senior Convertible Note and the Senior Secured Convertible Note dated August 6, 2021, resulting in the recognition of a loss from extinguishment of debt of approximately $3.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2021.
See Note 14, Debt, to the Financial Statements, for additional information with respect to the April 2022 and the September 2022 Senior Convertible Note.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our current operational activities are principally focused on the commercialization of EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, and, as resource permit, our development activities would be focused on pursuing FDA approval and clearance of other lead products in our product portfolio pipeline. Our ability to generate revenue depends upon successfully advancing the commercialization of EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform while, as resources permit, also completing the development and the necessary regulatory approvals of our other products and services. There are no assurances, however, we will be able to obtain an adequate level of financial resources required for the short-term or long-term commercialization and development of its products and services.
We have financed our operations principally through the public and private issuances of our common stock, preferred stock, common stock purchase warrants, and debt. We are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties typically faced by medical device and diagnostic and medical device companies that devote substantially all of their efforts to the commercialization of their initial product and services and ongoing R&D and clinical trials. We expect to continue to experience recurring losses from operations, and will continue to fund our operations with debt and/or equity financing transactions. Notwithstanding, however, with the cash on-hand as of the date hereof and other debt and equity committed sources of financing, we expect to be able to fund our future operations for one year from the date of the issue of the Financial Statements.
Issue of Shares of Our Common Stock
During the year ended December 31, 2022
● We issued 299,999 shares of our common stock for cash proceeds of approximately $0.3 million upon exercise of stock options granted under the PAVmed 2014 Equity Plan, as such equity plan is discussed in Note 15, Stock-Based Compensation, to the Financial Statements.
● We issued 385,938 shares of our common stock for proceeds of approximately $0.4 million under the PAVmed Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”), as such plan is discussed in Note 15, Stock-Based Compensation, to the Financial Statements.
● We issued 106,225 shares of our common stock for proceeds of approximately $0.1 million from the sale of shares through PAVmed’s at-the-market equity facility through Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
Securities Purchase Agreement - March 31, 2022 - Senior Secured Convertible Notes - April 4, 2022 and September 8, 2022
Effective as of March 31, 2022, we entered into the SPA with the Investor, pursuant to which we agreed to sell, and the Investor agreed to purchase an aggregate of $50.0 million face value principal of Senior Secured Convertible Notes. The SPA provided for the sale of the initial Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of $27.5 million, which closed on April 4, 2022 (referred to as the “April 2022 Senior Convertible Note”). The SPA also provided for sales of additional Senior Secured Convertible Notes in one or more additional closings (upon the satisfaction of certain conditions), with an aggregate face value principal of up to an additional $22.5 million. The April 2022 Senior Secured Convertible Note has a 7.875% annual stated interest rate, a contractual conversion price of $5.00 per share of the Company’s common stock (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction), and a contractual maturity date of April 4, 2024. The April 2022 Senior Convertible Note may be converted into or otherwise paid in shares of our common stock as described in Note 14, Debt. The April 2022 Senior Convertible Note proceeds were $24.4 million after deducting a $2.5 million lender fee and the Company’s offering costs of approximately $0.6 million, inclusive primarily of $0.5 million placement agent fees.
On September 8, 2022, we completed an additional closing under the SPA, in which we sold to the Investor an additional Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of $11.25 million (referred to as the “September 2022 Senior Convertible Note”). The September 2022 Senior Secured Convertible Note has a 7.875% annual stated interest rate, a contractual conversion price of $5.00 per share of the Company’s common stock (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction), and a contractual maturity date of September 6, 2024. The September 2022 Senior Convertible Note may be converted into or otherwise paid in shares of our common stock as described in Note 14, Debt. The September 2022 Senior Convertible Note proceeds were $10.0 million after deducting a $1.0 million lender fee and the Company’s total offering costs of approximately $0.2 million, inclusive primarily of placement agent fees.
Liquidity and Capital Resources - continued
On August 9, 2022, the Company and the Investor also agreed, in connection with the waiver described in Note 14, Debt, to the Financial Statements, that the Investor may convert up to $5.0 million of the principal amount of the April 2022 Senior Convertible Note at the then current conversion price as if the date of conversion were an Installment Date, i.e. a price per share of common stock equal to the lower of (i) the fixed conversion price then in effect (currently $5.00) and (ii) 82.5% of the average VWAP of the Company’s common stock for each of the two trading days with the lowest VWAP of the Company’s common stock during the ten consecutive trading day period ending and including the trading day immediately prior to the applicable conversion date, but in the case of clause (ii), not less than $0.18 per share. As contemplated by such amendment, in the year ended December 31, 2022, approximately $6.0 million of principal repayments along with $0.4 million of interest expense thereon, were settled through the issuance of 7,189,358 shares of our common stock.
Under the Senior Convertible Notes and the SPA, we are subject to certain customary affirmative and negative covenants regarding the incurrence of indebtedness, the existence of liens, the repayment of indebtedness and the making of investments, the payment of cash in respect of dividends, distributions or redemptions, the transfer of assets, the maturity of other indebtedness, and transactions with affiliates, among other customary matters. We also are subject to financial covenants requiring that (i) the amount of our available cash equal or exceed $8.0 million at all times, (ii) the ratio of (a) the outstanding principal amount of the notes issued under the SPA, accrued and unpaid interest thereon and accrued and unpaid late charges to (b) our average market capitalization over the prior ten trading days, not exceed 30% (except that such maximum percentage is 50% for the period from September 8, 2022 through March 5, 2023) (the “Debt to Market Cap Ratio Test”), and (iii) that our market capitalization shall at no time be less than $75 million (the “Market Cap Test” and, together with the Debt to Market Cap Ratio Test, the “Financial Tests”). From time to time from and after September 8, 2022, including as of December 31, 2022, the Company was not in compliance with the Financial Tests. As of March 12, 2023, the Investor agreed to waive any such non-compliance during such aforementioned time periods, under the Senior Convertible Notes and the SPA. Accordingly, as of the date of this Form 10-K, the Company is in compliance with the Financial Tests.
See Note 14, Debt, to the Financial Statements for additional information about the SPA and the Senior Secured Convertible Notes.
Lucid Diagnostics - Series A Preferred Stock Offering
On March 7, 2023, Lucid entered into subscription agreements for the sale of 13,625 shares (the “Lucid Series A Preferred Stock”). Each share of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock has a stated value of $1,000 and a conversion price of $1.394. The terms of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock also include a one times preference on liquidation and a right to receive dividends equal to 20% of the number of shares of Lucid common stock into which such Lucid Series A Preferred Stock is convertible, payable on the one-year and two-year anniversary of the issuance date. The Lucid Series A Preferred Stock is a non-voting security, other than with respect to limited matters related to changes in terms of the Lucid Series A Preferred Stock. The aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of shares in such offering were $13.625 million.
Lucid Diagnostics - Private Placement - Securities Purchase Agreement
Effective as of March 13, 2023, Lucid entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“Lucid SPA”) with an accredited institutional investor (“Lucid Investor”, “Lucid Lender”, and/or “Lucid Holder”), pursuant to which Lucid agreed to sell, and the Lucid Investor agreed to purchase a Senior Secured Convertible Note with a face value principal of up to $11.1 million (the “March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note”). The issuance of the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note is subject to customary closing conditions.
The March 2023 Lucid Senior Secured Convertible Note would have a 7.875% annual stated interest rate, a contractual conversion price of $5.00 per share of Lucid’s common stock (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction), and a contractual maturity date of the two-year anniversary of the date of issuance. The March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note would be convertible into or otherwise paid in shares of Lucid’s common stock.
Under the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note, Lucid is and would be subject to certain customary affirmative and negative covenants regarding the incurrence of indebtedness, the existence of liens, the repayment of indebtedness and the making of investments, the payment of cash in respect of dividends, distributions or redemptions, the transfer of assets, the maturity of other indebtedness, and transactions with affiliates, among other customary matters. Under the March 2023 Lucid Senior Convertible Note, Lucid would also be subject to financial covenants requiring that (i) the amount of Lucid’s available cash equal or exceed $5.0 million at all times, (ii) the ratio of (a) the outstanding principal amount of the notes issued under the Lucid SPA, accrued and unpaid interest thereon and accrued and unpaid late charges to (b) Lucid’s average market capitalization over the prior ten trading days, not exceed 30%, and (iii) that Lucid’s market capitalization shall at no time be less than an amount to be agreed upon.
Liquidity and Capital Resources - continued
PAVmed Inc. ATM Facility
In December 2021, we entered into an “at-the-market offering” for up to $50 million of our common stock that may be offered and sold under a Controlled Equity Offering Agreement between us and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. In the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company sold 106,225 shares through their at-the-market equity facility for approximately $79. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, through March 9, 2023, we sold 1,081,997 shares through their at-the-market equity facility for approximately $0.5 million.
Lucid Diagnostics Inc. - Committed Equity Facility and ATM Facility
In March 2022, our majority-owned subsidiary, Lucid Diagnostics, entered into a committed equity facility with Cantor. Under the terms of the committed equity facility, Cantor has committed to purchase up to $50 million of Lucid Diagnostics common stock from time to time at the request of Lucid Diagnostics. While there are distinct differences, the facility is structured similarly to a traditional at-the-market equity facility, insofar as it allows Lucid Diagnostics to raise primary equity capital on a periodic basis at prices based on the existing market price. As of December 31, 2022, under the committed equity facility, a total of 680,263 shares of common stock of Lucid Diagnostics were issued for proceeds of approximately $1.8 million.
In November 2022, Lucid Diagnostics also entered into an “at-the-market offering” for up to $6.5 million of its common stock that may be offered and sold under a Controlled Equity Offering Agreement between Lucid Diagnostics and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. In the year ended December 31, 2022, there were no Lucid Diagnostics shares sold through their at-the-market equity facility. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, through March 9, 2023, Lucid Diagnostics sold 230,068 shares through its at-the-market equity facility for approximately $0.3 million.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions affecting the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and equity, along with the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the corresponding periods. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in our consolidated financial notes, we believe the following accounting policies to be critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses are recognized as incurred and include the salary and stock-based compensation of employees engaged in product research and development activities, and the costs related to the Company’s various contract research service providers, suppliers, engineering studies, supplies, and outsourced testing and consulting fees, as well as depreciation expense and rental costs for equipment used in research and development activities, and fees incurred for access to certain facilities of contract research service providers.
Fair Value Option (“FVO”) Election
Under a Securities Purchase Agreement dated March 31, 2022, the Company issued a Senior Secured Convertible Note dated April 4, 2022, referred to herein as the “April 2022 Senior Convertible Note”, and a Senior Secured Convertible Note dated September 8, 2022, referred to herein as the “September 2022 Senior Convertible Note”, which are accounted under the “fair value option election” as discussed below.
Under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 815, Derivative and Hedging, (“ASC 815”), a financial instrument containing embedded features and /or options may be required to be bifurcated from the financial instrument host and recognized as separate derivative asset or liability, with the bifurcated derivative asset or liability initially measured at estimated fair value as of the transaction issue date and then subsequently remeasured at estimated fair value as of each reporting period balance sheet date.
Alternatively, FASB ASC Topic 825, Financial Instruments, (“ASC 825”) provides for the “fair value option” (“FVO”) election. In this regard, ASC 825-10-15-4 provides for the FVO election (to the extent not otherwise prohibited by ASC 825-10-15-5) to be afforded to financial instruments, wherein the financial instrument is initially measured at estimated fair value as of the transaction issue date and then subsequently remeasured at estimated fair value as of each reporting period balance sheet date, with changes in the estimated fair value recognized as other income (expense) in the statement of operations. The estimated fair value adjustment of the April 2022 Senior Convertible Note is presented in a single line item within other income (expense) in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations (as provided for by ASC 825-10-50-30(b)). Further, as required by ASC 825-10-45-5, to the extent a portion of the fair value adjustment is attributed to a change in the instrument-specific credit risk, such portion would be recognized as a component of other comprehensive income (“OCI”) (for which there was no such adjustment with respect to the April 2022 Senior Convertible Note or the September 2022 Senior Convertible Note).
See Note 13, Financial Instruments Fair Value Measurements, with respect to the FVO election; and Note 14, Debt, for a discussion of the April 2022 Senior Convertible Note and the September 2022 Senior Convertible Note.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based awards are made to members of the board of directors of the Company, the Company’s employees and non-employees, under each of the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Equity Plan and the Lucid Diagnostics Inc. 2018 Equity Plan.
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”).
The grant-date estimated fair value of the stock-based award is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective stock-based award, with such straight-line recognition adjusted, as applicable, so the cumulative expense recognized is at-least equal-to-or-greater-than the estimated fair value of the vested portion of the respective stock-based award as of the reporting date.
The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model to estimate the fair value of stock options granted under both the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Equity Plan and the Lucid Diagnostics Inc. 2018 Equity Plan, which requires the Company to make certain weighted-average valuation estimates and assumptions for stock-based awards, principally as follows:
● With respect to the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Equity Plan, the expected stock price volatility is based on the historical stock price volatility of PAVmed Inc. common stock and the volatilities of similar entities within the medical device industry over the period commensurate with the expected term with respect to stock options granted to the board of directors and employees in the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021;
● With respect to stock options granted under the Lucid Diagnostics Inc. 2018 Equity Plan, the expected stock price volatility was based on the historical stock price volatility of similar entities within the medical device industry over the period commensurate with the expected term with respect to stock options granted to employees in the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021;
● The risk-free interest rate is based on the interest rate payable on U.S. Treasury securities in effect at the time of grant for a period commensurate with either the expected term or the remaining contractual term, as applicable, of the stock option; and,
● The expected dividend yield is based on annual dividends of $0.00 as there have not been dividends paid to-date, and there is no plan to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
The price per share of PAVmed Inc. common stock used in the computation of estimated fair value of stock options and restricted stock awards granted under the PAVmed Inc. 2014 Equity Plan is its quoted closing price per share.
On October 14, 2021, Lucid Diagnostics Inc. completed an initial public offering (“IPO”) of its common stock under an effective registration statement on Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-259721), wherein a total of 5.0 million IPO shares of common stock of Lucid Diagnostics Inc. were issued, with such total IPO shares inclusive of 571,428 shares issued to PAVmed Inc. The price per share of Lucid Diagnostics Inc. common stock used in the computation of estimated fair value of stock options and restricted stock awards granted under the Lucid Diagnostics Inc. 2018 Equity Plan is as follows: (i) for the period October 14, 2021 to December 31, 2022 it is its quoted closing price per share; and (ii) for the period January 1, 2021 to October 14, 2021, it was estimated using a probability-weighted average expected return methodology (“PWERM”), which involves the determination of equity value under various exit scenarios and an estimation of the return to the common stockholders under each scenario.
Recent Accounting Standards Updates Adopted
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815 - 40), (“ASU 2020-06”). ASU 2020-06 simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, by eliminating the beneficial conversion and cash conversion accounting models previously contained in ASC 470-20 that required separate accounting for embedded conversion features. ASU 2020-06 also simplified the assessment of a financial instrument settlement to determine whether a contract is an entity’s own equity qualifies for equity classification by removing certain conditions from ASC 815-4-25. The ASU 2020-06 amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company’s adoption of the ASU 2020-06 guidance as of January 1, 2021 did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, “Income Taxes: Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes”, (“ASU 2019-12”). The guidance of ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intra-period allocation, and calculating income taxes in interim periods, and adds revised guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas, including recognizing deferred taxes for tax goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. Adoption of the guidance of ASU 2019-12 is required for annual and interim financial statements beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company’s adoption of the ASU 2019-12 guidance as of January 1, 2021 did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Effective December 31, 2021, the Company adopted FASB ASC Topic 842, Leases, (“ASC 842”). ASC 842 established a right-of-use (“ROU”) model requiring a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and a lease liability for all leases with terms greater-than 12 months. Leases are classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The Company’s adoption of ASC 842 did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. See Note 9, Leases.
Off-Balance sheet arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk
Not applicable.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Our consolidated financial statements, together with the report of our independent registered public accounting firm, appear herein commencing on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022. Based on such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) were effective as of such date to provide reasonable assurance the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an adequate system of internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13(a)-15(f). Our system of internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S.
Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
● pertain to the maintenance of records, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect our transactions and dispositions of our assets;
● provide reasonable assurance our transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., and our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and our directors; and;
● provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Due to its inherent limitations, a system of internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance and may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Further, because of changes in conditions, effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting may vary over time. Our system contains self-monitoring mechanisms, so actions will be taken to correct deficiencies as they are identified.
Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the system of internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded our system of internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
This Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to the rules of the SEC to permit us to provide only management’s report in this Form 10-K.
Changes to Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2022 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement for our 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this Item 11 is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required by this Item 12 is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by this Item 13 is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The information required by this Item 14 is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)
The following documents filed as a part of the report:
(1)
The following financial statements:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID#688)
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(2)
The financial statement schedules:
Schedules other than those listed above are omitted for the reason they are not required or are not applicable, or the required information is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto. Columns omitted from schedules filed have been omitted because the information is not applicable.
(3)
The following exhibits:
Incorporation by Reference
Exhibit No.
Description
Form
Exhibit No.
Date
2.1
Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 25, 2022, by and among LucidDx Labs Inc., Lucid Diagnostics Inc. and ResearchDx, Inc.
8-K (LUCD)
2.1
3/3/22
3.1.1
Certificate of Incorporation
S-1
3.1
4/22/15
3.1.2
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation
S-1
3.2
4/22/15
3.1.3
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, dated October 1, 2018
8-K
3.1
10/2/18
3.1.4
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, dated June 26, 2019
8-K
3.1
6/27/19
3.1.5
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, dated July 24, 2020
8-K
3.1
7/27/20
3.1.6
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation, dated June 21, 2022
8-K
3.1
6/22/22
3.1.7
Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock
8-K/A
3.1
4/20/18
3.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws
8-K
3.1
1/15/21
4.1
Description of Registrant’s Securities
†
4.2
Specimen Common Stock Certificate
S-1/A
4.2
9/29/15
4.6
Specimen Series Z Warrant Certificate
8-K
4.1
4/5/18
4.7
Amended and Restated Series Z Warrant Agreement, dated as of June 8, 2018, by and between PAVmed Inc. and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant Agent
8-K
10.1
6/8/18
4.8
Form of PAVmed Inc. Senior Secured Convertible Note
8-K
4.1
4/4/22
10.1
Patent Option Agreement
S-1
10.1
4/22/15
10.2.1
Form of Letter Agreement with HCFP Capital Partners III LLC
S-1
10.4.1
4/22/15
10.2.2
Form of Letter Agreement with Pavilion Venture Partners LLC
S-1
10.4.2
4/22/15
10.3.1
Letter agreement regarding corporate opportunities executed by Lishan Aklog, M.D.
S-1
10.5.1
4/22/15
10.3.2
Letter agreement regarding corporate opportunities executed by Michael Glennon
S-1
10.5.2
4/22/15
10.3.3
Letter agreement regarding corporate opportunities executed by Brian deGuzman, M.D.
S-1
10.5.3
4/22/15
10.4*
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between PAVmed Inc. and Lishan Aklog, M.D.
8-K
10.1
3/20/19
10.5*
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between PAVmed Inc. and Dennis M. McGrath
8-K
10.2
3/20/19
10.6*
Employment Agreement between PAVmed Inc. and Brian J. deGuzman, M.D.
8-K
10.1
7/19/16
10.7
PAVmed Inc. Fifth Amended and Restated 2014 Long-Term Incentive Equity Plan
DEF 14A
Annex A
4/30/21
10.8
PAVmed Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan
DEF 14A
Annex B
4/30/21
10.9*
Employment Agreement between PAVmed Inc. and Michael A. Gordon
†
10.10*
Employment Agreement between PAVmed Inc. and Shaun M. O’Neil
8-K
10.1
2/24/22
10.11
Amended and Restated License Agreement, dated as of August 23, 2021, by and between Case Western Reserve University and Lucid Diagnostics Inc.
S-1/A (LUCD)
10.2
10/1/21
10.12
Form of Stock Option Agreement
†
10.13
Form of Indemnification Agreement
†
10.14.1
Management Services Agreement, dated as of February 25, 2022, by and between LucidDx Labs Inc. and ResearchDx, Inc.
8-K (LUCD)
10.1
3/3/22
10.14.2
Termination Agreement, dated as of February 10, 2023, by and among Lucid Diagnostics Inc., LucidDx Labs Inc. and ResearchDx, Inc.
†
10.15
Controlled Equity OfferingSM, dated as of December 21, 2021, by and between Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and PAVmed Inc.
S-3
1.2
12/21/21
10.16.1
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement
8-K
10.1
4/4/22
10.16.2
Form of Security Agreement
8-K
10.2
4/4/22
10.16.3
Form of Voting Agreement
8-K
10.3
4/4/22
10.17.1
Common Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 28, 2022, by and between CF Principal Investments LLC and Lucid Diagnostics Inc.
8-K (LUCD)
10.1
4/1/22
10.17.2
Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of March 28, 2022, by and between CF Principal Investments LLC and Lucid Diagnostics Inc.
8-K (LUCD)
10.2
4/1/22
10.18
Controlled Equity OfferingSM, dated as of November 23, 2022, by and between Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Lucid Diagnostics Inc.
8-K (LUCD)
1.2
11/25/22
14.1
Form of Code of Ethics
†
21.1
List of Subsidiaries †
†
23.1
Consent of Marcum LLP †
†
31.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.†
†
31.2
Certification of Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. †
†
32.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. †
†
32.2
Certification of Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. †
†
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document
†
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
†
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
†
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
†
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
†
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase
†
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
*
Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
†
Filed herewith
LUCD
Lucid Diagnostics Inc.