As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 22, 2015
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 3841 | 04-3308180 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Megan N. Gates, Esq. Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. One Financial Center Boston, MA 02111 Telephone: (617) 542-6000 Fax: (617) 542-2241 |
Stephen E. Older, Esq. McGuireWoods LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas Seventh Floor New York, NY 10105-0106 Telephone: (212) 548-2100 Fax: (212) 548-2150 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: x
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Smaller reporting company x |
Title of each class of securities to be registered | Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(1) |
Amount of registration fee |
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145,000 Units consisting of: |
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(i) 145,000 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value | $ | 14,500,000.00 | $ | 1,684.90 | ||||
(ii) 12,180,000 Warrants to purchase up to 12,180,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value(2)(5) | $ | | $ | | ||||
12,180,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock(3)(4)(5)(6) | $ | | $ | | ||||
12,180,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of Warrants to purchase Common Stock(3)(4) | $ | 16,077,600.00 | $ | 1,868.22 | ||||
Warrants to be issued to the Underwriter(2) | $ | | $ | | ||||
304,500 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of Warrants issued to the Underwriter(3)(5) | $ | 456,750.00 | $ | 53.07 | ||||
Total | $ | 31,034,350.00 | $ | 3,606.19 | (8) |
(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act). |
(2) | No registration fee required pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act. |
(3) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the securities being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of additional shares of common stock as may be issued after the date hereof as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
(4) | We have calculated the securities included in this registration statement by assuming that each share of Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into 84 shares of Common Stock (rounded up to the nearest whole share) at an assumed conversion price of $1.20 per share of Common Stock, which was 100% of the closing price of our Common Stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015 of $1.20 per share, and that each Warrant is exercisable for one share of Common Stock at an assumed exercise price per share of $1.32, which is 110% of the closing price of our Common Stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015 of $1.20 per share. |
(5) | Pursuant to a shareholder rights agreement, dated as of March 7, 2007, between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as amended, each share of common stock has an attached right to purchase our Series A Junior Cumulative Preferred Stock, which rights are not currently exercisable, on the terms set forth in the rights agreement. |
(6) | No additional consideration is payable upon conversion of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. |
(7) | We have calculated the securities included in this registration statement by assuming that each Warrant issued to the Underwriter is exercisable for one share of Common Stock at an assumed exercise price per share of $1.50, which is 125% of the closing price of our Common Stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015 of $1.20 per share. |
(8) | Amount previously paid. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is declared effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
We are offering 145,000 units to purchasers in this offering, with each unit consisting of (1) one share of Series B convertible preferred stock which is convertible into that number of shares of our common stock equal to $100 divided by the conversion price of the Series B convertible preferred stock (rounded up to the nearest whole share) and (2) 84 warrants exercisable for an aggregate of 84 shares of our common stock, which amount of warrants and shares of common stock underlying the warrants both equal 100% of the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of one share of Series B convertible preferred stock at the conversion price (rounded up to the nearest whole share), at an exercise price per share equal to $ , which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date. Each warrant will be immediately exercisable for one share of our common stock. This prospectus also covers up to 12,180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B convertible preferred stock and up to 12,180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants.
The units will be sold for a purchase price equal to $100 per unit. Units will not be issued or certificated. The shares of Series B convertible preferred stock and the warrants are immediately separable and will be issued separately. Subject to certain ownership limitations, the Series B convertible preferred stock is convertible at any time at the option of the holder into shares of our common stock at a conversion price per share equal to $ , which is 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ. Subject to certain ownership limitations, the warrants are immediately exercisable and expire on the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance.
For a more detailed description of the Series B convertible preferred stock, see the section entitled Description of Securities Series B Convertible Preferred Stock Sold as Part of the Units in this Offering beginning on page 64. For a more detailed description of the warrants, see the section entitled Description of Securities Warrants Sold as Part of the Units in this Offering beginning on page 65 of this prospectus. For a more detailed description of our common stock, see the section entitled Description of Securities Common Stock beginning on page 63 of this prospectus. We refer to the Series B convertible preferred stock issued hereunder, the warrants to purchase common stock issued hereunder and the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B convertible preferred stock and upon exercise of the warrants issued hereunder, collectively, as the securities.
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NURO. The last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015 was $1.20 per share. We do not intend to list the Series B convertible preferred stock to be sold in this offering on The NASDAQ Capital Market or any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system. The warrants to be sold in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW. None of our other warrants are listed or traded on a national securities exchange or market.
Investing in our common stock and warrants involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 13.
Per Unit |
Total | |||||||
Offering price | $ | 100.00 | $ | |||||
Underwriter discounts and commissions(1) | $ | $ | ||||||
Offering proceeds, before expenses, to NeuroMetrix | $ | $ |
(1) | See Underwriting for additional compensation details. |
The above summary of offering proceeds to us does not give effect to any exercise of the warrants being issued in this offering.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
An existing principal stockholder and its affiliates have indicated an interest in purchasing units in this offering at the public offering price. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriter could determine to sell or not sell units to this principal stockholder, and this principal stockholder could determine to purchase or not purchase units in this offering.
This is a firm commitment underwriting. The underwriter expects to deliver the shares of common stock and warrants to purchasers on or about , 2015.
Sole Book-Running Manager
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any free-writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the underwriter have authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. We are offering to sell, and are seeking offers to buy these securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our securities.
Registered Trademarks and Trademark Applications: NEUROMETRIX, NC-STAT, SENSUS, DPNCheck, OptiTherapy and Quell are the subject of either a trademark registration or application for registration in the United States. Other brands, names and trademarks contained in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are without the ® and TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the owner thereof will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, such owners rights to these trademarks, service marks and trade names. This prospectus contains additional trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies, which, to our knowledge, are the property of their respective owners.
We obtained industry and market data used throughout and incorporated by reference into this prospectus through our research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties and industry and general publications. We have not independently verified market and industry data from third-party sources.
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This summary highlights selected information contained in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This summary may not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the common stock and the warrants. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including Risk Factors beginning on page 13 and the financial statements and related notes and other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before making an investment decision. As used in this prospectus, references to we, our, us and NeuroMetrix refer to NeuroMetrix, Inc. unless the context requires otherwise.
NeuroMetrix is an innovative health-care company that develops wearable medical technology and point-of-care tests that help patients and physicians better manage chronic pain, nerve diseases, and sleep disorders. Our business is fully integrated with in-house capabilities spanning product development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and compliance, sales and marketing, and customer support. We derive revenues from the sale of medical devices and after-market consumable products and accessories. Our products are sold in the United States and selected overseas markets, and are cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and regulators in foreign jurisdictions where appropriate. We have two principal product lines:
| Wearable neuro-stimulation therapeutic devices |
| Point-of-care neuropathy diagnostic tests |
Our core expertise in biomedical engineering has been refined over nearly two decades of designing, building and marketing medical devices that stimulate nerves and analyze nerve response for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. We created the market for point-of-care nerve testing and were first to market with sophisticated, wearable technology for management of chronic pain. We have an experienced management team and Board of Directors. Our Scientific Advisory Board includes internationally recognized experts in diabetes and pain.
Chronic pain is a significant public health problem. It is defined by the National Institutes of Health as any pain lasting more than 12 weeks in contrast to acute pain which is a normal bodily response to injury or trauma. Chronic pain conditions include painful diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, sciatica, musculoskeletal pain, cancer pain and many others. Chronic pain may be triggered by an injury or there may be an ongoing cause such as disease or illness. There may also be no clear cause. Pain signals continue to be transmitted in the nervous system over extended periods of time often leading to other health problems. These can include fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite, and mood changes which cause difficulty in carrying out important activities and contributing to disability and despair. In general, chronic pain cannot be cured. Treatment of chronic pain is focused on reducing pain and improving function. The goal is effective pain management.
Chronic pain is widespread. It affects over 100 million adults in the United States and more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. Within the US chronic pain population one of the largest segments is patients with neuropathic pain estimated at 25 million persons. A significant subset of these patients is persons with diabetes of which 16% to 25% suffer painful diabetic neuropathy, or PDN, estimated at 6 to 8 million patients. The global market for pain management drugs and devices alone was valued at $35 billion in 2012. The estimated incremental impact of chronic pain on health care costs in the United States is over $250 billion per year and lost productivity is estimated to exceed $300 billion per year.
The most common approach to chronic pain is pain medication. This includes over-the-counter drugs (such as Advil and Motrin), and prescription drugs including anti-convulsants (such as Lyrica and Neurontin) and anti-depressants (such as Cymbalta and Elavil). Topical creams may also be used (such as Zostrix and Bengay). With severe pain, narcotic pain medications may be prescribed (such as codeine, fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone). The approach to treatment is individualized, drug combinations may be employed, and the results are often hit or miss. Side effects and the potential for addiction are real and the risks are substantial.
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Reflecting the difficulty in treating chronic pain, inadequate relief leads 25 to 50% of pain sufferers to turn to the over-the-counter market for supplements or alternatives to prescription pain medications. These include non-prescription medications, topical creams, lotions, electrical stimulators, dietary products, braces, sleeves, pads and other items. In total they account for over $4 billion in annual spending in the United States on pain relief products.
High frequency nerve stimulation is an established treatment for chronic pain supported by numerous clinical studies demonstrating efficacy. In simplified outline, the mechanism of action involves intensive nerve stimulation to activate the bodys central pain inhibition system resulting in widespread analgesia, or pain relief. The nerve stimulation activates brainstem pain centers leading to the release of endogenous opioids that act primarily through the delta opioid receptor to reduce pain signal transmission through the central nervous system. This therapeutic approach is available through deep brain stimulation and through implantable spinal cord stimulation, both of which require surgery and have attendant risks. Non-invasive approaches to neuro-stimulation (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS) have achieved limited efficacy in practice due to device limitations, ineffective dosing and low patient compliance.
There are large and important unmet medical needs in chronic pain treatment. Prescription pain medications and over-the-counter therapies are often inadequate and can lead to other health issues. We believe that controlled, personalized, neuro-stimulation to suppress pain provides an important complement to pain medications. As a medical device company with unique experience in designing devices to manage and alter peripheral nerve function, we believe we are well positioned to make neuro-stimulation widely available to chronic pain sufferers. We have direct experience with neuro-stimulation through our prescription SENSUS wearable pain management device which has been on the market for the past two years.
Our primary objective for 2015 is revenue growth. We expect this to be led by the successful introduction and market adoption of a new over-the-counter analgesic category featuring Quell, our wearable device for pain relief which builds upon the core SENSUS neuro-stimulation technology. We also expect an important contribution to revenue growth from DPNCheck, our rapid, accurate diagnostic test for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which we previously referred to as NC-stat DPNCheck.
Our key business strategies for 2015 include:
Driving Commercial Adoption of Our Proprietary Products.
| Quell, our over-the-counter (OTC) wearable device for pain relief, was unveiled at the January 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Quell utilizes OptiTherapyTM, our proprietary non-invasive neuro-stimulation technology to provide relief from chronic intractable pain, particularly nerve pain due to diabetes and lower back problems. This advanced wearable device is lightweight and can be worn during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of chronic intractable pain without a doctors prescription. Users of the device will also have the option of using their smartphones to automatically track and personalize their pain therapy. Response to Quell at CES and from independent market studies has been positive. We began making shipments to physicians and thought leaders in chronic pain in May 2015 and anticipate making Quell commercially available in the United States in June 2015. Our commercial launch plan involves two distribution channels: a professional channel using a direct sales force to target podiatrists, pain physicians, primary care physicians, and chiropractors who would resell the product, and a direct-to-consumer channel using online marketing and lead generation. During 2016 we plan to evaluate additional U.S. retail distribution opportunities. We believe there are significant opportunities to market Quell outside of the United States, particularly in Western Europe, Japan and China; however, we do not intend to approach those markets until we have established a solid presence in the United States. |
During March 2015 we initiated a month-long, Quell pre-order campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Our goal was to receive 500 preorders for the device and to obtain funding of approximately $100,000. We received preorders for approximately 1,900 Quell devices, generating gross proceeds of approximately $390,000.
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| SENSUS, our prescription neuro-stimulation therapeutic device for relief of chronic pain, was launched in the first quarter of 2013 and provides the technological foundation for Quell. SENSUS revenues in 2014 and 2013 were approximately $0.9 million and $0.2 million, respectively. SENSUS is distributed through durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers who call on pain medicine physicians, neurologists, endocrinologists, podiatrists, and primary care physicians to create awareness among physicians who are challenged with trying to manage chronic pain in their patients. These physicians prescribe SENSUS to their patients who, in turn, have their prescriptions fulfilled by a DME. The DME is also responsible for billing and collection from third party payers such as Medicare and other insurers. This is a high cost distribution channel with tight margins. The DME channel is under pressure from Medicares competitive bidding initiative. We believe that the U.S. growth opportunity for this prescription neuro-stimulation device is limited and that there are more attractive opportunities in the OTC market. |
| DPNCheck, our diagnostic test for peripheral neuropathies was made commercially available in the fourth quarter of 2011. DPNCheck revenues for 2014 and 2013 were approximately $1.8 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Our US sales efforts focus on Medicare Advantage providers who assume financial responsibility and the associated risks for the health care costs of their patients. We believe that DPNCheck presents an attractive clinical case with early detection of neuropathy allowing for earlier clinical intervention to help mitigate the effects of neuropathy on both patient quality of life and cost of care. Also, the diagnosis and documentation of neuropathy provided by DPNCheck helps clarify the patient health profile which, in turn, may have a direct, positive effect on the Medicare Advantage premium received by the provider. We believe that attractive opportunities are developing in Japan where we received regulatory approval and launched DPNCheck with Omron Healthcare in 2014; in China where we are working with Omron Healthcare on the regulatory process and anticipate commercial launch in 2016; in Mexico where our distributor Scienta Farma recently received regulatory approval and plans to launch in mid-2015; and in the Middle East. |
Maintaining a High Level of Research and Development Productivity. New products commercialized over the past three years made up nearly fifty percent of our 2014 revenues, and we expect them to comprise the majority of our revenues in 2015. During those three years, we brought to market DPNCheck and SENSUS. Our research and development team faces its greatest challenge of the past few years in completing development of the Quell device, smartphone application and electrode in time for commercial launch in June 2015. This is our top priority and we believe Quell has the potential to be the largest contributor to 2015 revenues of our marketed products, including SENSUS and DPNCheck.
Our products consist of a medical device used in conjunction with a consumable electrode or biosensor. Other accessories and consumables are also available to customers. Our goal for these devices is to build an installed base of active customer accounts and distributors that regularly order aftermarket products to meet their needs. We successfully implemented this model when we started our business with the NC-stat system and applied it to subsequent product generations including the ADVANCE system. Our recently developed products, SENSUS and DPNCheck, conform to this model. Quell and other products in our development pipeline are based on the device plus consumables business model.
Quell is a wearable device for relief of chronic intractable pain, such as nerve pain due to diabetes and lower back problems. It incorporates our OptiTherapyTM technology, a collection of proprietary approaches designed to optimize the clinical efficacy of nerve stimulation. These include high power electrical stimulation hardware with precise control, algorithms that automatically determine a therapeutic stimulation intensity and compensate for nerve desensitization, and automated detection of user sleep and appropriate adjustment of stimulation level. Quell is comprised of (1) an electronic device carried in a neoprene band that is worn on the upper calf and (2) an electrode that attaches to the device and is the interface between the device and the skin. The device is lightweight and can be worn during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of chronic intractable pain and will be available OTC. Users of the
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device will have the option of using their smartphones to automatically track and personalize their pain therapy. The device was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2015. We began making shipments to physicians and thought leaders in chronic pain in May 2015 and anticipate making it commercially available in the United States in June 2015. Our commercial launch plan involves two distribution channels: a professional channel using a direct sales force to target podiatrists, pain physicians, primary care physicians, and chiropractors who would resell the product, and a direct-to-consumer channel using online marketing and lead generation.
During March 2015, we initiated a month-long, pre-order campaign for Quell on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. This campaign offered the opportunity to order Quell in advance of market launch and be one of the first to receive the product. The campaign was designed as a learning opportunity to test market interest in Quell and obtain feedback on design features. Our goal was to receive 500 preorders for the device and to obtain funding of approximately $100,000. We received preorders for approximately 1,900 Quell devices, generating gross proceeds of approximately $390,000. We anticipate that the Quell device will sell for a retail price ranging between $200 and $250 and that the electrodes will be sold pursuant to monthly subscription programs at approximately $30 per month. We anticipate that our gross margins on Quell products will be in the range of 50% to 75% and that our sales and promotional spending will be approximately $200 to $300 per new user.
The SENSUS pain therapy device is a prescription neuro-stimulation device based on TENS for relief of chronic, intractable pain. SENSUS, which was commercially launched in the first quarter of 2014, is a convenient and wearable device that offers physicians and their patients a non-narcotic pain relief option as a complement to medications. SENSUS is comprised of: (1) an electronic device with a strap that is worn on the upper calf and (2) an electrode which attaches to the device. We provide prescribing physicians with PC-based software that links to the device via a USB connection, thereby allowing them to download a record of the patients use of the device. We used our expertise in peripheral nerve stimulation in the development of SENSUS which incorporates several proprietary features for ease of patient use and physician reporting. The SENSUS device and electrodes were cleared by the FDA for commercial distribution. When medically indicated and supported by proper documentation, TENS are generally reimbursed by Medicare and many commercial insurance companies under the DME benefit.
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An evidence-based review by the American Academy of Neurology determined that TENS was a useful modality for managing pain associated with DPN. Our assessment of currently available TENS devices indicated that many do not meet the needs of patients due to limitations of the devices and their difficulty to use.
DPNCheck is a fast, accurate, and quantitative nerve conduction test that is used to evaluate systemic neuropathies such as DPN. It is designed to be used by primary care physicians, endocrinologists, podiatrists and other clinicians at the point-of-care to objectively detect, stage, and monitor DPN. The device measures nerve conduction velocity and response amplitude of the sural nerve, a nerve in the lower leg and ankle. These parameters are widely recognized as sensitive and specific biomarkers of DPN. DPNCheck is comprised of: (1) an electronic hand-held device and (2) a single patient use biosensor. In addition, we provide users with PC-based software that links to the device via a USB connection. This PC software allows physicians to generate reports and manage their sural nerve conduction data.
DPNCheck is a modified version of our previously marketed NC-stat nerve testing device and has the same clinical indications with respect to DPN. The modified device has the same functionality with respect to sural nerve testing as the original device; however, the cost of the electronic hand-held unit and the consumable biosensors has been reduced by approximately 50%. More than 1.8 million patient studies have been performed using our NC-stat technology and there have been approximately 6.3 million nerve tests, including nearly 700,000 sural nerve tests. It has been the subject of many published studies, including several studies specifically addressing the accuracy and clinical utility of the device in assessment of DPN.
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Our legacy neurodiagnostics business is based on the ADVANCE NCS/EMG System, or the ADVANCE System, which is a comprehensive platform for the performance of traditional nerve conduction studies and invasive electromyography procedures. The ADVANCE System is comprised of: (1) the ADVANCE device and related modules, (2) various types of electrodes and needles, and (3) a communication hub that enables the physicians office to network their device to their personal computers and our servers for data archiving, report generation, and other network services. The ADVANCE System is most commonly used with proprietary nerve specific electrode arrays. These electrode arrays combine multiple individual electrodes and embedded microelectronic components into a single patient-use disposable unit. We currently market seven different nerve specific electrode arrays.
Historically, the ADVANCE System has been marketed to a broad range of physician specialties including neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, primary care physicians, and endocrinologists, and utilized for a variety of different clinical indications including assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS, low back and leg pain, and DPN. It is most commonly used in the assessment of CTS. Numerous papers have been published on the use of this technology in this clinical application.
We were founded in 1996 as a science-based health care company. Our focus had been the development of innovative products for the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of peripheral nerve and spinal cord disorders, such as those associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral disc disease and spinal stenosis, and diabetes. Our NC-stat System for the performance of nerve conduction studies at the point-of-care was commercially launched in 1999. The second generation NC-stat was released in 2002. In 2008, we brought to market the more sophisticated ADVANCE System for nerve conduction testing and performance of invasive needle electromyography. These systems were general purpose with broad application in evaluating and diagnosing nerve disorders. Numerous studies demonstrating the clinical accuracy and utility of these devices have been conducted and published in high quality peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, these devices have been used in FDA sanctioned clinical trials for pharmacological agents and large scale epidemiological studies sponsored by the NIH, Center for Disease Control, or CDC, and other governmental agencies. The products have been cleared by the FDA, field tested for over a decade and highly regarded for their ease of use, accuracy and reproducibility of results.
Following launch of NC-stat in 1999, we experienced rapid revenue growth, which led to our initial public offering in 2004. The health market, particularly the physician office segment, embraced the opportunity to perform nerve conduction tests which previously had always required referral to specialists. Point-of-care nerve testing was seen to provide a combination of improved patient care and patient convenience. The success of point-of-care nerve testing, a market which we created, was met with resistance in some sectors of the medical community, particularly by neurologists and physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, both of which had traditionally provided nerve testing services. As a consequence of successful lobbying by these specialists, physicians using our technology experienced increased denials of coverage by third party payers
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resulting in their discontinuing usage and our difficulty in accruing new customer accounts. In late 2009 CMS included in the Physician Fee Schedule a new Category I CPT Code, CPT 95905, for nerve conduction studies performed using preconfigured electrode such as those employed with our products. During 2010 most Medicare fiscal intermediaries assumed coverage for CPT 95905 for at least some clinical indications; however, the health care environment has been such that we have been unable to secure broad coverage among private payers, which is essential to the success of our ADVANCE System product. This experience was reflected in our revenues for the legacy Neurodiagnostics business, which peaked in 2006 at $55.3 million. We reported revenue for our legacy Neurodiagnostics business of $2.8 million, $3.8 million, and $6.1 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. We currently manage this business to optimize cash flow.
Our business is subject to numerous risks, as discussed more fully in the section entitled Risk Factors immediately following this prospectus summary. At March 31, 2015 we had an accumulated deficit of $156.5 million and held cash and cash equivalents of $6.4 million. We believe that these resources, the cash to be generated from expected product sales and, assuming we sell the securities registered under this registration statement, the net proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements through the second quarter of 2016. We continue to face significant challenges and uncertainties and, as a result, our available capital resources may be consumed more rapidly than currently expected. Accordingly, we will need to raise additional funds to support our operating and capital needs for the third quarter of 2016 and beyond. However, we may not be able to secure such financing in a timely manner or on favorable terms, if at all. Without additional funds, we may be forced to delay, scale back or eliminate some of our sales and marketing efforts, research and development activities, or other operations and potentially delay product development in an effort to provide sufficient funds to continue our operations. As of April 30, 2015, we were not in compliance with the minimum tangible net worth covenant of our Loan and Security Agreement with a bank. We have not borrowed any funds under this Agreement; however, $451,731 of amounts available under the Agreement are restricted to support letters of credit issued in favor of our landlords. The Company will be restricted from borrowing under the Agreement, and may be required to provide cash collateral under the letters of credit, until the covenant default is cured or waived by the bank.
Our President and Chief Executive Officer, Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D. founded NeuroMetrix in June 1996. We are incorporated in Delaware. Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol NURO. The warrants to be sold in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW. None of our other warrants are listed or traded on a national securities exchange or market. Our principal offices are now located at 1000 Winter Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451. Our telephone number is (781) 890-9989. Our web site is www.neurometrix.com. We have not incorporated by reference into this prospectus the information on our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this document. Our web site address is included in this document as an inactive textual reference only. The NeuroMetrix name and logo and the names of products and services offered by NeuroMetrix are trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks or registered service marks of NeuroMetrix.
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Securities offered |
145,000 units, with each unit consisting of (i) one share of Series B convertible preferred stock which is convertible into that number of shares of our common stock equal to $100 divided by the conversion price of the Series B convertible preferred (rounded up to the nearest whole share), which will equal 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, and (ii) 84 warrants exercisable for an aggregate of 84 shares of our common stock, which amount of warrants and shares of common stock underlying the warrants both equal 100% of the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of one share of Series B convertible preferred stock at the conversion price (rounded up to the nearest whole share), at an exercise price per share equal to $ , which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules.(1) Each warrant will be immediately exercisable for one share of our common stock. Units will not be issued or certificated. The shares of Series B convertible preferred stock and the warrants are immediately separable and will be issued separately. |
Offering price |
$100.00 per unit |
Description of Series B convertible preferred stock |
Each unit includes one share of Series B convertible preferred stock. The Series B convertible preferred stock is subject to certain ownership limitations. See the section entitled Description of Securities Series B Convertible Preferred Stock Sold as Part of the Units in this Offering beginning on page 64. This prospectus also relates to the offering of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B convertible preferred stock. |
Shares of common stock underlying the Series B convertible preferred stock in the units |
12,180,000(1) |
Description of warrants |
Each unit includes 84 warrants to purchase an aggregate of 84 shares of our common stock. The actual number of warrants issued in one unit and shares of common stock underlying the warrants in one unit will both equal 100% of the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of one share of Series B convertible preferred stock at the actual conversion price (rounded up to the nearest whole share), which will equal 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules.(1) Each warrant will be immediately exercisable for one share of our common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance. The warrants will have an exercise price of $ per share, which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, |
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as permitted by NASDAQ rules. This prospectus also relates to the offering of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. |
Shares of common stock underlying the warrants in the units |
12,180,000(1) |
Common stock outstanding before this offering |
8,519,151 shares |
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering, including shares of common stock underlying shares of Series B convertible preferred stock in the units |
20,699,151(2) shares, which does not include 12,180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants to be sold in this offering. |
Limitations on beneficial ownership |
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, each purchaser will be able to convert the Series B convertible preferred stock or exercise the warrants only if, after such conversion or exercise, such holder would beneficially own less than 9.99% of the shares of common stock then outstanding (subject to the right of the holder to increase or decrease such beneficial ownership limitation upon not less than 61 days prior notice provided that such 61 day period cannot be waived). |
Use of proceeds |
We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to fund the commercial launch of Quell in the United States, for general corporate purposes and to repurchase certain shares of our Series A-4 convertible preferred stock. See Use of Proceeds for additional information. |
Risk factors |
You should read the Risk Factors section of, and all of the other information set forth in, this prospectus to consider carefully before deciding whether to invest in the securities offered by this prospectus. |
NASDAQ Capital Market common stock symbol |
Our common stock is quoted and traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NURO. |
NASDAQ Capital Market warrant symbol |
The warrants to be sold in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW. None of our other warrants are listed or traded on a national securities exchange or market. |
No market for the units or Series B convertible preferred stock or warrants |
The units will not be certificated and the securities part of such units are immediately separable and will be issued separately in this offering. There is no established public trading market for the Series B convertible preferred stock issued in this offering, and we do not intend to apply to list such Series B convertible preferred stock any securities exchange or automated quotation system. |
(1) | Based on an assumed Series B convertible preferred stock conversion price of $1.20 per share, which was 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015. |
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The actual conversion price per share of the Series B convertible preferred stock will equal 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. |
(2) | Common stock to be outstanding after this offering assumes the Series B preferred stock sold in this offering is converted by the holder into 12,180,000 shares of common stock. |
The number of shares of our common stock that will be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 8,519,151 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2015, and excludes the following:
| 1,571,744 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion, at the option of the holder, of 3,206.357 shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock (see Description of Securities Preferred Stock); |
| 5,760,847 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2015, at a weighted average exercise price of $2.70 per share; |
| 809,257 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of March 31, 2015, at a weighted average exercise price of $4.95 per share; |
| 454,614 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan as of March 31, 2015 and an additional 850,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan that were approved by our stockholders at our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on May 5, 2015; |
| 200,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2009 Non-qualified Inducement Stock Plan as of March 31, 2015; |
| 140,947 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of March 31, 2015; and |
| 12,180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants to be sold in this offering. |
Sabby Management, LLC and its affiliates (Sabby), a principal stockholder, have indicated an interest in purchasing units in this offering at the public offering price. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriter could determine to sell or not sell units to Sabby, and Sabby could determine to purchase or not purchase units in this offering. Sabby beneficially owns approximately 9.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. See Principal and Management Stockholders. Should Sabby choose to purchase units in this offering at the public offering price, we anticipate that simultaneous with the closing of this offering, we will repurchase from Sabby the remaining 3,206.357 shares of the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock for an aggregate purchase price of $3.2 million (the Repurchase). Approximately 490.196 shares of our common stock underlie each share of the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock. We only intend to repurchase the shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock to the extent that Sabby agrees to forfeit warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares of our common stock that were issued in connection with the original issuance of the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock, which warrants have an exercise price of $2.04. The anticipated Repurchase and the related warrant forfeiture will be contingent on Sabbys participation in this offering. We have not yet entered into an agreement governing the Repurchase and related warrant forfeiture but anticipate doing so prior to completion of this offering.
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The following tables summarize our financial data for the periods presented. The summary statement of operations data and balance sheet data for each of the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010, have been derived from our audited financial statements. The audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, and the report thereon, were included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Our statement of operations data for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 and our balance sheet data as of March 31, 2015 were derived from our unaudited interim financial statements included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2015, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The as adjusted balance sheet data gives effect to the sale of the units offered by this prospectus at an assumed aggregate offering amount of $14.5 million, based on an offering price of $100 per unit, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and after the repurchase of 3,206.357 shares of our Series A-4 convertible preferred stock for $1,000 per share. The as adjusted balance sheet data presented below is illustrative only and will change based on the actual offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future periods.
You should read this data together with the financial statements and related notes incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as well as Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the other financial information in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, both of which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Quarters Ended March 31, |
Years Ended December 31, |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | 2014 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Statement of operations data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 1,283 | $ | 1,332 | $ | 5,513 | $ | 5,279 | $ | 7,575 | $ | 10,397 | $ | 13,900 | ||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues | 637 | 615 | 2,569 | 2,194 | 3,589 | 4,722 | 7,050 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit | 646 | 717 | 2,944 | 3,589 | 3,986 | 5,675 | 6,850 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss(1) | $ | (2,071 | ) | $ | (1,225 | ) | $ | (7,766 | ) | $ | (8,019 | ) | $ | (10,008 | ) | $ | (9,981 | ) | $ | (16,891 | ) | |||||||
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted(2) | $ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (0.21 | ) | $ | (1.54 | ) | $ | (3.07 | ) | $ | (5.22 | ) | $ | (15.53 | ) | $ | (26.41 | ) |
(1) | Includes warrants income (expense) of $1,050,095, and $(289,657) for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. For quarters ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, warrant income was $1,186,302 and $514,600, respectively. |
(2) | Per common share amounts have been adjusted for all periods prior to the first quarter of 2013 to reflect a 1-for-6 reverse split of our common stock completed on February 15, 2013. |
March 31, | As of December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance sheet data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments |
6,403 | $ | 9,222 | $ | 9,196 | $ | 8,699 | $ | 10,290 | $ | 16,987 | |||||||||||||
Working capital(1) | 4,904 | 8,392 | 8,919 | 8,567 | 10,482 | 19,020 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total assets | 9,131 | 11,402 | 10,797 | 10,877 | 14,221 | 23,066 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total liabilities | 7,449 | 8,015 | 3,602 | 2,077 | 3,132 | 2,867 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total stockholders equity | 1,682 | 3,387 | 7,195 | 8,800 | 11,089 | 20,199 |
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As of March 31, 2015 | ||||||||
Actual | As adjusted(2) | |||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||
As adjusted balance sheet effects of this offering: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 6,403 | $ | 16,403 | ||||
Working capital(1) | $ | 4,904 | $ | 14,904 | ||||
Total assets | $ | 9,131 | $ | 19,131 | ||||
Total liabilities | $ | 7,449 | $ | 6,115 | ||||
Total stockholders equity | $ | 1,682 | $ | 13,016 |
(1) | We define working capital as current assets less current liabilities. |
(2) | Each increase of 10,000 units offered by us at $100 per unit would increase each of our as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, working capital, total assets and total stockholders equity by approximately $925,000. Similarly, each decrease of 10,000 units offered by us at $100 per unit would decrease each of our as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, working capital, total assets and total stockholders equity by approximately $925,000. The as adjusted information presented is illustrative only and will change based on the actual offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. |
The following table represents certain unaudited quarterly information for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 and for each of the four quarters in the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012. This information has been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements incorporated by reference into this prospectus and includes all the adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the unaudited quarterly results of operations (in thousands, except per share data).
First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter | |||||||||||||
2015: |
||||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,071 | ) | | | | ||||||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.25 | ) | $ | | | ||||||||||
2014: |
||||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (1,225 | ) | $ | (2,171 | ) | $ | 1,462 | $ | (2,909 | ) | |||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.21 | ) | $ | (0.85 | ) | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.36 | ) | ||||
2013: |
||||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,253 | ) | $ | (1,346 | ) | $ | (716 | ) | $ | (3,704 | ) | ||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share(1) | $ | (1.06 | ) | $ | (0.92 | ) | $ | (0.26 | ) | $ | (0.87 | ) | ||||
2012: |
||||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,752 | ) | $ | (2,772 | ) | $ | (2,610 | ) | $ | (1,873 | ) | ||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share(1) | $ | (1.99 | ) | $ | (1.32 | ) | $ | (1.24 | ) | $ | (0.89 | ) |
(1) | Per common share amounts have been adjusted for all periods prior to the first quarter of 2013 to reflect a 1-for-6 reverse split of our common stock completed on February 15, 2013. |
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus before purchasing our securities. If any of the following risks were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In these circumstances, the market price of our securities could decline, and you may lose some or all of your investment.
We have incurred significant cumulative net losses since our inception. Our net losses for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, were approximately $2.1 million, $7.8 million, $8.0 million, and $10.0 million, respectively. At March 31, 2015, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $156.5 million. The extent of our future operating income or losses is highly uncertain, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability.
We held cash and cash equivalents of $6.4 million as of March 31, 2015. We believe that these resources, the cash to be generated from expected product sales and, assuming we sell the securities registered under this registration statement, the net proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements through the second quarter of 2016.
Our financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. We expect to incur further losses as we aim to successfully commercialize DPNCheck and Quell and the operations of our business and will be dependent on funding our operations through additional public or private financing, collaborative arrangements with strategic partners, or through additional credit lines or other debt financing sources to increase the funds available to fund operations. These circumstances raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. As a result of this uncertainty and the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern as of December 31, 2014, the report of our independent registered public accounting firm in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 includes a going concern explanatory paragraph. Managements plans include increasing revenue through the commercialization of Quell and DPNCheck. However, no assurance can be given at this time as to whether we will be able to achieve these objectives. Our financial statements do not include any adjustment relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
We continue to face significant challenges and uncertainties and, as a result, our available capital resources may be consumed more rapidly than currently expected due to (a) decreases in sales of our products and the uncertainty of future revenues from new products; (b) changes we may make to the business that affect ongoing operating expenses; (c) changes we may make in our business strategy; (d) regulatory developments affecting our existing products and delays in the FDA approval process for products under development; (e) changes in our research and development spending plans; and (f) other items affecting our forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources. Accordingly, we will need to raise additional funds to support our operating and capital needs for the third quarter of 2016 and beyond. We may attempt to obtain additional funding through public or private financing, collaborative arrangements with strategic partners, or through additional credit lines or other debt financing sources to increase the funds available to fund operations. However, we may not be able to secure such financing in a timely manner or on favorable terms, if at all. Furthermore, if we issue equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges
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senior to those of our existing stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. Without additional funds, we may be forced to delay, scale back or eliminate some of our sales and marketing efforts, research and development activities, or other operations and potentially delay product development in an effort to provide sufficient funds to continue our operations. If any of these events occurs, our ability to achieve our development and commercialization goals would be adversely affected.
We are focused on the potential launch and subsequent commercialization of Quell, our OTC wearable device for pain relief. Quell is based on our prescription product for pain relief, SENSUS, which has been on the market for two years. We have shipped over 7,000 SENSUS devices during that period. DPNCheck, which was launched in late 2011, is a fast, accurate, and quantitative nerve conduction test for systemic neuropathies, such as DPN. We have other product candidates in our development pipeline. Our future prospects are closely tied to our success with our wearable devices for chronic pain which, in turn, depend upon market acceptance and growth in future revenues. We cannot assure you that our commercialization strategy will be successful. If our strategy is not successful, it could materially affect our revenues and results of operations.
Our future success could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
| inability to complete development and launch Quell in 2015; |
| inability to create market demand for Quell through a direct sales force and through online marketing efforts; |
| manufacturing issues with Quell, SENSUS or our other products; |
| reduced demand and loss of revenue for SENSUS as a result of customer preference for Quell; |
| inability to increase adoption of DPNCheck within the Medicare Advantage market; |
| unfavorable market response to DPNCheck in Japan and other Asia markets; |
| unfavorable changes to current Medicare, Medicare Advantage and commercial payer payment policies; |
| changes to payor policies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; |
| unfavorable experiences by patients and physicians using Quell, SENSUS and our other products; and, |
| physicians reluctance to alter their existing practices and adopt the use of our devices. |
If we are unable to expand exposure and penetrate the market for DPNCheck and SENSUS, or to establish a market for Quell, our ability to increase our revenues will be limited and our business prospects will be adversely affected.
Widespread adoption of our SENSUS and DPNCheck products by the medical community is unlikely to occur without a financial incentive from third-party payers for the use of these products. If health care providers are unable to obtain adequate reimbursement for procedures performed using these products, if managed care organizations do not receive improved capitated payments due to more accurate patient risk assessment using our products, and if DME suppliers are not adequately reimbursed for supplying our therapeutic products, we may be unable to sell our products at levels that are sufficient to allow us to achieve and maintain profitability, and our business would suffer significantly. Additionally, even if these products and procedures are adequately reimbursed by third-party payers today, adverse changes in payers future policies
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toward payment would harm our ability to market and sell our products. Third-party payers include those governmental programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers, workers compensation programs and other organizations.
Future regulatory action by CMS or other governmental agencies or negative clinical results may diminish reimbursement payments to physicians for performing procedures using our products. Medicaid reimbursement differs from state to state, and some state Medicaid programs may not cover the procedures performed with our products or pay physicians an adequate amount for performing those procedures, if at all. Additionally, some private payers do not follow the Medicare guidelines and may reimburse for only a portion of these procedures or not at all. We are unable to predict what changes will be made in the reimbursement methods used by private or governmental third-party payers. Importantly, we cannot predict the effects that implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will have on CMS, commercial insurers, health care providers, and ultimately on our business.
Our future revenues will be impacted by the CMS Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. Under this program, Medicare will no longer reimburse suppliers for certain products and services, including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), based on the Medicare fee schedule amount. Instead CMS will provide reimbursement for those products and services based on a competitive bidding process. Our SENSUS pain management system is presently classified within TENS. The DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program will likely require us to sell SENSUS devices and related consumables subject to Medicare reimbursement at significantly lower prices which would have a material adverse effect on SENSUS profitability. In those regions of the country where DMEPOS Competitive Bidding was implemented in January 2014, low Medicare pricing is restricting our ability to sell SENSUS. As the DMEPOS program is expanded to other regions, a similar effect will likely be seen.
We sell medical devices that are subject to extensive regulation in the United States by the FDA with regard to manufacturing, labeling, sale, promotion, distribution, shipping and ongoing monitoring and follow-up. Before a new medical device, or a new use of or claim for an existing product, can be marketed in the United States, it must first be cleared or approved by the FDA. Medical devices may be marketed only for the indications for which they are approved or cleared. The regulatory review process can be expensive and lengthy. The FDAs process for granting 510(k) clearance typically takes approximately three to six months, but it can be significantly longer. The process for obtaining a pre-market approval, or PMA, is much more costly and onerous. By law, the time period designated for the FDAs review of a PMA is 180 days; however, this time is often extended and it is not uncommon for the PMA review process to take three years or longer from the time the application is filed with the FDA.
The FDA may remove our devices from the market or enjoin them from commercial distribution if safety or effectiveness problems develop. Further, we may not be able to obtain additional 510(k) clearances or pre-market approvals for new products or for modifications to, or additional indications for, our existing products in a timely fashion, or at all. Delays in obtaining future clearances or approvals would adversely affect our ability to introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner, which in turn would harm our revenue and future profitability. We have made modifications to our devices in the past and may make additional modifications in the future that we believe do not or will not require additional clearances or approvals. If the FDA disagrees, and requires new clearances or approvals for the modifications, we may be required to recall and to stop marketing the modified devices. If any of these events occurs or if the FDA takes other enforcement actions, we may not be able to provide our customers with the products they require on a timely basis, our reputation could be harmed, and we could lose customers and suffer reduced revenues and increased costs.
We also are subject to numerous post-marketing regulatory requirements, including the FDAs quality system regulations, which relate to the design, manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage, installation and
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servicing of our products, labeling regulations, medical device reporting regulations and correction and removal reporting regulations. Our failure or the failure by any manufacturer of our products to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA. FDA enforcement actions relating to post-marketing regulatory requirements or other issues, including any issues arising from the not substantially equivalent letter described above, may include any of the following:
| warning letters, untitled letters, fines, injunctions, product seizures, consent decrees and civil penalties; |
| requiring repair, replacement, refunds, customer notifications or recall of our products; |
| imposing operating restrictions, suspension or shutdown of production; |
| refusing our requests for 510(k) clearance or PMA approval of new products, new intended uses, or modifications to existing products; |
| requesting voluntary rescission of 510(k) clearances or withdrawing PMA approvals that have already been granted; and |
| criminal prosecution. |
If any of these events were to occur, they could harm our reputation, our ability to generate revenues and our profitability.
Also, from time to time, legislation is introduced into Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the approval, manufacturing and marketing of medical devices. FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. It is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted, or FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations changed, and what the impact of such changes, if any, may be. The FDA has publicly stated that it is reevaluating its longstanding 510(k) review program. It is not clear when the program will be modified and what effect the modified review process will have on our ability to bring our product candidates to market.
We rely on third-party manufacturers to manufacture components of our DPNCheck, SENSUS and Quell systems, and to fully manufacture the ADVANCE system. In the event that our manufacturers cease to manufacture sufficient quantities of our products or components in a timely manner and on terms acceptable to us, we would be forced to locate alternate manufacturers. Additionally, if our manufacturers experience a failure in their production process, are unable to obtain sufficient quantities of the components necessary to manufacture our products or otherwise fail to meet our quality requirements, we may be forced to delay the manufacture and sale of our products or locate an alternative manufacturer. We may be unable to locate suitable alternative manufacturers for our products or components for which the manufacturing process is relatively specialized, on terms acceptable to us, or at all. We have a manufacturing and supply agreement with Parlex Polymer Flexible Circuits, Inc. for the manufacture of the ADVANCE electrodes for nerve conduction testing. Katecho, Inc. manufactures biosensors for use with our DPNCheck devices and manufactures electrodes for SENSUS and Quell, and Sunburst EMS, Inc. manufactures electronic boards and other components of our DPNCheck, SENSUS and Quell products which we assemble at our Massachusetts facility to produce completed devices. Sunburst EMS, Inc. also manufactures our ADVANCE System monitors, docking stations, and communication hubs.
We have experienced transient inventory shortages on new products during the initial production ramp-up phase. If any materially adverse changes in our relationships with these manufacturers occur, our ability to supply our customers will be severely limited until we are able to engage an alternate manufacturer or, if applicable, resolve any quality issues with our existing manufacturer. This situation could prevent us from delivering products to our customers in a timely manner, lead to decreased sales or increased costs, or harm our reputation with our customers.
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In order for us to successfully expand our business within the United States and internationally, our contract manufacturers must be able to provide us with substantial quantities of our products in compliance with regulatory requirements, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable cost and on a timely basis. Our potential future growth could strain the ability of our manufacturers to deliver products and obtain materials and components in sufficient quantities. Manufacturers often experience difficulties in scaling up production, including problems with production yields and quality control and assurance. If we are unable to obtain sufficient quantities of high quality products to meet customer demand on a timely basis, we could lose customers, our growth may be limited and our business could be harmed.
We and our contract manufacturers are required to comply with the FDAs quality system regulation, or QSR, which is a complex regulation that governs the procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of our devices. The FDA enforces the QSR through periodic inspections. We cannot assure you that our facilities or the facilities of the manufacturers of our products would pass any future inspection. If our facilities or any of the facilities of the manufacturers of our products fail an inspection, the manufacturing or distribution of our products could be interrupted and our operations disrupted. Failure to take adequate and timely corrective action in response to an adverse inspection could result in a suspension or shutdown of our packaging and labeling operations and the operations of the manufacturers of our products or a recall of our products, or other administrative or judicial sanctions. If any of these events occurs, we may not be able to provide our customers with the quantity of products they require on a timely basis, our reputation could be harmed, and we could lose customers and suffer reduced revenues and increased costs.
We are subject to the medical device reporting regulations, which require us to report to the FDA if our products may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or have malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction were to occur. We are also subject to the correction and removal reporting regulations, which require us to report to the FDA any field corrections and device recalls or removals that we undertake to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, caused by the device which may present a risk to health. In addition, the FDA and similar governmental agencies in other countries have the authority to require the recall of our products if there is a reasonable probability that the products would cause serious adverse health consequences or death. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us could occur as a result of manufacturing defects, labeling deficiencies, packaging defects or other failures to comply with applicable regulations. Any recall would divert management attention and financial resources and harm our reputation with customers and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The primary focus of our research and development department is development of our Quell device for chronic intractable pain and the planned initiation of commercial shipments of Quell in June 2015. We have other products in our R&D pipeline. We expect that advancing our pipeline products will require significant time and resources. We may not be successful in our commercialization efforts for any of the product candidates currently in our pipeline and we may not be successful in developing, acquiring, or in-licensing additional product candidates, to the extent we decide to do so. If we are not successful advancing new products through our development pipeline, the regulatory process and commercial launch, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected.
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We launched the ADVANCE System, our general purpose nerve conduction testing system, in June 2008. For 2014 and 2013, 51% and 72%, respectively, of our total revenue was attributed to the ADVANCE System. We continue to derive a substantial portion of our revenues from sales of ADVANCE electrodes. We expect that sales of ADVANCE System products will constitute approximately 20% of our sales during 2015. Accordingly, our revenue in the short-term is dependent on our ability to sell ADVANCE electrodes. ADVANCE electrode sales may be negatively impacted by many factors, including:
| changes in reimbursement rates or policies by third-party payers; |
| manufacturing problems; |
| claims that our products infringe on patent rights or other intellectual property rights owned by other parties; |
| adverse regulatory or legal actions relating to our products; and |
| clinical trial results relating to our products or our competitors products. |
If any of these events occurs, ADVANCE electrode sales could be significantly reduced.
Our success will depend in part on our ability to develop or acquire commercially valuable patent rights and to protect these rights adequately. The risks and uncertainties that we face with respect to our patents and other related rights include the following:
| the pending patent applications we have filed or to which we have exclusive rights may not result in issued patents or may take longer than we expect to result in issued patents; |
| the claims of any patents that are issued may not provide meaningful protection; |
| we may not be able to develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; |
| other parties may challenge patents, patent claims or patent applications licensed or issued to us; and |
| other companies may design around technologies we have patented, licensed or developed. |
Our issued design patents begin to expire in 2015. We also may not be able to protect our patent rights effectively in some foreign countries. For a variety of reasons, we may decide not to file for patent protection in the United States or in particular foreign countries. Our patent rights underlying our products may not be adequate, and our competitors or customers may design around our proprietary technologies or independently develop similar or alternative technologies or products that are equal or superior to our technology and products without infringing on any of our patent rights. In addition, the patents licensed or issued to us may not provide a competitive advantage. If any of these events were to occur, our ability to compete in the market would be harmed.
In addition to patents, we rely on a combination of trade secrets, copyright and trademark laws, confidentiality, nondisclosure and assignment of invention agreements and other contractual provisions and technical measures to protect our intellectual property rights. We rely on trade secrets to protect the technology and algorithms we use in our customer data processing and warehousing information system. While we currently require employees, consultants and other third parties to enter into confidentiality, non-disclosure or assignment of invention agreements or a combination thereof where appropriate, any of the following could still occur:
| the agreements may be breached or not enforced in a particular jurisdiction; |
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| we may have inadequate remedies for any breach; |
| trade secrets and other proprietary information could be disclosed to our competitors; or |
| others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose such technologies. |
If, for any of the above reasons, our intellectual property is disclosed or misappropriated, it would harm our ability to protect our rights and our competitive position.
We rely on patents to protect a portion of our intellectual property and our competitive position. Patent law relating to the scope of claims in the technology fields in which we operate is still evolving and, consequently, patent positions in the medical device industry are generally uncertain. In order to protect or enforce our patent rights, we may initiate patent litigation against third parties, such as infringement suits or interference proceedings. Litigation may be necessary to:
| assert claims of infringement; |
| enforce our patents; |
| protect our trade secrets or know-how; or |
| determine the enforceability, scope and validity of the proprietary rights of others. |
Any lawsuits that we initiate could be expensive, take significant time and divert managements attention from other business concerns. Litigation also puts our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Additionally, we may provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially valuable. The occurrence of any of these events could harm our business, our ability to compete in the market or our reputation.
Substantial litigation over intellectual property rights exists in the medical device industry. We expect that our products could be increasingly subject to third-party infringement claims as the number of competitors grows and the functionality of products and technology in different industry segments overlap. Third parties may currently have, or may eventually be issued, patents on which our products or technologies may infringe. Any of these third parties might make a claim of infringement against us. Any litigation regardless of its impact would likely result in the expenditure of significant financial resources and the diversion of managements time and resources. In addition, litigation in which we are accused of infringement may cause negative publicity, adversely impact prospective customers, cause product shipment delays or require us to develop non-infringing technology, make substantial payments to third parties, or enter into royalty or license agreements, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If a successful claim of infringement were made against us and we could not develop non-infringing technology or license the infringed or similar technology on a timely and cost-effective basis, our revenues may decrease substantially and we could be exposed to significant liability.
A federal law commonly known as the federal anti-kickback law, and several similar state laws, prohibit the payment of any remuneration that is intended to induce physicians or others either to refer patients or to acquire or arrange for or recommend the acquisition of health care products or services. These laws constrain
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a medical device companys sales, marketing and other promotional activities by limiting the kinds of business relationships and financial arrangements, including sales programs we may have with hospitals, physicians or other potential purchasers of medical devices. Other federal and state laws generally prohibit individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payers that are false or fraudulent, or for items or services that were not provided as claimed. From time to time, we may provide coding and billing information as product support to purchasers of our products. Anti-kickback and false claims laws prescribe civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance, which can be quite substantial including exclusion from participation in federal health care programs. A number of states have enacted laws that require pharmaceutical and medical device companies to monitor and report payments, gifts and other remuneration made to physicians and other health care professionals and health care organizations. Some state statutes, such as the one in Massachusetts, impose an outright ban on gifts to physicians. These laws are often referred to as gift ban or aggregate spend laws and carry substantial fines if they are violated. Similar legislation, known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, was enacted by Congress during 2014. In the event that we are found to have violated these laws or determine to settle a claim that we have done so, our business may be materially adversely affected as a result of any payments required to be made, restrictions on our future operations or actions required to be taken, damage to our business reputation or adverse publicity in connection with such a finding or settlement or other adverse effects relating thereto. Additionally, even an unsuccessful challenge or investigation into our practices could cause adverse publicity, and be costly to respond to, and thus could harm our business and results of operations.
There are a number of federal and state laws protecting the confidentiality of individually identifiable patient health information, including patient records, and restricting the use and disclosure of that protected information. In particular, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services promulgated patient privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. These privacy rules protect medical records and other personal health information by limiting their use and disclosure, giving individuals the right to access, amend and seek accounting of their own health information and limiting most use and disclosures of health information to the minimum amount reasonably necessary to accomplish the intended purpose. Although we do not believe that we are subject to the HIPAA rules, the exact scope of these rules has not been clearly established. If we are found to be in violation of the privacy rules under HIPAA, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, which could increase our liabilities and harm our reputation or our business.
Our business exposes us to an inherent risk of potential product liability claims related to the manufacturing, marketing and sale of medical devices. The medical device industry historically has been litigious, and we face financial exposure to product liability claims if the use of our products were to cause or contribute to injury or death. Our ADVANCE system and DPNCheck, SENSUS and Quell products may be susceptible to claims of injury because their use involves the electric stimulation of a patients nerves. Although we maintain product liability insurance for our products and other commercial insurance, the coverage limits of these policies may not be adequate to cover future claims. As sales and use of our products increase, we may be unable to maintain sufficient product liability or other commercial insurance on acceptable terms or at reasonable costs, and this insurance may not provide us with adequate coverage against potential liabilities. A successful claim brought against us in excess of, or outside of, our insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. A product liability claim, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in substantial costs to us, a substantial diversion of management attention and adverse publicity. A product liability claim could also harm our reputation and result in a decline in revenues and an increase in expenses.
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We depend upon third parties for the manufacture of our products or components. Our products, particularly our electrodes, require a significant degree of technical expertise to produce. If these manufacturers fail to produce our products to specification, or if the manufacturers use defective materials or workmanship in the manufacturing process, the reliability and performance of our products will be compromised.
If our products contain defects that cannot be repaired quickly, easily and inexpensively, we may experience:
| loss of customer orders and delay in order fulfillment; |
| damage to our brand reputation; |
| increased cost of our warranty program due to product repair or replacement; |
| inability to attract new customers; |
| diversion of resources from our manufacturing and research and development departments into our service department; and |
| legal action. |
The occurrence of any one or more of the foregoing could harm our reputation and materially reduce our revenues and increase our costs and liabilities.
Our success largely depends on the skills, experience, and efforts of our executive officers, including Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D., our founder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas T. Higgins, our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Francis X. McGillin, our Senior Vice President and General Manager Consumer. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies covering any of our employees. The loss of any of our executive officers could weaken our management and technical expertise significantly and harm our business.
We are a small company with 45 employees as of March 31, 2015, and our ability to retain our skilled labor force and our success in attracting and hiring new skilled employees will be a critical factor in determining our future performance. We may not be able to meet our future hiring needs or retain existing personnel, particularly given the challenges faced by our business. We will face challenges and risks in hiring, training, managing and retaining engineering and sales and marketing employees. Failure to attract and retain personnel, particularly technical and sales and marketing personnel would materially harm our ability to compete effectively and grow our business.
Our future business and financial success will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively market our new products, such as Quell, SENSUS and DPNCheck, and enhance these products in response to customer demand. Developing new products and upgrades to existing and future products imposes burdens on our research and development department and our management. This process is costly, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully develop new products or enhance our current products. We also may not be able to enter into relationships with other companies to sell additional products. In addition, as we develop the market for our products, future competitors may develop desirable product features earlier than we do which could make our competitors products less expensive or more effective than our products and could
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render our products obsolete or unmarketable. If our product development efforts are unsuccessful, we will have incurred significant costs without recognizing the expected benefits and our business prospects may suffer.
We currently do, and in the future may need to, compete directly and indirectly with a number of other companies that may have competitive advantages over us. Our diagnostic devices for nerve testing compete with companies that sell traditional nerve conduction study and electromyography equipment including Cadwell Laboratories, Inc. and Natus Medical Incorporated. These companies enjoy significant competitive advantages, including:
| greater resources for product development, sales and marketing; |
| more established distribution networks; |
| greater name recognition; |
| more established relationships with health care professionals, customers and third-party payers; and |
| additional lines of products and the ability to offer rebates or bundle products to offer discounts or incentives. |
As we develop the market for wearable technology for chronic pain and other illnesses, we may be faced with competition from other companies that decide and are able to enter the market. Some or all of our future competitors in the diagnostic nerve testing market and the consumer market for pain relief may enjoy competitive advantages such as those described above. If we are unable to compete effectively against existing and future competitors, our sales will decline and our business will be harmed.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data in our data centers, on our networks, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information, and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our employees. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Future clinical studies or other articles regarding our existing products or any competing products may be published that either support a claim, or are perceived to support a claim, that a competitors product is more accurate or effective than our products or that our products are not as accurate or effective as we claim or previous clinical studies have concluded. Additionally, physician associations or other organizations that may be viewed as authoritative or have an economic interest in nerve conduction studies and in related electrodiagnostic procedures or other procedures that may be performed using our products could endorse products or methods that compete with our products or otherwise announce positions that are unfavorable to our products. We have experienced this with the professional societies representing the neurology community. Any of these events may negatively affect our sales efforts and result in decreased revenues.
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Foreign markets represented approximately 19% of our revenues in 2014, compared to 16% of our revenues in 2013. We are working to expand market penetration, particularly in Asia. Any such expansion will subject us to the possibility of new business risks, including:
| failure to fulfill foreign regulatory requirements, if applicable, to market our products; |
| availability of, and changes in, reimbursement within prevailing foreign health care payment systems; |
| adapting to the differing business practices and laws in foreign countries; |
| difficulties in managing foreign relationships and operations, including any relationships that we establish with foreign distributors or sales or marketing agents; |
| limited protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; |
| difficulty in collecting accounts receivable and longer collection periods; |
| costs of enforcing contractual obligations in foreign jurisdictions; |
| recessions in economies outside of the United States; |
| political instability and unexpected changes in diplomatic and trade relationships; |
| currency exchange rate fluctuations; and |
| potentially adverse tax consequences. |
If we are successful in introducing our products into foreign markets, we will be affected by these additional business risks, which may adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations. In addition, expansion into foreign markets imposes additional burdens on our executive and administrative personnel, research and sales departments, and general managerial resources. Our efforts to introduce our products into foreign markets may not be successful, in which case we may have expended significant resources without realizing the expected benefit.
Although we have not borrowed any funds under the credit facility, provisions in the credit facility impose restrictions on our ability to, among other things:
| incur additional indebtedness; |
| create liens; |
| replace certain of our executive officers; |
| enter into transactions with affiliates; |
| transfer assets; |
| pay dividends or make distributions on, or repurchase, our capital stock; and |
| merge or consolidate. |
In addition, we are required to meet certain financial covenants customary with this type of credit facility, including maintaining a minimum specified tangible net worth. The credit facility also contains other customary covenants, which we may not be able to comply with in the future. Our failure to comply with these covenants may result in the declaration of an event of default and could cause us to be unable to borrow under the credit facility. In addition to preventing additional borrowings under the credit facility, an event of default, if not cured or waived, may result in the acceleration of the maturity of indebtedness outstanding
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under the credit facility at the time of the default, which would require us to pay all amounts outstanding. If an event of default occurs, we may not be able to cure it within any applicable cure period, if at all. If the maturity of our indebtedness is accelerated, we may not have sufficient funds available for repayment or we may not have the ability to borrow or obtain sufficient funds to replace the accelerated indebtedness on terms acceptable to us, or at all. As of April 30, 2015, we were not in compliance with the minimum tangible net worth covenant of our Loan and Security Agreement with a bank. We have not borrowed any funds under this Agreement; however, $451,731 of amounts available under the Agreement are restricted to support letters of credit issued in favor of our landlords. The Company will be restricted from borrowing under the Agreement, and may be required to provide cash collateral under the letters of credit, until the covenant default is cured or waived by the bank.
From time to time we may seek to acquire or invest in businesses, products or technologies, instead of developing them ourselves. Acquisitions and investments involve numerous risks, including:
| the inability to complete the acquisition or investment; |
| disruption of our ongoing businesses and diversion of management attention; |
| difficulties in integrating the acquired entities, products or technologies; |
| difficulties in operating the acquired business profitably; |
| the inability to achieve anticipated synergies, cost savings or growth; |
| potential loss of key employees, particularly those of the acquired business; |
| difficulties in transitioning and maintaining key customer, distributor and supplier relationships; |
| risks associated with entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience; and |
| unanticipated costs. |
In addition, any future acquisitions or investments may result in one or more of the following:
| issuances of dilutive equity securities, which may be sold at a discount to market price; |
| the use of significant amounts of cash; |
| the incurrence of debt; |
| the assumption of significant liabilities; |
| increased operating costs or reduced earnings; |
| financing obtained on unfavorable terms; |
| large one-time expenses; and |
| the creation of certain intangible assets, including goodwill, the write-down of which may result in significant charges to earnings. |
Any of these factors could materially harm our stock price, our business, or our operating results.
Until we are profitable, we will need significant additional funds to develop our business and sustain our operations. We sold shares of our common stock and warrants in June 2014 and June 2013 and any additional sales of shares of our common stock or other securities exercisable into our common stock are likely to have
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a dilutive effect on some or all of our then existing stockholders. Resales of newly issued shares in the open market could also have the effect of lowering our stock price, thereby increasing the number of shares we may need to issue in the future to raise the same dollar amount and consequently further diluting our outstanding shares.
The perceived risk associated with the possible sale of a large number of shares could cause some of our stockholders to sell their stock, thus causing the price of our stock to decline. In addition, actual or anticipated downward pressure on our stock price due to actual or anticipated issuances or sales of stock could cause some institutions or individuals to engage in short sales of our common stock, which may itself cause the price of our stock to decline.
If our stock price declines, we may be unable to raise additional capital. A sustained inability to raise capital could force us to go out of business. Significant declines in the price of our common stock could also impair our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, reduce the liquidity of our common stock and result in the delisting of our common stock from The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, or NASDAQ.
The trading price of our common stock has been highly volatile. For the five year period ended March 31, 2015, our stock price has fluctuated from a low of $1.47 to a high of $68.41, as adjusted for stock splits. The market price for our common stock will be affected by a number of factors, including:
| the denial or delay of regulatory clearances or approvals for our products under development or receipt of regulatory approval of competing products; |
| our ability to accomplish clinical, regulatory and other product development and commercialization milestones and to do so in accordance with our timing estimates; |
| changes in policies affecting third-party coverage and reimbursement in the United States and other countries; |
| changes in government regulations and standards affecting the medical device industry and our products; |
| ability of our products to achieve market success; |
| the performance of third-party contract manufacturers and component suppliers; |
| actual or anticipated variations in our results of operations or those of our competitors; |
| announcements of new products, technological innovations or product advancements by us or our competitors; |
| developments with respect to patents and other intellectual property rights; |
| sales of common stock or other securities by us or our stockholders in the future; |
| additions or departures of key scientific or management personnel; |
| disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies; |
| trading volume of our common stock; |
| changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, failure to obtain or maintain analyst coverage of our common stock or our failure to achieve analyst earnings estimates; |
| public statements by analysts or clinicians regarding their perceptions of our clinical results or the effectiveness of our products; |
| decreases in market valuations of medical device companies; and |
| general market conditions and other factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors. |
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The stock prices of many companies in the medical device industry have experienced wide fluctuations that have often been unrelated to the operating performance of these companies. Periods of volatility in the market price of a companys securities can result in securities class action litigation against a company. If class action litigation is initiated against us, we may incur substantial costs and our managements attention may be diverted from our operations, which could significantly harm our business.
Our common stock is currently listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other requirements. On April 30, 2015, we received a letter, which we refer to as the Notice, from The NASDAQ Stock Market or NASDAQ, indicating that, as of March 31, 2015 our reported stockholders equity did not meet the $2,500,000 minimum required to maintain continued listing, as set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). Under NASDAQ rules, we have 45 calendar days to submit a plan to regain compliance. If our plan is accepted, NASDAQ can grant an extension of up to 180 calendar days, or until October 27, 2015, to evidence compliance. If we fail to regain compliance, our common stock will be subject to delisting by NASDAQ.
If NASDAQ does not accept our plan, NASDAQ will notify us that our common stock is subject to delisting. At that time, we may appeal the delisting determination to a NASDAQ Hearings Panel.
While we intend to engage in efforts to regain compliance, and thus maintain our listing, there can be no assurance that we will be able to regain compliance during the applicable time periods set forth above. If we fail to continue to meet all applicable NASDAQ Capital Market requirements in the future and NASDAQ determines to delist our common stock, the delisting could substantially decrease trading in our common stock and adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock; adversely affect our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, if at all, for the continuation of our operations; and harm our business. Additionally, the market price of our common stock may decline further and stockholders may lose some or all of their investment.
If we fail to maintain compliance with any NASDAQ listing requirements, we could be delisted and our stock would be considered a penny stock under regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and would therefore be subject to rules that impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell our securities. The additional burdens imposed upon broker-dealers by these requirements could discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our common stock, which could severely limit the market liquidity of our common stock and your ability to sell our securities in the secondary market.
Although our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock has experienced low trading volume. The 50 day average trading volume through March 31, 2015 as reported by NASDAQ was approximately 60,000 shares. Limited trading volume may subject our common stock to greater price volatility and may make it difficult for investors to sell shares at a price that is attractive to them.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our Board of Directors that our stockholders might consider favorable. Some of these provisions:
| authorize the issuance of preferred stock which can be created and issued by the Board of Directors without prior stockholder approval, with rights senior to those of our common stock; |
| provide for a classified Board of Directors, with each director serving a staggered three-year term; |
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| prohibit our stockholders from filling board vacancies, calling special stockholder meetings, or taking action by written consent; |
| provide for the removal of a director only with cause and by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of our directors; and |
| require advance written notice of stockholder proposals and director nominations. |
We have also adopted a shareholder rights plan that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party from acquiring, us or a large block of our common stock. A third party that acquires 15% or more of our common stock could suffer substantial dilution of its ownership interest under the terms of the shareholder rights plan through the issuance of common stock to all stockholders other than the acquiring person.
In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which may prohibit certain business combinations with stockholders owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our Board of Directors or initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current Board of Directors, including a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our Board of Directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of our credit facility precludes us from paying any dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be our stockholders sole source of potential gain for the foreseeable future.
Substantially all of our net proceeds from this offering will be used, as determined by management in its sole discretion, to continue work toward commercialization of our Quell product, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Our management will have broad discretion over the use and investment of the net proceeds of this offering. The failure of our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. You will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether our proceeds are being used appropriately. Pending application of our proceeds, they may be placed in investments that do not produce income or that lose value.
The warrants issued in this offering will be immediately exercisable and expire on the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance. The warrants will have an initial exercise price per share equal to $ , which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. In the event that our common stock price does not exceed the exercise price of the warrants during the period when the warrants are exercisable, the warrants may not have any value.
There is no established trading market for the warrants to be sold in this offering, and the market for the warrants may be highly volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance. The warrants offered in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW. However, an active public market for our warrants may not develop or be sustained. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in our company will lead to the development of an active trading market in our warrants or how liquid that market might become. If a market does not develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell your warrants at the time you wish to sell them, at a price that is attractive to you, or at all.
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Purchasers of the warrants in this offering will be able to exercise the warrants only if a current prospectus relating to the common stock underlying the warrants is then in effect and only if such securities are qualified for sale or exempt from qualification under the applicable securities laws of the states in which the various holders of warrants reside. Although we will attempt to maintain the effectiveness of a current prospectus covering the common stock underlying the warrants and maintain the registration or exemption of such common stock under the securities laws of the states in which we initially sell the common stock and warrants in the offering, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so. We will be unable to issue common stock to those persons desiring to exercise their warrants if a current prospectus covering the common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants is not kept effective or if such shares are neither qualified nor exempt from qualification in the states in which the holders of the warrants reside.
If the registration statement covering the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is no longer effective, the warrants may only be exercised on a cashless basis and will be issued with restrictive legends unless such shares are eligible for sale under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Until you acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of your warrants, you will have no rights with respect to our common stock. Upon exercise of your warrants, you will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.
There is no established public trading market for the Series B convertible preferred stock being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the Series B convertible preferred stock on any national securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system, including The NASDAQ Capital Market. Without an active market, the liquidity of the Series B convertible preferred stock may be limited.
Purchasers in this offering who convert their Series B convertible preferred stock to common stock will experience dilution in their net tangible book value per share to the extent of the difference between the conversion price per share of common stock and the adjusted, as converted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the offering. Our net tangible book value as of March 31, 2015 was approximately $1.7 million, or $0.20 per share of our common stock. Assuming that we issue 145,000 units at a price of $100 per unit, assuming the Series B convertible preferred stock sold in this offering has a conversion price of $1.20 per share, which was 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015, and assuming the conversion of all the shares of Series B convertible preferred stock sold in this offering, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us our as adjusted, converted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2015 would have been approximately $13.0 million, or $0.63 per share of our common stock. This calculation excludes the proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the warrants issued in this offering. This amount represents an increase in net tangible book value of $0.43 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $0.57 per share to investors in this offering who convert their Series B convertible preferred stock to common stock. If outstanding options and warrants to purchase our common stock are exercised, purchasers will experience additional dilution. See the section entitled Dilution below.
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This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. We generally identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as may, will, should, expects, plans, anticipates, could, intends, target, projects, contemplates, believes, estimates, predicts, potential, aim, strategy, goal or continue or the negative of these terms or other similar words, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our managements expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, such as our estimates regarding anticipated operating losses, future revenues and projected expenses; our pricing and gross margins on our Quell products; our expected timing for the commercial launch of Quell; our liquidity and our expectations regarding our needs for and ability to raise additional capital; our ability to manage our expenses effectively and raise the funds needed to continue our business; our belief that there are unmet needs in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic neuropathy and our expectations surrounding SENSUS, Quell and NC-stat DPNCheck; our plans to develop and commercialize our products; our ability to meet our proposed timelines for the commercial availability of our products; the success and timing of our studies; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our existing products and any future products we may develop; regulatory and legislative developments in the United States and foreign countries; the performance of our third-party manufacturers; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our products; the successful development of our sales and marketing capabilities; the size and growth of the potential markets for our products and our ability to serve those markets; the rate and degree of market acceptance of any future products; our reliance on key scientific management or personnel; the payment and reimbursement methods used by private or governmental third-party payers; and other factors discussed elsewhere in this prospectus or any document incorporated by reference herein or therein. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in the section titled Risk Factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Risk Factors and Business, as well as other sections in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences.
The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
This prospectus also contains market data related to our business and industry. These market data include projections that are based on a number of assumptions. While we believe these assumptions to be reasonable and sound as of the date of this prospectus, if these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. As a result, our markets may not grow at the rates projected by these data, or at all. The failure of these markets to grow at these projected rates may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and the market price of our common stock.
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We estimate that we will receive approximately $10.0 million in net proceeds from the sale of the securities in this offering, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and after the repurchase of all of the outstanding shares of our Series A-4 convertible preferred stock. Simultaneous with the closing of this offering, we anticipate that we will repurchase certain shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock held by Sabby for an aggregate purchase price of $3.2 million out of the gross proceeds of this offering. This repurchase is contingent on Sabbys participation in this offering.
The amount of net proceeds does not include the proceeds that we may receive in connection with any exercise of the warrants issued in this offering. Assuming all of the warrants issued in this offering were exercised in full for cash at an assumed exercise price of $1.32 per share, which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015, we estimate that we would receive additional net proceeds of approximately $16.1 million. We cannot predict when or if the warrants will be exercised, however, and it is possible that the warrants may expire and never be exercised.
We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to fund the commercial launch of Quell in the United States and for general corporate purposes. Quell is our over-the-counter (OTC) wearable device for pain relief and was unveiled at the January 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Quell utilizes our proprietary non-invasive neuro-stimulation technology to provide relief from chronic intractable pain, particularly nerve pain due to diabetes and lower back problems.
Specifically, we plan to use the net proceeds from this offering as follows:
| Direct Sales Force we plan to hire, train, and deploy a sales force to call on physicians in selected urban areas in the United States. The hiring and training of this sales force began during the first quarter of 2015. Depending on the order flow we see during the anticipated commercial launch of Quell in June 2015, and on market penetration during the third quarter of 2015, we will evaluate the size and location of our sales representatives and likely expand the sales force during the fourth quarter of 2015. Approximately $1.6 million of the net proceeds will be used to fund the direct sales force during 2015. |
| Advertising and Promotion we plan to generate demand for Quell with a direct-to-consumer, or DTC, promotional effort. We expect that this promotional effort will employ narrowly targeted social media advertisements in channels such as Google, Facebook, and Yahoo; public relations outreach to traditional print and on-line media; and cultivation of thought leaders, chronic pain-focused organizations, and discussion forums. Approximately $1.6 million of the net proceeds will be used to fund advertising and promotion during 2015. |
| Product Development we plan to develop an Android smartphone application and to initiate development of a second generation Quell product, incorporating early consumer feedback and features not built into the launch model. Approximately $1.3 million of the net proceeds will be used for product development. |
| General Corporate Purposes The remaining proceeds will be used to build working capital, primarily inventory and accounts receivable in support of Quell of approximately $0.7 million, clinical studies in support of our proprietary neuro-stimulation technology of approximately $0.3 million, and for general corporate purposes of approximately $4.5 million. |
Any proceeds we receive from the exercise of the warrants will be used for general corporate purposes.
The expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures depend on numerous factors, including the level of Quell sales as well as sales of our current products, changes we may make to the business that affect ongoing operating expenses, changes we may make in our business strategy, regulatory developments affecting our existing products, changes in our research and development spending plans, and other items affecting our forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources. Depending on the outcome of these factors, our plans and priorities may change, and we may apply the net proceeds from
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this offering differently than we currently anticipate. Changes in any of these factors could mean that we delay or refocus the pursuit of any aspect of our commercialization plans for Quell in ways that we cannot currently predict. As a result, our management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of the net proceeds of this offering. Investors will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the proceeds of this offering.
Pending specific utilization of the net proceeds described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds in United States government securities and other short term, investment grade, interest bearing securities.
Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NURO. The price range per share reflected in the table below is the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported by NASDAQ (rounded to the nearest penny) for the periods presented.
High | Low | |||||||
Fiscal Year 2015 |
||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 2.05 | $ | 1.60 | ||||
Second Quarter (through May 21, 2015) | $ | 1.70 | $ | 1.12 | ||||
Fiscal Year 2014 |
||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 3.14 | $ | 2.17 | ||||
Second Quarter | $ | 2.61 | $ | 1.67 | ||||
Third Quarter | $ | 3.15 | $ | 1.57 | ||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 2.01 | $ | 1.52 | ||||
Fiscal Year 2013 |
||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 3.24 | $ | 1.98 | ||||
Second Quarter | $ | 3.14 | $ | 1.84 | ||||
Third Quarter | $ | 2.18 | $ | 1.50 | ||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 4.25 | $ | 1.47 |
As of March 31, 2015, there were approximately 101 stockholders of record of our common stock. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the growth and development of our business. Therefore, we do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination as to the declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on then existing conditions, including our financial condition, operating results, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors our Board of Directors may deem relevant. Our credit agreement also restricts our ability to pay dividends. Holders of the Series B convertible preferred stock will not be entitled to receive any dividends, unless and until specifically declared by our Board.
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The following table describes our capitalization and cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2015, on an actual basis and on an as adjusted basis to reflect our assumed sale of 145,000 units at a price of $100 per unit for net proceeds of approximately $10.0 million after (i) deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses by us, and (ii) the repurchase of all of our outstanding shares of the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock for an aggregate purchase price of $3.2 million and the forfeiture of warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares of our common stock, which we anticipate will occur simultaneous with the closing of this offering, and on an as adjusted, converted basis assuming (i) the Series B convertible preferred stock sold in this offering has a conversion price of $1.20 per share, which was 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015 and (ii) the conversion of all shares of Series B convertible preferred stock sold in this offering into 12,180,000 shares of common stock. You should read this capitalization table together with Use of Proceeds, the financial statements and related notes that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as well as Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the other financial information contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, both of which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
As of March 31, 2015 (000s) | ||||||||||||
Actual | As adjusted(1) | As adjusted, converted(1) |
||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 6,403 | $ | 16,403 | $ | 16,403 | ||||||
Common stock warrant liability | $ | 4,121 | $ | 2,787 | $ | 2,787 | ||||||
Stockholders equity: |
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Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized, actual, as adjusted, and as adjusted, converted no shares issued and outstanding, actual, as adjusted, and as adjusted, converted | | | | |||||||||
Convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 11,083 shares designated March 31, 2015, actual, and 156,083 shares designated at March 31, 2015, as adjusted and as adjusted, converted; and 3,206.357 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2015, actual, 145,000 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2015, as adjusted, and zero shares issued and outstanding as adjusted, converted | | | | |||||||||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value: 50,000,000 shares authorized; 8,519,151 shares issued and outstanding, at March 31, 2015 and as adjusted, and 20,699,151 shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted, converted | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 158,131 | 168,945 | 168,944 | |||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (156,450 | ) | (155,930 | ) | (155,930 | ) | ||||||
Total stockholders equity | 1,682 | 13,016 | 13,016 | |||||||||
Total capitalization | $ | 5,803 | $ | 15,803 | $ | 15,803 |
(1) | Each increase of 10,000 units offered by us at $100 per unit would increase each of our as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total stockholders equity and total capitalization by approximately $925,000. Similarly, each decrease of 10,000 units offered by us at $100 per unit would decrease each of our as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, total stockholders equity and total capitalization by approximately $925,000. The as adjusted information presented is illustrative only and will change based on the actual offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. |
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The preceding table excludes 1,571,744 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 3,206.357 shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock (which we anticipate such shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock will be repurchased simultaneously with the closing of this offering), 5,760,847 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2015, at a weighted average exercise price of $2.70 per share (of which we anticipate warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares of our common stock will be forfeited simultaneously with the closing of this offering), 809,257 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of March 31, 2015, at a weighted average exercise price of $4.95 per share, 454,614 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan and an additional 850,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan that were approved by our stockholders at our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on May 5, 2015, 200,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2009 Non-qualified Inducement Stock Plan, and 140,947 shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The preceding table also excludes 12,180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants to be sold in this offering.
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If you purchase securities in this offering, your interest in the common stock underlying the Series B convertible preferred stock and the warrants offered hereunder will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price you pay for each share of common stock underlying the Series B convertible preferred stock and the adjusted, as converted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.
Our net tangible book value as of March 31, 2015 was approximately $1.7 million, or approximately $0.20 per share. Net tangible book value per share represents our total tangible assets less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2015.
Net tangible book value dilution per share of common stock to purchasers in this offering represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers in this offering and the as adjusted, converted net tangible book value per share of common stock immediately after the completion of this offering (assuming that a value of $0.0000001 is attributed to each warrant). Assuming (i) that we issue 145,000 units at a price of $100 per unit, (ii) that the Series B convertible preferred stock sold in this offering has a conversion price of $1.20 per share, which was 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015, (iii) the conversion of all the shares of Series B convertible preferred stock sold in this offering at the assumed conversion price into 12,180,000 shares of common stock, and after deducting the estimated underwriter discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses and after the repurchase of all of the outstanding shares of our Series A-4 convertible preferred stock, payable by us, our adjusted, as converted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2015 would have been approximately $13.0 million, or $0.63 per share of our common stock. This calculation assumes the conversion of Series B convertible stock into common stock because of the probability this will occur over time. It excludes the proceeds, if any, from the exercise of warrants issued in this offering which is uncertain. This amount represents an immediate increase in as adjusted, converted net tangible book value of $0.43 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $0.57 per share to purchasers in this offering, as illustrated in the following table:
Assumed conversion price per share | $ | 1.20 | ||||||
Net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2015 | $ | 0.20 | ||||||
Increase in as adjusted, converted net tangible book value per share attributable to purchasers in this offering | $ | 0.43 | ||||||
As adjusted, converted net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2015, after giving effect to the offering | $ | 0.63 | ||||||
Dilution to purchasers in this offering | $ | 0.57 |
Assuming that the number of units offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, a $0.50 increase in the assumed conversion price of $1.20 per share would not change the adjusted, as converted net tangible book value. The adjusted, as converted net tangible book value per share would increase and the dilution to purchasers in this offering would increase by $0.37 per share. A $0.50 decrease in the assumed conversion price of $1.20 per share would not change the adjusted, as converted net tangible book value. The adjusted, as converted net tangible book value per share would decrease and the dilution to purchasers in this offering would decrease by $0.31 per share. The as adjusted, converted information presented is illustrative only and will change based on the actual offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.
The above discussion and table excludes 1,571,744 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 3,206.357 shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock (which we anticipate such shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock will be repurchased simultaneously with the closing of this offering), 5,760,847 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2015, at a weighted average exercise price of $2.70 per share (of which we anticipate warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares of our common stock will be forfeited simultaneously with the closing of this offering), 809,257 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of March 31, 2015, at a weighted average exercise price of $4.95 per share, 454,614 shares of common stock available for future
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issuance under our 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan and an additional 850,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan that were approved by our stockholders at our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on May 5, 2015, 200,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2009 Non-qualified Inducement Stock Plan, and 140,947 shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The preceding table also excludes 12,180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants to be sold in this offering.
To the extent that any of our outstanding options or warrants, including the warrants issued in this offering, are exercised or preferred stock converted, we grant additional options under our stock option plans or issue additional warrants or preferred stock, or we issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there may be further dilution to purchasers in this offering.
An investor that acquires additional shares of common stock through the exercise of the warrants offered hereby may experience additional dilution depending on our net tangible book value at the time of exercise. Assuming that we issue 145,000 units, that the warrants have an assumed exercise price of $1.32 per share, which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on May 21, 2015, and that all such warrants are exercised, our as adjusted, converted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2015 would have been approximately $29.1 million, or $0.88 per share of our common stock. This amount represents an increase in net tangible book value of $0.69 per share to our existing stockholders and a dilution in net tangible book value of $0.44 per share to purchasers in this offering exercising such warrants.
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NeuroMetrix is an innovative health-care company that develops wearable medical technology and point-of-care tests that help patients and physicians better manage chronic pain, nerve diseases, and sleep disorders. Our business is fully integrated with in-house capabilities spanning product development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and compliance, sales and marketing, and customer support. We derive revenues from the sale of medical devices and after-market consumable products and accessories. Our products are sold in the United States and selected overseas markets, and are cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and regulators in foreign jurisdictions where appropriate. We have two principal product lines:
| Wearable neuro-stimulation therapeutic devices |
| Point-of-care neuropathy diagnostic tests |
Our core expertise in biomedical engineering has been refined over nearly two decades of designing, building and marketing medical devices that stimulate nerves and analyze nerve response for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. We created the market for point-of-care nerve testing and were first to market with sophisticated, wearable technology for management of chronic pain. We have an experienced management team and Board of Directors. Our Scientific Advisory Board includes internationally recognized experts in diabetes and pain.
Chronic pain is a significant public health problem. It is defined by the National Institutes of Health as any pain lasting more than 12 weeks in contrast to acute pain which is a normal bodily response to injury or trauma. Chronic pain conditions include painful diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, sciatica, musculoskeletal pain, cancer pain and many others. Chronic pain may be triggered by an injury or there may be an ongoing cause such as disease or illness. There may also be no clear cause. Pain signals continue to be transmitted in the nervous system over extended periods of time often leading to other health problems. These can include fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite, and mood changes which cause difficulty in carrying out important activities and contributing to disability and despair. In general, chronic pain cannot be cured. Treatment of chronic pain is focused on reducing pain and improving function. The goal is effective pain management.
Chronic pain is widespread. It affects over 100 million adults in the United States and more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. Within the US chronic pain population one of the largest segments is patients with neuropathic pain estimated at 25 million persons. A significant subset of these patients is persons with diabetes of which 16% to 25% suffer painful diabetic neuropathy, or PDN, estimated at 6 to 8 million patients. The global market for pain management drugs and devices alone was valued at $35 billion in 2012. The estimated incremental impact of chronic pain on health care costs in the United States is over $250 billion per year and lost productivity is estimated to exceed $300 billion per year.
The most common approach to chronic pain is pain medication. This includes over-the-counter drugs (such as Advil and Motrin), and prescription drugs including anti-convulsants (such as Lyrica and Neurontin) and anti-depressants (such as Cymbalta and Elavil). Topical creams may also be used (such as Zostrix and Bengay). With severe pain, narcotic pain medications may be prescribed (such as codeine, fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone). The approach to treatment is individualized, drug combinations may be employed, and the results are often hit or miss. Side effects and the potential for addiction are real and the risks are substantial.
Reflecting the difficulty in treating chronic pain, inadequate relief leads 25 to 50% of pain sufferers to turn to the over-the-counter market for supplements or alternatives to prescription pain medications. These include non-prescription medications, topical creams, lotions, electrical stimulators, dietary products, braces, sleeves, pads and other items. In total they account for over $4 billion in annual spending in the United States on pain relief products.
High frequency nerve stimulation is an established treatment for chronic pain supported by numerous clinical studies demonstrating efficacy. In simplified outline, the mechanism of action involves intensive nerve stimulation to activate the bodys central pain inhibition system resulting in widespread analgesia, or pain
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relief. The nerve stimulation activates brainstem pain centers leading to the release of endogenous opioids that act primarily through the delta opioid receptor to reduce pain signal transmission through the central nervous system. This therapeutic approach is available through deep brain stimulation and through implantable spinal cord stimulation, both of which require surgery and have attendant risks. Non-invasive approaches to neuro-stimulation (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS) have achieved limited efficacy in practice due to device limitations, ineffective dosing and low patient compliance.
There are large and important unmet medical needs in chronic pain treatment. Prescription pain medications and over-the-counter therapies are often inadequate and can lead to other health issues. We believe that controlled, personalized, neuro-stimulation to suppress pain provides an important complement to pain medications. As a medical device company with unique experience in designing devices to manage and alter peripheral nerve function, we believe we are well positioned to make neuro-stimulation widely available to chronic pain sufferers. We have direct experience with neuro-stimulation through our prescription SENSUS wearable pain management device which has been on the market for the past two years.
Our primary objective for 2015 is revenue growth. We expect this to be led by the successful introduction and market adoption of a new over-the-counter analgesic category featuring Quell, our wearable device for pain relief which builds upon the core SENSUS neuro-stimulation technology. We also expect an important contribution to revenue growth from DPNCheck, our rapid, accurate diagnostic test for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which we previously referred to as NC-stat DPNCheck.
Our key business strategies for 2015 include:
Driving Commercial Adoption of Our Proprietary Products.
| Quell, our over-the-counter (OTC) wearable device for pain relief, was unveiled at the January 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Quell utilizes Opti TherapyTM, our proprietary non-invasive neuro-stimulation technology to provide relief from chronic intractable pain, particularly nerve pain due to diabetes and lower back problems. This advanced wearable device is lightweight and can be worn during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of chronic intractable pain without a doctors prescription. Users of the device will also have the option of using their smartphones to automatically track and personalize their pain therapy. Response to Quell at CES and from independent market studies has been positive. We began making shipments to physicians and thought leaders in chronic pain in May 2015 and anticipate making Quell commercially available in the United States in June 2015. Our commercial launch plan involves two distribution channels: a professional channel using a direct sales force to target podiatrists, pain physicians, primary care physicians, and chiropractors who would resell the product, and a direct-to-consumer channel using online marketing and lead generation. During 2016 we plan to evaluate additional U.S. retail distribution opportunities. We believe there are significant opportunities to market Quell outside of the United States, particularly in Western Europe, Japan and China; however, we do not intend to approach those markets until we have established a solid presence in the United States. |
During March 2015, we initiated a month-long, Quell pre-order campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Our goal was to receive 500 preorders for the device and to obtain funding of approximately $100,000. We have received preorders for approximately 1,900 Quell devices, generating gross proceeds of approximately $390,000.
| SENSUS, our prescription neuro-stimulation therapeutic device for relief of chronic pain, was launched in the first quarter of 2013 and provides the technological foundation for Quell. SENSUS revenues in 2014 and 2013 were approximately $0.9 million and $0.2 million, respectively. SENSUS is distributed through durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers who call on pain medicine physicians, neurologists, endocrinologists, podiatrists, and primary care physicians to create awareness among physicians who are challenged with trying to manage chronic pain in their patients. These physicians prescribe SENSUS to their patients who, in turn, have their prescriptions fulfilled by a DME. The DME is also responsible for billing and collection from third party payers |
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such as Medicare and other insurers. This is a high cost distribution channel with tight margins. The DME channel is under pressure from Medicares competitive bidding initiative. We believe that the U.S. growth opportunity for this prescription neuro-stimulation device is limited and that there are more attractive opportunities in the OTC market. |
| DPNCheck, our diagnostic test for peripheral neuropathies was made commercially available in the fourth quarter of 2011. DPNCheck revenues for 2014 and 2013 were approximately $1.8 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Our US sales efforts focus on Medicare Advantage providers who assume financial responsibility and the associated risks for the health care costs of their patients. We believe that DPNCheck presents an attractive clinical case with early detection of neuropathy allowing for earlier clinical intervention to help mitigate the effects of neuropathy on both patient quality of life and cost of care. Also, the diagnosis and documentation of neuropathy provided by DPNCheck helps clarify the patient health profile which, in turn, may have a direct, positive effect on the Medicare Advantage premium received by the provider. We believe that attractive opportunities are developing in Japan where we received regulatory approval and launched DPNCheck with Omron Healthcare in 2014; in China where we are working with Omron Healthcare on the regulatory process and anticipate commercial launch in 2016; in Mexico where our distributor Scienta Farma recently received regulatory approval and plans to launch in mid-2015; and in the Middle East. |
Maintaining a High Level of Research and Development Productivity. New products commercialized over the past three years made up nearly fifty percent of our 2014 revenues, and we expect them to comprise the majority of our revenues in 2015. During those three years, we brought to market DPNCheck and SENSUS. Our research and development team faces its greatest challenge of the past few years in completing development of the Quell device, smartphone application and electrode in time for commercial launch in June of 2015. This is our top priority and we believe Quell has the potential to be the largest contributor to 2015 revenues of our marketed products, including SENSUS and DPNCheck.
Our products consist of a medical device used in conjunction with a consumable electrode or biosensor. Other accessories and consumables are also available to customers. Our goal for these devices is to build an installed base of active customer accounts and distributors that regularly order aftermarket products to meet their needs. We successfully implemented this model when we started our business with the NC-stat system and applied it to subsequent product generations including the ADVANCE system. Our recently developed products, SENSUS and DPNCheck, conform to this model. Quell and other products in our development pipeline are based on the device plus consumables business model.
Quell
Quell is a wearable device for relief of chronic intractable pain, such as nerve pain due to diabetes and lower back problems. It incorporates our OptiTherapyTM technology, a collection of proprietary approaches designed to optimize the clinical efficacy of nerve stimulation. These include high power electrical stimulation hardware with precise control, algorithms that automatically determine a therapeutic stimulation intensity and compensate for nerve desensitization, and automated detection of user sleep and appropriate adjustment of stimulation level. Quell is comprised of (1) an electronic device carried in a neoprene band that is worn on the upper calf and (2) an electrode that attaches to the device and is the interface between the device and the skin. The device is lightweight and can be worn during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of chronic intractable pain and will be available OTC. Users of the device will have the option of using their smartphones to automatically track and personalize their pain therapy. The device was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2015. We began making shipments to physicians and thought leaders in chronic pain in May 2015 and anticipate making Quell commercially available in the United States in June 2015. Our commercial launch plan involves two distribution channels: a professional channel using a direct sales force to target podiatrists, pain physicians, primary care physicians, and chiropractors who would resell the product, and a direct-to-consumer channel using online marketing and lead generation.
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During March 2015 we initiated a month-long, pre-order campaign for Quell on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. This campaign offered the opportunity to order Quell in advance of market launch and be one of the first to receive the product. The campaign was designed as a learning opportunity to test market interest in Quell and obtain feedback on design features. Our goal was to receive 500 preorders for the device and to obtain funding of approximately $100,000. We received preorders for approximately 1,900 Quell devices, generating gross proceeds of approximately $390,000.
We anticipate that the Quell device will sell for a retail price ranging between $200 and $250 and that the electrodes will be sold pursuant to monthly subscription programs at approximately $30 per month. We anticipate that our gross margins on Quell products will be in the range of 50% to 75% and that our sales and promotional spending will be approximately $200 to $300 per new user.
SENSUS
The SENSUS pain therapy device is a prescription neuro-stimulation device based on TENS for relief of chronic, intractable pain. SENSUS, which was commercially launched in the first quarter of 2014, is a convenient and wearable device that offers physicians and their patients a non-narcotic pain relief option as a complement to medications. SENSUS is comprised of: (1) an electronic device with a strap that is worn on the upper calf and (2) an electrode which attaches to the device. We provide prescribing physicians with PC-based software that links to the device via a USB connection, thereby allowing them to download a record of the patients use of the device. We used our expertise in peripheral nerve stimulation in the development of SENSUS which incorporates several proprietary features for ease of patient use and physician reporting. The SENSUS device and electrodes were cleared by the FDA for commercial distribution. When medically indicated and supported by proper documentation, TENS are generally reimbursed by Medicare and many commercial insurance companies under the DME benefit.
An evidence-based review by the American Academy of Neurology determined that TENS was a useful modality for managing pain associated with DPN. Our assessment of currently available TENS devices indicated that many do not meet the needs of patients due to limitations of the devices and their difficulty to use.
DPNCheck
DPNCheck is a fast, accurate, and quantitative nerve conduction test that is used to evaluate systemic neuropathies such as DPN. It is designed to be used by primary care physicians, endocrinologists, podiatrists and other clinicians at the point-of-care to objectively detect, stage, and monitor DPN. The device measures nerve conduction velocity and response amplitude of the sural nerve, a nerve in the lower leg and ankle. These parameters are widely recognized as sensitive and specific biomarkers of DPN. DPNCheck is comprised of: (1) an electronic hand-held device and (2) a single patient use biosensor. In addition, we provide users with PC-based software that links to the device via a USB connection. This PC software allows physicians to generate reports and manage their sural nerve conduction data.
DPNCheck is a modified version of our previously marketed NC-stat nerve testing device and has the same clinical indications with respect to DPN. The modified device has the same functionality with respect to sural nerve testing as the original device; however, the cost of the electronic hand-held unit and the consumable biosensors has been reduced by approximately 50%. More than 1.8 million patient studies have been performed using our NC-stat technology and there have been approximately 6.3 million nerve tests, including nearly 700,000 sural nerve tests. It has been the subject of many published studies, including several studies specifically addressing the accuracy and clinical utility of the device in assessment of DPN.
ADVANCE System
Our legacy neurodiagnostics business is based on the ADVANCE NCS/EMG System, or the ADVANCE System, which is a comprehensive platform for the performance of traditional nerve conduction studies and invasive electromyography procedures. The ADVANCE System is comprised of: (1) the ADVANCE device and related modules, (2) various types of electrodes and needles, and (3) a communication hub that enables the physicians office to network their device to their personal computers and our servers for data archiving, report generation, and other network services. The ADVANCE System is most commonly used with
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proprietary nerve specific electrode arrays. These electrode arrays combine multiple individual electrodes and embedded microelectronic components into a single patient-use disposable unit. We currently market seven different nerve-specific electrode arrays.
Historically, the ADVANCE System has been marketed to a broad range of physician specialties including neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, primary care physicians, and endocrinologists, and utilized for a variety of different clinical indications including assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome, or CTS, low back and leg pain, and DPN. It is most commonly used in the assessment of CTS. Numerous papers have been published on the use of this technology in this clinical application.
The following chart summarizes our previously marketed products and currently marketed products.
Product | Time on Market | Technology | Primary Clinical Indications | No. Patients Tested/Treated |
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Quell | Launch planned Q2 2015 |
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation | Relief for chronic, intractable pain | Not yet applicable | ||||
SENSUS | Q1 2013 present |
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation | Relief for chronic, intractable pain, such as PDN | > 7,000 | ||||
DPNCheck | Q4 2011 present |
Nerve Conduction | Diagnosis and evaluation of peripheral neuropathies, such as DPN | > 300,000 | ||||
ADVANCE | Q2 2008 present |
Nerve Conduction Invasive Needle EMG | Diagnosis and evaluation of CTS, low back pain, peripheral neuropathies (including DPN) | > 1,800,000 (ADVANCE and NC-stat) |
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NC-stat* | Q2 1999 Q3 2010 |
Nerve Conduction | Diagnosis and evaluation of CTS, lowback pain, peripheral neuropathies (including DPN) |
* Support was discontinued in the first quarter of 2012.
Our customers include physicians, clinics, hospitals, managed care organizations, retail health businesses, independent distributors in the United States and abroad, and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers. With the commercial launch of Quell planned for June of 2015 we expect our customers will expand to include patients who will purchase the device directly from us. SENSUS was launched in early 2013 and is sold to DME suppliers who, in turn, distribute the product along with consumables directly to patients. SENSUS customers purchased approximately 5,800 devices during 2014 and 1,300 devices during 2013. DPNCheck shipments commenced in late 2011 and approximately 2,200 devices had been placed with customers through December 31, 2014. These customers include managed care organizations, retail health businesses, endocrinologists, podiatrists and primary care physicians. As of December 31, 2014, we had an installed base of approximately 610 active customers using our ADVANCE System. These customers include primary care, internal medicine, orthopedic and hand surgeons, pain medicine physicians, neurologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation, or PM&R, physicians, and neurosurgeons. At December 31, 2014, one customer accounted for 30% of accounts receivable and more than 10% of revenue. For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 no single customer accounted for more than 10% of revenue.
Substantially all of our assets, revenues, and expenses for 2014, 2013, and 2012 were located at or derived from operations in the United States. In addition, we have had sales through distributors in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and various regions. During 2014, 2013, and 2012, international revenues accounted for approximately 19%, 16%, and 7%, respectively, of our total revenues.
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We plan to begin commercial shipments of Quell in the United States during June of 2015. Our launch plan involves two distribution channels: a professional channel using a direct sales force to target podiatrists, pain physicians, primary care physicians, and chiropractors who would resell the product, and a direct-to-consumer channel using online marketing and lead generation. Marketing for Quell is led by our Senior Vice President and General Manager Consumer with support from marketing staff and supplemented by outside consultants. We believe there are opportunities for Quell outside the United States, particularly in Western Europe, Japan and China; however, we do not plan to address those markets until we have established a solid presence in the United States.
SENSUS is sold through a combination of national and regional DME suppliers whose sales representatives call on endocrinologists, podiatrists, and primary care physicians that are challenged with trying to manage chronic pain in their patients, including patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. The efforts of DME suppliers are coordinated from our corporate office.
Our U.S. sales efforts for DPNCheck are focused on managed care, and specifically Medicare Advantage providers and patient screening services, which we believe represents the most attractive market opportunity. We believe that attractive opportunities are developing in Japan where we received regulatory approval and launched DPNCheck with Omron Healthcare in 2014; in China where we are working with Omron Healthcare on the regulatory process and anticipate commercial launch in 2016; in Mexico where our distributor Scienta Farma recently received regulatory approval and plans to launch in mid-2015; and in the Middle East.
Our installed base of ADVANCE accounts is supported by our customer service department. We are not actively pursuing new ADVANCE customers. Interest expressed in new ADVANCE systems by potential customers is handled by our customer service department and our marketing department. Internationally, ADVANCE sales and account support is handled by our network of independent distributors.
Our marketing support for SENSUS, NC-stat DPNCheck and ADVANCE is provided by our Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and staff in our corporate office.
We invest significant effort and expense in technical, clinical, and business practices training for our commercial operations team, marketing staff and independent sales representatives. We also require attendance at periodic sales and product training programs. Promotion and sales of medical devices are highly regulated not only by the FDA, but also by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and the Office of Inspector General, or OIG, and, outside the United States, by other international bodies, and are subject to federal and state fraud and abuse enforcement activities. See FDA and other Governmental Regulation below.
We perform final assembly and servicing of our SENSUS and DPNCheck devices at our corporate headquarters facility and also intend to perform final assembly and servicing for Quell at this location. We rely on an outside contractor for the manufacture and servicing of our ADVANCE device and also for the components that we use in manufacturing SENSUS and DPNCheck. We rely on outside contractors for the manufacture of our consumable biosensor/electrodes. With the exception of the biosensors for use with our DPNCheck devices which we acquire from two manufacturers, we do not currently maintain alternative manufacturing sources for our SENSUS, DPNCheck or ADVANCE devices, communication hubs, biosensors/electrodes, or any other finished goods products. In outsourcing, we target companies that meet FDA, International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, and other quality standards supported by internal policies and procedures. Supplier performance is maintained and managed through a corrective action program ensuring all product requirements are met or exceeded. Following the receipt of products or product components from our third-party manufacturers, we conduct the necessary inspection, final assembly, packaging, and labeling at our corporate headquarters facility. We believe these manufacturing relationships minimize our capital investment, provide us with manufacturing expertise, and help control costs.
Sunburst EMS, Inc., or Sunburst, has been manufacturing our NC-stat devices since November 2005. We entered into a supply agreement with Sunburst during 2006 for the manufacturing and supply of our
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neurodiagnostic devices. Sunburst manufactures the current generation of our ADVANCE device as well as the DPNCheck and SENSUS subassemblies at a facility in Massachusetts.
Polymer Flexible Circuits, Inc., or Parlex, has been manufacturing our nerve specific electrodes since early 1999. In August 2006 we entered into a manufacturing and supply agreement with Parlex pursuant to which Parlex will manufacture and supply to us, and we will purchase from Parlex, at agreed upon prices per unit, our requirements of nerve conduction testing electrodes for resale in the United States. Under the agreement, Parlex has agreed not to manufacture electrodes to be used to measure nerve conduction for any other company during the term of the agreement and, in some cases, for a period of one year thereafter. This agreement will continue indefinitely until terminated by either party upon not less than 18 months prior written notice to the other party. Parlex manufactures our electrodes at a facility in Massachusetts and also has the ability to perform certain manufacturing steps for our electrodes at a second site located in the United Kingdom.
Katecho, Inc., or Katecho, a full service original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, specializing in medical and cosmetic devices, manufactures biosensors for use with our DPNCheck devices and electrodes for use with our SENSUS devices, and will manufacture electrodes for use with Quell, under normal commercial terms contained in our purchase orders. Katecho manufactures electrodes at its facility in Iowa.
We and our third-party manufacturers are registered with the FDA and subject to compliance with FDA quality system regulations. We are also ISO registered and undergo frequent quality system audits by European agencies. Our ADVANCE System and DPNCheck are cleared for marketing within the United States, Canada, and the European Union. In addition, our neuro-stimulation systems, SENSUS and Quell, are cleared for marketing in the United States. Our facility is subject to periodic inspections by regulatory authorities, and may undergo compliance inspections conducted by the FDA and corresponding state agencies. As a registered device manufacturer, we will undergo regularly scheduled FDA quality system inspections. However, additional FDA inspections may occur if deemed necessary by the FDA.
We believe that we have research and development (R&D) capability that is unique to the industry with nearly two decades of experience in developing diagnostic and therapeutic devices involving the stimulation and measurement of nerve signals for clinical purposes. This group has extensive experience in neurophysiology, biomedical instrumentation, signal processing, biomedical sensors, and information systems. R&D works closely with our marketing group and customers to design products that are focused on improving clinical outcomes. The team consists of 10 people including two who hold M.D. degrees and three who hold Ph.D. degrees. It includes the extensive involvement of our founder and Chief Executive Officer who holds both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and who also coordinates the clinical programs that we support.
R&D efforts currently encompass the following areas:
| Development of Quell. This wearable device for pain relief utilizes our proprietary non-invasive neuro-stimulation technology to provide relief from chronic pain, particularly nerve pain such as due to diabetes and lower back problems. It is lightweight and can be worn during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of chronic pain without a doctors prescription and will be available OTC. Users of the device will have the option of using their smartphone to automatically track and personalize their pain therapy. Quell development is the primary focus of our R&D group. This spans completing Quell development for commercial shipments in June of 2015, initiation of work on a second generation product and enhanced controls on proprietary electrodes, and development of new clinical indications. |
| Support of DPNCheck. We recently launched DPNCheck, our quantitative nerve conduction test for peripheral neuropathies, in the Japan market. DPNCheck is in the midst of regulatory review in China. The characteristics of these markets often require device modification for local acceptance. We are collaborating with Omron Healthcare in Asia for DPNCheck and anticipate continuing engineering support requirements. |
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| Support clinical studies that employ our products. We presently are involved in eight studies that use DPNCheck in the evaluation of neuropathy in persons with diabetes under various study conditions. |
We are planning Quell clinical studies to support our marketing and business plans. These studies will be designed to expand the clinical foundation for use of DPNCheck and Quell which, in turn, should support future adoption of these products.
Research and development expenses were approximately $4.1 million, $3.4 million, and $3.5 million for 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.
We maintain a clinical program under the direction of our Chief Executive Officer. This may from time-to-time be comprised of internal, collaborative, and external clinical studies. Internal clinical studies are designed and implemented directly by us for the purposes of product design and early clinical validation. Collaborative studies are conducted together with leading researchers around the world to provide clinical validation and to explore the clinical utility of our products. External studies are entirely independent of us, although in many cases the researchers request unrestricted grants for financial and/or material support, such as for devices and consumables. External studies may examine the clinical performance and utility of our products or our products may be used as outcomes measures.
We actively seek to publish our clinical study results in leading peer-reviewed journals while also encouraging our clinical collaborators and clinical study grant recipients to do the same.
Following is a list of external studies involving the use of our products which are currently underway.
Institution | Initiated | Study Focus | Product | Duration | Subjects | |||||
Ipswich Diabetes Centre, Ipswich Hospital (UK) | 2011 | Evaluation of small fiber neuropathy in patients with diabetes | DPNCheck |
4 years | 400 | |||||
Royal Hallamshire Hospital University of Sheffield (UK) | 2012 | Evaluation of DPN based on severity of diabetes | DPNCheck |
3 years | 100 | |||||
Royal Hallamshire Hospital, University of Sheffield (UK) |
2014 | One-stop Screening Service (OPPS) study |
DPNCheck | 2 years | 1000 | |||||
Joslin Diabetes Center | 2012 | Effect of weight loss on DPN | DPNCheck |
3 years | 50 | |||||
Institute for Clinical Diabetology, Heinrich Heine University | 2012 | Assessment of DPN in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients | DPNCheck |
3 year | 400 | |||||
Institute for Clinical Diabetology, Heinrich Heine University | 2013 | Assessment of DPN in an elderly population | DPNCheck |
2 years | 700 | |||||
First Vitals Health | 2013 | Effect of aggressive intervention on foot disease for high risk patients | DPNCheck |
3 years | 600 | |||||
Mass General Hospital | 2014 | SENSUS efficacy in patients with restless leg syndrome |
SENSUS | 1 year | 9 |
We believe there is no direct competition to our neuro-stimulation devices, Quell and SENSUS, for the treatment of chronic pain. The most common approach to chronic pain is pain medication. This includes over-the-counter drugs (such as Advil and Motrin), and prescription drugs including anti-convulsants (such as Lyrica and Neurontin) and anti-depressants (such as Cymbalta and Elavil). Topical creams may also be used (such as Zostrix and Bengay). With severe pain, narcotic pain medications may be prescribed (such as codeine, fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone). The approach to treatment is individualized, drug combinations may be employed, and the results are often hit or miss. Side effects and the potential for addiction are real and the risks are substantial.
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Reflecting the difficulty in treating chronic pain, inadequate relief leads many pain sufferers to turn to the over-the-counter market for supplements or alternatives to prescription pain medications. These include non-prescription medications, topical creams, lotions, electrical stimulators, dietary products, braces, sleeves, pads and other items. In total they account for over $4 billion in annual spending in the United States on pain relief products.
High frequency nerve stimulation is an established treatment for chronic pain supported by numerous clinical studies demonstrating efficacy. In simplified outline, the mechanism of action involves intensive nerve stimulation to activate the bodys central pain inhibition system resulting in widespread analgesia, or pain relief. The nerve stimulation activates brainstem pain centers leading to the release of endogenous opioids that act primarily through the delta opioid receptor to reduce pain signal transmission through the central nervous system. This therapeutic approach is available through deep brain stimulation and through implantable spinal cord stimulation; however, both require surgery and have attendant risks. Non-invasive approaches to neuro-stimulation (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS) have achieved limited efficacy in practice due to device limitations, ineffective dosing and low patient compliance. We believe that Quell and SENSUS clinical and market claims covering chronic pain and sleep, technical characteristics of high power and automation, and the digital health integration characteristics (Quell), place our products in a unique neuro-stimulation category. There are numerous manufacturers of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation devices including widely marketed over-the-counter TENS such as Sanofis IcyHotSmartRelief, Omron PM3030 and Homedics RapidRelief.
We believe that DPNCheck is currently the only objective and standardized test for DPN widely available at the point-of-care. The American Diabetes Association, or ADA, and other organizations recommend at least annual evaluation of all people with diabetes for DPN. Due to cost and availability, this screen is typically performed with a simple (5.07/10g) monofilament. This subjective method identifies late stage neuropathy where intervention is generally limited to foot care. Experts in the field have indicated that there is a large unmet need for a practical, objective, and sensitive test for diabetic neuropathy that can be widely deployed in the regular care of all people with diabetes. Monofilaments (5.07/10g) are a commodity sold by a number of medical supply companies.
There are several companies that sell neurodiagnostic devices that compete with our ADVANCE System. These companies include Cadwell Laboratories, Inc. and Natus Medical Incorporated. Natus Medical Incorporated has substantially greater financial resources than we do. Natus Medical Incorporated and Cadwell Laboratories, Inc. have established reputations as having effective worldwide distribution channels for medical instruments to neurologists and PM&R physicians.
We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property laws, nondisclosure agreements and other measures to protect our proprietary technology, intellectual property rights, and know-how. We hold issued utility patents covering a number of important aspects of our Quell, SENSUS, DPNCheck and ADVANCE products. We believe that in order to have a competitive advantage, we must develop and maintain the proprietary aspects of our technologies. We also require our employees, consultants and advisors, whom we expect to work on our products, to agree to disclose and assign to us all inventions conceived, developed using our property, or which relate to our business. Despite any measures taken to protect our intellectual property, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our products or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary.
Patents
As of March 1, 2015, we had 39 issued U.S. patents, 1 issued foreign patent, and 32 pending patent applications, including 18 U.S. applications, two international PCT applications, and 12 foreign national applications. We have filed 2 utility patent applications for DPNCheck and 10 utility patent applications related to SENSUS and Quell product lines.
Our issued design patents begin to expire in 2015, and our issued utility patents begin to expire in 2017. In particular, seven of our issued U.S. utility patents covering various aspects of our current products will expire on the same date in 2017. Although the patent protection for material aspects of our products covered
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by the claims of the patents will be lost at that time, we have additional patents and patent applications directed to other novel inventions that will have patent terms extending beyond 2017.
The medical device industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent litigation based on allegations of patent infringement. Patent litigation can involve complex factual and legal questions, and its outcome is uncertain. Any claim relating to infringement of patents that is successfully asserted against us may require us to pay substantial damages. Even if we were to prevail, any litigation could be costly and time-consuming and would divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. Our success will also depend in part on our not infringing patents issued to others, including our competitors and potential competitors. If our products are found to infringe the patents of others, our development, manufacture, and sale of these potential products could be severely restricted or prohibited. In addition, our competitors may independently develop similar technologies. Because of the importance of our patent portfolio to our business, we may lose market share to our competitors if we fail to protect our intellectual property rights.
A patent infringement suit brought against us may force us or any strategic partners or licensees to stop or delay developing, manufacturing, or selling potential products that are claimed to infringe a third-partys intellectual property, unless that party grants us rights to use its intellectual property. In such cases, we may be required to obtain licenses to patents or proprietary rights of others in order to continue to commercialize our products. However, we may not be able to obtain any licenses required under any patents or proprietary rights of third parties on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to obtain rights to the third-partys intellectual property, these rights may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we may be unable to commercialize some of our potential products or may have to cease some of our business operations as a result of patent infringement claims, which could severely harm our business.
Trademarks
We hold domestic registrations for the marks NEUROMETRIX, NC-stat, DPNCheck and SENSUS. We use a trademark for ADVANCE, Quell, and OptiTherapy. We hold certain foreign trademark registrations for the marks NEUROMETRIX, NC-stat, and SENSUS.
Procedures performed with our neurodiagnostic medical devices including ADVANCE and DPNCheck may be paid for by third-party payers, including government health programs, such as Medicare, and private insurance and managed care organizations. The 2015 Physicians Fee Schedule published by CMS includes CPT 95905 for nerve conduction studies performed with pre-configured electrode arrays such as are used with the DPNCheck device and the ADVANCE System.
We believe that physicians are generally receiving reimbursement under CPT 95905 from Medicare for nerve conduction studies performed for carpal tunnel syndrome using pre-configured electrode arrays that meet the medical necessity requirements in their local Medicare region but that commercial insurers are generally not providing reimbursement. Reimbursement by third-party payers is an important element of success for medical device companies. We do not foresee a significant near-term improvement in reimbursement for procedures performed with ADVANCE and DPNCheck.
In the United States, some insured individuals are receiving their medical care through managed care programs which monitor and often require pre-approval of the services that a member will receive. Some managed care programs are paying their providers on a per capita basis a predetermined annual payment per member which puts the providers at financial risk for the services provided to their members. This is generally the case under Medicare Advantage where contracting insurers receive a monthly capitated fee from CMS to provide all necessary medical care to participating members. These capitated fees are adjusted under CMSs risk-adjustment model which uses health status indicators, or risk scores, to ensure the adequacy of payment. Members with higher risk codes generally require more healthcare resources than those with lower risk codes. In turn, the insurer fully absorbs the risk of patient health care costs. Insurers may share a portion of the risk with provider organizations such as independent practice associations (IPAs) with whom they contract to provide medical services to their members. Proper assessment of each members health status and accurate
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coding helps to assure that insurers receive capitation fees consistent with the cost of treating these members. Nerve conduction testing can provide valuable, early identification of neuropathy leading to clinical interventions that can reduce health care costs. Also, these tests provide valuable input regarding each members health risk status which can result in more appropriate capitated payments from CMS. We believe that the clinical and economic proposition for DPNCheck is attractive to Medicare Advantage insurers and risk bearing provider organizations. We are focusing our sales effort for DPNCheck on the Medicare Advantage managed care market segment.
We believe that the SENSUS pain management therapeutic system is considered a durable medical equipment (DME) benefit and is reimbursed for chronic pain by Medicare and many commercial insurers under HCPCS code EO730 for the device and under HCPCS code A4595 for the consumable electrodes. These pre-existing codes apply to DME benefits employing transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation equipment. We believe that Quell will generally not be reimbursed by third party payers.
We believe that the overall escalating cost of medical products and services has led to, and will continue to lead to, increased pressures on the healthcare industry to reduce the costs of products and services.
Our success in selling the DPNCheck and SENSUS devices and the ADVANCE System will depend upon, among other things, our customers receiving, and our potential customers' expectation that they will receive sufficient reimbursement or patient capitated premium adjustments from third-party payers for procedures or therapies using these products. See Risk Factors, If health care providers are unable to obtain sufficient reimbursement or other financial incentives from third-party health care payers related to the use of our products, the adoption of our products and our future product sales will be materially adversely affected.
FDA Regulation
Our products are medical devices subject to extensive regulation by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, as well as by other regulatory bodies in the United States and abroad. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes on the basis of the amount of risk associated with the medical device and the controls deemed necessary to reasonably ensure their safety and effectiveness:
| Class I, requiring general controls, including labeling, device listing, reporting and, for some products, adherence to good manufacturing practices through the FDAs quality system regulations and pre-market notification; |
| Class II, requiring general controls and special controls, which may include performance standards and post-market surveillance; and |
| Class III, requiring general controls and pre-market approval, or PMA, which may include post-approval conditions and post-market surveillance. |
Before being introduced into the market, our products must obtain market clearance or approval through the 510(k) pre-market notification process, the de novo review process or the PMA process, unless they qualify for an exemption from these processes. See Risk Factors, We are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA which could restrict the sales and marketing of the Quell, SENSUS and DPNCheck devices and the ADVANCE System, as well as other products for which we may seek FDA clearance or approval, and could cause us to incur significant costs.
510(k) Pre-Market Notification Process
To obtain 510(k) clearance, we must submit a pre-market notification demonstrating that the proposed device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed Class I or II medical device or to a Class III device marketed prior to May 28, 1976 for which the FDA has not required the submission of a PMA application. In some cases, we may be required to perform clinical trials to support a claim of substantial equivalence. If clinical trials are required, we must submit an application for an investigational device exemption, or IDE, which must be cleared by the FDA prior to the start of a clinical investigation, unless the device and clinical
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investigation are considered non-significant risk by the FDA or are exempt from the IDE requirements. It generally takes three months from the date of the pre-market notification submission to obtain a final 510(k) decision, but it can be significantly longer.
After a medical device receives 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, requires the submission of a new 510(k) clearance or could require de novo classification or PMA. The FDA allows each company to make this determination, but the FDA can review the decision. If the FDA disagrees with a companys decision not to seek FDA authorization, the FDA may require the company to seek 510(k) clearance or PMA. The FDA also can require the company to cease marketing and/or recall the medical device in question until its regulatory status is resolved.
De Novo Review Process
If a previously unclassified new medical device does not qualify for the 510(k) pre-market notification process because there is no predicate device to which it is substantially equivalent, and if the device may be adequately regulated through general controls or special controls, the device may be eligible for de novo classification through what is called the de novo review process. In order to use the de novo review process, a company must receive a letter from the FDA stating that, because the device has been found not substantially equivalent to a legally marketed Class I or II medical device or to a Class III device marketed prior to May 28, 1976 for which the FDA has not required the submission of a PMA application, it has been placed into Class III. After receiving this letter, the company, within 30 days, must submit to the FDA a request for a risk based down classification of the device from Class III to Class I or II based on the devices moderate or low risk profile which meets the definition of a Class I or Class II medical device. The FDA then has 60 days in which to decide whether to down classify the device. If the FDA agrees that a lower classification is warranted, it will issue a new regulation describing the device type and, for a Class II device, publish a Special Controls guidance document. The Special Controls guidance document specifies the scope of the device type and the recommendations for submission of subsequent devices for the same intended use. If a product is classified as Class II through the de novo review process, then that device may serve as a predicate device for subsequent 510(k) pre-market notifications.
PMA Process
If a medical device does not qualify for the 510(k) pre-market notification process and is not eligible for clearance through the de novo review process, a company must submit a PMA application. The PMA requires more extensive pre-filing testing than is required in the 510(k) and is more costly, lengthy and uncertain. The FDA will decide within 45 days of receiving a PMA whether it is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review and if the PMA is complete, the FDA will notify the applicant that the PMA has been filed. The PMA process can take one to three years or longer, from the time the PMA application is filed with the FDA. The PMA process requires the company to prove that the medical device is safe and effective for its intended purpose. A PMA typically includes extensive pre-clinical and clinical trial data, and information about the device, its design, manufacture, labeling and components. Before approving a PMA, the FDA generally also performs an on-site inspection of manufacturing facilities for the product to ensure compliance with the FDAs quality system regulation, or QSR.
If FDA approves the PMA, the approved indications may be more limited than those originally sought. In addition, FDAs approval order may include post-approval conditions that the FDA believes necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution and post-market study requirements. Failure to comply with the post-approval conditions can result in adverse enforcement or administrative actions, including the withdrawal of the approval. Approval of a new PMA application or a PMA supplement may be required in the event of modifications to the device, including to its labeling, intended use or indication, or its manufacturing process that affect safety and effectiveness.
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Post-Approval Obligations
After a device is placed on the market, numerous regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:
| the FDAs QSR, which requires manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation and other good manufacturing practice and quality assurance procedures during all aspects of the manufacturing process; |
| labeling regulations and FDA prohibitions against the promotion of products for uncleared or unapproved uses (known as off-label uses), as well as requirements to provide adequate information on both risks and benefits; |
| medical device reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to FDA any device that may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur; |
| correction and removal reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and device recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA caused by the device which may present a risk to health; |
| post-market surveillance regulations, which apply to Class II or III devices if the FDA has issued a post-market surveillance order and the failure of the device would be reasonably likely to have serious adverse health consequences, the device is expected to have significant use in the pediatric population, the device is intended to be implanted in the human body for more than one year, or the device is intended to be used to support or sustain life and to be used outside a user facility; |
| regular and for cause inspections by FDA to review a manufacturers facilities and their compliance with applicable FDA requirements; and |
| the FDAs recall authority, whereby it can ask, or order, device manufacturers to recall from the market a product that is in violation of applicable laws and regulations. |
Regulatory Approvals and Clearances
The ADVANCE System received 510(k) clearance as a Class II medical device in April 2008 for its intended use by physicians to perform nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography procedures.
The NC-stat System is also a Class II medical device and has been the subject of several 510(k) clearances, the most recent in July 2006 (K060584). The NC-stat System is cleared for use to stimulate and measure neuromuscular signals that are useful in diagnosing and evaluating systemic and entrapment neuropathies. We believe our NC-stat DPNCheck (DPNCheck) device is a technical modification to the 510(k) cleared NC-stat device and has the same intended use, and therefore does not raise safety or effectiveness questions. Under the FDAs published guidance on 510(k) requirements for modified devices, we do not believe that a 510(k) submission is required for DPNCheck.
As transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators, the SENSUS and Quell pain therapy devices are Class II medical devices which received 510(k) clearance from the FDA in August 2012 and July 2014, respectively. In November 2012, the FDA provided 510(k) clearance for the disposable electrode used in conjunction with the SENSUS device, and in July 2013, the FDA provided 510(k) clearance for the use of SENSUS during sleep. The intended use of the SENSUS pain management therapeutic system is the symptomatic relief and management of chronic pain. In July 2014, our Quell device received 510(k) clearance for over-the-counter use. The intended use of the Quell pain management therapeutic system is the symptomatic relief and management of chronic pain. The Quell device may also be used during nighttime sleep.
Our facility, and the facility utilized by Sunburst, our contract device manufacturer, have each been inspected by FDA in the past, and observations were noted. There were no findings that involved a significant violation of regulatory requirements. The responses to these observations have been accepted by the FDA and
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we believe that we and our contract manufacturer are in substantial compliance with the QSR. We expect that our facility will be inspected again as required by the FDA. If the FDA finds significant violations, we could be subject to fines, recalls, requirements to halt manufacturing, or other administrative or judicial sanctions.
U.S. Anti-Kickback and False Claims Laws
In the United States, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, as well as numerous state anti-kickback laws, prohibit the offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of kickbacks, bribes or other remuneration, whether direct or indirect, overt or covert, in cash or in kind, intended, among other things, to induce the purchase or recommendation of healthcare products and services. While the federal law applies only to products and services for which payment may be made by a federal healthcare program, the state laws may apply regardless of whether any public healthcare funds are involved. Violations of these laws can lead to severe civil and criminal penalties, including exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs. These laws are potentially applicable to manufacturers of medical devices, such as us, and to hospitals, physicians and other potential purchasers of our products.
Also, the federal False Claims Act, as well as many state false claims statutes, provides civil and criminal penalties for presenting, or causing to be presented, to third-party payers for reimbursement, claims that are false or fraudulent, or which are for items or services that were not provided as claimed. Under the federal False Claims Act, in addition to actions initiated by federal law enforcement authorities, the statute authorizes qui tam actions to be brought on behalf of the federal government by a private party in certain circumstances and, if successful, that private party can share in any monetary recovery. Any challenge by federal or state enforcement officials or others under these laws, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We were founded in 1996 as a science-based health care company. Our focus had been the development of innovative products for the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of peripheral nerve and spinal cord disorders, such as those associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral disc disease and spinal stenosis, and diabetes. Our NC-stat System for the performance of nerve conduction studies at the point-of-care was commercially launched in 1999. The second generation NC-stat was released in 2002. In 2008, we brought to market the more sophisticated ADVANCE System for nerve conduction testing and performance of invasive needle electromyography. These systems were general purpose with broad application in evaluating and diagnosing nerve disorders. Numerous studies demonstrating the clinical accuracy and utility of these devices have been conducted and published in high quality peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, these devices have been used in FDA sanctioned clinical trials for pharmacological agents and large scale epidemiological studies sponsored by the NIH, Center for Disease Control, or CDC, and other governmental agencies. The products have been cleared by the FDA, field tested for over a decade and highly regarded for their ease of use, accuracy and reproducibility of results.
Following launch of NC-stat in 1999, we experienced rapid revenue growth, which led to our initial public offering in 2004. The health market, particularly the physician office segment, embraced the opportunity to perform nerve conduction tests which previously had always required referral to specialists. Point-of-care nerve testing was seen to provide a combination of improved patient care and patient convenience. The success of point-of-care nerve testing, a market which we created, was met with resistance in some sectors of the medical community, particularly by neurologists and physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, both of which had traditionally provided nerve testing services. As a consequence of successful lobbying by these specialists, physicians using our technology experienced increased denials of coverage by third party payers resulting in their discontinuing usage and our difficulty in accruing new customer accounts. In late 2009 CMS included in the Physician Fee Schedule a new Category I CPT Code, CPT 95905, for nerve conduction studies performed using preconfigured electrode such as those employed with our products. During 2010 most Medicare fiscal intermediaries assumed coverage for CPT 95905 for at least some clinical indications; however, the health care environment has been such that we have been unable to secure broad coverage among private payers, which is essential to the success of our ADVANCE System product. This experience was reflected in our revenues for the legacy Neurodiagnostics business, which peaked in 2006 at $55.3
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million. We reported revenue for our legacy Neurodiagnostics business of $2.8 million, $3.8 million, and $6.1 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. We currently manage this business to optimize cash flow.
As of March 31, 2015, we had a total of 45 full time employees. Of these employees, 11 were in research and development, 20 in sales and marketing, 8 in production/distribution, and 6 in general and administrative services. One employee holds both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, one employee holds an M.D. degree and two additional employees hold Ph.D. degrees. Our employees are not represented by a labor union and are not subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe that we have good relations with our employees.
Our headquarters and engineering activities are located in an approximately 12,000 square foot leased facility in Waltham, Massachusetts and our manufacturing and fulfillment activities are located in a 6,000 square foot leased facility in Woburn, Massachusetts. We believe these facilities will be adequate for our needs during the foreseeable future.
We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings, but are subject to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. We do not expect any such items to have a significant impact on our financial position.
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The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers and directors, including their ages, as of March 31, 2015.
Name | Age | Position | ||
Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D. | 50 | Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President and Secretary | ||
Thomas T. Higgins | 63 | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | ||
Francis X. McGillin | 54 | Senior Vice President General Manager Consumer | ||
David E. Goodman, M.D.(1)(2) | 58 | Director | ||
Allen J. Hinkle, M.D.(2)(3) | 64 | Director | ||
Nancy E. Katz(1) | 55 | Director | ||
Timothy R. Surgenor(1)(3) | 55 | Director | ||
David Van Avermaete | 63 | Director |
(1) | Member of Audit Committee |
(2) | Member of Compensation Committee |
(3) | Member of Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee |
Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D. founded our Company in 1996 and currently serves as Chairman of our Board of Directors and as our President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary. Since founding our Company in 1996, Dr. Gozani has served in a number of positions at our company including Chairman since 1996, President from 1996 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present, Chief Executive Officer since 1997 and Secretary since July 2008. Dr. Gozani holds a B.A. in computer science, an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology, from the University of California, Berkeley. He also received an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-M.I.T. Division of Health Sciences at M.I.T. Prior to forming our Company, Dr. Gozani completed a neurophysiology research fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Gerald Fischbach at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gozani has published articles in the areas of basic and clinical neurophysiology, biomedical engineering and computational chemistry. The Board has concluded that Dr. Gozani should serve as a director because Dr. Gozanis extensive knowledge of engineering and neurophysiology, combined with the unique understanding of our technology and business he has gained as our founder and as a key executive, provides invaluable insight to our Board and to the entire organization.
Thomas T. Higgins has served as our Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since September 2009. Prior to joining NeuroMetrix, from January 2005 to March 2008, Mr. Higgins was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Caliper Life Sciences, Inc, a provider of technology and services for life sciences research. Before Caliper, Mr. Higgins was Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer at V.I. Technologies, Inc. (Vitex), a biotechnology company addressing blood safety. Before Vitex, Mr. Higgins served at Cabot Corporation in various senior finance and operations roles. His last position at Cabot was President of Distrigas of Massachusetts Corporation, a subsidiary involved in the liquefied natural gas business, and prior to that he was responsible for Cabots Asia Pacific carbon black operations. Before joining Cabot, Mr. Higgins was with PricewaterhouseCoopers where he started his career. Mr. Higgins holds a BBA with honors from Boston University.
Francis X. McGillin has served as Senior Vice President and General Manager Consumer Wearables since August 2014. Prior to joining NeuroMetrix, from September 2001 to January 2014, Mr. McGillin was Vice President and General Manager at Philips, having served in a number of senior marketing and management positions in the companys consumer and healthcare businesses. His last role with Philips, was leading the globalization of Philips Sonicare business. Before Philips, Mr. McGillin, was Executive Director, Marketing at Johnson & Johnson, working across a number of the companys global consumer brands. Mr. McGillin holds a MBA from Fordham University and a BS degree from Northeastern University.
David E. Goodman, M.D., M.S.E. has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2004. Since 2013, Dr. Goodman has served as CEO of FeetFirst, a technology-focused healthcare services company
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he co-founded with operations in California and Hawaii that is committed to preventing the devastating and expensive microvascular complications of diabetes. Since 2012, Dr. Goodman has served as CMO of FirstVitals, a healthcare services company focused on wellness and prevention. Since 2011, Dr. Goodman has also served as an independent consultant. During 2010, Dr. Goodman has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SEDline, Inc., a research-focused company with the mission to expand the scope and applications for neuromonitoring. From 2008 to 2009, Dr. Goodman served as Executive Vice President of Business Development for Masimo Corporation, a manufacturer of non-invasive patient monitors. From 2006 to 2008, Dr. Goodman served as an independent consultant providing product design, regulatory and analytical consulting services to medical device and biopharmaceutical companies and also served in this capacity from 2003 to 2004 and from 2001 to 2002. From 2005 to 2006, Dr. Goodman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of BaroSense, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing minimally invasive devices for the long-term treatment of obesity. From 2004 to 2005, Dr. Goodman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Interventional Therapeutic Solutions, Inc., an implantable drug delivery systems company. From 2002 to 2003, Dr. Goodman served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pherin Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical discovery and development company. From 1994 to 2001, Dr. Goodman held various positions, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer and director, for LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc., a disease management services company that Dr. Goodman founded. Dr. Goodman also served as a director of Sound Surgical Technologies LLC, a private manufacturer of aesthetic surgical tools from 2011 until its acquisition by Solta Medical (Nasdaq:SLTM) in 2013. Dr. Goodman holds a B.A.S. in applied science and bioengineering and a M.S.E. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He also received an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-M.I.T. Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Dr. Goodman holds 18 patents and is a practicing physician with licenses in California and Hawaii. The Board has concluded that Dr. Goodman should serve as a director because Dr. Goodmans medical and engineering background and his many years of executive experience in the medical device industry provide important experience and expertise to the Board.
Allen J. Hinkle, M.D. has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January 2006. From December 2010 through the present, Dr. Hinkle has served as the Chief Medical Officer of MVP Health Care, a not-for-profit health insurer. Dr. Hinkle was the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts, a health insurance provider, where he was responsible for medical management programs and initiatives from 2004 to 2009. Prior to becoming the Chief Medical Officer of Tufts Health Plan, Dr. Hinkle was Senior Medical Director and Vice President of Health Care Quality, Policy and Innovations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, a health insurance provider, from 2001 through September 2004. From 1995 to 2001, Dr. Hinkle was the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of QualityHealthcare Management for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Hampshire and Matthew Thornton Plan, health insurance provider organizations. Dr. Hinkle has over 40 years of experience in the healthcare field. Dr. Hinkle received a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is board certified in pediatrics and anesthesiology and is an Associate Professor at Dartmouth Medical School. He also owns several U.S. patents on medical devices. The Board has concluded that Dr. Hinkle should serve as a director because Dr. Hinkles years of experience as a physician and in executive positions in the health insurance industry provide the Board with valuable insights in the areas of product development and reimbursement.
Nancy E. Katz has served as a member of our Board of Directors since December 2010. From May 2011 to August 2014, Ms. Katz served as Vice President, Consumer Marketing at Medtronic, Inc., a medical technology company. From July 2005 to July 2010, Ms. Katz was Senior Vice President, Bayer Diabetes CareNorth America. Prior to this position, she was President and Chief Executive Officer of Calypte Biomedical Corporation, a manufacturer of HIV diagnostics, President of Zila Pharmaceutical, Inc, a manufacturer of oral care products, and held senior marketing positions with the Lifescan division of Johnson & Johnson (blood glucose diabetes products), Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, and with American Home Products. She has previously served on the Boards of Directors of Neoprobe Corporation (AMEX: NEOP), Calypte Biomedical Corporation, LXN Corporation and Pepgen Corporation. She received a B.S. in business from the University of South Florida. The Board has concluded that Ms. Katz should serve as a director because her experience in diabetes care and marketing into the diabetes sector provides valuable insight to the Board and management in our diabetes strategy.
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Timothy R. Surgenor has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2009. Since April 2009, Mr. Surgenor has been a partner at Red Sky Partners, LLC, a provider of general management consulting services to the biotechnology and medical device industries. Since July 2012 Mr. Surgenor has also served as a director of Precision Ventures, a developer of medical and consumer devices. From 2003 to 2009, Mr. Surgenor served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems (OTC: CYKN.PK), a medical device company. From January 1999 to January 2003, Mr. Surgenor was Executive Vice President at Haemonetics Corporation, which is a medical device company. From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Surgenor was President of Genzyme Tissue Repair, the cell therapy division of Genzyme Corporation. Previously, Mr. Surgenor was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BioSurface Technology, Inc. and also held various positions in operations at Integrated Genetics. Mr. Surgenor received a B.A. in Biochemistry from Williams College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. The Board has concluded that Mr. Surgenor should serve as a director because Mr. Surgenors long career in the medical device and biotechnology business as both an entrepreneur and in senior executive positions in public companies provides the Board with important industry experience as well as valuable finance, accounting and executive management expertise.
David Van Avermaete has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2013. From April 2004 to February 2013, Mr. Van Avermaete served as Chief Executive Officer of VeraLight, Inc., a medical device company he founded, that focuses on non-invasive screening for type 2 diabetes. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Van Avermaete served as Senior Vice President Non-Invasive Technology of InLight Solutions, a Johnson & Johnson company focused on transformational technology in the diabetes field. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Van Avermaete served as U.S. President of the LifeScan division of Johnson & Johnson and, from 1990 to 1998, in various senior level positions at LifeScan concentrating in sales and marketing. Previously, Mr. Van Avermaete served as Vice President Sales and Marketing at Biotope, Director of Marketing at Roche Diagnostics, and Director of Marketing and Sales at Syntex Medical Diagnostics. Mr. Van Avermaete received a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science Degree in Microbiology from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Science Degree in medical technology and chemistry from Ball State University. The Board has concluded that Mr. Van Avermaete should serve as a director because his executive level experience in the medical device and diabetes field, as well as in entrepreneurial ventures, provides the Board with a valuable perspective in commercializing diabetes products.
Our Board of Directors has determined that Dr. Goodman, Dr. Hinkle, Mr. Surgenor, Ms. Katz, and Mr. Van Avermaete are independent directors for purposes of the corporate governance rules contained in the NASDAQ Listing Rules.
Our Board of Directors has an Audit Committee currently consisting of Mr. Surgenor, Chairman, Dr. Goodman and Ms. Katz. Dr. Goodman, Ms. Katz, and Mr. Surgenor are all independent as that term is defined in the rules of the SEC and the applicable NASDAQ Listing Rules relating to audit committee membership. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Surgenor qualifies as an audit committee financial expert as such term is defined in the rules of the SEC.
Our Board of Directors has a Compensation Committee consisting of Drs. Goodman and Hinkle. Drs. Goodman and Hinkle are independent directors as that term is defined in the NASDAQ Listing Rules.
Our Board of Directors has a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consisting of Dr. Hinkle and Mr. Surgenor. Dr. Hinkle and Mr. Surgenor are each independent directors as that term is defined in the NASDAQ Listing Rules.
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The following table sets forth compensation information with respect to services rendered to us in all capacities during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 for (i) the individual who served as the Chief Executive Officer during the year ended December 31, 2014, (ii) the individual who served as the Chief Financial Officer during the year ended December 31, 2014, (iii) the other most highly compensated executive officer who was serving as executive officer at December 31, 2014; and (iv) two additional executive officers who would have been among the executive officers included in (iii), but were not serving as executive officers as of December 31, 2014 (we refer to these individuals in (i) through (iv), collectively, as the named executive officers):
Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary ($) |
Bonus ($)(2) |
Stock Awards(1) ($) |
Option Awards(1) ($) |
All Other Compensation ($) |
Total ($) |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Shai N. Gozani, M.D. Ph.D. Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President and Secretary |
2014 | 414,200 | 233,438 | | 207,080 | | 854,718 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 375,000 | 61,828 | | 128,884 | | 565,712 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Thomas T. Higgins Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
2014 | 300,398 | 137,003 | | 91,115 | | 528,516 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 275,000 | 36,273 | | 56,535 | | 367,808 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Francis X. McGillin(3) Senior Vice President, General Manager Consumer |
2014 | 115,104 | 41,030 | | 219,660 | 35,000 | (6) | 410,794 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Guy Daniello(4) Senior Vice President of Information Technology |
2014 | 191,398 | | | | | 191,398 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 239,532 | 23,696 | | 35,977 | | 299,205 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Williams, Ph.D.(5) Senior Vice President of Engineering, Chief Technology Officer |
2014 | 131,800 | | | | 143,854 | 275,654 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 260,201 | 25,740 | | 35,977 | | 321,918 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | These amounts include the aggregate grant date fair value for option and stock awards granted during fiscal years 2014 and 2013 computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The amount of each grant is set forth below under Discussion of Summary Compensation Table Long-Term Incentive Compensation. A discussion of the assumptions used in determining grant date fair value may be found in Note 3 to our Financial Statements, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2013. |
(2) | Executive officer bonuses in 2014 and 2013 were paid in shares of the Companys common stock. |
(3) | Represents compensation paid pursuant to an Employment Agreement dated August 14, 2014. Mr. McGillin started work with the Company on August 25, 2014. |
(4) | Represents compensation paid until the date of Mr. Daniellos retirement on September 30, 2014. |
(5) | Represents compensation paid pursuant to a Separation Agreement, dated August 11, 2014. See Discussion of Summary Compensation Table Cash Compensation. Dr. Williams left the Company effective June 23, 2014. |
(6) | Represents a sign-on bonus paid in the third quarter of 2014. |
The compensation paid to the named executive officers may include salary, cash incentive compensation, and equity incentive compensation. The terms of employment agreements that we have entered into with our named executive officers are described below under Employment Agreements and Potential Payments upon Termination or Change-in-Control.
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We pay our executive officers a base salary which we review and determine annually. As of December 31, 2014, base salaries for our executive officers are Dr. Gozani $415,000, Mr. Higgins $325,000 and Mr. McGillin $325,000.
In connection with Dr. Williams resignation, we entered into a separation agreement with Dr. Williams on August 11, 2014. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the separation agreement, Dr. Williams was entitled to receive twelve months of his then-current annual base salary, made in equal installments pursuant to our normal payroll practices over the twelve months. Additionally, Dr. Williams was entitled to continue to be enrolled in our medical benefit plans during such twelve month period.
Each executive officer has an annual bonus target which is expressed as a percentage of base salary. For 2014, executive officer bonus targets as a percentage of base salary were as follows: Dr. Gozani 62.5%; Mr. Higgins 50%; and Mr. McGillin 40%.
The Compensation Committee has established a process for annual assessment of corporate performance which is the foundation for decisions regarding bonus payments to executive officers. Metrics are established following approval by the Board of Directors of the annual operating budget. These are monitored quarterly during the year and assessed after the end of the year. The Compensation Committee evaluates performance against these metrics and also applies judgment in arriving at an overall corporate performance rating or factor. The Compensation Committee, in consultation with its independent compensation consultant, Radford, implemented a primarily quantitative formula for use in developing the corporate factor for the management bonus pool. In concept, the management bonus pool is activated by achievement of a single threshold or gating metric. Following activation, value is then created within the pool by achievement toward specific performance metrics.
The management pool metrics for 2014 encompass targets for new equity funding, sales revenue, and product development. Based on their overall evaluation of performance against these metrics, including application of the quantitative formula, the Compensation Committee voted to approve a corporate factor for the management bonus pool which includes the executive officers. The Compensation Committee decided that 2014 bonuses would be paid to the executive officers in the form of fully vested shares of the Companys common stock. On March 13, 2015 executive bonuses were distributed in shares of our common stock, after applicable tax withholding, based on the $1.69 closing price of NeuroMetrix common stock on the day preceding the Compensation Committee decision. The executive officers received the following shares of common stock, after applicable tax withholding: Dr. Gozani 73,783 shares; Mr. Higgins 43,064 shares; Mr. McGillin 12,631 shares.
We grant long-term equity incentive awards in the form of stock options and restricted shares to executives as part of our total compensation package. The Compensation Committee awarded in August 2014 the following equity grants comprised of stock options, to our named executive officers under our 2004 Stock Plan in the following amounts: Dr. Gozani 200,000 options; and Mr. Higgins 88,000 options. Mr. McGillin received a stock option grant of 200,000 under our Inducement Plan in connection with joining the Company. We also made the following equity grants in July 2013, comprised of stock options, to our named executive officers under our 2004 Stock Plan: Dr. Gozani 125,000 options; Mr. Higgins 55,000 options; Mr. Daniello 35,000 options; and Dr. Williams35,000 options.
Stock options referred to above have a term of ten years and, other than the performance-based stock options, vest over four years with 25% of the total award vesting after one year and the remainder vesting in equal quarterly installments thereafter. Generally, to the extent vested, each stock option is exercisable during the term of the option while the grantee is employed by us and for a period of three months thereafter, unless such termination is upon death or disability, in which case the grantee may continue to exercise the option for a period of 12 months, or for cause, in which case the option terminates immediately. Vesting
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of stock options is also subject to acceleration in some certain circumstances in connection with a change-in-control as described below in Employment Agreements and Potential Payments upon Termination or Change-in-Control.
The table below sets forth information with respect to our named executive officers concerning the outstanding equity awards as of December 31, 2014.
Option Awards | ||||||||||||||||
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options | Option Exercise Price ($) |
Option Expiration Date | ||||||||||||||
Exercisable (#) | Unexercisable (#) | |||||||||||||||
Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D. | 973 | | 71.64 | 4/01/18 | ||||||||||||
5,556 | | 61.20 | 2/12/19 | |||||||||||||
2,327 | | 60.84 | 4/02/20 | |||||||||||||
2,793 | | 19.80 | 2/01/21 | |||||||||||||
1,744 | 117 | (1) | 19.80 | 2/01/21 | ||||||||||||
78,125 | 46,875 | (2) | 1.77 | 7/26/23 | ||||||||||||
| 200,000 | (3) | 1.77 | 7/31/24 | ||||||||||||
Thomas T. Higgins | 1,173 | | 19.80 | 2/01/21 | ||||||||||||
733 | 49 | (4) | 19.80 | 2/01/21 | ||||||||||||
34,375 | 20,625 | (5) | 1.77 | 7/26/23 | ||||||||||||
| 88,000 | (6) | 1.77 | 7/31/24 | ||||||||||||
Francis X. McGillin | | 200,000 | (7) | 1.88 | 8/25/24 |
(1) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 1,861 shares of common stock that was granted on February 1, 2011. The option vests 25% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/16th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
(2) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 125,000 shares of common stock that was granted on July 26, 2013. The option vests 50% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/8th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
(3) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 200,000 shares of common stock that was granted on July 31, 2014. The option vests 50% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/8th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
(4) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 782 shares of common stock that was granted on February 1, 2011. The option vests 25% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/16th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
(5) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 55,000 shares of common stock that was granted on July 26, 2013. The option vests 50% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/8th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
(6) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 88,000 shares of common stock that was granted on July 31, 2014. The option vests 50% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/8th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
(7) | Reflects the unexercised portion of a stock option for 200,000 shares of common stock that was granted on August 25, 2014. The option vests 25% on the first anniversary of the vesting start date and then 1/16th each quarter thereafter until fully vested. |
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We entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Gozani, effective as of June 21, 2004 and amended on December 31, 2008. Under the terms of the employment agreement, Dr. Gozani is to be paid an annual base salary determined by the Compensation Committee but not less than $250,000. Dr. Gozanis salary for 2014 was $415,000. Dr. Gozani is also eligible to receive an annual cash performance bonus of up to 62.5% of his annual salary if certain performance objectives, determined by Dr. Gozani and our Compensation Committee, are met. The employment agreement may be terminated by us with or without cause or by Dr. Gozani. Under the terms of the employment agreement, if (1) we terminate Dr. Gozani for any reason other than willful non-performance of his duties under the employment agreement, intentional fraud or dishonesty with respect to our business or conviction of a felony, which we refer to as a termination without cause, or (2) Dr. Gozani resigns as a result of a reduction in his responsibilities with us, reduction in his status with us, reduction of his salary, relocation of our corporate offices more than 35 miles from their current location or breach by us of the employment agreement, which we refer to as a termination for good reason, Dr. Gozani will be entitled to his full base salary at his then-current annual rate of pay, plus benefits and applicable bonus payments, through the date of his termination. In addition, in the event of such a termination, we will continue to pay Dr. Gozani his then-current annual base salary for one year following the termination. Additionally, Dr. Gozani will be entitled to his full annual cash performance bonus in the year that any of the following transactions occurs:
| a sale of substantially all of our assets; |
| a merger or combination with another entity, unless the merger or combination does not result in a change in ownership of our voting securities of more than 50%; or |
| the sale or transfer of more than 50% of our voting securities. |
We entered into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Higgins on October 27, 2014 which provides for our employment of Mr. Higgins as our Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, for a three year term at an annual salary of $325,000, subject to periodic review and adjustment at our discretion. Under the Employment Agreement, Mr. Higgins is also eligible to receive an annual performance bonus, payable in cash or stock, of up to 50% of his annual salary. Under the terms of the Employment Agreement, if (1) we terminate Mr. Higgins for cause or if he resigns for other than good reason, Mr. Higgins will not be entitled to any separation benefits; (2) we terminate Mr. Higgins employment without cause other than within 6 months prior to or 12 months following a change in control of the company or Mr. Higgins resigns for good reason, he will be entitled to receive separation benefits equal to his base salary, target bonus amount and continuation of health benefits for a period of twelve months from the date of such termination; (3) we terminate Mr. Higgins employment within 6 months prior to or 12 months following a change in control of the company or Mr. Higgins resigns for good reason, he will be entitled to the same benefits as described in (2) above, and in addition, we will accelerate his rights to exercise shares under any stock option grants; and (4) Mr. Higgins dies or becomes totally disabled, we will accelerate the rights of his representative to exercise shares under and stock option grants. In connection with the Employment Agreement, Mr. Higgins executed a Confidentiality & Non-Compete Agreement with the Company.
We entered into an Employment Agreement with Mr. McGillin on August 14, 2014 in connection with his joining the Company which provides for our employment of Mr. McGillin, as our Senior Vice President and General Manager Consumer for a three year term at an annual salary of $325,000, subject to periodic review and adjustment at our discretion. Under the Employment Agreement, Mr. McGillin is also eligible to receive an annual performance bonus, payable in cash or stock, of up to 40% of his annual salary. Under the terms of the Employment Agreement, if (1) we terminate Mr. McGillin for cause or if he resigns for other than good reason, Mr. McGillin will not be entitled to any separation benefits; (2) we terminate Mr. McGillins employment without cause other than within 6 months prior to or 12 months following a change in control of the company or Mr. McGillin resigns for good reason, he will be entitled to receive
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separation benefits equal to his base salary, target bonus amount and continuation of health benefits for a period of twelve months from the date of such termination; (3) we terminate Mr. McGillins employment within 6 months prior to or 12 months following a change in control of the company or Mr. McGillin resigns for good reason, he will be entitled to the same benefits as described in (2) above, and in addition, we will accelerate his rights to exercise shares under any stock option grants; and (4) Mr. McGillin dies or becomes totally disabled, we will accelerate the rights of his representative to exercise shares under and stock option grants. In connection with the Employment Agreement, Mr. McGillin executed a Confidentiality & Non-Compete Agreement with the Company.
Our board of directors has adopted a Management Retention and Incentive Plan, or the MRIP, under which a portion of the consideration payable upon a change of control transaction, as defined in the MRIP, would be paid to certain executive officers and other key employees. The MRIP is designed to retain these individuals during the critical, early commercialization phase of our wearable therapeutic and diabetes initiatives while providing management with an incentive to rapidly build corporate value potentially leading to a change of control transaction. The MRIP has been structured to work in conjunction with, and not replace, our other incentive programs such as our equity plans, severance arrangements, compensation and bonus plan, and other benefits. The MRIP is designed to provide an appropriate, market-based incentive which will be reduced over time as a result of any future equity grants to participants. Effectively, the MRIP has an embedded self-liquidation feature.
In the event of a change of control transaction, subject to the participants continued employment or service with us, the participant shall receive cash consideration equal to a fixed percentage of the value of the change of control transaction to be received by the Company or our stockholders, net of expenses and liabilities assumed. Each participants payment shall be reduced by (i) any payments to be made to the participant in the change of control transaction as a result of securities issued pursuant to our equity plans, (ii) the value then held by the participant of securities previously issued to the participant under our equity plans; and (iii) the then current value of shares issued to the participant under our equity plans and previously sold by the participant, excluding any founders shares.
Dr. Gozani, Mr. Higgins, and Mr. McGillin have each entered into a confidentiality and non-competition agreement with us, which provides for protection of our confidential information, assignment to us of intellectual property developed by the executive officer and non-compete and non-solicitation obligations that are effective during, and for 12 months following termination of, the executive officers employment.
Under our 2004 Stock Plan, in the event of a merger, sale or dissolution of our company, or a similar sale event, all outstanding awards under our 2004 Stock Plan, unless otherwise provided for in a particular award, will terminate unless the parties to the transaction, in their discretion, provide for assumption, continuation or appropriate substitutions or adjustments of these awards. In the event that the outstanding awards under our 2004 Stock Plan terminate in connection with a sale event, all stock options and stock appreciation rights granted under our 2004 Stock Plan will automatically become fully exercisable and all other awards granted under our 2004 stock plan will become fully vested and non-forfeitable as of the effective time of the sale event. The administrator may also provide for a cash payment with respect to outstanding options and stock appreciation rights in exchange for the cancellation of such awards.
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As of December 31, 2014, the non-employee members of our Board of Directors were entitled to receive annual cash compensation in the amount of $15,000 for service as a member of our Board of Directors, which is paid following each annual meeting of our stockholders. In addition, these non-employee directors were entitled to receive $2,000 for each board or committee meeting that they attend, provided that they are not entitled to additional compensation for attending committee meetings that occur on the same day as a board meeting which they attend. This cash compensation is in addition to any stock options or other equity compensation that we determine to grant to our directors. Dr. Gozani, the only member of our Board of Directors who is also an employee, is not separately compensated for his service on our Board of Directors.
In addition to the compensation described above, we reimburse all non-employee directors for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings of our Board of Directors or any committees thereof. The following table shows compensation information with respect to services rendered to us in all capacities during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 for each non-employee member of the Board of Directors.
Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($)(1) | Option Awards ($) |
Total Compensation ($) |
||||||||||||
David E. Goodman, M.D.(2) | 34,750 | | 5,462 | 40,212 | ||||||||||||
Allen J. Hinkle, M.D.(3) | 28,250 | | 5,462 | 33,712 | ||||||||||||
Nancy E. Katz(4) | 29,250 | | 5,462 | 34,712 | ||||||||||||
Timothy R. Surgenor(5) | 34,250 | | 5,462 | 39,712 | ||||||||||||
David Van Avermaete(6) | 22,750 | | 5,462 | 28,212 |
(1) | These amounts represent the aggregate grant date fair value for 5,000 stock options granted to each director during fiscal year 2014. |
(2) | As of December 31, 2014, Dr. Goodman held 834 restricted shares, 626 of which were vested, and options to purchase 5,972 shares of common stock, 963 of which were vested. |
(3) | As of December 31, 2014, Dr. Hinkle held 834 restricted shares, 626 of which were vested, and options to purchase 6,972 shares of common stock, 1,963 of which were vested. |
(4) | As of December 31, 2014, Ms. Katz held 834 restricted shares, 626 of which were vested, and options to purchase 5,972 shares of common stock, 963 of which were vested. |
(5) | As of December 31, 2014, Mr. Surgenor held 834 restricted shares, 626 of which were vested, and options to purchase 5,972 shares of common stock, 963 of which were vested. |
(6) | As of December 31, 2014, Mr. Van Avermaete held options to purchase 15,000 shares of common stock, 2,500 of which were vested. |
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The following table sets forth certain information concerning beneficial ownership as of March 1, 2015, except as noted below, of our common stock by:
| each of our directors; |
| each of our named executive officers; |
| all of our directors and executive officers as a group; and |
| each stockholder known by us to beneficially own more than five percent of our common stock. |
The number of common shares beneficially owned by each stockholder is determined under rules issued by the SEC regarding the beneficial ownership of securities. This information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under these rules, beneficial ownership of common stock includes (1) any shares as to which the person or entity has sole or shared voting power or investment power and (2) any shares as to which the person or entity has the right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days after March 13, 2015, including any shares that could be purchased by the exercise of options or warrants on or within 60 days after March 13, 2015. Each stockholders percentage ownership is based on 8,519,151 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 13, 2015 plus the number of shares of common stock that may be acquired by such stockholder upon exercise of options or warrants that are exercisable on or within 60 days after March 13, 2015.
Sabby Management, LLC (Sabby) has indicated an interest in purchasing units in this offering at the public offering price. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriter could determine to sell or not sell units to Sabby and Sabby could determine to purchase or not purchase units in this offering.
Unless otherwise indicated below, to our knowledge, all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to their shares of common stock, except to the extent authority is shared by spouses under community property laws.
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership | Percent of Class of Total | Percent of Class of Total After the Offering |
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Name and Address(1) of Beneficial Owner | Common Stock | Options(2) | Total | |||||||||||||||||
Directors and Executive Officers |
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Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D. | 160,836 | 107,260 | 268,096 | 3.1 | % | |||||||||||||||
Thomas T. Higgins | 75,494 | 43,205 | 118,699 | 1.4 | %* | |||||||||||||||
Francis X. McGillin | 12,631 | | 12,631 | * | ||||||||||||||||
Allen Hinkle, M.D. | 834 | 1,972 | 2,806 | * | ||||||||||||||||
David E. Goodman, M.D. | 834 | 972 | 1,806 | * | ||||||||||||||||
Timothy R. Surgenor | 834 | 972 | 1,806 | * | ||||||||||||||||
Nancy E. Katz | 834 | 972 | 1,806 | * | ||||||||||||||||
David Van Avermaete | | 3,125 | 3,125 | * | ||||||||||||||||
All Current Directors and Executive Officers as a group (9 persons) | 252,297 | 158,478 | 410,775 | 4.7 | % |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership | Percent of Class of Total | Percent of Class of Total After the Offering |
||||||||||||||||||
Name and Address(1) of Beneficial Owner | Common Stock | Warrants(2) | Total | |||||||||||||||||
Beneficial Owner of 5% or More Other than Directors or Executive Officers |
||||||||||||||||||||
Sabby Management, LLC(3) | | 945,500 | 945,500 | 9.9 | % |
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* | Represents less than 1% of the outstanding shares of common stock. |
(1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each stockholder is c/o NeuroMetrix, Inc., 1000 Winter Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451. |
(2) | Includes all options and/or warrants that are exercisable on or within 60 days from March 13, 2015 by the beneficial owner, except as otherwise noted. |
(3) | Reflects shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants beneficially owned by Sabby Healthcare Volatility Master Fund, Ltd. and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund, Ltd. The amount does not include 4,075,059 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to Sabby Healthcare Volatility Master Fund, Ltd. and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund, Ltd. in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and 1,571,744 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 3,206.357 shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock issued to Sabby Healthcare Volatility Master Fund, Ltd. and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund, Ltd., all of which are subject to a 9.99% beneficial ownership limitation and related warrant exercise restriction. Sabby Management, LLC and Hal Mintz do not directly own shares of common stock, but are deemed to have beneficial ownership over these shares of common stock because Sabby Management, LLC is the investment manager for both Sabby Healthcare Volatility Master Fund, Ltd. and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund, Ltd. and Hal Mintz is the manager of Sabby Management, LLC. The address for the reporting persons is 10 Mountainside Road, Suite 205, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. We anticipate that simultaneous with the closing of this offering, we will repurchase the remaining 3,206.357 shares of the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock for an aggregate purchase price of $3.2 million and that entities affiliated with Sabby Management, LLC will forfeit warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares our common stock. |
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Except as otherwise set forth below, we did not engage in any related person transactions during the years ended December 31, 2014, and 2013. Pursuant to our audit committee charter currently in effect, the audit committee is responsible for reviewing and approving, prior to our entry into any such transaction, all transactions in which we are a participant and in which any parties related to us has or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
During June 2014 and June 2013, we and entities affiliated with Sabby entered into securities purchase agreements for two equity offerings that were similar in structure and in terms. The purchase agreement entered into in June 2014 (the 2014 Offering) provided for the issuance of (i) 664,600 shares of common stock at a price of $2.04 per share, (ii) 2,621.859 shares of Series A-3 Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share, (iii) 4,022.357 shares of Series A-4 Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share, and (iv) five year warrants to purchase up to 3,921,569 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $2.04 per share. The 2014 offering resulted in approximately $8.0 million in gross proceeds, before deducting expenses.
The purchase agreement entered into in June 2013 (the 2013 Offering) provided for the issuance of (i) 248,147 shares of common stock at a price of $2.095 per share, (ii) 1,066.254 shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share, (iii) 3,370.510 shares of Series A-2 Preferred Stock at a price of $1,000 per share, and (iv) five year warrants to purchase up to 2,365,934 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $2.00 per share. The 2013 Offering resulted in approximately $5.0 million in gross proceeds, before deducting placement agent fees and other expenses.
In these equity offerings, each share of Preferred Stock has or had a stated value of $1,000 and is convertible at the option of the holder into the number of shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value by the conversion price which is subject to adjustment as provided in each Certificate of Designation for the Preferred Stock. The Preferred Stock has no dividend rights, liquidation preference or other preferences over common stock and has no voting rights except as provided in each Certificate of Designation for each class of preferred stock and as required by law.
The Series A-4 Preferred Stock outstanding as of March 31, 2015 is convertible into an aggregate of 1,571,744 shares of common stock. During June and July 2014, all of the shares of the Series A-3 Preferred Stock were converted into 1,285,225 shares of common stock and in October 2014 and February 2015 a portion of the Series A-4 Preferred Stock were converted into 400,000 shares of common stock. All of the Series A-1 Preferred Stock and the Series A-2 Preferred Stock issued in the 2013 Offering was converted in 2013 into a total of 2,117,787 shares of common stock.
Sabby, a principal stockholder, has indicated an interest in purchasing units in this offering at the public offering price. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriter could determine to sell or not sell units to Sabby, and Sabby could determine to purchase or not purchase units in this offering. Additionally, simultaneous with the closing of this offering, we anticipate that we will repurchase certain shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock held by Sabby for an aggregate purchase price of $3.2 million (the Repurchase). We only intend to repurchase the shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock to the extent that Sabby agrees to forfeit warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares of our common stock, which warrants have an exercise price of $2.04. We have not yet entered into an agreement governing the Repurchase and related warrant forfeiture but anticipate doing so prior to completion of this offering.
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The following description of our securities is intended as a summary only and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which the prospectus forms a part, and to the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. We refer in this section to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as our certificate of incorporation, and we refer to our amended and restated bylaws as our bylaws.
Our authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, in one or more series. Of such preferred stock, 11,083 shares have been designated as Series A Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share. Prior to the completion of this offering, we will file a certificate of designation designating 145,000 shares of preferred stock as Series B convertible preferred stock. As of March 31, 2015, we had outstanding 8,519,151 shares of our common stock, no shares of our Series A-3 convertible preferred and 3,206.357 shares of our Series A-4 convertible preferred stock. At that date, we also had an aggregate of 809,257 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock options granted under our stock incentive plans, and an aggregate of 5,760,847 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding warrants to purchase common stock.
The holders of our common stock are generally entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders and do not have any cumulative voting rights. Except as may be required by law and in connection with some significant actions, such as mergers, consolidations, or amendments to our certificate of incorporation that affect the rights of stockholders, holders of our common stock vote together as a single class. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our directors, which means that, subject to any rights to elect directors that are granted to the holders of any class or series of preferred stock, a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is present is sufficient to elect a director. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive proportionally any dividends declared by our Board of Directors, subject to any preferential dividend rights of outstanding preferred stock.
Subject to the preferential rights of any other class or series of stock, all shares of our common stock have equal dividend, distribution, liquidation and other rights, and have no preference, appraisal or exchange rights, except for any appraisal rights provided by Delaware law. Furthermore, holders of our common stock have no conversion, sinking fund or redemption rights, or preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our securities. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not restrict the ability of a holder of our common stock to transfer his or her shares of our common stock.
In the event of our liquidation or dissolution, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities, subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. All shares of our common stock will, when issued, be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. The shares to be issued by us in this offering, and the shares to be issued by us upon exercise of the warrants to be issued in this offering in accordance with the terms of the warrants, will be when issued and paid for, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, we are authorized to issue blank check preferred stock, which may be issued from time to time in one or more series upon authorization by our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors, without further approval of the stockholders, is authorized to fix the designations, powers, including voting powers, preferences and the relative, participating, optional or other special rights of the shares of each series and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes could, among other things, adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock and, under certain circumstances, make it more difficult for a third party to gain control of us, discourage bids for our common stock at a premium or otherwise adversely affect the market price of the common stock.
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On June 26, 2014, we issued 2,621.859 shares of Series A-3 convertible preferred stock at a price of $1,000 per share and 4,022.357 shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock at a price of $1,000 per share. Each share of Series A-3 and Series A-3 convertible preferred stock has a stated value of $1,000 and is convertible, at any time at the option of the holder thereof, into a number of shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value by the initial conversion price of $2.04, subject to a 9.99% ownership limitation. The Series A-3 and Series A-4 convertible preferred stock have no dividend rights, liquidation preference or other preferences over common stock and have no voting rights except as provided in the applicable Certificate of Designation, as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, or as otherwise required by law. As of March 31, 2015 all of the Series A-3 convertible preferred stock has been converted to common stock and 3,206.357 of Series A-4 convertible stock remains outstanding. We anticipate that simultaneous with the closing of this offering, we will repurchase the remaining 3,206.357 shares of the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock for an aggregate purchase price of $3.2 million and that the holder of warrants issued with the Series A-4 convertible preferred stock will forfeit warrants to purchase 1,571,744 shares our common stock. We have not yet entered into an agreement governing the Repurchase and related warrant forfeiture but anticipate doing so prior to completion of this offering.
On June 10, 2013, we issued 1,066.254 shares of Series A-1 convertible preferred stock at a price of $1,000 per share and 3,370.510 shares of Series A-2 convertible preferred stock at a price of $1,000 per share. Each share of Series A-1 and Series A-2 convertible preferred stock has a stated value of $1,000 and is convertible, at any time at the option of the holder thereof, into a number of shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value by the initial conversion price of $2.095, subject to a 9.99% ownership limitation. The Series A-1 and Series A-2 convertible preferred stock have no dividend rights, liquidation preference or other preferences over common stock and have no voting rights except as provided in the applicable Certificate of Designation, as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, or as otherwise required by law. All of the Series A-1 and Series A-2 convertible preferred stock has been converted to common stock.
Our Board has designated 145,000 shares of preferred stock as Series B convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value. As of May 15, 2015, there were no shares of Series B convertible preferred stock outstanding. Although there is no current intent to do so, our Board may, without stockholder approval, issue shares of an additional class or series of preferred stock with voting and conversion rights which could adversely affect the voting power of the holders of the common stock or the convertible preferred stock, except as prohibited by the certificate of designation of preferences, rights and limitations of Series B convertible preferred stock.
The following is a summary of the material terms of our Series B convertible preferred stock. For more information, please refer to the certificate of designation of preferences, rights and limitations of Series B convertible preferred stock filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, which will be filed prior to the completion of this offering.
Dividends. Holders of the Series B convertible preferred stock will not be entitled to receive any dividends, unless and until specifically declared by our Board.
Conversion. Each share of Series B convertible preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into that number of shares of common stock determined by dividing $100 by the conversion price of $ (rounded up to the nearest whole share and subject to adjustment described below), which is 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. This right to convert is limited by the beneficial ownership limitation described below.
Beneficial Ownership Limitation. A holder shall have no right to convert any portion of Series B convertible preferred stock, to the extent that, after giving effect to such conversion, such holder, together with such holders affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any such affiliate, would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of common stock upon such conversion (subject to the right of the
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holder to increase or decrease such beneficial ownership limitation upon not less than 61 days prior notice provided that such 61 day period cannot be waived). Beneficial ownership of the holder and its affiliates will be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Holders of Series B convertible preferred stock who are subject to such beneficial ownership limitation are and will remain responsible for ensuring their own compliance with Regulation 13D-G promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, consistent with their individual facts and circumstances. In addition, pursuant to Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, any person who acquires Series B convertible preferred stock with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing the control of our company, or in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect, immediately upon such acquisition will be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the underlying common stock.
Stock Dividends and Stock Splits. If we pay a stock dividend or otherwise make a distribution payable in shares of common stock on shares of common stock or any other common stock equivalents, subdivide or combine outstanding common stock, or reclassify common stock, the conversion price will be adjusted by multiplying the then conversion price by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately before such event, and the denominator of which shall be the number of shares outstanding immediately after such event.
Fundamental Transaction. If we effect a fundamental transaction, then upon any subsequent conversion of Series B convertible preferred stock, the holder thereof shall have the right to receive, for each share of common stock that would have been issuable upon such conversion immediately prior to the occurrence of such fundamental transaction, the number of shares of the successors or acquiring corporations common stock or of our common stock, if we are the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration receivable as a result of such fundamental transaction by a holder of the number of shares of common stock into which Series B convertible preferred stock is convertible immediately prior to such fundamental transaction. A fundamental transaction means: (i) our merger or consolidation with or into another entity, (ii) any sale of all or substantially all of our assets in one transaction or a series of related transactions, (iii) any tender offer or exchange offer allowing holders of our common stock to tender or exchange their shares for cash, property or securities, and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding common stock (iv) any reclassification of our common stock or any compulsory share exchange by which common stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) consummation of a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination with another person whereby such other person acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock.
Voting Rights. Except as otherwise provided in the Series B convertible preferred stock certificate of designation or required by law, the Series B convertible preferred stock has no voting rights. However, as long as any shares of Series B convertible preferred stock are outstanding, we may not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of the Series B convertible preferred stock, alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or special rights given to the Series B convertible preferred stock or alter or amend its certificate of designation.
Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of common stock will be issued upon conversion of Series B convertible preferred stock. Rather, we shall, at our election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the conversion price or round up to the next whole share.
Miscellaneous. The Series B convertible preferred stock is not redeemable, but there are no provisions restricting repurchase of the Series B convertible preferred stock. We do not plan on applying to list the Series B convertible preferred stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market, any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system.
The following is a summary of the material terms of the warrants to be issued in this offering. The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agent agreement between us and our warrant agent. The material provisions of the warrants are set forth herein but are only a summary and are qualified in their
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entirety by the provisions of the warrant agreement that has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
The warrants to be issued will have an initial exercise price per share equal to $ , which is 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. The actual number of warrants issued in one unit and shares of common stock underlying the warrants in one unit will both equal 100% of the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of one share of Series B convertible preferred stock at the actual conversion price (rounded up to the nearest whole share), which will equal 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of our common stock and will be exercisable from its date of issuance and at any time up to the date that is five years after its original date of issuance. A holder shall have no right to exercise any portion of a warrant, to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder, together with such holders affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any such affiliate, would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of the shares of common stock upon such exercise (subject to the right of the holder to increase or decrease such beneficial ownership limitation upon not less than 61 days prior notice provided that such 61 day period cannot be waived). Beneficial ownership of the holder and its affiliates will be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Holders of warrants who are subject to such beneficial ownership limitation are and will remain responsible for ensuring their own compliance with Regulation 13D-G promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, consistent with their individual facts and circumstances. In addition, pursuant to Rule13d-3(d)(1)(i) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, any person who acquires such warrants with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing the control of our company, or in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect, immediately upon such acquisition will be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the underlying common stock.
The warrants may be exercised on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by wire transfer, certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. Under the terms of the warrants, we have agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement and current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. During any period we fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares underlying the warrants, the warrant holder may exercise the warrants on a cashless basis. There is no circumstance that would require us to net cash settle these warrants. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders.
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding common stock, the holders of the warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction.
No fractional shares of common stock will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we, at our sole discretion may, upon exercise, either round up to the nearest whole number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder or pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the price per share at which shares of common stock may be purchased at the time a
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warrant is exercised. If multiple warrants are exercised by the holder at the same time, we will aggregate the number of whole shares issuable upon exercise of all the warrants. Subject to applicable laws, the warrants may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.
The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances, including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend on or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices.
The warrants to be sold in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW. None of our other warrants are listed or traded on a national securities exchange or market.
Please see Underwriting Underwriters Compensation Warrants for a description of the warrants we have agreed to issue to the underwriter in this offering, subject to the completion of the offering.
As of March 31, 2015, we had warrants outstanding to purchase 5,760,847 shares of common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $2.70 per share. Included in outstanding warrants are options to purchase 781,955 shares of our common stock which were issued in a public offering in February 2012. We refer to these as the 2012 warrants. The 2012 warrants became exercisable on August 12, 2012 for a period of 4.5 years and have a weighted average exercise price of $6.95 per share. On June 10, 2013, in connection with our issuance of the Series A-1 and Series A-2 convertible preferred stock, we issued 2,365,934 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, which we refer to as the 2013 warrants. Of the warrants issued, 1,057,323 remain outstanding as of March 31, 2015. The 2013 warrants were exercisable immediately, have a five-year term, and a per share exercise price of $2.00. On June 26, 2014, in connection with our issuance of the Series A-3 and Series A-4 convertible preferred stock, we issued 3,921,569 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, which we refer to as the 2014 warrants. The 2014 warrants were exercisable immediately, have a five-year term, and per share exercise price of $2.04.
The 2012 warrants, the 2013 warrants, and the 2014 warrants contain limitations that prevent the warrant holders from acquiring shares upon exercise of a warrant that would result in the number of shares beneficially owned by it and its affiliates exceeding 9.99% of the total number of shares of our common stock then issued and outstanding. In addition, the 2012 warrants provide that for warrant holders who owned in excess of 9.99% immediately prior to the issuance of the 2012 warrants, the exercise limit is increased to 14.99% of our total shares outstanding.
Upon certain changes in control of NeuroMetrix, the holder of the 2013 warrants and 2014 warrants can elect to receive, subject to certain limitations and assumptions, securities in a successor entity equal to the value of the 2013 warrants and 2014 warrants or if holders of common stock are given a choice of cash or property, then cash or property equal to the value of the outstanding 2013 warrants and 2014 warrants.
On March 7, 2007, we entered into a Rights Agreement with American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights agent, and approved the declaration of a dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right on each outstanding share of our common stock to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 8, 2007. Each right entitles the registered holder to purchase from us thirty-six ten-thousandths of a share of our Series A Junior Convertible Preferred Stock at a price of $75.00, subject to adjustment.
Initially, the rights are not exercisable and are attached to and trade with all shares of common stock outstanding as of, and issued subsequent to March 8, 2007. The rights will separate from the common stock and will become exercisable upon the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth calendar day following the first public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons, or an Acquiring Person, has acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock, other than as a result of repurchases of stock by the Company or certain inadvertent actions by a shareholder or
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(ii) the close of business on the tenth business day (or such later day as our Board of Directors may determine) following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that could result upon its consummation in a person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 15% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock.
The rights may be redeemed in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.01 per right (payable in cash, common stock or other consideration deemed appropriate by our board) by the board only until the earlier of (i) the time at which any person becomes an Acquiring Person or (ii) the expiration date of the Rights Agreement. Immediately upon the action of the board ordering redemption of the rights, the rights will terminate and thereafter the only right of the holders of rights will be to receive the redemption price.
The rights will expire on March 8, 2017, unless previously redeemed or exchanged by the Company. The rights distribution was not taxable to stockholders.
We have shares of common stock and preferred stock available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may issue these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital or facilitate corporate acquisitions or for payment as a dividend on our capital stock. The existence of unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock may enable our Board of Directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management or to issue preferred stock with terms that could render more difficult or discourage a third-party attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, thereby protecting the continuity of our management. In addition, if we issue preferred stock, the issuance could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation.
Board of Directors. Our certificate of incorporation provides that:
| our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible, to serve staggered terms so that approximately one-third of our board will be elected each year; |
| subject to the rights of the holders of any class or series of preferred stock then outstanding, our directors may be removed (i) only with cause and (ii) only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors voting together as a single class, unless otherwise specified by law; and |
| any vacancy on our Board of Directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of the board, may only be filled by vote of a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, and not by the stockholders. |
These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or an acquisition of our company at a price which many stockholders may find attractive. The existence of these provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. These provisions may also have the effect of discouraging a third party from initiating a proxy contest, making a tender offer or attempting to change the composition or policies of our Board of Directors.
Stockholder Action; Special Meeting of Stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws also provide that:
| stockholder action may be taken only at a duly called and convened annual or specialmeeting of stockholders and then only if properly brought before the meeting; |
| stockholder action may not be taken by written action in lieu of a meeting; |
| special meetings of stockholders may be called only by our Board of Directorspursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directorsthen in office; and |
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| in order for any matter to be considered properly brought before a meeting, astockholder must comply with requirements regarding specified information andadvance notice to us. |
These provisions could delay, until the next stockholders meeting, actions which are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities. These provisions may also discourage another person or entity from making a tender offer for our common stock, because a person or entity, even if it acquired a majority of our outstanding voting securities, would be able to take action as a stockholder only at a duly called stockholders meeting, and not by written consent.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that no director of our company shall be personally liable for any monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the directors duty of loyalty to the company or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. Our certificate of incorporation also provides that if the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of our company shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as so amended. The certificate of incorporation further provides that no amendment to or repeal of these provisions shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any director for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to such amendment or repeal. Our certificate of incorporation further provides for the indemnification of our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, including circumstances in which indemnification is otherwise discretionary.
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the trading symbol NURO. The warrants to be sold in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW.
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock and the Series B convertible preferred stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company. Our warrant agent is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company.
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We have entered into an underwriting agreement with Maxim Group LLC (Maxim) acting as the sole book-running manager and sole underwriter. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriter named below has agreed to purchase from us on a firm commitment basis, and we have agreed to sell to them, the number of units, at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and as indicated below:
Underwriter | Number of Units | |||
Maxim Group LLC | ||||
Total: | 145,000 |
Each unit consists of one share of our Series B convertible preferred stock and 84 warrants to purchase an aggregate of 84 shares of our common stock. The actual number of warrants issued in one unit and shares of common stock underlying the warrants in one unit will both equal 100% of the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of one share of Series B convertible preferred stock at the actual conversion price (rounded up to the nearest whole share), which will equal 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. Each warrant will be immediately exercisable for one share of our common stock.
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriter to pay for and accept delivery of all of the units offered by this prospectus are subject to specific conditions, including the absence of any material adverse change in our business or in the financial markets, the receipt of certain legal opinions, certificates and letters from us, our counsel and the independent auditors and that the certificate of designation of preferences, rights and limitations of Series B convertible preferred stock shall have been filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware. Subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement, the underwriter is obligated to take and pay for all of the shares and warrants offered by this prospectus.
The underwriting discount is 7.5% of the public offering price of each unit. The 7.5% discount to the public offering price will not apply to units sold by us to the underwriter, and subsequently by the underwriter to any purchaser, to the extent that the proceeds of such sale are used by us to repurchase shares of our Series A-4 convertible preferred stock from such purchaser. We have agreed to pay the underwriter the discounts set forth below. In addition, we have agreed to reimburse the underwriter for certain expenses incurred by the underwriter in connection with this offering, including, but not limited to, road show expenses, filing fees and expenses in connection with the requirements of FINRA and the underwriters legal fees and expenses, in an amount not to exceed $80,000 for all expenses.
We have been advised by the underwriter that it proposes to offer the units directly to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus and to dealers at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $ per unit. The underwriter may allow, and these dealers may re-allow, a concession of not more than $ per unit to other dealers. After the offering to the public, the representative may change the offering price and other selling terms without changing the proceeds we will receive from the underwriter.
The shares of Series B convertible preferred stock and warrants will be issued separately. There is no established public trading market through which the Series B convertible preferred stock or may be sold and purchasers may not be able to resell the Series B convertible preferred stock or the warrants purchased under this prospectus. The warrants to be sold in this offering have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol NUROW. None of our other warrants are listed or traded on a national securities exchange or market. The underwriter has advised us that it currently intends to make a market in the warrants. However, the underwriter is not obligated to do so and may discontinue market-making activities at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the Series B convertible preferred stock or the warrants.
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The following table summarizes the public offering price, the underwriting discounts and proceeds before expenses to us.
Per Unit(1) | ||||
Public Offering Price | $ | 100.00 | ||
Underwriting Discounts | $ | 7.50 | ||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | $ | 92.50 |
(1) | The fees shown do not include the warrant to purchase shares of common stock issuable to the underwriter at closing. |
We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, including registration, filing and listing fees, printing fees and legal and accounting expenses, but excluding discounts and commissions, will be approximately $445,000, all of which are payable by us.
The public offering price of the units we are offering is $100 per unit. The conversion price per share of the Series B convertible preferred stock will be 100% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules, and the exercise price per share of the warrants will be 110% of the closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on the date of the underwriting agreement or the date immediately prior to such date, as permitted by NASDAQ rules. The public offering price of the units we are offering, the conversion price and other terms of the Series B convertible preferred stock and the exercise price and other terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriter, based on the trading of our common stock prior to the offering, among other things. Other factors considered in determining the public offering price of the units we are offering, the conversion price and other terms of the Series B convertible preferred stock and the exercise price and other terms of the warrants include our history and prospects, the stage of development of our business, our business plans for the future and the extent to which they have been implemented, an assessment of our management, general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering and such other factors as were deemed relevant.
We have also agreed to issue to the underwriter warrants to purchase a number of shares of our common stock equal to an aggregate of 2.5% of the shares of common stock underlying the Series B convertible preferred stock sold as part of the units in this offering. The warrants will have an exercise price equal to 125% of the conversion price of the Series B convertible preferred stock sold as part of the units in this offering, or $ per share, and may be exercised on a cashless basis only in the event that we do not have in place an effective registration statement. There is no circumstance that would require us to net cash settle these warrants. The warrants are exercisable commencing six months after the effective date of the registration statement related to this offering, and will be exercisable for four and a half years thereafter. The warrants are not redeemable by us. The warrants and the underlying shares of common stock have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA. The underwriter (or permitted assignees under Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA) may not sell, transfer, assign, pledge, or hypothecate the warrants or the securities underlying the warrants, nor will the underwriter engage in any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the warrants or the underlying securities for a period of 180 days from the date on which the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part is declared effective by the SEC, except to any FINRA member participating in this offering and their bona fide officers or partners. The warrants will provide for adjustment in the number and price of such warrants in the event of a stock dividend, stock split, merger or other structural transaction to prevent mechanical dilution.
We and each of our officers and directors have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to offer, issue, sell, contract to sell, encumber, grant any option for the sale of or otherwise dispose of any shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common
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stock for a period of 90 days after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part without the prior written consent of Maxim Group LLC. We have also agreed not to issue any shares of our common stock upon the exercise of options outstanding during the 90-day period. This 90-day restricted period will be automatically extended if: (1) during the last 17 days of the 90-day restricted period we issue an earnings release or announce material news or a material event relating to us occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 90-day restricted period, we announce that we will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day period, in which case the restrictions described in the preceding sentence will continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or material event.
Maxim may, in its sole discretion, at any time and without prior notice release some or all of the shares subject to lock-up agreements prior to the expiration of the lock-up period. When determining whether or not to release shares from the lock-up agreements, the representative will consider, among other factors, the security holders reasons for requesting the release, the number of shares for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time.
In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our common stock. Specifically, the underwriter may over-allot in connection with this offering by selling more shares and warrants than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. This creates a short position in our common stock for its own account. To close out a short position, the underwriter may elect to bid for, and purchase, common stock in the open market.
The underwriter may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter or dealer repays selling concessions allowed to it for distributing a security in this offering because the underwriter repurchases that security in stabilizing or short covering transactions.
Finally, the underwriter may bid for, and purchase, shares of our common stock in market making transactions, including passive market making transactions as described below.
These activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of our common stock at a price that is higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the absence of these activities. The underwriter is not required to engage in these activities, and may discontinue any of these activities at any time without notice. These transactions may be effected on The NASDAQ Capital Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
In connection with this offering, the underwriter and selling group members, if any, or their affiliates may engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock immediately prior to the commencement of sales in this offering, in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Rule 103 generally provides that:
| a passive market maker may not effect transactions or display bids for our common stock in excess of the highest independent bid price by persons who are not passive market makers; |
| net purchases by a passive market maker on each day are generally limited to 30% of the passive market makers average daily trading volume in our common stock during a specified two-month prior period or 200 shares, which ever is greater, and must be discontinued when that limit is reached; and |
| passive market making bids must be identified as such. |
In addition, we have agreed to reimburse the underwriter for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses up to $80,000. We will reimburse the underwriter for all such expenses, to the extent they are actually incurred, regardless of whether the offering is consummated.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against liabilities relating to the offering arising under the federal securities laws (including liabilities related to the making of any untrue statement of a material fact or the omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the
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circumstances under which they were made, not misleading), liabilities arising from breaches of some or all of the representations and warranties contained in the underwriting agreement, and to contribute to payments that the underwriter may be required to make for these liabilities.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on websites or through other online services maintained by the underwriter of this offering, or by its affiliates. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriters website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriter in its capacity as underwriter, and should not be relied upon by investors.
The underwriter and its affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking and other financial services for us for which services they may in the future receive customary fees. Except for services provided in connection with this offering, the underwriter has not provided any investment banking or other financial services to us and we do not expect to retain the underwriter to perform any investment banking or other financial services to us for at least 90 days after the date of this prospectus.
No action has been or will be taken in any jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus or any other material relating to us or the securities offered hereby in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the securities offered hereby may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and neither of this prospectus nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the securities offered hereby may be distributed or published, in or from any country or jurisdiction except in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.
The underwriter may arrange to sell securities offered by this prospectus in certain jurisdictions outside the United States, either directly or through affiliates, where they are permitted to do so.
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In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant Member State), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, or the Relevant Implementation Date, no offer of any securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus has been or will be made to the public in that Relevant Member State other than any offer where a prospectus has been or will be published in relation to such securities that has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the relevant competent authority in that Relevant Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, an offer of such securities may be made to the public in that Relevant Member State:
(a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive; |
(b) | to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or |
(c) | in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that no such offer of securities shall require us or the underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to any securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the securities, as the same may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Relevant Member State and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.
The communication of this prospectus and any other documents or materials relating to this prospectus is not being made and such documents and/or materials have not been approved by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are qualified investors (as defined in the Prospectus Directive)(i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19 (5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the Order) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as relevant persons). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons.
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The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed on by Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., Boston, Massachusetts. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriter by McGuireWoods LLP, New York, New York.
The financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Companys ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the common stock and warrants offered by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information pertaining to us and our common stock and warrants, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are not necessarily complete, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. You may also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facility.
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We have elected to incorporate by reference certain information in this prospectus pursuant to General Instruction VII of Form S-1. We have previously filed the following documents with the SEC and are incorporating them by reference into this prospectus, except for information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K, and any exhibits relating to such information, which is neither deemed filed nor incorporated by reference herein:
| Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2015; |
| Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on April 23, 2015; |
| Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 1, 2015 and May 6, 2015; |
| the portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A that are deemed filed with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, filed on March 30, 2015; |
| Description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, filed with SEC on July 19, 2004; and |
| Description of our preferred share purchase rights contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, filed with the SEC on March 8, 2007. |
A statement contained in a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or in any other subsequently filed document which is also incorporated in this prospectus modifies or replaces such statement. Any statements so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.
These filings, our other annual, quarterly, and current reports, our proxy statements, and our other SEC filings may be examined, and copies may be obtained, at the SECs public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330. Our SEC filings are also available to the public on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
Our internet address is www.neurometrix.com and the investor relations section of our website is located at investor.neurometrix.com. We make available free of charge, on or through the investor relations section of our website, Annual Reports 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 Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus.
We hereby undertake to provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request of any such person, a copy of any and all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus, but not delivered with the prospectus. Requests for such copies should be sent to us at the following address:
NeuroMetrix, Inc.
1000 Winter Street
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
Attention: Investor Relations
(781) 890-9989
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Sole Book-Running Manager
, 2015
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by us in connection with this offering. All expenses are estimated except the fees payable to the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
SEC registration fee | $ | 3,615 | ||
FINRA fee | 5,000 | |||
Legal fees and expenses | 248,000 | |||
Accounting fees and expenses | 85,000 | |||
Printing expenses | 25,000 | |||
Transfer agent fees | 13,000 | |||
Miscellaneous | 65,385 | |||
$ | 445,000 |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we shall indemnify, to the fullest extent authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, each person who is involved in any litigation or other proceeding because such person is or was our director or officer or is or was serving as an officer or director of another entity at our request, against all expense, loss or liability reasonably incurred or suffered in connection therewith. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the right to indemnification includes the right to be paid expenses incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that such advance payment will only be made upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of the director or officer, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such director is not entitled to indemnification. If we do not pay a proper claim for indemnification in full within 10 days after we receive a written claim for such indemnification, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our restated bylaws authorize the claimant to bring an action against us and prescribe what constitutes a defense to such action.
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to indemnify any director or officer of the corporation against expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in right of the corporation) brought by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner that he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he or she had no reason to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In a derivative action, (i.e., one brought by or on behalf of the corporation), indemnification may be provided only for expenses actually and reasonably incurred by any director or officer in connection with the defense or settlement of such an action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be provided if such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought shall determine that the defendant is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses despite such adjudication of liability.
II-1
Pursuant to Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Article Seventh of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation eliminates the liability of a director to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for such a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liabilities arising:
| from any breach of the directors duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
| from acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
| under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law; and |
| from any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. |
As permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, we carry insurance policies insuring our directors and officers against certain liabilities that they may incur in their capacity as directors and officers.
On June 26, 2014, we issued to one institutional investor 4,022.357 shares of Series A-4 convertible preferred stock (the Series A-4 Preferred Stock), at a price of $1,000 per share, which is convertible into an aggregate of 1,971,744 shares of common stock, and five year warrants (the 2014 Warrants) to purchase up to 3,921,569 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.04 per share. The shares of Series A-4 Preferred Stock and 2014 Warrants described above were not initially registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and the issuance and sale of such securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.
On June 10, 2013, we issued to one institutional investor 3,370.510 shares of Series A-2 convertible preferred stock (the Series A-2 Preferred Stock), at a price of $1,000 per share, which is convertible into an aggregate of 1,608,835 shares of common stock, and five year warrants (the 2013 Warrants) to purchase up to 2,365,934 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.00 per share. The shares of Series A-2 Preferred Stock and 2013 Warrants described above were not initially registered under the Securities Act of 1933, and the issuance and sale of such securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2013, there were no shares of Series A-2 Preferred Stock outstanding, as all of which were converted into shares of our common stock.
The exhibits filed with this registration statement are set forth on the exhibit index following the signature page and are incorporated by reference in their entirety into this item.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
(i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
(ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee table in the effective registration statement; |
(iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; |
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(2) | That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
(4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: |
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
(ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
(iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
(iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report, to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X is not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
(2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement |
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relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of these securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering. |
(3) | For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-1 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Waltham, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on May 22, 2015.
NEUROMETRIX, INC.
By: | /s/ Shai N. Gozani Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D. President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment No. 13 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Shai N. Gozani | Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) |
May 22, 2015 | ||
/s/ Thomas T. Higgins | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) | May 22, 2015 | ||
* | Director | May 22, 2015 | ||
* | Director | May 22, 2015 | ||
* | Director | May 22, 2015 | ||
* | Director | May 22, 2015 | ||
* | Director | May 22, 2015 | ||
* By: /s/ Thomas T. Higgins | May 22, 2015 |
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Exhibit Number | Description | |
1.1 | Form of Underwriting Agreement (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
2.1 | Asset Purchase Agreement dated November 7, 2008 by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Advanced Diagnostics, LLC(7) | |
3.1.1 | Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of NeuroMetrix, Inc. dated July 27, 2004(6) | |
3.1.2 | Certificate of Designations for Series A Junior Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, dated March 7, 2007(5) | |
3.1.3 | Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of NeuroMetrix, Inc. dated September 1, 2011(14) | |
3.1.4 | Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of NeuroMetrix, Inc. dated February 15, 2013(15) | |
3.1.5 | Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A-1 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, dated June 5, 2013(21) | |
3.1.6 | Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A-2 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, dated June 5, 2013(21) | |
3.1.7 | Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A-3 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, dated June 24, 2014(27) | |
3.1.8 | Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A-4 Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, dated June 24, 2014(27) | |
3.1.9 | Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
3.2.1 | Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of NeuroMetrix, Inc.(6) | |
3.2.2 | Amendment No. 1 to Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of NeuroMetrix, Inc.(4) | |
4.1 | Specimen Certificate for Shares of Common Stock(1) | |
4.2.1 | Shareholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 7, 2007, between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent(5) | |
4.2.2 | Amendment to Shareholder Rights Agreement, dated September 8, 2009, between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent(9) | |
4.2.3 | Amendment No. 2 to Shareholder Rights Agreement, dated June 5, 2013, between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent(21) | |
4.2.4 | Amendment No. 3 to Shareholder Rights Agreement, dated June 25, 2014, between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent(27) | |
4.3 | Form of Warrant (2015) to be issued as part of a Unit (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
4.4 | [Reserved] | |
4.5 | Form of Underwriters Warrant (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
4.6 | Form of Unit Warrant to purchase Common Stock (February 2012)(30) | |
4.7 | Form of Placement Agent Warrant (February 2012)(30) | |
4.8 | Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant (June 2013)(22) | |
4.9 | Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant (June 2014)(27) | |
4.10 | Form of Warrant Agent Agreement (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
5.1* | Opinion of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
10.1.1 | Lease Agreement, dated October 18, 2000, between Fourth Avenue LLC and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(1) | |
10.1.2 | Amendment Number One to Lease, dated February 22, 2008, between Fourth Avenue LLC and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(11) | |
10.1.3 | Amendment Number Two to Lease, dated June 6, 2012, between Fourth Avenue LLC and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(20) |
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Exhibit Number | Description | |
10.1.4 | Amendment Number Three to Lease, dated June 20, 2013, between Fourth Avenue LLC and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(23) | |
10.1.5 | Lease Agreement, dated August 27, 2014, between Cummings Properties, LLC and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(28) | |
10.1.6 | Lease Agreement, dated September 10, 2014, between, Boston Properties, Inc. and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(28) | |
10.2.1 | Loan and Security Agreement between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Comerica Bank, dated March 5, 2010(12) | |
10.2.2 | First Modification to Loan and Security Agreement between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Comerica Bank, dated March 1, 2011(16) | |
10.2.3 | Fifth Modification to Loan and Security Agreement between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Comerica Bank, dated January 31, 2014(26) | |
10.2.4 | Sixth Modification to Loan and Security Agreement with Comerica Bank, dated January 23, 2015 | |
10.3+ | Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option/Restricted Stock Plan(1) | |
10.4.1+ | Amended and Restated 1998 Equity Incentive Plan(1) | |
10.4.2+ | Second Amendment to Amended and Restated 1998 Equity Incentive Plan(1) | |
10.5.1+ | Seventh Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Option and Incentive Plan(24) | |
10.5.2+ | Form of Restricted Stock Agreement (12) | |
10.5.3+ | Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement(2) | |
10.5.4+ | Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement For Company Employees(2) | |
10.5.5+ | Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement For Non-Employee Directors(2) | |
10.6+ | 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan(13) | |
10.7+ | Second Amended and Restated 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan(25) | |
10.8+ | 2009 Non-Qualified Inducement Stock Plan(17) | |
10.9+ | Form of Indemnification Agreement between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and each of its directors(1) | |
10.10.1+ | Employment Agreement, dated June 21, 2004, by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D.(1) | |
10.10.2+ | First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated December 31, 2008, by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D.(8) | |
10.10.3+ | Indemnification Agreement dated June 21, 2004, by and between Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D., and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(1) | |
10.10.4+ | NeuroMetrix, Inc. Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement (pursuant to the Amended and Restated 1998 Equity Incentive Plan), dated as of June 21, 2004, by and between Shai N. Gozani M.D., Ph.D., and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(1) | |
10.11.1+ | Letter Agreement, dated August 31, 2009, between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Thomas T. Higgins(10) | |
10.11.2+ | Indemnification Agreement, dated September 10, 2009, by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Thomas T. Higgins(10) | |
10.11.3+ | Employment Agreement, dated October 27, 2014 by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Thomas T. Higgins(28) | |
10.12.1+ | Letter Agreement, dated August 14, 2014, between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Francis X. McGillin(32) | |
10.13 | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated September 8, 2009 between the Company and each investor(9) | |
10.14 | Manufacturing and Supply Agreement, dated as of August 2, 2006, by and between Parlex Polymer Flexible Circuits, Inc. and NeuroMetrix, Inc.(3) | |
10.15.1 | Engagement Letter by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Dawson James Securities, Inc., dated December 30, 2011(18) | |
10.15.2 | First Amendment to Engagement Letter by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Dawson James Securities, Inc., dated January 30, 2012(18) | |
10.16 | Engagement Letter by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and Dawson James Securities, Inc., dated June 4, 2013(21) | |
10.17+ | Amended and Restated 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan(19) | |
10.18+ | Management Retention and Incentive Plan, as modified, dated October 27, 2014(28) |
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Exhibit Number | Description | |
10.19 | Securities Purchase Agreement by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and the purchasers named therein, dated June 4, 2013(21) | |
10.20 | Securities Purchase Agreement by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and the purchasers named therein, as amended, dated June 24, 2014(27) | |
10.21 | Registration Rights Agreement by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and the purchasers named therein, dated June 4, 2013(21) | |
10.22 | Registration Rights Agreement by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and the purchasers named therein, dated June 24, 2014(27) | |
10.23 | Repurchase and Forfeiture Agreement by and between NeuroMetrix, Inc. and the parties named therein (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
23.1* | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm | |
23.2 | Consent of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
24.1 | Power of Attorney (included on signature page to the registration statement initially filed on April 25, 2013) | |
24.2 | Power of Attorney for David Van Avermaete (previously filed with this registration statement) | |
101 | The following materials from NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language); (i) Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, (ii) Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, (iii) Statements of Changes in Stockholders Equity for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, (iv) Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, and (v) Notes to Financial Statements(29) |
# | Replaces exhibit with the same number previously filed with this Registration Statement on Form S-1. |
* | Filed herewith. |
** | To be filed by amendment. |
+ | Indicates management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement. |
| Confidential treatment has been granted with respect to certain portions of this Exhibit, which portions have been omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an application for confidential treatment pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
(1) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on May 13, 2004, as amended (Registration No. 333-115440). |
(2) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 15, 2004 (File No. 000-50856). |
(3) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 2, 2006 (File No. 000-50856). |
(4) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 17, 2007 (File No. 001-33351). |
(5) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Form 8-A12(b) filed on March 8, 2007 (File No. 001-33351). |
(6) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on August 9, 2004 (File No. 333-118059). |
(7) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 26, 2008 (File No. 001-33351). |
(8) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 20, 2009 (File No. 001-33351). |
(9) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 14, 2009 (File No. 001-33351). |
(10) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 15, 2009 (File No. 001-33351). |
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(11) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 27, 2008 (File No. 001-33351). |
(12) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2010 (File No. 001-33351). |
(13) | Incorporated herein by reference to Appendix A to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 8, 2010 (File No. 001-33351). |
(14) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 1, 2011 (File No. 001-33351). |
(15) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 15, 2013 (File No. 001-33351). |
(16) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 3, 2011 (File No. 001-33351). |
(17) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on June 3, 2009 (File No. 333-159712). |
(18) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on November 23, 2011, as amended (Registration No. 333-178165). |
(19) | Incorporated herein by reference to Appendix B NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 16, 2012 (File No. 001-33351). |
(20) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 3, 2012 (File No. 001-33351). |
(21) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 6, 2013 (File No. 001-33351). |
(22) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Amendment No. 1 to its Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 7, 2013 (File No. 001-33351). |
(23) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on July 26, 2013 (File No. 001-33351). |
(24) | Incorporated herein by reference to Appendix A to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on March 30, 2015 (File No. 001-33351) |
(25) | Incorporated herein by reference to Appendix B to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 7, 2014 (File No. 001-33351). |
(26) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on April 24, 2014 (File No. 001-33351). |
(27) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 25, 2014 (File No. 001-33351). |
(28) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on October 28, 2014 (File No. 001-33351). |
(29) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 25, 2015 (File No. 001-33351). |
(30) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Amendment No. 2 to its Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on January 31, 2012 (File No. 333-178165) |
(31) | Incorporated herein by reference to NeuroMetrix, Inc.s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on April 23, 2015. |
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