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Lantheus (LNTH)
NASDAQ:LNTH
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Lantheus (LNTH) Risk Factors

1,311 Followers
Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

Lantheus disclosed 53 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Lantheus reported the most risks in the “Tech & Innovation” category.

Risk Overview Q3, 2024

Risk Distribution
53Risks
26% Tech & Innovation
25% Finance & Corporate
17% Production
13% Legal & Regulatory
11% Ability to Sell
8% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

2020
Q4
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Lantheus Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q3, 2024

Main Risk Category
Tech & Innovation
With 14 Risks
Tech & Innovation
With 14 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
53
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
53
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
2Risks added
0Risks removed
6Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
2Risks added
0Risks removed
6Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
Number of Risk Changed
6
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
6
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Lantheus in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 53

Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 14/53 (26%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D7 | 13.2%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
We can give no assurance that GE Healthcare will be successful with the further clinical development of flurpiridaz.
In May 2015, we announced complete results from the first of two planned Phase 3 clinical trials for flurpiridaz. Although the development candidate appeared to be well-tolerated from a safety perspective and outperformed SPECT in a highly statistically significant manner in the co-primary endpoint of sensitivity and in the secondary endpoints of image quality and diagnostic certainty, flurpiridaz did not meet its other co-primary endpoint of non-inferiority for identifying subjects without disease. In April 2017, we entered into the License Agreement with GE Healthcare for the continued Phase 3 development and worldwide commercialization of flurpiridaz. Under the License Agreement, GE Healthcare agreed, among other things, to complete the worldwide development of flurpiridaz by conducting a second Phase 3 trial and pursue worldwide regulatory approvals. In September 2022, we announced with GE Healthcare that the second Phase 3 clinical trial had met its co-primary endpoints of exceeding a 60% threshold for both sensitivity and specificity for detecting CAD. The findings, shared at an American Society of Nuclear Cardiology conference, also demonstrated that cardiac PET imaging with flurpiridaz had higher diagnostic efficacy and image quality in patients with suspected CAD, compared with SPECT MPI, the predominant procedure currently used in nuclear cardiology. Notwithstanding these findings, we cannot assure that any of the data generated in either our or GE Healthcare's sponsored Phase 3 study will be sufficient to support an NDA approval or that flurpiridaz will ever be approved as a PET MPI imaging agent by the FDA. While GE Healthcare recently announced that it had filed an NDA with the FDA for flurpiridaz, any failure or significant delay in receiving regulatory approval for the sale of flurpiridaz may harm our business and delay or prevent us from being able to generate additional future royalty revenue from product sales.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
The process of developing new drugs and obtaining regulatory approval is complex, time-consuming and costly, and the outcome is not certain.
We currently have clinical development programs in the U.S., including those related to PNT2002, PNT2003, MK-6240 and LNTH-1363S, and are exploring additional lifecycle management opportunities for some of our current products, including PYLARIFY. We also have a number of strategic partnerships relating to obtaining additional indications for existing commercial products or regulatory approval for clinical development candidates. To obtain regulatory approval for these products in the indications being pursued, we must conduct extensive human tests, which are referred to as clinical trials, as well as meet other rigorous regulatory requirements, as further described in Part I, Item 1. "Business-Regulatory Matters." Satisfaction of all regulatory requirements typically takes many years and requires the expenditure of substantial resources. A number of other factors may cause significant delays in the completion of our clinical trials, including unexpected delays in the initiation of clinical sites, slower than projected enrollment, competition with ongoing clinical trials and scheduling conflicts with participating clinicians, regulatory requirements, limits on manufacturing capacity and failure of an investigational product to meet required standards for administration to humans. In addition, it may take longer than we project to achieve study endpoints and complete data analysis for a clinical trial or we may decide to slow down the enrollment in a trial in order to conserve financial resources or for other reasons. Our products in development are also subject to the risks of failure inherent in drug development, drug testing and regulatory approval. The results of preliminary studies do not necessarily predict clinical success, and larger and later stage clinical trials may not produce the same results as earlier stage trials. Sometimes, products that have shown promising results in early clinical trials have subsequently suffered significant setbacks in later clinical trials. Products in later stage clinical trials may fail to show desired safety and efficacy traits, despite having progressed through initial clinical testing. In addition, the data collected from clinical trials of our products in development may not be sufficient to support regulatory approval, or regulators could interpret the data differently and less favorably than we do. Further, the design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product, and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. Clinical trials of potential products often reveal that it is not practical or feasible to continue development efforts. Regulatory authorities may require us or our partners to conduct additional clinical testing, in which case we would have to expend additional time and resources. Depending on the regulatory pathway selected for drug approval, such as by filing an ANDA or Section 505(b)(2) NDA that requires sending notice to the innovator of a drug, regulatory approval may also be delayed by litigation brought under the Hatch-Waxman Act. For example, on January 26, 2024, we were sued in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by Advanced Accelerator Applications USA, Inc. and Advanced Accelerator Applications SA, each a Novartis entity, for patent infringement in response to the filing of our ANDA for PNT2003 and Paragraph IV certification, consistent with the process established by the Hatch-Waxman Act. The approval process may also be delayed by changes in government regulation, future legislation or administrative action or changes in regulatory policy that occur prior to or during regulatory review. The failure to provide clinical and preclinical data that are adequate to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the regulatory authorities that our products in development are safe and effective for their proposed use will delay or preclude approval and will prevent us from marketing those products. We are not permitted to market our products in development in the U.S. or other countries until we have received requisite regulatory approvals. For example, securing FDA approval for a new drug requires the submission of an NDA to the FDA for our products in development. The NDA must include extensive nonclinical and clinical data and supporting information to establish the product's safety and effectiveness for each indication. The NDA must also include significant information regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and controls for the product. The FDA review process can take many years to complete, and approval is never guaranteed. If a product is approved, the FDA may limit the indications for which the product may be marketed, require extensive warnings on the product labeling, impose restricted distribution programs, require expedited reporting of certain adverse events, or require costly ongoing requirements for post-marketing clinical trials and surveillance or other risk management measures to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. In some instances, products in development may also be approved by filing an ANDA or Section 505(b)(2) NDA with the FDA (as further described in Part I, Item 1. "Business-Regulatory Matters-Hatch-Waxman Act."); provided, however, that seeking regulatory approval under such pathways may subject the product candidate to delays caused by litigation brought by an innovator of similar drugs under the Hatch-Waxman Act, as is the case with our ANDA application and Paragraph IV certification for PNT2003. Markets outside of the U.S. also have requirements for approval of products with which we must comply prior to marketing. Obtaining regulatory approval for marketing of a product in one country does not ensure we will be able to obtain regulatory approval in other countries, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in other countries. Also, any regulatory approval of any of our products in development, once obtained, may be withdrawn. Approvals might not be granted on a timely basis, if at all.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
Added
We may not, or may take longer to, realize the expected benefits and opportunities related to, investments we have made to develop diagnostic product candidates to be used in diagnosing, staging and monitoring Alzheimer's disease.
On July 15, 2024, we announced that we acquired Meilleur, which holds the rights under a license agreement to develop and commercialize NAV-4694, an investigational next-generation F 18-labeled PET imaging agent that targets Beta Amyloid in Alzheimer's disease. NAV-4694 is currently in Phase 3 development and is also being used in academic and industry sponsored studies. Previously, we acquired MK-6240, which is an investigational next-generation F 18-labeled PET imaging agent that targets Tau tangles. Recently, we held a pre-NDA meeting with the FDA and we expect to submit an NDA for MK-6240 in 2025, but we can provide no assurance that we will meet that expected timeline, that our NDA will be accepted by the FDA, that MK-6240 will be approved by the FDA based on the data submitted or, if approved, that we will be successful in commercializing MK-6240. While we believe that both MK-6240, as a Tau imaging agent, and NAV-4694, as a Beta Amyloid imaging agent, have the potential to play an important role in diagnosing, staging and monitoring Alzheimer's disease, we can give no assurance that we will be successful with continued development, regulatory approval and commercialization of these product candidates or that disagreements with the counterparties to our license agreements for MK-6240 and NAV-4694 or the former stockholders of the companies we acquired who could receive future milestone and royalty-based payments will not arise over proprietary rights, contract interpretation or the preferred course of product research, development or marketing that might cause delays or termination of the license agreements, or might result in litigation or arbitration, which could be time-consuming and expensive.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 4
Our future growth may depend on our ability to identify and acquire or in-license additional products, businesses or technologies, and if we do not successfully do so, or otherwise fail to integrate any new products, lines of business or technologies into our operations, we may have limited growth opportunities and it could result in significant impairment charges or other adverse financial consequences.
We seek to acquire or in-license products, businesses or technologies that we believe are a strategic fit with our business strategy. Future acquisitions or in-licenses, however, may entail numerous operational and financial risks, including: - A reduction of our current financial resources;- Incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of securities to pay for acquisitions;- Difficulty or inability to secure financing to fund development activities for those acquired or in-licensed technologies;- Higher than expected acquisition and integration costs;- Disruption of our business, customer base and diversion of our management's time and attention to develop acquired products or technologies; and - Exposure to unknown liabilities. We may not have sufficient resources to identify and execute the acquisition or in-licensing of third-party products, businesses and technologies and integrate them into our current infrastructure. In particular, we may compete with larger pharmaceutical companies and other competitors in our efforts to establish new collaborations and in-licensing opportunities. These competitors likely will have access to greater financial resources than we do and may have greater expertise in identifying and evaluating new opportunities. Furthermore, there may be an overlap between our products or customers and the companies which we acquire that may create conflicts in relationships or other commitments detrimental to the integrated businesses. Additionally, the time between our expenditures to acquire or in-license new products, technologies or businesses and the subsequent generation of revenues from those acquired products, technologies or businesses (or the timing of revenue recognition related to licensing agreements and/or strategic collaborations) could cause fluctuations in our financial performance from period to period. Finally, if we devote resources to potential acquisitions or in-licensing opportunities that are never completed, or if we fail to realize the anticipated benefits of those efforts, we could incur significant impairment charges or other adverse financial consequences.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 5
Our business depends on our ability to successfully introduce new products and adapt to a changing technology and medical practice landscape.
The healthcare industry is characterized by continuous technological development resulting in changing customer preferences and requirements. The success of new product development depends on many factors, including our ability to fund development of new products or new indications for existing products, anticipate and satisfy customer needs, obtain timely regulatory approval based on performance of our products in development versus their clinical trial comparators, develop and manufacture products in a cost-effective and timely manner, maintain advantageous positions with respect to intellectual property and differentiate our products from our competitors. To compete successfully in the marketplace, we must make substantial investments in new product development, whether internally or externally through licensing or acquisitions. Our failure to introduce new and innovative products in a timely manner would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Even if we are able to develop, manufacture and obtain regulatory approvals for our new products, the success of these products would depend upon market acceptance and adequate coding, coverage and payment. Levels of market acceptance for our new products could be affected by a number of factors, including: - The availability of alternative products from our competitors;- The breadth of indications in which alternative products from our competitors can be marketed;- The price of our products relative to those of our competitors;- The timing of our market entry;- Our ability to enter into commercial contracts to sell our products;- Our ability to market and distribute our products effectively;- Market acceptance of our products; and - Our ability to obtain adequate coding, coverage and payment, including the availability of TPT Status. The field of diagnostic medical imaging is dynamic, with new products, including equipment, software and products, continually being developed and existing products continually being refined. Our own diagnostic imaging agents compete not only with other similarly administered imaging agents but also with imaging agents employed in different and often competing diagnostic modalities, and in the case of DEFINITY, echocardiography procedures without ultrasound enhancing agents. New hardware, software or products in a given diagnostic modality may be developed that provide benefits superior to the then-dominant hardware, software and products in that modality, resulting in commercial displacement of the products. Similarly, changing perceptions about comparative efficacy and safety including, among other things, comparative radiation exposure, as well as changing availability of supply or the availability of additional payments for new devices such as TPT Status, may favor one product over another or one modality over another. In addition, new or revised appropriate use criteria developed by professional societies, to assist physicians and other health care providers in making appropriate imaging decisions for specific clinical conditions, can and have reduced the frequency of and demand for certain imaging modalities and imaging agents. To the extent there is technological obsolescence in any of our products that we manufacture, resulting in lower unit sales or decreased unit sales prices, we will have increased unit overhead allocable to the remaining market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Similar risks could apply to therapeutic products, including products we are developing.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 6
Ultrasound enhancing agents may cause side effects which could limit our ability to sell DEFINITY.
DEFINITY is an ultrasound enhancing agent based on perflutren lipid microspheres. In 2007, the FDA received reports of deaths and serious cardiopulmonary reactions following the administration of ultrasound enhancing agents used in echocardiography. Four of the 11 reported deaths were caused by cardiac arrest occurring either during or within 30 minutes following the administration of the ultrasound enhancing agent; most of the serious but non-fatal reactions also occurred in this time frame. As a result, in October 2007, the FDA requested that we and GE Healthcare, which distributes Optison, a competitor to DEFINITY, add a boxed warning to these products emphasizing the risk for serious cardiopulmonary reactions and that the use of these products was contraindicated in certain patients. In a strong reaction by the cardiology community to the FDA's new position, a letter was sent to the FDA, signed by 161 doctors, stating that the benefit of these ultrasound enhancing agents outweighed the risks and urging that the boxed warning be removed. In May 2008, the FDA substantially modified the boxed warning. On May 2, 2011, the FDA held an advisory committee meeting to consider the status of ultrasound enhancing agents and the boxed warning. In October 2011, we received FDA approval of further modifications to the DEFINITY label, including: further relaxing the boxed warning; eliminating the sentence in the Indication and Use section "The safety and efficacy of DEFINITY with exercise stress or pharmacologic stress testing have not been established" (previously added in October 2007 in connection with the imposition of the box warning); and including summary data from the post-approval CaRES (Contrast echocardiography Registry for Safety Surveillance) safety registry and the post-approval pulmonary hypertension study. Further, in January 2017, the FDA approved an additional modification to the DEFINITY label, removing the contraindication statement related to use in patients with a known or suspected cardiac shunt. Bracco's ultrasound enhancing agent, Lumason, has substantially similar safety labeling as DEFINITY and Optison. In April 2021, after reviewing certain adverse events that occurred in patients with a prior history of allergic reactions to polyethylene glycol ("PEG"), an inactive excipient in both DEFINITY and Lumason, the FDA and the marketing authorization holders of these products agreed to an additional contraindication for use of these products, including advising clinicians to assess patients for prior PEG hypersensitivity before administering these products. In June 2023, after reviewing adverse events that occurred in patients with history of sickle cell disease, we agreed with the FDA to amend the label to advise clinicians that if a patient with sickle cell disease experiences acute pain episodes following DEFINITY administration, use of DEFINITY in that patient should be discontinued. If additional safety issues arise (not only with DEFINITY but also potentially with Optison and Lumason), this may result in unfavorable changes in labeling or result in restrictions on the approval of our product, including removal of the product from the market. Lingering safety concerns about DEFINITY among some healthcare providers or future unanticipated side effects or safety concerns associated with DEFINITY could limit expanded use of DEFINITY and have a material adverse effect on the unit sales of this product and our financial condition and results of operations.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 7
We may not be able to successfully launch PYLARIFY AI as a commercial product.
We announced in November 2021 that PYLARIFY AI, our FDA-cleared medical device software, was commercially available in the United States. Our ability to successfully launch PYLARIFY AI as a commercial product depends in part on, among other things: - the market receptivity to PYLARIFY AI as a new digital application for quantitative assessment of PSMA PET/CT images in prostate cancer;- our ability, and our distributors' abilities, to secure customers' internal approvals and sell and deploy PYLARIFY AI at customer locations;- interruptions or performance problems associated with our digital application, including a service outage; and - a network or data security incident that allows unauthorized access to our network or data or our customers' data.
Trade Secrets5 | 9.4%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We may not, or may take longer to, realize the expected benefits and opportunities related to, the POINT License Agreements.
On December 20, 2022, we announced the closing of a set of strategic collaborations with an affiliate of POINT, in which we were granted a license to exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Japan, South Korea, China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Singapore and Indonesia) to co-develop and commercialize POINT's PNT2002 and PNT2003 product candidates (the "POINT License Agreements"). The expected benefits and opportunities related to the POINT License Agreements may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected due to, for example, challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research, development, manufacturing, regulatory approval, marketing and competition. In particular, activities under the POINT License Agreements may not result in viable products suitable for commercialization in a timely manner or at all, due to a variety of reasons, including any inability of the relevant parties to perform their commitments and obligations under the POINT License Agreements. The POINT License Agreements impose various development, regulatory filing, commercialization and other obligations on us, and require us to meet development timelines or to exercise commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products. We, along with our counterparty in the POINT License Agreements, may not be able to meet expected or planned regulatory milestones and timelines due to a number of factors, including, with respect to PNT2003, potential litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act that could impose a stay on FDA approval of up to 30 months. Even if the licensed products are suitable for commercialization in a timely manner, we may not achieve the expected revenues from the sale of such products, and our revenue, ability to achieve profitability and return on investment may be adversely affected. With respect to PNT2002, on December 18, 2023, we announced positive topline results from SPLASH, the Phase 3 registrational trial for PNT2002. Although the topline results indicated that the SPLASH trial met its primary endpoint, at the time of our topline analysis, interim OS results were immature. We expect additional, follow-up data in 2024 prior to the potential submission of an NDA; however, we can give no assurance that, as additional data become available, such data will not be materially different from the topline data we previously published, or that such data will support an NDA filing, FDA approval, or successful commercialization of PNT2002. In addition, we are dependent on POINT to develop commercial product capacity and manufacture clinical and commercial supply for both PNT2002 and PNT2003, as well as supply for our EAP for PNT2002. Disagreements with the counterparty in the POINT License Agreements over proprietary rights, contract interpretation or the preferred course of product research, development or marketing, might cause delays in performance of the POINT License Agreements or termination of the POINT License Agreements, or might result in litigation or arbitration, which could be time-consuming and expensive. In spite of our efforts, if we fail to comply with our obligations under the POINT License Agreements, the counterparty in the POINT License Agreements may conclude that we have materially breached and may terminate one or both of the POINT License Agreements, in which event we may lose our rights to develop and market PNT2002 and PNT2003 or incur liability for damages. Any of the foregoing risks could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects and the trading price of our common stock.
Trade Secrets - Risk 2
Our patents are subject to generic challenge, and the validity, enforceability and commercial value of these patents are highly uncertain.
Our ability to obtain and defend our patents impacts the commercial value of our products and product candidates. Third parties have challenged and are likely to continue challenging the patents that have been issued or licensed to us. Patent protection involves complex legal and factual questions and, therefore, enforceability is uncertain. Our patents may be challenged, invalidated, held to be unenforceable, or circumvented, which could negatively impact their commercial value. Furthermore, patent applications filed outside the United States may be challenged by other parties, for example, by filing third-party observations that argue against patentability or an opposition. Such opposition proceedings are increasingly common in the EU and are costly to defend.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, our competitors could develop and market products with features similar to our products, and demand for our products may decline.
Our commercial success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret protection of our commercial products and technologies and products in development as well as successfully enforcing and defending these patents and trade secrets against third parties and their challenges, both in the U.S. and in foreign countries. We will only be able to protect our intellectual property from unauthorized use by third parties to the extent that we maintain the secrecy of our trade secrets and can enforce our valid patents and trademarks. The patent positions of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved. In addition, changes in either the patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the U.S. or other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property and we may not receive the same degree of protection in every jurisdiction. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or in third-party patents. The degree of future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain because legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep our competitive advantage. For example: - We might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and issued patents, and we could lose our patent rights as a result;- We might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions or our patent applications may not have been timely filed, and we could lose our patent rights as a result;- Others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies;- It is possible that none of our pending patent applications will result in any further issued patents;- Our issued patents may not provide a basis for commercially viable drugs, may not provide us with any protection from unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties, and may not provide us with any competitive advantages;- The validity or enforceability of our patent applications or patents may be subject to challenge through interferences, oppositions, post-grant review, ex-parte re-examinations, inter partes review or similar administrative proceedings;- While we generally apply for patents in those countries where we intend to make, have made, use or sell patented products, we may not be able to accurately predict all of the countries where patent protection will ultimately be desirable and may be precluded from doing so at a later date;- We may choose not to seek patent protection in certain countries where the actual cost outweighs the perceived benefit at a certain time;- Patents issued in foreign jurisdictions may have different scopes of coverage than our U.S. patents and so our products may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the U.S.;- We may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable;- The patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business; or - The cost to defend our patents may be significant and may result in litigation which could be costly and time consuming. Moreover, the issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its validity or enforceability. A third party may challenge the validity or enforceability of a patent even after its issuance by the USPTO or the applicable foreign patent office. It is also uncertain how much protection, if any, will be afforded by our patents if we attempt to enforce them and they are challenged in court or in other proceedings, which may be brought in U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdictions to challenge the validity of a patent. The initiation, defense and prosecution of intellectual property suits (including Hatch-Waxman related litigation), interferences, oppositions and related legal and administrative proceedings are costly, time consuming to pursue and result in a diversion of resources, including a significant amount of management time. The outcome of these proceedings is uncertain and could significantly harm our business. If we are not able to enforce and defend the patents of our technologies and products, then we will not be able to exclude competitors from marketing products that directly compete with our products, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We also rely on trade secrets and other know-how and proprietary information to protect our technology, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. We use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, but our employees, consultants, contractors, outside scientific partners and other advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose our confidential information to competitors or other third parties. Enforcing a claim that a third party improperly obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive, time consuming and resource intensive, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the U.S. are sometimes less willing to protect trade secrets. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. We rely on confidentiality agreements with our collaborators, employees, consultants and other third parties and invention assignment agreements with our employees to protect our trade secrets and other know-how and proprietary information concerning our business. These confidentiality agreements may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other know-how and proprietary information, and there can be no guarantee that an employee or an outside party will not make an unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets, other technical know-how or proprietary information, or that we can detect such an unauthorized disclosure. We may not have adequate remedies for any unauthorized disclosure. This might happen intentionally or inadvertently. It is possible that a competitor will make use of that information, and that our competitive position will be compromised, in spite of any legal action we might take against persons making those unauthorized disclosures, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We rely on our trademarks, trade names and brand names to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors, and have registered or applied to register many of these trademarks. We cannot assure you that any pending trademark applications will be approved. Third parties may also oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. If our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to re-brand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe our trademarks, or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.
Trade Secrets - Risk 4
We depend on licenses from third parties for our rights to develop and commercialize certain product candidates. If we fail to achieve milestone requirements or to satisfy other conditions, we may lose those rights under those license agreements, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Many of our products or product candidates incorporate rights licensed by third parties -- for example, we license patent rights on PYLARIFY, PNT2002, PNT2003, MK-6240, LNTH-1363S and NM-01. We could lose the rights to develop or commercialize these products and product candidates if the related license agreement is terminated due to a breach by us or otherwise. In addition, we are required to make substantial cash payments, achieve milestones and satisfy other conditions, including filing for and obtaining marketing approvals and introducing products, sometimes in accordance with established timelines, to maintain rights under our license agreements. Due to the nature of these agreements and the uncertainties of development, we may not be able to achieve milestones or satisfy conditions to which we have contractually committed, and as a result may be unable to maintain our rights under these licenses. If we do not comply with our license agreements, the licensors may terminate them, which could result in our losing our rights to, and therefore being unable to commercialize, related products. This loss could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Trade Secrets - Risk 5
Changed
We, or our business partners, may be subject to claims that we, or our partners, have infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated the patent or other intellectual property rights of a third party. The outcome of any of these claims is uncertain and any unfavorable result could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We, or our business partners, may be subject to claims by third parties that we, or our partners, have infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated third-party intellectual property rights. We are aware of intellectual property rights held by third parties that relate to products or technologies we are developing. For example, we are aware of other groups investigating PSMA or related compounds and monoclonal antibodies directed at PSMA, and PSMA-targeted imaging agents and therapeutics, and of patents held, and patent applications filed, by these groups in those areas. While the validity of these issued patents, the patentability of pending patent applications and the applicability of any of them to our products and programs are uncertain, if asserted against us or our partners, any related patent or other intellectual property rights could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products. We may be subject to litigation over infringement claims regarding the products we manufacture or distribute or intend to manufacture or distribute. For example, on January 26, 2024, we were sued in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by Advanced Accelerator Applications USA, Inc. and Advanced Accelerator Applications SA, each a Novartis entity, for patent infringement in response to the filing of our ANDA for PNT2003 and Paragraph IV certification, consistent with the process established by the Hatch-Waxman Act. This type of litigation can be costly and time consuming and could divert management's attention and resources, generate significant expenses, damage payments (potentially including treble damages) or restrictions or prohibitions on our use of our technology, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, if we are found to be infringing on proprietary rights of others, we may be required to develop non-infringing technology, obtain a license (which may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all), make substantial one-time or ongoing royalty payments, or cease making, using and/or selling the infringing products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Similarly, in June of 2024, Endocycte, Inc., Novartis and Purdue Research Foundation sued POINT and Eli Lilly and Co alleging that POINT's manufacturing and sale of PNT2002 infringes an Endocyte patent that discloses PSMA-binding conjugates useful for delivery targeted therapeutic, diagnostic and imaging agents, including radiopharmaceuticals. While we have not been named as a party to the lawsuit, if POINT is found to be infringing on proprietary rights of Endocyte, it could prevent or result in a delay in our development and commercialization of PNT2002 or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Cyber Security1 | 1.9%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
A disruption in our computer networks, including those related to cybersecurity, could adversely affect our operations or financial position.
We believe that our cybersecurity program is designed to effectively mitigate the risks of material cybersecurity incidents. However, our management does not expect that our cybersecurity program will prevent or detect all occurrences of cybersecurity incidents, material or otherwise, and there is potential risk that certain cybersecurity breaches may go undetected for a period of time. The design of our cybersecurity program is based, in part, upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future incidents, and there can be no assurance that any design will prevent or detect all cybersecurity breaches. Over time, certain aspects of cybersecurity programs may become inadequate because of changes in technology, sophistication of cybersecurity attacks, emerging threats or other conditions, or the degree of compliance with our policies and procedures may deteriorate. We rely on our computer networks and systems, some of which are managed by third parties, to manage and store electronic information (including sensitive data such as confidential business information, personally identifiable data and personal health information), and to manage or support a variety of critical business processes and activities. We may face threats to our networks from unauthorized access, security breaches and other system disruptions. Despite our security measures, our infrastructure may be vulnerable to external or internal attacks. Any such security breach may compromise information stored on our networks and may result in significant data losses or theft of sensitive or proprietary information. A cybersecurity breach could hurt our reputation by adversely affecting the perception of customers and potential customers about the security of their orders and personal information, as well as the perception of our manufacturing partners of the security of their proprietary information. In addition, a cybersecurity attack could result in other negative consequences, including disruption of our internal operations, increased cybersecurity protection costs, lost revenue, regulatory actions or litigation. Any disruption of internal operations could also have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. To date, we have not experienced any known material cybersecurity attacks.
Technology1 | 1.9%
Technology - Risk 1
Our business depends on the continued effectiveness and availability of our information technology infrastructure, and failures of this infrastructure could harm our operations.
To remain competitive in our industry, we must employ information technologies to support manufacturing processes, quality processes, distribution, R&D and regulatory applications and that capture, manage and analyze large streams of data in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. We rely extensively on technology, some of which is managed by third-party service providers, to allow the concurrent conduct of work sharing around the world. As with all information technology, our equipment and infrastructure age and become subject to increasing maintenance and repair and our systems generally are vulnerable to potential damage or interruptions from fires, natural disasters, power outages, blackouts, machinery breakdown, telecommunications failures and other unexpected events, as well as to break-ins, sabotage, increasingly sophisticated intentional acts of vandalism or cybersecurity threats which, due to the nature of such attacks, may remain undetected for a period of time. As these threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to enhance our information security measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities. Given the extensive reliance of our business on technology, any substantial disruption or resulting loss of data that is not avoided or corrected by our backup measures could harm our business, reputation, operations and financial condition.
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 13/53 (25%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights5 | 9.4%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law and certain provisions in the Notes and Indenture may make an acquisition of us more difficult.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as amended and restated, contain provisions that delay, defer or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control of us or change in our management. These provisions may also discourage bids for our common stock at a premium over market price or adversely affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of, our common stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors other than the candidates nominated by our Board. In addition, we are incorporated in Delaware and subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which may prohibit large stockholders from consummating a merger with, or acquisition of, us. These provisions may deter an acquisition of us that might otherwise be attractive to stockholders. Certain provisions in the Notes and the Indenture could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us. For example, if a takeover would constitute a fundamental change, holders of the Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase their Notes in cash. In addition, if a takeover constitutes a make-whole fundamental change, we may be required to increase the conversion rate for holders who convert their Notes in connection with such takeover. In either case, and in other cases, our obligations under the Notes and the Indenture could increase the cost of acquiring us or otherwise discourage a third party from acquiring us or removing incumbent management, including in a transaction that holders of our common stock may view as favorable.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our stock, or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrades our stock, or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, our stock price could also decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Our stock price could fluctuate significantly, which could cause the value of your investment to decline, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above your purchase price.
Securities markets worldwide have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of our common stock regardless of our operating performance. The high and low closing sales prices of our common stock during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 were $99.65 and $47.76, respectively. The trading price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including: - Market conditions in the broader stock market;- Actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial and operating results;- Issuance of new or changed securities analysts' reports or recommendations;- Investor perceptions of us and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries;- Sales, or anticipated sales, of large blocks of our stock;- Acquisitions or introductions of new products or services by us or our competitors;- Positive or negative results from our clinical development programs;- Additions or departures of key personnel;- Regulatory or political developments;- Loss of intellectual property protections;- Litigation and governmental investigations;- Geopolitical events; and - Changing economic conditions. These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Repurchases by us of our common stock may affect the value of our common stock.
In December 2022, our Board authorized the repurchase of up to $150.0 million in aggregate amount of our common stock under certain circumstances. We used approximately $75.0 million of the net proceeds from the Notes to repurchase shares of our common stock from purchasers of Notes in privately negotiated transactions effected with or through one of the initial purchasers or its affiliate. The purchase price per share of the common stock repurchased in such transactions was equal to the closing sale price per share of our common stock on December 5, 2022, which was $56.01 per share. Following this initial repurchase, we may from time to time repurchase additional shares of our common stock. Such repurchases could increase, or prevent a decrease in, the market price of our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
The issuance or sale of shares of our common stock, or rights to acquire shares of our common stock, could depress the trading price of our common stock.
We may conduct future offerings of our common stock, preferred stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for our common stock to finance our operations or fund acquisitions, or for other purposes. In addition, we expect to continue to grant equity awards to directors, officers and employees under our equity incentive plans. If we issue additional shares of our common stock or rights to acquire shares of our common stock, if any of our existing stockholders sells a substantial amount of our common stock, or if the market perceives that such issuances or sales may occur, then the trading price of our common stock may significantly decrease. In addition, our issuance of additional shares of common stock will dilute the ownership interests of our existing common stockholders.
Accounting & Financial Operations2 | 3.8%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future, and accordingly, stockholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, for the foreseeable future, to repay indebtedness and to fund the development and growth of our business. We do not intend to pay any dividends to holders of our common stock and the agreements governing our senior secured credit facilities limit our ability to pay dividends. As a result, capital appreciation in the price of our common stock, if any, will be your only source of gain on an investment in our common stock.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We may be limited in our ability to utilize, or may not be able to utilize, net operating loss carryforwards to reduce our future tax liability.
As of December 31, 2023, we had U.S. federal income tax loss carryforwards of $297.6 million, $157.9 million of which will expire between 2027 and 2037, $139.6 million of which can be carried forward indefinitely, and state income tax loss carryforwards of $12.5 million, tax-effected. We may be limited in our ability to use these tax loss carryforwards to reduce our future U.S. federal and state income tax liabilities if our future income is not sufficient to absorb the losses, or if we were to experience another "ownership change" as specified in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code including if we were to issue a certain amount of equity securities, certain of our stockholders were to sell shares of our common stock, or we were to enter into certain strategic transactions.
Debt & Financing5 | 9.4%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Despite our indebtedness, we may incur more debt, which could exacerbate the risks described above.
We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future subject to the limitations contained in the agreements governing our debt, including the 2022 Revolving Facility. Although these agreements restrict us and our restricted subsidiaries from incurring additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to important exceptions and qualifications. For example, we are generally permitted to incur certain indebtedness, including indebtedness arising in the ordinary course of business, indebtedness among restricted subsidiaries and us and indebtedness relating to hedging obligations. If we or our subsidiaries incur additional debt, the risks that we and they now face as a result of our leverage could intensify. In addition, the 2022 Revolving Facility will not prevent us from incurring obligations that do not constitute indebtedness under that agreement.
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service obligations.
Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to make scheduled payments on our debt obligations will depend on our future financial performance, which will be affected by a range of economic, competitive and business factors, many of which are outside of our control. If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, including interest and principal payments, our credit ratings could be downgraded, and we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our debt, selling assets, entering into additional corporate collaborations or licensing arrangements for one or more of our products in development, reducing or delaying capital investments or seeking to raise additional capital. We cannot assure you that any refinancing would be possible, that any assets could be sold, licensed or partnered, or, if sold, licensed or partnered, of the timing of the transactions and the amount of proceeds realized from those transactions, that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms, if at all, or that additional financing would be permitted under the terms of our various debt instruments then in effect. Furthermore, our ability to refinance would depend upon the condition of the financial and credit markets. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our obligations on commercially reasonable terms or on a timely basis, would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
We have indebtedness which may limit our financial and operating activities and may adversely affect our ability to incur additional debt to fund future needs.
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $575.0 million of total principal indebtedness remaining under the Notes and availability of $350.0 million under our five-year 2022 Revolving Facility. Our indebtedness and any future indebtedness we incur could: - Require us to dedicate a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to the payment of interest on and principal of our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for other purposes, including for working capital, capital expenditures and acquisitions;- Make it more difficult for us to satisfy and comply with our obligations with respect to our outstanding indebtedness, namely the payment of interest and principal;- Make it more difficult to refinance the outstanding indebtedness;- Subject us to increased sensitivity to interest rate increases;- Make us more vulnerable to economic downturns, adverse industry or company conditions or catastrophic external events;- Limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures;- Reduce our flexibility in planning for or responding to changing business, industry and economic conditions; and - Place us at a competitive disadvantage to competitors that have relatively less debt than we have. In addition, our level of indebtedness could limit our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, or at all, for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. Our liquidity needs could vary significantly and may be affected by general economic conditions, industry trends, performance and many other factors outside our control.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
Changed
The conditional conversion feature of the 2.625% Convertible Senior Notes due 2027, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
On December 8, 2022, we issued $575.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 2.625% Convertible Senior Notes due 2027 (the "Notes"), which included $75.0 million in aggregate principal amount of Notes sold pursuant to the full exercise of the initial purchasers' option to purchase additional Notes. The Notes were issued under an indenture, dated as of December 8, 2022 (the "Indenture"), among Lantheus Holdings, LMI, and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association ("U.S. Bank"), as Trustee. Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding September 15, 2027, the Notes may be converted at the option of the holders upon occurrence of specified events and during certain periods, and thereafter until the close of business on the business day immediately preceding the maturity date, the Notes may be converted at any time. For example, holders could elect to convert their Notes during a calendar quarter if the trading price of our common stock was greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the Notes (initially $79.81 per share) for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter. During the third quarter of 2024, the closing price of the Company's common stock exceeded 130% of the conversion price of the Notes for more than 20 trading days of the last 30 consecutive trading days of the quarter. As a result, the Notes are convertible at the option of the holders of the Notes during the fourth quarter of 2024, the quarter immediately following the quarter when the conditions are met, as stated in the terms of the Notes. If one or more holders elect to convert their Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by arranging for one or more financial institutions to take the Notes from converting holders and pay such holders in accordance with the Indenture, we would be required to settle any converted principal amount of such Notes through the payment of cash and by paying or delivering, at our election, cash, shares of our common stock, or a combination of cash and shares, with respect to the remainder of our conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes being converted, which could adversely affect our liquidity. Even if holders do not elect to convert their Notes, we reclassified the carrying value of the Notes as a current rather than long-term liability in accordance with accounting guidance. This has resulted in a material reduction of our net working capital and requires us to maintain total liquidity in excess of the principal balance of the Notes and any contingent liabilities due within twelve months and could require us to seek to increase the amount of our 2022 Revolving Credit Facility or seek alternative financing arrangements. In addition, our issuance of additional shares of common stock, if we elect to settle our conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes being converted in shares of common stock (whether in whole or in part), will dilute the ownership interests of our existing common stockholders, including any holders of the Notes who have previously received shares of our common stock upon conversion of their Notes.
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
U.S. credit markets may impact our ability to obtain financing or increase the cost of future financing, including interest rate fluctuations based on macroeconomic conditions that are beyond our control.
During periods of volatility and disruption in the U.S., European, or global credit markets, obtaining additional or replacement financing may be more difficult and the cost of issuing new debt or replacing or repaying our 2022 Facility could be higher than under our current 2022 Facility. Higher cost of new debt may limit our ability to have cash on hand for working capital, capital expenditures and acquisitions on terms that are acceptable to us. Additionally, our 2022 Facility has variable interest rates. By its nature, a variable interest rate will move up or down based on changes in the economy and other factors, all of which are beyond our control. If interest rates increase, our interest expense could increase, affecting earnings and reducing cash flows available for working capital, capital expenditures and acquisitions.
Corporate Activity and Growth1 | 1.9%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We may not, or may take longer to, realize the expected benefits and opportunities related to, the Cerveau Acquisition.
On February 6, 2023, we announced that we acquired Cerveau. Cerveau holds the rights under a license agreement to develop and commercialize MK-6240, an investigational second-generation F 18-labeled PET imaging agent that targets Tau tangles in Alzheimer's disease. MK-6240 is currently being used in more than 90 active clinical trials for several Alzheimer's disease therapeutic candidates being developed. While we believe that MK-6240, as a Tau imaging agent, has the potential to play an important role in patient staging, selection, and monitoring for future treatments and could be a surrogate endpoint for treatment efficacy, we can give no assurance that we will be successful with continued development, regulatory approval and commercialization of the product candidate or that disagreements with the counterparty to our license agreement for MK-6240 or the Selling Stockholders will not arise over proprietary rights, contract interpretation or the preferred course of product research, development or marketing that might cause delays or termination of the license agreement, or might result in litigation or arbitration, which could be time-consuming and expensive.
Production
Total Risks: 9/53 (17%)Above Sector Average
Manufacturing3 | 5.7%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
Changed
Our ability to continue to grow PYLARIFY as a commercial product is dependent on (A) the ability of PMFs to manufacture PYLARIFY to meet product demand, (B) our ability to obtain and maintain adequate coding, coverage and payment for PYLARIFY, (C) our ability to promote PYLARIFY to customers and to maintain PYLARIFY as the leading PSMA PET imaging agent, including after the potential expiration of TPT Status at the end of 2024 and (D) our ability to clinically and commercially differentiate PYLARIFY from other products.
To manufacture PYLARIFY, we assembled and qualified a nationwide network of PMFs with radioisotope-producing cyclotrons that make F 18, which has a 110-minute half-life, so PYLARIFY is manufactured and distributed rapidly to end-users. Because each of the PMFs manufacturing these products is deemed by the FDA to be a separate manufacturing site, each has to be separately approved by the FDA. Although PYLARIFY is broadly available across the U.S., we continue to seek qualification for additional PMFs in 2024 and can give no assurance that the FDA will continue to approve PMFs in accordance with our expansion to meet increasing demand. If FDA approval of manufacturing sites is delayed or withdrawn, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected. Obtaining adequate coding, coverage and payment for PYLARIFY is critical, including not only coverage from Medicare, Medicaid and other government payors, as well as private payors, but also appropriate payment levels to adequately cover our customers' costs of using PYLARIFY in PET/CT imaging procedures. The HCPCS code for PYLARIFY, which enables streamlined billing, went into effect as of January 1, 2022. In addition, effective January 1, 2022, CMS granted TPT Status for PYLARIFY, enabling traditional Medicare to provide an incremental payment for PET/CT scans performed with PYLARIFY in the hospital outpatient setting. TPT Status for PYLARIFY is expected to expire on December 31, 2024. After TPT Status expires, under current Medicare rules, PYLARIFY would not be separately reimbursed in the hospital outpatient setting but rather would be bundled into the facility payment a hospital receives for a PET/CT imaging procedure, and the facility payment may not always adequately cover the total cost of the procedure with PYLARIFY. Other competitive PSMA PET imaging agents will continue to have TPT after December 31, 2024 which could result in PYLARIFY customers choosing to prescribe and use a competitor's PSMA PET imaging agent instead of PYLARIFY. In November 2024, CMS released the final rule for its calendar year 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System ("OPPS"), which recognizes the value and need for broad access to diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals. The rule provides separate payment for those diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals with per day costs greater than $630. When implemented on January 1, 2025, CMS will maintain separate payment for PYLARIFY after the expiration of transitional pass-through for the approximately 20% of patients with traditional Medicare fee-for-service insurance coverage who are treated in the hospital outpatient setting. The calendar year 2025 payment rate for PYLARIFY is listed in Addendum B of the final rule and is equal to the current PYLARIFY payment rate. However, we can give no assurance that such rule will remain in effect, that such payment will remain the same or that legislative changes removing such a separate payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals would not be adopted. In addition, if other government payors or private payors do not provide adequate reimbursement for the use of PYLARIFY, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected. We plan to continue our advocacy efforts with CMS and private payors so that PYLARIFY customers will have appropriate and adequate reimbursement following the expiration of TPT Status. CMS has finalized its proposal for separate payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals over a certain per day cost threshold based on mean unit costs, which would allow continued separate payment for PYLARIFY. We will continue to work with coalition partners to support using average selling price to calculate payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals in future years similar to the way Medicare OPPS currently pays for other drugs, biologics, and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. However, we can give no assurances that we will be successful in those efforts or that the availability of TPT Status for other diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals will not impact clinical decision making regarding which product to use, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. The successful growth of PYLARIFY is also dependent on our ability to promote PYLARIFY to customers, to clinically and commercially differentiate PYLARIFY from other products on the market and to maintain PYLARIFY as the leading PSMA PET imaging agent in a competitive environment in which other PSMA PET imaging agents have been approved, for which discounts related to those other agents may be offered to customers and for which TPT Status will extend beyond December 31, 2024. PYLARIFY currently competes with two commercially available Ga-68-based PSMA PET imaging agents from Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and Novartis AG and an F 18 PSMA PET imaging agent from Blue Earth, as well as other non-PSMA PET imaging agents. Continued growth and revenue contribution from PYLARIFY will also depend on our ability to differentiate PYLARIFY in light of the potential loss of TPT Status, including through flexible and dependable access to PYLARIFY nationally, a best in class customer experience and through long-term strategic contracts. To the extent we are not successful in these efforts and we lose market share to existing or future competitors (including during any period of time in which our TPT Status has expired but TPT Status for a later-approved competitive products still exists), such loss of market share could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our success in growing PYLARIFY also depends, in part, on our successfully establishing the use of PYLARIFY for approved indications and potentially for additional indications, including for patient selection for PSMA-targeted therapeutics, and for new patient populations, such as patients with favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer. For example, we believe the approval of PLUVICTO for the treatment of adult patients with PSMA-positive mCRPC who have already been treated with other anticancer treatments (androgen receptor pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy) created a new addressable market for the use of PSMA PET imaging in patient selection for PSMA-targeted therapy. However, the prescribing information for PLUVICTO specifies that a PSMA-11 based PSMA PET imaging agent be used for patient selection, and PYLARIFY is not a PSMA-11 based imaging agent. While we note that FDA-approved labels for F 18-based and PSMA-11 based PSMA PET imaging agents have generally been treated as a class of drugs, including by the National Comprehensive Cancer Center in its guidelines and the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging in its appropriate use criteria, we can give no assurances that PLUVICTO prescribing information will be expanded to incorporate F 18-based PSMA PET imaging agents like PYLARIFY, or how current clinical practice may evolve. In addition, we are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether PYLARIFY can detect the presence or absence of additional prostate cancer lesions in patients with favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer, as well as how it may change the patient's intended management, but cannot predict whether the outcome of this clinical trial will support such a use for PYLARIFY. To the extent we are unsuccessful in establishing the use of PYLARIFY for approved or new indications or in new patient populations, such lack of success could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Manufacturing - Risk 2
Challenges with product quality or product performance, including defects, caused by us or our manufacturers or suppliers could result in a decrease in customers and revenues, unexpected expenses and loss of market share.
The manufacture of our products is highly exacting and complex and must meet stringent quality requirements, due in part to strict regulatory requirements, including the FDA's cGMPs. Problems may be identified or arise during manufacturing, quality review, packaging or shipment for a variety of reasons including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, defective raw materials and environmental factors. Additionally, manufacturing flaws, component failures, design defects, off-label uses or inadequate disclosure of product-related information could result in an unsafe condition or the injury or death of a patient. Those events could lead to a recall of, or issuance of a safety alert relating to, our products or could harm our reputation and our ability to market our products in the future. We also may undertake voluntarily to recall products or temporarily shut down production lines based on internal safety and quality monitoring and testing data. Quality, regulatory and recall challenges could cause us to incur significant costs, including costs to replace products, lost revenue, damage to customer relationships, time and expense spent investigating the cause and costs of any possible settlements or judgments related thereto and potentially cause similar losses with respect to other products. These challenges could also divert the attention of our management and employees from operational, commercial or other business efforts. If we deliver products with defects, or if there is a perception that our products or the processes related to our products contain errors or defects, we could incur additional recall and product liability costs, and our credibility and the market acceptance and sales of our products could be materially adversely affected. Due to the strong name recognition of our brands, an adverse event involving one of our products could result in reduced market acceptance and demand for all products within that brand, and could harm our reputation and our ability to market our products in the future. In some circumstances, adverse events arising from or associated with the design, manufacture or marketing of our products could result in the suspension or delay of regulatory reviews of our applications for new product approvals. These challenges could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Manufacturing - Risk 3
Our just-in-time manufacturing of radiopharmaceutical products relies on the reliability of our equipment and processes, the timely receipt of radioactive raw materials and the timely shipment of finished goods, and any disruption of our supply or distribution networks could have a negative effect on our business.
At the facility on our North Billerica, Massachusetts campus, we manufacture TechneLite on an automated production line. As with all manufacturing facilities, equipment and infrastructure age and become subject to increasing maintenance and repair. If we experience an event, including a labor dispute, natural disaster, fire, power outage, machinery breakdown, security problem, failure to meet regulatory requirements, product quality issue, technology transfer issue or other issue, we may be unable to manufacture the relevant products at previous levels or on the forecasted schedule, if at all. Due to the stringent regulations and requirements of the governing regulatory authorities regarding the manufacture of our products, we may not be able to quickly restart manufacturing at our facilities or establish additional or replacement sources for certain products, components or materials. In addition, because a number of our radiopharmaceutical products, including PYLARIFY and our TechneLite generators rely on radioisotopes with limited half-lives, we or our partners must manufacture, finish and distribute these products on a just-in-time basis, because the underlying radioisotope is in a constant state of decay. For example, the radioisotope used in PYLARIFY is F 18, which has a 110 minute half-life, requiring that this product be manufactured and distributed within the same day to end-users. After being made on a cyclotron at a PMF, the F 18 is then combined with certain chemical ingredients in specially designed chemistry synthesis boxes to manufacture PYLARIFY. The finished PYLARIFY is then quality control tested and transferred to a radiopharmacist who prepares and dispenses patient-specific doses from the final product. Similarly, with respect to our TechneLite generators, if we receive Mo-99 in the morning of a manufacturing day for TechneLite generators, then we will generally ship finished generators to customers by the end of that same business day. Shipment of generators may be by next day delivery services or by either ground or air custom logistics. Any delay in us receiving radioisotopes from suppliers or being able to have finished products delivered to customers because of weather or other unforeseen transportation issues could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Employment / Personnel2 | 3.8%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
If we lose the services of our key personnel, our business could be adversely affected.
Our success is substantially dependent upon the performance, contributions and expertise of our chief executive officer, executive leadership and senior management team. Mary Anne Heino, our Chief Executive Officer, and other members of our executive leadership and senior management team play a significant role in formulating and executing on our long-term strategy, generating business and overseeing operations. We have employment agreements with Ms. Heino, Brian Markison, who will succeed Ms. Heino as Chief Executive Officer effective March 1, 2024, and a limited number of other individuals on our executive leadership team, although we cannot prevent them from terminating their employment with us. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our executive officers. While we have experienced some turnover on our executive leadership team, we have generally been able to fill positions by either promoting existing employees or attracting new, qualified individuals to lead key functional areas. For example, on January 23, 2024, we announced that effective March 1, 2024, Brian Markison, our current Chair of the Board, will become our Chief Executive Officer, and Mary Anne Heino, our current Chief Executive Officer, will retire and become the Chair of the Board. Our inability to retain our existing executive leadership and senior management team, maintain an appropriate internal succession program or attract and retain additional qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Changed
We may not be able to hire or retain the number of qualified personnel, particularly scientific, medical and sales personnel, required for our business, which would harm the expansion of our internal research and development capabilities, sales of our products and approval timelines for and commercialization of our product candidates and limit our ability to grow.
Competition in our industry for highly skilled scientific, healthcare and sales personnel is intense and we may compete with larger pharmaceutical companies that likely will have access to greater financial resources than we do. As we expand our product candidate pipeline and develop and expand our internal research and development capabilities, we will need to continue to hire additional scientific, medical and regulatory personnel. In addition, similar to our approach with the launch and continued growth of PYLARIFY, as we commercialize additional products, we will need to hire additional employees to assist us with such commercialization, including in sales, marketing, reimbursement, quality and medical affairs. Although we have not had any material difficulty in the past in hiring or retaining qualified personnel, if we are unable to retain our existing personnel, or attract and train additional qualified personnel, either because of competition in our industry for these personnel or due to insufficient financial resources, then timelines for the approval and commercialization of our product candidates could be impacted, our growth could be limited and it could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Supply Chain4 | 7.5%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
Added
We depend on some of our PMF partners to generate sales, accept, produce and deliver orders and report and collect payments on our behalf for PYLARIFY.
PYLARIFY is sold in the U.S. to hospitals, independent imaging centers and government facilities and sales are generated through an internal PYLARIFY sales team, as well as a sales team at some of our PMF partners. We generally do not use group purchasing arrangements to sell PYLARIFY and require each customer to enter into a contract directly with us or our PMFs. Our ability to continue to successfully grow PYLARIFY depends, in part, on our ability, and the ability of some of our PMF partners on our behalf, to continue to enter into commercially beneficial arrangements directly with the hospitals, independent imaging centers and government facilities that we serve. Any delay or inability to enter into these arrangements, including our ability to negotiate favorable financial terms in these agreements, could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition to depending in part on some of our PMF partners to generate sales, we also depend on some of our PMF partners to accept, produce and deliver orders, invoice customers and to report and collect payments. To the extent our PMF partners are unsuccessful in generating sales, accepting, producing and delivering orders, invoicing customers or in reporting or collecting payments on our behalf, such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We and our PMF partners also use third-party software to accept orders placed by customers and to record shipping and administrative status of orders. To the extent we are unable to accept orders or access, verify or reconcile ordering, shipping or administrative data, such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Supply Chain - Risk 2
We have been and expect to continue to be dependent on partners for the development of certain product candidates, which expose us to the risk of reliance on these partners.
In connection with our ongoing development activities, we currently depend, and expect to continue to depend, on numerous collaborators. For example, in addition to our collaboration with Curium on PYLCLARI in Europe, GE Healthcare on flurpiridaz and POINT on PNT2002 and PNT2003, we have other collaborations to develop and commercialize products. In addition, certain clinical trials for our product candidates may be conducted by government-sponsored agencies, and consequently will be dependent on governmental participation and funding. These arrangements expose us to the same considerations we face when contracting with third parties for our own trials. If any of our collaborators breach or terminate its agreement with us or otherwise fail to conduct successfully and in a timely manner the collaborative activities for which they are responsible, the preclinical or clinical development or commercialization of the affected product candidate or research program could be delayed or terminated. We generally do not control the amount and timing of resources that our collaborators devote to our programs or product candidates. We also do not know whether current or future collaboration partners, if any, might pursue alternative technologies or develop alternative products either on their own or in collaboration with others, including our competitors, as a means for developing treatments for the diseases or conditions targeted by our collaborative arrangements. Our collaborators are also subject to similar development, regulatory, manufacturing, cyber-security and competitive risks as us, which may further impede their ability to successfully perform the collaborative activities for which they are responsible. Setbacks of these types to our collaborators could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
The global supply of Mo-99 is fragile and not stable. Our dependence on a limited number of third party suppliers for Mo-99 could prevent us from delivering some of our products to our customers in the required quantities, within the required timeframe, or at all, which could result in order cancellations and decreased revenues.
A critical ingredient of TechneLite is Mo-99. We currently purchase finished Mo-99 from three of the four main processing sites in the world, namely IRE in Belgium, NTP in South Africa and ANSTO in Australia. These processing sites provide us Mo-99 from five of the six main Mo-99-producing reactors in the world, namely BR2 in Belgium, LVR-15 in the Czech Republic, HFR in The Netherlands, SAFARI in South Africa and OPAL in Australia. Our agreement with NTP, acting for itself and on behalf of its subcontractor ANSTO, expires on December 31, 2024. Although we have a globally diverse Mo-99 supply with IRE in Belgium, NTP in South Africa, and ANSTO in Australia, we still face supplier and logistical challenges in our Mo-99 supply chain. When one supplier experiences outages, we generally rely on Mo-99 supply from the other suppliers to limit the impact of the outages. We believe we effectively manage these various supply chain challenges, but depending on reactor and processor schedules and operations, at times we have not been able to fill some or all of the demand for our TechneLite generators on certain manufacturing days. A prolonged disruption of service from one of our three Mo-99 processing sites or one of their main Mo-99-producing reactors could have a substantial negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. U.S., Canadian and international governments have encouraged the development of a number of alternative Mo-99 production projects with existing reactors and technologies as well as new technologies. However, we cannot say when, or if, the Mo-99 produced from these projects will become available. As a result, there is a limited amount of Mo-99 available which could limit the quantity of TechneLite that we could manufacture, sell and distribute, resulting in a substantial negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Most of the global suppliers of Mo-99 rely on Framatone-CERCA in France to fabricate uranium targets and in some cases fuel for research reactors from which Mo-99 is produced. Absent a new supplier, a supply disruption relating to uranium targets or fuel could have a substantial negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Supply Chain - Risk 4
Our dependence upon third parties for the manufacture and supply of a substantial portion of our products and certain key components and raw materials and upon our in-house manufacturing for DEFINITY could prevent us from delivering our products to our customers in the required quantities, within the required timeframes, or at all, which could result in order cancellations and decreased revenues.
We obtain a substantial portion of our products from third party manufacturers and suppliers. PYLARIFY is manufactured by a nationwide network of PMFs with radioisotope-producing cyclotrons. The radioisotope in PYLARIFY is fluorine-18, which has a 110-minute half-life, so PYLARIFY is manufactured and distributed rapidly to end-users. Because each of the PMFs manufacturing PLYARIFY is deemed by the FDA to be a separate manufacturing site, each has to be separately approved by the FDA. Although we have qualified and continue to qualify additional PMFs, we can give no assurance that the FDA will continue to approve PMFs in accordance with our planned roll-out schedule or that the PMFs will not experience issues with their ability to manufacture and deliver PYLARIFY to our customers. If FDA approval of manufacturing sites is delayed or withdrawn or our PMF sites experience manufacturing issues, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected. We rely on JHS as a substantial supplier of DEFINITY, as well as our sole source manufacturer of NEUROLITE, CARDIOLITE and evacuation vials. We rely on Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd. ("SBL") as our sole source manufacturer of DEFINITY RT. In addition, for reasons of quality assurance or cost-effectiveness, we purchase certain components and raw materials from sole suppliers (including, for example, the specially designed chemistry synthesis boxes and consumables used in the manufacturing of PYLARIFY, the lipid blend material and perflutren gas used in the manufacturing of DEFINITY and the lead casing for our TechneLite generators). Because we do not control the actual production of many of the products we sell and many of the raw materials and components that make up the products we sell, we may be subject to delays caused by interruption in production based on events and conditions outside of our control. If we or one of our manufacturing partners or suppliers experiences an event, including a supply chain disruption, shortage or delay, logistics issue, labor dispute, natural disaster, fire, power outage, machinery breakdown, security problem, failure to meet regulatory requirements, product quality issue, technology transfer issue, cybersecurity breach or other issue, we or one of our manufacturing partners or suppliers may be unable to manufacture the relevant products at previous levels or on the forecasted schedule, if at all. Due to the stringent regulations and requirements of the governing regulatory authorities regarding the manufacture of our products, we may not be able to quickly restart manufacturing at a third party or our own facility or establish additional or replacement sources for certain products, components or materials. In addition to our existing manufacturing relationships, we are also pursuing new manufacturing relationships to establish and secure additional or alternative suppliers for our commercial products. We also constructed a specialized in-house manufacturing facility at our North Billerica, Massachusetts campus for purposes of producing the formulation of DEFINITY that requires refrigerated storage and, potentially, other sterile vial products. On February 22, 2022, we received FDA approval of our sNDA, authorizing commercial manufacturing of DEFINITY at our new facility. This project provides a certain amount of supply chain redundancy for DEFINITY (other than DEFINITY RT, which is supplied solely by SBL). However, we cannot assure you that these activities or any of our additional supply activities will be successful or that we will be able to avoid or mitigate interim supply shortages before new sources of product are fully functional and qualified. In addition, we cannot assure you that our existing manufacturers or suppliers or any new manufacturers or suppliers can adequately maintain either their financial health, technical capabilities or regulatory compliance to allow continued production and supply. A reduction or interruption in manufacturing, or an inability to secure alternative sources of raw materials or components, could eventually have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 7/53 (13%)Below Sector Average
Regulation4 | 7.5%
Regulation - Risk 1
Many of our customer relationships outside of the U.S. are, either directly or indirectly, with governmental entities, and we could be adversely affected by violations of the FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws outside the U.S.
The FCPA, the Bribery Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA prohibits us from providing anything of value to foreign officials for the purposes of obtaining or retaining business or securing any improper business advantage. It also requires us to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect our transactions. Because of the predominance of government-sponsored healthcare systems around the world, many of our customer relationships outside of the U.S. are, either directly or indirectly, with governmental entities and are therefore subject to the FCPA and similar anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions. In addition, the provisions of the Bribery Act extend beyond bribery of foreign public officials and are more onerous than the FCPA in a number of other respects, including jurisdiction, non-exemption of facilitation payments and penalties. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and in certain circumstances strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our training and compliance programs, our internal control policies and procedures may not always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of those violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Regulation - Risk 2
Even if clinical development candidates receive regulatory approval, we can give no assurance that they can be successfully commercialized.
Even if our clinical development candidates proceed through their clinical trials and ultimately receive regulatory approval, there is no guarantee that an approved product can be manufactured in commercial quantities at a reasonable cost or that such a product will be successfully marketed or distributed. For example, the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of a radiopharmaceutical like flurpiridaz and MK-6240 will require the creation of a field-based network of specialized PET manufacturing facilities, or PMFs, with radioisotope-producing cyclotrons, similar to what we created for PYLARIFY, and will need to be manufactured and distributed rapidly to end-users. In addition, obtaining adequate coding, coverage and payment at appropriate payment levels for any clinical development candidate will be critical, including not only coverage from Medicare, Medicaid, and other government payors, but also from private payors. We can give no assurance, even if a clinical development candidate were to obtain regulatory approval, that adequate coding, coverage and payment could be secured to allow the approved products to become successfully commercialized.
Regulation - Risk 3
Our 2022 Revolving Facility contains restrictions that will limit our flexibility in operating our business.
Our 2022 Revolving Facility contains various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit our and our restricted subsidiaries' ability to, among other things: - Maintain net leverage above certain specified levels;- Maintain interest coverage below certain specified levels;- Incur additional debt;- Pay dividends or make other distributions;- Redeem stock;- Issue stock of subsidiaries;- Make certain investments;- Create liens;- Enter into transactions with affiliates; and - Merge, consolidate or transfer all or substantially all of our assets. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the 2022 Revolving Facility. We may also be unable to take advantage of business opportunities that arise because of the limitations imposed on us by the restrictive covenants under our indebtedness.
Regulation - Risk 4
Our business and industry are subject to complex and costly regulations. If government regulations are interpreted or enforced in a manner adverse to us or our business, we may be subject to enforcement actions, penalties, exclusion and other material limitations on our operations.
Both before and after the approval of our products in development, we, our products, development products, operations, facilities, suppliers, distributors, contract manufacturers, contract research organizations and contract testing laboratories are subject to extensive and, in certain circumstances, expanding regulation by federal, state and local government agencies in the U.S. as well as non-U.S. and transnational laws and regulations, with regulations differing from country to country and even state to state, including, among other things, anti-trust and competition laws and regulations, and data privacy laws and regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union and the CCPA and the CPRA. In the U.S., the FDA regulates, among other things, the pre-clinical testing, clinical trials, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, potency, labeling, storage, record keeping, quality systems, advertising, promotion, sale, distribution, and import and export of drug products. We are required to register our business for permits and/or licenses with, and comply with the stringent requirements of the FDA, the NRC, the HHS, Health Canada, the EMA, the MHRA, the NMPA, state and provincial boards of pharmacy, state and provincial health departments and other federal, state and provincial agencies. Violation of any of these regulatory schemes, individually or collectively, could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Under U.S. law, for example, we are required to report certain adverse events and production problems, if any, to the FDA or other federal or state regulators. We also have similar adverse event and production reporting obligations outside of the U.S., including to the EMA and MHRA. Additionally, we must comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for our products, including the prohibition on the promotion of our products for indications for which they have not been approved by the FDA or a so-called "off-label use" or promotion that is inconsistent with the approved labeling. If the FDA determines that our promotional materials constitute unlawful promotion, it could request that we modify our promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions. Also, quality control and manufacturing procedures at our own facility and at third-party suppliers must conform to cGMP regulations and other applicable law after approval, and the FDA periodically inspects manufacturing facilities to assess compliance with cGMPs and other applicable law, and, from time to time, makes those cGMPs more stringent. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must expend time, money, and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production and quality control. If in the future issues arise at our own manufacturing facility or at a third-party manufacturer, the FDA could take regulatory action which could limit or suspend the ability to manufacture our products or have any additional products approved at the relevant facility for manufacture until the issues are resolved and remediated. Such a limitation or suspension could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We are also subject to laws and regulations that govern financial and other arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers, including federal and state anti-kickback statutes, federal and state false claims laws and regulations, federal and state "sunshine" laws and regulations and other fraud and abuse laws and regulations. We must offer discounted pricing or rebates on purchases of pharmaceutical products under various federal and state healthcare programs, such as the Medicaid drug rebate program, the 340B drug pricing program and the Medicare Part D Program. We must also report specific prices to government agencies under healthcare programs, such as the Medicaid drug rebate program and Medicare Part B. Our Medicaid Drug Rebate agreements require us to report certain price information to the federal government. Determination of the rebate amount that we pay to state Medicaid programs for our products, of prices charged to government and certain private payors for our products, or of amounts paid for our products under government healthcare programs, depends upon information reported by us to the government. If we provide customers or government officials with inaccurate information about the products' pricing or eligibility for coverage, or the products fail to satisfy coverage requirements, we could be terminated from the rebate program, be excluded from participation in government healthcare programs, or be subject to potential liability under the False Claims Act or other laws and regulations. Failure to comply with other requirements and restrictions placed upon us or our third-party manufacturers or suppliers by laws and regulations can result in fines, civil and criminal penalties, exclusion from federal healthcare programs and debarment. Possible consequences of those actions could include: - Substantial modifications to our business practices and operations;- Significantly reduced demand for our products (if products become ineligible for reimbursement under federal and state healthcare programs);- A total or partial shutdown of production in one or more of the facilities where our products are produced while the alleged violation is being remediated;- Delays in or the inability to obtain future pre-market clearances or approvals; and - Withdrawals or suspensions of our current products from the market.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 3.8%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
In the ordinary course of business, we may be subject to product liability claims and lawsuits, including potential class actions, alleging that our products have resulted or could result in an unsafe condition or injury.
Any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could be time consuming and costly to defend and could result in an increase of our insurance premiums. Although we have not had any such claims to date, claims that could be brought against us might not be covered by our insurance policies. Furthermore, although we currently have product liability insurance coverage with policy limits that we believe are customary for pharmaceutical companies in the diagnostic medical imaging industry and adequate to provide us with insurance coverage for foreseeable risks, even where the claim is covered by our insurance, our insurance coverage might be inadequate and we would have to pay the amount of any settlement or judgment that is in excess of our policy limits. We may not be able to obtain insurance on terms acceptable to us or at all, since insurance varies in cost and can be difficult to obtain. Our failure to maintain adequate insurance coverage or successfully defend against product liability claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We are involved in various legal proceedings that are uncertain, costly and time-consuming and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
From time to time we are involved in legal proceedings and disputes and may be involved in litigation in the future. For example, on January 26, 2024, we were sued in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by Advanced Accelerator Applications USA, Inc. and Advanced Accelerator Applications SA, each a Novartis entity, for patent infringement in response to the filing of our ANDA for PNT2003 and Paragraph IV certification, consistent with the process established by the Hatch-Waxman Act. These proceedings are complex and extended and occupy the resources of our management and employees. Legal proceedings are also costly to prosecute and defend and may involve substantial awards or damages payable by us if not found in our favor. We may also be required to pay substantial amounts or grant certain rights on unfavorable terms in order to settle such proceedings. Defending against or settling legal proceedings and any unfavorable legal decisions, settlements or orders could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could cause the market value of our common stock to decline. In particular, the pharmaceutical and medical device industries historically have generated substantial litigation concerning the manufacture, use and sale of products, and we expect this litigation activity to continue. As a result, we expect that patents related to our products will routinely be challenged, and our patents may not be upheld. In order to protect or enforce patent rights, we may initiate litigation against third parties. If we are not successful in defending an attack on our patents and maintaining exclusive rights to market one or more of our products still under patent protection, we could lose a significant portion of sales in a very short period. We may also become subject to infringement claims by third parties and may have to defend against charges that we violated patents or the proprietary rights of third parties. If we infringe the intellectual property rights of others, we could lose our right to develop, manufacture or sell products, or could be required to pay monetary damages or royalties to license proprietary rights from third parties. In addition, in the U.S., it has become increasingly common for patent infringement actions to prompt claims that antitrust laws have been violated during the prosecution of the patent or during litigation involving the defense of that patent. Such claims by direct and indirect purchasers and other payors are typically filed as class actions. The relief sought may include treble damages and restitution claims. Similarly, antitrust claims may be brought by government entities or private parties following settlement of patent litigation, alleging that such settlements are anti-competitive and in violation of antitrust laws. In the U.S. and Europe, regulatory authorities have continued to challenge as anti-competitive so-called "reverse payment" settlements between branded and generic drug manufacturers. We may also be subject to other antitrust litigation involving competition claims unrelated to patent infringement and prosecution. A successful antitrust claim by a private party or government entity against us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could cause the market value of our common stock to decline.
Environmental / Social1 | 1.9%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
We use hazardous materials in our business and must comply with environmental laws and regulations, which can be expensive.
Our operations use hazardous materials and produce hazardous wastes, including radioactive, chemical and, in certain circumstances, biological materials and wastes. We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations as well as non-U.S. laws and regulations relating to the transport, use, handling, storage, exposure to and disposal of these materials and wastes. Environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and have generally become more stringent over time. We are required to obtain, maintain and renew various environmental permits and nuclear licenses. Although we believe that our safety procedures for transporting, using, handling, storing and disposing of, and limiting exposure to, these materials and wastes comply in all material respects with the standards prescribed by applicable laws and regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury cannot be eliminated. We place a high priority on these safety procedures and seek to limit any inherent risks. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of wastes generated by our operations. We store low level radioactive waste at our facility and dispose of the materials in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. A majority of our low level radioactive waste is held to decay until materials are no longer considered radioactive. Although we believe we have complied in all material respects with all applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that we have been or will be in compliance with all such laws at all times. If we violate these laws, we could be fined, criminally charged or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. We may be required to incur further costs to comply with current or future environmental and safety laws and regulations. In addition, in the event of accidental contamination or injury from these materials, we could be held liable for any damages that result and any such liability could exceed our resources. We previously leased a small portion of our North Billerica, Massachusetts campus to PerkinElmer for the manufacturing, finishing and packaging of certain radioisotopes, including Strontium-90, which has physical characteristics that make it more challenging to work with and dispose of than our own commercial radioisotopes, including a much longer half-life. PerkinElmer decommissioned its space and vacated the premises as of December 30, 2021. We are fully indemnified by PerkinElmer under our lease for any property damage or personal injury resulting from their activities in our facility. If any release or excursion of radioactive materials took place from their leased space that resulted in property damage or personal injury, the indemnification obligations were not honored, and we were forced to cover any related remediation, clean-up or other expenses, depending on the magnitude, the cost of such remediation, clean-up or other expenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. While we have budgeted for current and future capital and operating expenditures to maintain compliance with these laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that our costs of complying with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations will not exceed our estimates or adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Further, we cannot assure you that we will not be subject to additional environmental claims for personal injury, investigation or cleanup in the future based on our past, present or future business activities.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 6/53 (11%)Above Sector Average
Competition2 | 3.8%
Competition - Risk 1
The near-term growth of our business is also dependent on our ability to continue to grow the appropriate use of DEFINITY in suboptimal echocardiograms in the face of competition from other existing echocardiography agents and potential generic competitors as a result of patent and regulatory exclusivity expirations.
The growth of our business is also dependent on our ability to continue to grow the appropriate use of DEFINITY in suboptimal echocardiograms. DEFINITY currently competes with ultrasound enhancing agents produced by GE Healthcare and Bracco, as well as echocardiography without ultrasound enhancing agents and other non-echocardiography agents. We launched DEFINITY in 2001, and we continue to actively pursue additional patents in connection with DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT, both in the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S. for DEFINITY we have six Orange Book-listed method-of-use patents, one of which expires in 2035 and five of which expire in 2037, as well as additional manufacturing patents that are not Orange Book-listed expiring in 2037. In the U.S. for DEFINITY RT, we have eight Orange Book-listed patents, including two composition of matter patents that expire in 2035. Outside of the U.S., we are currently pursuing additional DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT patents to obtain similar patent protection as in the U.S. The Orange Book-listed patents include a patent on the use of VIALMIX RFID, which expires in 2037; additional VIALMIX RFID patent applications have been submitted in major markets throughout the world. Because our Orange Book-listed composition of matter patent expired in June 2019, we may face generic DEFINITY challengers in the near to intermediate term. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, the FDA can approve ANDAs for generic versions of drugs before the expiration of an Orange Book-listed patent covering the innovator product if the ANDA applicant demonstrates, among other things, that (i) its generic candidate is the same as the innovator product by establishing bioequivalence and providing relevant chemistry, manufacturing and product data, and (ii) either the marketing of that generic candidate does not infringe the Orange Book-listed patent(s) or the Orange Book-listed patent(s) is invalid. Similarly, the FDA can approve a Section 505(b)(2) NDA from an applicant that relies on some of the information required for marketing approval to come from studies which the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference. The ANDA applicant or the Section 505(b)(2) applicant (if relying on studies related to the innovator product) (together, the "Applicant") must also give Notice to the innovator, which would then enable the innovator to file suit against the Applicant within 45 days of receiving the Notice. If the innovator challenges the Applicant in court in a timely manner, then FDA approval to commercialize the generic candidate will be stayed (that is, delayed) for up to 30 months while the dispute between the innovator and the Applicant is resolved in court. The 30 month stay can be shortened if the patent infringement suit is resolved in the Applicant's favor before the 30 month stay expires, and this may involve a successful challenge of the patent's validity in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") proceedings and appeals process. In the event a 505(b)(2) applicant does not rely on studies related to the innovator product, the 30-month stay would not apply, but additional clinical trials may be required. We can give no assurance that we would have grounds to file a patent infringement suit, that we would obtain the full 30 month stay, that we would be successful on the merits asserting that an Applicant infringes our Orange Book-listed patent, or that we would be successful defending the validity of our Orange Book-listed patent in court or in a USPTO adversarial proceeding. As of the date of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have not received any such Notice from any Applicant, but we can give no assurance that we will not receive a Notice in the future. If we were to receive any such Notice in the future, we would review the Notice, evaluate the strength of any potential patent infringement claims, and be prepared to challenge the Applicant in a timely fashion, which would thereby trigger the stay of up to 30 months. We can give no assurance that we would have grounds to file a patent infringement suit, that we would obtain the full 30 month stay, that we would be successful on the merits asserting that an Applicant infringes our Orange Book-listed patent, or that we would be successful defending the validity of our Orange Book-listed patent in court or in a USPTO adversarial proceeding. If we were to receive such a Notice and to challenge the Applicant, patent litigation is complex and can be protracted and expensive, which could also have a negative effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. As part of our microbubble franchise strategy, (i) we have developed and received FDA approval for DEFINITY RT, a modified formulation of DEFINITY, (ii) we look for other opportunities to expand our microbubble franchise, including new applications beyond echocardiography and ultrasound enhancing agent imaging generally such as our strategic arrangements with Cerevast, CarThera, Insightec, AHN and SonoThera, and (iii) we have constructed a specialized in-house manufacturing facility at our North Billerica campus for purposes of producing the formulation of DEFINITY that requires refrigerated storage and, potentially, other sterile vial products. On February 22, 2022, we received FDA approval of our sNDA, authorizing commercial manufacturing of DEFINITY at our new facility. However, we can give no assurance that our microbubble franchise strategy will be successful or that the modified formulation, new applications or new manufacturing capabilities will grow our microbubble franchise. If we are not able to continue to (i) grow DEFINITY and DEFINITY RT sales, which depend on one or more of the growth of echocardiograms, the growth in the appropriate use of ultrasound enhancing agents in suboptimal echocardiograms, and our ability to sustain and grow our leading position in the U.S. echocardiography ultrasound enhancing agent market, or (ii) be successful with our microbubble franchise strategy, we may not be able to continue to grow the revenue and cash flow of our business, which could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Competition - Risk 2
Changed
We face significant competition in our business and may not be able to compete effectively.
The markets for our products are highly competitive and continually evolving. Our principal competitors for our current commercial products and leading clinical development candidates include large, global companies that are more diversified than we are and that have substantial financial, manufacturing, sales and marketing, distribution and other resources: - For PYLARIFY, our competitors currently include approved imaging agents from Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited, Novartis AG, and Blue Earth, a subsidiary of Bracco. - For DEFINITY, our competitors currently include GE Healthcare and Bracco. - For a number of our radiopharmaceutical commercial products, our competitors currently include Curium, GE Healthcare, Bracco and Jubilant Life Sciences, an affiliate of JHS and Jubilant Radiopharma, and potentially BWXT Medical. - For PNT2002, our principal competitors may include Novartis AG; Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited; and Curium, each of which has commercialized products or product candidates in advanced clinical stage of development. - For PNT2003, our principal competitors may include Novartis AG; ITM Radiopharma; Curium and RayzeBio (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb), each of which has commercialized products or product candidates pending FDA approval or in advanced clinical stage of development. - For MK-6240 and NAV-4694, our principal competitors may include Eli Lilly and Company, GE Healthcare, Life Molecular Imaging and Aprinoia Therapeutics, each of which has commercialized products or product candidates in advanced clinical stage of development and other companies that may have product candidates in development. - For LNTH-1363S, our principal competitors may include Sofie Bioscience; GE Healthcare; and Novartis AG, each of which has product candidates in clinical stage of development. - For RM2, our principal competitors may include Novartis AG; Clarity Pharma; and Orano Med, each of which has product candidates in clinical stage of development. We cannot anticipate the actions of our current or future competitors in the same or competing modalities, such as significant price reductions on products that are competitive with our own, development of new products that are more cost-effective or have superior performance than our current products or potential future products or the introduction of generic versions after our proprietary products lose their patent protection. In addition, distributors of our products could attempt to shift end-users to competing diagnostic modalities and products, or bundle the sale of a portfolio of products, in either case to the detriment of our specific products. Our current or future products could be rendered obsolete or uneconomical as a result of these activities. Further, the radiopharmaceutical industry continues to evolve strategically, with several market participants recently acquired by larger companies that may have more significant resources than ours. In addition, the supply-demand dynamics of the industry are complex because of large market positions of some participants, legacy businesses, government subsidies (in particular, relating to the manufacture of radioisotopes), and group purchasing arrangements and there are often limited sources available for isotopes and raw materials used in the manufacturing of our product and product candidates. We cannot predict what impact new owners and new operators may have on the strategic decision-making of our competitors, customers and suppliers, and such decision-making could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Demand1 | 1.9%
Demand - Risk 1
In the U.S., we are heavily dependent on a few large customers to generate a majority of our revenues for our single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) nuclear medical imaging products in our Precision Diagnostic product category. For PYLARIFY, we depend in part on some of our PMF partners to generate sales and collect revenue. Outside of the U.S., we rely primarily on distributors to generate a substantial portion of our revenue.
In the U.S., we have historically relied on a limited number of radiopharmacy customers, primarily Cardinal, RLS, UPPI, PharmaLogic and Jubilant Radiopharma, to purchase our nuclear imaging products in our Precision Diagnostic product category. Among the existing radiopharmacies in the U.S., continued consolidations, divestitures and reorganizations may have a negative effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our contractual arrangements with these radiopharmacy customers generally specify pricing levels and requirements to purchase minimum percentages of certain products during certain periods. The agreements generally may be terminated upon the occurrence of specified events, including a material breach by the other party and certain force majeure events. If these contracts are terminated prior to the expiration of their term, or are not renewed, or are renewed on terms that are less favorable to us, then such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. For PYLARIFY, we depend in part on some of our PMF partners to generate sales and collect revenue. To the extent our PMF partners are unsuccessful in generating sales or in collecting revenue, such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We also continue to experience significant pricing pressures from our competitors, large customers and group purchasing organizations, and any significant, additional pricing pressures could lead to a reduction in revenue which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Outside of the U.S., we have no sales force and, consequently, rely on third party distributors, either on a country-by-country basis or on a multi-country, regional basis, to market, sell and distribute our products. In certain circumstances, distributors may also sell competing products to our own or products for competing diagnostic modalities and may have incentives to shift sales towards those competing products. As a result, we cannot assure you that our international distributors will increase or maintain current levels of unit sales or that we will be able to increase or maintain our current unit pricing, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Sales & Marketing3 | 5.7%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
We can give no assurance that Curium will be successful with its commercialization of piflufolastat F 18 in Europe.
We have licensed exclusive rights to Curium to develop and commercialize piflufolastat F 18 in Europe. Under the terms of the collaboration, Curium is responsible for the development, regulatory approvals and commercialization of piflufolastat F 18 in Europe, and we are entitled to double-digit royalties on net sales of piflufolastat F 18. In July 2023, Curium announced that the EMA approved piflufolastat F 18 in Europe, under the name PYLCLARI. We cannot assure that Curium will be successful in commercializing it in Europe. Any failure or significant delay in Curium's ability to successfully launch PYLCLARI in Europe may harm our business and delay or prevent us from being able to generate additional future royalty revenue from product sales.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Our marketing and sales practices may contain risks that could result in significant liability, require us to change our business practices, and restrict our operations in the future.
We are subject to numerous domestic (federal, state and local) and foreign laws addressing fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry, including the FCA and federal Anti-Kickback Statute, self-referral laws, the FCPA, the Bribery Act, FDA promotional restrictions, the federal disclosure (sunshine) law and state marketing and disclosure (sunshine) laws. Violations of these laws are punishable by criminal or civil sanctions, including substantial fines, imprisonment and exclusion from participation in healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid as well as health programs outside the U.S., and even settlement of alleged violations can result in the imposition of corporate integrity agreements that could subject us to additional compliance and reporting requirements and impact our business practices. These laws and regulations are complex and subject to changing interpretation and application, which could restrict our sales or marketing practices. Even minor and inadvertent irregularities could potentially give rise to a charge that the law has been violated. Although we believe we maintain an appropriate compliance program, we cannot be certain that the program will adequately detect or prevent violations and/or the relevant regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation. Additionally, if there is a change in law, regulation or administrative or judicial interpretations, we may have to change one or more of our business practices to be in compliance with these laws. Required changes could be costly and time consuming. If our operations are found to be in violation of these laws or any other government regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including, without limitation, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, or exclusion from state and federal healthcare programs including Medicare and Medicaid, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
Changed
Many of our customers are highly dependent on payments from third-party payors, including government sponsored programs, particularly Medicare, in the U.S. and other countries in which we operate, and reductions in third party coverage and reimbursement rates for our products (or services provided with our products) could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
A substantial portion of our revenue depends on the extent to which the costs of our products purchased by our customers (or services provided with our products) are reimbursed by third party payors, including Medicare, Medicaid, other U.S. government sponsored programs, non-U.S. governmental payors and private payors. These third-party payors exercise significant control over patient access and increasingly use their enhanced bargaining power to secure discounted rates and impose other requirements that may reduce demand for our products. Our customers' ability to obtain adequate reimbursement for products and services from these third-party payors affects the selection of products they purchase and the prices they are willing to pay. If Medicare and other third party payors do not provide adequate reimbursement for the costs of our products (or services provided using our products), deny the coverage of the products (or those services), or reduce current levels of reimbursement, healthcare professionals may not prescribe our products and providers and suppliers may not purchase our products. In addition, demand for new products may be limited unless we obtain favorable reimbursement (including coding, coverage and payment) from governmental and private third party payors at the time of the product's introduction, which will depend, in part, on our ability to demonstrate that a new agent has a positive impact on clinical outcomes. Third-party payors continually review their coverage policies for existing and new products and procedures and can deny coverage for products or procedures that include the use of our products or revise payment policies such that payments do not adequately cover the cost of our products. Even if third-party payors make coverage and reimbursement available, that reimbursement may not be adequate or these payors' reimbursement policies may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. For example, effective January 1, 2022, the CMS granted TPT Status in the hospital outpatient setting for PYLARIFY, enabling traditional Medicare to provide an incremental payment for PET/CT scans performed with PYLARIFY in that setting. TPT Status for PYLARIFY is expected to expire December 31, 2024. After TPT Status expires, under current Medicare rules, PYLARIFY would not be separately reimbursed in the hospital outpatient setting but rather would be bundled into the facility payment a hospital receives for a PET/CT imaging procedure, and the facility payment may not always cover the total cost of the procedure. Certain competitor PSMA PET products will continue to have TPT Status after PYLARIFY's TPT Status expires and this could impact our customer's prescribing habits. In November 2024, CMS released the final rule for its calendar year 2025 Medicare Hospital OPPS, which recognizes the value and need for broad access to diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals. The rule provides separate payment for those diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals with per day costs greater than $630. When implemented on January 1, 2025, CMS will maintain separate payment for PYLARIFY after the expiration of transitional pass-through for the approximately 20% of patients with traditional Medicare fee-for-service insurance coverage who are treated in the hospital outpatient setting. The calendar year 2025 payment rate for PYLARIFY is listed in Addendum B of the final rule and is equal to the current PYLARIFY payment rate. However, we can give no assurance that such rule will remain in effect, that such payment will remain the same or that legislative changes removing such a separate payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals would not be adopted, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Over the past several years, Medicare has implemented numerous changes to payment policies for imaging procedures in both the hospital setting and non-hospital settings (which include physician offices and freestanding imaging facilities). Some of these changes have had a negative impact on utilization of imaging services. Examples of these changes include: - Reducing payments for certain imaging procedures when performed together with other imaging procedures in the same family of procedures on the same patient on the same day in the physician office and free-standing imaging facility setting;- Making significant revisions to the methodology for determining the practice expense component of the Medicare payment applicable to the physician office and free-standing imaging facility settings which has resulted in reduced payments for certain services;- Revising payment policies and reducing payment amounts for imaging procedures performed in the hospital outpatient settings; and - Reducing prospective payment levels for applicable diagnosis-related groups in the hospital inpatient setting. In the physician office and free-standing imaging facility setting, services provided using our products are reimbursed under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Payment rates under the Medicare physician fee schedule are regularly subject to updates to effectuate various policy goals of CMS and Congress. For example, in 2022, CMS reduced Medicare fee schedule payments rates in the agency's final rulemaking, while a larger cut was put forth in the proposed rulemaking earlier that year. For 2023, CMS had finalized a reduction in the Medicare fee schedule payments rates, which was revised by Congress, pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, to a lesser reduction. Additionally, since 2019, fee schedule payments have been adjusted for certain physicians based on their performance under a consolidated measurement system (that measures performance with respect to quality, resource utilization, meaningful use of certified electronic health records technology, and clinical practice improvement activities). From 2019 through payment year 2024, physicians may be eligible for a bonus based on the use of certain alternative payment models designated as "advanced" by CMS. The ongoing and future impact of these changes cannot be determined at this time. We believe that Medicare changes to payment policies for imaging procedures applicable to non-hospital settings will continue to result in certain physician practices ceasing to provide these services and a further shifting of where certain medical imaging procedures are performed, from the physician office and free-standing imaging facility settings to the hospital outpatient setting. Changes applicable to Medicare payment in the hospital outpatient setting could also influence the decisions by hospital outpatient physicians to perform procedures that involve our products. Within the hospital outpatient setting, CMS payment policy is such that the use of many of our products are not separately payable by Medicare, although certain new drug products are eligible for separate (incremental) payment for the first three years after approval. Changes to the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system payment rates, including reductions implemented for certain hospital outpatient sites, could influence the decisions by hospital outpatient physicians to perform procedures that involve our products and the risks discussed above with respect to separate payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals in the hospital outpatient setting could also impact clinical decision-making. We also believe that all of these changes and their resulting pressures may incrementally reduce the overall number of diagnostic medical imaging procedures performed. These changes overall could slow the acceptance and introduction of next-generation imaging equipment into the marketplace, which, in turn, could adversely impact the future market adoption of certain of our imaging agents already in the market or currently in development. We expect that there will continue to be proposals to reduce or limit Medicare and Medicaid payment for diagnostic services, which could impact our current or potential future diagnostic and other types of products and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We also expect increased regulation and oversight of advanced diagnostic testing in which our products are used, although the timing of such regulation is uncertain after a recent pause by CMS. Under section 218(b) of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, beginning January 1, 2020, a professional who is ordering advanced diagnostic imaging services (which include MRI, CT, nuclear medicine (including PET) and other advanced diagnostic imaging services that the Secretary of HHS may specify, but not currently including echocardiography) must consult a qualified clinical decision support mechanism, as identified by HHS, to determine whether the ordered service adheres to specified appropriate use criteria ("AUC") developed or endorsed by CMS-qualified "provider led entities". Medicare claims for such services must include information indicating whether services ordered would adhere to specified applicable AUC. Denial of claims for failure to include AUC consultation information on the claim form was set to begin on January 1, 2022, but was not implemented by CMS. In the CY 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, CMS determined that it was not feasible to fully operationalize the AUC program consistent with the statute within the required time frame. Accordingly, the agency finalized an indefinite pause to the AUC program and the rescission of the regulations promulgated thus far to implement the AUC program. While it is unclear when CMS will resume implementation of the AUC program, to the extent that these types of changes have the effect of reducing the aggregate number of diagnostic medical imaging procedures performed in the U.S., our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected. Medicare coverage of PET radiopharmaceuticals has been the subject of a large number of National Coverage Determinations ("NCDs") by CMS since 2000. Specific indications for PET imaging were covered, some through Coverage with Evidence Development. CMS's longtime policy, however, was that a particular use of PET scans is not covered unless an NCD specifically provided that such use was covered. Effective March 7, 2013, CMS revised its policy through an NCD to allow local Medicare Administrative Contractors ("MACs") to determine coverage within their respective jurisdictions for PET using radiopharmaceuticals for their FDA-approved labeled indications for oncologic imaging. Effective January 1, 2022, non-coverage in the absence of an NCD has also been removed for non-oncologic indications of PET radiopharmaceuticals, allowing MACs to determine coverage for these indications within their respective jurisdictions. To the extent that CMS or the MACs impose more restrictive coverage, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 4/53 (8%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment2 | 3.8%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
We may be adversely affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business and other factors beyond our control.
Our ability to attract and retain customers, invest in and grow our business, maintain our desired levels of costs of goods sold and operating expenses and meet our financial obligations depends on our operating and financial performance, which, in turn, is subject to numerous factors, including the prevailing economic conditions and financial, business and other factors beyond our control, such as the rate of unemployment, the number of uninsured persons in the U.S. and inflationary pressures, including escalating energy prices. We cannot anticipate all the ways in which the current or future economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business. We are exposed to risks associated with reduced profitability and the potential financial instability of our customers, many of which may be adversely affected by volatile conditions in the financial markets. For example, unemployment and underemployment, and the resultant loss of insurance, may decrease the demand for healthcare services and pharmaceuticals. If fewer patients are seeking medical care because they do not have insurance coverage, our customers may experience reductions in revenues, profitability and/or cash flow that could lead them to modify, delay or cancel orders for our products. If customers are not successful in generating sufficient revenue or are precluded from securing financing, they may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable that are owed to us. This, in turn, could adversely affect our financial condition and liquidity. To the extent prevailing economic conditions result in fewer procedures being performed, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected. Similarly, we would expect our costs of goods sold and other operating expenses to change in the future in line with periodic inflationary changes in price levels. Because we intend to retain and continue to use our property and equipment, we believe that the incremental inflation related to the replacement costs of those items will not materially affect our operations. However, the rate of inflation affects our expenses, such as those for employee compensation, contract services, and transportation costs, which could increase our level of expenses and the rate at which we use our resources. While we generally believe that we will be able to offset the effect of price-level changes by adjusting our product prices and implementing operating efficiencies, any material unfavorable changes in price levels could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Reforms to the U.S. healthcare system may adversely affect our business.
A significant portion of our patient volume is derived from U.S. government healthcare programs, principally Medicare, which are highly regulated and subject to frequent and substantial changes. The Healthcare Reform Act substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. The law contains a number of provisions that affect coverage and reimbursement of drug products and medical imaging procedures in which our drug products are used and/or that could potentially reduce the aggregate number of diagnostic medical imaging procedures performed in the U.S. Subsequently, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 significantly revised the methodology for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule. In 2017, Congress enacted legislation that effectively eliminated the Healthcare Reform Act's "individual mandate" beginning in 2019. Congress continues to consider other healthcare reform legislation. There is no assurance that the Healthcare Reform Act, as currently enacted or as amended in the future, will not adversely affect our business and financial results, and we cannot predict how future federal or state legislative, judicial or administrative changes relating to healthcare reform will affect our business. In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the Healthcare Reform Act was enacted. The Budget Control Act of 2011 and subsequent Congressional actions includes provisions to reduce the federal deficit. These provisions have resulted in the imposition of 2% reductions in Medicare payments to providers, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and will remain in effect through fiscal year 2030. The imposition of the 2% payment adjustment had been suspended through March 31, 2022 and went into effect as of April 1, 2022. Any significant spending reductions affecting Medicare, Medicaid or other publicly funded or subsidized health programs that may be implemented and/or any significant taxes or fees that may be imposed on us, as part of any broader deficit reduction effort or legislative replacement to the Budget Control Act, could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Further, changes in payor mix and reimbursement by private third-party payors may also affect our business. Rates paid by some private third-party payors are based, in part, on established physician, clinic and hospital charges and are generally higher than Medicare payment rates. Reductions in the amount of reimbursement paid for diagnostic medical imaging procedures, including the elimination of any additional payment such as TPT Status, and changes in the mix of our patients between non-governmental payors and government sponsored healthcare programs and among different types of non-government payor sources, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. The full impact on our business of healthcare reforms and other new laws, or changes in existing laws, is uncertain. Nor is it clear whether additional legislative changes will be adopted or how those changes would affect our industry in general or our ability to successfully commercialize our products or develop or commercialize new products.
International Operations1 | 1.9%
International Operations - Risk 1
Our business is subject to international economic, political and other risks that could negatively affect our results of operations or financial position.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we derived approximately 2.6% of our revenues and sourced approximately 11.2% of our costs of goods sold outside of the United States. Accordingly, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, including: - Less stable political and economic environment and changes in a specific country's or region's political or economic conditions;- Changes in trade policies, regulatory requirements and other barriers, including, for example, U.S. trade sanctions against Iran and those countries and entities doing business with Iran, which could adversely impact international isotope production and, indirectly, our global supply chain;- Potential global disruptions in air transport, which could adversely affect our international supply chains for radioisotopes and DEFINITY RT as well as international distribution channels for our commercial products;- Entering into, renewing or enforcing commercial agreements with international governments or provincial authorities or entities directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such governments or authorities, such as our Belgian, Australian and South African isotope suppliers, IRE, ANSTO and NTP, and our Chinese development and commercialization partner, Double-Crane;- International customers which are agencies or institutions owned or controlled by foreign governments;- Local business practices which may be in conflict with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.K. Bribery Act;- Currency fluctuations;- Unfavorable labor regulations;- Greater difficulties in relying on non-U.S. courts to enforce either local or U.S. laws, particularly with respect to intellectual property;- Greater potential for intellectual property piracy;- Greater difficulties in managing and staffing non-U.S. operations, including our EXINI operations in Sweden;- The need to ensure compliance with the numerous in-country and international regulatory and legal requirements applicable to our business in each of these jurisdictions and to maintain an effective compliance program to ensure compliance with these requirements, including in connection with the GDPR in the EU;- Changes in public attitudes about the perceived safety of nuclear facilities;- Civil unrest or other catastrophic events; and - Longer payment cycles of non-U.S. customers and difficulty collecting receivables in non-U.S. jurisdictions. These factors are beyond our control. The realization of any of these or other risks associated with operating outside the United States could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Capital Markets1 | 1.9%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
We face currency and other risks associated with international sales.
We generate revenue from export sales, as well as from operations conducted outside the United States. Operations outside the U.S. expose us to risks including fluctuations in currency values, trade restrictions, tariff and trade regulations, U.S. export controls, U.S. and non-U.S. tax laws, shipping delays and economic and political instability. For example, violations of U.S. export controls, including those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, could result in fines, other civil or criminal penalties and the suspension or loss of export privileges which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial conditions and cash flows.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
      They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
        It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
          How do companies disclose their risk factors?
          Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
            Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
              Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
                According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
                  How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
                  Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
                    You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
                      Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
                        A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
                          What are all the risk factor categories?
                          TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
                          1. Financial & Corporate
                          • Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
                          • Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
                          • Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
                          • Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
                          2. Legal & Regulatory
                          • Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
                          • Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
                          • Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
                          • Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
                          3. Production
                          • Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
                          • Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
                          • Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
                          • Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
                          4. Technology & Innovation
                          • Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
                          • Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
                          • Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
                          • Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
                          5. Ability to Sell
                          • Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
                          • Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
                          • Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
                          • Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
                          6. Macro & Political
                          • Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
                          • Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
                          • International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
                          • Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.
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