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Intelligent Bio Solutions (INBS)
NASDAQ:INBS
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Risk Overview Q1, 2024
Risk Distribution
30% Tech & Innovation
21% Finance & Corporate
19% Production
16% Legal & Regulatory
8% Ability to Sell
6% 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
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Intelligent Bio Solutions 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.
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 Q1, 2024
Main Risk Category
Tech & Innovation
With 19 Risks
Tech & Innovation
With 19 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
63
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
63
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
1Risks added
0Risks removed
5Risks changed
Since Mar 2024
1Risks added
0Risks removed
5Risks changed
Since Mar 2024
Number of Risk Changed
5
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
5
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Intelligent Bio Solutions 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 63
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 19/63 (30%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D4 | 6.3%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
Neither we nor the Licensor have yet launched the SGT and the ability to do so will depend on the acceptance of the SGT in the Global healthcare market.Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
If we or the Licensor fail to respond quickly to technological or other developments, our products may become uncompetitive and obsolete.The drug screening, medical testing and glucose monitoring markets may experience rapid technology developments, changes in industry standards, changes in customer requirements, changes in demand, and frequent new product introductions and improvements. If we or the Licensor are unable to respond to these developments, we may lose competitive position, and our other products may become uncompetitive or obsolete, causing our business and prospects to suffer.
In order to compete, we and the Licensor need to adjust, develop, license or acquire new technology on a schedule that keeps pace with technological and other developments and the requirements for products addressing a broad spectrum of needs. For example, as a result of the significant global progress made in mitigating the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for COVID-19 testing products significantly diminished, which led us to redirect our resources and efforts away from developing products related to COVID testing to instead acquire and develop drug testing and screening systems.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
We may be unable to complete required clinical evaluations, or we may experience significant delays in completing such clinical evaluations, which could prevent or significantly delay our targeted product launch timeframe and impair our business plan.The completion of any future clinical evaluations for the SGT and IFP products, or other studies that we may be required to undertake in the future for the SGT or other products based on the Biosensor Platform and IFP Drug Screening System could be delayed, suspended or terminated for several reasons, including:
- we may fail to or be unable to conduct the clinical evaluation in accordance with regulatory requirements; - sites participating in the trial may drop out of the trial, which may require us to engage new sites for an expansion of the number of sites that are permitted to be involved in the trial; - patients may not enroll in, remain in or complete, the clinical evaluation at the rates we expect; and - clinical investigators may not perform our clinical evaluation on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical evaluation protocol and good clinical practices.
If our clinical evaluations are delayed it will take us longer to ultimately launch the SGT and our other products in the market and generate revenues. Moreover, our development costs will increase if we have material delays in our clinical evaluation or if we need to perform more or larger clinical evaluations than planned.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 4
Clinical data obtained subsequent to the implementation of the clinical evidence module may not meet the required objectives, which could delay, limit or prevent additional regulatory approval.There can be no assurance that we will successfully complete any clinical evaluations necessary to receive regulatory approvals. The preliminary results have been encouraging and indicative of the potential performance of the SGT, data already obtained, or to be obtained in future, from clinical studies do not necessarily predict the results that will be obtained from later clinical evaluations. We market the IFP products in certain jurisdiction as POCT screening device. The clinical studies undertaken to date, may not meet the requirements of certain regulatory bodies for us to market in those jurisdictions. The failure to adequately demonstrate the analytical performance characteristics of the device under development could delay or prevent regulatory approval of the device, which could prevent or result in delays to market launch and could materially harm our business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to receive approval for any potential applications of our principal technology, or that we will receive regulatory clearances from targeted regions or countries.
Trade Secrets13 | 20.6%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
If we are found to have violated laws protecting the confidentiality of patient health information, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, which could increase our liabilities and harm our reputation or our business.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
We and the Licensor may be subject to claims challenging the invention of the intellectual property that we license from the Licensor.We and the Licensor may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, we and the Licensor may have inventorship disputes arising from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are involved in developing our product candidates. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship. If we and the Licensor fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we and the Licensor may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees. As a result, it is unclear whether and, if so, to what extent employees of ours and the Licensor may be able to claim compensation with respect to our future revenue. We may receive less revenue from future products if any of employees of the Licensor or us successfully claim compensation for their work in developing our intellectual property, which in turn could impact our future profitability.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
We and the Licensor rely on confidentiality agreements that could be breached and may be difficult to enforce, which could result in third parties using our intellectual property to compete against us.Although we believe that we and the Licensor take reasonable steps to protect our intellectual property, including the use of agreements relating to the non-disclosure of confidential information to third parties, as well as agreements that purport to require the disclosure and assignment to us of the rights to the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions of our employees and consultants while we or the Licensor employ them, the agreements can be difficult and costly to enforce. Although we and the Licensor seek to enter into these types of agreements with contractors, consultants, advisors and research collaborators, to the extent that employees and consultants utilize or independently develop intellectual property in connection with any of our projects, disputes may arise as to the intellectual property rights associated with our technology. If a dispute arises, a court may determine that the right belongs to a third-party. In addition, enforcement of our rights and the rights of the Licensor can be costly and unpredictable. We and the Licensor also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how that we and the Licensor may seek to protect in part by confidentiality agreements with employees, contractors, consultants, advisors or others. Despite the protective measures we employ, we and the Licensor still face the risk that:
- these agreements may be breached; - these agreements may not provide adequate remedies for the applicable type of breach; - our proprietary know-how will otherwise become known; or - our competitors will independently develop similar technology or proprietary information.
Trade Secrets - Risk 4
We and the Licensor have limited foreign intellectual property rights and may not be able to protect those intellectual property rights, which means that we and/or Licensor may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions or from selling or importing products made using those inventions.Our intellectual property rights include intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT Products and rights related to the IFP products. The we and the Licensor have determined that filing, prosecuting and defending intellectual property rights in all countries globally would be prohibitively expensive, and intellectual property rights in some countries can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property to the same extent as laws in the United States. Consequently, we and/or the Licensor may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions or from selling or importing products made using our inventions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained intellectual property rights to develop their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have intellectual property protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive. The legal systems of certain countries do not favor the enforcement of trade secrets and other intellectual property, particularly those relating to medical device products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our intellectual property or marketing of competing products industry of our proprietary rights generally. An adverse determination or an insufficient damage award in any such litigation could materially impair our intellectual property rights and may otherwise harm our business. In addition, some developing countries in the APAC Region have compulsory licensing laws under which an intellectual property owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In those countries, we and/or the Licensor may have limited remedies if our intellectual property is infringed or if we and/or the Licensor are compelled to grant a license to a third-party, which could materially diminish the value of that intellectual property. Furthermore, we may not be able to register or otherwise protect the trademark "Glucose Biosensor" in developing countries in the APAC Region.
Trade Secrets - Risk 5
We and the Licensor may be unable to protect or enforce the intellectual property rights licensed to us, which could impair our competitive position.For our business to be viable and to compete effectively, the proprietary rights with respect to the technologies and intellectual property used in our products must be developed and maintained. The Licensor relies primarily on patent protection and trade secrets, as well as a combination of copyright and trademark laws and nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements to protect its technology and intellectual property rights. There are significant risks associated with the Licensor's ability (or our ability, in the absence of action by the Licensor) to protect the intellectual property licensed to us, including:
- pending intellectual property applications may not be approved or may take longer than expected to result in approval in one or more of the countries in which we operate; - the Licensor's intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful protection; - other companies may challenge the validity or extent of the Licensor's patents and other proprietary intellectual property rights through litigation, oppositions and other proceedings. These proceedings can be protracted as well as unpredictable; - other companies may have independently developed (or may in the future independently develop) similar or alternative technologies, may duplicate the Licensor's technologies or may design their technologies around the Licensor's technologies; - enforcement of intellectual property rights is complex, uncertain and expensive, and may be subject to lengthy delays. In the event we take control of any such action under the License Agreement, our ability to enforce our intellectual property protection could be limited by our financial resources; and - the other risks described under "Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property."
If any of the Licensor's patents or other intellectual property rights fail to protect the technologies licensed by us, it would make it easier for our competitors to offer similar products. Any inability on the Licensor's part (or on our part, in the absence of action by the Licensor) to adequately protect its intellectual property may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Trade Secrets - Risk 6
We will depend primarily on the Licensor to file, prosecute, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property that we license from it and that is material to our business.The intellectual property relating to the COV2T and/or SGT is owned by the Licensor. Under the License Agreement, the Licensor generally has the right to file, prosecute, maintain and defend the intellectual property we have licensed from the Licensor. If the Licensor fails to conduct these activities for intellectual property protection covering any of our product candidates, our ability to develop and launch those product candidates may be adversely affected and we may not be able to prevent competitors from making, using or selling competing products. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the License Agreement with the Licensor, the Licensor generally has the right to control the enforcement of our licensed intellectual property and the defense of any claims asserting the invalidity of that intellectual property. We cannot be certain that the Licensor will allocate sufficient resources to and otherwise prioritize the enforcement of such intellectual property or the defense of such claims to protect our interests in the licensed intellectual property. In the absence of action by the Licensor, we may be unable to protect and enforce the proprietary rights on which our business relies. Even if we are not a party to these legal actions, an adverse outcome could harm our business because it might prevent us from continuing to use the licensed intellectual property that we need to operate our business. In addition, even if we take control of the prosecution of licensed intellectual property and related applications, enforcement of licensed intellectual property, or defense of claims asserting the invalidity of that intellectual property, we may still be adversely affected or prejudiced by actions or inactions of the Licensor and its counsel that took place prior to or after our assuming control, and we cannot ensure the cooperation of the Licensor in any such action. Furthermore, if we take action to protect, enforce or defend the licensed intellectual property, we may incur significant costs and the attention of our management may be diverted from our normal business operations. As a result, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Trade Secrets - Risk 7
We depend on intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT products, and any absence of legal effect of the license or dispute over the license would significantly harm our business.We are dependent on the intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT products. Although the License Agreement may not be terminated by the Licensor as long as we are continuing our operations, any absence of legal effect of the license could result in the loss of significant rights and could harm our ability to launch the SGT in the market. Disputes may also arise between us and the Licensor regarding intellectual property subject to the License Agreement. If disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms or are insufficient to provide us the necessary rights to use the intellectual property, we may be unable to successfully develop and launch the SGT and our other product candidates from Biosensor Platform. If we or the Licensor fail to adequately protect this intellectual property, our ability to launch our products in the market also could suffer. For so long as we are dependent on the intellectual property covered by the License Agreement for the pursuit of our business, any such disputes relating to the License Agreement or failure to protect the intellectual property could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Trade Secrets - Risk 8
We and/or the Licensor may be subject to claims alleging the violation of the intellectual property rights of others, which could involve in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.We may face significant expense and liability as a result of litigation or other proceedings relating to intellectual property rights of others. In the event that another party has intellectual property protection relating to an invention or technologies licensed by us from the Licensor, we and/or the Licensor may be required to participate in an interference proceeding declared by the regulatory authorities to determine priority of invention, which could result in substantial uncertainties and costs for us, even if the eventual outcome was favorable to us. We and/or the Licensor also could be required to participate in interference proceedings involving intellectual property of another entity. An adverse outcome in an interference proceeding could require us and/or the Licensor to cease using the technology, to substantially modify it or to license rights from prevailing third parties, which could delay or prevent the launch of our products in the market or adversely affect our profitability. The cost to us of any intellectual property litigation or other proceeding relating to the intellectual property licensed by us from the Licensor, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial, especially given our early stage of development. A third-party may claim that we and/or the Licensor are using inventions claimed by their intellectual property and may go to court to stop us and/or the Licensor from engaging in our normal operations and activities, such as research, development and the sale of any future products. Such lawsuits are expensive and would consume significant time and other resources. There is a risk that a court will decide that we and/or the Licensor are infringing the third-party's intellectual property and will order us to stop the activities claimed by the intellectual property. In addition, there is a risk that a court will order us and/or the Licensor to pay the other party damages for having infringed their intellectual property. While the Licensor is required to indemnify us for certain losses in connection with such proceedings, there can be no assurance that the Licensor will be able to satisfy any such obligation. Moreover, there is no guarantee that any prevailing intellectual property owner would offer us a license so that we could continue to engage in activities claimed by the intellectual property, or that such a license, if made available to us, could be acquired on commercially acceptable terms.
Trade Secrets - Risk 9
Patent terms may not be able to protect our competitive position for an adequate period of time with respect to our current or future technologies.Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the standard patent term is typically 20 years after filing. Various extensions may be available. Even so, the life of a patent and the protection it affords are limited. As a result, our patent portfolio provides us with limited rights that may not last for a sufficient period of time to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. For example, given the large amount of time required for the research, development, testing and regulatory review of medical devices, patents protecting our products might expire before or shortly after they are commercialized.
Extensions of patent term may be available, but there is no guarantee that we would succeed in obtaining any particular extension and no guarantee any such extension would confer patent term for a sufficient period of time to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
Additionally, an extension may not be granted or may be limited where there is, for example, a failure to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, failure to apply within applicable deadlines, failure to apply before expiration of relevant patents, or some other failure to satisfy applicable requirements. If this occurs, our competitors may be able to launch their products earlier by taking advantage of our investment in development and clinical trials along with our clinical and pre-clinical data. This could have a material adverse effect on our business and ability to achieve profitability.
Trade Secrets - Risk 10
Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.The United States Patent and Trademark Office (the "USPTO") and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition, periodic maintenance fees on issued patents often must be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of the patent. While an unintentional lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products that are the same as or similar to our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Trade Secrets - Risk 11
Our success will depend on our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights.In order to remain competitive, we must develop, maintain and protect the proprietary aspects of our brands, technologies and data. We rely on a combination of contractual provisions, confidentiality procedures and patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws to protect the proprietary aspects of our brands, technologies and data. These legal measures afford only limited protection, and competitors or others may gain access to or use our intellectual property and proprietary information. Our success will depend, in part, on preserving our trade secrets, maintaining the security of our data and know-how and obtaining and maintaining other intellectual property rights by us. We may not be able to obtain or maintain intellectual property or other proprietary rights necessary to our business or in a form that provides us with a competitive advantage.
In addition, our trade secrets, data and know-how could be subject to unauthorized use, misappropriation, or disclosure to unauthorized parties, despite our efforts to enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, clients and other vendors who have access to such information and could otherwise become known or be independently discovered by third parties. Our intellectual property, including trademarks, could be challenged, invalidated, infringed, and circumvented by third parties, and our trademarks could also be diluted, declared generic or found to be infringing on other marks. If any of the foregoing occurs, we could be forced to re-brand our products, resulting in loss of brand recognition and requiring us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands, and suffer other competitive harm. Third parties may also adopt trademarks similar to ours, which could harm our brand identity and lead to market confusion. Failure to obtain and maintain intellectual property rights necessary to our business and failure to protect, monitor and control the use of our intellectual property rights could negatively impact our ability to compete and cause us to incur significant expenses. The intellectual property laws and other statutory and contractual arrangements in the United States and other jurisdictions we depend upon may not provide sufficient protection in the future to prevent the infringement, use, violation or misappropriation of our trademarks, data, technology and other intellectual property and services, and may not provide an adequate remedy if our intellectual property rights are infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated.
We rely, in part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, expand, enforce, and defend the scope of our intellectual property portfolio or other proprietary rights, including the amount and timing of any payments we may be required to make in connection the filing, defense and enforcement of any patents or other intellectual property rights. The process of applying for and obtaining a patent is expensive, time consuming and complex, and we may not be able to file, prosecute, maintain, enforce all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost, in a timely manner, or in all jurisdictions where protection may be commercially advantageous, or we may not be able to protect our proprietary rights at all. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may be able to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. In addition, the issuance of a patent does not ensure that it is valid or enforceable, so even if we obtain patents, they may not be valid or enforceable against third parties. Our patent applications may not result in issued patents and our patents may not be sufficiently broad to protect our technology.
The degree of future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain, and we cannot ensure that:
- any of our patents, or any of our pending patent applications, if issued, will include claims having a scope sufficient to protect our products; - any of our pending patent applications will issue as patents; - we will be able to successfully commercialize our products on a substantial scale, if approved, before our relevant patents we may have expire; - we were the first to make the inventions covered by each of our patents and pending patent applications; - we were the first to file patent applications for these inventions; - others will not develop similar or alternative technologies that do not infringe our patents; any of our patents will be found to ultimately be valid and enforceable; - any patents issued to us will provide a basis for an exclusive market for our commercially viable products, will provide us with any competitive advantages or will not be challenged by third parties; - we will develop additional proprietary technologies or products that are separately patentable; or - our commercial activities or products will not infringe upon the patents of others.
Moreover, even if we are able to obtain patent protection, such patent protection may be of insufficient scope to achieve our business objectives. Issued patents may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or circumvented. Decisions by courts and governmental patent agencies may introduce uncertainty in the enforceability or scope of patents owned by or licensed to us. Furthermore, the issuance of a patent does not give us the right to practice the patented invention. Third parties may have blocking patents that could prevent us from marketing our own products and practicing our own technology. Alternatively, third parties may seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our products. In these circumstances, we may need to defend or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid, unenforceable or not infringed; competitors may then be able to market products and use manufacturing and analytical processes that are substantially similar to ours. Even if we have valid and enforceable patents, these patents still may not provide protection against competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives.
Trade Secrets - Risk 12
We understand that the External Administrator of LSBD (the Licensor of our SGT and COV2T products), pursuant to a creditors meeting held on July 21, 2023, sent notice to the creditors on July 24, 2023, stating that LSBD has appointed a liquidator on July 21, 2023. Our understanding is that the ownership of the intellectual property rights licensed by us reverts to the University of Newcastle. Accordingly, the Company plans to discuss the future licensing of SGT products with the University of Newcastle. There is an inherent risk related to the possibility of modifications to our rights to, or the Company's ability to use, the Licensed Products, which could materially and adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition, and operating results.Changed
We are party to the SGT License Agreement with LSBD, pursuant to which, among other things, the Company licenses certain products from LSBD, and has a 50% interest in BiosensX (North America) Inc. which has exclusive license to use, make, sell and offer to sell products under the intellectual property rights in connection with the Biosensor technology and the glucose/diabetes management field in the United States, Mexico and Canada. According to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission's (ASIC's), Companies and Organizations Register, on May 10, 2022, LSBD filed a Notice of Appointment of External Administrator, followed by a filing of a Deed of Company Arrangement on the August 2, 2022.
We understand that the External Administrator of LSBD (the Licensor of our SGT and COV2T products), pursuant to a creditors meeting held on July 21, 2023, sent notice to the creditors on July 24, 2023, stating that LSBD has appointed a liquidator on July 21, 2023. Our understanding is that the ownership of the intellectual property rights licensed by us reverts to the University of Newcastle. Accordingly, the Company plans to discuss the future licensing of the SGT products with the University of Newcastle. There is no timeline established yet in relation to this. There is an inherent risk related to the possibility of modifications to our rights to, or the Company's ability to use, the Licensed Products, which could materially and adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition, and operating results.
Trade Secrets - Risk 13
The license agreement with the Licensor, which covers the license of the core technology used in our Biosensor Platform products, contains significant risks that may have a material adverse effect on us and our business, assets and its prospects.The Amended and Restated Technology License Agreement dated September 12, 2019, which amends and restates all previous license agreements (the "SGT License Agreement") is limited to the APAC Region. We have no contractual rights to the intellectual property covered in the SGT License Agreement other than as expressly set forth therein. Our plans, business, prospects are substantially dependent on that intellectual property and subject to the limitations relating thereto as set forth in the SGT License Agreement:
- The SGT license granted to us is limited in territorial scope. The Licensor granted us a license to its proprietary rights in the biosensor technology used in the products from Licensor (the "Licensed Products") solely in the APAC Region, and primarily to act as authorized party for obtaining regulatory approval and to manufacture (subject to being approved as an Authorized Supplier by the Licensor) for use in the APAC Region, and to promote, market, import, offer sell and distribute the Licensed Products in the APAC Region. We may not exploit or seek to exploit any rights in respect of the Licensed Product outside of the APAC Region through any means, including digitally or online where the end user is not physically resident in the APAC Region. Accordingly, to the extent that such users are prohibited, we will be unable to realize any commercialization from such users and ensure that such users do not do business with us, even as such commercialization and business might be appropriate, related, synergistic or enhanced by our operations. In addition, we may be responsible for costs and other liabilities that might arise to the extent that users outside the APAC Region obtain such access and may incur costs to comply with these prohibitions. Further, the non-coverage of digital or online use for users not physically in the APAC Region may constitute a material limitation on our ability to freely conduct business digitally, online or through any other medium that may reach outside of the APAC Region. This limitation may have a material adverse effect on our marketing, sales, operational and other business efforts. - After the receipt of regulatory approval in a jurisdiction, we may be required to pay the Minimum Royalty with respect to such jurisdiction regardless of the actual amount of sales by us of Licensed Products. Accordingly, although the Minimum Royalty is based on our projected sales in each such jurisdiction, and although the determination of the Minimum Royalty is subject to agreement between us and the Licensor as to certain parameters, as described elsewhere in this report, with disputes generally resolved by an independent third-party, we could be obligated to pay royalties even though we have generated no or limited revenue. Such payments could materially and adversely affect our profitability and could limit our investment in our business. - The Licensed Products include only products that are supplied by an Authorized Supplier. Accordingly, we will not have unfettered right to select our suppliers, regardless of whether an unauthorized supplier could provide products on better pricing, delivery, quality or other terms, thus potentially materially and adversely impacting those aspects of our business, economies, profitability and prospects.
- We are required to collect and anonymize demographic information about the end users of the Licensed Products, as well as data acquired from the Licensed Products. The data collection and retention may be expensive in cost, resources, legal and regulatory compliance and other ways, none of which costs can be quantified at this time. Further, changing regulations with respect to medical and similar such data may make such compliance beyond the scope of our capabilities. Any failure to comply may result in financial liability, as well as reputational harm. - The license is non-transferable, non-assignable and non-sublicensable, except that the Licensor will in good faith consider any request by us for any sublicense. The Licensor is not obligated to agree to any such sub-license. These restrictions may limit our flexibility to structure our operations in the most advantageous manner. - We must manufacture, promote, market, import, offer, sell, distribute and supply the Licensed Products in accordance with certain distribution requirements set forth in the License Agreement. For instance, we may not package the Licensed Products with other products, and we may deliver them only as supplied by an Authorized Supplier. Accordingly, the limitations imposed by the License Agreement may impact our ability to pursue certain marketing strategies and distribution channels, which may have a material adverse effect on us and our business, assets and prospects. - The Licensor may require any change to any Licensed Product by any Authorized Supplier and may make any change to any sales or promotional literature made available by the Licensor, provided that such changes do not affect any regulatory approvals we obtain. This right of the Licensor may create material expense for us, may be practically difficult to accomplish and may cause relationship, reputational and other adverse harm to us, our business and our prospects, without our having any control over these changes. Further, the Licensor is not liable for any of the costs to us of such changes. - We must file for, prosecute the application for, and obtain all regulatory approvals for each of the Licensed Products and all legal permits necessary for promoting, marketing, offering or selling each Licensed Product. The regulatory approval process can be expensive and time consuming, and there can be no assurances that we will be able to obtain or maintain any or all required permits. - Except with respect to the Licensor's ownership of all intellectual property rights in respect of the licensed property and the non-infringement by our exercise of those rights, the Licensor provides no, and disclaims all, representations, warranties or covenants relating to the licensed intellectual property or any other matters under the License Agreement and in particular disclaims any fitness of the property for any purpose. These provisions limit our recourse in the event that the licensed intellectual property is flawed, defective, inadequate, incomplete, uncommercial, wrongly described or otherwise not useful for our purposes. We have not independently verified any of the technical, scientific, commercial, legal, medical or other circumstances or nature of the licensed intellectual property and therefore there can be no assurances that any of the foregoing risks have been reduced or eliminated. These provisions represent a significant risk of a material adverse impact on us, our business and our prospects.
Cyber Security1 | 1.6%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
We will rely on the proper function, security and availability of our information technology systems and data to operate our business, and a breach, cyber-attack or other disruption to these systems or data could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, reputation or competitive position.Technology1 | 1.6%
Technology - Risk 1
The SGT and IFP Drug Screening System, including its software and systems, may contain undetected errors, which could limit our ability to provide our products and services and diminish the attractiveness of our service offerings.Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 13/63 (21%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights4 | 6.3%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
We may not be able to satisfy the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market in order to maintain the listing of our common stock.Changed
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
The sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock and other securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock, such as those securities sold in the October 2023 Offering, the Warrant Inducement Transaction and March 2024 Offerings, could depress the market price of our shares of common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.Added
The sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock and other securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock, such as those securities sold in the October 2023 Offering, the Warrant Inducement Transaction, and the March 2024 Offering could depress the market price of our shares of common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. In addition to causing the market price of our common stock to decline, such sales could also greatly increase the volatility associated with the trading of our common stock. Furthermore, stockholders may initiate securities class action lawsuits if the market price of our common stock drops significantly, which may cause us to incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our management. We cannot predict the number of these shares or warrants that might be sold nor the effect that future sales of our shares of our securities would have on the market price of our shares of common stock. See Note 10, Shareholders' Equity for further details of the October 2023 Offering, the Warrant Inducement Transaction, and the March 2024 Offering.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
The market price of our common stock may be significantly volatile.The market price for our common stock may be significantly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors including the following:
- developments prior to commercial sales relating to regulatory approval, manufacturing and distribution of our products; - actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results; - changes in financial or operational estimates or projections; - conditions in markets generally; - changes in the economic performance or market valuations of companies similar to ours; and - general economic or political conditions in the United States or elsewhere.
In particular, the market prices for securities of medical device companies have historically been particularly volatile. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include:
- any delay in or the results of our clinical evaluations; - any delay in manufacturing of our products; - any delay with the approval for reimbursement for the patients from their insurance companies; - our failure to comply with regulatory requirements; - the announcements of clinical evaluation data, and the investment community's perception of and reaction to those data; - the results of clinical evaluations conducted by others on products that would compete with ours; - any delay or failure to receive clearance or approval from regulatory agencies or bodies; - our inability to commercially launch products or market and generate sales of our products, including the SGT; - failure of the SGT or any other products, even if approved for marketing, to achieve any level of commercial success; - our failure to obtain intellectual property protection for any of our technologies and products (including those related to the SGT) or the issuance of third-party intellectual property that cover our proposed technologies or products; - developments or disputes concerning our product's intellectual property rights; - our or our competitors' technological innovations; - general and industry-specific economic conditions that may affect our expenditures; - changes in market valuations of similar companies; - announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, capital commitments, new technologies, or intellectual property; - failure to adequately manufacture the SGT or any other products through third parties; - future sales of our common stock or other securities, including shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants or otherwise issued pursuant to certain contractual rights; - period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results; and - low or high trading volume of our common stock due to many factors, including the terms of our financing arrangements.
In addition, if we fail to reach an important research, development or commercialization milestone or result by a publicly expected deadline, even if by only a small margin, there could be a significant impact on the market price of our common stock. Additionally, as we approach the announcement of anticipated significant information and as we announce such information, we expect the price of our common stock to be volatile and negative results would have a substantial negative impact on the price of our common stock. In some cases, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, stockholders have often instituted class action securities litigation against those companies. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could significantly harm our business operations and reputation.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or products.Since our inception, our operations have been financed primarily by net proceeds from the sale of our convertible preferred stock and common stock, indebtedness and revenue from the sales of our products. We anticipate our future capital requirements will be substantial and that we will need to raise significant additional capital to fund our operations through equity or debt financing, or some combination thereof. We are currently exploring fundraising opportunities to meet these capital requirements. If we are unable to raise additional funding to meet our operational needs, we will be forced to limit or cease our operations.
In addition to our current capital needs, we regularly consider fundraising opportunities and may decide, from time to time, to raise capital based on various factors, including market conditions and our plans of operation. We may seek funds through borrowings or through additional rounds of financing, including private or public equity or debt offerings. Additional capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms on a timely basis, or at all. If adequate funds are not available, or if the terms of potential funding sources are unfavorable, our business and our ability to develop our technology and our products would be harmed. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may suffer dilution and the terms of any financing may adversely affect the rights of our stockholders. In addition, as a condition to providing additional funds to us, future investors may demand, and may be granted, rights superior to those of existing stockholders. Debt financing, if available, is likely to involve restrictive covenants limiting our flexibility in conducting future business activities, and, in the event of insolvency, debt holders would be repaid before holders of our equity securities receive any distribution of our corporate assets. We also could be required to seek funds through arrangements with partners or others that may require us to relinquish rights or jointly own some aspects of our technologies or products that we would otherwise pursue on our own.
Accounting & Financial Operations6 | 9.5%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation of the material weaknesses is not effective, or if we experience additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.Changed
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We are obligated to develop and maintain a system of effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may harm investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. We are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. However, our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an "emerging growth company" as defined in the JOBS Act, if we take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act. Even after we cease to be an "emerging growth company," our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting unless we are an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer (as defined under the Exchange Act). We are in the very early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. As we transition to the requirements of reporting as a public company, we may need to add additional finance staff. We may not be able to complete our evaluation and testing in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. We may not be able to remediate any material weaknesses in a timely fashion. If we are unable to complete our evaluation and testing, or if we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, particularly if we have been unable to remediate any material weaknesses identified, or if or our auditors, when required to do so, are unable to express an opinion that our internal controls are effective, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our stock price.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We cannot accurately predict the volume or timing of any sales of any of our products, making the timing of any associated revenues uncertain and difficult to forecast.We may be faced with lengthy and unpredictable customer evaluation and approval processes associated with the SGT and our other products. Consequently, we may incur substantial expenses and devote significant management effort and expense in developing customer adoption of our products, which may not result in revenue generation for those products. We must also obtain regulatory approvals our products in the respective jurisdiction, which is subject to risk and potential delays, and may actually occur. The same risks apply to other tests we may develop based on the Biosensor Platform and planned tests from IFP Drug Screening System. As such, we cannot accurately predict the volume, if any, or timing of any future sales.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our ability to achieve profitability depends in part on maintaining or increasing our gross margins on product sales which we may not be able to achieve.A number of factors may adversely impact our gross margins on product sales and services, including:
- lower than expected manufacturing yields of high-cost components leading to increased manufacturing costs; - shortages of electric components resulting in higher prices or an inability to supply key parts; - low production volume which will result in high levels of overhead cost per unit of production; - the timing of revenue recognition and revenue deferrals; - increased material or labor costs; - increased service or warranty costs or the failure to reduce service or warranty costs; - increased price competition; - variation in the margins across products in a particular period; and - how well we execute on our strategic and operating plans.
If we are unable to maintain or increase our gross margins on product sales, our results of operations could be adversely impacted, we may not achieve profitability and our stock price could decline.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
We have incurred significant losses since inception and continue to incur losses, and we may not be able to achieve significant revenues or profitability.Since our inception, we have engaged primarily in development activities. We have financed our operations primarily through financing from the issuance of common stock, convertible preferred stock, convertible notes and the incurrence of debt and have incurred losses since inception, including a net loss of $7,037,286 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 and a net loss of $8,306,051 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 and a net loss of $10,631,720 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. On unaudited pro-forma result prepared as if we closed the IFP Acquisition (defined below) on July 1, 2021 (and including adjustments for amortization related to the valuation of acquired intangibles), we incurred a net loss of $12,220,415 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 and a net loss of $11,873,274 for the fiscal year ended June 30 2023. We do not know whether or when we will become profitable.
Our ability to generate higher revenue and achieve profitability depends upon our ability, alone or with others, to complete the development process of our products, including regulatory approvals, and achieve substantial acceptance in the marketplace for our existing IFP products. We may be unable to achieve any or all of these goals.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
Our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern in its report on our audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.The report from our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended June 30, 2023, includes an explanatory paragraph stating that our losses from operations and required additional funding to finance our operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date the financial statements are issued. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funding, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected, and we may be unable to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our audited financial statements, and it is likely that investors will lose all or a part of their investment. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. There can be no assurance that the current operating plan will be achieved in the time frame anticipated by us, or that our cash resources will fund our operating plan for the period anticipated by the Company or that additional funding will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
Debt & Financing1 | 1.6%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We may need to raise additional capital to fund our operations in the future. If we are unsuccessful in attracting new capital, we may not be able to continue operations or may be forced to sell assets to do so. Alternatively, capital may not be available to us on favorable terms, if at all. If available, financing terms may lead to significant dilution of our stockholders' equity.Changed
Corporate Activity and Growth2 | 3.2%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We may have difficulties integrating acquired businesses and as a result, our business, results of operations and/or financial condition may be materially adversely affected.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We are subject to the risks associated with new businesses generally.We were formed in December 2016 as a new business with a plan to commercialize our licensed technology. Our limited operating history may not be adequate to enable you to fully assess our ability to develop and market the SGT and other tests based on the Biosensor Platform, achieve market acceptance of the SGT and such other tests and respond to competition. Our efforts to date have related to the organization and formation of our company, strategic planning, product research and development and preparation for commencing regulatory trials. We acquired IFP in October 2022, which generates minimal revenue. Prior to the acquisition of IFP, the Company's operations generated no revenue other than income classified as governmental support income received in connection with grants from Australian Government. As at the date of this filing, revenue generated from the sales of IFP products are not enough to cover our operation costs. Therefore, we are, and expect for the foreseeable future to be, subject to all the risks and uncertainties, inherent in a new business focused on the development and sale of new medical devices and related software applications. As a result, we may be unable to further develop, obtain regulatory approval for, manufacture, market, sell and derive revenues from the SGT and the other products in our pipeline based on the Biosensor Platform, and our inability to do so would materially and adversely impact our business. In addition, we still must optimize many functions necessary to operate a business, including expanding our managerial, personnel and administrative structure, continuing product research and development, and assessing and commencing our marketing activities.
In addition, in connection with our recent acquisition of IFP, there are risks relating to the integration of IFP with the Company, including with regard to integrating technology, processes, information systems and other matters that can lead to challenges in economies of scale and leadership.
Accordingly, you should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays and difficulties frequently encountered by companies that have not yet commercialized their products or services, particularly those in the medical device and digital health fields. In particular, potential investors should consider that there is a significant risk that we will not be able to:
- implement or execute our current business plan, or that our business plan is sound; - maintain our management team and Board of Directors; - determine that the technologies that have been developed are commercially viable; - attract, enter into or maintain contracts with, and retain customers; and - raise any necessary additional funds in the capital markets or otherwise to effectuate our business plan.
In the event that we do not successfully address these risks, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Production
Total Risks: 12/63 (19%)Above Sector Average
Manufacturing1 | 1.6%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
If our facilities become damaged or inoperable, we will be unable to continue to research, develop and supply our product which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations until we are able to secure a new facility and rebuild our inventory.Employment / Personnel4 | 6.3%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
If we fail to retain marketing and sales personnel, or if we fail to increase our marketing and sales capabilities as we grow, or if we fail to develop broad awareness of our product in a cost-effective manner, we may not be able to generate revenue growth.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
If we are not able to attract and retain highly skilled managerial, scientific and technical personnel, we may not be able to implement our business model successfully.We believe that our management team must be able to act decisively to apply and adapt our business model in the markets in which we will compete. In addition, we will rely upon technical and scientific employees or third-party contractors to effectively establish, manage and grow our business. Consequently, we believe that our future viability will depend largely on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled managerial, sales, scientific and technical personnel. In order to do so, we may need to pay higher compensation or fees to our employees or consultants than we currently expect, and such higher compensation payments would have a negative effect on our operating results. Competition for experienced, high-quality personnel is intense and we cannot assure that we will be able to recruit and retain such personnel. We may not be able to hire or retain the necessary personnel to implement our business strategy. Our failure to hire and retain such personnel could impair our ability to develop new products and manage our business effectively.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
Our future performance will depend on the continued engagement of key members of our management team, and the loss of one or more of the key members of our management team could have a negative impact on our business.Our future performance depends to a large extent on the continued services of members of our current management including, in particular, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In the event that we lose the continued services of such key personnel for any reason, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and prospects.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 4
We are an emerging growth company and currently have limited accounting personnel and other supervisory resources. This can result in a lack of necessary resources to adequately execute our accounting processes and address our internal controls over financial reporting requirements.The Company is an emerging growth company. Prior to our initial public offering ("IPO"), which we completed in December 2020, the Company was a private corporation with limited accounting personnel and other supervisory resources necessary to adequately execute its accounting processes and address its internal controls over financial reporting requirements. As a result, previously existing internal controls are no longer sufficient, and the Company is in the process of updating these controls. The design and implementation of internal control over financial reporting for the Company's post-IPO has required and will continue to require significant time and resources from management and other personnel.
Supply Chain7 | 11.1%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
If we or our suppliers fail to comply The United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS), FDA's Quality System Regulation (QSR) and CE (European Conformity) Markings and other relevant regulations regulation, our manufacturing or distribution operations could be delayed or shut down and our revenue could suffer.Supply Chain - Risk 2
We are subject to the risk of reliance on third parties to conduct our clinical evaluation work, their inability to comply with good clinical practice and relevant regulation could adversely affect the clinical development of our product candidates and harm our business.We will depend on independent clinical investigators to conduct our clinical evaluations. Contract research organizations may also assist us in the collection and analysis of data. These investigators and contract research organizations will not be our employees and we will not be able to control, other than by contract, the amount of resources, including time that they devote to products that we develop. If independent investigators fail to devote sufficient resources to our clinical evaluations, or if their performance is substandard, it will delay the approval or clearance and ultimately the market launch of any products that we develop. Further, regulatory bodies require that we comply with standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practice, for conducting, recording and reporting clinical evaluations to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial subjects are protected. If our independent clinical investigators and contract research organizations fail to comply with good clinical practice, the results of our clinical evaluations could be called into question and the clinical development of our product candidates could be delayed. Failure of clinical investigators or contract research organizations to meet their obligations to us or comply with applicable regulations could adversely affect the clinical development of our product candidates and harm our business. Moreover, we intend to have several clinical evaluations in order to support our marketing efforts and business development purposes. Such clinical evaluations will be conducted by third parties as well. Failure of such clinical evaluations to meet their primary endpoints could adversely affect our marketing efforts.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
If we or our manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulatory quality system regulations or any applicable equivalent regulations, our proposed operations could be interrupted, and our operating results may be negatively impacted.We and any third-party manufacturers and suppliers of ours will be required, to the extent of applicable regulation, to follow the quality system regulations of each jurisdiction we will seek to penetrate and also will be subject to the regulations of these jurisdictions regarding the manufacturing processes. If we or any third-party manufacturers or suppliers of ours are found to be in significant non-compliance or fail to take satisfactory corrective action in response to adverse regulatory findings in this regard, regulatory agencies could take enforcement actions against us and such manufacturers or suppliers, which could impair or prevent our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet customers' demands. Accordingly, our operating results would suffer.
Supply Chain - Risk 4
We depend on a limited number of single-source suppliers to manufacture certain components of IFP Drug Screening System, which makes us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations that could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.We rely on single-source suppliers for certain components of our IFP Drug Screening System and materials for our other current products. These components and materials are critical and there are no or relatively few alternative sources of supply. These single-source suppliers may be unwilling or unable to supply the necessary materials and components or manufacture and assemble our products reliably and at the levels we anticipate or that are required by the market. While our suppliers have generally met our demand for their products and services on a timely basis in the past, we cannot guarantee that they will in the future be able to meet our demand for their products or our suppliers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us. If we are required to change suppliers due to any change in or termination of our relationships with these third parties, or if our suppliers are unable to obtain the materials, they need to produce our products at consistent prices or at all, we may lose sales, experience manufacturing or other delays, incur increased costs or otherwise experience impairment to our customer relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all.
Supply Chain - Risk 5
We rely on third parties to perform certain confirmatory tests for our IFP Drug Screening System.We rely on third-party service providers to analyze samples collected from our confirmatory kit of the IFP Drug Screening System. We contract with third-party laboratory service provider to perform confirmation testing on the samples collected. This service is critical and there are relatively few alternatives. These third-party service providers may be unwilling or unable to provide the necessary services reliably and at the levels we anticipate or that are required by the market. While these third-party service providers have generally met our demand for their services on a timely basis in the past, we cannot guarantee that they will in the future be able to meet our demand for their services or our service providers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us. If we are required to change service providers for any reason, including due to any change in or termination of our relationships with these third parties, we may lose sales, experience delays, incur increased costs or otherwise experience impairment to our customer relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all.
Supply Chain - Risk 6
We expect to rely in part on third-party distributors to effectively distribute our products, if our distributors fail to effectively market and sell the SGT and IFP products in full compliance with applicable laws, our operating results and business may suffer.We will depend in part on qualified distributors for the marketing and selling of our products. We will depend on these distributors' efforts to market our products, yet we will be unable to control their efforts completely. While we entered into non-binding memoranda of understanding with two large distributors in China for the SGT, we have not yet executed any definitive distribution agreements in this regard and there can be no assurances that suitable distributors will be engaged on terms acceptable to us. These distributors typically would sell a variety of other, non-competing products that may limit the resources they dedicate to selling our products. In addition, we are unable to ensure that our distributors will comply with all applicable laws regarding the sale of our products. If our distributors fail to effectively market and sell our products in full compliance with applicable laws, our operating results and business may suffer. Recruiting and retaining qualified third-party distributors and training them in our technology and product offering will require significant time and resources. To develop and expand our distribution, we will be required to scale and improve our processes and procedures that support our distributors. Further, if our relationship with a successful distributor terminates, we may be unable to replace that distributor without disruption to our business. If we fail to develop or maintain positive relationships with our distributors, including in new markets, fail to manage, train or incentivize these distributors effectively, or fail to provide distributors with competitive products on attractive terms, or if these distributors are not successful in their sales efforts, we may not achieve or may have a reduction in revenue and our operating results, reputation and business would be harmed.
Supply Chain - Risk 7
We are yet to finalize the manufacturing plan for the production of the SGT and its components on a mass market commercial scale, and may be dependent upon third-party manufacturers and suppliers, making us vulnerable to contractual relationships and market forces, supply shortages and problems and price fluctuations, which could harm our business.While we are using the facilities of Australian National Fabrication Facility to manufacture the SGB for clinical evaluation, we are yet to finalize the manufacturing plan for the production of the SGT and its components on a mass market commercial scale. We presently do not possess the manufacturing and processing capacity to meet the production requirements of consumer demand in a timely manner. Accordingly, we may rely on outsourcing the manufacturing of the SGT or its components. Our capacity to conduct clinical evaluation and launch our products in the market will depend in part on our ability or the ability of third-party manufacturers to provide our products on a large scale, at a competitive cost and in accordance with regulatory requirements. We cannot guarantee that we or our third-party manufacturers or suppliers will be able to provide the SGT and its components in mass-market quantities in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. Delays in providing or increasing production or processing capacity could result in additional expense or delays in our clinical evaluation, regulatory submissions and the market launch of our products. In addition, we or our third-party manufacturers or suppliers could make errors that could adversely affect the efficacy or safety of the SGT or cause delays in shipment. Any third-party party manufacturers or suppliers may encounter problems for a variety of reasons, including, for example, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, equipment malfunction and environmental factors, failure to properly conduct their own business affairs, and infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, any of which could delay or impede their ability to meet our requirements. Reliance on these third-party manufacturers or suppliers also subjects us to other risks where:
- we may have difficulty locating and qualifying alternative manufacturers or suppliers; - switching manufacturers or suppliers may require product redesign and possibly submission to regulatory bodies, which could significantly impede or delay our commercial activities; - sole-source manufacturers or suppliers could fail to supply the SGT or components of the SGT; and - manufacturers or suppliers could encounter financial or other business hardships unrelated to us, interfering with their fulfilment of our orders and requirements.
We may not be able to quickly establish additional or alternative manufacturers or suppliers, if necessary, in part because we may need to undertake additional activities to establish such manufacturers or suppliers as required by the regulatory approval process. We potentially will rely on certain single-source manufacturers or suppliers, and to the extent we do so, these risks will be intensified. Any interruption or delay in obtaining products or components from our third-party manufacturers or suppliers, or shortages of products or components, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to switch to competing products.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 10/63 (16%)Below Sector Average
Regulation7 | 11.1%
Regulation - Risk 1
Non-United States governments often impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our future profitability.Regulation - Risk 2
We may be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations which, if violated, could subject us to substantial penalties. Additionally, any challenge to or investigation into our practices under these laws could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, and thus could harm our business.There are numerous U.S. federal and state, as well as foreign, laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including anti-kickback, false claims and transparency laws. Many international healthcare laws and regulations apply to the glucose monitoring business and medical devices. We will be subject to certain regulations regarding commercial practices false claims. The federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act, which prohibit, among other things, individuals, or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs that are false or fraudulent. Private individuals can bring False Claims Act "qui tam" actions, on behalf of the government and such individuals, commonly known as "whistleblowers," may share in amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. When an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose substantial penalties plus three times the amount of damages which the government sustains because of the submission of a false claim, and exclude the entity from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs.
If our operations or arrangements are found to be in violation of governmental regulations, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and the curtailment of our operations. All of these penalties could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.
Regulation - Risk 3
If we are unable to achieve certain agreed milestones for the government grant we received, we may become liable to refund the grant we received. The Company has only completed 4 of the 8 agreed milestones set forth in the Company's grant agreement with the Australian Government.Changed
Subsequent to the quarter ended March 31, 2024, on April 16, 2024 the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources provided an extension to complete the project by March 28, 2025 with certain modification in project costs. If we are unable to achieve the agreed milestones by the extended date, we may become liable to refund the grant we received.
Regulation - Risk 4
We incur significantly increased costs and are subject to additional regulations and requirements as a result of becoming a public company, which could lower our profits or make it more difficult to run our business.As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an "emerging growth company," we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to compliance with these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain directors' and officers' liability insurance, which could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors. Furthermore, new or changing laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a public company or the timing of such costs. Moreover, our executive officers have little experience in operating a United States public company, which makes our ability to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations uncertain. Our failure to company with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to United States public companies could subject us or our management to regulatory scrutiny or sanction, which could harm our reputation and stock price.
Regulation - Risk 5
We are subject to laws and regulations governing business conduct, which will require us to develop and implement costly compliance programs.We must comply with a wide range of laws and regulations to prevent corruption, bribery, and other unethical business practices, including the FCPA, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in other countries. The creation and implementation of international business practices compliance programs is costly and such programs are difficult to enforce, particularly where reliance on third parties is required. Anti-bribery laws prohibit us, our employees, and some of our agents or representatives from offering or providing any personal benefit to covered government officials to influence their performance of their duties or induce them to serve interests other than the missions of the public organizations in which they serve. Certain commercial bribery rules also prohibit offering or providing any personal benefit to employees and representatives of commercial companies to influence their performance of their duties or induce them to serve interests other than their employers. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with certain accounting provisions requiring us to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations. The anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA are enforced primarily by the Department of Justice. The SEC is involved with enforcement of the books and records provisions of the FCPA. Compliance with these anti-bribery laws is expensive and difficult, particularly in countries in which corruption is a recognized problem. In addition, the anti-bribery laws present particular challenges in the medical products industries because in many countries, a majority of hospitals are state-owned or operated by the government, and doctors and other hospital employees are considered civil servants. Furthermore, in certain countries, hospitals and clinics are permitted to sell medical devices to their patients and are primary or significant distributors of medical devices. Certain payments to hospitals in connection with clinical studies, procurement of medical devices and other work have been deemed to be improper payments to government officials that have led to vigorous anti-bribery law enforcement actions and heavy fines in multiple jurisdictions, particularly in the United States and China. It is not always possible to identify and deter violations, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. In the medical products industries, corrupt practices include, among others, acceptance of kickbacks, bribes or other illegal gains or benefits by the hospitals and medical practitioners from medical device manufacturers, distributors or their third-party agents in connection with the prescription of certain medical devices or disposables. If our employees, affiliates, distributors or third-party marketing firms violate these laws or otherwise engage in illegal practices with respect to their sales or marketing of our products or other activities involving our products, we could be required to pay damages or heavy fines by multiple jurisdictions where we operate, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Our potential customers also may deny access to sales representatives from medical device companies because the potential customers want to avoid the perception of corruption, which could adversely affect our ability to promote our products. As we expand our operations in the APAC Region, we will need to increase the scope of our compliance programs to address the risks relating to the potential for violations of the FCPA and other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. Our compliance programs will need to include policies addressing not only the FCPA, but also the provisions of a variety of anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in multiple jurisdictions, including provisions relating to books and records that apply to us as a public company, and will need to include effective training for our personnel throughout our organization. The creation and implementation of anti-corruption compliance programs is costly and such programs are difficult to enforce, particularly where reliance on third parties is required. Violation of the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws can result in significant administrative and criminal penalties for us and our employees, including substantial fines, suspension or debarment from government contracting, prison sentences, or even the death penalty in extremely serious cases in certain countries. The SEC also may suspend or bar us from trading securities on United States exchanges for violation of the FCPA's accounting provisions. Even if we are not ultimately punished by government authorities, the costs of investigation and review, distraction of company personnel, legal defense costs, and harm to our reputation could be substantial and could limit our profitability or our ability to develop or launch our product candidates. In addition, if any of our competitors are not subject to the FCPA, they may engage in practices that will lead to their receipt of preferential treatment from potential customers and enable them to secure business from potential customers in ways that are unavailable to us.
Regulation - Risk 6
Our products and operations are subject to extensive government regulation and oversight both in the United States and abroad. If we fail to obtain and maintain necessary regulatory approvals current IFP products, or if approvals for future products and indications are delayed or not issued, it will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.Our proprietary IFP Drug Screening System is subject to extensive regulation in the United States and abroad, including the European Union, our largest market for the IFP Drug Screening System. Government regulations specific to medical devices are wide ranging and govern, among other things:
- Product design, development, manufacture, and release; - Laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical testing, labeling, packaging, storage and distribution; - Product safety and efficacy; - Premarketing clearance or approval; - Service operations; - Record keeping; - Product marketing, promotion and advertising, sales and distribution; - Post-marketing surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and recalls and correction and removals; - Post-market approval studies; and - Product import and export.
If we fail to remain in compliance with applicable European laws and directives, we would be unable to continue to affix the CE mark to our products, which would prevent us from selling them within the European Economic Area ("EEA").
We plan to commence required regulatory approval process with FDA in the United States, which may be an expensive, lengthy and unpredictable process. We may not be able to obtain any necessary clearances or approval or may be unduly delayed in doing so, which will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, even if we are granted regulatory clearances or approvals, they may include significant limitations on the indicated uses for the product, which may limit the market for product.
The FDA can delay, limit or deny clearance or approval of a device for many reasons, including:
- Our inability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or the applicable regulatory entity or notified body that our products are safe or effective for their intended uses; - The disagreement of the FDA or the applicable foreign regulatory body with the design or implementation of our clinical trials or the interpretation of data from pre-clinical studies or clinical trials; - Serious and unexpected adverse effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials; - The data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support clearance or approval, where required; - Our inability to demonstrate that the clinical and other benefits of the product outweigh the risks; - The manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements; and - The potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory bodies to change significantly in a manner rendering our clinical data or regulatory filings insufficient for clearance or approval.
Furthermore, the FDA and state and international authorities have broad enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by any such agency, which may include any of the following sanctions:
- Adverse publicity, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties; - Repair, replacement, refunds, recall or seizure of our products; - Operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production; - Denial of our requests for regulatory clearance or premarket approval of new products or services, new intended uses or modifications to existing products or services; - Withdrawal of regulatory clearance or premarket approvals that have already been granted; or - Criminal prosecution.
If any of these events were to occur, it will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the medical device and other medical product industries in the APAC Region, where we plan to expand our product offering in the near future are generally subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision, encompassing the approval, registration, manufacturing, packaging, licensing and marketing of new products. In addition, the regulatory frameworks in the APAC Region regarding our industry are subject to change. Any such changes may result in increased compliance costs on our business or cause delays in or prevent the successful development or launch of our product candidates in the APAC Region. The regulatory authorities in the countries and territories constituting the APAC Region also may launch investigations of individual companies or on an industry-wide basis. The costs and time necessary to respond to an investigation can be material. Any failure by us or our partners to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations or obtain and maintain required licenses and permits may result in the suspension or termination of our business activities in certain countries and territories in the APAC Region or in the region as a whole.
Regulation - Risk 7
The regulatory approval process which we may be required to navigate may be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain and may prevent us from obtaining clearance for the product launch of the SGT and IFP products in certain jurisdiction or our any future product.We intend to market the SGT following regulatory approval. The IFP products may also require regulatory approval in certain jurisdictions to market. To date, we have not received regulatory approval in any jurisdiction and we have not yet commenced 510(k) premarket notification process for expansion into United States markets that require FDA approval. While we are currently planning to sell our IFP products throughout the Asia Pacific Region, Europe and North America, to date we have only sold IFP products in the United Kingdom, Australia and Nepal.
The research, design, testing, manufacturing, labelling, selling, marketing and distribution of medical devices are subject to extensive regulation by country-specific regulatory authorities, which regulations differ from country to country. There can be no assurance that, even after such time and expenditures, we will be able to obtain necessary regulatory approvals for clinical testing or for the manufacturing or marketing of any products. In addition, during the regulatory process, other companies may develop other technologies with the same intended use as our products. We also will be subject to numerous post-marketing regulatory requirements, which may include labelling regulations and medical device reporting regulations, which may require us to report to different regulatory agencies if our device causes or contributes to a death or serious injury, or malfunctions in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury. In addition, these regulatory requirements may change in the future in a way that adversely affects us. If we fail to comply with present or future regulatory requirements that are applicable to us, we may be subject to enforcement action by regulatory agencies, which may include, among others, any of the following sanctions:
- untitled letters, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties; - customer notification, or orders for repair, replacement or refunds; - voluntary or mandatory recall or seizure of our current or future products; - imposing operating restrictions, suspension or shutdown of production; - refusing our requests for clearance or pre-market approval of new products, new intended uses or modifications to the SGT, IFP products or future products; - rescinding clearance or suspending or withdrawing pre-market approvals that have already been granted; and - criminal prosecution.
The occurrence of any of these events may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 3.2%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
We could be party to litigation or other legal proceedings that could adversely affect our business, results of operations and reputation.Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
Product liability suits, whether or not meritorious, could be brought against us due to an alleged defective product or for the misuse of the SGT and IFP Drug Screening System. These suits could result in expensive and time-consuming litigation, payment of substantial damages, and an increase in our insurance rates.If the SGT and IFP Drug Screening System or any future diagnostic test based on the Biosensor Platform or IFP Drug Screening System is defectively designed or manufactured, contains defective components or is misused, or if someone claims any of the foregoing, whether or not meritorious, we may become subject to substantial and costly litigation. Misusing our devices or failing to adhere to the operating guidelines or our devices producing inaccurate meter readings could cause significant harm to patients, including death. In addition, if our operating guidelines are found to be inadequate, we may be subject to liability. Product liability claims could divert management's attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizable damage awards against us. While we expect to maintain product liability insurance, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage for all future claims. Any product liability claims brought against us, with or without merit, could increase our product liability insurance rates or prevent us from securing continuing coverage, could harm our reputation in the industry and could reduce revenue. Product liability claims in excess of our insurance coverage would be paid out of cash reserves harming our financial condition and adversely affecting our results of operations.
Environmental / Social1 | 1.6%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Compliance with environmental laws and regulations could be expensive, and the failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to significant liability.Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 5/63 (8%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.6%
Competition - Risk 1
We face intense competition in the self-monitoring of glucose market, particularly blood-based products, and as a result we may be unable to effectively compete in our industry.Demand1 | 1.6%
Demand - Risk 1
Our results of operations will be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand for our products and manage our inventory.Sales & Marketing3 | 4.8%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
If the SGT fails to satisfy current or future customer requirements, we may be required to make significant expenditures to redesign the product candidate, and we may have insufficient resources to do so.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
If third-party payors do not provide coverage and reimbursement for the use of the SGT and IFP products, our business and prospects may be negatively impacted.Third-party payors, whether governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In addition, in certain countries, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services can differ significantly from payor to payor. In addition, payors continually review new technologies for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage for these new products and procedures. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained or maintained if obtained. Reimbursement systems in international markets vary significantly by country and by region within some countries, and reimbursement approvals must be obtained on a country-by-country basis. In many international markets, a product must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that country. Further, many international markets have government-managed healthcare systems that control reimbursement for new devices and procedures. For example, no government in the areas where we hold our license has approved reimbursement of the SGT or the IFP Drug Screening System. If sufficient coverage and reimbursement is not available for our current or future products, in any country where our license operates, the demand for our products and our revenues will be adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
Failure in our conventional, online and digital marketing efforts could impact our ability to generate sales.We intend to engage in conventional marketing strategies and also may utilize online and digital marketing in order to create awareness to the SGT and the IFP products. Our management believes that using a wide variety of marketing strategies, including online advertisement and a variety of other pay-for-performance methods may be effective for marketing and generating sales of the SGT and the IFP products, as opposed to relying exclusively on traditional, expensive retail channels. In any event, there is a risk that any or all of our marketing strategies could fail. We cannot predict whether the use of traditional and/or non-traditional retail sales tools, in combination with reliance on healthcare providers to educate our customers about the SGT and the IFP products, will be successful in effectively marketing the SGT and the IFP products. The failure of our marketing efforts could negatively impact our ability to generate sales.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 4/63 (6%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment1 | 1.6%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Changes in the economic, political or social conditions or government policies in the APAC Region could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.International Operations1 | 1.6%
International Operations - Risk 1
As we intend to conduct business internationally, we are susceptible to risks associated with international relationships, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial conditionCapital Markets2 | 3.2%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Our results may be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.Capital Markets - Risk 2
Fluctuation in the value of foreign currencies may have a material adverse effect on your investment.A substantial portion of our revenues and costs may be denominated in foreign currencies, such as the British Pound, Australian Dollar or Japanese Yen. Any significant change in value of these foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar may materially affect our cash flows, net revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common stock in U.S. dollars. For example, an appreciation of any such foreign currency against the U.S. dollar would make any new investments or expenditures denominated in the foreign currency costlier to us, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into the foreign currency for such purposes. Conversely, a significant depreciation of any such foreign currency against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our common stock. If we decide to convert any such foreign currency into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our common stock, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the foreign currency would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. We do not expect to hedge against the risks associated with fluctuations in exchange rates and, therefore, exchange rate fluctuations could have an adverse impact on our future operating results. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
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.