PAVmed (PAVM) Risk Factors

The Company's labeling, advertising, promotional materials and user training materials must comply with the FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the promotion of a medical device for a use that has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. Obtaining 510(k) clearance or PMA approval only permits the Company to promote its products for the uses specifically cleared by the FDA. Use of a device outside its cleared or approved indications is known as "off-label" use. Physicians and consumers may use the Company's products off-label because the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician's choice of treatment within the practice of medicine nor is there oversight on patient use of over-the-counter devices. Although the Company may request additional cleared indications for our current products, the FDA may deny those requests, require additional expensive clinical data to support any additional indications or impose limitations on the intended use of any cleared product as a condition of clearance. Even if regulatory clearance or approval of a product is granted, such clearance or approval may be subject to limitations on the intended uses for which the product may be marketed and reduce our potential to successfully commercialize the product and generate revenue from the product. If the FDA determines that the Company's labeling, advertising, promotional materials, or user training materials, or representations made by Company personnel, include the promotion of an off-label use for the device, or that the Company has made false or misleading or inadequately substantiated promotional claims, or claims that could potentially change the regulatory status of the product, the agency could take the position that these materials have misbranded the Company's devices and request that the Company modifies its labeling, advertising, or user training or promotional materials and/or subject the Company to regulatory or legal enforcement actions, including the issuance of an Untitled Letter or a Warning Letter, injunction, seizure, recall, adverse publicity, civil penalties, criminal penalties, or other adverse actions. It is also possible that other federal, state, or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider the Company's labeling, advertising, promotional, or user training materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines, penalties, or other adverse actions under other statutory authorities, such as laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement. In that event, we would be subject to extensive fines and penalties and the Company's reputation could be damaged and adoption of the products would be impaired. Although the Company intends to refrain from statements that could be considered off-label promotion of its products, the FDA or another regulatory agency could disagree and conclude that the Company has engaged in off-label promotion. For example, the Company has made statements regarding some of its devices that the FDA may view as off-label promotion. In addition, any such off-label use of the Company's products may increase the risk of injury to patients, and, in turn, the risk of product liability claims, and such claims are expensive to defend and could divert the Company's management's attention and result in substantial damage awards against the Company. Risks Associated with Ownership of Our Common Stock

We may become subject to various claims, threats of litigation, litigation or investigations, including commercial disputes and employee claims, and from time to time may be involved in governmental or regulatory investigations or similar matters. Any claims asserted against us or our management, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, could harm our reputation and have an adverse impact on our relationship with our clients, distribution partners and other third parties and could lead to additional related claims. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves in pending or future litigation or similar matters under various laws. Any judgments or settlements in any pending litigation or future claims, litigation or investigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and price of our common stock. Risks Associated with Healthcare Regulation, Billing and Reimbursement, and Product Safety and Effectiveness If private or governmental third-party payors do not maintain reimbursement for our products at adequate reimbursement rates, we may be unable to successfully commercialize our products which would limit or slow our revenue generation and likely have a material adverse effect on our business. Successful commercialization of Lucid's EsoGuard test and EsoCheck device, and of any other product or service we develop, license or acquire depends, in large part, on the availability of adequate reimbursement from private or governmental third-party payors. EsoGuard's PLA code 0114U has been granted "gapfill" determination through the CMS CLFS process, allowing us to engage directly with Medicare Administrative Contractor ("MAC") Palmetto GBA, whose Molecular Diagnostics Program ("MolDx") performs technical assessment of molecular diagnostic tests on behalf of itself and other MACs. Although CMS granted EsoGuard final Medicare payment determination of $1,938.01, effective January 1, 2021, we have not received a final Medicare local coverage determination from MolDx. Most recently, in May 2023, a final Local Coverage Determination ("LCD") L39256, entitled "Molecular Testing for Detection of Upper Gastrointestinal Metaplasia, Dysplasia, and Neoplasia" became effective on the CMS website by MAC Palmetto GBA. (A substantially identical LCD was published by Noridian Healthcare Solutions, the MAC whose geographic jurisdiction covers our CLIA laboratory in Lake Forest, CA.) The LCD outlines criteria for future coverage that MolDX expects upper gastrointestinal precancer and cancer molecular diagnostic tests to meet. These criteria include active GERD with at least two risk factors, as well as evidence of analytic validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility. Although the LCD indicated that it found that no currently existing test has fulfilled all these criteria, it indicated that it will "monitor the evidence and may revise this determination based on the pertinent literature and society recommendations." Lucid expects to submit EsoGuard for Technical Assessment under this foundational LCD later this year. However, even if Lucid does submit EsoGuard for Technical Assessment as currently planned, there can be no assurance that MolDx will determine that EsoGuard meets the criteria for coverage as specified in the LCD. If Lucid is not granted coverage, or if a determination is substantially delayed, that could have a material adverse effect on Lucid's ability to commercialize EsoGuard. Commercial third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies. Third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for new healthcare products. As a result, there is uncertainty surrounding whether EsoGuard or EsoCheck, or any other product or service we develop, will be eligible for coverage by third-party payors or, if eligible for coverage, what the reimbursement rates will be. For example, with respect to EsoGuard and EsoCheck, reimbursement of esophageal precancer and cancer screening by a third-party payor may depend on a number of factors, including a payor's determination that tests using these technologies are sufficiently sensitive and specific for esophageal cancer and precancer; not experimental or investigational; approved or recommended by the major guidelines organizations; reliable, safe and effective; medically necessary; appropriate for the specific patient; and cost-effective. Coverage determinations and reimbursement rates are also subject to the effects of federal and state coverage mandates and other healthcare regulations and reform initiatives as described below. As noted below, federal and state coverage mandates may be deemed not to apply to EsoGuard and EsoCheck (or any other product or service we develop), may be interpreted in a manner unfavorable to us, may be difficult to enforce and are subject to repeal or modification. In addition to the risk of adverse reimbursement decisions, we also may experience material delays in obtaining such reimbursement decisions and payment that are beyond our control. Further, there can be no assurance that CMS and other third-party payors who initially decide to cover our products will continue to do so. Coverage determinations and reimbursement rates are subject to change, including as a result of reimbursement rate adjustments under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, ("PAMA") as described below, and we cannot guarantee that even if we initially achieve coverage and adequate reimbursement rates, they will continue to be applicable to our products in the future. Furthermore, it is possible that Medicare or other federal payors that provide reimbursement for our tests may suspend, revoke or discontinue coverage at any time, may require co-payments from patients, or may reduce the reimbursement rates payable to us. If we are unable to obtain favorable decisions from third-party payors, including CMS and managed care organizations, approving reimbursement at adequate levels for our EsoGuard test and EsoCheck device, and any other product or service we may develop, or if coverage is later revoked or reimbursement levels are reduced, our commercial success will be compromised, our ability to raise capital may be restricted and our revenues would be significantly limited. Healthcare providers may be reluctant to prescribe our products if they believe that reimbursement for the test will not be available for a significant number of their patients. Even where a third-party payor agrees to cover EsoGuard and EsoCheck or any other product or service we develop at an adequate reimbursement rate, other factors may have a significant impact on the actual reimbursement we receive from that payor. For example, if we do not have a contract with a given payor, we may be deemed an "out-of-network" provider by that payor, which could result in the payor allocating a portion of the cost of the product or service to the patient, notwithstanding any applicable coverage mandate. We may be unsuccessful in our efforts to enter into, or maintain, a network contract with a given payor, and we expect that our network status with a given payor may change from time to time for a variety of reasons, many of which may be outside our control. To the extent a product or service is out of network for a given payor, physicians may be less likely to prescribe such product or service for their patients and their patients may be less likely to comply with those prescriptions that are written. Also, some payors may require that they give prior authorization for a product or service before they are willing to pay for it or review claims post-service to ensure the service was medically appropriate for specific patients. Prior authorization and other medical management practices may require that we, patients or physicians provide the payor with extensive medical records and other information. Prior authorization and other medical management practices impose a significant additional cost on us, may be difficult to comply with given our position as a laboratory that generally does not have direct access to patient medical records, may make physicians less likely to prescribe our product or service for their patients, and may make patients less likely to comply with physician orders for the same, all or any of which may have an adverse effect on our revenues. Payment rates also may vary according to the use of the product and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost products that are already reimbursed and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services.

The FDA has the authority to require the recall of commercialized medical device products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture. In the case of the FDA, the authority to require a recall must be based on an FDA finding that there is a reasonable probability that the device would cause serious injury or death. Manufacturers may, under their own initiative, recall a product if any material deficiency in a device is found. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by the Company or one of its distributors could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues. Recalls of any of the Company's products would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations. The FDA requires that certain classifications of recalls be reported to the FDA within ten (10) working days after the recall is initiated. Companies are required to maintain certain records of recalls, even if they are not reportable to the FDA. The Company may initiate voluntary recalls involving its products in the future that the Company determines do not require notification of the FDA. If the FDA disagrees with the Company's determinations, they could require the Company to report those actions as recalls. A future recall announcement could harm the Company's reputation with customers and negatively affect its sales. In addition, the FDA could take enforcement action for failing to report the recalls when they were conducted. No recalls of the Company's medical products have been reported to the FDA.

Our ability to successfully carry out our business plan is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us. We may also be unable to attract and retain additional key personnel in the future. We are limited in shares available for issuance under our long-term incentive plan, which could limit our ability to attract and retain key personnel, until such amount is increased. An inability to attract and retain key personnel may impact our ability to continue and grow our operations.

To grow our business as planned, we must expand our sales, marketing and customer support capabilities, which will involve developing and administering our commercial infrastructure and/or collaborative commercial arrangements and partnerships. We must also maintain satisfactory arrangements for the manufacture and distribution of our tests and other products. The only two products, EsoGuard and the Veris Cancer Care Platform, that we are actively seeking to commercialize have not generated substantial revenue from product sales to date. Accordingly, we will need to find other sources of capital to fund their activities, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so. We may also encounter difficulties retaining and managing the specialized workforce our activities require. We may seek to partner with others to assist us with any or all of these functions, although we may be unable to find appropriate third parties with whom to enter into these arrangements.

We may expend considerable funds and other resources on the development of new and existing products without any guarantee these products will be successful. If we are not successful in bringing one or more products to market, whether because we fail to address marketplace demand, fail to develop viable technologies or otherwise, we may not generate any revenues and our results of operations could be seriously harmed.

We believe that the success of our business depends, in significant part, on obtaining patent protection for our products and technologies, defending our patents and preserving our trade secrets. Our failure to pursue any potential claim could result in the loss of our proprietary rights and harm our position in the marketplace. Therefore, we may be forced to pursue litigation to enforce our rights. Future litigation could result in significant costs and divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations and the implementation of our business strategy.

To date, we have not generated significant sales revenues from our products and services. Our ability to generate sales revenues from product and services, and to achieve profitability will depend upon our ability to successfully commercialize our products and services. As we only relatively recently began to market our two products and services for sale, we have no basis to predict whether our current products and services (or potential future products and services) will achieve market acceptance. A number of factors may limit the market acceptance of any of our products, including: - the timing of regulatory approvals of our products and services and market entry compared to competitive products;- the effectiveness of our products and services, including any potential side effects, as compared to alternative treatments;- the rate of adoption of our products and services by hospitals, doctors and nurses and acceptance by the health care community;- the labeling and /or inserts required by regulatory authorities for each of our products and services;- the competitive features of our products and services, including price, as compared to other similar products and services;- the availability of insurance or other third-party reimbursement, such as Medicare, for patients using our products and services;- the extent and success of our marketing efforts and those of our collaborators; and - unfavorable publicity concerning our products and services or similar products and services.

There likely will be legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at containing or lowering the cost of health care. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future or their full impact. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect: - our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our products;   - our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability; and   - the availability of capital. Further, changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may occur, both in the United States and in foreign countries, and we may need to amend clinical study protocols to reflect these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical study protocols to IRB's for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical study. In light of widely publicized events concerning the safety risk of certain drug and medical device products, regulatory authorities, members of Congress, the Governmental Accounting Office, medical professionals and the general public have raised concerns about potential safety issues. These events have resulted in the recall and withdrawal of medical device products, revisions to product labeling that further limit use of products and establishment of risk management programs that may, for instance, restrict distribution of certain products or require safety surveillance or patient education. The increased attention to safety issues may result in a more cautious approach by the FDA or other regulatory authorities to clinical studies and the drug approval process. Data from clinical studies may receive greater scrutiny with respect to safety, which may make the FDA or other regulatory authorities more likely to terminate or suspend clinical studies before completion or require longer or additional clinical studies that may result in substantial additional expense and a delay or failure in obtaining approval or approval for a more limited indication than originally sought. Given the serious public health risks of high profile adverse safety events with certain products, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may require, as a condition of approval, costly risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, which may include safety surveillance, restricted distribution and use, patient education, enhanced labeling, special packaging or labeling, expedited reporting of certain adverse events, preapproval of promotional materials and restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising.