You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our selected financial data, our financial statements, and the accompanying notes to those financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For a description of factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, please refer to the section titled "Risk Factors", contained in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our Business
Our mission is to reduce the impact of neurological disorders and pain syndromes on individuals and on population health through innovative non-invasive medical devices.
Our business is fully integrated with in-house capabilities spanning research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and compliance, sales and marketing, product fulfillment and customer support. We derive revenues from the sale of medical devices and after-market consumable products and accessories. Our products are proprietary and encompass point-of-care neuropathy diagnostic tests and wearable neurotherapeutic devices.
DPNCheck is our testing technology for peripheral neuropathies. It is designed to address unmet physician needs in the assessment of peripheral neuropathy risk, particularly in value-based care models such as Medicare Advantage. The technology is well-suited to this task given its ease of use, rapid testing, quantitative results, and overall high sensitivity and specificity. DPNCheck has been evaluated in numerous clinical studies. It contributes attractive gross margins and has posted average revenue growth of nearly 20% over the past five years. We believe there is significant, accessible opportunity to expand DPNCheck usage. Towards that goal, we are investing in commercial resources and in the technology itself. Our next generation DPNCheck technology, targeted for commercial launch in 2022, will further enhance the user experience and improve our manufacturing efficiency.
Quell is our wearable neuromodulation technology for chronic pain and associated syndromes. Patients control and personalize the technology via a mobile phone app and their utilization and certain clinical metrics may be tracked in the Quell Health Cloud. Quell is currently sold over-the-counter (OTC) for the management of lower extremity chronic pain. Its technological sophistication, combined with our extensive consumer experience and the compelling results of recent clinical studies provide the opportunity to leverage the technology platform into a portfolio of Quell-based prescription (Rx) wearable neurotherapeutics. The first product in that portfolio will be a Quell fibromyalgia indication which is currently under FDA regulatory review as a De Novo request.
ADVANCE is our legacy neurodiagnostic technology primarily used for the diagnosis and screening of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). The technology has been marketed since 2008. While we no longer market ADVANCE devices, we continue to provide disposable electrodes to a loyal base of hand surgeons and manufacturers for industrial health use.
Recent Developments
Breakthrough Device Designation for Quell fibromyalgia indication - In 2021, Quell received Breakthrough Device Designation (BDD) from the FDA for a fibromyalgia indication. A pivotal clinical study of Quell for fibromyalgia was completed, and the indication is currently the subject of an FDA De Novo request, the outcome of which is expected during the second half of 2022. A positive FDA decision could lead to commercial launch in the second half of 2022. We plan a similar approach with other disease indications involving chronic pain and associated syndromes. These include chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and, potentially, chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPC) and restless leg syndrome (RLS). We intend to end sales of the current OTC version of Quell in advance of the launch of the Quell fibromyalgia indication. Our focus would then be on the development of a Quell prescription portfolio for disease-specific indications where we would have unique product offerings without direct, non-pharmaceutical competition
Equity sales - We secured
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facilities, attaining positive operating returns in all product line, expansion of our commercial capabilities, leveraging our core technologies, and a recapitalization of the Company. We ended the year debt-free, with a common stock only equity capital structure, and adequate cash resources to support operations and our growth initiatives.
GSK Collaboration Termination - Our GSK collaboration for Quell OTC was formally
terminated in 2021. GSK returned to us all Quell rights in markets outside
COVID-19 - The ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to adversely affect our business. It is difficult to quantify the disruption to our markets and customers; however, we believe the effects have been more pronounced in the diagnostic testing markets for DPNCheck and ADVANCE, and less pronounced in consumer retail markets for Quell. Generally, we see continued purchases of testing consumables by existing customers but with less predictability than in the past. Also, our growth via new customer acquisition has been lower due to the marketing challenges resulting from COVID-19 restrictions.
We have been able to maintain our business operations during the past two years while prioritizing employee safety. On-premises staffing in production and fulfillment has successfully met our business requirements. Other functional areas including R&D, sales and marketing, and administration have been a blend of on-premises and remote work. These functional areas have been disadvantaged to a degree by the situation.
We plan to continue with our present blend of staff activity until we have greater clarity on the opportunities and risks of a more personally interactive business model. The extent to which COVID-19 affects future operations will depend on new developments which are uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the pandemic duration, severity, vaccination effectiveness, and treatments available to those with severe COVID-19 symptoms. Also uncertain are the potential effects on our business of the eventual economic recovery from the pandemic including inflation, electronic parts and components availability, labor availability and costs, and other issues.
Results of Operations
Comparison of Years Ended
Fiscal Year Increase (Decrease) 2021 2020 Amount Percent Revenues$ 8,253,493 $ 7,377,975 $ 875,518 11.9 % Gross profit$ 5,921,660 $ 5,249,558 $ 672,102 12.8 % -% of revenues 71.7 % 71.2 % Operating expenses$ 8,206,267 $ 7,344,462 $ 861,805 11.7 % Other income, net$ 3,150 $ 2,709 $ 441 16.3 % Net loss$ (2,281,457) $ (2,092,195) $ 189,262 9.0 % Net loss per common share$ (0.45) $ (0.69) $ (0.24) (34.8) %
Revenues
Revenues for 2021 increased by
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Gross Profit
Gross profit for 2021 increased by
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses increased in 2021 by
Research and development spending in 2021 of
Net loss
The net loss in 2021 increased by
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table contains certain key performance indicators we believe depict our liquidity and cash flow position:
Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 Cash and cash equivalents$ 22,572,104 $ 5,226,213 Working capital$ 22,822,162 $ 4,804,476 Current ratio 17.7 3.1 Net debt position$ (20,899,698) $ (2,479,413) Days sales outstanding 14.1 15.4 Inventory turnover 2.2 1.9
Our primary sources of liquidity are cash and cash equivalents, revenues from the sales of our products, and net proceeds from equity sales. Our expected cash outlays relate to funding operations. We believe that our resources are sufficient to fund our cash requirements over at least the next twelve months from the date of issuance of the financial statements.
As of
Days sales outstanding (DSO) reflect our customer payment terms which vary from
payment on order to 60 days from shipment date. The improvement in DSO at
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shipments during the fourth quarter in each of the years. Inventory turnover
rate has improved slightly at
Cash Flows Years Ended December 31, 2021 2020 Change Net cash provided by (used in): -Operating activities$ (2,073,694) $ (2,066,861) (6,833) -Investing activities$ (131,710) $ - (131,710) -Financing activities$ 19,551,295 $ 4,166,868 15,384,427
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
Operating activities
Operations cash usage between 2021 and 2020 varied little (
Investing activities
Investing activities reflect our purchases of fixed assets for use in production and in research and development. There were no fixed asset purchases in 2020.
Financing activities
Financing amounts in 2021 increased by
We continue to maintain an effective shelf registration statement covering the sales of shares of our common stock and other securities, giving us the opportunity to raise funding when needed or otherwise considered appropriate at prices and on terms to be determined at the time of any such offerings. Pursuant to the instructions to Form S-3, we have the ability to sell shares under the shelf registration statement, during any 12-month period, in an amount less than or equal to one-third of the aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity or debt securities, either through the sale of securities pursuant to a registration statement or by other means, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements are based on the selection and application of generally accepted accounting principles, which require us to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and the accompanying notes. Future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty. Therefore, the determination of estimates requires the exercise of judgment. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates, and any such differences may be material to our financial statements. We believe that the policies set forth below may involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity in their application than our other accounting policies and represents the critical accounting policies used in the preparation of our financial statements. If different assumptions or conditions were to prevail, the results could be materially different from our reported results. Our significant accounting policies are presented within Note 2 to our Financial Statements.
Revenue Recognition and Accounts Receivable
Revenues include product sales, net of estimated returns. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for product transferred. Revenue is recognized when contractual performance obligations have been satisfied and control of the product has been transferred to the customer. In most cases, the Company has a single performance obligation for product delivery. Product returns are estimated based on historical data and evaluation of current information. Our Quell product sales include a 60-day right of return.
Revenue recognition involves judgment, including the assessment of expected returns. Among the factors we consider are historical product returns, specific transaction characteristics, customer relationship duration, customer usage, customer receivables balances, and market conditions. Changes in our judgments on these factors could materially impact the timing and amount of revenue recognized. A deterioration in market conditions could adversely affect return rates and bad debt experience which would lead to revision of our revenue recognition judgements.
Accounts receivable are recorded in the amount the Company expects to collect net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance is our best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in our existing accounts receivable. It is determined based on customer payment history, product usage activity, and recent communications. Accounts which are past due and over 90 days outstanding are reviewed individually for collectability. Account balances are written-off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when, in our judgment, it is probable the balance will not be collected.
Inventories
Inventories, consisting primarily of finished goods and purchased components,
are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined
using the first-in, first-out inventory valuation method. Inventory is written
down to net realizable value for excess or obsolete inventory. The realizable
value of inventories is based upon the types and levels of inventories held,
forecasted demand, anticipated new product launch and commercialization success,
pricing, competition, and changes in technology. Our consumable electrodes and
biosensors and have an 18 to 36 months shelf life and represent 30% of inventory
at
Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
Not Applicable.
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