UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended: JuneSeptember 30, 2023

 

OR

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from: _______ to _______

 

Commission File Number: 001-32288

 

NEPHROS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

delaware 13-3971809

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

380 Lackawanna Place

South Orange, NJ

 07079
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

(201) 343-5202

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

 

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class Trading symbol Name of exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.001 per share NEPH The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ YES ☐ NO

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ YES ☐ NO

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

 

Large accelerated filer ☐Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filerSmaller reporting company
 Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ YES ☒ NO

 

As of August 7,November 6, 2023, 10,484,932 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, were outstanding.

 

 

   

 

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION3
  
Item 1. Financial Statements (unaudited).3
  
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS – JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 20223
  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS – Three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 20224
  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY – Three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 20225
  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS – SixNine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 202267
  
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS78
  
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.1819
  
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.2627
  
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.2628
  
PART II - OTHER INFORMATION2728
  
Item 1A. Risk Factors27
Item 5. Other Information2827
 
Item 6. Exhibits2728
  
SIGNATURES2829

 

2
 

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Financial Statements.

 

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 June 30, 2023  December 31, 2022  September 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 
ASSETS             
Current assets:                
Cash and cash equivalents $4,060  $3,634  $4,622  $3,634 
Accounts receivable, net  1,576   1,286   1,443   1,286 
Inventory  2,126   3,153   2,268   3,153 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  152   188   173   188 
Total current assets  7,914   8,261   8,506   8,261 
Property and equipment, net  98   116   88   116 
Lease right-of-use assets  824   984   750   984 
Intangible assets, net  402   423   392   423 
Goodwill  759   759   759   759 
License and supply agreement, net  335   402   301   402 
Other assets  54   54   123   54 
TOTAL ASSETS $10,386  $10,999  $10,919  $10,999 
                
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Current liabilities:                
Current portion of secured note payable $-  $71  $-  $71 
Accounts payable  302   740   805   740 
Accrued expenses  572   285   712   285 
Current portion of lease liabilities  323   316   311   316 
Total current liabilities  1,197   1,412   1,828   1,412 
Equipment financing, net of current portion  -   1   -   1 
Lease liabilities, net of current portion  534   705   469   705 
TOTAL LIABILITIES  1,731   2,118   2,297   2,118 
                
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 14)  -    -    -   - 
                
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
                
Preferred stock, $.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022; no shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.  -   - 
Common stock, $.001 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022; 10,484,932 and 10,297,429 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.  10   10 
Preferred stock, $.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022; no shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.  -   - 
Common stock, $.001 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022; 10,484,932 and 10,297,429 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.  10   10 
Additional paid-in capital  152,215   148,413   152,364   148,413 
Accumulated deficit  (143,570)  (142,831)  (143,752)  (142,831)
Subtotal  8,655   5,592   8,622   5,592 
Noncontrolling interest  -   3,289   -   3,289 
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY  8,655   8,881   8,622   8,881 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY $10,386  $10,999  $10,919  $10,999 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated interim financial statements.

 

3
 

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

 2023  2022  2023  2022  2023 2022 2023 2022 
 Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,  

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 
 2023  2022  2023  2022  2023 2022 2023 2022 
Net revenue:                                
Product revenues $3,537  $2,837  $7,199  $4,988  $3,713  $2,399  $10,912  $7,387 
Royalty and other revenues  8   13   43   21   29   10   72   30 
Total net revenues  3,545   2,850   7,242   5,009   3,742   2,409   10,984   7,417 
Cost of goods sold  1,466   1,455   3,052   2,561   1,548   1,647   4,600   4,195 
Gross margin  2,079   1,395   4,190   2,448   2,194   762   6,384   3,222 
Operating expenses:                                
Selling, general and administrative  2,239   1,885   4,363   4,062   2,137   1,743   6,500   5,806 
Research and development  221   273   460   645   205   252   665   896 
Depreciation and amortization  54   51   108   102   55   48   163   162 
Total operating expenses  2,514   2,209   4,931   4,809   2,397   2,043   7,328   6,864 
Operating loss from continuing operations  (435)  (814)  (741)  (2,361)  (203)  (1,281)  (944)  (3,642)
Other (expense) income:                                
Interest expense  -   (6)  (1)  (13)  -   (4)  (1)  (17)
Interest income  13   1   25   3   11   4   36   7 
Other income (expense), net  (11)  72   (22)  63   10   31   (12)  94 
Total other expense:  2   67   2   53   21   31   23   84 
Loss from continuing operations  (433)  (747)  (739)  (2,308)  (182)  (1,250)  (921)  (3,558)
Net loss from discontinued operations  -   (390)  -   (796)  -   (1,904)  -   (2,700)
Net loss  (433)  (1,137)  (739)  (3,104)  (182)  (3,154)  (921)  (6,258)
Less: Undeclared deemed dividend attributable to noncontrolling interest  -   (66)  -   (129)  -   (77)  -   (206)
Net loss attributable to Nephros, Inc. shareholders $(433) $(1,203)  $ (739) $(3,233) $(182) $(3,231) $(921) $(6,464)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted from continuing operations  (0.04)  (0.07)  (0.07)  (0.22)  (0.02)  (0.12)  (0.09)  (0.35)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted from discontinued operations  -   (0.04)  -   (0.08)  -   (0.18)  -   (0.26)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted  (0.04)  (0.11)  (0.07)  (0.30)  (0.02)  (0.30)  (0.09)  (0.61)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted, attributable to continuing noncontrolling interest  -   (0.01)  -   (0.01)  -   (0.01)  -   (0.02)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted, attributable to Nephros, Inc, shareholders $(0.04) $(0.12)  (0.07) $(0.31) $(0.02) $(0.31)  (0.09) $(0.63)
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted  10,297,429   10,299,148   10,297,429   10,265,267   10,460,866   10,303,818   10,352,108   10,278,258 
                                
Comprehensive loss:                                
Net loss $(433) $(1,137) $(739) $(3,104) $(182) $(3,154) $(921) $(6,258)
Other comprehensive loss, foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax  -   -   -   (3)  -   -   -   (3)
Comprehensive loss  (433)  (1,137)  (739)  (3,107)  (182)  (3,154)  (921)  (6,261)
Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  -   (66)  -   (129)  -   (77)  -   (206)
Comprehensive loss attributable to Nephros, Inc. shareholders $(433) $(1,203) $(739) $(3,236) $(182) $(3,231) $(921) $(6,467)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated interim financial statements.

4

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands, except share amounts)

(Unaudited)

  Shares  Amount  Capital  Income  Deficit  Subtotal  Interest  Equity 
  Three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 
  Common Stock  Additional Paid-in  Accumulated Other Comprehensive  Accumulated     Noncontrolling  Total Stockholders’ 
  Shares  Amount  Capital  Income  Deficit  Subtotal  Interest  Equity 
Balance, December 31, 2022  10,297,429  $10  $148,413  $-  $(142,831) $5,592  $3,289  $8,881 
Net loss  -   -   -   -   (306)  (306)  -   (306)
Change in non-controlling interest  -   -   3,262   -   -   3,262   (3,262)  - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   346   -   -   346   (27)  319 
Balance, March 31, 2023  10,297,429  $10  $152,021  $-  $(143,137) $8,894  $-  $8,894 
                                 
Net loss  -  $-  $-  $-  $(433) $(433) $-  $(433)
Stock-based compensation  -   -   194   -   -   194   -   194 
Balance, June 30, 2023  10,297,429  $10  $152,215  $-  $(143,570) $8,655  $-  $8,655 
Net loss  -   -   -   -  $(182) $(182)  -  $(182)
Restricted stock vesting  187,503   -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   149   -   -   149   -   149 
Balance, September 30, 2023  10,484,932  $10  $152,364  $-  $(143,752) $8,622  $-  $8,622 

5

  Three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 
                         
  Common Stock  Additional Paid-in  Accumulated Other Comprehensive  Accumulated  

  

Non

controlling

  Total Stockholders’ 
  Shares  Amount  Capital  Income  Deficit  Subtotal  Interest  Equity 
Balance, December 31, 2021  10,198,712  $       10  $147,346  $     64  $(135,725) $11,695  $3,054  $14,749 
Net loss  -   -   -   -   (1,967)  (1,967)  -   (1,967)
Change in non-controlling interest  -   -   -   -   -   -   188   188 
Net unrealized losses on foreign currency translation, net of tax  -   -   -   (3)  -   (3)  -   (3)
Exercise of warrants  60,374   -   163   -   -   163   -   163 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   272   -   -   272   -   272 
Balance, March 31, 2022  10,259,086  $10  $147,781  $61  $(137,692) $10,160  $3,242  $13,402 
                                 
Net loss  -  $-  $-  $-  $(1,137) $(1,137) $-  $(1,137)
Restricted stock vesting  44,732   -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
Elimination of cumulative translation adjustment, upon closing of wholly owned foreign subsidiary  -   -   -   (61)  -   (61)  -   (61)
Stock-based compensation  -   -   259   -   -   259   18   277 
Balance, June 30, 2022  10,303,818  $10  $148,040  $-  $(138,829) $9,221  $3,260  $12,481 
                                 
Net loss  -   -   -   -   (3,154)  (3,154)  -   (3,154)
Stock-based compensation  -   -   235   -   -   235   19   254 
Balance, September 30, 2022  10,303,818  $10  $148,275  $-  $(141,983) $6,302  $3,279  $9,581 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated interim financial statements.

 

4
6

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands, except share amounts)

(Unaudited)

  Shares  Amount  Capital  Income  Deficit  Subtotal  Interest  Equity 
  Three and six months ended June 30, 2023 
    
  Common Stock  Additional Paid-in  Accumulated Other Comprehensive  Accumulated     Noncontrolling  Total Stockholders’ 
  Shares  Amount  Capital  Income  Deficit  Subtotal  Interest  Equity 
Balance, December 31, 2022  10,297,429  $10  $148,413  $          -  $(142,831) $5,592  $3,289  $8,881 
Net loss  -   -   -   -   (306)  (306)  -   (306)
Change in non-controlling interest  -   -   3,262   -   -   3,262   (3,262)  - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   346   -   -   346   (27)  319 
Balance, March 31, 2023  10,297,429  $10  $152,021  $-  $(143,137) $8,894  $-  $8,894 
                                 
Net loss  -  $-  $-  $-  $(433) $(433) $-  $(433)
Stock-based compensation  -   -   194   -   -   194   -   194 
Balance, June 30, 2023  10,297,429  $10  $152,215  $-  $(143,570) $8,655  $-  $8,655 

  Three and six months ended June 30, 2022 
    
  Common Stock  Additional Paid-in  Accumulated Other Comprehensive  Accumulated     Noncontrolling  Total Stockholders’ 
  Shares  Amount  Capital  Income  Deficit  Subtotal  Interest  Equity 
Balance, December 31, 2021  10,198,712  $10  $147,346  $64  $(135,725) $11,695  $3,054  $14,749 
Net loss  -   -   -   -   (1,967)  (1,967)  -   (1,967)
Change in non-controlling interest  -   -   -   -   -   -   188   188 
Net unrealized losses on foreign currency translation, net of tax  -   -   -   (3)  -   (3)  -   (3)
Exercise of warrants  60,374   -   163   -   -   163   -   163 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   272   -   -   272   -   272 
Balance, March 31, 2022  10,259,086  $10  $147,781  $61  $(137,692) $10,160  $3,242  $13,402 
                                 
Net loss  -  $-  $-  $-  $(1,137) $(1,137) $-  $(1,137)
Restricted stock vesting  44,732   -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
Elimination of cumulative translation adjustment, upon closing of wholly owned foreign subsidiary  -   -   -   (61)  -   (61)  -   (61)
Stock-based compensation  -   -   259   -   -   259   18   277 
Balance, June 30, 2022  10,303,818  $10  $148,040  $-  $(138,829) $9,221  $3,260  $12,481 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated interim financial statements.

5
 

 

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 2023  2022  2023 2022 
 Six Months Ended June 30,  Nine Months Ended September 30, 
 2023  2022  2023 2022 
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:                
Net loss $(739) $(3,104) $(921) $(6,258)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
Depreciation of property and equipment  19   53   29   82 
Amortization of intangible assets, license and supply agreement and finance lease right-of-use asset  88   143   134   214 
Stock-based compensation, including stock options and restricted stock  513   549   662   803 
Inventory obsolescence charge  106   108   106   773 
Provision for bad debt expense  14   (1)
Impairment of assets held for sale  -   1,395 
Gain on foreign currency transactions  -   (60)  -   (60)
Decrease (increase) in operating assets:                
Accounts receivable  (290)  (487)  (171)  269 
Inventory  920   23   778   429 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  35   74   15   28 
Right-of-use assets  160   174   234   262 
Other assets  2   22   (69)  26 
(Decrease) increase in operating liabilities:                
Accounts payable  (437)  77   65   (555)
Accrued expenses  285   (262)  425   (174)
Lease liabilities  (160)  (179)  (237)  (272)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities  502   (2,869)  1,064   (3,039)
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:                
Purchase of property and equipment  -   (137)  -   (137)
Net cash used in investing activities  -   (137)  -   (137)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:                
Proceeds from sale of subsidiary preferred shares to noncontrolling interest  -   188   -   188 
Principal payments on finance lease liability  (4)  (3)  (4)  (3)
Principal payments on equipment financing  (1)  (1)  (1)  (2)
Payments on secured note payable  (71)  (133)  (71)  (201)
Proceeds from exercise of warrants  -   163   -   163 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  (76)  214   (76)  145 
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents  -   (2)  -   (2)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents  426   (2,794)  988   (3,033)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period  3,634   6,973   3,634   6,973 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $4,060  $4,179  $4,622  $3,940 
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information                
Cash paid for interest $2  $13  $6  $17 
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities                
Right-of-use asset obtained in exchange for operating lease liability $-  $69  $-  $69 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated interim financial statementstatements.

67
 

NEPHROS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Nature of Operations

 

Nephros, Inc. (“Nephros” or the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 3, 1997. The Company was founded by health professionals, scientists and engineers affiliated with Columbia University to develop advanced end stage renal disease (“ESRD”) therapy technology and products.

 

Beginning in 2009, Nephros introduced high performance liquid purification filters to meet the demand for water purification in certain medical markets. The Company’s filters, generally classified as ultrafilters, are primarily used in hospitals for the prevention of infection from waterborne pathogens, such as legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for the removal of biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate concentrate. The Company also develops and sells water filtration products for commercial applications, focusing on the hospitality and food service markets. The water filtration business is a reportable segment, referred to as the Water Filtration segment.

 

On October 4, 2022, the Company entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with a third party for the sale of substantially all of the Company’s Pathogen Detection Systems (“PDS”) business, which had been previously reported as a separate reportable operating segment. As a result of the sale of the PDS business, we completely exited the PDS business. As a result, we determined that our PDS business had met the criteria for discontinued operations as of September 30, 2022. We no longer separately report the PDS business as a separate reportable segment in our financial statements including in this Quarterly Report for any of the periods presented.

 

In July 2018, the Company formed a subsidiary, Specialty Renal Products, Inc. (“SRP”), to drive the development of its second-generation hemodiafiltration system and other products focused on improving therapies for patients with renal disease. After SRP’s formation, the Company assigned to SRP all of the Company’s rights to three patents relating to the Company’s hemodiafiltration technology, which were carried at zero book value. On March 9, 2023, the SRP Stockholders approved a plan of dissolution to wind down SRP’s operations, liquidate SRP’s remaining assets and dissolve SRP. Pursuant to such plan, SRP filed a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware on April 13, 2023. As a result of the SRP Stockholders’ approval of the plan of dissolution and provisions therein and the extentafter satisfying all of SRP’s liabilities, there are no assets available for distribution to the holders of any of SRP’s capital stock, including its Series A Preferred Stock. As such, the value of the SRP Series A Preferred Stockrecorded to non-controlling interest was written to zero and the impact recordedreclassified to the Company’s additional paid inpaid-in capital as the Company retained control of SRP.

 

The Company’s primary U.S. facilities arefacility is located at 380 Lackawanna Place, South Orange, New Jersey 07079 and 3221 Polaris Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102. These locations house07079. This location houses the Company’s corporate headquarters, research, manufacturing, and distribution facilities.

 

Note 2 – Basis of Presentation and Liquidity

 

Interim Financial Information

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 was derived from the Company’s audited financial statements. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for annual financial statements. Results as of and for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023.

 

The consolidated interim financial statements and notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

8

Segment Reporting

 

The Company operates in only one business segment from which the Company’s chief operating decision maker evaluates the financial performance of the Company.

 

Consolidation

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nephros, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Nephros International, which was dissolved during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, and SRP, which was dissolved pursuant to a plan of dissolution adopted by its stockholders on March 9, 2023 and the subsequent filing of a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware on April 13, 2023. All intercompany accounts and transactions were eliminated in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

7

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amount of revenues and expenses, during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Included in these estimates are assumptions about the collection of accounts receivable, value of inventories, useful life of fixed assets and intangible assets, the assessment of expected cash flows used in evaluating goodwill and other long-lived assets, and assumptions used in determining stock compensation such as expected volatility and risk-free interest rate.

Liquidity

 

In February 2022, pursuant to a First Amendment to Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Amendment”) among SRP and the holders of SRP’s outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, SRP issued and sold an additional 100,003 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock at a price of $5.00 per share, resulting in total gross proceeds of $500,015. See “Note 12 – Stockholders’ Equity – Noncontrolling Interest,” below. In addition to the funds provided by the sale of these additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock, the Company and SRP also maintained a loan agreement under which the Company loaned $1.3 million to SRP, of which $1.0 million had been loaned during the year ended December 31, 2020. These loaned funds were used to fund SRP’s operating activities through the FDA 510(k) clearance process of SRP’s second-generation hemodiafiltration system, which was initially submitted to the FDA on February 24, 2021, and which received 510(k) clearance on May 13, 2022. In connection with SRP’s plan of dissolution and pursuant to an agreement between the Company and SRP entered into on May 24, 2023, SRP assigned substantially all of its remaining assets to the Company in satisfaction of the entire loan balance. Accordingly, as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, there was no outstanding balance of this loan.

 

The Company has sustained operating losses every quarter through December 31, 2022. Although the Company has recently realized modest positive operating cash flows, net cash from operations has been mostly negative since the Company’s inception,2022, generating an accumulated deficit of $143.6143.8 million as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023. TheseThroughout 2023, however, the Company’s operating losses and negative cash flows raise substantial doubthave been positive due to increased sales, improved gross margins, careful expense management, and the dispositions of the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. ThePDS and SRP businesses. These actions resulted in the Company has realizedgenerating cash from operations of approximately $1.1 million through the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Based on these positive cash flows, during the first two quarters of 2023, partly due to revenue growth and partly due to certain actions the Company took during the second half of 2022. These actions included headcount and other expense reductions, the sale of PDS assets and discontinuance of PDS operations, the wind down and dissolution of SRP, customer price increases, and the recruiting and acquisition of additional sales staff to grow revenues. The Company believes these actions and the recent positive cash flows alleviate the substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Furthermore, based on these actions, as well as the cash that is available for the Company’s operations and projections of future Company operations, the Company believes that its cash balances are sufficient to fund its current operating plan through at least the next 12 months from the date of issuance of the accompanying consolidated financial statements. However, in the event that the Company’s operating results do not meet its expectations, the Company may need to further reduce discretionary expenditures such as headcount, R&D projects, and other variable costs.

 

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

 

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, “Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers,” which requires that an entity recognize contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 and should be applied prospectively. The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2023 and the guidance did not have an impact on its consolidated financial statements.

 

9

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

The Company deposits its cash in financial institutions. At times, such deposits may be in excess of insured limits. To date, the Company has not experienced any impairment losses on its cash. The Company also limits its credit risk with respect to accounts receivable by performing credit evaluations when deemed necessary.

Major Customers

 

For the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, and 2022, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s revenues, respectively:

Schedule of Revenues and Accounts Receivable Percentage of Major Customers

Customer 2023  2022 
A  35%  33%
B  13%  4%
Total  48%  37%

For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s revenues, respectively:

 Schedule of Revenues and Accounts Receivable Percentage of Major Customers

Customer 2023  2022 
A  18%  17%
C  11%  12%
D  11%  1%
E  5%  12%
Total  45%  42%

8

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, and 2022, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s revenues, respectively:

Customer 2023 2022  2023  2022 
A  19%  20%  24%  24%
B  13%  2%  11%  10%
C  10%  12%
Total  42%  34%  35%  34%

 

As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s accounts receivable, respectively:

 

Customer 2023 2022  2023 2022 
C  15%  10%
A  16%  21%  14%  21%
B  11%  2%  4%  10%
C  8%  10%
F  6%  10%
Total  41%  43%  33%  41%

 

Accounts Receivable

 

The Company recognizes an allowance that reflects a current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of a financial asset, including trade receivables. The Company continuously monitors collections and payments from its customers and maintains a provision for estimated credit losses. The Company determines its allowance for doubtful accounts by considering a number of factors, including the length of time balances are past due, the Company’s previous loss history, the customer’s current ability to pay its obligations to the Company and the expected condition of the general economy and the industry as a whole. The Company writes off accounts receivable when they are determined to be uncollectible. The allowance for doubtful accounts was approximately $14,000 as of September 30, 2023. There was no allowance for doubtful accounts as ofJune 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, respectively.2022.

 

Depreciation Expense

Depreciation related to equipment utilized in the manufacturing process is recognized in cost of goods sold on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. For the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, depreciation expense was approximately $1,000 and $2,0003,000, respectively. For the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, depreciation expense was approximately $12,0003,000 and $16,00019,000, respectively.

10

 

Note 3 – Revenue Recognition

 

The Company recognizes revenue related to product sales when product is shipped via external logistics providers and the other criteria of ASC 606 are met. Product revenue is recorded net of returns and allowances. There was no allowance for sales returns for the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, or 2022. In addition to product revenue, the Company recognizes revenue related to royalty and other agreements in accordance with the five-step model in ASC 606. Other revenues recognized for the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 were approximately $8,00029,000 and $43,00072,000, respectively. Other revenues recognized for the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022 were approximately $13,00010,000 and $21,00030,000, respectively.

 

Other Revenue – Other revenues are derived from sales of services to customers, which primarily include installation, training and testing on products and equipment sold to certain customers.

 

Note 4 – Discontinued Operations

 

In accordance with ASC 205-20, “Presentation of Financial Statements: Discontinued Operations”, a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity (disposal group) is required to be reported as discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results when the disposal group meets the criteria to be classified as held-for-sale. The consolidated statements of operations reported for current and prior periods report the results of operations of the discontinued operations, including the impairment loss recognized as a component of net income (loss) separate from the net income (loss) from continuing operations.

 

9

All discontinued operations relate to the Company’s previously reported PDS segment, for the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022.

 

Schedule of Assets and Liabilities of Discontinued Operations

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 
 June 30, 2022  September 30, 2022 September 30, 2022 
 (in thousands)   (in thousands)   (in thousands) 
Total net revenues $34  $79  $141 
Gross loss  (34)  (149)  (211)
Research and development expenses  158   192   556 
Depreciation and amortization expense  13   7   21 
Selling, general and administrative expenses  185   161   517 
Total operating expenses  356   360   1,094 
Operating loss from discontinued operations  (390)  (509)  (1,305)
Impairment of assets held for sale  -   (1,395)  (1,395)
Loss from discontinued operations $(390) $(1,904) $(2,700)

 

  Six Months Ended 
  June 30, 2022 
  (in thousands) 
Total net revenues $62 
Gross loss  (62)
Research and development expenses  364 
Depreciation and amortization expense  14 
Selling, general and administrative expenses  356 
Total operating expenses  734 
Operating loss from discontinued operations  (796)
Impairment of assets held for sale  - 
Loss from discontinued operations $(796)

The following items related to discontinued operations were included in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows:

  For the nine months ended, 
  September 30, 2022 
   (in thousands) 
Depreciation $42 
Amortization  82 
Stock compensation  66 
Impairment of assets held-for-sale  1,395 
Operating lease right-of-use assets  33 
Purchases of property and equipment  (34)

11

Note 5 – Fair Value Measurements

The Company measures certain financial instruments and other items at fair value.

 

To determine the fair value, the Company uses the fair value hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs market participants would use to value an asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from independent sources. Unobservable inputs are inputs based on assumptions about the factors market participants would use to value an asset or liability.

 

To measure fair value, the Company uses the following fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable:

 

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

 

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques and also includes instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant judgment or estimation.

 

10

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

 

The Company evaluates its financial assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis to determine the appropriate level of classification for each reporting period.

 

At JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company’s cash equivalents consisted of money market funds.funds and certificates of deposit that can be withdrawn before maturity. The Company values its cash equivalents using observable inputs that reflect quoted prices for securities with identical characteristics and classify the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 1.

 

At JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the fair value measurements of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis were as follows:

 

Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis

 Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using  Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using 
 

Quoted Prices in

Active Markets for

Identical Assets

(Level 1)

 

Significant Other

Observable Inputs

(Level 2)

 

Significant

Unobservable Inputs

(Level 3)

  Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) 

Significant

Other

Observable Inputs

(Level 2)

 

Significant

Unobservable Inputs

(Level 3)

 
 (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
June 30, 2023            
September 30, 2023       
Cash $168  $  $  $1,320   $   $ 
Money market funds  3,892           1,802         
Certificate of deposit  1,500         
Cash and cash equivalents $4,060  $-  $-  $4,622  $-  $- 
                        
December 31, 2022                        
Cash $1,598  $                   $               $1,598   $   $ 
Money market funds  2,036           2,036         
Cash and cash equivalents $3,634  $-  $-  $3,634  $         -  $              - 

 

Assets and Liabilities Not Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

 

The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.

 

The carrying amounts of the secured long-term note payable, lease liabilities and equipment financing approximate fair value as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 because those financial instruments bear interest at rates that approximate current market rates for similar agreements with similar maturities and credit.

 

Note 6 – Inventory

 

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out method and consists of raw materials and finished goods. The Company’s inventory components as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, were as follows:

 

Schedule of Inventory, Net

 June 30, 2023  December 31, 2022  September 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 
 (in thousands)   (in thousands) 
Finished goods $1,674  $2,709  $1,895  $2,709 
Raw materials  452   422   373   422 
Work in process  -   22   -   22 
Total inventory $2,126  $3,153  $2,268  $3,153 

Note 7 – Intangible Assets and Goodwill

 

Intangible Assets

 

Intangible assets as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 are set forth in the table below. Gross carrying values and accumulated amortization of the Company’s intangible assets by type are as follows:

 

Schedule of Intangible Assets

 June 30, 2023  December 31, 2022  September 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 
 Cost  Accumulated Amortization  Net  Cost  Accumulated Amortization  Net  Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Cost Accumulated Amortization Net 
 (in thousands)   (in thousands) 
Tradenames, service marks and domain names $50  $(45) $5  $50  $(40) $10  $50  $(47) $3  $50  $(40) $10 
Customer relationships  540   (143)  397   540   (127)  413   540   (151)  389   540   (127)  413 
Total intangible assets $590  $(188) $402  $590  $(167) $423  $590  $(198) $392  $590  $(167) $423 

 

11

The Company recognized amortization expense of approximately $11,000 for each of the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and JuneSeptember 30, 2022. All were recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

The Company recognized amortization expense of approximately $31,000 for each of the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and September 30, 2022. All were recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying condensed statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

12

As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, future amortization expense for each of the next five years is (in thousands):

 

Schedule of Future Amortization Expense

    
Fiscal Years       
2023 (excluding the six months ended June 30, 2023) $21 
2023 (excluding the nine months ended September 30, 2023) $11 
2024  32   32 
2025  32   32 
2026  32   32 
2027  32   32 
2028  32   32 

 

The Company recognized approximately $1.0 million in intangible asset impairment charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, related to the fair value of assets held for sale. (See Note 4 –Discontinued Operations).

Goodwill

 

Goodwill has a carrying value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets of approximately $0.8 million at JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Note 8 – License and Supply Agreement, net

On April 23, 2012, the Company entered into a License and Supply Agreement (as thereafter amended, the “License and Supply Agreement”) with Medica S.p.A. (“Medica”), an Italy-based medical product manufacturing company, for the marketing and sale of certain filtration products based upon Medica’s proprietary Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology in conjunction with the Company’s filtration products, and for an exclusive supply arrangement for the filtration products. Under the License and Supply Agreement, Medica granted to the Company an exclusive license, with right of sublicense, to market, promote, distribute, offer for sale and sell the filtration products worldwide, with certain limitations on territory, during the term of the License and Supply Agreement. In addition, the Company granted to Medica an exclusive license under the Company’s intellectual property to make the filtration products during the term of the License and Supply Agreement. The filtration products covered under the License and Supply Agreement includes both certain products based on Medica’s proprietary Versatile microfiber technology and certain filtration products based on Medica’s proprietary Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology. The License and Supply Agreement expires on December 31, 2025, unless earlier terminated by either party in accordance with its terms. The Company intendsis in active discussions to seek an extension ofextend the License and Supply Agreement and expects to complete this extension prior to such termination date.

 

In exchange for the license, the gross value of the intangible asset capitalized was $2.3million. License and supply agreement, net, on the consolidated balance sheet is $0.3 million and $0.4million as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Accumulated amortization is $2 million and $1.9 million as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The intangible asset is being amortized as an expense over the life of the License and Supply Agreement. Amortization expense of approximately $33,000 was recognized in each of the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022 on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

As of September 2013, the Company has an understanding with Medica whereby the Company has agreed to pay interest to Medica at a 12% annual rate calculated on the principal amount of any outstanding invoices that are not paid pursuant to the original payment terms. There was no interest recognized for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 or JuneSeptember 30, 2022.

12

 

In addition, for the period beginning April 23, 2014 through December 31, 2025, the Company will pay Medica a royalty rate of 3% of net sales of the filtration products sold, subject to reduction as a result of a supply interruption pursuant to the terms of the License and Supply Agreement. Approximately $95,000102,000 and $73,00064,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, was recognized as royalty expense and is included in cost of goods sold on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Approximately $191,000292,000 and $132,000198,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, was recognized as royalty expense and is included in cost of goods sold on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Approximately $95,000102,000 and $71,000 of this royalty expense was included in accounts payable as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

13

 

Note 9 – Secured Note Payable

 

On March 27, 2018, the Company entered into a Secured Promissory Note Agreement (the “Secured Note”) with Tech Capital for a principal amount of $1.2 million. As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, the principal balance of the Secured Note was paid off.

 

The Secured Note had a maturity date of April 1, 2023. The unpaid principal balance accrued interest at a rate of 8% per annum. Principal and interest payments were due on the first day of each month commencing on May 1, 2018. The Secured Note was subject to terms and conditions of and was secured by security interests granted by the Company in favor of Tech Capital under the Loan and Security Agreement entered into on August 17, 2017 and subsequently amended on December 20, 2019 (the “Loan Agreement”). An event of default under such Loan Agreement was an event of default under the Secured Note and vice versa.

 

During the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, no payments were made under the Secured Note, as the Note was repaid in full at March 31, 2023. During the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, the Company made payments under the Secured Note of approximately $72,000. Included in the total payments made, approximately $5,0004,000 was recognized as interest expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022.

 

During the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and JuneSeptember 30, 2022, the Company made payments under the Secured Note of approximately $71,000 and $144,000216,000, respectively. Included in the total payments made, approximately $1,000 and $11,00015,000 was recognized as interest expense on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and JuneSeptember 30, 2022.

 

Note 10 – Leases

The Company has operating leases for corporate offices, an automobile and office equipment. The leases have remaining lease terms of 1 year to 5 years.

 

Lease cost, as presented below, includes costs associated with leases for which right-of-use (“ROU”) assets have been recognized as well as short-term leases.

 

The components of total lease costs were as follows:

 

Schedule of Components of Lease Cost

  

Three months ended

June 30, 2023

  

Three months ended

June 30, 2022

 
  (in thousands) 
Operating lease cost $90  $102 
Finance lease cost:        
Amortization of right-of-use assets  2   1 
Interest on lease liabilities  1   1 
Total finance lease cost  3   2 
Variable lease cost  3   10 
Total lease cost $96  $114 

 

Six months ended

June 30, 2023

 

Six months ended

June 30, 2022

  

Three months ended

September 30, 2023

 

Three months ended

September 30, 2022

 
 (in thousands) (in thousands) 
Operating lease cost $182  $213  $90  $103 
Finance lease cost:                        
Amortization of right-of-use assets  4   5   2   2 
Interest on lease liabilities  2   3   -   1 
Total finance lease cost  6   8   2   3 
Variable lease cost  7   19   2   9 
Total lease cost $195  $240  $94  $   115 

 

1314
 

  

Nine months ended

September 30, 2023

  

Nine months ended

September 30, 2022

 
  (in thousands) 
Operating lease cost $272  $316 
Finance lease cost:        
Amortization of right-of-use assets  6   7 
Interest on lease liabilities  2   4 
Total finance lease cost  8   11 
Variable lease cost  9   28 
Total lease cost $289  $355 

 

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:

 

Schedule of Supplemental Cash Flow Information Related to Leases

 

Six months ended

June 30, 2023

 

Six months ended

June 30, 2022

  

Nine months ended

September 30, 2023

  

Nine months ended

September 30, 2022

 
 (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:                
Operating cash flows from operating leases $160  $211  $272  $316 
Financing cash flows from finance leases $4  $3  $4  $3 

 

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

 

Schedule of Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases

 June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022  September 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 
 (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
Operating lease right-of-use assets $816  $972  $744  $972 
Finance lease right-of-use assets $8  $12  $6  $12 
                
Current portion of operating lease liabilities $315  $308  $305  $309 
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion  534   700   469   700 
Total operating lease liabilities $849  $1,008  $774  $1,009 
                
Current portion of finance lease liabilities $8  $8  $6  $8 
Finance lease liabilities, net of current portion  -   5   -   4 
Total finance lease liabilities $8  $13  $6  $12 
             
Weighted average remaining lease term             
Operating leases  3.6 years   3.9 years   3.4 years   3.9 years 
Finance leases  1.1 years   1.54 years   0.8 years   1.5 years 
                
Weighted average discount rate                
Operating leases  8.0%  8.0%  8.0%  8.0%
Finance leases  8.0%  8.0%  8.0%  8.0%

 

As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:

 

Schedule of Maturities of Lease Liabilities

 Operating Leases Finance Leases  Operating Leases Finance Leases 
 (in thousands)  (in thousands)   
2023 (excluding the six months ended June 30, 2023) $105  $4 
2023 (excluding the nine months ended September 30, 2023) $     53  $   2 
2024  299   4   299   4 
2025  163   -   163   - 
2026  168   -   168   - 
2027  158   -   158   - 
Total future minimum lease payments  893   8   841   6 
Less imputed interest  (44)  -   (67)  - 
Total $849  $8  $774  $6 

15

 

Note 11 – Stock Plans and Share-Based Payments

 

The fair value of stock options and restricted stock is recognized as stock-based compensation expense in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company calculates stock-based compensation expense in accordance with ASC 718. The fair value of stock-based awards is amortized over the vesting period of the award.

 

14

Stock Options

 

The Company granted stock options to purchase 357,1656,000 and 447,065453,065 shares of common stock, respectively, to employees during the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023. These stock options are being expensed over the respective vesting period, which is based on a service condition. The fair value of the stock options granted during the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, was approximately $0.4 million.

 

The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The below assumptions for the risk-free interest rates, expected dividend yield, expected lives and expected stock price volatility were utilized for the stock options granted during the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023.

 

Schedule of Fair Value Assumptions

Assumptions for Option Grants   
Stock Price Volatility  74.0174.03%
Risk-Free Interest Rate  3.433.44%
Expected Life (in years)  6.21 
Expected Dividend Yield  -%

 

Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was approximately $169,000137,000 and $242,000251,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. For the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, approximately $156,000134,000 and $13,0003,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, approximately $225,000227,000 and $17,00024,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was $349,000486,000 and $473,000724,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. For the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, approximately $315,000450,000 and $34,00036,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, approximately $443,000669,000 and $30,00055,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

There was no tax benefit related to expense recognized in the three or sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, as the Company is in a net operating loss position. As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, there was approximately $1.0819,000 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock-based awards granted under the equity compensation plans, which will be amortized over the weighted average remaining requisite service period of 2.52.4 years.

Restricted Stock

 

Total stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations was approximately $25,000 and $17,00012,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.a credit to expense of ($16,000) due to the forfeiture of 15,000 unvested restricted shares for the three months ended September 30, 2022. For the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, approximately $25,00012,000 is included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, approximately $17,000($16,000) is included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

16

Total stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock was approximately $38,00049,000 and $58,00042,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. For the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, approximately $38,00049,000 is included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. During the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, 23,781 shares of restricted stock were issued to employees and 133,722 shares of restricted stock were issued to board members all related to services rendered during the year ended December 31, 2022. In addition, 30,000 shares of restricted stock were issued to contractors during the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023. All restricted shares issued during the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, have a vesting period of six months.months. For the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, approximately $58,00042,000 is included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, there was approximately $12,000no of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock-based awards granted under the equity compensation plans, which will be amortized over the weighted average remaining requisite service period of 0.1 years.plans.

 

The aggregate shares of common stock legally issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 is greater than the aggregate shares of common stock outstanding for accounting purposes by the amount of unvested restricted shares.

15

SRP Equity Incentive Plan

 

SRP’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan was approved on May 7, 2019 under which 150,000 shares of SRP’s common stock are reserved for the issuance of options and other awards. This plan is no longer operational, due to the wind down of SRP’s operations and its April 2023 dissolution.

 

Due to the Company’s deemed acquisition of the non-controlling interest in SRP during the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, all remaining equity-based awards have been forfeited and no further expense will be incurred related to these awards. There were no SRP stock options or other equity awards granted during the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023. For the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, a credit of approximately ($27,000) was recognized for expense related to the SRP equity-based awards. Stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP stock grants was approximately $19,000 and $18,00037,000, for the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022. Stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP equity-based awards is included in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP stock options is presented by the Company as noncontrolling interest on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022.

 

Note 12 – Stockholders’ Equity

Noncontrolling Interest

Pursuant to the terms and conditions of a Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement, dated September 9, 2018, among SRP and the purchasers identified therein (the “SRP Purchase Agreement”), SRP sold to such purchasers an aggregate of 600,000 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred”) at a price of $5.00 per share resulting in total gross proceeds of $3.0 million. On February 1, 2022, SRP and such purchasers amended the SRP Purchase Agreement to allow for the sale of an additional 100,003 shares of Series A Preferred, all of which were sold on February 4, 2022, for aggregate gross proceeds of $500,015 and otherwise on the same terms and conditions as set forth in the SRP Purchase Agreement. Approximately $188,000 of the proceeds from the February 2022 sales were recorded as an increase to the equity of the non-controlling interests. The Company purchased 62,500 shares of SRP’s Series A Preferred at such closing and, as a result, maintained its 62.5% stock ownership position in SRP. The other purchasers at the February 2022 closing included the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, who purchased 313 shares, and Lambda Investors LLC (“Lambda”), an affiliate of Wexford Capital, which together with its affiliates owns approximately 36% of the Company’s common stock, which purchased 25,938 shares of the Series A Preferred in February 2022. Such purchases were made on the same terms as all other purchasers. In addition to the funds provided by the SRP Purchase Agreement, the Company loaned to SRP to the principal amount of $1.3 million, $1.0 million of which was advanced during the year ended December 31, 2020.

 

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As of December 31, 2022, the non-controlling interest in SRP held by holders of the Series A Preferred has been classified as equity on the accompanying consolidated interim balance sheet, as the non-controlling interest is redeemable only upon the occurrence of events that are within the control of the Company. As a result of the adoption of the plan of liquidation and dissolution by SRP’s stockholders and the subsequent filing of a certificate of dissolution of SRP with the State of Delaware, the redemption feature related to the Series A Preferred Stock effectively terminated. As such, the value of the Series A Preferred Stock previously presented in non-controlling interest was reclassified to additional paid in capital as the Company retained control of SRP.

 

In March 2023, the board of directors of SRP adopted, and the stockholders of SRP approved, a plan to wind down SRP’s operations and dissolve, and in April 2023, SRP filed a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware. In accordance with its plan of dissolution, after SRP satisfied its other outstanding liabilities, SRP assigned to the Company all of its remaining assets, including its intellectual property rights, in satisfaction of outstanding indebtedness owed to the Company in the approximate amount of $1.5 million. No other assets are available for distribution to any of SRP’s stockholders, including the Company, in respect of their shares of SRP capital stock, including the Series A Preferred. As a result of the dissolution described above, it was determined approximately $24,000 of inventory likely had no value, and was written off in the period ended March 31, 2023.

 

Warrants

During the three and sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, the Company had no outstanding warrants.

During the threenine months ended June 30, 2022, no warrants were exercised. Warrants to purchase 63,102 shares of the Company’s common stock expired unexercised.

During the six months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, warrants to purchase 60,374 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised, resulting in proceeds of $0.2 million and the issuance of 60,374 shares of the Company’s common stock. Of the warrants exercised during the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, warrants to purchase 14,815 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised by members of management, resulting in proceeds of approximately $40,000. Warrants to purchase 63,102 shares of the Company’s common stock expired unexercised, during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

16

 

Note 13 – Net Loss per Common Share

Basic loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss available to common shareholders by the number of weighted average common shares issued and outstanding. Diluted loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares issued and outstanding for the period, plus amounts representing the dilutive effect from the exercise of stock options and warrants and unvested restricted stock, as applicable. The Company calculates dilutive potential common shares using the treasury stock method, which assumes the Company will use the proceeds from the exercise of stock options and warrants to repurchase shares of common stock to hold in its treasury stock reserves.

 

The following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computations of diluted weighted average shares outstanding as they would be antidilutive:

 

Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share

  June 30, 
  2023  2022 
Shares underlying options outstanding  1,765,853   1,603,835 
Unvested restricted stock  187,503   15,000 
  September 30, 
  2023  2022 
Shares underlying options outstanding  1,767,443   1,492,247 

 

Note 14 – Commitments and Contingencies

 

Purchase Commitments

 

In exchange for the rights granted under the License and Supply Agreement with Medica (see Note 8 – License and Supply Agreement, net), the Company agreed to make certain minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica over the term of the License and Supply Agreement. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company has agreed to make minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica of €3.8 million (approximately $4.1 million). As of JuneSeptember 30, 2023, the Company’s aggregate purchase commitments totaled €3.34.5 million (approximately $3.64.8 million).

 

Contractual Obligations

 

See Note 10 – Leases for a discussion of the Company’s contractual obligations.

1718
 

 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion includes forward-looking statements about our business, financial condition and results of operations including discussions about management’s expectations for our business. These statements represent projections, beliefs and expectations based on current circumstances and conditions and in light of recent events and trends, and these statements should not be construed either as assurances of performances or as promises of a given course of action. Instead, various known and unknown factors are likely to cause our actual performance and management’s actions to vary, and the results of these variances may be both material and adverse.

 

Business Overview

 

We are a commercial-stage company that develops and sells high performance water solutions to the medical and commercial markets.

 

Our medical water filters, mostly classified as ultrafilters, are used primarily by hospitals for the prevention of infection from waterborne pathogens, such as legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for the removal of biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate concentrate. Because our ultrafilters capture contaminants as small as 0.005 microns in size, they minimize exposure to a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and endotoxins.

 

Our commercial water filters improve the taste and odor of water and reduce biofilm, cysts, particulates, and scale build-up in downstream equipment. Our products are marketed primarily to the food service, hospitality, convenience store, and health care markets, and also sold into medical institutions to supplement.

 

We previously held a majority stake in Specialty Renal Products, Inc. (“SRP”), a development-stage medical device company that was focused primarily on developing hemodiafiltration (“HDF”) technology. On May 13, 2022, the FDA gave 510(k) clearance to SRP’s second-generation model of the OLpūrH2H Hemodiafiltration System, which enables nephrologists to provide HDF treatment to patients with end stage renal disease. In January 2023, SRP management began exploring strategic partnerships to support a commercial launch of the HDF product but was unsuccessful in identifying a partner. By late February 2023, SRP had nearly exhausted its capital resources. Due to its limited capital and lack of prospects for securing a strategic partnership or additional financing, the board of directors of SRP adopted a plan on March 6, 2023 to wind down SRP operations, liquidate its remaining assets and dissolve the company. That plan was approved by SRP’s stockholders on March 9, 2023, and on April 11, 2023, SRP filed a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware. SRP’s cash resources were sufficient to satisfy all of its outstanding liabilities other than its obligations to us under a loan with an outstanding balance of approximately $1.5 million. Accordingly, SRP assigned to Nephros all of its remaining assets, including its intellectual property rights in the HDF2 device, in satisfaction of its outstanding loan balance. Although we have no current plans to do so, we may re-evaluate opportunities for HDF in the future.

 

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Our Products

Water Filtration Products

 

We develop and sell water filtration products used in both medical and commercial applications. Our water filtration products employ multiple filtration technologies, as described below.

 

In medical markets, our primary filtration mechanism is to pass liquids through the pores of polysulfone hollow fiber. Our filters’ pores are significantly smaller than those of competing products, resulting in highly effective elimination of waterborne pathogens, including legionella bacteria (the cause of Legionnaires disease) and viruses, which are not eliminated by most other microbiological filters on the market. Additionally, the fiber structure and pore density in our hollow fiber enables significantly higher flow rates than in other polysulfone hollow fiber.

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Our primary sales strategy in medical markets is to sell through value-added resellers (“VARs”). Leveraging VARs has enabled us to expand rapidly our access to target customers with limited sales staff expansion. In addition, while we are currently focused on medical markets, the VARs that support these customers also support a wide variety of commercial and industrial customers. We believe that our VAR relationships have and will continue to facilitate growth in filter sales outside of the medical industry.

 

In commercial markets, we develop and sell our filters, for which carbon-based absorption is the primary filtration mechanism. These products allow us to improve water’s odor and taste, to reduce scale and heavy metals, and to reduce other water contaminants for customers who are primarily in the food service, convenience store, and hospitality industries. These commercial products are also sold into medical markets, as supplemental filtration to our medical filters.

 

In commercial markets, our model combines both direct and indirect sales. Our sales staff have sold products directly to a number of convenience stores, hotels, casinos, and restaurants. We are also pursuing large corporate contracts through partnerships.

 

Target Markets

 

Our ultrafiltration products currently target the following markets:

 

 Hospitals and Other Healthcare Facilities: Filtration of water for washing and drinking as an aid in infection control. The filters produce water that is suitable for wound cleansing, cleaning of equipment used in medical procedures, and washing of surgeons’ hands.hands.
 Dialysis Centers and Home/Portable Dialysis Machines: Filtration of water or bicarbonate concentrate used in hemodialysis.
 Commercial Facilities: Filtration and purification of water for consumption, including for use in ice machines and soft drink dispensers.
 Military and Outdoor Recreation: Individual water purification devices used by soldiers and backpackers to produce drinking water in the field, as well as filters customized to remote water processing systems.

 

Hospitals and Other Healthcare Facilities. Nephros filters are a leading tool used to provide proactive protection to patients in high-risk areas (e.g., ice machines, surgical rooms, NICUs) and reactive protection to patients in broader areas during periods of water pathogen outbreaks. Our products are used in hundreds of medical facilities to aid in infection control, both proactively and reactively.

 

As of 2022, according to the American Hospital Association, there are approximately 6,100 hospitals in the U.S., with approximately 921,000 beds. Over 33 million patients were admitted to these hospitals. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) estimates that healthcare associated infections (“HAI”) occur in approximately 1 out of every 31 hospital patients, which calculates to over one million patients in 2022. HAIs affect patients in hospitals or other healthcare facilities and are not present or incubating at the time of admission. They also include infections acquired by patients in the hospital or facility, but appearing after discharge, and occupational infections among staff. Many HAIs are caused by waterborne bacteria and viruses that can thrive in aging or complex plumbing systems often found in healthcare facilities.

 

In January 2022, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) expanded its requirements – originally implemented in 2017 – for facilities to develop policies and procedures that inhibit the growth and spread of legionella and other opportunistic pathogens in building water systems. In this 2022 update, CMS requires teams to be assigned to the development of formal water management plans (“WMPs”), as well as detailed documentation regarding the development of the WMPs and their execution. CMS surveyors regularly review policies, procedures, and reports documenting water management implementation results to verify that facilities are compliant with these requirements. We believe that these CMS regulations may have a positive impact on the sale of our HAI-inhibiting ultrafilters.

 

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We currently have FDA 510(k) clearance on the following portfolio of medical device products for use in the hospital setting to aid in infection control:

 

The DSU-H and SSU-H are in-line, 0.005-micron ultrafilters that provide dual- and single-stage protection, respectively, from waterborne pathogens. They are primarily used to filter potable water feeding ice machines, sinks, and medical equipment, such as endoscope washers and surgical room humidifiers. The DSU-H has an up to 6-month product life in a typical hospital setting, while the SSU-H has an up to 3-month product life.life.

The S100 is a point-of-use, 0.01-micron microfilter that provides protection from waterborne pathogens. The S100 is primarily used to filter potable water feeding sinks and showers. The S100 has an up to 3-month product life when used in a hospital setting.
  
The HydraGuardTM and HydraGuardTM - Flush are 0.005-micron cartridge ultrafilters that provide single-stage protection from waterborne pathogens. The HydraGuard ultrafilters are primarily used to filter potable water feeding ice machines and medical equipment, such as endoscope washers and surgical room humidifiers. The HydraGuard has an up to 6-month product life and the HydraGuard - Flush has an up to 12-month product life when used in a hospital setting.setting.

 

Our complete hospital infection control product line, including in-line, and point-of-use can be viewed on our website at https://www.nephros.com/infection-control/. We are not including the information on our website as a part of, nor incorporating it by reference into, this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

Dialysis Centers - Water/Bicarbonate. In the dialysis water market, Nephros ultrafiltration products are among the highest performing products on the market. The DSU-D, SSU-D and the SSUmini have become the standard endotoxin filter in many portable reverse osmosis systems. The EndoPur®, our large-format ultrafilter targeted at dialysis clinic water systems, provides the smallest pore size available.

 

To perform hemodialysis, all dialysis clinics have dedicated water purification systems to produce water and bicarbonate concentrate, two essential ingredients for making dialysate, the liquid that removes waste material from the blood. According to the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, there are approximately 6,500 dialysis clinics in the United States servicing approximately 468,000 patients annually. We estimate that there are over 100,000 hemodialysis machines in operation in the United States.

 

Medicare is the main payer for dialysis treatment in the United States. To be eligible for Medicare reimbursement, dialysis centers must meet the minimum standards for water and bicarbonate concentrate quality set by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (“AAMI”), the American National Standards Institute (“ANSI”) and the International Standards Organization (“ISO”). We anticipate that the stricter standards approved by these organizations in 2009 will be adopted by Medicare in the future.

 

We currently have FDA 510(k) clearance on the following portfolio of medical device products for use in the dialysis setting to aid in bacteria, virus, and endotoxin retention:

 

 The DSU-D, SSU-D and SSUmini are in-line, 0.005-micron ultrafilters that provide protection from bacteria, viruses, and endotoxins. All of these products have an up to 12-month product life in the dialysis setting and are used to filter water following treatment with a reverse osmosis (“RO”) system, and to filter bicarbonate concentrate. These ultrafilters are primarily used in the water lines and bicarbonate concentrate lines leading into dialysis machines, and as a polish filter for portable RO machines.machines.
   
 The EndoPur is a 0.005-micron cartridge ultrafilter that provides single-stage protection from bacteria, viruses, and endotoxins. The EndoPur has an up to 12-month product life in the dialysis setting and is used to filter water following treatment with an RO system. More specifically, the EndoPur is used primarily to filter water in large RO systems designed to provide ultrapure water to an entire dialysis clinic. The EndoPur is a cartridge-based, “plug and play” market entry that requires no plumbing at installation or replacement. The EndoPur is available in 10”, 20”, and 30” configuration.

 

Commercial and Industrial Facilities. Our commercial NanoGuard® product line accomplishes ultrafiltration via small pore size (0.005 micron) technology, filtering bacteria and viruses from water. In addition, our commercial filtration offerings include technologies that are primarily focused on improving odor and taste and on reducing scale from filtered water. Our commercial market focus includes the hospitality and food and beverage markets, in which we partner with Donastar Enterprises LLC as our master distributor. We also sell commercial filters into medical and non-medical facilities through our other distribution partners.

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Over time, we believe that the same water safety management programs currently underway at medical facilities may migrate to commercial markets. As the epidemiology of waterborne pathogens expands, links to contamination sources will become more efficient and the data more readily available. In cases where those sources are linked to restaurants, hotels, office buildings and residential complexes, the corporate owners of those facilities will likely face increasing liability exposure. We expect that building owners will come to understand ASHRAE-188, which outlines risk factors for buildings and their occupants, and provides water safety management guidelines. We believe, in time, most commercial buildings will need to follow the basic requirements of ASHRAE-188: create a water management plan, perform routine testing, and establish a plan to treat the building in the event of a positive test.

20

 

As demand for water testing and microbiological filtration grows, we will be ready to deploy our expertise and solutions based on years of experience servicing the medical market. We believe that we have an opportunity to offer unique expertise and products to the commercial market, and that our future revenue from the commercial market could even surpass our infection control revenue.

 

We currently market the following portfolio of proprietary products for use in the commercial, industrial, and food service settings:

 

 The NanoGuard set of products are in-line, 0.005-micron ultrafilter that provides dual-stage retention of any organic or inorganic particle larger than 15,000 Daltons. NanoGuard products are designed to fit a variety of existing plumbing configurations, including 10” and 20” standard housings, and Nephros and Everpure® manifolds. Included in the NanoGuard product line are both conventional and flushable filters.filters.
   
 The Nephros line of commercial filters provide a variety of technology solutions that improve water quality in food service, convenience store, hospitality, and industrial applications. Nephros filters improve water taste and odor, and reduce sediment, dirt, rust particles and other solids, chlorine and heavy minerals, lime scale build-up, and both particulate lead and soluble lead.

 

Nephros commercial products combine effectively with NanoGuard ultrafiltration technologies to offer full-featured solutions to the commercial water market, including to existing users of Everpure filter manifolds.

 

Pathogen Detection Systems (“PDS”)

 

In 2019, we expanded our portfolio of water solutions with the introduction of pathogen detection system (“PDS”) products and services, including our PluraPath pathogen detection system, which we developed to provide real-time data regarding the existence of a broad array of waterborne pathogens to the infection control teams responsible for executing a building or other facility’s water management plans. In the third quarter of 2021, we acquired the business of GenArraytion, Inc. (“GenArraytion” ),), including GenArraytion’s many proprietary assays, multiplexing technology, and selection methods for detecting waterborne pathogens and other microorganisms using Polymerase Chain Reaction technology. GenArraytion’s assets waswere integrated into our PDS segment. In November 2022, we sold substantially all of our assets used in our PDS business to BWSI, LLC pursuant to the terms of an Agreement for Purchase and Sale of Assets with BWSI (the “PDS Purchase Agreement”). Under the terms of the PDS Purchase Agreement, BWSI made a nominal cash payment at the closing of the transaction and assumed certain continuing liabilities of the PDS business. Additionally, for a period of seven years commencing January 1, 2023, and ending December 31, 2029, BWSI, after achieving certain minimum revenue levels from the sale and licensing of products developed by the PDS Business, will pay us an annual royalty equal to a specified percentage of gross margin receivedearned by BWSI from each of the sale and licensing of products developed by the PDS Business.additional such revenues.

Critical Accounting Policies

 

For the six-monthnine-month period ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, there were no significant changes to our critical accounting policies as identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

We are subject to recently issued accounting standards, accounting guidance and disclosure requirements. For a description of these new accounting standards, see Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Liquidity,” of the Notes to our Unaudited Consolidated Interim Financial Statements contained in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Results of Operations

 

Fluctuations in Operating Results

 

Our results of operations have fluctuated significantly from period to period in the past, including recently, and are likely to continue to do so in the future. We anticipate that our annual results of operations will be impacted for the foreseeable future by several factors, including revenue growth rates, expense management, and maintaining positive operating cash flow. Due to these fluctuations, we believe that the period-to-period comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance.

 

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Three Months Ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 Compared to the Three Months Ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022

 

The following table sets forth our summarized, consolidated results of operations for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands, except percentages):

 

      $ %       $ % 
      Increase Increase       Increase Increase 
 2023 2022 (Decrease) (Decrease)  2023 2022 (Decrease) (Decrease) 
Total net revenues $3,545  $2,850  $695   24% $3,742  $2,409  $1,333   55%
Cost of goods sold  1,466   1,455   11   1%  1,548   1,647   (99)  (6)%
Gross margin  2,079   1,395   684   49%  2,194   762   1,432   188%
Gross margin %  59%  49%  -   10%  59%  32%  -   84%
Selling, general and administrative expense  2,239   1,885   354   19%  2,137   1,743   394   23%
Research and development expense  221   273   (52)  (19)%  205   252   (47)  (19)%
Depreciation and amortization expense  54   51   3   6%  55   48   7   15%
Operating loss from continuing operations  (435)  (814)  379   47%  (203)  (1,281)  1,078   (84)%
Interest expense  -   (6)  6   100%  -   (4)  4   (100)%
Interest income  13   1   12   1200%  11   4   7   175%
Other income (expense), net  (11)  72   (83)  (115)%  10   31   (21)  (68)%
Net loss from continuing operations  (433)  (747)  314   42%  (182)  (1,250)  1,068   (85)%
Net loss from discontinued operations  -   (390)  390   100%  -   (1,904)  1,904   (100)%
Net loss  (433)  (1,137)  704   62%  (182)  (3,154)  2,972   (94)%
Less: Undeclared deemed dividend attributable to noncontrolling interest  -   (66)  66   100%  -   (77)  77   (100)%
Net loss attributable to Nephros, Inc. $(433) $(1,203) $770   64% $(182) $(3,231) $3,049   (94)%

Revenue

 

The increase in net revenues of $0.7$1.3 million, or 24%55%, was driven by investments in our executive and medical sales organizations, andas well as partnering with a master distributor for much of our commercial business. These investments generated approximately 14%42% growth in our core, programmatic business.

Gross Profit Margin

 

Consolidated grossGross margin was approximately 59% for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, compared to approximately 49%32% for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022. The increase of approximately 10%, reflecting27 percentage points reflects a return to target gross margins of 55-60%, was. Lower gross margins in 2022 were primarily driven by price increases implementedlarge inventory write-downs in the second and third quartersquarter of 2022,2022. In addition, gross margins were favorably impacted by reductions in shipping expenses, and improved inventory management.

 

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Consolidated selling,Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $354,000,$0.4 million, or 19%23%, primarily due primarily to an increaseincreased commissions of $0.1 million, investment in our general and administrative headcount of $0.2 million, increased bonus accrualaccruals of $0.1 million, and sales commissioninvestment in our facility consolidation effort of $0.1 million. These were offset by $0.1 million in lower professional services, stock compensation, and rent expense.

 

Research and Development Expenses

Consolidated researchResearch and development expenses decreased approximately $52,000$47,000 due to the wind down of SRP and slightly decreased investment in water filter research and development.

Depreciation and Amortization Expense

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses were approximately $54,000$55,000 and $51,000,$48,000, respectively, for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022,2023, and 2023.2022.

 

Interest Expense

 

There was no interest expense for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023. Interest expense was approximately $6,000$4,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, comprised primarily of interest on our secured note payable.

22

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income was approximately $13,000$11,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 compared to approximately $1,000$4,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022.

Other Income (Expense), net

 

Other expenseincome of approximately ($11,000)$10,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 is primarily a result of lossesgains on foreign currency transactions. Other income of approximately $72,000$31,000 for the three months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022 is primarily related to the release of the cumulative translation adjustment, from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the liquidation of a foreign entity.currency exchange gains.

SixNine Months Ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 Compared to the SixNine Months Ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022

 

The following table sets forth our summarized, consolidated results of operations for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands, except percentages):

 

   $ %       $ % 
      Increase Increase       Increase Increase 
 2023 2022  (Decrease) (Decrease)  2023 2022 (Decrease) (Decrease) 
Total net revenues $7,242  $5,009  $2,233   45% $10,984  $7,417  $3,567   48%
Cost of goods sold  3,052   2,561   491   19%  4,600   4,195   405   10%
Gross margin  4,190   2,448   1,742   71%  6,384   3,222   3,162   98%
Gross margin %  58%  49%  -   9%  58%  43%  -   35%
Selling, general and administrative expense  4,363   4,062   301   7%  6,500   5,806   694   12%
Research and development expense  460   645   (185)  (29)%  665   896   (231)  (26)%
Depreciation and amortization expense  108   102   6   6%  163   162   1   1%
Operating loss from continuing operations  (741)  (2,361)  1,620   69%  (944)  (3,642)  2,698   (74)%
Interest expense  (1)  (13)  12   92%  (1)  (17)  16   (94)%
Interest income  25   3   22   733%  36   7   29   414%
Other expense, net  (22)  63   (85)  (135)%
Other income (expense), net  (12)  94   (106)  (113)%
Net loss from continuing operations  (739)  (2,308)  1,569   68%  (921)  (3,558)  2,637   (74)%
Ner loss from discontinued operations  -   (796)  796   100%  -   (2,700)  2,700   (100)%
Net loss  (739)  (3,104)  2,365   76%  (921)  (6,258)  5,337   (85)%
Less: Undeclared deemed dividend attributable to noncontrolling interest  -   (129)  129   100%  -   (206)  206   (100)%
Net loss attributable to Nephros, Inc. $(739) $(3,233) $2,494   77% $(921) $(6,464) $5,543   (86)%

 

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Revenue

 

The increase in net revenues of $2.2$3.6 million, or 45%48%, was driven by two factors. First, we invested in our sales organization, increasing medical sales headcount significantly and partnering with a master distributor for much of our commercial business. These investments generated approximately 29%34% growth in our core, programmatic business. Second, we received an unusually large emergency response order, which generated approximately $600,000 of additional revenue in the first quarter of 2023.

 

Gross Profit Margin

 

Consolidated grossGross margin was approximately 58% for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, compared to approximately 49%43% for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022. The increase of approximately 9%, reflecting15 percentage points reflects a return to target gross margins of 55-60%, was. Lower gross margins in 2022 were primarily driven by large inventory write-downs and higher shipping expenses. In addition, gross margins in 2023 were favorably impacted by price increases implemented in the second and third quartershalf of 2022, reductions in shipping expenses, and improved inventory management.2022.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Consolidated selling,Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $0.3$0.7 million, or 7%12% primarily due primarily to an increaseincreased commissions of $0.4 million, investment in our general and administrative headcount of $0.2 million, and increased bonus accrualaccruals of $0.2 million. These were offset by $0.1 million in lower professional services and sales commission expense.stock compensation.

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Research and Development Expenses

Consolidated researchResearch and development expenses decreased $185,000$231,000 primarily due to due to the wind down of SRP and slightly decreased investment in water filter research and development.

Depreciation and Amortization Expense

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses were approximately $108,000$163,000 and $102,000,$162,000, respectively, for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and 2022.

 

Interest Expense

 

Interest expense was approximately $1,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 compared to $13,000$17,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022. This reduction is primarily related to a lower principal balance of the company’s secured note payable.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income was approximately $25,000$36,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023.2023 compared to approximately $3,000$7,000 for the sixnine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022.

 

Other Income (Expense), net

 

Other expense was approximately $22,000$12,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and is primarily a result of losses on foreign currency transactions. Other income was approximately $63,000$94,000 for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022 and is primarily related to the release of the cumulative translation adjustment from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the liquidation of a foreign entity.entity and of gains on foreign currency transactions related to the closure in the second quarter of 2022, of Nephros International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nephros, Inc.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

The following table summarizes our liquidity and capital resources as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 and is intended to supplement the more detailed discussion that follows. The amounts stated are expressed in thousands.

 

 June 30, December 31,  September 30, December 31, 
Liquidity and Capital Resources 2023 2022  2023 2022 
Cash and cash equivalents $4,060  $3,634  $4,622  $3,634 
Other current assets  3,854   4,627   3,884   4,627 
Working capital  6,717   6,849   6,678   6,849 
Stockholders’ equity  8,655   8,881   8,622   8,881 

 

At JuneSeptember 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $143.6$143.8 million and we may incur additional operating losses from operations until such time, if ever, that we are able to increase product sales and/or licensing revenue to achieve profitability.

 

Based on cash that is available for our operations and projections of our future operations, as well as our significantly reduced cash burn rates over the past nine months,, we believe that our cash balances will be sufficient to fund our current operating plan through at least the next 12 months from the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Additionally, our operating plans are designed to help control operating costs, to increase revenue, and to raise additional capital until such time as we generate sufficient cash flows to fund operations. If there were a decrease in the demand for our products due to either economic or competitive conditions, or if we are otherwise unable to achieve our plan or achieve our anticipated operating results, there could be a significant reduction in liquidity due to our possible inability to cut costs sufficiently. In such event, the Company may need to take further actions to reduce its discretionary expenditures, including further reducing headcount, reducing spending on R&D projects, and reducing other variable costs.

 

Our future liquidity sources and requirements will depend primarily on many other factors, including:

revenue growth rates, and our ability to produce, market and sell our products effectively and efficiently.
the costs involved in filing and enforcing patent claims and the status of competitive products; and
the cost of litigation, including potential patent litigation and any other actual or threatened litigation.

revenue growth rates and our ability to produce, market and sell our products effectively and efficiently. We expect to put our current capital resources toward the development, marketing, and sales of our water filtration products and working capital purposes.

 

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Net cash provided by operating activities was $0.5$1.1 million for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, compared to net cash used in operating activities of approximately $2.9$3.0 million for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, an increase of $3.4$4.1 million due primarily to a decrease of $2.4$5.3 million in net loss as a result of increased revenue for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023 compared to 2022, increased gross margins, and decreased research and development costs. In addition, a reduction in inventory levels provided approximately $0.9$0.8 million, and increases in accounts payable and accrued expenses provided an additional $0.5 million in cash, all of which was partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable, which used approximately $0.3$0.2 million in cash, both ascash. These factors were a result of the large increase in sales for the period. While cash flows may fluctuate in the near term, we believe that future cash flows will continue to trend positive over the coming quarters.

 

We had no investing activities for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023. Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $137,000 in the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2022, due to purchases of property and equipment.

 

Net cash used in financing activities was approximately $0.1 million for the sixnine months ended JuneSeptember 30, 2023, primarily due to final principal payments on since-retired debt. Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was approximately $0.2$0.1 million, for the six months ended June 30, 2022. This was primarily from proceeds from the exercise of warrants of $0.2 million and from the sale to subsidiaryNephros of SRP preferred shares to a noncontrolling interest of $0.2 million, offset partially offset by payments of $0.1$0.2 million on our secured note, principal payments of approximately $3,000 on our finance lease obligation and principal payments of approximately $1,000$2,000 on our equipment financing debt.

 

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of JuneSeptember 30, 2023.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. Certain statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q constitute “forward-looking statements”. Such statements include statements regarding the efficacy and intended use of our technologies under development, the timelines and strategy for bringing such products to market, the timeline for regulatory review and approval of our products, the availability of funding sources for continued development of such products, and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guaranties of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks that:

 

 we may be unable to achieve or sustain revenue growth;
 product-related deaths or serious injuries or product malfunctions could trigger recalls, class action lawsuits and other events that could cause us to incur expenses and may also limit our ability to generate revenues from such products;
 we face potential liability associated with the production, marketing and sale of our products, and the expense of defending against claims of product liability could materially deplete our assets and generate negative publicity, which could impair our reputation;
 to the extent our products or marketing materials are found to violate any provisions of the U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the “FDC Act”) or any other statutes or regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or other governmental agencies;
 we may not be able to obtain funding when needed or on terms favorable to us in order to continue operation;operation;
 we may not have sufficient capital to successfully implement our business plan;plan;
 we may not be able to effectively market our products;products;
 we may not be able to sell our water filtration products at competitive prices or profitably;
 we may encounter problems with our suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors;distributors;
 we may encounter unanticipated internal control deficiencies or weaknesses or ineffective disclosure controls and procedures;procedures;
 we may not be able to obtain appropriate or necessary regulatory approvals to achieve our business plan;plan;
 we may not be able to secure or enforce adequate legal protection, including patent protection, for our products; and
 we may not be able to achieve sales growth in key geographic markets.markets.

 

More detailed information about us and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements, including the forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, is set forth in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and our other reports filed with the SEC. We urge investors and security holders to read those documents free of charge at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

 

Not required for smaller reporting companies.

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Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

We maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which is designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed pursuant to the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management in a timely manner. Management recognizes that any disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. Because there are inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud have been or will be detected.

 

At the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, regarding the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b). Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report were effective.

 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide disclosure pursuant to this item. However, in addition to other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including the important information in the section entitled “Forward Looking Statements,” you should carefully consider the “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial might materially adversely affect our actual business, financial condition and/or operating results.

Item 5. Other Information.

Lease Agreements

The Company and FRG-X-NJ2, LP, as landlord, entered in into an Industrial Lease Agreement dated July 5, 2023, relating the Company’s lease of approximately 16,000 square feet of warehouse and office space (13,000 and 3,000, respectively) situated in Whippany, New Jersey. The lease term is five years commencing September 1, 2023 (with options for two additional five-year terms) and provides for average annual lease payments of approximately $281,000.

In addition, on July 3, 2023, the Company also entered into a sublease agreement relating to its 16,000 square foot warehouse and office facility in Las Vegas, Nevada where the Company’s Aether operations have been based.  The term of the sublease commenced on August 1, 2023, and is co-terminus with the Company’s prime lease for such facility, which expires August 31, 2024.  The sublease provides for monthly rental payments to the Company of $18,000, which is approximately 93% of the Company’s monthly rental obligations under the prime lease.  The subtenant has agreed to perform all of the Company’s other obligations under the prime lease.  The Company is in the process of moving all of the operations previously conducted at its Las Vegas facility to its new Whippany, New Jersey facility.

Amendment to Employment Agreement with Interim Chief Financial Officer

On August 9, 2023, the Company and Andrew Astor, the Company’s current Interim Chief Financial Officer and its former President and Chief Executive Officer, entered into an amendment (the “Amendment”) to Mr. Astor’s employment agreement with the Company dated August 23, 2020. The Amendment confirms Mr. Astor’s change in positions following his May 11, 2023, retirement as President and CEO and his continued employment as the Company’s interim Chief Financial Officer. In consideration for Mr. Astor’s continued employment as interim CFO and his assistance in transitioning to new management, the Amendment also sets forth the following adjustments to Mr. Astor’s compensation arrangements with the Company:

Mr. Astor’s annualized base salary will continue at the same rate as in effect at the date of his retirement, but because the time commitment as interim CFO is expected to decline from full-time, his base salary rate will be re-evaluated on a monthly basis and proportionally adjusted to reflect any such reduced time commitment.
Mr. Astor will continue to be eligible to receive his 2023 annual cash bonus, subject to the achievement of the corporate goals and milestones approved by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”), and as determined by the Board, but prorated for Mr. Astor’s period of employment and time dedicated to employment for 2023.
Upon the final termination of Mr. Astor’s employment or other service relationship with the Company, and provided that Mr. Astor does not terminate his employment without the Company’s consent, his right to purchase one-half of the shares of common stock subject to each stock option award currently held by him and which are vested as of such termination date will remain exercisable until December 31, 2026, and the remaining one-half of such shares will, in accordance with the original terms of each such stock option grant, remain exercisable for a period of three months following such termination.

 

Item 6. Exhibits

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No. Description of Exhibit
   
10.1 Employment Agreement dated May 5,August 9, 2023, between Nephros, Inc. and Robert Banks. * †Andrew Astor *†
31.1
31.1Certification by the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
31.2 Certification by the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
32.1 Certification by the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. **
   
32.2 Certification by the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. **
101 Interactive Data File. *
101.INSInline XBRL Instance Document*
101.SCHInline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CALInline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEFInline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LABInline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PREInline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
   
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
 Management contract or compensatory plan arrangement

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 NEPHROS, INC.
   
Date: August 9,November 8, 2023By:/s/ Robert Banks
 Name:Robert Banks
 Title:President, Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
   
Date: August 9,November 8, 2023By:/s/ Andrew AstorJudy Krandel
 Name:Andrew AstorJudy Krandel
 Title:Interim Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

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