OPKO HEALTH, INC. [OPK] Filings

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our product development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. Rather, forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include those described below and in “Item 1A-Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We do not undertake an obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and reflect our views as of the date they are made with respect to future events and financial performance.

Risks and uncertainties, the occurrence of which could adversely affect our business, include the following:

Risk Factor Summary

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in Item 1A “Risk Factors”. These risks include, but are not limited to the following:

PART I

Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the “Company”, “OPKO”, “we”, “our”, “ours”, and “us” refer to OPKO Health, Inc., a Delaware corporation, including our wholly-owned subsidiaries.

ITEM 1.     BUSINESS

OVERVIEW

We are a diversified healthcare company that seeks to establish industry-leading positions in large and rapidly growing medical markets. Our pharmaceutical business features Rayaldee, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism (“SHPT”) in adults with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (“CKD”) and vitamin D insufficiency, and Somatrogon (hGH-CTP), a once-weekly human growth hormone injection for which we have partnered with Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) with respect to Somatrogon (hGH-CTP)’s further development and commercialization. Regulatory applications for Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) for the treatment of children and adolescents as young as three years of age with growth disturbance due to insufficient secretion of growth hormone, have been approved in more than 50 markets worldwide, including the United States, European Union Member States, Japan, Canada, and Australia under the brand name NGENLA^®. 

Additionally, in May 2022, we acquired ModeX Therapeutics, Inc. (“ModeX”), a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative multi-specific immune therapies for cancer and infectious disease candidates. ModeX has a robust early-stage pipeline with assets in key areas of immuno-oncology and infectious diseases, and we intend to further expand our pharmaceutical product pipeline through ModeX’s portfolio of development candidates.

Our diagnostics business includes BioReference Health, LLC (“BioReference”), one of the nation’s largest full service laboratories with a significant sales and marketing team designed to drive growth and leverage new products. Through BioReference, we offer our 4Kscore prostate cancer test. Through BioReference, we provide laboratory testing services, primarily to customers in the larger metropolitan areas in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Maryland, Indiana, Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington, DC, Illinois and Massachusetts, as well as to customers in a number of other states. We offer a comprehensive test menu of clinical diagnostics for blood, urine and tissue analysis. This includes hematology, clinical chemistry, immunoassay, infectious disease, serology, hormones, and toxicology assays, as well as Pap smear, anatomic pathology (biopsies) and other types of tissue analysis, as well as testing for COVID-19. We market our laboratory testing services directly to physicians, geneticists, hospitals, clinics, correctional and other health facilities.

We operate established, revenue-generating pharmaceutical platforms in Spain, Ireland, Chile, and Mexico, from which we expect to generate positive cash flow and facilitate future market entry for our products currently in development. We have a development and commercial supply pharmaceutical company as well as a global supply chain operation. We also own a specialty active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) manufacturer in Israel.

We have a highly experienced management team, composed of individuals with solid industry experience and extensive development, regulatory and commercialization expertise and relationships that provide access to commercial opportunities.

All product or service marks appearing in type form different from that of the surrounding text are trademarks or service marks owned, licensed to, promoted or distributed by OPKO, its subsidiaries or affiliates, except as noted. All other trademarks or services marks are those of their respective owners.

GROWTH STRATEGY

We expect to build a leading portfolio of next-generation therapies leveraging our proprietary technology and development strengths.

We have under development a broad and diversified portfolio of diagnostic tests, small molecules, and biologics targeting a broad range of unmet medical needs. We intend to continue to leverage our proprietary technology and our strengths in all phases of research and development to further develop and commercialize our portfolio of proprietary pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. In support of our strategy, we plan to:

Additionally, we plan to leverage our acquisition of ModeX to further expand our pharmaceutical product line. ModeX is developing next-generation multispecific antibodies and vaccines for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. ModeX’s growing portfolio has been developed through its proprietary multispecific antibody technology. As compared to traditional approaches, ModeX’s MSTAR platform unites the power of multiple biologic components in a single molecule to create multispecific antibodies and vaccines with greater versatility and potency to better fight complex disease. Its pipeline includes product candidates intended to treat both solid and liquid tumors, as well as several of the world’s most pressing viral threats.

We also plan to continue to commercialize and increase adoption of our 4K score test for use in men aged 45 and older who have not had a prior prostate biopsy or a biopsy negative and have an age specific abnormal total PSA or abnormal digital rectal exam. 4K score is available through BioReference.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

We were originally incorporated in Delaware in October 1991 under the name Cytoclonal Pharmaceutics, Inc., which was later changed to eXegenics, Inc. On March 27, 2007, we were part of a three-way merger with Froptix Corporation and Acuity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., both research and development companies. On June 8, 2007, we changed our name to OPKO Health, Inc. Our shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker “OPK” and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the ticker “OPK”. Our principal executive offices are located in leased office space in Miami, Florida.

We currently manage our operations in two reportable segments: diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical segment consists of the pharmaceutical operations we operate in Chile, Mexico, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Ecuador, France, the United States, and our global pharmaceutical research and development operations. The diagnostics segment primarily consists of the clinical laboratory operations of BioReference. There are no significant inter-segment sales. We evaluate the performance of each segment based on operating profit or loss. There is no inter-segment allocation of interest expense and income taxes. Refer to Note 18 of our audited consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "Consolidated Financial Statements") for financial information about our segments and geographic areas.

CURRENT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AND RELATED MARKETS

Diagnostics

BioReference Health, LLC

BioReference has a legacy of scientific excellence, innovation, and world-class service in laboratory testing solutions. Healthcare has changed in recent years, and BioReference has evolved by adapting our services and solutions aimed at addressing the needs of today’s customers. Laboratory testing remains the cornerstone of the services we provide. As we challenge the limits of specialty diagnostics, we are making strategic efforts to continue to drive innovation and cultivate a unique customer experience, as we focus on expanding our reach to match the dynamic needs of an ever-changing healthcare system.

BioReference is one of the largest full service laboratories in the United States, we offer comprehensive laboratory testing services utilized by healthcare providers in the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of diseases, including esoteric testing, molecular diagnostics, anatomical pathology, genetics, women’s health and correctional healthcare. We market and sell these services to physician offices, clinics, hospitals, employers and governmental units nationally, with the largest concentration of business in the larger metropolitan areas in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Maryland, California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington DC, Illinois and Massachusetts. BioReference is in network for over 80% of all U.S. insured lives.

Our BioReference laboratory testing business consists of routine testing and esoteric testing. Routine tests measure various health parameters, such as the functions of the heart, kidney, liver, thyroid and other organs, including such tests as blood cell counts, cholesterol levels, pregnancy, substance abuse and urinalysis. BioReference operates 9 laboratory facilities around the country, is in-network with the largest health plans in the United States. We typically operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and perform and report most routine test results within 24 hours.

Through BioReference, we operate in the following highly specialized laboratory divisions:

In addition, esoteric tests we perform require sophisticated equipment and materials, highly skilled personnel and professional attention. Esoteric tests are ordered less frequently than routine tests and typically are priced higher than routine tests. Esoteric tests include tests related to endocrinology, genetics and genomics, immunology, microbiology, HIV tests, molecular diagnostics, next generation sequencing, oncology, serology, and toxicology.

BioReference has a significant sales and marketing team and operates a network of approximately 104 active patient service centers. Our marketing staff has sales and marketing groups dedicated to urology, oncology, women’s health, genetic testing, correctional health, and large institutions.

We expect the clinical laboratory testing industry will continue to experience growth in testing volumes due to aging of the population in the U.S., patient awareness of the value of laboratory tests, a decrease in the cost of tests, the development of sophisticated and specialized tests for detection and management of disease, increased recognition of early detection and prevention as a means of reducing healthcare costs, and ongoing research and development in genetics and genomics and personalized medicine. Our mission is to be recognized by our clients as the premier provider of clinical laboratory testing, information and related services.

BioReference provides us with a significant diagnostics commercial infrastructure for marketing and sales that reached approximately 9 million, 12 million and 21 million patients, respectively, in 2023, 2022 and 2021. In addition, its large team of managed care experts complements our efforts to ensure that payors recognize the value of our diagnostic and laboratory tests for reimbursement purposes. We continue to leverage the national marketing, sales and distribution resources of BioReference to enhance sales of and reimbursement for our 4Kscore test, a laboratory developed blood test that provides a personalized risk score for aggressive prostate cancer.

The 4Kscore test has been granted a Category I CPT® code by the AMA (CPT Code 81539). A CPT code is used by insurance companies and government payors to describe health care services and procedures. A Category I CPT code is critical to facilitate reimbursement in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as private insurance programs. Effective December 30, 2019, Novitas Solutions (“Novitas”), the local Medicare Administrative Contractor for the 4Kscore testing laboratory in New Jersey, provided positive coverage through a local coverage determination with defined coverage criteria. Since that date, 4Kscore test orders meeting the coverage criteria have been reimbursed by Novitas and Medicare Advantage Health Plans.

Disposition of GeneDx

On January 14, 2022, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (the “GeneDx Merger Agreement”) with GeneDx Holdings Corp. (formerly, Sema4 Holdings Corp., (“GeneDx Holdings”), pursuant to which, on APril 29, 2022, GeneDx Holdings acquired our former subsidiary, GeneDx LLC, (f/k/a GeneDx, Inc. “GeneDx”, and such transaction, the “GeneDx Transaction”). GeneDx is an industry leading national laboratory for testing rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases with international reach, performing testing on specimens from more than 50 countries.

Upon closing of the GeneDx Transaction, GeneDx Holdings paid to us aggregate consideration of $150 million in cash (before deduction of transaction expenses and other customary purchase price adjustments), together with 80.0 million shares (the “Closing Shares”) of GeneDx Holdings’ Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“GeneDx Holdings Common Stock”). Additionally, subject to GeneDx achieving certain revenue targets for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, we were eligible to receive an earnout payment in cash or stock (at GeneDx Holdings’ discretion) equal to a maximum of 30.9 million shares of GeneDx Holdings’ common stock if paid in stock (the "GeneDx Milestone Consideration"). Based on the closing price of GeneDx Holdings Common Stock on April 29, 2022, the total upfront consideration was approximately $322 million, and the total aggregate consideration, including the potential Milestone Consideration, was approximately $447 million. We received 23.1 million shares of GeneDx Holdings Common Stock as a result of GeneDx satisfactorily achieving revenue targets as of December 31, 2022; however, we do not expect to receive any GeneDx Milestone Consideration with respect to the year ended December 31, 2023.  See Item 1A. Risk Factors "We may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of the sale of GeneDx."

Pharmaceutical Business

We currently have two commercial stage pharmaceutical products and several pharmaceutical compounds and technologies in various stages of research and development for a broad range of indications and conditions, including the following:

Renal Products-Rayaldee

Rayaldee is a patented extended release product containing 30 mcg of a prohormone, called calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D₃), for oral administration. We launched Rayaldee, our lead renal product, in the U.S. market in November 2016, following receipt in June 2016 of FDA approval for the treatment of SHPT in adults with stage 3 or 4 CKD and vitamin D insufficiency, defined as serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels less than 30 ng/mL. The FDA approval of Rayaldee was supported by successful results from two identical randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site phase 3 studies which established the safety and efficacy of Rayaldee as a new treatment for SHPT in adults with stage 3 or 4 CKD and vitamin D insufficiency.

Vitamin D insufficiency can arise in CKD due to the abnormal upregulation of CYP24A1, an enzyme that destroys vitamin D and its metabolites, from obesity, from common but ineffective treatment with unapproved dietary vitamin D supplements,  and from many other causes as well. Studies in CKD patients have demonstrated that currently available over-the-counter and prescription vitamin D supplements cannot reliably and sufficiently raise blood vitamin D prohormone levels to effectively treat SHPT, a condition commonly associated with CKD in which the parathyroid glands secrete excessive amounts of parathyroid hormone (“PTH”). Prolonged elevation of blood PTH causes excessive calcium and phosphorus to be released from bone, leading to elevated serum calcium and phosphorus levels, softening of the bones (osteomalacia) or resulting in a loss of bone mineral density (osteoporosis), calcification of vascular and renal tissues, and acceleration of dialysis onset. SHPT affects 33% and 54% of patients with stage 3 and 4 CKD respectively, and approximately 95% of patients with stage 5 CKD.

We have a highly specialized sales, marketing and market access team dedicated to the commercialization of Rayaldee as of December 31, 2023. In the fourth quarter of 2023, total Rayaldee prescriptions increased approximately 13.6% and 3.8% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023, respectively. Sales of Rayaldee increased progressively during 2023 indicating an end to the lingering adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on onboarding new patients, which we believe encumbered the growth of Rayaldee sales below their expected growth trajectory.  Efforts are underway to obtain broader commercial and Part D insurance coverage for Rayaldee. We have negotiated payer contracts that afford unrestricted access for 63% and 71% of U.S. commercial and Medicare Part D covered lives as of the end of 2023.

In May 2016, we entered into a development and license agreement (as amended, the “VFMCRP Agreement”) with Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (“VFMCRP”) for the development and commercialization of Rayaldee in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Korea and certain other international markets for the treatment of SHPT in patients with stage 3, 4 or 5 CKD and vitamin D insufficiency. The VFMCRP Agreement was later amended to exclude South Korea, Mexico, the Middle East and all of the countries of Africa from the VFMCRP Territory (as defined in the VFMCRP Agreement), and further amended to include Japan as part of the VFMCRP Territory.

VFMCRP initiated the commercial launch of Rayaldee in Germany and Switzerland in February and March 2022, respectively, and received marketing authorization from eleven European countries to date and is preparing for product launches in additional territories in 2024. The launch in Germany triggered a $3 million payment to our wholly-owned subsidiary, EirGen Pharma Ltd. (“EirGen”), and another $7 million payment to EirGen in February 2023 tied to achievement of an acceptable final price in Germany as of the 1 year anniversary of launch, and is eligible to receive up to an additional $15 million in regulatory milestones and $200 million in milestone payment tied to launch, pricing and sales of Rayaldee, and tiered, double-digit royalties.

In connection with the VFMCRP Agreement, the parties entered into a letter agreement pursuant to which EirGen granted to VFMCRP an exclusive option (the “Option”) to acquire an exclusive license under certain EirGen patents and technology to use, import, offer for sale, sell, distribute and commercialize Rayaldee in the U.S. solely for the treatment of SHPT in dialysis patients with CKD and vitamin D insufficiency (the “Dialysis Indication”). Upon exercise of the Option, VFMCRP has agreed to reimburse EirGen for all of the development costs incurred by EirGen with respect to Rayaldee for the Dialysis Indication in the U.S. VFMCRP would also pay EirGen up to an additional aggregate amount of $555 million of sales-based milestones upon the achievement of certain milestones and would be obligated to pay royalties at percentage rates that range from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties on sales of Rayaldee in the U.S. for the Dialysis Indication. To date, VFMCRP has not exercised the Option.

On June 18, 2021, EirGen and NICOYA Macau Limited (“Nicoya”), a Macau corporation and an affiliate of NICOYA Therapeutics, entered into a Development and License Agreement (as amended, the “Nicoya Agreement”) granting Nicoya the exclusive rights for the development and commercialization of extended release calcifediol (the “Nicoya Product”) in Greater China, which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (collectively, the “Nicoya Territory”). The license grant to Nicoya covers the therapeutic and preventative use of the Nicoya Product for SHPT in non-dialysis and hemodialysis CKD patients (the “Nicoya Field”). Nicoya notified EirGen in February 2023 that it had submitted an IND for the Nicoya Product to the Chinese Center of Drug Evaluation (“CDE”) which triggered a $2.5 million milestone payment to EirGen.

OPKO and VFMCRP collaborated to complete a phase 2 study evaluating a higher strength dosage form of Rayaldee for the treatment of SHPT in hemodialysis patients. The study commenced in the 3rd quarter of 2018 and topline data were presented in an abstract titled “Initial Evaluation of High-Dose Extended-Release Calcifediol (ERC) in Patients with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease on Hemodialysis” at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week Annual Meeting in November 2021. Further development of Rayaldee for hemodialysis patients is on hold due to unfavorable reimbursement for new drugs for the care of these patients under the current Prospective Payment System established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”).

We have completed a Phase 4 clinical trial comparing Rayaldee with three common treatment regimens for SHPT in adults with stage 3 or stage 4 CKD and vitamin D insufficiency, the results of which were published in February 2023 in Kidney Diseases. Final data show that a daily dose of 60 micrograms of Rayaldee is the only one of four competitive treatment regimens that reliably raises serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D to the range of 50-100 mg/mL, a level required to effectively suppress elevated plasma PTH levels in CKD patients. We also have completed a retrospective study of medical records for 376 adult patients with stage 3-4 CKD from 15 U.S. nephrology clinics who were treated for SHPT and vitamin D insufficiency with Rayaldee (n=174) or competitive products considered to be standard of care (n=202). The data, published in part in the American Journal of Nephrology in October 2021 and in full in BMC Nephrology in November 2022, confirmed the efficacy and safety of Rayaldee in real world clinical practice and demonstrated its superiority versus dietary vitamin D supplements and vitamin D hormones for reducing elevated PTH levels and correcting vitamin D insufficiency.

In November 2023, we presented late-breaking clinical data on Rayaldee at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week which indicate that early, sustained and effective treatment of SHPT with Rayaldee is associated with significantly slower progression of CKD in pre-dialysis patients. 

We believe the CKD patient population is large and growing as a result of obesity, hypertension and diabetes; therefore this patient population represents a significant global market opportunity. According to the 2023 U.S. Renal Data System Annual Report, CKD afflicts 14% of U.S. adults and its prevalence is highest in non-Hispanic Black individuals (18.8%). An estimated 71-97% of CKD patients have vitamin D insufficiency which can lead to SHPT and its debilitating consequences. CKD continues to be associated with poor outcomes, reflecting the inadequacies of the current standard of care. 

ModeX

In May 2022, we acquired ModeX, a biotech company developing multi-specific immune therapies focused on oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines and immunology. ModeX utilizes several platforms in furtherance of its targets: the multispecific antibody MSTAR, which we believe we can reliably and rapidly generate candidates that target up to six distinct biological pathways in a single molecule; and the Nanoparticle Vaccine platform, built on naturally occurring and self-assembling ferritin molecules, which ensures the right combination of antigens are presented in the right amount and in the right place to enhance the immune response. We believe the versatility and potency of our approach will enable us to tackle many major infectious diseases that have eluded effective vaccination due to their continual evolution and immune evasion.

ModeX currently has a tetra-specific antibody developed utilizing its proprietary MSTAR technology targeting several types of refractory solid tumors; it is designed to activate and sustain the function of the T-cells, and simultaneously target two antigens highly expressed on diverse tumors. Dual targeting increases tumor specificity and mitigates escape resistance through loss of a single glycoprotein. Major solid tumor opportunities include lung, ovarian, prostate, and other solid tumors. The antibody has demonstrated potent in vitro tumor cell killing in multiple cell lines and in vivo tumor regression in mice challenged with cancer cells. This antibody, currently in preclinical and CMC development stage, is anticipated to enter clinical testing in 2024.

ModeX also has multi-specific antibodies developed using the MSTAR technology platform. One antibody targets two antigens for hematological tumors, such as several types of lymphomas and leukemias. Dual targeting minimizes chance of resistance due to tumor heterogeneity or downregulation of target levels. The antibody has demonstrated preferential in vitro killing on tumor cells over normal B cells and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy in disseminated mouse tumor model. The other antibody stimulates T cells and enhances their survival and proliferation, specifically activating antigen-specific memory T cells; and it could be used alone or in combination for immune-oncology and/or infectious disease indications. This project is anticipated to enter into preclinical and CMC development stage in 2024.

In September 2023, ModeX was awarded a contract (the "BARDA Contract") from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA"), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to advance a platform and specific candidates designed to address a range of public health threats in viral infectious diseases. The awarded funding will enable research, development and clinical evaluation of potent multispecific antibodies, based on ModeX proprietary MSTAR technology.

ModeX’s Epstein Barr Virus (“EBV”) vaccine is developed using a modular nanoparticle vaccine platform built on naturally occurring and self-assembling ferritin molecules which enables the presentation of a 24-symmetrical array of each antigen that enhances the presentation of key components of the virus and stimulate durable protective immunity. The EBV vaccine presents antigens from four viral proteins involved in viral entry into host cells. These include a recombinant antigen designed from the proteins gH, gL and gp42, as well as an antigen derived from gp350. By using ModeX’s multi-targeted approach, this combination is designed to elicit antibodies that inhibit infection in two cell types, B cells and epithelial cells, which contrasts from efforts that previously focused on gp350 alone. 

In March 2023, ModeX, OPKO, and Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC (“Merck”) entered into a License and Research Collaboration Agreement (the “Merck Agreement”), pursuant to which ModeX granted to Merck an exclusive, sublicensable, royalty-bearing license to certain patent rights and know-how in connection with the development of ModeX’s preclinical nanoparticle vaccine candidate targeting the Epstein-Barr Virus. Certain of the rights subject to such license were obtained by ModeX from Sanofi pursuant to the Sanofi In-License Agreement, and a portion of the upfront payment, milestones and royalties received by ModeX under the Merck Agreement may be payable to Sanofi under the terms of the Sanofi In-License Agreement. 

ModeX has a trispecific HIV mAb (SAR441236), licensed from Sanofi ("Sanofi"), pursuant to that certain License Agreement entered into as of July 1, 2019 ("Sanofi In-License Agreement") between ModeX and Sanofi, aimed at treatment of HIV infection. SAR441236 is currently being evaluated in a phase I clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

SARM

Through the acquisition of Transition Therapeutics, a Toronto-based biotechnology company (“Transition”), we acquired OPK88004, an orally administered selective androgen receptor modulator (“SARM”). The selective and potent effects of OPK88004 on the anabolic androgen receptors appear to be well suited to potentially increase lean body mass, physical function, and decrease fat mass, whereas the antagonistic effect on the prostate reduces the risk of prostate hyperplasia and volume in specific patient populations. In view of these properties, we believe that SARMs hold considerable promise as a new class of anabolic therapies for a variety of clinical indications resulting in the loss of muscle and physical function, such as frailty and functional limitations associated with aging and chronic illnesses, cancer and osteoporosis.

Oxyntomodulin

Our internal product development program is also currently focused on developing a once weekly administered oxyntomodulin for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Our most advanced oxyntomodulin analog product, OPK88003, a once-weekly administered peptide is a dual agonist of the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon receptors. The receptors play an integral role in regulating appetite, food intake, satiety and energy utilization in the body. Stimulating both receptors, OPK88003 has demonstrated the potential to regulate blood glucose and reduce body weight.

OPK88003 has been evaluated in a phase 2 study enrolling 420 type 2 diabetes subjects in a 24 week study consisting of a 12-week randomized blinded stage followed by a 12-week open-label stage. The study included four once-weekly dose arms of OPK88003 (10mg, 15mg, 30mg, 50mg), a placebo arm, and an active comparator arm (exenatide extended release – 2mg). The study was completed in February 2016. Subjects receiving the highest dose of OPK88003 peptide once weekly in the study demonstrated significantly superior weight loss compared with currently approved extended release exenatide and placebo after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment. OPK88003 also provided a reduction in HbA1c, a marker of sugar metabolism, similar to exenatide at weeks 12 and 24.

We have evaluated OPK88003 in a dose escalation phase 2b trial in 110 type 2 diabetics with dose titration over 3 months for the purpose of dose optimization for adequate body weight reduction and minimize the adverse nausea and vomiting events. The patients were treated for a total of 30 weeks in the study. In March 2019, we announced positive topline results from that phase 2b trial, which demonstrated that OPK88003 met the primary objective with a statistically significant lowering of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) after 30 weeks of treatment versus placebo as well as an important secondary endpoint, statistically significant weight loss versus placebo. The safety profile was similar to that expected for the incretin class of drugs, with GI side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea mostly mild and occurring during the dose-escalation phase.

On September 14, 2021, we and LeaderMed Health Group Limited (“LeaderMed”), a pharmaceutical development company with operations based in Asia, announced the formation of a joint venture under which we granted the joint venture exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize (a) OPK88003, an oxyntomodulin analog being developed for the treatment of obesity and diabetes, and (b) Factor VIIa-CTP, a novel long-acting coagulation factor being developed to treat hemophilia, in exchange for a 47% ownership interest in the joint venture. In addition, we received an upfront payment of $1 million and will be reimbursed for clinical trial material and technical support provided to the joint venture.

LeaderMed is responsible for funding the joint venture’s operations, development and commercialization efforts and has with its syndicate partners, initially invested $11 million in exchange for a 53% ownership interest in the joint venture. We retain full rights to oxyntomodulin and Factor VIIa-CTP in all other geographies.

We believe oxyntomodulin analog has potential to be a safe, long term therapy for obesity and diabetes type 2 patients, representing significant market opportunities. More than 380 million are living with diabetes worldwide, of which approximately 90% have type 2 diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 500 million severely overweight or obese people. In addition to diabetes and obesity, we are also considering development of this product candidate for additional indications, including treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatits.

Biologics-General

Our biologics business focuses on developing long-acting proprietary versions of approved therapeutic proteins or peptides. One of our innovative platform technologies uses a small peptide, carboxyl terminal peptide (“CTP”) which is part of endogenous human chorionic gonadotropin hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. The effect of the additional CTP to is to increase the circulating half-life of luteinizing hormone.  We are using the CTP technology to develop new, proprietary versions of certain existing therapeutic proteins that have longer life spans than therapeutic proteins without CTP. We have completed the development of CTP- attached human growth hormone, Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) (see below), which is approved in over 40 countries.

In addition to hGH-CTP and Factor VIIa-CTP, we believe that the CTP technology may also be broadly applicable to other therapeutic proteins in the market and provide a reduction in the number of injections required for treatment. We are currently engaged in research and development efforts to use the CTP technology for development of a long-acting CTP-IGF-1 for the Treatment of Severe Primary IGF-1 Deficiency. We are also developing long-acting therapies biologics molecule for once weekly therapies in rare diseases by different technologies to extend the circulating half-life of known therapeutic targets.

NGENLA® Somatrogon (hGH-CTP)

Our lead product candidate utilizing CTP, Somatrogon (hGH-CTP), is a recombinant human growth hormone product under development for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency (“GHD”), which is a pituitary disorder resulting in short stature in children and other physical ailments in both children and adults. GHD occurs when the production of growth hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, is disrupted. Since growth hormone plays a critical role in stimulating body growth and development and is involved in the production of muscle protein and in the breakdown of fats, a decrease in the hormone affects numerous body processes. hGH is used for the long-term treatment of children and adults with inadequate secretion of endogenous growth hormone. The primary indications it treats in children are GHD, SGA, kidney disease, Prader-Willi Syndrome and Turner’s Syndrome. In adults, the primary indications are replacement of endogenous growth hormone and the treatment of AIDS-induced weight loss. Patients using hGH receive daily injections six or seven times a week. This is particularly burdensome for pediatric patients. We believe a significant market opportunity exists for a longer-lasting version of hGH that would require fewer injections.

In December 2014, we entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement with Pfizer (the “Pfizer Transaction”) for the development and commercialization of hGH-CTP for the treatment of GHD in adults (“Adult GHD”) and in children (“Pediatric GHD”), as well as for the treatment of growth failure in children born small for gestational age (“SGA”). In connection with the Pfizer Transaction, we granted Pfizer an exclusive license to commercialize hGH-CTP worldwide, and we received non-refundable and non-creditable upfront payments aggregating $295 million and are eligible to receive up to an additional $275 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory milestones. Upon the launch of hGH-CTP we are entitled to either regional, tiered gross profit sharing for both hGH-CTP and Pfizer’s Genotropin® once certain necessary pricing approvals are obtained, or tiered royalty payments on sales of Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) with percentage rates ranging from the high teens to mid-twenties until such necessary pricing approval are obtained.

We believe hGH-CTP represents a significant advancement in the treatment of children with GHD compared to the current standard of one injection per day that could enhance a patient’s adherence to treatment and quality of life.

In addition to the phase 3 pediatric study, we have continued without interruption our ongoing phase 2 pediatric open label extension study for hGH-CTP. Most of the phase 2 pediatric patients have been treated with hGH-CTP for more than six years, and some patients for more than seven years. We have switched all of the pediatric patients in this study to the disposable pen device. A 44-patient Phase 3 study in Pediatric GHD patients in Japan was completed in the first quarter of 2020. The Japan Phase 3 clinical trial met its primary and secondary objectives, and demonstrated that the efficacy and safety of hGH-CTP administered weekly was comparable to Genotropin® as measured by annual height velocity after 12 months of treatment in pre-pubertal children with GHD. The findings were consistent with the results previously reported in the Phase 3 global study. The least squared means for the annual height velocity was higher in the Somatrogon group (9.65 cm/year) than in the Genotropin group (7.87 cm/year).

       In June 2023, the FDA approved NGENLA (Somatrogon). Regulatory applications for Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) were also submitted to the applicable regulatory bodies for review in several countries around the world. In February 2022, the European Commission granted marketing authorization in the European Union for Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) under the brand name NGENLA® to treat children and adolescents from as young as 3 years of age with growth disturbance due to insufficient secretion of growth hormone. In January 2022, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan approved NGENLA® (Somatrogon) for the long-term treatment of pediatric patients who have growth failure due to an inadequate secretion of endogenous growth hormone. In October 2021, Health Canada approved NGENLA® for the long-term treatment of pediatric patients who have growth hormone deficiency, and in November 2021, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration approved NGENLA® for the long-term treatment of pediatric patients with growth disturbance due to insufficient secretion of growth hormone.

In December 2016, we announced preliminary topline data from our phase 3, double blind, placebo controlled study of hGH-CTP in adults with GHD. The multinational, multi-center study, which utilized a 2:1 randomization between hGH-CTP and placebo, enrolled 203 subjects, 198 of whom received at least one dose of study treatment. Treatment was administered through a weekly injection. The topline results showed:

Although there was no statistically significant difference between hGH-CTP and placebo on the primary endpoint of change in trunk fat mass from baseline to 26 weeks, after unblinding the study, we identified an exceptional value of trunk fat mass reduction in the placebo group that may have affected the primary outcome. We have completed post-hoc sensitivity analyses to evaluate the influence of outliers on the primary endpoint results using multiple statistical approaches. Analyses that excluded outliers showed a statistically significant difference between hGH-CTP and placebo on the change in trunk fat mass. Additional analyses that did not exclude outliers showed mixed results. Further, significant changes were observed with hGH-CTP treatment in secondary endpoints such as % fat mass, lean body mass and normalization of IGF-1 levels compared to placebo. These data demonstrated that Somatrogon treatment improved key body composition parameters, meeting criteria recommended by the Endocrinology Association.  

We are continuing to assess with Pfizer the regulatory strategy for the adult indication going forward, including the timing of possible submissions.

Factor VIIa-CTP

In addition to hGH-CTP, we have a product candidate to extend the duration of the biological activity of Factor VIIa (hemophilia) using our CTP technology. In February 2013, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to our longer-acting version of clotting Factor VIIa, Factor VIIa-CTP, for the treatment of bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors to Factor VIII or Factor IX. We have completed a phase 1 single dose subcutaneously administered Factor VIIa-CTP study in healthy volunteers and a phase 2a single dose trial in Hemophilia A patients. Factor VIIa-CTP exhibited a positive safety profile in both hemophiliac patients and healthy subjects following a single IV or subcutaneous injection respectively. Pharmacodynamic assessment of coagulation markers demonstrated pharmacological activity of Factor VIIa-CTP with an extended response. We will need to conduct additional toxicity studies before we are in a position to present a clinical study plan.

We also entered into a joint venture with LeaderMed on September 14, 2021, under which we granted the joint venture exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize (a) OPK88003, an oxyntomodulin analog being developed for the treatment of obesity and diabetes, and (b) Factor VIIa-CTP, a novel long-acting coagulation factor being developed to treat hemophilia.

Early Stage Biologics Pipeline

In addition to hGH-CTP and Factor VIIa-CTP, we believe that the CTP technology may also be broadly applicable to other therapeutic proteins in the market and provide a reduction in the number of injections required for treatment. We are currently engaged in research and development efforts to use the CTP technology for development of a long-acting CTP-IGF-1 for the Treatment of Severe Primary IGF-1 Deficiency.

In addition to development efforts using the CTP platform, we are also focused on broadening the approaches used to develop long acting therapies for once weekly therapies in rare diseases.

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)

FineTech Pharmaceutical, Ltd. (“FineTech”), is our Israeli-based subsidiary that develops and manufactures high value, high potency specialty APIs. FineTech currently manufactures GMP grade APIs for sale or license to pharmaceutical companies in the United States, Latin America, Canada, Europe and Israel.

Commercial Operations

We may continue to leverage our global commercialization expertise to pursue acquisitions of commercial businesses that will both drive our growth and provide geographically diverse sales and distribution opportunities. During 2015, we acquired EirGen, a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Ireland. EirGen is focused on the development and commercial supply of high potency, high barrier to entry, pharmaceutical products. Through its facility in Waterford, Ireland, EirGen currently manufactures high potency pharmaceutical products and exports to over 50 countries. High potency drugs such as those used for cancer chemotherapy are typically unsuitable for manufacture in normal multi-product facilities due to cross contamination risks.

To date, EirGen and its commercial partners have filed several product applications with the FDA in Europe and in Japan. EirGen has a strong research and development portfolio of high barrier to entry drugs and we expect to expand its drug portfolio. We believe EirGen will play an important role in the development, manufacturing, distribution and approval of a wide variety of drugs in a variety of dosage forms with an emphasis on high potency products.

OPKO Health Europe operates primarily in Spain and has more than 22 years of experience in the development, manufacture, marketing and sale of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and veterinary products in Europe and Latin America.

OPKO Mexico is engaged in the manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution of ophthalmic and other pharmaceutical products to private and public customers in Mexico and Chile. OPKO Mexico is commercializing food supplements and over the counter products and manufactures and sells products primarily in the generics market in Mexico, although it also has some branded generic  products as well.

       OPKO Chile markets, sells and distributes pharmaceutical products to the private, hospital, pharmacy and public institutional markets in Chile for a wide range of indications, including, cardiovascular products, vaccines, antibiotics, gastro- intestinal products and hormones, among others. ARAMA Natural Products  Distribuidora Limitada (“ARAMA”) is engaged in the business of importation, commercialization and distribution of pharmaceutical and OTC products for private and public markets in Chile. ARAMA (previously ALS Distribuidora Limitada) is   a company with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and OTC products market.

Strategic Investments

We have and may continue to make investments in other early stage companies that we perceive to have valuable proprietary technology and significant potential to create value for OPKO as a shareholder.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES

During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we incurred $89.6 million, $73.9 million, and $76.9 million, respectively, of research and development expenses related to our various product candidates. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, our research and development expenses primarily consisted of a pipeline of immuno-oncology and infectious disease programs, hGH-CTP, and Rayaldee development programs.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We believe that technology innovation is driving breakthroughs in healthcare. We have adopted a comprehensive intellectual property strategy which blends the efforts to innovate in a focused manner with the efforts of our business development activities to strategically in-license intellectual property rights. We develop, protect, and defend our own intellectual property rights as dictated by the developing competitive environment. We value our intellectual property assets and believe we have benefited from early and insightful efforts at understanding diagnostics, as well as the disease and the molecular basis of potential pharmaceutical intervention.

We actively seek, when appropriate and available, protection for our products and proprietary information by means of U.S. and foreign patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and contractual arrangements. Patent protection in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic fields, however, can involve complex legal and factual issues. There can be no assurance that any steps taken to protect such proprietary information will be effective.

We own or license-in thousands of U.S. and foreign patents and applications for our products, product candidates and our outlicensed product candidates. These patents cover pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and other products and their uses, pharmaceutical and diagnostic compositions and formulations and product manufacturing processes. Our patents are filed in various locations worldwide as is appropriate to the particular patent and its use.

Rayaldee

We have multiple U.S. patent families relating to Rayaldee. These patents are also filed in multiple countries worldwide. One patent family claims a sustained release oral dosage formulation and a method of treating 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency or deficiency and will not expire until at least February 2027. A second patent family claims a method of administering 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ by controlled release, a formulation for controlled release of a vitamin D compound, a controlled release oral dosage formulation of a vitamin D compound and a method of treatment, and will not expire until at least April 2028. We also have additional patents and patent applications pending relating to the sustained release formulation and its use which will expire in 2034. The patents issued in the U.S. covering Rayaldee are listed in the Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, or the Orange Book. OPKO and/or its affiliates have entered into exclusive license agreements with respect to Rayaldee patents in certain territories outside of North America with VFMCRP (Europe and many other countries throughout the rest of the world), and Nicoya Macau Limited (China). We intend to seek patent term extensions in those countries for which such protection is potentially available. We also continue to file and seek patent protection on various uses of extended release dosage forms of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ and new formulations or presentations of this drug. 

NGENLA®  -- Somatrogon (hGH-CTP)

The hGH-CTP line of patents, which is exclusively licensed to Pfizer, includes multiple U.S. patent families that cover modified human grown hormone (Somatrogon), uses of Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) in adult and pediatric patient populations, and methods of making Somatrogon (hGH-CTP). Equivalent patents have also been filed in multiple countries around the world. One patent family covers certain CTP modified hGH polypeptides relating to growth hormones and their method of use and expires in February of 2027 (with the exception of two U.S. patents, namely US 8304386 and US 8097435, which expire in January 2028 and April 2027, respectively, due to Patent Term Adjustment for each). Additional U.S. patent applications are pending which cover Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) formulations, methods of manufacture and pediatric dosing regimens and, if granted, would expire in 2033. Equivalent patents are granted in Europe and Japan and which expire in 2032 and 2034. A subset of cases in the patent estate covers cytokine-based polypeptides relating to human growth hormone treatment and will expire in February 2027 (in the U.S., these cases include registered patents 8,048,849; 8,426,166; 8,999,670; and 9,896,494, and no Patent Term Adjustment was issued). Multiple other U.S. patents cover Somatrogon (hGH-CTP) and its uses or methods of making including U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,553,941; 8,450,269; 8,946,155; 10,351,615; and 11,197,915, where no Patent Term Adjustment was awarded by the USPTO. The equivalent foreign patents and applications are granted or pending in several major market countries and regions. In addition to the CTP patents and applications licensed to Pfizer, OPKO has multiple patent families covering similar biologicals with patents and applications pending in the U.S. and internationally. Patent term extensions and/or similar extensions such as supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and in multiple foreign jurisdictions where NGENLA (Somatrogon) has been approved and have been granted and/or are pending.

OPK88003 and OPK88004

In 2016, we acquired Transition Therapeutics, which was developing multiple drug candidates that included OPK88003 (a long acting oxyntomodulin) and OPK88004 (SARM), each of which is licensed from Eli Lilly and has patents granted worldwide covering the compounds and their use in their respective indications. U.S. Pat. No. 8367607 covers OPK88003 and expires in December 2030, without extension. OPKO has also filed a formulation patent on a long acting oxyntomodulin formulation. U.S. Pat. No. 7968587 covers OPK88004 (SARM) and expires, without extension, in November 2027. In addition to the molecule patent covering the selective androgen receptor modulator, Transition Therapeutics exclusively licensed a method of use patent family covering its use in treating androgen deprivation therapy associated symptoms. These patents expire in 2035. OPKO has also filed additional patent applications on expanded uses of OPK88004. In addition, Transition Therapeutics and its affiliates have patented compounds (scyllo-inositol) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The patents are pending or granted in many countries of the world. OPKO and/or its affiliates or licensees will seek all available patent term extensions for our product candidates and products. 

New patents and applications continue to be filed covering new compositions of matter and/or new uses of the above compounds or variants thereof.

Multispecific Antibodies and Vaccines

Our affiliate, ModeX Therapeutics, Inc. (“ModeX”) has multiple patents and/or patent applications either licensed-in from a third party such as Sanofi or owned or co-owned by ModeX, and which cover vaccine candidates such as a bivalent Epstein-Barr virus vaccine and its use in multiple indications (out-licensed to Merck & Co) or covers therapeutic multispecific antibodies for the treatment of various diseases or conditions such as infectious disease or cancer.  ModeX also has pending patent applications which are co-owned by ModeX and the federal government and which were filed pursuant to a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (“CRADA”)  with the Viral Research Center (“VRC”) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (“NIAID) and which cover therapeutic multispecific antibodies to treat COVID-19 infections and/or associated long-COVID.   ModeX has and will continue to file patent applications covering compositions and indications within their development program.

Because the patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostics companies are highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions, the patents owned and licensed by us, or any future patents, may not prevent other companies from developing similar or therapeutically equivalent products or ensure that others will not be issued patents that may prevent the sale of our products or require licensing and the payment of significant fees or royalties. Furthermore, to the extent that any of our future products or methods are not patentable, that such products or methods infringe upon the patents of third parties, or that our patents or future patents fail to give us an exclusive position in the subject matter claimed by those patents, we will be adversely affected. We may be unable to avoid infringement of third party patents and may have to obtain a license, defend an infringement action, or challenge the validity of the patents in court. A license may be unavailable on terms and conditions acceptable to us, if at all. Patent litigation is costly and time consuming, and we may be unable to prevail in any such patent litigation or devote sufficient resources to even pursue such litigation.

LICENSES AND COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

Our strategy is to develop a portfolio of product candidates through a combination of internal development, acquisition, and external partnerships. Collaborations are key to our strategy and we continue to build relationships and forge partnerships in various areas where unmet medical need and commercial opportunities exist. In May 2021,  VFMCRP entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which it assumed our prior strategic partner's rights to develop and commercialize Rayaldee for the treatment of SHPT in non-dialysis and dialysis patients with CKD in Japan. Under the VFMCRP Agreement, as amended from time to time, we have a license and collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of Rayaldee in Europe, Australia, and certain other international markets for the treatment of SHPT in patients with CKD and vitamin D insufficiency. In June 2021, we entered into a license agreement with Nicoya to distribute and sell Rayaldee in China and certain other countries. In July 2021, we licensed out our AntagoNAT portfolio owned by CURNA, INC. to CAMP4. In September 2021, we also entered into specific arrangements with LeaderMed in certain countries in Asia with respect to OPK-88003 and Factor VIIa. In November 2021, EirGen licensed out the Rayaldee patent estate to Progenetics Ltd. to distribute Rayaldee in Israel. In December 2014, we entered into the Pfizer Transaction for the development and commercialization of our long-acting hGH-CTP for the treatment of GHD in adults and children, as well as for the treatment of growth failure in children born small for gestational age. Previously, we (or entities we have acquired) have completed strategic licensing transactions with the President and Fellows of Harvard College, Academia Sinica, The Scripps Research Institute, TESARO, INEOS Healthcare, and Arctic Partners, among others. ModeX and Sanofi are parties to the Sanofi In-License Agreement pursuant to which ModeX licenses certain intellectual property underlying its Epstein-Barr Virus technology. ModeX and Merck are parties to the Merck Agreement, pursuant to which ModeX granted to Merck a license in connection with the development of ModeX's preclinical nanopartcile vaccine candidate targeting the Epstein-Barr Virus.

COMPETITION

The pharmaceutical and diagnostic testing industries are highly competitive and require an ongoing, extensive search for technological innovation. The industries are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary products. They also require, among other things, the ability to effectively discover, develop, test and obtain regulatory approvals for products, as well as the ability to effectively commercialize, market and promote approved products.

Numerous companies, including major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and specialized biotechnology companies, are engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical products competitive with those that we are or intend to commercialize ourselves and through our partners. Competitors to our diagnostics business include major diagnostic companies, reference laboratories, molecular diagnostic firms, universities and research institutions. Most of these companies have substantially greater financial and other resources, larger research and development staffs and more extensive marketing and manufacturing organizations than ours. This enables them, among other things, to make greater research and development investments and efficiently utilize their research and development costs, as well as their marketing and promotion costs, over a broader revenue base. This also provides our competitors with a competitive advantage in connection with the highly competitive product acquisition and product in-licensing process, which may include auctions in which the highest bidder wins. Our competitors may also have more experience and expertise in obtaining marketing approvals from the FDA and other regulatory authorities. In addition to product development, testing, approval, and promotion, other competitive factors in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry include industry consolidation, product quality and price, product technology, reputation, customer service, and access to technical information.

With regard to our pharmaceutical products, Rayaldee’s competition includes, among other products, activated (1-alpha-hydroxylated) vitamin D analogs such as calcitriol, doxercalciferol, and paricalcitol, and vitamin D supplements such as  ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol. Although we believe that Rayaldee offers substantial benefits over these products, Rayaldee may be competing with these and other lower priced products and products which are marketed by larger pharmaceutical companies with substantially greater resources.

There are two other pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies that we are aware of that have successfully developed and commenced commercilization of products addressing areas that we are targeting with our long acting hGH-CTP.  Additionally, a number of companies currently market generic daily human growth hormone products for GHD.

In our clinical laboratory operations, we compete with three types of providers in a highly fragmented and competitive industry: hospital laboratories, physician-office laboratories and other independent clinical laboratories. Our major competitors in the New York metropolitan area are two of the largest national laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Laboratory Corporation of America. Although we are much smaller than these national laboratories, we believe that we compete successfully with them in our region due to our innovative testing services and our level of service. 

We are commercializing our 4Kscore product in the U.S., Europe and Mexico in a laboratory setting. Competitors to our diagnostics business are many and include major diagnostic companies, molecular diagnostic firms, universities, and research institutions.

Pricing and reimbursement coverage positions could substantially impact the competitiveness of the 4Kscore test and our other diagnostic products. Our ability to commercialize our pharmaceutical and diagnostic test product candidates and compete effectively will depend, in large part, on:

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

The U.S. government regulates healthcare through various agencies, including but not limited to the following: (i) the FDA, which administers the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), as well as other relevant laws; (ii) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), which administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs; (iii) the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), which enforces various laws aimed at curtailing fraudulent or abusive practices, including by way of example, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly referred to as the Stark law, the Civil Monetary Penalty Law (including the beneficiary inducement prohibition) (“CMP”), and the laws that authorize the OIG to exclude healthcare providers and others from participating in federal healthcare programs; and (iv) the Office of Civil Rights, which administers the privacy aspects of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. All of the aforementioned are agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”). Healthcare is also provided or regulated, as the case may be, by the Department of Defense through its TRICARE program, the Department of Veterans Affairs, especially through the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, the Public Health Service within HHS under Public Health Service Act § 340B (42 U.S.C. § 256b), the Department of Justice through the Federal False Claims Act (the “False Claims Act”) and various criminal statutes, and state governments under the Medicaid and other state sponsored or funded programs and their internal laws regulating all healthcare activities.

The testing, manufacture, distribution, advertising, and marketing of drug and diagnostic products and medical devices, as well as the performance of clinical testing services, are subject to extensive regulation by federal, state, and local governmental authorities in the U.S., including the FDA, and by similar agencies in other countries. Any drug, diagnostic, or device product that we develop must receive all relevant regulatory approvals or clearances, as the case may be, before it may be marketed in a particular country.

Clinical Laboratory Operations

Our clinical laboratory operations are subject to regulations, which are designed to ensure the quality and reliability of clinical laboratories by mandating specific standards in the areas of personnel qualifications, administration and participation in proficiency testing, patient test management, quality control, quality assurance and inspections. Laboratories must undergo on-site surveys at least every two years, which may be conducted by CMS under the CLIA program or by a private CMS approved accrediting agency. The sanction for failure to comply with CLIA requirements may be suspension, revocation or limitation of a laboratory’s CLIA certificate, which is necessary to conduct business, as well as significant fines and/or criminal penalties. We are also subject to regulation of laboratory operations under state clinical laboratory laws. State clinical laboratory laws may require that laboratories and/or laboratory personnel meet certain qualifications, specify certain quality controls or require maintenance of certain records. Certain states, such as New York, California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, each require that we obtain licenses to test specimens from patients residing in those states and additional states may require similar licenses in the future. Only Washington and New York State are exempt under CLIA, as these states have established laboratory quality standards at least as stringent as CLIA’s. Potential sanctions for violation of these statutes and regulations include significant fines and the suspension or loss of various licenses, certificates and authorizations.

Our clinical laboratory operations are subject to complex laws, regulations and licensure requirements relating to billing and payment for laboratory services, sales and marketing interactions with ordering physicians and other health care providers, security and confidentiality of health information, and environmental and occupational safety, among others. Changes in regulations often increase the cost of testing or processing claims. Also, these laws may be interpreted or applied by a prosecutorial, regulatory or judicial authority in a manner that could require us to make changes in our operations, including in our pricing, billing and/or marketing practices in a manner that could adversely affect operations.

Drug Development

The regulatory process, which includes overseeing preclinical studies and clinical trials of each pharmaceutical compound to establish its safety and efficacy and confirmation by the FDA that good laboratory, clinical, and manufacturing practices were maintained during testing and manufacturing, can take many years, requires the expenditure of substantial resources, and gives larger companies with greater financial resources a competitive advantage over us. Delays or terminations of clinical trials that we undertake would likely impair our development of product candidates. Delays or terminations could result from a number of factors, including stringent enrollment criteria, slow rate of enrollment, size of patient population, having to compete with other clinical trials for eligible patients, geographical considerations, failure to meet anticipated clinical success, patient safety concerns, and others.

Although accelerated pathways for approval exist for certain drugs, generally, FDA review processes can be lengthy and unpredictable, and we may encounter delays or rejections of our applications when submitted. Generally, in order to gain FDA approval, we must first conduct preclinical studies in a laboratory and in animal models to obtain preliminary information on a compound and to identify any safety problems. The results of these studies are submitted as part of an IND application that the FDA must review before human clinical trials of an investigational drug can commence.

Clinical trials are normally done in three sequential phases and generally take two to five years or longer to complete. phase 1 consists of testing the drug product in a small number of humans, normally healthy volunteers, to determine preliminary safety and tolerable dose range. Phase 2 usually involves studies in a limited patient population to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug product in humans having the disease or medical condition for which the product is indicated, determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage, and identify possible common adverse effects and safety risks. Phase 3 consists of additional controlled testing at multiple clinical sites to establish clinical safety and effectiveness in an expanded patient population of geographically dispersed test sites to evaluate the overall benefit-risk relationship for administering the product and to provide an adequate basis for product labeling. Phase 4 clinical trials may be conducted- and are sometimes required - after approval to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication. There are also certain situations when drugs and biologics are eligible for one of FDA’s expedited approval programs, designed to shorten review and development time.

After completion of clinical trials of a new drug product, FDA and foreign regulatory authority marketing approval must be obtained. Assuming that the clinical data support the product’s safety and effectiveness for its intended use, a BLA or an NDA is submitted to the FDA for its review. Since the early 1990s, the FDA has managed a user fee program whereby sponsors of drug applications pay a fee to the agency and the agency commits to meeting a series of performance goals designed to reduce drug review times. Generally, it takes one to three years to obtain approval. If questions arise during the FDA review process, approval may take a significantly longer period of time. The testing and approval processes require substantial time and effort and we may not receive approval on a timely basis, if at all, or the approval that we receive may be for a narrower indication than we had originally sought, potentially undermining the commercial viability of the product. Even if regulatory approvals are obtained, a marketed product is subject to continual review, and later discovery of previously unknown problems or failure to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements may result in restrictions on the marketing of a product or withdrawal of the product from the market as well as possible civil or criminal sanctions. For marketing outside the U.S., we also will be subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing human clinical trials and marketing approval for pharmaceutical products. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing, and reimbursement vary widely from country to country.

In addition to clinical trial rules, FDA imposes other requirements on applicants including obligations related to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), proper labeling, and other issues related to manufacturing and marketing a drug.

Other than NGENLA (Somatrogon), which has been approved in the U.S., EU, Japan, Canada and Australia, Rayaldee is our only other proprietary pharmaceutical product under development that has been approved for marketing in the U.S. or elsewhere. We may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for any of our other products under development in a timely manner, if at all. Failure to obtain requisite governmental approvals or failure to obtain approvals of the scope requested will delay or preclude us, or our licensees or marketing partners, from marketing our products, or limit the commercial use of our products, and thereby would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. See “Risk Factors — The results of pre-clinical trials and previous clinical trials for our products may not be predictive of future results, and our current and planned clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA or other non-U.S. regulatory authorities.”

Device Development

Medical devices are subject to varying levels of premarket regulatory control, the most comprehensive of which requires human clinical trials be conducted before a device receives approval for commercial distribution. The FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes based upon their risk profile (both to the patient and provider): Class I devices are relatively simple “low risk” technologies, and can be manufactured and distributed with general controls without a premarket clearance or approval from the FDA; Class II devices are somewhat more complex “moderate risk” devices, and require greater scrutiny from the agency, requiring a premarket clearance from the FDA before market entry; Class III devices are “high risk” technologies inserted or implanted in the body, intended to treat life sustaining functions. These Class III technologies require a premarket approval from the FDA before market entry.

In the U.S., a company generally can obtain permission to distribute a new device in one of two ways. The first applies to a Class II device that is substantially equivalent to a device first marketed prior to May 1976, or to another device marketed after that date, but which was substantially equivalent to a pre-May 1976 device. To obtain FDA permission to distribute the device, a company generally must submit a section 510(k) premarket notification, and receive an FDA order finding substantial equivalence to a predicate device (pre-May 1976 or post-May 1976 device that was substantially equivalent to a pre-May 1976 device) and permitting commercial distribution of that device for its intended use. A 510(k) submission must provide information supporting a claim of substantial equivalence to the predicate device. If clinical data from human experience are required to support the 510(k) submission, these data must be gathered in compliance with investigational device exemption (“IDE”), regulations for investigations performed in the U.S. The 510(k) process is normally used for products of the type that the Company proposes distributing. The FDA review process for premarket notifications submitted pursuant to section 510(k) takes, on average, about 90 days, but it can take substantially longer if the FDA has concerns, and there is no guarantee that the FDA will “clear” the device for marketing, in which case the device cannot be distributed in the U.S. There is also no guarantee that the FDA will deem the applicable device subject to the 510(k) process, as opposed to the more time-consuming, resource-intensive and problematic, PMA process described below.

The second, more comprehensive, PMA process, which can take a year or longer, applies to a new device that is not substantially equivalent to a pre-1976 product or that is to be used in supporting or sustaining life or preventing impairment. These devices are normally Class III devices. For example, most implantable devices are subject to the approval process. Two steps of FDA approval are generally required before a company can market a product in the U.S. that is subject to approval, as opposed to clearance. First, a company must comply with IDE regulations in connection with any human clinical investigation of the device. These regulations permit a company to undertake a clinical study of a “non-significant risk” device without formal FDA approval. Prior express FDA approval is required if the device is a significant risk device. Second, the FDA must review the company’s PMA application, which contains, among other things, clinical information acquired under the IDE. The FDA will approve the PMA application if it finds there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use. The PMA process takes substantially longer than the 510(k) process and it is conceivable that the FDA would not agree with our assessment that a device that we propose to distribute should be a Class I or Class II device. If that were to occur we would be required to undertake the more complex and costly PMA process. However, for either the 510(k) or the PMA process, the FDA could require us to run clinical trials, which would pose all of the same risks and uncertainties associated with the clinical trials of drugs, described above.

In December of 2016, Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255) which contained provisions establishing a new Breakthrough Device pathway to allow faster patient access to devices and breakthrough technologies that provide for more effective treatment or diagnosis for life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases, for which no approved or cleared treatment exists or that offer significant advantages over existing approved or cleared alternatives. It is not clear if any of our products would be eligible.

Even when a clinical study has been approved by the FDA or deemed approved, the study is subject to factors beyond a manufacturer’s control, including, but not limited to the fact that the institutional review board at a given clinical site might not approve the study, might decline to renew approval which is required annually, or might suspend or terminate the study before the study has been completed. Also, the interim results of a study may not be satisfactory, leading the sponsor to terminate or suspend the study on its own initiative or the FDA may terminate or suspend the study. There is no assurance that a clinical study at any given site will progress as anticipated; there may be an insufficient number of patients who qualify for the study or who agree to participate in the study or the investigator at the site may have priorities other than the study. Also, there can be no assurance that the clinical study will provide sufficient evidence to assure the FDA that the product is safe and effective, a prerequisite for FDA approval of a PMA, or substantially equivalent in terms of safety and effectiveness to a predicate device, a prerequisite for clearance under 510(k). Even if the FDA approves or clears a device, it may limit its intended uses in such a way that manufacturing and distributing the device may not be commercially feasible. For marketing outside the U.S., we also will be subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing clinical trials and marketing approval for medical devices. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, device clearance/approval, pricing, and reimbursement vary widely from country to country. In addition to the regulatory clearance and approval processes described herein, the FDA periodically issues draft guidance documents designed to provide additional detail on or reform aspects of the 510(k) and PMA clearance and approval processes. To the extent the FDA finalizes and implements these documents, the average 510(k) and PMA submission requirements and review times may change and devices that might previously have been cleared under the 510(k) process may require approval under the PMA process (and vice-versa). Additionally, since 2012, the FDA has collected user fees for the review of certain premarket submissions received on or after October 1, 2012, including 510(k) and PMA applications. These fees are intended to improve the device review process, but it is still too early to assess the actual impact on the industry.

After clearance or approval to market is given, the FDA and foreign regulatory agencies, upon the occurrence of certain events, are authorized under various circumstances to withdraw the clearance or approval or require changes to a device, its manufacturing process or its labeling or additional proof that regulatory requirements have been met.

A manufacturer of a device approved through the PMA is not permitted to make changes to the device, which affects its safety or effectiveness without first submitting a supplement application to its PMA and obtaining FDA approval for that supplement. In some instances, the FDA may require clinical trials to support a supplement application. A manufacturer of a device cleared through the 510(k) process must submit another premarket notification if it intends to make a change or modification in the device that could significantly affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, such as a significant change or modification in design, material, chemical composition, energy source or manufacturing process. Any change in the intended uses of a PMA device or a 510(k) device requires an approved PMA supplement or a cleared premarket notification. Exported devices are subject to the regulatory requirements of each country to which the device is exported, as well as certain FDA export requirements.

A company that intends to manufacture medical devices is required to register with the FDA before it begins to manufacture the device for commercial distribution. As a result, we and any entity that manufactures products on our behalf will be subject to periodic inspection by the FDA for compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation requirements and other regulations. In the European Community, we will be required to maintain certain International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”), certifications in order to sell products and we or our manufacturers undergo periodic inspections by notified bodies to obtain and maintain these certifications. These regulations require us or our manufacturers to manufacture products and maintain documents in a prescribed manner with respect to design, manufacturing, testing and control activities. Further, we are required to comply with various FDA and other agency requirements for labeling and promotion. The Medical Device Reporting regulations require that we provide information to the FDA whenever there is evidence to reasonably suggest that a device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or, if a malfunction were to occur, could cause or contribute to a death or serious injury. In addition, the FDA prohibits us from promoting a medical device for unapproved indications.

Diagnostic Products

Certain of our diagnostic products in development are subject to regulation by the FDA and similar international health authorities. For these products, we have an obligation to adhere to the FDA’s current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) regulations. Additionally, we are subject to periodic FDA inspections, quality control procedures, and other detailed validation procedures. If the FDA finds deficiencies in the validation of our manufacturing and quality control practices, it may impose restrictions on marketing these specific products until corrected.

Regulation by governmental authorities in the U.S. and other countries may be a significant factor in how we develop, test, produce and market our diagnostic test products. Diagnostic tests like ours may not fall squarely within the regulatory approval process for pharmaceutical or device products as described above, and the regulatory pathway is not as clear. Although the FDA regulates in vitro diagnostic devices, some laboratory companies have successfully commercialized diagnostic tests for various conditions and disease states without seeking clearance or approval for such tests through a 510(k) or PMA approval process. These tests are known as laboratory developed tests (“LDTs”) and are designed, manufactured, and used within a single laboratory that is certified under the CLIA. CLIA is a federal law that regulates clinical laboratories that perform testing on specimens derived from humans for the purpose of providing information for diagnostic, preventative or treatment purpose. Such LDT testing is currently under the purview of CMS and state agencies that provide oversight of the safe and effective use of LDTs. A large number of laboratory testing in the United States consists of LDTs.

However, the FDA has consistently asserted that it has the regulatory authority to regulate LDTs despite historically exercising enforcement discretion. In furtherance of that position, the FDA issued two draft guidance documents in October 2014: (1) Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests; and (2) FDA Notification and Medical Device Reporting for Laboratory Developed Tests, but has taken no action on the draft guidance. Rather, Congress is considering various legislation that, if enacted, could formalize an FDA oversight role for LDTs, including both the Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act, and the Verified Innovative Testing in American Laboratories (VITAL) Act. The FDA has informally indicated that it is giving Congress the opportunity to develop a legislative solution.

If enacted, legislation such as the VALID Act or the VITAL Act may have a materially adverse effect on the time, cost, and risk associated with the Company’s development and commercialization of LDTs for the U.S. market, and there can be no assurance that clearances or approvals sought by the Company will be granted and maintained. However, the FDA’s authority to regulate LDTs continues to be challenged, the proposed VALID Act and VITAL Act have faced opposition, and the regulatory situation remains fluid. The FDA has indicated that it will continue dialogue with the industry, and the timeline and process for action by Congress or the FDA is unknown. We will continue to monitor changes to all domestic and international LDT regulatory policy so as to ensure compliance with the current regulatory scheme.

Impact of Regulation

The FDA in the course of enforcing the FDCA may subject a company to various sanctions for violating FDA regulations or provisions of the FDCA, including requiring recalls, issuing Warning Letters, seeking to impose civil money penalties, seizing devices that the agency believes are non-compliant, seeking to enjoin distribution of a specific drug or device seeking to revoke a clearance or approval, seeking disgorgement of profits and seeking to criminally prosecute a company and its officers and other responsible parties.

The levels of revenues and profitability of biopharmaceutical companies may be affected by the continuing efforts of government and third party payors to contain or reduce the costs of health care through various means. For example, in certain foreign markets, pricing or profitability of therapeutic and other pharmaceutical products is subject to governmental control. In the U.S., there have been, and we expect that there will continue to be, a number of federal and state proposals to implement similar governmental control. In addition, in the U.S. and elsewhere, sales of therapeutic and other pharmaceutical products are dependent in part on the availability and adequacy of reimbursement from third party payors, such as the government or private insurance plans. Third party payors are increasingly challenging established prices, and new products that are more expensive than existing treatments may have difficulty finding ready acceptance unless there is a clear therapeutic benefit. On April 1, 2014, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (“PAMA”) was enacted into law. Under PAMA, Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests are established by calculating a weighted mean of private payor rates with new rates. Effective January 1, 2018, clinical laboratory fee schedule rates were based on weighted median private payor rates as required by PAMA. We cannot assure you that any of our products will be considered cost effective, or that reimbursement will be available or sufficient to allow us to sell them competitively and profitably.

State and Federal Security and Privacy Regulations

The privacy and security regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 ( the “HITECH Act”, and collectively, “HIPAA”), establish comprehensive federal standards with respect to the uses and disclosures of protected health information, or PHI, by health plans and health care providers, in addition to setting standards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic PHI. The regulations establish a complex regulatory framework on a variety of subjects, including:

The final omnibus rule implementing the HITECH Act took effect on March 26, 2013. The rule is broad in scope, but certain provisions are particularly significant in light of our business operations. For example, the final “omnibus” rule implementing the HITECH Act:

As a provider of clinical laboratory services and as we launch commercial diagnostic tests, we must continue to implement policies and procedures related to compliance with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations, as required by law. The privacy and security regulations provide for significant fines and other penalties for wrongful use or disclosure of PHI, including potential civil and criminal fines and penalties.

Additionally, as we operate in Europe, we may be subject to laws governing the collection, use, disclosure and transmission of personal and/or patient information. In December 2015, the European Union approved a General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) to replace the current data protection directive, Directive 95/46/EC, which took effect May 25, 2018. The GDPR governs the use and transfer of personal data and imposes enhanced penalties for noncompliance. We have made, and will continue to make, certain adjustments to our operations so as to comply with the GDPR.

Anti-Kickback Laws, Physician Self-Referral Laws, False Claims Act, Civil Monetary Penalties

We are also subject to various federal, state, and international laws pertaining to health care “fraud and abuse,” including anti-kickback laws and false claims laws. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits anyone from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering, or paying any remuneration with the intent to refer, or to arrange for the referral or order of, services or items payable under a federal health care program, including the purchase or prescription of a particular drug or the use of a service or device. Recognizing that the Anti-Kickback Statute is broad and may technically prohibit many innocuous or beneficial arrangements, Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, or OIG, to issue a series of regulations, known as “safe harbors.” These safe harbors set forth requirements that, if met in their entirety, will assure health care providers and other parties that they will not be prosecuted under the Anti-Kickback Statute. The failure of a transaction or arrangement to fit precisely within one or more safe harbors does not necessarily mean that it is illegal, or that prosecution will be pursued. However, conduct and business arrangements that do not fully satisfy each applicable safe harbor may result in increased scrutiny by government enforcement authorities, such as the OIG.

Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute are punishable by the imposition of criminal fines, civil money penalties, treble damages, and/or exclusion from participation in federal health care programs. Many states have also enacted similar anti-kickback laws. The Anti-Kickback Statute and similar state laws and regulations are expansive. If the government were to allege against or convict us of violating these laws, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and our stock price. Even an unsuccessful challenge could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We will consult counsel concerning the potential application of these and other laws to our business and our sales, marketing and other activities and will make good faith efforts to comply with them. However, given the broad reach of federal and state anti-kickback laws and the increasing attention given by law enforcement authorities, we are unable to predict whether any of our activities will be challenged or deemed to violate these laws.

We are also subject to the physician self-referral laws, commonly referred to as the Stark law, which is a strict liability statute that generally prohibits physicians from referring Medicare patients to providers of “designated health services,” including clinical laboratories, with whom the physician or the physician’s immediate family member has an ownership interest or compensation arrangement, unless an applicable exception applies. Moreover, many states have adopted or are considering adopting similar laws, some of which extend beyond the scope of the Stark law to prohibit the payment or receipt of remuneration for the prohibited referral of patients for designated healthcare services and physician self-referrals, regardless of the source of the payment for the patient’s care. If it is determined that certain of our practices or operations violate the Stark law or similar statutes, we could become subject to civil and criminal penalties, including exclusion from the Medicare programs and loss of government reimbursement. The imposition of any such penalties could harm our business.

Another development affecting the health care industry is the increased use of the federal civil False Claims Act and, in particular, actions brought pursuant to the False Claims Act’s “whistleblower” or “qui tam” provisions. The False Claims Act, as amended by the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“Affordable Care Act”), imposes liability on any person or entity who, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment by a federal health care program. We submit claims for services performed at our laboratories. The qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow a private individual to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging that the defendant has submitted a false claim to the federal government, and to share in any monetary recovery. In recent years, the number of suits brought by private individuals has increased dramatically. In addition, various states have enacted false claim laws analogous to the False Claims Act. Many of these state laws apply where a claim is submitted to any third-party payor and not merely a federal health care program. When an entity is determined to have violated the False Claims Act, it may be required to pay up to three times the actual damages sustained by the government, plus civil penalties for each separate false claim. There are many potential bases for liability under the False Claims Act. Liability arises, primarily, when an entity knowingly submits, or causes another to submit, a false claim for reimbursement to the federal government. The False Claims Act has been used to assert liability on the basis of inadequate care, kickbacks and other improper referrals, improper use of Medicare numbers when detailing the provider of services, and allegations as to misrepresentations with respect to the services rendered. Our activities relating to the sale and marketing of our products may be subject to scrutiny under these laws. We are unable to predict whether we would be subject to actions under the False Claims Act or a similar state law, or the impact of such actions. However, the costs of defending such claims, as well as any sanctions imposed, could significantly adversely affect our financial performance.

Further, the beneficiary inducement prohibition of the federal Civil Monetary Penalty Law prohibits any entity from offering or transferring to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary any remuneration that the entity knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular provider, practitioner or supplier of Medicare or Medicaid payable items or services, including waivers of copayments and deductible amounts (or any part thereof) and transfers of items or services for free or for other than fair market value. On December 7, 2016, the OIG released amendments to the CMP. Some of the amendments may impact our business, such as allowing certain remuneration to financially needy individuals. Entities found in violation may be liable for civil monetary penalties of up to $10,000 for each wrongful act. Although we believe that our sales and marketing practices are in material compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, relevant regulatory authorities may disagree and violation of these laws, or, our exclusion from such programs as Medicaid and other governmental programs as a result of a violation of such laws, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Open Payments Program

With the launch of Rayaldee, part of our business is now subject to the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act under the Affordable Care Act, and its implementing regulations, which is implemented though the physicians Open Payments Program (the “Open Payments Program”). The Open Payments Program requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological and medical supplies covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, to report information related to certain payments or other transfers of value made or distributed to physicians and teaching hospitals, or to entities or individuals at the request of, or designated on behalf of, the physicians and teaching hospitals. Manufacturers must also report, on an annual basis, certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members and payments or other “transfers of value” made to such physician owners. A failure to report each payment, other transfer of value, or ownership/investment interest in a timely, accurate, and complete manner may result in civil monetary penalties of up to $150,000 annually. Further, the “knowing” failure to report each payment, other transfer of value, or ownership/investment interest may result in a one million dollar annual penalty. Several other states and a number of countries worldwide have adopted or are considering the adoption of similar transparency laws. Any failure by us to implement proper procedures to track and report on a timely basis transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals could result in substantial penalties.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), which prohibits corporations and individuals from paying, offering to pay, or authorizing the payment of anything of value to any foreign government official, government staff member, political party, or political candidate in an attempt to obtain or retain business or to otherwise influence a person working in an official capacity. The FCPA also requires public companies to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect their transactions and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Our international activities create the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by our employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors, even though they may not always be subject to our control. We discourage these practices by our employees and agents. However, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may prove to be less than effective, and our employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. Any failure by us to adopt appropriate compliance procedures and ensure that our employees and agents comply with the FCPA and applicable laws and regulations in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial penalties or restrictions on our ability to conduct business in certain foreign jurisdictions.

MANUFACTURING AND QUALITY

Our current pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities are located in Waterford, Ireland, Guadalajara, Mexico, Nesher, Israel, and Banyoles, Spain. In addition to such facilities, we have entered into agreements with various third parties for the formulation and manufacture of our pharmaceutical clinical supplies. These suppliers and their manufacturing facilities must comply with FDA regulations, current good laboratory practices and current good manufacturing practices (“cGMPs”). We plan to continue to outsource the manufacturing and formulation of our clinical supplies.

The FDA and similar regulatory bodies may inspect our facilities and the facilities of those who manufacture on our behalf worldwide. If the FDA or similar regulatory bodies inspecting our facilities or the facilities of our suppliers find regulatory violations in manufacturing and quality control practices or procedures they may require us to cease partial or complete manufacturing operations until the violations are corrected. They may also impose restrictions on distribution of specific products until the violations are corrected.

We are committed to providing high quality products to our customers, and we plan to meet this commitment by working diligently to continue implementing updated and improved quality systems and concepts throughout our organization.

SALES & MARKETING

Our diagnostics business includes BioReference’s significant sales and marketing team in the U.S. to drive growth and leverage new products. We have a highly specialized, field based sales and marketing team in the United States dedicated to the launch and commercialization of Rayaldee. We also have limited sales and marketing personnel in Ireland, Chile, Spain, Mexico and Israel.

HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES

Employees and Labor Relations

As of December 31, 2023, we had 3,930 full-time employees worldwide. With the exception of an immaterial number of employees of OPKO Spain, none of our employees are represented by a collective bargaining agreement. Overall, we consider our employee relations to be good.

Health and Safety

As a company in the healthcare industry, employee safety is a key focus of our leadership, communications, and training. We are required to comply with the College of American Pathologists and CLIA laboratory safety requirements in addition to OSHA regulations. With a clear leader in our EHS Manager, direction, standards of practice, training and auditing are consolidated and then disseminated to our managers, supervisors and all employees. We continually align our health and safety goals with those prescribed by applicable regulatory agencies and balance these goals with the needs of our employees. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we transitioned non-essential workers from the office to working from home, worked to ensure proper personal protective equipment using guidance provided by the CDC and OSHA where applicable, and we optimized our essential worker stations in our laboratories and other key process areas to provide for appropriate sanitation, social distancing and other appropriate measures to address the risks of the pandemic. 

Competitive Pay and Benefits

We are committed to fair pay and we offer competitive medical benefits to all of our employees. Our U.S. health benefits package is above the competitive range for similar companies in our comparative industries and is one of the key tools we use for recruitment.